If you want to create the ultimate outdoor entertainment area, it’s seldom a one-stop shop. From the stonework, lighting, and wiring, to the ever-important grill, you could easily get overwhelmed trekking from showroom to showroom to find what works the best for your outside space. That’s why we were excited to see some of our favorite companies come together last night for an event that made perfect sense – solve the problem by getting the ideal mix of people in one room, the Charles Luck Stone Center.

And quite a room it was. As Steve Terry, executive vice president of HADCO, a supplier of top quality kitchen appliances, said, “We all have showroom envy now.”

Charles Luck Stone Center studio consultants Amanda New, at left, and Allie Lindeman flank Washington Spaces Account Executive Angela Carpenter. Tabitha Blakely, Charles Luck Stone’s concierge, is to the right.

The Charles Luck Stone Center provides unique, high quality stone from around the world. Its executives literally go to the corners of the earth to leave no stone unturned. In September, President Mark Fernandes will head to Verona, Italy, to get the most exotic stone to bring back to the States.

Washington Spaces Account Executive Angela Carpenter is in good company with Charles Luck Stone Center’s President Mark Fernandes, at right, and its Director of Marketing Mark Smucker.

The theme of the night was clear – synergy.

“We all have similar products with a similar target audience,” Fernandes says. “What a great idea getting everyone together.”

Joining Charles Luck Stone Center and HADCO were Dominion Electric, displaying energy-efficient outdoor lighting, and Integrated Media Systems, wiring the room with flat-screen televisions and flanking the outdoor space with waterproof speakers.

Lee Odess of Integrated Media Sytems and Chef Patrizia Krejci

Lee Odess, director of marketing and sales for Integrated Media Systems, had a goal from the start when he originally conceived this event. “We’ve all come together to take a more application approach to the outdoors,” he says. The application approach, he explains, demonstrates at a glance how consumers can put outdoor products to good use.

And there’s no better way to display that than by putting the beautiful stainless steel Alfresco grill on the scene to some serious work. Special events Chef Patrizia Krejci was on hand to fire up succulent shrimp and deliciously marinated steak and chicken for the guests.

HADCO’s Executive Vice President Steve Terry and Washington Spaces Account Executive Angela Carpenter get some grill time.

Alfresco Grill’s Vice President and Director of Sales and Marketing Dale Seiden also lent his expertise on creating an outdoor entertainment area that will incorporate function, flow, and fun. Seiden has created industrial kitchens in some of the finest restaurants around the country. His résumé includes kitchens in the Bellagio and Venetian Hotels in Las Vegas, and he has collaborated with celebrity chefs including Wolfgang Puck and Emeril Lagasse. Seiden’s knowledge of restaurant kitchen design has carried over to creating outdoor kitchens, and he believes he’s brought a whole new thought process to the table.

Alfresco’s Dale Seiden discusses the importance of using high-quality equipment to create an efficient outdoor kitchen.

“I take the same marketing approach that I do with the restaurant kitchen, and I have applied it to the outdoor kitchen,” he says. “The niche consumer today wants products that emulate what they see in restaurants.”

Some fine points Seiden touched on included the benefits of choosing commercial-quality appliances. “They should be built like a tank,” he says. Using a heavy gauge of steel and a seamless welding process with no sharp edges are key components in a quality grill.

“Zoning” is also important, Seiden believes. To maximize the accessibility of your outdoor space, Seiden deems it significant to have different zones mapped out and separated, including preparation, cooking, plating, serving, and entertaining.

Entertaining is, of course, the most important aspect.
That’s what brings everyone together.

Josh Rosenthal of Rosenthal Homes is joined by Washington Spaces Associate Publisher Heather Heider and Account Executive Rashida Creque.

Jennifer Ingber of Fresh Confections LLC, at right, served delicious treats, while Washington Spaces Account Executive Jill Yager, center, and Charles Luck Stone studio consultant Katie Buchan, at left, enjoyed them.

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.

Need another reason to be outside on a cool morning, a sunny afternoon, or a velvety summer evening? I think we may have found one! Garden Architects in Annapolis stocks an array of outdoor furniture that Jennifer pithily described as “so unusual” – in the best possible way, of course. We’re talking beautiful unusual, envious-neighbors unusual, spend-hours-on-their-Web-site unusual.

The first thing that caught my eye was the Frank Lloyd Wright Stonework.

Frederick C. Robie Residence Vase

Johnson Wax Building Vase

These pieces have some power, right? They’re strangely primitive-yet-futuristic, blending noiselessly into the scenery, making a statement when you take the time to examine them. The beveled edges of the Johnson Wax Building Vase have me swooning! So strong, so refined…

This heading had me intrigued as well: Party Gear! No sense in mincing words, right?

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:

I thought I had heard of all the great crystal companies – Waterford, Baccarat, Steuben, Swarovski. But I was delighted to discover Lobmeyr when I attended an event Saturday night at Boston’s Ritz Carlton. I could barely keep my eyes from drifting away from my tablemates and up to the ceiling, which was dotted with incredible starburst crystal chandeliers. I had to know where they came from.

Turns out, I have great taste. The chandeliers are based on an original designed in 1965 by Lobmeyr’s Hans Harald Rath for the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

After a bit of online digging, I learned that Lobmeyr, which was established in Austria in 1823, has made chandeliers for opera houses all over the world, in addition to other iconic venues such as the Austrian Embassy in London, Vienna’s Moulin Rouge nightclub, and the Kremlin’s Great Hall of the Supreme Soviet. The company also produced drawings for chandeliers in the mosques of Mecca and Medina.

Many fabulous Lobmeyr designs are available in the United States through Moss.  You can get the Met Chandelier there, in addition to other products based on the same design, such as:

The Met Table Lamp

The Met Candelabra

The Met Candle Stick

And the Met Collection Brooch

To see more of the dozens of tantalizing Lobmeyr pieces at Moss, just go to the Web site and enter “Lobmeyr” in the search box on the left. You’re in for a big treat.

My sister, Katharine, was finally triumphant in finding sconces for the dining room/ living room area in her new condo. The search was not easy. “It is SO hard to find sconces that don’t look like bathroom fixtures or look like they were stolen from an old formal castle,” she writes in an e-mail. Here are the ones she finally settled on, from Littman Bros.:

I think they will get along famously with her new dining table from BoConcept:

Katharine looked for two months before settling on the right sconces. So that got me thinking a LOT about the topic, especially since the dreary brass sconces in my own living room badly need replacing. Keep reading for some inspiring (non-bathroom, non-castle) sconces I have came across.

You need to think happy thoughts on such a gray morning. And my happiest thoughts revolve around three retailers to whom I always gravitate: Oly Studio, Shine Home and Julian Chichester. Their designs are iconic and funky, with colors that make you want to smile. So here’s to a rainy day:

Oly Studio:

These floral chandeliers are perfect additions to Oly’s spring line:

Local designer Barry Dixon used Oly’s Ari side table in his own furniture display at Tomlinson during the High Point market. Oly’s matching Ajax seat would make a big statement in any room.

Finally, a lovely ottoman whose russet color and thin gold legs are the picture of elegance.

Shine Home:

Don’t you love the candy colors of the Shanghai console and Milan buffet?

The “Bluebirds” artwork is just so cool.

Shine’s designs make a pretty bold statement, so its accessories are great if you want a small pop here and there. Below, the Amber boxes and the Venice Vase.

Julian Chichester:

It seems like most great design these days originates from the UK. Julian Chichester is no exception.

The Rene bench and Butterfly 2-Seater sofa are stately and outrageous at the same time:

The Café Clock takes me straight back to a fabulous 1930’s diner.

And Julian’s chests are magnificent. The Frank bookcase is perfect in any room, while the William Scott cabinet is strong yet whimsical.

It hit me when I was looking at designs for shower doors, of all things. Sterling’s new series of frosted shower door designs this spring includes Bishop’s Lace, a lovely modernized floral pattern.

And then I realized how many cool, contemporary incarnations of nature have come out in the past few years, which takes the organic theme to a new, shimmering level – even when it graces the most mundane of products, such as shower doors … or window film.

Emma Jeffs’ White Orba design harkens the sunflowers.

Brume, another window film company, has these ultra-cool leafy designs, which are available here and here.

Moving on to the king of modern organic design, Tord Boontje: Real Simple magazine this year touted his Garland Shade Light as one of 10 home accessories “that will stand the test of time.”

Boontje’s Copper Garland is in the same vein.

Say what you will about Martha Stewart, but as the proud owner of one of her dining tables, I can say that the stuff she puts out there is solid and dependable. That’s why I was eager to hear what she had to say on stage at the recent International Home Furnishings Market in High Point, NC, where she was introducing new lines of:

furniture

lighting

rugs

and framed photography. 

Whew!  Read on for some of her more interesting observations from High Point,