Today’s post focuses on design home shopping in SOHO, New
York … the best city in the world! I
know a little about this … as an interior designer based in the city, part of
my life revolves around finding the best of art, design and decoration for my
A+ clients.
In no particular order:
#1 – Flair New York
This fabulous home collection outpost in New York has sister
stores in Florence, Milan and Rome. They comb the world hand picking some
of the best vintage home decor and furniture for their store. They then combine them with their own
signature pieces to create a wonderful hip New York- meets- Europe- style that j’adore.
Their aesthetic tends to be more masculine, but there are enough gems to grab
the attention of even the chicest of women. Prices are not cheap, but it is a
great place to shop if someone wants to give YOU a gift!
Recently, I visited the store and came out wanting two
items, both of which are part of their exclusive private line. Table
easels are great to display your art in a slightly more intimate setting and
Flair has a fabulous table easel that comes in several sizes and
finishes. I liked the small plexi/nickel easel that oozes chic and is
priced at US$850.00. I also loved their Forte Side Chair. It is easy to
sit on, comfy and the padded back makes the perfect rest for casual lounging.
These chairs scream “buy me … I’m ever so sexy”. At US$2,250 each they
are not cheap but well worth the aesthetic eye candy and stylish comfy seating.
#2 –Tamara Magel
Down the street from Flair is the delicious home store of
Tamara Magel, an interior design colleague whose style she describes as
“global-chic”. Her aesthetic is modern
and exotic and VERY sophisticated. So
for example, you will not find 500 pillows from India on offer, but rather, a
curated selection of delicate pillows made to her specifications. What I love about Tamara is that she has a
strong belief in empowering women and is therefore on the board of NEST, an
organization that helps female artisans emerge from poverty.
I fell in love with 2 pieces that I can easily
recommend. The first is a lovely,
lovely, lovely credenza made of bleached wenge, black lacquer and ebony
pulls. It is most certainly inspired by
mid century design, but has a 21st century sophistication with the
use of luxe materials. This particular
credenza is 20”deep x 70” long x 28.1/2 “high and retails for US$5,400 (shshshsh
.. don’t tell her …this is steal!). Not
knowing where to turn next, I stumbled upon a magnificent mirror where the
frame looks like pieces of coral were stuck together. In reality, she calls it a reproduction
lettuce coral mirror which comes in black and white (I’m partial to the black
but the white is also yummy) and measures 26” wide x 36” high. Again, the price was not sooo expensive at
US$1,620.
#3 – The Evolution Store
The Evolution Store is Ali-baba’s cave for those looking for
home “jewelry” … the unique accessories that make a space sing. At Evolution you can find everything
nature related (some real, some made up to look real): from
seashells and exotic corals to beautiful butterflies, stuffed alligators and
fossils; from dry insects to anatomical models and minerals. It is certainly a
great find for distinct pieces and one-of-a-kind home accessories.
The pieces in their collection range from the extremely
creepy and utterly undesirable to the beautiful and rare, such as the
life-sized stuffed buffalo head, colorful and enigmatic framed butterflies,
multi-colored cowhide rugs, and beautiful South Pacific Indian beads and
seashells. These are perfect accessories
that will add a cool punch to a bare wall, an empty space on a bookshelf, a
boring floor or that empty decorative bowl sitting on your side table or
ottoman. There I found a collection of
framed butterflies in dazzling jeweled tones that keep me company in my
office.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my home shopping tips. All of the stores have truly one-of-a-kind
finds that will make any room yell “I’m stylish and cool”. Be sure to check them out next time you’re in
the Big Apple.
image credits: Richard Rabel. Reprint. First published 07-10-2011 as a contributing feature to another blog.
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