Catching Up, Part 1

November was a very hectic month for me. Between volunteering for this years DIFFA event, Holidays by Design, appearing on television, having 2 Thanksgiving dinners, hosting an Open House at Coveted Home, getting our e-commerce website up (more on that in a future post!!) and going to a really amazing wedding...well lets just say I was pretty taxed.

I have fully recuperated and am ready to tackle the month of December! But first I want to extend a big Thank You to my fabulous employees and family who always take care of me and the shop when I am over extended, you are all so appreciated by me. 

The first event of November was our Holiday Open House with a special trunk show with our friend and featured jewelry artist, Sara Cramer. Sara's jewelry is handmade and she imports the glass beads from Japan. I fell in love with her line, having never really seen anything else out there like it. I immediately reached out to Sara and was so happy when she agreed to collaborate with Coveted Home as a retail partner.

Customers perused the jewelry offerings

Amanda, Sara and myself

Our friend Addie, who tried as many pieces of Sara's jewelry as she could fit! Check out those leopard print cuffs at the tops of her arms...one of those is on my wish list! 

My sister Amanda, who is also the Creative Director at Coveted Home, happens to be an entertaining maven. She seriously rivals the likes of Martha Stewart. I rely on her to pull these types of parties off without a hitch. She knows just what kind of apps, drinks, flowers, music and entertainment to combine together for a beautifully crafted good time. 

Amanda's champagne and pomegranate punch

A heart felt thank you to all of our loyal customers and friends who stopped by to enjoy this day with us! 

High Point, Fall 2012

I missed the furniture market in High Point, North Carolina in the spring because it happened the very same weekend we opened the new Coveted Home shop. So I had not been in an whole year...and I missed it! Going this fall was a fantastic reunion trip--I got to see many old friends, meet new ones and the product finds for the store and design clients were off the charts. Following is a small sampling of what I saw...I was there for 5 days so I am really editing the photo selection here so this post doesn't go on forever! 

Although I am not particularly looking for new lighting at the moment I found that I took a TON of photos of light fixtures-- be it lamps, chandeliers or sconces. 

 I love these dramatically scaled floor lamps by Barbara Cosgrove.

 Rad sconce from Noir. Do people still say rad? It seemed to be the perfect description for this.

 Another fixture from Noir, not sure what it is made from but I like it.

 This blown glass bubble chandelier is new from Oly. I always love the dramatic animals they have as a backdrop to the gorgeous furniture.

 I didn't take this photo so much for the lighting as for just how overall beautiful it is. 

(Oly showroom again)

 This may have been one of my favorite showrooms. The furniture line is called Central Station. It is beautifully hand crafted wood pieces that I can never get enough of. By themselves they are great, but in my opinion the real magic happened when the lighting by Notre Monde was added. And how adorable is it that this duo is dating?? (He makes the furniture, she the lighting)

 This light installation=spectacular

 This was my favorite setting at the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams showroom. I loved everything in it and it was all new: a new coffee table and side table collection of mixed wood tones, new rug, new lamps, new sofa and chairs with a full wood frame. 

 A quick snipit from the Cisco Brothers showroom. These pink pendants caught my attention, but seriously I love everything in there. 

 And then there was this showroom. Verellen. Flawless. It is expensive stuff but my god it is made to perfection--so increadably comfortable and beautiful.

I spent nearly an entire day looking at rugs. I have a newfound love for them and am happy to say I now have many more rug sources for design projects. But this one..oh my it was a beauty. A "khotan" style rug, I just learned the term at market and found I love this style, a lot. They look vintage because of the more faded appearance. This one was made in Afganistan. 

Great center piece for a table.

 Put an orchid or succulent in these and voila, beautiful! 

The last four images are from my friends showroom, Texture. They bring in one of a kind pieces, some old some new but all very rustic with a lot of "texture" to them: ) It is all sourced by the owners, Marietta and Patrick, in Indonesia. The last three images show some of the items I bought from them. These along with some other gorgeous items will be here in the shop very very soon!

New Pretties!

October has been flying by! Over the past few weeks we have gotten in several new accessory items and I wanted to make a quick update here to showcase the beautiful new inventory.

Mini Foo Dog Lamps by Barbara Cosgrove.

 Bone inlay picture frames

Hand stamped brass vases and jugs

Bone inlay coasters

KS/MO State necklace by Janesko

New Hilary Thomas finials

 Watercolor prints with custom frames

 

We will be getting some new furniture in over the next few weeks as well. We hope you will come by and visit! Shop local and support small businesses! 

xx-Jaclyn

Invest in Your Home

Three families that I’ve done design work for put their houses on the market recently. All three of the houses sold within a week! I’m not afraid to say I believe the quick sales were not coincidences.

I know a lot of things contributed, such as the neighborhoods, real estate agents and listing prices. But what I also know is that each family took the time and effort to collaborate with me on a design plan and invested in quality pieces of furniture that they will continue to use. I helped these families pull together their new homes by using pieces from their previous homes and adding or altering where needed.

What has been really neat about it is that we used the same furniture and accessories, but in a new home the location of each piece was reworked. Chairs that were once used in a dining room got used in the living room of the new house. A settee that was once in the kitchen now got worked into a home office. With new paint colors and a new perspective on where everything is placed it all feels new without actually purchasing all new pieces.

I am amazed sometimes by how little some people are willing to invest in their homes. Yet many people will pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for designer handbags, shoes or clothing. I have absolutely nothing against expensive designer clothing, but I am of the opinion that  most of your furniture should have a longer lifespan than most of your clothing. A well thought out and designed space will stand the test of time--just look at anything Dorothy Draper, David Hicks, Billy Baldwin (take your pick of A list designers) did 40 plus years ago. Their work serves as endless inspiration for designers because even after all these years it is still chic and looks current. In many cases their designs have remained untouched and still exist as originally created, in homes and hotels, today.

Although I initially helped these families choose their furniture several years ago, there was not even a small discussion about replacing the pieces for any of them. In fact they were all pretty adamant that it get reworked into the new homes because they loved it so much. Heed the advice of Billy Baldwin: “Stick to things you really love. An honest room is always up to date.”

Let your home be a reflection of your personal style and a place you are proud of. Let your home be a  place to rest your mind and body after a long day of work or a place for your family to spend quality time together, or a place to entertain your friends and family. Don’t be afraid to invest in your home, even if you do it over time.

I believe a comfortable and beautiful home can change your life... and will certainly help should you ever decide to sell!

 

Photo by Roy Inman

This homeowners previous dining room was much larger so we had space to use these great comfy black and white striped upholstered chairs on the ends. In their new home we easily moved these chairs into their living room since they no longer fit in the new dining room.  

Here is a shot of the chairs in the new living room. We are still waiting for a few pieces to come in to finish off this room--a new sofa and rug. I can't wait to see it all put together though, it is going to be beautiful! 

The above article was written by Jaclyn Joslin for the KC Star Magazine.

The Special Order Event

Thinking about updating your home a bit before the hustle of the holidays this year? Now is the time! Not only will your furniture arrive in time for your big Thanksgiving gathering you will save 20% off any Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams special order placed now through October 8th.

We are here to help you design your life.

New in Shop: Natural Curiosities

I love how art can transform a room by infusing color, wit, emotion, pattern and personality. I have never seen a well designed home that lacked art; it is a key component in pulling a room together. 

Since I opened Urban Dwellings Design (our shop name prior to opening Coveted Home) in 2008 I have been in love with the art collections from Natural Curiosities. I remember walking into their booth at the NYIGF on my very first buying trip for the store. My friend Court who was helping me, looked at me and said "you have to have this line". I knew he was right, I was completely struck by how elegant and beautiful yet completely unpretentious and natural their art collection was--"flawless" as we like to say. 

Over the years their vision has only gotten stronger and the collection more complex. Now almost anytime I open House Beautiful, Elle Decor, Lonny Mag, etc., I see their art on the walls of featured homes. I love what Christopher Wilcox, the founder of Natural Curiosities, says on their website: "Born from a deep love of the arts, and what art is capable of representing in culture and society life, Natural Curiosities is one of my proudest achievements. I consider it an accomplishment made possible by the love and loyalty of incredibly creative clients, both old and new, who believe in our journey and have become loyal supporters to the belief that art is not a decorative accessory, but an essential part of design and, in our case, work full of soul made by people who love what they do." How honest and beautiful, exactly like the art collections they curate.  

We just got a new assortment of pieces at Coveted Home:

The Fernando Boher collection was inspired by the concept of "Collections of a Traveled Mind".

Each has a different frame. I love their simplicity. 

Easy to display in a grouping or on their own. 

The prints are $185 each.

Their collection of Paule Marrot's textile archives has captivated me for some time. She was a Frech engraver, painter and textile artist during the 1920's-1950's.

"Doves" is mounted on linen and framed in acrylic and is $1985. 

I love the movement and color, it captivates me.

I am sure you caught this NC, Paule Marrot print on the cover of the September 2011 House Beautiful issue. The room is stunning, but that art is what really sets it off. 

Now you would think that after all this gushing over how much I love NC art I would have several pieces at home. I don't know how or why but it just so happens that I finally got my first piece a few weeks ago and I absolutely love it! 

It is a small Paule Marrot piece called Midi. 

Bright and cheery it makes me happy and it looks perfect on the wall in my sunroom. 

Check out all the complete Natural Curiosities collection HERE.

New in shop: Handmade by Sara Cramer Jewelry

I am so excited about the new jewelry line we have picked up! I happened upon Sara Cramer's jewelry at First Friday a few months ago and was instantly in love with it. A little bit edgy, a little bit glamor and 100% striking, Sara's jewelry line is taking off. She has only been at this for a short time now and is already having a hard time keeping up with orders. There is so much local artistic talent in Kansas City and I love it when I come across someone who is a good fit for collaboration at Coveted Home. And of course, what's a furniture boutique without a few fun fashion pieces?;)

Sara sent me a few photos of the pieces we have here, but there is much more--lots of great earrings, bracelets and necklaces. The pieces are made of glass beads and the prices are great. Stop by to see our full collection. 

 Double loop bracelets, $65 ea.

 Gold two toned striped bracelet, $125

Breast plate necklace, $115

Assortment of earrings: $25-$45

The first 3 images were taken by MKII Photography and the last photo was taken by me here at the store, which is why it looks awful in comparison. I just wanted to show some of the earrings as well though.