Montage: 54 Kitchen Banquettes

Our Boston condo is under renovation. One of the features we are adding is a banquette adjacent to the kitchen area. It seems to me that there’s been a proliferation of built-in seating recently. Unlike the booths of the ’70s (I grew up with an orange and white vinyl booth in a kitchen with oversize floral wallpaper that had a gold, brown, and orange plaid border), today’s specimens are sophisticated and sleek.

Ours will be U-shaped (not ideal, but we’re dealing with a tight space), with a pale blue and taupe chevron upholstered seat-back and pale blue faux leather seat cushion. The custom table has a walnut herringbone-pattern top on a restaurant supply style stainless base. I’ll post a photo when it’s complete. (If I’m not dead first.)

In the meantime, here are 54 very fabulous banquettes. In addition, check out my piece “The Haute Seat,” in last Sunday’s Boston Globe Magazine.





[tweetmeme source=”StyleCarrot” only_single=false]

Leave a comment

Filed under . REGULAR FEATURES, Montage, Rooms

Just In: Patch NYC x West Elm Zodiac Mugs

Patch NYC mugs for West Elm StylecarrotWest Elm once again collaborates with Boston design darlings Patch NYC.  These zodiac mugs ($6) are due to hit shelves and online next week.

[tweetmeme source=”StyleCarrot” only_single=false]

Leave a comment

Filed under . REGULAR FEATURES, Home Accessories, Shopping

Covet: Lulu Frost x J.Crew Bangles

Lulu Frost for J.Crew bangles

I spotted this stack of art deco-inspired resin Lulu Frost for J.Crew bangles ($45 – $118) on 770 Behind the Line, the “(un)official” J.Crew blog. I think I prefer the stacked “sculpture” over having them clang around on my wrist. Or maybe just as this photograph, framed on the wall.

[tweetmeme source=”StyleCarrot” only_single=false]

Leave a comment

Filed under . REGULAR FEATURES, Covet, Fashion, Shopping

Shopping Trip: Missoni x Target x 2

Yesterday, as you know unless you live in an absolutely fashion-free world, Missoni dropped at Target stores around the country, and online. The stores opened at 8am. I couldn’t make it over until about 8:30. Almost everything I was interested in was gone. I knew when I saw the woman loading the zigzag bike into her trunk at 8:25 that I was doomed.

My main interest is always the housewares. The melamine plates that come out of these collabs actually tend to be good quality. I love my John Derian for Target pieces (thank you Gilt for the pre-sale), as well as the one Liberty of London for Target flowered bowl I was able to grab. Again, I came home with just one miniature square plate. (They actually had a few larger ones left, as well as a nifty dessert stand that I thoroughly didn’t need.)

zigzag missoni storage boxMy Missoni x Target purchases.

My other weakness is stationery and storage containers. I love my John Derian for Target bins, and my Liberty of London for Target hat box. I really, really, love my brand new blue zigzag Missoni for Target covered box. I saw a woman with one in her cart, asked her where she found it, and she said she was on her way to put it back. Voila, it’s now mine. Thank you fellow shopper for sharing!

I also scored a few lovely notebooks. I love them. I so don’t need them. I plan to give one or two as gifts, along with the mini journal sets I couldn’t resist. I gave the clothes a once over, but as usual, no thanks. The purchases from my first trip are above. Unsatisfied. I drove to another Target (after calling to find out the housewares situation over there). No luck in the little square plate department. (Do you see my sole plate above? It’s perched atop the two notebooks.) I left with two more notebooks (one fabric covered) and the journal sets.

I would have easily bought several more zigzag boxes, but overall, I’m happy. I’m guessing Target is pleased too. They haven’t had a sellout collaboration since Liberty of London (March 2010). And then there was the crashing of Target.com. Woof!


Blogger Snobella, who writes “Confessions of a Snobaholic,” had a seriously loaded cart.

Snobella Blogger Target Stylecarrot

By the time I left the stores, the shelves were bare.

Related posts:
Shopping Trip: Liberty of London x Target
Deal Alert: John Derian x Target
Design Diary: John Derian’s Provincetown House
Montage: 31 Chevron-Adorned Interiors

[tweetmeme source=”StyleCarrot” only_single=false]

Leave a comment

Filed under . REGULAR FEATURES, Fashion, Home Accessories, Shopping, Shopping Trip

ARTmonday: Ginette La Palme

Artist Ginette La Palme is an artist and illustrator who lives with a tiger-striped cat named Washington in Toronto. While her portfolio is mostly filled with offbeat watercolors and drawings of cartoon-like characters, from grinning tree trunks and teapots to hide-and-go-seek kitties, I’m fixated on these brightly decorated twigs. They’re inspiring a walk through the woods and a trip to an art supply store.

1 Comment

Filed under . REGULAR FEATURES, Art, Art Monday