Sarah K. Benning, who proclaims herself “nanny by day and artist by night,” lives in Albany and stitches these little needlework artworks framed in embroidery hoops, in addition to her other more serious works (she graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago, after all).
These hoop art pieces, which I found on Hunter’s Alley, the online vintage marketplace recently launched by One Kings Lane, are thoroughly charming. They picture on trend designs (cacti! faceted diamonds!) and cute sayings. I’m tempted. She offers a set of hand-stitched notecards too.
Below, I’ve also included a few of her pieces from Sarah K. Benning’s Imaginary Landscapes series. These works are based on failed disposable camera prints with stitched landscapes and nature-inspired images. Benning says, “These whimsical thread drawings are replacing the lost imagery of the original photographs.”
In late January, the team behind One Kings Lane launched a new venture, Hunters Alley. Hunter’s Alleyis an online resale marketplace that features one of a kind antique and vintage, handmade and crafted, and contemporary pre-owned items.
Individuals and professional vendors sell finds and designs which are lightly vetted. A specific seller and his or her finds are highlighted daily up front, and users can follow sellers they like best. One can also “love” an item, causing the gray outline of a heart to fill in red, which is very satisfying. “Top 10 Most-Loved” items are featured on the home page, pulled from the pieces with the highest number of “loves.”
Hunter’s Alley curators also pull together themed sales. Recent collections have included: “Space-Changing Art,” “Romantic Safari,” and “Handmade for Entertaining.” Prices start at $25, and new items are added every day at 10am ET. Each seller has a profile, with a bit about themselves, and the aggregate of their offerings.
The design is crisp and clean, much like OKL. The products are mostly silhouetted on a white background (though not all of them), and some tend to get a bit blurry when enlarged on the product page, but still, the good news is that it displays large enough to get a good sense of the item. There’s not a ton of items on there yet, but it’s still new, and there’s enough to make it worth a browse (and if you get lucky, a buy).
Hunter’s Alley has more personality than Dering Hall (though I love that site too), which skews somewhat closer to 1st Dibs (big fan, been browsing since its inception, though high prices means I’ve never bought). Given Hunter’s Alley more accessible price points and products, fun tone, and of course, the success of parent company One King’s Lane, it’s a definite hit.
I’ve been promising Lulu for about a month now that I’d highlight the newly launched online shop. Seeing how I’m off to South Florida this morning (sun!) it seemed like a good time to indulge in her colorful, slightly Palm-beach inspired designs.
I love Lulu’s style, and am so psyched that I get to work with her through Matouk. (My friend Meredith and I write the Matouk blog; Lulu designs the Lulu DK for Matouk line of bedding.) She is talented, gorgeous, so very cool, and really nice. I haven’t met her IRL, but we’ve chatted by phone and email, and laugh about following each other on Pinterest. She too is the tiniest bit Pinterest-obsessed.
Lulu is Lulu de Kwiatkowski, otherwise known as Lulu DK. She grew up in NYC, Hamptons, and Bahamas, studied abroad during her high school then earned a Fine Arts and Interior Design degree at Parsons School of Design. After graduation she headed to Paris. (I told you she’s cool.) In 1998, Lulu became enthralled by a fabric mill outside of Paris, and a few months later, her textile company LULU DK was born.
In addition to fabrics, wallpaper, bed linens, carpet, and fine art (you may have seen her prints on One King’s Lane), Lulu has just launched a webshop with a number of new items as the start of a total lifestyle brand. Here are some of her fun and vibrant designs.
I put Montage: 54 Living Rooms with Gray Sofas together last summer, but never provided a shopping guide. I created the roundup when I started to work on my friend Meredith’s NYC condo. We did it all remotely, and I haven’t even seen it yet, but she recently sent me a photograph and I’m happy to report that it looks really good, especially the living room, for which we spent a lot of time looking at modern grey sofas. We wanted one that looked great but was still plenty comfortable.
Sofa styles run the gamut, from low-slung and sleek, to those with wide arms or roll arms. If you really want to get comfy, opt for modular sofas, with corner sofas uk.
Beverly Hills-based interior designer (fashion designer, “Top Design” judge, trendsetter, cool chick) Kelly Wearstlerhas a new book—Kelly Wearstler: Rhapsody (Rizzoli New York, 2012). The glossy, glamour-filled book, her fourth, will be released next Tuesday, October 23rd. It profiles Wearstler’s latest residential designs (previously unpublished) and her sumptuous new hotels, as well as her creative process. I have a copy already and I’m thoroughly enjoying the photographs, though I wish there was more information to accompany them.
Flash sale site One King’s Laneis offering the boook for pre-order today for only $38 instead of $55, starting at 11 am ET. (If you need an invite email me.) The second Kelly Wearstler “Tastemaker Tag Sale” also goes live at the same time this morning. The sale will feature home accessories from Wearstler’s archive.
Kelly Wearstler “Tastemaker Tag Sale” launches today.
R H A P S O D Y
Inspiration trays:A library of all the elements in a given room. Each piece is loose and free-gloating to accommodate changes during the course of a project.
Artful hand-painted wall covering in a guest bedroom.
“I wanted to create something very free-form and alluring in this space. The organic sweep of the staircase juxtaposed against the graphic features of the grand stair vestibule manifests a kind of sexual tension.”
Wearstler aimed to mirror the movement of the rug pattern with the black and white photography hung on the wall, in a varying frame and matte sizes. Fuchsia alligator chairs are the focal point.
A punk-inspired girl’s bathroom.
A boy’s bathroom in black and white stone.
Bold hand-painted silk wall covering in a private receiving room.
Art deco-inspired ski carpet and espresso-brown 1960s Italian leather chairs.
“If there is one thing I know, it is that the color of a room has a profound impact on the mood and energy of its inhabitants.”
