shopping

Fresh picks for a New Year

January 12, 2017

Happy New Year readers! Wow – can’t believe we are already 1/3 of the way into January! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday break – I know I did. A little downtime is so good for the soul, isn’t it? And my boys must be approaching the teen years because they were sleeping in like they never have before! I remember many a cold winter Sunday morning at 5:30 am trying to entertain a toddler when it was still pitch black outside. (Hang in there moms of little early risers! Your time will come!)

Anyway, one of the (few) things I love about January are all the new product launches by my favorite stores and companies. Everyone seems to want to turn over a new leaf in the New Year. I thought I’d share a few new things that have caught my eye from some of my favorite sources.

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Mix’n’Match marble shelves from World Market.
How pretty are these? And so on-trend with the mix of marble and brass. Would be pretty in a powder room …

Also from World Market, a super-chic table lamp! Hello … acrylic and brass … always a great combo!

I’m always on the hunt for interesting planters and vases. Especially this time of year, it’s nice to have a little greenery around. These planters from Wisteria are so unique. Alone on a console or pair the two sizes for a pretty centerpiece.

Also from Wisteria, I love the clean lines and foot detail on this rustic console table.

Natural fiber rugs are always a great addition to any home. I love that this new one from Serena & Lily has a little pizzaz to it with its gingham pattern. Would be fun in front of a kitchen sink.

New from Terrain, these iron votives are so pretty. The punched metal gives them an industrial flair.

I usually shop Currey & Company for lighting, but I sometimes forget they have great furniture pieces too. I love this tiered side table with its cast aluminum top.

Isn’t this the best Bin Pull from Rejuvenation?

I’m always excited to see the new collections from Loloi rugs. This rug from their Delphi Collection is so pretty. It’s muted colors would work in a variety of spaces.

Have you all started watching the new season of Fixer Upper? These wood grain chargers from Magnolia Market are so cute. A fun addition to the dining table.

I didn’t realize until I put all the pieces together in a collage how well they work together. Can you tell I am drawn to neutral pieces, metal and natural wood? I think after the holidays everyone is craving a little more simplicity – but things like these can still help warm up your space once all of the decorations are put away.

What changes will you make to your home this month?

Friday Foursome

September 23, 2016

Welcome to this week’s Friday Foursome, where I share a few of the things that made me swoon over the past week.

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I totally want to copy Sherry Hart’s idea and do this in my living room fireplace.

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15 Ways to Decorate and Awkward Corner …

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Just ordered this book by textile designer Rebecca Atwood! Not only does it give great tips on using pattern in our homes and some fun DIY projects, but it looks great on a coffee table!

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target

Oh my gosh – Target’s new Fall Home Collection just hit stores this week and it’s ridiculous. So many cute things! Some items already sold out – so get yourself to Target this weekend – and be sure to allow yourself a little extra time to peruse!

xo-amy

Catching up … and a new addiction

January 23, 2014

Happy New Year! (Um, 22 days late …. sorry!) Where has this month gone? Buried is the catchphrase for this month … I feel like we’ve been buried in snow and buried in work. Lots of new client deliveries that have come in after the lull of the holidays and lots of new projects too. This is the time of year when we’ve all been inside so much that we can’t help but look around our homes and get an itch to make some changes, right?

One thing we finally got up and running is a Swoon Interiors Instagram account! We are still in the process of working on a new website design (if we could ever find the extra hours to focus more time on it … ) and this will be a cool part of the site. But for now, if you’re curious about the little day to day things we do and things that inspire us, be sure to follow swooninteriors.

So have you heard of the newly launched Hunter’s Alley? Just in case you don’t already spend enough time on Pinterest, Houzz, Keep, and One Kings Lane … here is a new place to spend all your extra time (and $$$)! (Don’t say I didn’t warn you.)

Hunter’s Alley is from the team behind One Kings Lane … think Craigslist’s fun, worldly and glamorous little sister. Hunter’s Alley features a great selection of one-of-a-kind, pre-owned decor, some vintage, some handmade and some contemporary. And unlike sites like Craigslist, where buying and selling your things can be a pain and you have to sift through a lot of junk to find the good stuff, every item on Hunters Alley is vetted, ensuring that you’re seeing only the best items.

I like how the site also showcases the sellers … you get a little peek into their personalities and sometimes a good story on their items for sale. Shoppers can comment, “heart” the items they love, and see what other people are obsessing over.

Here are a few of my “hearts” …

Can you tell I am loving brass lately?

Have a good rest of the week and weekend everyone! I promise not to be such a stranger!

The things we keep ….

October 9, 2013

Ok, don’t hate me. I’m about to introduce you to another potentially time-sucking website. I’m warning you. Continue reading at your own risk.

So … maybe you want to take a little break from Facebook or Pinterest and to try something new?

Enter Keep.com. Keep is the place to go when you want to discover AND BUY the latest trends in fashion, decor, accessories and design.

Yes, the idea is similar to Pinterest. You install a “Keep It” button on your browser and whenever you’re checking out your favorite online stores and see something you like, you can click your Keep It button and save the item to your Keep collections. (Lighting, rugs, pillows, art, boots, beauty products … you decide.)

Let’s face it … Pinterest, frankly, can be a little exhausting, right? Even a few minutes on it can leave you feeling like you need to get up and make 3 casseroles, paint a dresser, wallpaper your bathroom and make your kids their own organic finger paint.

With Keep, there’s no need to get that busy. You simply keep track of all the fabulous things you want to buy, today, tomorrow … three months from now. No more thinking to yourself “Shoot, where did I see that antiqued brass sconce I loved so much?” If you kept in on Keep … you’ll know exactly where and can click right through to buy it. Yep, that’s right. Every item on Keep has a nice big BUY IT button.

But here’s the rub. You can also check out what other people want to buy. Yes, that’s where the addictive part comes in. Your screen is full of lovely items that others have already discovered. You don’t need to ask or wonder “Where’d they find that fabulous sweater-purse-rug-pillow-fill-in-the-blank?” Just click on Buy It or Keep it for your own wish list collection.

Above is a screen shot of my Keep home page. If you follow me, or check out some of my collections, you’ll see a handful of things I’ve added in just the last few days since I discovered Keep myself. If you’d like to start Keeping all your wishlist items in one place … click here to join. But don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Speaking of shopping … this is Kristy and I after a particularly “exhausting” day of accessory shopping for some very lucky clients. We are surrounded by our purchases! (Yes, we love our job.)

We spent literally hours inside the new Classic Remix which recently relocated from Lincoln Park to River North. ( I blogged about the original location here.) If you go and see the size of the store, you will wonder how we spent hours there, but we did!

Fabulous finds everywhere you look …

Check out these incredible chain link shelves which the owner designed herself.

Does your home need an accessory spruce up before the holidays? Contact us to set up a consultation!

Unexpected Shopping Sources

October 12, 2012

Sometimes when you are trying to design on a tighter budget, you have to get creative. You have to seek out unexpected sources for art, lamps, furniture, rugs, etc. It takes a little extra digging, but can lead to some seriously swoonworthy finds.

I bet you’d never guess where some of these pretty things are from …

First clue: While it’s no secret that kids’ rooms have become WAY more sophisticated than when we were growing up … sometimes shopping those stores designated just for kids can yield some beautiful pieces that are actually quite adult.

Restoration Hardware Baby + Kids Dandelion Art

Restoration Hardware Baby + Kids French Naval Clock

PBTeen Teardrop Chandelier

PBTeen Mercury Glass Accessories

How many of you think of Urban Outfitters as kind of an edgy, I might-be-too-old-for-it, there’s-nothing-in-it-for-me store? Think again.

Urban Outfitters Zigzag rug

Urban Outfitters Brass Leaf Side Table

Did you ever consider that you might find just what you’re looking for at a hardware store?

Lowe’s Baxton Studio White Table

Lowe’s Pewter Chandelier

Even some older stores and brands known more for their clothing are branching out into home decor items … with very on-trend pieces and budget-friendly prices.

Land’s End Ikat Pillow Cover

JcPenny Antiquus Lamp

JcPenny Versailles Mirrored Chest

So what do you think? Time to think outside the box?