Monthly Archives December 2008

Merry Christmas 2008 from The Decorating Diva.com

Christmas card courtesy of the talented Clarice Gomes (View all the beautiful cards at Cards by Clarice)

Serena and Lily Bedding Event at Layla Grayce Save 30%

This is the perfect time to stock up on bedding and linens for your home or as a future gift. I always shop the sales way before Christmas, Birthdays, Baby Showers and other events. Buying early and at a sizeable discount pleases me (no stress or rush buys) and pleases my bank account even more. If you’re like me and want to save some money on quality, luxury linens and you also want less gift-giving stress in 2009, then you’ll love the Layla Grayce 30% off Serena & Lily Linen Event-this one is a rare sale so take advantage of the savings while you can.

DETAILS: You can save 30% on all Serena and Lily crib bedding, juvenile bedding and adult bedding . No code is necessary. Sale runs through Jan 1, 2009.

Brocade Home Holiday Store, 20% Savings and $500 Online Shopping Spree

Save 20% off Brocade Home at their special holiday location 59 Green St in SOHO(NY). The sale runs from 10-7 until the 24th of December. When you shop at the Brocade Home store in SOHO you also get the chance to win a $500 online shopping spree.

The Decorating Diva Best of Design Miami 2008: Exhibit Booth Design

Sebastian + Barquet (New York & London) -The Decorating Diva winner for Exhibit Booth Design at Design Miami/ 2008. Upcoming in this series of The Decorating Diva favorites: Design Miami/ 2008, Art Miami, Scope Miami, Art Asia, and Celebrate Democracy.

Design Miami 2008 Highlights Part Two: Bursts of Color and Style Collisions

Campana Brothers at the Albion Gallery Exhibit Booth.

Chandeliers from XYZ Designs at the Contrasts Gallery Exhibit Booth.

Jousse Enterprise presents Rick Owen’s Stag Benches and Table Basse.

Priveekollektie showcases the “Cliclounger set Miami” designed by Alexander Pelikan and the “Fredersen/Miami” wingchair by Joe Kranen and Johannes Gille.

Matthew Marks Gallery Roy McMakin Domestic Furniture.

Design Miami 2008 Highlights – Part One

Design Miami 2008 in one word: Impressive. A must see for the design aficionado. Not just for the designs exhibited but for the breathtaking structure that houses said exhibits. The Design Miami exhibition structure was created by the New York-based architectural firm Aranda/Lash, and sets the tone for the outstanding and innovative design finds housed within.

Exterior “lace draped” entry – Design Miami Exhibit Hall and detail view of “structural lace”

Beyond Organic: Design in the State of Nature is the first Design Miami in-house curated exhibit. This exhibit is a stylish nod to the role nature has in design.

GLASSLAB performed live outside, creating unique and beautiful glassware. They captured the attention of the press, and the general public as they demonstrated the age-old technique of glassmaking. GLASSLAB design performances at Design Miami 2008: Dec 3/Dec.4/Dec.5/Dec. 6 (11:00a.m.-1:15p.m., 2:00p.m.-4:15p.m.,5:00p.m-7:15p.m.)

Tom Dixon‘s installation of heavyweight furniture created through the industrial process of flame cutting steel. The furniture was designed and created for the grounds of the 14th century Sudeley Castle.

One of my personal favorite’s was the Al Sabah Art & Design Collection. The Bokja design collection by the very talented artist/designer team of Hoda Baroudi and Maria Hibri is pictured below. Their fresh, colorful approach to design married with the artisanal traditions of the East creates a unique, original piece of furniture with a story of its own. The Bokja collection is housed in a Design Miami satellite location on 40th NE street. You must make time to visit and enjoy this amazing visual experience. Actually, the entire experience at Al Sabah’s exhibit was extraordinary. From the beautiful music, incredible fragrances and delicious Middle Eastern treats created an environment that delighted, enticed and seduced the senses. Like I said, you have to make Al Sabah Art & Design Collection a must see on your Design Miami/, Art Basel and Art Miami excursions this week and over the weekend.

Industrial Organic Chic by Sebastian Erranzuriz from Cristina Grajales Inc (New York). The images speak for themselves. Mr. Erransuriz is a tremendously talented artist that has captured and fused the beauty of nature with the hard reality of industrial materials like glass and steel. My favorite pieces are the bamboo plant wall shelf “Bilbao”- absolutely ingenious design and the rooted tree table base. I like the duck lamp for its surreal beauty and the fashion in which the lamp mimics the duck’s posture (had it had a duck head).

David Wiseman‘s collage chandelier and wall sculpture. Beautiful. Inspiring.Captivating. Ground-breaking. Just a few words to describe this work of art. Take it in for yourself at R 20th Century‘s exhibit booth.

NEXT IN SERIES: Design Miami 2008 Part II - Bursts of Color and Style Collisions. Get the latest installment of our Design Miami 2008 coverage. Follow us on twitter or subscribe to our RSS feeds below.

3 Top Books to Help You Create Stunning Tabletops and Tablescapes

Make your next party your best ever with tips, how-to instructions and inspiration from the following three books:

Tablescapes by Kimberly Schlegel Whitman – learn how socialite and event planner Kimberly Schlegal Whitman plans and designs creative tables for her amazing parties. She shares her secrets for creating decorating themes for a variety of events from holiday parties to bridal showers to beach parties and many others.

Tabletops: Easy, Practical, Beautiful Ways to Decorate the Table by Barbara Milo Ohrbach – Designer Barbara Milo Ohrbach guides you through the process of creating stunning tabletop designs. She explains how to use color, find inspiration, coordinate accessories, arrange flowers and how to give the tablescape a polished finishing touch by using decorative table decor and accessories.

The Party Planner- David Tutera, party planner to the stars, book inspires with creative party ideas, gorgeous event photos and party planning ideas. Though this book is a couple of years older, not as recent as Kimberly Schlegal Whitman new tablescape design book, it still holds the power to inspire – and that’s the spark of creativity all decorating divas seek.