by Carol Bell

• Both in Milan and High Point, outdoor furniture is center stage. As we all begin to create outdoor kitchens and outdoor living spaces, we have all discovered that we want our furniture to be as comfortable as the furniture we have in our home. This line dropped a chair in a lake for one month to see how it would hold up. I saw it at market and it looked great.

by Carol Bell

• Spring High Point Furniture Show is always one of the most exciting markets every year. After a year of “the same” over and over again, the manufacturers came out with some fresh new looks for this market. After years of showing brown leathers, brown fabrics, brown finishes, everything is getting lighter.

• For those of you that remember the 80’s, light or river washes finishes are coming back. These finishes are combined with neutral fabrics, including linen. You’ll be surprised to learn that linen was being combined with leather for a fresh new look.

• In the modern world, gray remains important and in Milan it was being shown with accents of lilac. So if you are inclined to be trendy, it’s gray and lilac for you.

• Tamara and I got a little carried away with all the new and exciting looks. Many will arrive this summer and others will be arriving in the fall. I will definitely keep you updated.

Carol Bell

• Ellen Bosco of Kravet Fabrics gave a wonderful presentation of the newest trends in fabric color and design. She highlighted fabric from the collections of Candice Olson, Barclay Butera, and Calvin Klein and amused us with stories of her meeting with Candice Olson.

• The Chickpea and Mint Recipe was a popular appetizer. Drain, rinse and coarsely chop one 15.5 ounce can of Chickpeas. Chop 2 scallions (white and green parts) and 1/4 cup fresh mint. In a medium bowl, combine them with the chickpeas, 2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil, 3/4 tsp sale, 1/4 tsp pepper, and 1/2 c pomegranate seeds. Serve with crostini, bagel chips, or crackers. Recipe courtesy of Real Simple Magazine.

Carol Bell

• The ASID Annual Gala for the Design Excellence Awards was held Jan 30th at the fabulous new Ritz Carlton of Tucson. “Putting on the Ritz” was a black tie affair so Tamara, Jerry, John and I got dressed up and joined the celebration. What a grand evening it was!

• Tamara and Sara Smith entered a fabulous Kevin Howard designed home at Stone Canyon into the competition for “Residential Space over 3500 sq. feet” and their contemporary design took home first place.

• Tamara also entered the Mesquite and iron dining table into the Product Design category and won third place award for it.

• Please enjoy the photography by Robin Stancliff of the award winning design.

Design Statement

• The interior design team focused on using design elements and furnishings that would give continuity to this contemporary two-story residence, which featured curved walls and expansive glass windows in every room. The designers used a linear arc motif repeatedly in the structural elements: steel arcs inset in interior wood doors; clear silhouettes cut into sandblasted privacy glass; and an arched-steel facade on the curved fireplace.
• The interior designers worked closely with the architect to specify hard finishes and structural designs to compliment the complex structure. Custom furniture designed specifically for the home include a free-form mesquite cocktail table, a boat-shaped mesquite and steel dining table, and several shaped wool area rugs.
• Sleek, contemporary lighting was specified to add seamless style and function, without creating straight lines. Monorail tracks follow curved halls in the house’s center to illuminate the owners’ art collection.

Living room

The selection of curved furnishings gives a sensuous conversation area that floats dramatically within the expanse of glass windows and stone walls, focusing onthe spectacular outdoor view.

Dining Room

The repetition of curved lines and ribbons of color tie the custom designed dining table and area rug together. The ribbon of inlaid metal flows through the center of the indigenous Arizona mesquite dining table.

Wet Bar

To echo curves and angles of the home, in the small  bar area, the designer gave an asymmetrical shape to the raised portion of the granite bar.

Kitchen

Handsome cabinet and island design were the result of working within the curved walls of the kitchen.  Touch of a switch controlled the extensive lighting plan throughout the house.

Master Bedroom

Layers of fabric in the curved alcove soften the harsh Arizona sun while the colors give a relaxing element to the master bedroom.

Den

The large silk light sculpture serves as a focal point as you enter the room that serves as a home office and over-flow guestroom. The chic green color palette compliments the earthy tones in the stone and wood.

Powder Room

The natural organic atmosphere of the powder room is achieved with the custom curved cabinetry, selection of quartz tile, textured glass vessel, and asymmetrical lighting. All the interior doors of the home were designed with a linear inlaid stainless steel motif, which enhanced the curved theme of the house.

Patio

The design team created distinctive seating and dining spaces in the four outdoor living areas with a selection of contemporary furnishings, bronze sculptures and the stoneware planters.

Carol Bell

• Tamara and I just returned from the annual Contemporary Design Group conference in San Diego. What a wonderful opportunity for us to spend 5 days with retailers from across the country and with many vendors that are there to support our group and learn how they can help our stores. We all meet the first couple of days and we had a fabulous speaker in Jeff Hiller, president of the Sustainable Furniture Council. He presented such valuable information; both the vendors and the retailers were taking notes as fast as we could write. (He’s a very fast talker.)

• The “Green” movement is growing exponentially. More and more people are concerned about their planet and even closer to home, their families’ health. Tamara and I are committed to continue taking steps to carry furniture products from companies that have a great “Green” story and doing what we can to run Contents Interiors in a manner that keeps the environment in mind.

• The last three days are spent just with our retailer friends. We share all kinds of information including advertising, marketing, merchandising, and operations. It’s inspirational to see what great things small business owners are doing in this economic environment. Sarah Paxton from La Difference in Richmond Virginia is trying to teach me the importance of social networking. She has her blog posted before we even leave San Diego. Please enjoy Sarah’s take on the conference.

• Finally, the group let’s off a little steam with a wild night of bowling. Tamara was able to capture some candid shoots. What will we possibly do

Tamara Scott-Anderson, ASID

• This year’s Tucson Museum Of Art Designer show house was a former home of cosmetics maven, Merle Norman. If you visited the home you may remember the living and dining room areas were designed by a team of Contents Interiors designers and was a elegant mix of Hollywood Glamour and Tucson Ranch styles. The beautiful mirrored dining room table and the glass front buffet from the show house are still available and will be marked down during our September Dining Room Furniture Sale. Call (520) 881-6900 if you want specifics on either piece.

Carol Bell

• In the current trend of lounging and cocooning at home, the fusion table has exactly what it takes to create unique memorable moments to share with friends and family. Whether it’s dinner for 10, pool for 4, or poker for 5, the fusion table allows your space to become multi-functional.
• Made by Aramith, a 75 year old Belgium company specializing in the production and distribution of billiard equipment, this table will add a new dimension to the dining room and make entertaining at home a unique and memorable experienc
• www.FUSIONTABLES.com

Sara Smith

• On a daytrip to Bisbee, Arizona, a small artist community Southeast of Tucson, I found a gallery that was new to me. Inside the front door were a number of very large landscapes by Monte Surratt. I came to a dead stop; I was so excited by the style and the energy that comes out of his oil paintings that average 40 x 48” or more. His work usually shows Southwest landscapes, in a deceptively simple style. Huge, intense blue skies and clouds above with calm desert mountains below. (Reminds me of the writings of Will Cather, which was my first impression of Arizona and New Mexico) But what I really fell for are the abstract flourishes that are wonderful for contemporary Southwest homes, they add energy and an emotional authenticity about passion for the desert. We invited the artist, Monte Surratt to enter our Spring Art Show, and have sold a number of his pieces!

• The art show is one of my favorite events at Contents. It is a lot of extra work, especially for our owners, Tamara and Carol, but it adds a new dimension to our showroom year round when we can continue displaying them. We LOVE to show and place good regional art in our customers’ homes: not only does it benefit the artist, but our clients get first shot at lots of great pieces. If you come into our store you can still see Monte’s beautiful work on the walls. Nothing enhances your home like the flavor of original art.

Paintings by Artist Monte Surratt

Carol Bell

• Contemporary bedding with cutting edge design has been difficult to find in the past. Now Contents Interiors is proud to introduce Wildcat Territory, a bedding line that is characterized by luxurious fabrics, gorgeous color and couture dressmaker details. Unique design details are the hallmark of Wildcat Territory’s style. Almost all of the collections use some form of couture styling such as pin tucking, folding, top stitching, banding, hand quilting or knotting. These details set this collection apart from other bedding collections.