• Spring High Point Market is over and I’m looking forward to receiving all the great new products that I purchased while I was there. They never seem to come quick enough for me. Over the course of the summer, we will be continually receiving new merchandise, so stop by often to see the new things.

Fabric and Leather combination are still popular for the comfortable Southwestern and the Tucson Traditional look. The color trend is moving away from the dark browns into a more neutral palate.

Mineral is a new leather color that I saw at this market was at Lee Industries. It will be paired beautifully with a taupe woven fabric sofa and wait until you see the pillows with a fabulous glazed sea foam flange.

It’s often very difficult to find just the right accent table for those small space. Here is a collection of outstanding and unique pieces that will be perfect for your home.

American Leather’s  Menlo Park designed by Rick Lee, is becoming a classic. Here it is shown in a current color palette with  sassy throw pillows. A bold new look for a classic design.

American Leather which is famous for the best sleeper on the market is now entering the recliner market with their new Comfort Recliner. It will come in three sizes, seven arm styles, three base styles, 70 leathers and multiple fabrics. You are not going to believe how fashionable this recliner is. It’s perfect in every way, except that we will not get the first ones until fall. I’ll keep you posted.

Two groupings from Contents Interiors “Adventures in Art” show.

The show hangs through April 24,2011

• I’m back from the High Point Furniture Market and there’s so much to tell. I ran into Michael Payne, former host of Designing for the Sexes. I hope you were one of the lucky people that got to see him when he gave a presentation here at Contents Interiors. He is a dynamic, fun and talented designer. He is continuing to design more home furnishings so look for more introductions from him.
• Contemporary continues to have a strong presence with white, charcoal and lilac remaining strong for the color palette. As we baby boomers get a little older, even the contemporary furniture is more comfortable than several years ago.
• The light wood finishes are everywhere. You will be seeing more and more with a washed, or taupe, or grey finish. After years of dark java finish, it is a great fresh new look. The eclectic mix of different styles is very strong as shown in this photo. Feel free, to let your creativity run wide and you mix all the things you love. Our design staff can help you make a cohesive look while mixing styles.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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