I Love Surprises!

Today while touring the off site showrooms open for Cologne Design Week, Susan and I stopped into My Zoo Shop and struck up a conversation with the owner. That led us to a private tour of an apartment he had decorated; that led us to comment on the wallcoverings; that led him to tell us they were vintage from his friend in the shop next door. Long story short- we had to check out the wallpaper store as Susan is a vintage wallpaper aficionado. I am the one that was surprised when I came across this vintage JAB fabric. It's 100% linen and has a repeat of 32" and it’s coming home with me. Don't be surprised to see it in its most recent reincarnation at Vision 09.

Update: So this is the fabric that I left behind. Now it's haunting me and I will probably have to

give it a new home too. It is also a vintage JAB print on a linen and cotton ground.

Ahead of The Curve- Wild Flora by Anna French

A year ago at Heimtextil, I was reintroduced to Anna French at the Thibaut booth. I fell head over heels in love again with her powerful use of color, bold scale and flair for the dramatic. Now I know that some of you might give me an argument about that- Tricia Guild for insistence- but I find myself drawn to most everything she does. Her new collection is no exception. Wild Flora is a gorgeous vintage floral collection that pushes the boundaries of document designs with printing techniques on foils and textured non-woven papers. Traditional designs are given a modern twist with mirrored flowers, white on white prints, and a tarnished metallic effect that resembles a Venetian palace mirror.

Velvet Jacquard, pictured here, is a striking design in purple on lime green, available in other colors including a soft pink /silver, black glitter, fushia and brown/rose gold.


Ok- fabri-olic that I am, I admit to having a sample of this hanging in my guest room. I am dying to use this in a window treatment. It is a soft, cut pile velvet weave from Italy with a vintage finish. It has longer pile flock that adds a glimmering fiber optic quality and sparkle to the room. The problem is I can't decide which color.

Songbirds- there are those bird motifs again- is stunning in Black/Silver.