Sunday, November 27, 2016

Our Holiday Mantle: Styled 3 Ways

Hello all!  Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!  I hope you all had a beautiful holiday with those you love most.  If you're like me, you are all enjoying some time off, visiting with family, over-eating, and spending lots of time on the sofa watching movies (or, eh, online shopping).

My personal family tradition is to decorate my house for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving.  We're all home and it just feels like a good day to pull out the decorations and enjoy being together. :)  The High Street Market studio, on the other hand, is a different story.  I held out as long as possible with the Christmas decorations in the studio-- I try not to overshadow Thanksgiving, but it's very difficult in this business (and Christmas seems to creep it's way into the year earlier and earlier-- I think I spotted Christmas decor before Halloween this year-- what the heck is happening???).  If you follow the store on Instagram (find us @highstreetmarket) you'll know that about a week ago, I gave in and decorated the entire High Street Market studio for the Christmas Season.  We posted some behind the scenes videos on InstaStories, but the gist of it is this: 200 feet of cedar garland, red berries, magnolia branches, and plaid stockings.  Lots of jolly goodness.  We are officially in the holiday spirit over there.

Given that fact that I brought home half the nursery in evergreen, and our team was eager to get the studio in the holiday spirit, we came up with three different holiday looks that will hopefully inspire YOU to deck the halls of your own home.  And, whether your decorating mantra is "more is more" or you prefer a more minimalist approach (or, you just want to change things up from last year!) I think there's something here for everybody.  I'm calling these looks "The New Trad", "The Modern Rustic", and "The Minimalist".  :)


First, there's "The New Trad"...


"The New Trad" loves a classic Christmas, but you aren't stuffy and you want to avoid being predictable.  I love this fresh spin on a classic look.  We paired an antique Federalist mirror with fresh greenery, hits of brass, and plenty of red plaid (a classic).  To start, double up on the garland, going back and forth (in this case, more actually is more-- we used about 25 feet).  Wrap the garland with twinkle lights and finish with pine cones, tucked here and there.  We had a vintage pair of brass reindeer that looked pretty badass flanking the mirror (we couldn't pass that up), but you can get the look with any shiny accent.  Try using a pair of small brass planters with red Poinsettia, or even tall glass hurricanes with candles.  Finish with a traditional set of fireplace accessories and your favorite red plaid stockings (these are from our store and we are obsessed).

(here's the whole process, step by step!)  :)



Next is "The Minimalist"...


"The Minimalist" loves simplicity and hates clutter.  That can be tricky when you're decorating for the holidays, but we think we achieved the perfect balance.  I have to tell you that this look is GORGEOUS in person (the camera really doesn't do it justice).  A natural evergreen wreath is minimally decorated with a 3" white bow.  I think the oversized scale of the ribbon is chic, but you could easily drop the bow and go au naturale, if you prefer.  We used white glass hurricanes as lanterns on the mantle.  To add interest, we incorporated pine cones and silver ball ornaments.  Instead of garland, we used a simple ribbon with hanging glass ornaments.  The whole look is very light and clean, while still feeling dressy and done.


Finally, "The Modern Rustic"...




"The Modern Rustic" is easy going and a little homespun.  You keep things simple but you're a little edgy/urban.  I actually really like this look for a city apartment or industrial space (it works, right?).  To decorate the mantle, we stayed away from traditional greenery and went with a combination of large leaves and small leaves-- in this case, beautiful magnolia and eucalyptus.  I love the mix of scale and texture.  Instead of wrapping the twinkle lights, we casually swagged them.  Nothing needs to be perfect, the messier the better in some cases.  We added interest with white shed antlers paired with a vintage wall-mounted rack.  Keep the color scheme minimal.  We added a small Pointsettia in a modern planter and I think that is enough.  A jute basket filled with cozy knit blankets finishes off the look.


So, what's your favorite style?  I started this exercise loving "The New Trad" but finished without a true favorite.  I hope this helps inspire you to decorate your home for the holidays!  Even if you don't have a fireplace mantle, find a console table or chest of drawers and decorate that!  Simple and fun.


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sources:

"The New Trad"

"The Minimalist"

"The Modern Rustic"


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Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Before & After: From Dining Room to Sunroom


I thought I would share a little "Before & After" today, since we just completed this photoshoot on Friday.  :)  And, because everyone loves a good "Before & After," here we go... This one is a good one!

Our clients wanted to transform their un-used and neglected dining space adjacent to their kitchen.  Since nearly every family meal was shared at the kitchen island (or the formal dining room), this room became a wasted space.  And, this modern family needed a comfortable spot to just sit and chill.  A place off of the busy kitchen to enjoy a cup of coffee and "watch the snow fall" (her words during our wintertime meeting, and such a lovely thought!).   Therefore, we set out to create a light and bright sunroom full of cozy upholstery, bleached wood finishes, and interesting texture.



 before


 after


To add architectural interest to this room, we had our contractor install 4" wood planks on the ceiling and we painted them a bright white.  The walls were painted Farrow & Ball "James White" (my favorite go-to cream paint), and we used an enormous flat weave wool rug to make the room feel bigger and brighter.  Our sofa is slipcovered in a beautiful flax cotton/linen which is washable and very family friendly.  We stayed away from the typical sunroom wicker furniture and brought in these modern woven side chairs.  The deep seats and bright white cushions make the room feel fresh and summer-y.  The coffee table has a simple shape and we LOVED the bleached wood herringbone top.  













We mixed in a variety of textures in monochromatic shades.  Cable knits live in harmony with bright white canvas (with tassels!).  It's a beautiful room that I think our clients will enjoy for many years to come.  :)  And, it proves that you can make a room anything you need it to be.  This dining room became a sunroom and it works. 


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for product details and pricing, email hello@highstreetmarket.com


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Friday, July 1, 2016

Wing Chairs on floor sample sale




We are selling these gorgeous wing chairs in the studio (I'm sad to see them go but we don't have enough room in here!).  If you are local, or know someone who is, they're available for $499.00 FOR THE PAIR.  That's a crazy deal since they are normally $1,350.00 each.





They're in perfect condition.  We bought them because they are great in a living room setting, but they also make beautiful head chairs at the dining table!

Our studio is open Tuesday-Friday from 11am - 5pm.  On Saturdays we are open from 11am to 4pm (and closed Sunday and Monday).  We are located at the following address:

High Street Market
103 North 2nd Street
North Wales, PA 19454
1-888-669-1189


If you want to ship them, we are happy to cooperate!  But, you will need to coordinate freight/shipping.  Email hello@highstreetmarket.com for details.

Happy Friday!

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UPDATE:  these chairs have SOLD.  Thank you!


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Thursday, June 30, 2016

Current Inspiration: Mark Cunningham

Over the past year, we've been working hard on an exciting design project here in the Philadelphia area (and if you follow along on Snapchat, you've seen some of the progress! Find us at highstreetHome). It's an old stone Colonial house that is getting a head-to-toe makeover, including an addition and a newly configured floorplan.  A lot of exciting installations will be happening this summer, so stay tuned for loads of awesome before & after pictures.

Our clients have great taste.  So, when they showed us images from Brett Heyman's Connecticut home (featured in Architectural Digest and most recently on One King's Lane), we got really excited.  Designed by super talented interior designer, Mark Cunningham, this awesome house has it all.  Layers of texture and saturated color, modern art mixed with classic antiques-- these rooms are speaking our love language.  Take a look...




 This English-arm sofa + braided jute rug + modern art.  Such a fantastic combo.  Plus, the green walls are perfection. 
 
















 This bedroom is so great.

 Another one of my favorite images-- again, that saturated green comes out of nowhere and adds so much depth to the room.  

 



Let's not stop there, because Mark Cunningham's portfolio is loaded with fabulously executed design and we cannot stop PINNING (and then, literally pinning... these print outs are all over our pin boards in the office).  Here are a few favorites...

Tailored and formal and perfectly done.  We love the enormous greenery in the blue & white pot (and that rug!).

 Classically simple...  but, check out the ceiling and open shelving.

 Love the paint color on the cabinetry, and that oversized lantern.

 Great built-in desks.

 (plaid carpet)

 Classically elegant and relaxed.

 Interesting art arrangement

So much green.  We love this.





For more from Mark Cunningham, look here.

Shop Edie Parker here.


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Thursday, April 21, 2016

Buying Trip



This past week/weekend, Dave and I both left town and went on a buying trip for High Street Market.  It was the first time I had EVER left my children, which was a crazy feeling.  However, they were in good hands with my parents and, truthfully, it was soooo nice to get away (hello, SLEEP).  Before kids (BK), we loved taking road trips.  Living on the East Coast allows you to do fun things like that-- every couple of hours you’re in a new amazing city. But, after kids (AK), traveling is an obvious challenge.  So, getting on the road was really invigorating and it brought back fun memories for both us.  

It’s hard to believe but Dave and I have been in this business TOGETHER for almost eight years now.  Over those years, we’ve made some really good relationships with antique dealers and craftsmen all across the country.  A lot of these folks specialize in "house clean outs" where they buy the contents of an estate and sell it off to people like us.  So, we never know what kind of treasures they'll have available.  Dave's been doing most of the buying (AK), so I was thrilled to tag along and shop.  Also, we coordinated our trip to overlap with High Point Market and we were able to schedule a lot of awesome meetings down there.  And, we SHOPPED.  


Here are a few pictures...

 These louvered shutters and pendants.


If we had a larger car, I would have purchased a couple of these gorgeous green dressers.  The worn finishes were perfection.  Honestly, I was a little surprised how interested I was in "distressed" pieces on this trip.  Not my usual thing.  But, for some reason, I was digging the worn out, farmy, countrified, rustic finds.  Now, I just need a farmhouse to furnish... :)


  And, I will always love an equestrian/hunting theme. Vintage riding boots and European mounts mixed with Whitetail deer horns.  Love it all.



Again, such a rustic mix of green and worn wood finishes.


Beautiful display-- love this frosted finish on vintage green bottles.


 I have no place for this guy.  But, yes. :)



Stay tuned as our finds from this road trip make their way to High Street Market.  Lots of chic things came home with us!

Also, Snapchat.  I joined Snapchat.  We posted a ton of behind the scenes pics and videos during our trip.  If you want to follow along, find us at highstreetHome.  Yay!


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