You might not recognize Sarah Booth Conroy’s name, but I grew up knowing about her. She and my grandmother, Dorothy McCardle, both wrote for the Washington Post’s Style section for years, covering the social side of official Washington. What little I remember about her includes the wild colors she would wear, in addition to even wilder jewelry, much of it sculpted by her husband, Richard.

She invited me into her home in the early ‘90s once to talk to me about my grandmother’s journalism career, and I remember her home, which was just as quirky and eclectic as her fashion. Now that Conroy is in a retirement home and her husband lives with their daughter, according to this item in the Post,  almost everything in it is up for grabs in an estate sale that starts tomorrow. 

I had no idea when I visited her more than a decade ago how valuable her household furnishings were. They include mid-century originals from Knoll, Eames and Noguchi,

Art nouveau and Arts and Crafts objects from the late 19th century,

Noritake china, circa 1920,

and modern art and sculpture by Richard Conroy.

Check out the offerings, which fill four floors of Richard and Sarah Booth Conroy’s former home on 16th Street in Washington. The best ones are sure to go quickly, so you’ll want to be first in line for tomorrow’s 10 a.m. opening.

This week I had the pleasure of meeting Ilinca Bartolomeu, the proprietor at Ligne Roset DC in Georgetown’s Cady’s Alley. I had never been in her shop in the decade-plus she’s been there, mostly because I had assumed – incorrectly – that the only thing it had to offer was really expensive furniture. As it turns out, Ligne Roset has been making home accessories for several years now, and they are really, really cool.

Let’s start with the most basic accessory: the vase. Ligne Roset’s grow bag ($30!), looks like you have a plant growing out of a throw pillow.

The Bonbonne’s shape makes it look like flowers become part of its sculpture, rather than just stuck in a vase.

With the passing of last week’s tax holiday, it became official: back-to-school-season is upon us. Even those of us in denial (me) can’t ignore the ever-so-slight drop in temperatures that we’ve enjoyed this week as an indicator that summer is exiting the building and fall is nipping at its heels. However, if you’re like us here at Spaces, you’ll find a silver lining to this cloud. Fall is a great time to shop, and stores are doing their best to fill all of your work- and school-related needs. 

But what if you’re over college-ruled paper, disposable pens, and juice boxes? Maybe you want to restock your desk or office with accoutrements of a more elegant, grown-up variety? We scouted the area for some items to help us accomplish this mission and found some excellent and beautiful things.

First, we spoke with Saskia Roskam, manager of Georgetown gift shop A Mano. Her recommendations included everyday desk accessories spruced up by leather coverings, lending these office trappings a very grown-up panache.

A leather picture frame. The gilded border “makes it elegant,” says Roskam.

One’s of Roskam’s favorite items is a leather-bound measuring tape bearing both metric and standard units. “I love the centimeter and inches because I’m Dutch. I always have it on hand; it’s practical.”

Remember the wooden ruler you’d buy for 99 cents at Bruce Variety? William Yeoward has updated it. Now it’s made of a stunning crystal, and instead of scrawling on your name on it in Sharpie, you can have it engraved.

A Mano also carries items for post-work recreation. Says Roskam: “If it gets too tough at school, you’ll need to have a drink afterwards. We have decanters and glasses for the whiskey or the glass of wine you’ll need to have after a long day!”

Carolyn Agnew of Paper Source recommends supplies dressed up with the shop’s signature charming patterns.

The Perpetual Calendar is “a grown-up planner” that offers flexibility without sacrificing any practicality or visual appeal.

This Linen File Folder Holder (shown in Pool) is a “pretty, grown-up” incarnation of the less scintillating manila version that you might find in the office.

Photos courtesy of the Paper Source

In addition to a well-equipped office, it’s important to be emotionally ready to tackle your workload. At the Georgetown custom-stationery shop Just Paper & Tea, co-owner Carolyn Waslyczuk swears by a good pot of tea to help focus the mind. Teas “don’t get you jittery” the way coffee can. “I stopped drinking coffee because it gives me that quick high—you don’t get that kind of a jolt from tea.” Instead, she says, “it’s always nice to have a cup of tea when you’re doing work” – it “just seems to ‘go’ ” with quiet, focused activities like writing letters or journal entries. The type of tea Waslyczuk brews “depends on how I feel at the time. I find it very personal.” For someone who wants to settle in and work, she recommends “a hearty black tea – you don’t want any teas that will put you to sleep!” She suggests “a really great Russian Caravan or Samovar” or “a soothing nice green” like Genmaicha, shown above. All of Just Paper & Tea’s selections are organic and imported.

Bo and Alison Jia created Middle Kingdom 10 years ago as an attempt to shine a spotlight on China’s fine artisanship. The “Made in China” brand was synonymous with low-end products, Bo says. “We wanted to build a brand that’s high end, like Royal Copenhagen. I don’t know how long it takes to get there, but we’re trying.”

By most accounts, they are there. Walk through the Ritz-Carlton, Park Hyatt or Mandarin Oriental in DC, and you will see their porcelain. If you’re on a trip to Las Vegas and stay at the Wynn, you’ll see more of it. Their works grace the homes of such notables as Vice President Dick Cheney, Harrison Ford, Jennifer Lopez, former Sen. Tom Daschle, and Robert de Niro. The Jias also have a fairly thick album of magazine layouts featuring their products.

Their vases, bowls, jars, and cups are so enticing because of the detailed process that goes into making them. Bo goes to their kiln in China several times a year to oversee a staff of almost 40 potters and artisans who produce the Middle Kingdom lines. The site of the kiln – Jing de Zhen – is inspirational in itself as the location of the original imperial kilns reserved for China’s emperors going back 1,000 years. “The only people who go there are real ceramics aficionados,” Alison says.

Every color you see on a piece represents a different trip through the kiln. So 10 colors on an intricate painting means a vase went back 10 times. To achieve either a shiny or matte gloss means careful control over the kiln’s temperature – without any help from computers. That’s because the Jias want their process to be more akin to the European “workshop” style of producing artisanal goods rather than a big assembly-line manufacturer.


They are currently preparing to market their newest lines to designers and retailers at this year’s New York International Gift Fair, which begins next week. Here’s a sneak peek at the new stuff, which includes the Audubon theme you see in pieces above, and chalky matte colors below in blue and black.

If you’re not already familiar with the ethereal beauty of DC-based Middle Kingdom Porcelain, here’s a good incentive to check them out: Bo and Alison Jia, who run Middle Kingdom from their Georgetown row house, recently collaborated with noted Landscape Architect Jim van Sweden to produce an expansive line of china. The line debuted this year with a set of four stunning tea cups that each depict an American variety of grasses.

“They represent our favorite New American Garden plants that we use,” says Ching-Fang Chen, a senior associate at Oehme van Sweden & Associates Inc., who took van Sweden’s inspiration and helped the Jias translate it into sketches and, ultimately, the hand-painted cups that are produced in China. “A cup is something you don’t just use, you enjoy as a piece of art,” Chen says.

And speaking of art, van Sweden just sent the cups to Evelyn Nef, whose Georgetown garden boasts the only Marc Chagall mosaic mural in the world that was made for a private residence. It was profiled in The Washington Post last month. The cups were a 95th-birthday present to Nef, who has one of the grasses depicted on them (hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola,’ portrayed on the green saucer above) growing right under the mural. “She was just thrilled,” van Sweden says.

Keep reading for the future plans between van Sweden and Middle Kingdom.

We’ve all heard it by now – this weekend is going to be a scorcher. Yuck. However, there is a breath of fresh air on the horizon: Saturday, Aug. 2nd and Sunday, Aug. 3rd, DC’s Mid-City neighborhood is hosting its 9th annual Dog Days of Summer Sidewalk Sale. The event, which started out as way to “celebrate the heat,” says Mid-City Business Association intern Seth Blume, and the notorious emptiness of DC in late summer, and grew into “something that is really looked forward to” by a growing number of the city’s residents. Most of the neighborhood’s shops will be offering discounts on their wares, which run the gamut from antique to new, funky to modern, and bargain to high-end. However, all of these shops are most definitely cool – something you’ll be grateful for with the weekend’s rising temperatures!

Here’s a short list of some of our favorite home stores in the area (which runs from 7th to 17th streets and from W to P streets in Northwest DC).

Owner Daniel Velez of the 10-month-old and much-discussed Greater Goods, which sells environmentally friendly home products and can also fill your eco-friendly contracting needs, says the store will be serving refreshing summer drinks along with surprise sale items.

Charlie’s Soap. (We love the old-fashioned packaging.)

Both Timothy Paul stores are offering sales: the Carpets + Textiles location (which stocks rugs, linens, furniture, and lighting) will take 15 to 40 percent off the entire rug inventory, while all the merchandise at Bedding + Home (carrying tabletop items, linens, home accessories, and accent pieces) will be discounted 15 percent. (Select items will be 20 to 30 percent off – even better!) The stores carry everything from “worldly vintage pieces and textiles” to “organic linens made in L.A.,” says Manager Brooke Loewen. Their inventories are united by the aesthetic sensibilities of owners Timothy and Mia Worrell, marked by “a love of color and texture,” the “found and the old,” and an affinity for “neutral, contemporary clean lines.”

The vibe at Timothy Paul.

The Garden District has outdone itself – the interior store is taking 25 percent off all plants and pottery, and 50 percent off all clearance items. The exterior store, not to be outshined, is discounting all plants 50 percent and all pottery 30 percent. “We have a lot to clear out,” Manager Sarah Vasil says. “We’ve got to turn over a lot of stuff” to make room for new seasonal items.

The Garden District’s exterior shop

Miss Pixie’s Furnishing and Whatnot is taking 20 percent off the store’s entire inventory – an excellent deal, says Owner Pixie Windsor, “because our prices are really good already.” We agree! Domino blogger Nick Olsen swears by this lovely eclectic shop, with pieces dating from the late 1800s to present day.

A five-piece garden dining set, available at Miss Pixie’s.

Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams’ annual clearance sale just happened to fall on a weekend when all of its neighbors were having a sale, too! The sleek, transitional (“comfortably in the middle of traditional and contemporary,” says Assistant Manager Page Collins) furniture and lighting store is offering up to 70 percent off select stock items and discontinued floor samples.

Arabesque Mirror

You could also head over to Vastu to take advantage of an offer they only make once a year – 15 percent off any new custom upholstery orders, in addition to markdowns on select floor samples. The refined shop specializes in “warm” or “comfortable” modern, offering upholstery, casegoods, shelving, tables, and lamps – plus full residential and commercial decorating services. The store also doubles as a gallery space that features work by local artists.

A penthouse on 14th street decorated by Vastu.

When I was younger, I couldn’t quite understand why my mother kept buying new sets of china. I think she’s up to at least six sets by now, not counting her more casual place settings. But alas, I seem to have caught the bug. You know that feeling you get on the first warm day of springtime, when you just relax your shoulders, exhale, and think, “Ahhh…”? That’s the feeling I get when I see truly gorgeous china, and it came right back when I saw Haviland’s new porcelain collections.

With the Beijing Olympics fast approaching, I couldn’t help but fall in love with the Eventails line:

And who wouldn’t want to have a summer soirée with Jardin Français?

Just look at the intricate detailing of the edges on these pieces, which are meant to resemble the symmetrical gardens at Versailles:

Jardin Francais is perfect to mix and match with Haviland’s crisp new white collections –

Complice Blanc

and Ranson Blanc,

But keeping it all white would be just as exquisite.

And finally, the new Saâri collection brings to mind a gorgeous Indian sari, to bring me on the summer travels I wish I were taking.

So, would you pay almost $600 for a stock pot?

I had to wonder when I noticed this new line of cookware by British architect John Pawson.

After some clicking around, I quickly realized the cachet behind his name. He is credited with bringing the minimalist look into public consciousness. His architectural commissions include Calvin Klein’s flagship store in New York,  a monastery in the Czech Republic,  and the renovation of a London car dealership into a retail temple for B&B Italia, among many other celebrated works, including homes, museum galleries, restaurants, and stage sets. He literally wrote the book on minimalism, called Minimum. 

The new line for Belgian cookware manufacturer Demeyere is Pawson’s latest homewares design, introduced on the occasion of Demeyere’s 100th anniversary in May.

This is what Pawson has to say about it on his Web site:
“A museum director once said of my work, ‘Everything starts with the kitchen.’ What he meant was that houses are the heart of the work and kitchens are the heart of the houses. My collaboration with Demeyere started with the idea of providing these most important of contemporary living spaces with a set of core equipment which would combine functional sophistication with the highest design values.”

We got a press release the other day about a new dual-fuel range from Bertazzoni, the Italian oven manufacturer that recently began selling its products in the United States. I was instantly reminded of an event they held in the Ferrari (yes, the car) showroom at the new Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas last year during the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show. We’re talking serious oven envy.

It didn’t look odd to see a bunch of ovens displayed among $200,000 sports cars. Turns out that the vivid colors on the Bertazzoni ranges are painted onto them in the Ferrari factory, so they all share the same shiny candy coating.

Bertazzoni was just one of the many ovens I have fallen in love with.

What do you do with an oddly angled tiny kitchen in a high-rise, anchored by a bulky refrigerator eating up valuable space? You get really creative, as Custom Crafters recently did for an apartment in DC’s Penn Quarter.

“The idea was to modernize it and make the finishes much more appealing and get the appliances under the counter to get them out of the way,” says Brian McGarry, who shared pictures of the final product with us.

Here, you see nothing but a swath of natural cherry cabinets, uninterrupted by appliances save for the range and microwave oven. There’s not even a refrigerator in sight. That’s because almost everything is cleverly disguised.

Pear Tree Cottage, a new boutique in historic Vienna, VA, invites its customers to “be inspired by the beautiful collection of European antiques, cottage vintage furniture and fresh, new modern elements” housed in the store.

The moment I walked into the boutique for an opening reception last night, I was greeted with the calming scent of summer flowers, a burst of color, and a menagerie of one-of-a-kind decorative items: A pearl pendant chandelier, a rustic spindle table with a matching mirror, a small nickel lamp, framed artwork depicting Parisian streets, and a set of wicker trunks were all artfully presented to the customers who walked in.

Modern design fans, take note: There’s a new book out on Tord Boontje’s designs, signed by the master himself and available at Moss.

As the Moss web site says:

“This is the first comprehensive monograph dedicated to the work of Dutch designer Tord Boontje. The book is a textural experience, printed on a variety of different papers, perforated pages and papers with fabric overlays.”

Sample pages from the book.

I would buy the book for the tactile experience alone, but the signed edition makes the deal even sweeter.

If you want to take a trip down Boontje lane in the meantime, here are some of my favorites, all available at Moss:

Less than two months to go until Waterworks’ fall collection is available for purchase. We’re so excited. Each one of these delicate, tactile pieces is imbued with elegance and simplicity.

These pebbled leather travel cases come in multiple sizes. I’m partial to the littlest one—things that are small and well-crafted steal my heart, and the leather is perceptibly butter-smooth.

Pieter Stockman designed these gossamer porcelain candleholders to cast an ombre glow through the impossibly thin clay. They’re almost translucent – how did he do it?

The gorgeously unpretentious Mabrad throw is handmade from organic cotton. It seems like the perfect summer weight. Very Nantucket!

The clean, mid-century feel of the Riviere lamp is making my jaw drop! The visible grain of the warm ebony and the parchment shade make it an unassuming-yet-bold accent piece.

Picnic baskets are a dime a dozen in the summertime (or a few hundred a dozen, depending on which you buy). We have at least four baskets that have been given to us over the years. But I swooned when I saw this picnic tote by Heath Ceramics, which is featured in Apartment Zero’s newsletter this month.  I’ve never seen anything like it.

Basically, it’s a designer handbag with designer tableware inside, for the ultimate designer picnic.

Here’s the description:
Together with designer/maker S. Stein http://ssteindesign.com/ we’ve turned a multi-purpose tote bag into a highly functional and beautiful picnic set – complete with tableware and food-specific details. The bag is not limited to one function – it’s versatile enough to be used every day. Made to last a lifetime (just like your Heathware), from industrial materials, by S. Stein in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Are you there, Summertime Wish Fairy? It’s me, Jennifer!

If you’re trying to decide which of the many July Fourth sales to take advantage of, take our advice and head over to Kosmos Designs and Ideas on King Street in Alexandria, which sells furniture and accessories made in Indonesia.

Primitive Long Couch

I didn’t know they existed before they sent us an email about their fifth anniversary sale, which runs through July 6, with items up to 30 percent off. They are also having a warehouse sale on North Royal Street through July 13, with items up to 50 percent off. Happy shopping!

A little Asian goes a long way in décor, so just one item from Kosmos could inspire an entire room. The best thing is, all of their wood products are crafted from teak that is recycled from buildings, docks, railroads and boats, among other things.

As they say, “An archway may become the legs of a table; a door can be made into a table top; a boat rudder can be made into a bookshelf or table stand and a window can be made into a conversation starter that adorns your wall. Our goal is to remain true to the natural and antique beauty of the wood.”

Keep reading to see some of my personal favorites: