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Flower Power: Bastille

Pantone Colors of the Year

As we head into a season of celebrations (birthdays! graduations! weddings!), we thought you might like to meet Emily Pinon, founder and CEO of Bastille flowers & events, and perhaps be inspired by her bespoke, one-of-a-kind floral creations. We came across Emily’s Instagram page and of course, spent the next several ~~hours~~ minutes admiring her work. Whether it’s a corporate event where she hung hundreds of white calla lilies from the ceiling or a more intimate affair celebrating Pantone’s colors of the year (Rose Quartz and Serenity if you haven’t heard), Emily translates her clients desires into memories that last a lifetime.

Spring Wedding

Bridal Bouquet

DIFFA Table

Purple Bridal Bouquet

Wedding Table

Speaking of memories that last a lifetime, we’re taking a little break from blogging so that we can attend some races (both on the water and at the track), plan some spring sports banquets and graduation parties and focus on our high school seniors who will, all too soon, be off to college… See you soon!

photos

May 11, 2016

Coffee Table Essentials Challenge

Mid Century Coffee Table

What would we do without our coffee tables? They are the centerpiece of any living or family room and play a vital role in our daily lives. Our family room coffee table is devoid of any knick knacks given that it’s usually the place where teenage feet and multiple remote and gaming controls come to rest. Our living room’s coffee table, though, is a pièce de résistance. We love a well-styled coffee table so when we heard about Chairish‘s Coffee Table Essentials Challenge we knew we wanted to take part in the fun. But styling a coffee table can be tricky. Some people tend to over accessorize leaving absolutely no room for a wine glass, while others leave the space unadorned and decidedly uninteresting. There are several things we keep in mind when we decorate our tables. First, we like to use books. New or vintage, the more colorful the better. You can’t go wrong with coffee table books (and perhaps that’s why they’re called coffee table books!), especially if the cover or subject matter coordinates with your environment.

Cy Twombly – Paradise

Second on our list is a natural element to soften the hard edges and add texture to flat surfaces. Of course, arranging flowers right before guests arrive may not be how you want to spend your time so a potted plant, a bowl of succulents or a very lifelike faux design is good to have on hand in a pinch.

Pink Peonies in Marbled Vase

Third on our list of essentials is something fun. We love games but we know that Monopoly takes up lots of room so we opt for something compact like a beautiful deck of cards or this elegant shagreen tic tac toe set.

Aerin Home – Shagreen Ric Tac Toe

Candles are a must to bring sparkle and life to a party. We like the look of tapers in beautiful holders on a coffee table as they bring height and light to the space.

Skultuna – Lily Candle Holder

Last but not least, we love using decorative accents that we’ve collected on our trips or that have been passed down to us by our parents and grandparents. We have a collection of vintage decanters and while we wouldn’t necessarily use them for our wine, we do like to display one or two. They add interest to the setting and inevitably spark a conversation.

Empoli – Decanter and Glasses

We hope you’ve enjoyed our styling tips and wish you all a Happy Easter!

coffee table / book / bouquet / game / candle holder / decanter

March 25, 2016

The Latest Buzz

Maison de Luxe Redux

Mr. Doheny’s Suite

In case you missed it on her Instagram feed and in our blog post Monday, the fabulous Nina Campbell is putting the finishing touches on Mr. Doheny’s suite at the Maison de Luxe Designer Show House and we’re thrilled that our plants are part of the decor! Since the room has a more masculine feel, Nina chose succulents and orchids to complement the Leontine linens, Collier Webb sconces and Nina’s own patterns – Penglai on the blinds and chair and Khitan on the walls.

Guest Room by Philip Gorrivan (2012)

Sponsored by Luxe Interiors + Design, Maison de Luxe will transform the historic, 55-room Baronial-style Donehy residence, known as Greystone Mansion, which sits above the famed Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills. More than twenty of the best known interior designers from across the States and abroad will infuse the 46,000-square-foot estate “with a fresh sense of style and enchantment while honoring its architecture and history,” according to Editor in Chief Pamela Jaccarino.

Grand Hallway by Mary McDonald (2012)

Living Room by Jamie Drake (2012)

Along with Nina, this year’s participants include some of our favorite designers including Timothy Corrigan (another client of ours!), Benjamin Dhong, Mark D. Sikes, Sara Story and Summer Thornton. We can’t wait to see what they have in store for us and judging by what the participants did in 2012, we won’t be disappointed.

Mrs. Doheny’s Suite by Ron Woodson and Jaime Rummerfeld (2012)

The Designer Show House will be unveiled on November 5th and will be open to the public for a limited time. Needless to say, we’re so jealous of those of you who live in the Los Angeles area and have a chance to see the rooms in person; most of us have to wait for Luxe’s January/February 2016 issue.

Sitting Room by Kendall Wilkinson (2012)

P.S. This isn’t our first appearance at Maison de Luxe – Kendall Wilkinson used our cherry blossoms in her infinity wall in 2012! How cool is that? Happy Friday, all.

Nina / Philip / Mary / Jamie / Ron and Jaime / Kendall

October 23, 2015

Inspirations, The Latest Buzz

What We’re Looking At…

New England Home – Connecticut

We’re so thrilled to be featured in the Fall 2015 issue of New England Home Magazine and share with you “What We’re Looking At” this season…

Falling for Fall Foliage

Autumn is a beautiful time of year in New England, and we’re so lucky to live in an area filled with walking trails and scenic parks. Mother Nature graces us with fabulous fall foliage, and there’s no better place to see the range of reds, oranges, and yellows than in our own Connecticut backyard.

The Twins in Belgium

During more than a decade spent in the Belgian countryside, our weekend outings always included a Sunday visit to the outdoor market. There, we chose from a vast array of seasonal fruits and vegetables, meats, cheeses, and breads to create a family dinner worthy of Julia Child, served at a table decorated with fresh flowers.

Fall Table

Our new Modern Barn collection this fall was inspired by the increasingly popular “farm to table” movement and no one does this better than Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s restaurant, The Inn at Pound Ridge. The restaurant serves locally sourced ingredients in a modern barn setting, capturing everything we envisioned for these designs.

The Inn at Pound Ridge

Fall Hydrangea Bouquet

For more, pick up this month’s New England Home and see us on page 118!

magazine / foliage / twins / table / inn / bouquet

October 21, 2015

The Latest Buzz

It Takes a Village…

Diane James Home 2.0

and a very creative team to re-brand an 18-year-old company like ours and we’re happy to say, we’re done (for now!) Diane James Home version 2.0 is alive and well and we couldn’t have done it without the super talented Fiona Humberstone (a.k.a The Brand Stylist – read about her here) in the U.K. and the amazing design team at Stitch in Charleston, SC.

Mood Board

Fiona helped us look outside the green box of our old logo and made us think hard about who we are and where we’d like to go with this botanical business of ours. She started with the big picture and held our hand throughout the design phase.

Getting it Right!

The team at Stitch then translated Fiona’s brand brief and began the reinvention process by designing new logos – 33 of them which we whittled down to six – three for our couture collection and three for our “luxury for less” line. That was perhaps the hardest part of this adventure; saying goodbye to the old green logo in a box and accepting the new black and white ones was a huge leap for us!

New Logos

Once the new logos were approved, we moved on to stationery and we thrilled with our new note cards which are letterpressed with a hellebore and bee and edged with our new spring green. The envelopes are sealed with a golden bee, a favorite insect of ours (quelle surprise…)

Take Note

Photography is so important to bring our designs to life and our village wouldn’t be complete without local photographers Jane Beiles and Sally Green. Through their lens, our faux fleurs almost look real.

Jane and Sally

Building a website is a bit like building a house – you need an architect with the big picture in mind (Fiona) and an interior designer to take care of the details (Stitch). Last but not least, you need a builder who has the patience to read the blueprints, communicate with the designer and make sure the house comes well within budget and construction time frame. Justin is our builder and we’d like to make him the Mayor of our village.

We won’t be posting again this week as we’re celebrating our accomplishments and making sure there aren’t any glitches. See you on Monday!

P.S. Join the celebration by shopping Diane James Home and getting 20% off your order through this Sunday. Just use coupon code ALLNEW2015 in your cart.

website / mood board /vignette / logos / stationery / flowers

October 8, 2015

The Latest Buzz

Fashionable Flowers by Armani

Muscari, Viburnum and Aspidistra

Giorgio Armani once said, “To create something exceptional, your mindset must be relentlessly focused on the smallest detail.” This attention to detail can definitely be seen in the exquisite pleating, gathering, beading and embroidery that adorns his beautifully tailored clothes. Armani is also known for his sophisticated simplicity which now comes to life in Armani/Fiori, his collection of bouquets and containers.

Pink Tulips and Cornus

Purple Vanda Orchid and Nelumbo

With seven boutiques in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Armani/Fiori offers personalized services for private and commercial clients looking for chic florals with clean lines in elegant colors – signature Armani style that is luxurious and not ostentatious.

Ocean Song Roses and T Grass

White Poenies and Tulips

These bouquets are like living works of art; the placement of each blossom and leaf has been carefully studied in relation to the vase and the colors complement a wide range of environments and tastes. Armani/Fiori also designs wedding bouquets which are so fabulous, they might even outshine the bride!

Bouvardia, Vanda Orchid and Leaves

It’s only too bad that there are no boutiques nearby since we’d love to see these beauties in person…

Photos: 1 – 6

August 12, 2015

In the Garden, The Latest Buzz

In the Garden with Bruce Munro

Earth Goddess by NIght

Well, we’re finally back from Atlanta and trying to catch up on all the work that has piled up in our absence. We wish we had a good excuse for the lack of posts (thinking of you Sandy at You May Be Wandering!) but we don’t… except for perhaps the whole work/play balance that we’re trying to achieve this summer. Speaking of which, we decided to add some fun to our trip and take advantage of Atlanta’s excellent transportation system (Uber, not MARTA) to get ourselves to the Atlanta Botanical Garden to see the new Bruce Munro: Light in the Garden exhibit.

Forest of Light

This British artist has created six works of art, each unique in its design and ability to enchant. As we walked through the Hardin Visitor Center and around a corner, we were greeted by 30,000 flower-like stems of light covering the ground, gently pulsing and changing colors. We meandered through the woods past water features and stately trees, and came upon the breathtaking Earth Goddess (above.) Next on our tour was Swing Low, a cradle of giant illuminated spheres…

Swing Low

and then the Water-Towers where 216 recycled plastic bottles threaded with fiber optic cables pulsed with shifting colors to the beat of African music. These 20 towers surrounded a lily pond from which came the chorus of singing bullfrogs (it was as if they wanted to be part of the whole experience!)

Water-Towers

Though our feet were dying – we’d been on them since seven in the morning and it was now past eleven p.m. – we made sure to ~~walk~~ limp through the Fuqua Orchid Center, all aglow with Eden Blooms. Nestled among the tropical plants, these futuristic flower forms took “artificial” to a whole new level.

Eden Blooms

We had a magical evening and wouldn’t have thought of venturing out of downtown Atlanta had it not been for our adventurous show neighbors from Sid Dickens and BlaBla. Thank you for making our show more play than work!

Earth Goddess by Day

P.S. The Bruce Munro exhibit runs through October 3rd and we highly recommend a visit should your travels take you to the Peach State.

Photos: Earth Goddess night, Forest of Light, Swing Low, Water-Towers, Eden Blooms, and Earth Goddess day

July 22, 2015

The Latest Buzz

Fall 2015 Inspirations – Part II

Vegetable Centerpiece

Our second collection, Modern Barn, was inspired by the “farm-to-table” movement that’s taken over many of our local restaurants and we’ve elevated rustic to a chic new level.

Modern Barn Bouquet

We’ve combined fun farmstand flowers like dahlias, zinnias, allium and poppies with interesting containers made of wood, wire and aged terra cotta.

Rustic Placesetting

Orange Cymbidium with Fern

Some of our designs even incorporate realistic fruits and vegetables for an extra touch of whimsy. What a great way to get your greens and not have to cook them!

Dinner Outdoors

Mixed Greens in Wire Vase

Have a fun and fresh Friday and see you in Atlanta – High Design, Building 2, Floor 1, Booth #308.

Photos: veggies, bouquet, place setting, orchid, table and bouquet

July 3, 2015

The Latest Buzz

Fall 2015 Inspirations – Part I

A Marrakech Souk

We are off to Atlanta next week to shop for stems, set up our booth and sell our new Fall/Winter 2015 collections! Which means we’ll be taking a little time off from blogging but you can follow us on Instagram here and read all about our adventures. In the meantime, let us whet your appetite with our new Spice Market designs, inspired by one of the most pinned pictures on Pinterest last year!

Spice Market Bouquet

Whether displayed in heaping towers, in bronze bowls or on a floating barge, spices are used around the world to add flavor or color to many dishes. A touch of cinnamon, ginger, cumin or saffron can turn a bland meal into something special and we wouldn’t think of cooking without them.

Bronze Bowls

Moth Orchids in Bronze Bowl

The same could be said about our flowers – they add a bit of spice to any room. The designs in our Spice Market collection pop with color and the containers capture the exotic feel of markets the world over.

Thai Floating Market

Yummy Yellow and Green Bouquet

How do you like to spice up your life?

Photos: souk, bouquet, bowls, orchids, barges and bouquet

July 1, 2015

The Latest Buzz

Monday Mood

It’s Monday (and we’re back!) – what mood are you in?

Ahhh…

Rested

Pronunciation: /ˈrestəd/

Feeling healthy, strong or full of energy… There’s nothing like taking a little time off from the everyday to recharge! Isn’t that what summer is all about?

Photo: bed

June 8, 2015

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