Fresh Quince's Top 5 Trends for 2011

1. REFURBISHING VINTAGE FURNITURE...paint and/or upholstery will do magic for those one of a kind vintage pieces!

    

All of these images are from Chairloom, a fabulous company that re-upholsters antiques. 

2. TRES CHIC ENVIRONMENTALLY MINDED DESIGN COMPANIES...the idea that to be 'green' it has to be bamboo and boring will no longer fly in 2011, as evidenced below in these images from fresh and stylish eco-minded companies.

AphroChic Haze Wallpaper 

Rubie Green Organic Fabric

Jane Gray for Stray Dog Designs Lamp

There are a plethora of eco-friendly design companies with a wide range of prices.

3. PLANTS INDOORS...every space needs something living and plants are always fresh and decorative.

Not only do plants help clean indoor air, but they also look lovely...why buy stuff, when plants are easy and green.

4. WALL COVERINGS...whether you stencil or get VOC/PVC-free wallpaper, having a wall covered will be so 2011 and not 2000 and late ;).

Grow House Grow Wallpaper 

5. ON-LINE CONSIGNMENT BOUTIQUES...why buy new, when there are so many new on-line consignment shops that offer gently-used items at a huge discount???

Trina Turk Red and Ivory Velvet Coat from I-ELLA on-line consignment boutique.

Bottega Veneta dress via DecadesTwo online consignment

Fresh Quince believes that in 2011 there will be an increase in eco-minded style...Glamour and Green will rule supreme!! To see other blogs and their 2011 forecasts go to Design Refuge here!!!

Addendum to Friday's Finest

Just had to add this...

I just saw this image on the blog La Dolce Vita, it is styled by the designer Kelley Moore and reminded me of these Craigslist items (see below) I saw yesterday...

Chic Hand Carved Solid Wood Hollywood Style Table and Chair $395

Spray paint it gold and you could have a designer looking piece. I would probably separate them and just use the chair and add to very modern desk and upholster the chair in zebra fabric. 

Fridays Finest

Domino

Jeanine Hays, of AphroChic, recently posted about this Domino image, stating that it was the inspirational photo that launched AphroChic.  And I remember it fondly...the cheerful chairs, clean lines, white walls mixed with a few antiques and the adorable little girl. Anyway, it now has inspired me to do a Craigslist Finest post on it. All of the comparable's below are on DC's Craigslist and if you would like the link, just post a comment...

Gorgeous mirrored coffee cross table $300 (i love this coffee table and because it looks too dark i would spray paint it in silver...metallic spray paints don't come in low voc, so please remember to spray outside)

Crate and Barrel Sofa $550 (almost the exact match...can you see it???)

Solid Organic Cotton Pillow from Fabricadabra on sale for $25 (fabricadabra carries fabulous inexpensive organic pillow covers)

Pair of French Provincial Armchairs $380/pair (a few coats of Ben Moore Dove White will transform these chairs...remember to do it before you take it to the upholsters)

Re-upholster the above chairs in Rubie Green East Village Upholstery Fabric $90/yard (instead of stripes...how about fun chevron and you will only need about 4 yards or less)

Silhoutte Black and White $90 (AphroChic's awesome pillows will add some comfort to the chairs above)

A side note of interest, AphroChic is on sale until Monday:

Round wood side table $90 (simple, clean and useful)

Wooden Table Lamp $5 (uh...incredible price, just get rid of the shade and buy a black drum shade)

Spray paint the above lamp in this:

Krylon H20 Yellow Sea Spray Paint $4.99/can (the H2O line is lower in VOC and I use it all of the time b/c it doesn't smell as bad and is latex based, instead of oil like all spray paint)

Fun and Modern Chandelier $129 (not exactly like the one above, but totally cool don't you think?)

Large Silver/White Mirror $75 (simple and clean...excellent accompaniment to the rest of the space and great price)

Rugs: It is rather difficult to find good rugs on Craigslist, so I would recommend a cotton or wool rug in lieu synthetic.

Madeline Weinrib Golden Rod Cotton Rug (okay, since you have saved a fortune from buying on CL, then why not spend a pretty penny on a gorgeous Madeline Weinrib rug...need to contact for details)

West Elm Andalusia Rug 8 x 10 $459 cotton/wool (a fairly inexpensive comparable)

And for the wall art, how about a hot pink feather boa spun around a piece of round cardboard.

courtesy google images

Hope you all were inspired! If you need a link to any of the items, then please just leave a comment below...

So much to be Thankful for...

I do not have a beautiful table setting to show you, nor a large baked turkey because my home is just too small to host my large extended family. So every year, I just bake around 4 pies, which are in the oven as I write this. To me Thanksgiving is more about family, friends and appreciating what you have...yes I do love a beautiful laid out table and little golden pumpkins with decorations galore, but my family, friends and nature are what ground me and make me whole. Thanks to you my family and friends!!!!

Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!!!

xx Danielle

What to Wear Wednesdays

Resound Teal cotton/wool dress size: large $42.95

Manolo Blahnik Cognac leather pumps size: 10 $168.95

Sterling USA Vintage brown alligator purse $152.95

Pearl and chain necklace $58.95

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, just in case you didn't know, and I thought this outfit would be a perfect complement for the day's festivities. A rich and comfortable teal dress, vintage handbag, versatile necklace and super comfortable heels that you could wear all evening...how could you go wrong? 

As you can see below, teal looks fabulous on every skin tone! 

Courtesy Real Simple

"Colors on opposite sides of the color wheel enhance each other, which is why strawberries look so good packaged in green containers, Eiseman says. It's not surprising that teal―Pantone 19-4227 TC, the color-wheel opposite of pink―plays up a healthy flush in the skin. Plus, it's more versatile than a bright, summery turquoise, so you can wear it well into the fall with black, brown, and other neutrals." Real Simple Magazine 

Don't forget to head over to the Current Boutique blog and check out the great finds Kat has chosen in the Alexandria location.

Instead of Black Friday...

How about Etsy Friday? Wouldn't that be incredible...to shop from the comfort of your own home, support local or US based artisans and get a unique one-of-a-kind gift for that special someone???

Come on friends let's start a trend and replace the outdated, drive you mad, no parking, excessive amount of stuff Black Friday and switch to the new and improved...Etsy Friday!!

Here are some of my fave's on Etsy right now and please forgive the randomness...

Feral Cat Bag $9 (i love the expression on this cat...so charming like he wants to ever so gently scratch your eye out)


Ink Iku Dress by threelittleducksaus $140 (anything from this shop would be okay by me)


Ceramic travel mug with lid $20 (love this...the potter must have had great skill b/c it is very difficult to match a ceramic mug with a plastic lid and have it fit b/c clay shrinks a lot in the kiln)


Re-usable fabric wall stickers $53 (these are fabric and not PVC like every other decal out there...lovin' these for a kids room or above a white sofa)


Lavender Matryoshka dolls  (so cute)


Coral Red Recycled Leather and Wool Cat Bag $180 (i am not sure if you can tell, but i like cats...actually i love them way too much)


Turkish Towel A Peshtemal $24 (ok this is not exactly local but had to give a shout out to my peeps there)


Wall Tenticle by ArtAkimbo $1,100 (i just had to put this in here)


Agnes by CricketandBear $14 (i need agnes...isn't she just so adorable??)


Okay so that was really random with no categories or organization or color-coded what-nots or price discrimination...welcome to my brain!!!

Hope to see you tomorrow for What to Wear Wednesdays!

My Ode to Neutrals

Welcome, Welcome...come one come all! Be prepared to be amazed, as evidenced below, by the shocking fact that I, yes I, indeed love neutral decor as much as bright and vivid pops of color. Hold on to your seats and observe the astounding images of my creamorific master bedroom...

My bedroom (notice the stack of magazines, this photo was taken awhile ago and now that stack has tripled...nice!)...

Photo courtesy Peter Vanderpoel

Yes, it is true that I hold in the belief that a bedroom needs to be restful and that an entire home cannot survive with electrifying decor, for the mere fact that it might cause one to have anxiety or worse need the vapors to calm their nerves. And please no need to faint for the next restful image...

My bedside table with flea market lamp, triangle pottery dish made by me (yes I dabble a bit in clay), and the beautiful framed flower image is the only thing I have from my Grandma Autumn and on the other side of the bed I have a photo of her holding my mom, so I feel protected at night with her surrounding me)...

Photo courtesy Peter Vanderpoel

Yes, yes of course I believe we need some color in our homes or the opposite calamity might occur and severe depression might set in, in that case you could find yourself crying over silly matters like your son wanting, yes lord forbid, you not to come to his school because he is now embarrassed to be around you. So to compensate this horrible affliction a bright sofa may be needed, as you can see below...

My living room, pre upholstery (the 2 chairs on the left are currently at the upholsters getting a fun make over), with my bright orange velvet sofa that I got off of Craigslist for $100...

Photo courtesy Peter Vanderpoel.

I know ladies and gentlemen, this is why we need both vivid color and touches of vanilla, yes vanilla, in our lives to keep us sane. I do hope that none of these images or me revealing the fact that I like neutral decor has caused any undo harm, please understand my intent was just to inform of the dangers of extreme, so farewell friends and good luck to you all in creating a peaceful, yet bright and happy home!!