Last weekend I spent a couple days at the High Point Furniture Market (this is the largest industry trade show held in North Carolina for one week in the fall and spring). There are over 2,000 furniture, accessory, and fabric exhibitors to see so comfortable shoes were a must. The weekend was a little chilly for North Carolina but the North Carolinians made up for it with their warmth and kindness!
Inspiration was everywhere. The showrooms are beautifully designed and accessorized. I was not only introduced to many different furniture and accessory lines but saw new introductions from the lines I know and love already. I also had the chance to meet two talented and highly regarded designers in the country, Bunny Williams and Thomas Jayne which I’ll mention again a little later.
In my next few blog posts I’ll share some of my favorite finds for accessories, lighting, and furniture. You’ll notice that vintage looks are still going very strong as well as strong saturated colors for furniture. Here’s a little preview of these items taken with my iphone…
Color was everywhere, especially at Company C. They have gorgeous rugs, pillows and upholstered chairs. Check out the great pillow on this chair.
Pretty accessories could be found everywhere, including the pretty seaside ones from
Jamie Dietrich.
The vintage look is still going very strong.
Halo had one of the coolest showrooms we came across with this look. Thankfully we found a bike to take us to the showroom when our feet where desperate for a rest.
I was so taken with all the amazing lighting too! The chandelier from
Oly was so cool.
For Christmas, my good friend Heather gave me Bunny William’s book An Affair with a House.
I really enjoyed reading the book and was looking forward to seeing Bunny William’s new showroom for
BeeLine, her furniture line. I did not take any pictures while I was there (feeling a little shy at the time!) but did get a chance to meet Bunny who was so gracious. To see pictures of the showroom you can see them on the
Habitually Chic blog.
One of the highlights from the trip was to see Thomas Jayne speak about his book The Finest Rooms in America. Not only was he so funny but he showed us several of the rooms he highlighted in his book and explained what made them so special. The main points I took away from his lecture were:
1) A room requires a special item or two…a piece of art, antique, or simply something that has meaning for the inhabitant
2) Most great rooms require a great space
3) Most great rooms have rhythm and beautifully arranged art and accessories
4) A room as a “sum of parts” is more important then a room that focuses on one item
5) Rooms don’t need to be expensive just need refinement.
Check out Thomas Jayne’s website
www.thefinestrooms.com to see the rooms he highlighted during his lecture! I was so impressed, I had to buy his book and get it autographed.
Here he is admiring my Indian Sari scarf from
Vagabond. He suggested I turn it into pillows!
Not the best quality picture but he really made me smile with all his witty comments!
Here are some pictures from the Vagabond showroom. There are few items that are cash and carry at this market but
Vagabond Vintage had some great scarfs and throws they were selling.
They also had some great lights and vintage pieces…
Their throws…
Cool ink blot prints…
My mom and I were so exhausted by the end of our first day that I thoroughly enjoyed sitting in this super comfortable rocking chair by
Shiner. Perfect for a porch!
This bed is great too. Comes in all different sizes and comes with blocks so it doesn’t rock all night long!
Look for more pictures from the market in the next couple posts! Let me know if you see anything you like and I’ll provide you pricing! Have a great weekend!
