There’s a reason car dealers use scantily-dressed women to sell hot cars to wealthy men. It works. And it’s the same reason Napa Home & Garden uses these adorable pooches to sell dog beds to those of us who can resist cute and cuddly pets. 

Have you ever seen a dog ACTUALLY smile at you? “I can always get dogs to smile. I am a dog person!” writes Martyn Fernambucq, director of merchandising and marketing for Napa Home.

I’m not a dog owner, but I’m sold. Too bad these adorable dogs aren’t included.

If you ever wondered if it were possible to create an atmosphere for your children that was stylishly devoid of puppies and duckies and soft pastels, check the stores on Oct. 1 for Designed for Kids by Phyllis Richardson (Thames & Hudson Inc., $34.95), a sourcebook for great kids design and décor.

The publisher sent us an advance copy, and as a mom, I quietly cursed not having this at my fingertips when my sons were born. In addition to fabulous products, Richardson also interviews top designers about their kid-design philosophies. Yet for all the gorgeous objects in this book, some of them are literally too good to be true. I pounced on a car seat that can swivel to the side so you don’t have to contort yourself reaching around to get the strap fastened, but psych! You can’t buy it in the U.S. And I LOVED a “modern playshed” with mid-century lines, but some quick checking proved that it’s been discontinued. Same thing with a Lego building table that I would have bought on the spot. I would still recommend this book – just curb your enthusiasm until you type in the Web address to see if you can actually obtain the item. Here are some of my favorites:

The Sleepi line from Stokke includes a crib that transforms later to a toddler bed or day bed, and a changing table that converts to a desk. I’m all for baby equipment that grows with the child – especially when it looks so good. 

Speaking of conversions, this “Tea Pod” children’s furniture not only provides the kids with different shapes to play and sit on, but the tray on one of the elements serves kids and adults equally well.

I’m lovin’ this change in weather, the excitement of kids going back to school, and the refreshing sense of emerging from the languid summer. And so are a lot of people who call the shots in home and design, for the Web is abuzz with new trends to expect, and most of the predictions are on the same page (or in the same living room?).

Here’s what I found:

The Washington Post just issued its predictions last week, which includes bold yellows and purples and gray-toned wood, in addition to intense pattern, nailhead trim, and the use of text in art and on furniture.

Missoni Home Collection

Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Colton cocktail table

I can’t understand people who pooh-pooh faux flowers (hello, Oprah?). I love them – you don’t have to water them and they never die. What’s there to complain about?

Certainly, really obvious fakes can be just awful. But with the likes of Diane James Designs out there, you really can’t go wrong. When I saw her new introductions for fall and winter, I had to read through the descriptions because I honestly didn’t know whether or not they were real. See for yourself:

Orchids:

Bouquets:

Plants:

Carolyn James McDonough, vice president of Diane James, was kind enough to send a list of DC-area retailers where you can find these floral gems:

Barkley Limited
3301 New Mexico Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016
202.363.6664
 
Dalton Brody
3412 Idaho Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20016
202.244.7197

Valerianne

The Kellogg Collection

Neiman Marcus

Good God. I just got an e-mail today announcing a new “teddy bear lamp” from the irreverent British design team known as SUCK UK. Having grown up with my own beloved teddy bear, I quickly opened the e-mail – to find this:

I immediately felt a lurching feeling in my gut, as if I were watching my own child being tortured. It looks like poor Teddy was shoved into an oven, and all I want to do is get him out!

And then there were more images – akin to some nightmare where you find yourself running toward a loved one, only to find a hideous perversion of that loved one in his place – in this case, a light bulb shoved into the space where Teddy’s head was ripped off:

Here is SUCK’s description of Teddy:

“Is he a bear? Is he a lamp? Whichever way you choose to see him, he looks weirdly wonderful and will be sure to earn a second look from your guests. Let him win a place in your heart as he sits quietly on your shelf or bedside table, waiting for you to illuminate him and show him off in his best light. … Poor Ted may have lost his head, but he definitely lights up the room!”

I think Sam and Jude, the design team behind SUCK, may have lost their own heads on this one. And their twisted design sense doesn’t stop there…

This couldn’t come at a better time, as I look at my sad sofa that used to be yellow before we had kids. Now, it’s sort of a darkish grayish yellow, and I flinch every time one of the boys jumps on it with sticky hands or grimy feet.

The Shelburne sofa is part of Bassett’s new fall collection

But to invest in a great new sofa takes a few thousand bucks, which we don’t really have at the moment. But never fear: Basset is here, celebrating its 106th anniversary – and giving away 106 sofas for the next 106 days, starting TOMORROW.

I love this: instead of winning some random sofa that would never go with your living room, you can go online and design your own sofa, and then submit that design to win.

This I also love: There are 750 fabrics to choose from (I just know one of them would be a perfect replacement for Old Yeller), in addition to 10 arm options, five choices for the back and six for the legs.

A third thing to love: If you win (or even if you pony up and buy something), Bassett delivers within 30 days.

Go online here to sign up to win each day. That’s straight where I’m headed.

You wonder what’s in the design ether when you start to see a lot of one thing appear in many different places. This year, it was owls.

Areaware, which got substantial press a couple years ago for its shockingly realistic pig banks, now has a variety of similarly realistic owl-print pillows. Go here for purchase inquiries.

This lovely dinnerware is delightfully retro, from Iittala. Available in the National Building Museum shop, or see a longer list of retailers here.

This wonderful owl mobile from Ige shouldn’t just be for kids. And if you look closely at the image on the right, you’ll also see another small owl on a branch. You can get the mobile online here.

These sweet little owls are from Keena. To purchase, contact Alia Gray here.

Kenneth Wingard creates these little metal creatures intended to peek out from your side tables. Go here to inquire.

There were a few times at this show I just wanted to curl up into the sumptuous blankets and lay my head on the dreamy pillows that so many of the booths displayed. Here are the best of the bedding:

Marcel Miller makes pillows and blankets that resemble cable-knit sweaters. Love them! Click on “stores” on the Web site to find a local retailer. 

The pillows, blankets, and rugs from Auskin Sheepskin Company will inspire only pleasant dreams. Go here for U.S. purchases.

These synthetic and wool throws by Zoeppritz are, in a word, yummy. Go here for local stores.

For a lighter touch, nothing beats the cozy cotton feel of a worn-in quilt. Utility Canvas has some wonderful bedding you’d love to melt right into, and you can shop from their Web site.

Dorm décor is its own decorating genre. The key is to create a beautiful space that’s also temporary, and use items that can stand up to heavy wear and tear (because you never know when the party is going to end up in your room). I saw some great items at the show that fit the category perfectly.

Keep your daily reminders on these blackboard stickers from Wall Candy Arts: You can buy them from the stores and Web sites listed here.

For instant art and a better way to display photos, try these great patterns from Butch & Harold, which are available on Amazon.

After I got back from New York, I noticed there were a few booths whose gorgeous wares I couldn’t get out of my head. Here’s a survey of my favorite wholesalers, including their retail purchasing information.

Artĕl

American designer Karen Feldman established this Bohemian crystal and luxury glassware company in Prague in 1998. Its bowls, vases, and glasses are pieces of art. You can find them here in DC and also in McLean, VA.

Herringbone tumblers

Nesting bowls

Poe Cocktail – named, appropriately, after Edgar Allen Poe

Mod large bowl, Mod trinket bowls

Last week I went to New York for the semi-annual New York International Gift Show, during which wholesalers roll out their best new designs for retailers to snap up for the holiday season. I saw tons of great stuff, and this week I’ll be giving you a sampling each day of my favorites, with information on where to purchase them. 

Gold platter from Vellum

The overarching theme I noticed this time was GOLD. Everything seemed to be dipped in it, and the variety was stunning. So if you’re thinking ahead for gifts this season, gild it up!

Vellum, which sells all manner of exquisite home accessories, went bold on gold this time. This gold branch makes a great holiday statement, as do the goblets beside it. For purchasing information, just click “contact us” on the Web site.

Lunares is another one of my favorites, based in San Francisco. Go to the Web site for contact and purchasing information. These sweet gold bowls with butterflies on the edge are new this season. Continuing the nature theme are a set of leaf platters that also glimmer with gold.

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.

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.

It’s hard to go into a kitchen store and really examine all its products and see how they work without getting the hard sell to buy something. So just imagine walking into a living magazine of sorts, where you can explore kitchens of every imaginable style and test appliances without the slightest pressure to buy anything.

There is such a place. The Fretz Corp. is the Mid-Atlantic distributer of high-end kitchen appliances. It sells only to kitchen dealers, but its vast showroom in Columbia, MD, is open to the public. “It’s a good place to come get ideas,” says Jaime Brown, one of Fretz’s “Dream Kitchen” consultants.

The showroom displays kitchens from highly traditional to ultra contemporary, and if you are interested in products such as Sub-Zero refrigerators and Wolf ranges, Franke hardware or Best by Broan ventilation, you can see those brands’ entire lines, rather than the two or three models a kitchen dealer will probably have. “Here they can see all the different sizes, all the different design applications,” Brown says. “You can come and really get hands-on with the product. It’s a place to see them and see them in actual settings.”