Marimekko Store at Flatiron District

A couple days ago I got a chance to check out the new Marimekko store in NYC. I remember my mother's great Marimekko dress in the 1970's.  I saw it the other day in my sister's closet. As you approach the store, huge Marimekko umbrellas are clustered around Madison Square Park.

The entire store is filled with their signature prints.

Fabrics can be purchased by the yard.

Great inspiration for decorating kids' rooms...

How can you not be in a good mood after visiting the store. The evening seemed to get even better. As we stopped for a coffee at Stumptown, who walks by?  Yes, Anthony Bourdain from No Reservations.  My favorite tv show! I just about jumped out of the window to say a few words to him. You would think I would tell him that his sharp wit and writing is just so special. Something alittle more meaningful than" I love your show." I did mention that I thought Stumptown had the best coffee in the city. He said- " I know." I guess that was sort of profound.

See you...

Christina

Highpoint Part II

This is a story of two vendors. I saw them on the same day and they couldn't have been more different. Visiting  Bevera Design House, I felt like I was at my mother's dining room table raking over all the new acquisitions she had purchased at the latest auction.  I think I could have spent all day there sipping tea and chatting about their collection.  A very personable and inspired group of artists that sell a very well curated group of products and art. Each piece in their collection has a real story behind it.

I particularly liked the work of Rebecca Szeto. She took the thorns from the lower branches of  rose bushes and created Kiss. Not only  do the thorns make a statement, but notice how the shadows cast another element to the piece.

Szeto also recycled her old paint brushes and created little personalities. Just as a side note, the brushes below are sitting on a console made out of  discarded NASCAR parts.

From there we went to see the Lily Pulitzer Home collection. What a complete difference. Like going from an intimate theater production to Broadway. A sharply produced commercial production that was just  fantastic.

The entrance was inviting.

The collection was so Palm Beach sunny. It was too bad we couldn't get much more from the showroom staff as they were pretty indifferent to say the least.

Below is a jewelry and lingerie station . Can you believe how useful this is..

Talk about storage. Looks like an "ordinary" Lilly Pulitzer ottoman.

But no, shoe storage as well..

The spirit was bold throughout the showroom...

Lily is a major fan of pink and green. A favorite decorating palette for a girl's bedroom..

It was a fun day at market! See you...

Christina

Highpoint Part I

Wow is just about all I can come up with when describing Highpoint. Highpoint is the largest furniture show in the country. With more than 10 million square feet of showroom space, it was a race to see as much as we could. I went with a designer friend. We felt like kids at camp! We started out the day with a discussion on global trends by Hermine Mariaux. She just returned from Maison & Objet in Paris. In a nut shell- She believes the future of color will move away from grays, turquoises, acid greens and pinks and gravitate towards  browns, golds, spice and other jewel tones. Deep reds and blue ultramarines will be significant. It's just a forecast....

From funky to traditional to modern, Highpoint has everything.

From the invisible...

To super saturated color with out apologies...

I love these pod stools for kids rooms. So comfortable for an adult as well as a child.

Lots of interesting rugs. Always looking for rugs, that work in tween bedrooms..

Upholstery with solid direction...

And ofcoarse beds...

To interesting dressers...

By the end of the day we were so tired, but couldn't resist taking this pic of these glasses  for a giant...

Day one at the market was so much fun. . More to come ...

See you...

Christina

Warhol and the Poodle Part II

We finally got some good pics of the client that had the Warhol in her little daughter's room!  See  first post. Just to reiterate, her daughter was moving into a big girl's bed and the mom wanted to make her room a little more hip. The mom didn't want to change everything about the room. She already purchased the big girl bedding.  The window treatments and some furniture would remain as well.

The first thing we did was remove the chair rail. No more crib. A big girl bed was in order.

The little coffee table was custom sized so the little girl can use it as a table with her little chairs.  The chairs also have double duty as a step stool to get in  and out of bed.

The  sofette fits nicely in the space.

She needed a pretty, but bookshelf for all her favorite things...

A real pop of pink make it oh so sweet..

But her most favorite thing is the poodle lamp!

See you..

Christina

A Ray of Sunshine

When I was a little girl, my favorite color was yellow.  Bright, sunshine yellow. A customer wanted to put a little zing in her daughter's bedding to fit her personality. She wanted it to be simple with a splash. We chose  Serena and Lily's  classic bedding in berry with yellow marni euro shams and a great bolster made by Bebe Chic.

A touch of yellow is just so lovely. Love these rooms...

Lily Z Designs

Palmer Weiss

See you...

Christina

A Peak at Whats New and Next at the NYDC

A spur of the moment change in plans, coaxed on by a fabric vendor, lead me to a very interesting evening at the New York Design Center. Oh I wish I had more time to spend there. That is the story of all aspects of my life right now. Never the less, it gave me a nice decorating  jolt. I saw some interesting new lines...

The highlight of the evening was listening to a talk given by Carlton Varney.  I am afraid to say that my limited knowledge of him was a crazy Dorothy Draper inspired wallpaper that I wanted so desperately in a dressing room of  a little client. The client's mom did not like it at all.  Read more... I loved his crazy color. I saw a man with a crazy tie, and I said to a friend of mine, that must be him!

He is inspired by nature. But not the sand, the driftwood, or tree bark. The true brilliant color of strong brilliant flowers. Mix it up with true Hollywood glam and you have Carlton Varney at his best.

He teaches design students to recall their very first room as children. What do they remember about it?  That memory will form them into the designer they are today. His first memories were the colors of forest green and red. My first memory of my room were my Alice and Wonderland window treatments. Hmm. That makes sense.

See you...

Christina

Gray and Apple green Bedroom for a Boy

I met with a mom that wants to redo her son's nursery into his big boy bedroom. The only item she wants to use in his new room  is a vintage steel desk that she already purchased. I would like to do the little boy's room in gray with punches of apple green and a bit of navy. So I am just gathering inspiration...

Mark Lund

Cross Decor & Design

Great inspiration from Designers Guild.

Tons of inspiration from Pinterest.

Alex Hayden

Elle Decor

I saw this painting at Lilian August the other day.

I have a carpet I like and some fabric choices...

Hope the mom likes it! See you...

Christina

The Boy and the Very Elegant Gentleman

There is a boy who comes into the shop with his mom. He is around 8 years old. Every time he comes in he asks his mom to buy him this vintage print that sits in front of the signature Scalamandre wallpaper.    I told her she has brought him up very exposed to art. Well, his dad is a consultant to Sotheby's and Christie's. Sigh... I wonder what art he will have on his wall. See you...

Christina

Elephants are Marching in!

So much elephant merchandise is flowing into Cici Crib this fall. Our store window is filled with elephants. Smart and steady. From gifts to decor, what's not to love... New Jellycat elephant...

Chic Jonathan Adler clock for the wall

Babar books always make good gifts...

Our most popular bookend..

Hooded towels,burps and bibs, perfect for baby, from a company that makes it's products in Texas.

Large wooden elephant for the wall...

Can't forget the vintage. The vintage toys add a unique decorating touch..

And my absolute favorite is this little vintage wool rug, how great it  would be  in a nursery...

See you...

Christina

Print from my mom

Ok I won't even go into my vacation or lack there of, but everyone is healthy, safe and sound. That is truly the most important. During my time off, my mom had gone to an auction and  purchased this 1920's French print  for Cici Crib. Exactly a year ago, she received a liver transplant. It has been a long road, but she is finally getting back to doing the things she loves. It's a  miracle, and I had an extra big smile when I received the pic.

See you...

Christina

Summer at the New York International Gift Fair

I spent the last few days at the NYIGF in NYC, looking for inspiration and new products for Cici Crib.  There will definitely be  some new stuff coming into the shop.  Here is what I saw.. Start with the best. An Italian company playing up on pantone colors. Love these for a playroom or kids bedroom.

Over and over we have see  little storage units made to look like lockers. Most of them are so cheaply made that I can't bear to put them in the shop. These metal units are a tad costly, but the quality was just fantastic. Colors are great and the cabinet styles are numerous.

Their furniture was fun..

Love these  little card tables..

I am doing a teenage girl's bedroom right now. Saw a lot  of inspiration. Check out  this very cool jewelry box..

Lot's of industrial for boys. These bookshelves are made in Indonesia. All the wood is recycled from old boats.

Love this art for a budding scientist...

Lots of ethnic influences from American Indian to Moorish. These Pendelton blankets were a great inspiration. I am working on a boy's bedroom that we are doing in gray and acid green....

Loved these Picasso pillows....

The ultimate kitsch with a twist of fun was the dog lamps from London. The ridiculous undersized shades together with these very serious models, just made me smile..

I will be taking some needed  time off for the next 2 weeks. Looking forward to spending time with my boys!  See you soon.. Christina

Vintage Crystal lamps for a little girl's bedroom

Crystal boudoir lamps were very popular from the 1940s-1960s.  They can be  the perfect touch for a little girl's bedroom. They make some reproductions today, which for the most part are made of plastic. The vintage lamps are twinkling crystal. At Cici Crib they make a transformation from dusty, rusty lamps to beautiful table lamps. I take the lamps apart, replace old pieces and CLEAN them. Then they are sent out to be rewired. Finding the correct shade is a whole other story. The lamp bases are too big for chandelier shades and too small for most lamp shades. Eventually we find the correct drop and have them custom banded in pretty colors.  Tons of time and love are put in before they reach their final destination.

The lamp below is trimmed in one of the most beautiful calm lavender  linen from Rogers and Goffigon. It is going into a nursery that  I will photograph shortly.

See you..

Christina

Nursery for a special baby girl

I got a call from a dad who wanted to do a surprise nursery for his wife and new baby daughter. Both mother and daughter were having a bit of a rough go, and were in the hospital when he called me. I could hear his worry and love for his family over the phone. His wife admired a little girl's room, that I had decorated and blogged about.   There was no one to make design decisions. He wanted a nursery like the little girl's bedroom and it had to be pink. Be positive and move quickly forward. We got much of the room together in 6 weeks.  It was entirely custom. A huge feat, which I must really thank my vendors for making such accommodations. It was a nursery that would grow into the little girl's bedroom.  The changer would be very temporary. They needed adequate storage and a comfortable glider to feed the baby.

This was the room before...

I decided not to wallpaper the entire room, as the wall's quirky angles  would hinder the look of the paper. We did one wall. It looked like an outline of a house. Perfect. I chose a sunny yellow crib to welcome the little one home.

This very traditional armoire  looks a bit more transitional, when we added the lattice fabric.  It will be nicely centered against the wall when additional muscle arrives. It is a solid piece.

So sweet...

It was really a very rewarding job. Baby is just thriving and I've gotten to finally know the lovely mom.

See you...

Christina

Secret rooms and Playhouses

This morning the New York Times Home section has a story on playhouses. I remember going over to my friends house and playing in her playhouse all day. It was even decorated with little curtains. The Times showed little houses that are completely over the top, yet very traditional. Like these from Treasured Heirlooms.

But there are so many different secret spaces that can be created for kids that are both inviting and very dreamlike. I keep a file of inspiring little spaces. Here they are...

Love this little house My Shabby Streamside Studio...

See you...

Christina

Decorate a little boy's bedroom two weeks?

A very nice family came to visit the shop in the latter part of June. The little boy was just a complete sparkle of a kid. Having only boys myself,  I so appreciate the idiosyncracies of boys. He loves airplanes, trains, big trucks, loud construction equipment, etc.. The family was moving to Westchester from NYC in about 2 weeks time. They needed to have a room ready for their little boy, on moving day. He was leaving his crib behind and needed a big boy bed. New neighborhood, new house, new bed. We needed to work quickly.  Ofcourse, we had a holiday weekend in between. Adds a little more stress to the equation. This is the room when I first saw it. A classic bedroom from a house built in the 1920's.

The couple really wanted wallpaper. We chose this Ralph Lauren paper..

The company did a quick ship on the artwork..

The window treatments just couldn't be done in time. Obviously, panels would overwhelm the windows.  I really didn't want to do standard shades or romans. The windows are quite low to the floor. Any kind of cord is an issue. We chose a roller roman shade. It is a new shade, that we are beginning to use. No outside cords. They will be ready by the end of July. The flush mount light fixture is also back ordered, but will be in shortly. Made of glass, it will give off ample light.

The room was ready for the little boy..

I was there to  see the excitement on the little boy's face. Some really good perks  of my  job!

See you...

Christina

The sofette

I posted about a little girl's bedroom  I was working on in April.  It was the room with the poodle lamp. I will show it shortly, as we are still waiting for a few key items. Mainly the  poodle lamp itself.  Backordered since April,  the waiting is driving  me crazy. We also needed  a very small sofa. Not really a loveseat, more like a sofette. Something so very petite, but can fit an adult as well as a child.  There are really no little sofas out there that work for a child. Why is furniture so oversized??  We liked the Jonathon Adler junior lampert sofa. But the dimensions are for a child. It is tiny and very uncomfortable for an adult.

So we changed the dimensions, and angled the seat to make it more comfortable. We had it made by a great workroom in Mount Vernon, NY. I got a little tour of the place. From carpentry to upholstery a piece which starts out on paper comes to life...

So many interesting custom made pieces. Much of their work is for hotels and restaurants...

Then there was our sofette..

And finally in the room. Perfect for a little girl and her mom...

See you... Christina

Water time

Whether you are heading to the beach,lake or your club, these stylish bags  will organize your children's stuff. Made of canvas, but not too heavy.  A great gift that can be personalized. A favorite for the baby gift registry.  We love our club bags!

A waterproof bag for all the little stuff that can get wet ..

Happy fourth of July!

See you...

Christina

Studio Four Showroom

I stopped into Studio Four Showroom in NYC for research.  A boutique showroom filled with Indie designers. It was inspiring to see a showroom that is so different.  So very interesting...

Wallpaper of different varieties...

We will be using this one for a little girl's bedroom that will be decorated in  pink and yellow.

Beautiful fabrics..

You can custom color some of their fabrics...

A new rug collection just came in from Denver..

I took away many ideas..

See you...

Christina