A Small World, Stays Small
Caroline and Leisa shopped at B Berger, where a bag of "memos" awaited the well known New York designer, Bunny Williams. They never did see Bunny, but as I searched for fabrics at Lee Joffa I found myself standing next to New Jersey based designer, Fred Root. We met Root and his son, Matt, at the NY Gift Show, and subsequently ran into them each morning and afternoon thereafter, at the same Vendors we were buying from. Like Cabana Home, they are branching into the private label side of the home furnishings marketplace. Check out this duo at, 
http://www.houndstoothhome.com/ and tell'em Design Guy sent you.The photos above, and to the right were taken at the aforementioned ee Joffa showroom. This was a great looking niche, located at the end of a much larger room. Using white matlese fabric, the details of which were outlined in chocolate brown silk trim, which contrasted sharply with the painted brown walls of the niche.
It was the exacting execution of this fabric treatment that made it so attractive and beautiful. It was a believable solution to what may have been a difficult aspect to this rooms shape. I love seeing textile houses using fabric's to excess in order to show different ways in which one can use their fabrics.
A MAKERS MARK
What turned out to be our most important appointment in the D & D Building was at the textile and furniture showroom of English Designer, Andrew Martin. Martin, a designer of some of the worlds most luxurious textiles and furniture, is also a prolific writer and author on subjects that include his world travels, as well as chronicles of his, and others designs. To date, Martin has had twelve books on interior design published. Pictured below are three of the book's covers.
We're excited about working with this design house because Andrew Martin is an active authority on design, a prolific writer, who is well known for his series of books, Interior Design Review.
At Cabana Home, in both Santa Barbara and the Mill Valley stores, we will be carrying the Andrew Martin line of bench made English furniture and his fabrics that are too beautiful to describe. The Andrew martin showroom shows his fabrics in 15ft. lengths and they are truly glorious. Martin shows water marked velvets in four shades of the same color, virtually unheard of in the textile industry. The linens are richly woven, some in traditionally tight weaves, and others which are an over sized weave. Large prints on linen include a Saharan desert scene, replete with camels, jockeys, and shepherd's; over sized linen Icat's (a woven fabric, in which the threads or yarns are tied for dyeing, before weaving--from Malay 'mangikat' to tie or bind) and tribal rug patterns. The fabric samples and books have already been received in both Cabana Home stores, and are ready for your perusal.
And, as if that isn't enough, Cabana Home will also feature the Andrew Martin, bench-made upholstery in both the Santa Barbara and Mill Valley stores. The furniture is shipped monthly from London to the New York showroom, where it is examined and repacked for shipping to us in California.
Sound expensive? Try under $5,500 for sofa, including fabric. Not to be missed; look for the announcement of the arrival of Andrew Martin furniture.
Great things are coming your way. This day made the entire trip to New York worth it! Its exciting to me to find a line like Andrew Martin, and to be able to actually bring it to California is very satifying.
Just when it seems like it can't get any better, it does. We met another designer while at Andrew Martin, who took us upstairs to the showroom that represents him, which I will share with your tomorrow. You can't wait, right? Me either!
Good Night Moon.
