Custom-built sundials, sculptures and water features



Blagrave’s Armillary Sphere was created by sculptor David Harber for St John’s College, Oxford, England. Blagrave was the original designer of the sundial studied at the college during the 16th century.
Harber has been creating custom-built sundials, sculptures and water features for a range of individuals and business clients since 1992. Some of his private clients include Judi Dench, Jeremy Irons and the late George Harrison. Photos © Bernard Mattimore



See videos of his works here.

Furniture and bird-themed accents

The harvest metal antique table is from the new Signature Style collection catalog from Two's Company. It's 60 inches long, made of fir, and is shipped knocked-down.


The company has a variety of accents in bird themes. This hand-carved owl is made of mango wood and stands 9 inches tall. Other designs are also available. The resin sparrows are sold in a set of three. Bird-themed wall decor is also offered.



Retailers: Contact the company for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Karim Rashid's new ceramic tile line


Porcelanatto, a subsidiary of Spanish ceramic tile maker TAU Group, introduces a line of accent tiles from international designer Karim Rashid. The line, consisting of four series, is called NO-Stalgia. The company launched the products at the Cevisama trade show in Valencia in February (where I shot the photos, above). Its American debut is today at the Coverings trade show in Orlando.
Tiles measure 24 inches by 24 inches. Each of the four series features four colors. The collections are Sensory (Gray, Nude, Pink, Blue), Poetic (Blue, Aura, Pink, Midnight), Emotion (Fire Orange, Gray, Lime, Carbon) and Desire (Violet, Jet, Gray, Lime).

Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Furniture, gifts made of recycled materials

At the High Point market, Vdalyn Papercrafts debuted home furnishings, accessories, tableware, jewelry, scarves and handbags made from eco-friendly recycled materials.
The company, which makes the goods in High Point,N.C., states that every “whimsical item captures reclaimed paper, fiber or wood in original designs, each truly a one-of-a-kind exclusive.”


Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Elegant table lamp


At the High Point market, Selva introduced its Philipp Selva Home Lighting collection of portable lamps and fixtures. Selva Co., founded in 1968, also carries bedroom, dining, occasional and accent upholstery furniture. Based near Verona, Italy, the company has a distribution center in High Point, N.C.



Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.
Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer or designer to order this item for you.

Sunday Special: Cleaning out my camera

At the Housewares Show in Chicago in March.

Saturday Special: Tradeshow Exhibitors & Social Media

Trade shows and social media are made for each other.

Shows consist of you, your product and your customers. Social media allow you to share this information.

It's important to document the event. Besides your booth, the one key piece of equipment to take is a digital camera with video and voice recording capabilities. I've covered hundreds of trade shows from the media side. My digital camera has become as indispensable as pen and paper.

With this camera, you are creating the raw material for your social media and traditional  marketing efforts. You will use the photos, videos and sounds you record for:

With this camera, you are creating the raw material for your social media and traditional  marketing efforts. You will use the photos, videos and sounds you record for:
  1. Facebook
  2. Your website
  3. Your blog
  4. Twitter
  5. Flickr (or other photo-sharing site)
  6. YouTube account
  7. Press releases
  8. Internal sales presentations
  9. E-mail newsletters
  10. Brochures
  11. Advertising
What should you shoot? You have to think like a newsman. Ask yourself: What interests my customers? What do I want my sales staff to know about my products? What story do I want to tell the media?
Assign someone on your staff to be the official photographer. Create a list of shots you must have. This might include: booth set up; products; ribbon cutting; award presentations (to customers or to staff); and customer interaction.
Think about what each of the social medium needs; that is, photos for Flickr and press releases; video for blog and website.

If you plan ahead, you will return from the trade show with six-months worth of material. The next step is to share that information.

Feeling overwhelmed? I'm available to help tell your story. Give me a call.

Contemporary style indoor and outdoor furniture








At the High Point market, Euro Style offered complete room settings for the office, bar-dining room, living room, and outdoor spaces.
Office furniture features high-gloss black lacquered engineered wood with a chromed steel frame/base. Items are available in black or white lacquer.
The Corbusier lounge has a stainless steel frame with a black hammered lacquer base. It has an upholstered pad and neckrest in black leather, black/white cowhide, or brown/white cowhide.
The SweetLoft outdoor line includes stacking chairs in polished cast aluminum and tables with aluminum bases and stainless steel square tiltable top.
SweetLoft bar (inset) includes the Stacy bar table in engineered wood top, black-stained veneered ash, chromed steel supports and heavy marble base. The Carina bar stools in woven leather back have a smooth leather seat and chromed steel frame.


Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Candice Olson's new upholstered furniture


Candice Olson is launching two new fabric collections and approximately 75 new fabrics for Norwalk Furniture, a licensing partner.
The new fabrics offer a range of colors that support two color palettes: Cognac and Mist, and Gold Mine. They join the 850 fabric choices offered by Norwalk, which can be coordinated on sofas, chairs and pillows. Fabrics include a range of new textured solids in chenilles, velvets and wool blends as well as classic patterns like damasks, paisleys and stripes.


Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Extra-long shower curtains in 22 designs



The Legacy Groups introduces “The Bath Collection,” its collection of extra-long shower curtains from its linen division, Legacy Linen Group, LLC.The curtains extend past the top of the bath tub to the floor, allowing for a more finished look.
The Bath Collection includes 22 designs. The 90-inch-long curtains are produced in the USA from high-end fabrics and trims available in an array of solids, damasks, stripes, animal prints, and traditional French toile patterns. Designer touches include an 8-inch bullion trim along the header of the Lion Eyes pattern (representing a lion’s mane) and attached valances and trims for the French toile patterns.




Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer or designer to order this item for you.

Furniture for smaller homes


aspenhome expands its American Traveler collection of bedroom and dining room furniture. New pieces include home office, home entertainment and occasional tables. The collection, originally know as British Travel, is scaled to fit into smaller vacation homes, retirement homes and second home condos or larger townhouses. Carved legs and reed accents with a rich plantation finish on birch veneers and solids highlight the collection.


Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Home furnishings licensed by Esquire magazine

Hearst Magazines, in collaboration with its licensing partners The Halo Group, Asia Minor and Go Home Ltd., is introducing Esquire Home, a new collection of home furnishings and accessories. Categories include furniture, upholstery, occasional pieces, area rugs, lighting and decorative accessories. The new line was launched at the High Point market this week.


Retailers: Contact the manufacturers for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

22 new occasional tables in wood and metal


tfg is launching three contemporary occasional furniture collections at the High Point market this month. The collections, named for streets in Chicago, focus on the company's best-selling formats in accent furniture.
Wabash, Ogden and Foster all feature metal bases and wooden tops. Several of the Wabash tables feature storage options. The Ogden and Foster collections feature a new mid-tone brown wood finish named Safari.In all,the company is introducing 22 tables at the Market. tfg is part of tag, a source of home furnishings.



Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Bar stools covered in shag

Groovystuff launches its "Summer of Love" home furnishings collection at the High Point Market. Furniture embraces "genuine looks from the '60s and '70s," the company states. The collection combines original pieces in the Chris Bruning Signature product line with fabrics that are reminiscent of the era.
In addition to Summer of Love, other collections are  Prairie, Iron Horse, Adirondack, Back to the Roots, Kodiak, and Rocky Mountain.
The company offers a split container program.



Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.





Leather furniture from High Point



American Leather is introducing several new leather furniture items at the High Point market this month. Among them (from top to bottom): the Shaw, a buttonless biscuit-tufted bed with a tapered back and “snuggle” wings by Goodman Charlton; the Myer chair, with high-low/moveable plush back cushions and custom metal legs; and the Turrow chair with clean, curved T-back, also by Goodman Charlton.


Retailers and designers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Furniture, lighting in eclectic, traditional styles

Four Hands introduces 13 new furniture, lighting and accessory collections at the April  High Point Market. The styles range from urban contemporary to elegant traditional. Furniture is made with eco-friendly techniques.


The Rockwell collection (top photo), for example, has an industrial aesthetic that blends iron and distressed wood. The collection includes dining and occasional tables.

Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

New furniture from a textile source

Textile source Company C expands its product line to include upholstered furniture. The furniture program (part of the fall 2010 collection) is designed to coordinate with the company’s bedding and area rugs and will launch at the April High Point market.
The furniture styles range from the classic rolled-arm Camden collection (see sofa in inset photo; click to enlarge) to the more modern profiles of Hanover and Halifax. Other designs include the Gretchen chair (below) and Rockport rug ottoman. The furniture is built with double-doweled construction, eight-way hand-tied springs, and either down-wrapped foam or eco-friendly foam cushions. Items are made in the U.S.A.

 Gretchen chairs

Natalie chair
Kasuri ottoman

Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Saturday special: Shopping at the Mitsukoshi Department Store:

What excites shoppers? The merchandise, the layout of a store, the service and the overall atmosphere all play a role. Gift & Home Today asked writer Louise Burton to share her thoughts of the Mitsukoshi Department Store in the EPCOT Center at Walt Disney World, Florida.

When I shop for home décor, one of the things I always look for is great Asian design. Because I have a difficult time finding stores that sell traditional Japanese crafts and décor, I was delighted to discover a branch of the Mitsukoshi Department Store in the EPCOT Center at Walt Disney World. The main store is located in Tokyo, and the WDW store is the only branch in North America.
Every year, my husband and I go to a trade show held in one of the Disney World hotels. Although we’re there to work, we find time to visit the theme parks. Visiting the EPCOT Center’s World Showcase is like walking around a huge bazaar with great international food and music. And one of the biggest draws is the shopping.
When we visited the Japan Pavilion in 2009, I discovered the Mitsukoshi Department Store’s tiny entrance inside a large, imposing replica from Japan’s Imperial Palace. When I walked inside, tables of Hello Kitty toys and lucky cat figurines greeted me. Further back, I saw rows and rows of stationery and other paper products, imprinted with elegant details from Japanese fans and woodblock prints. My favorite Japanese print, Hokusai’s Red Fuji, was reprinted on journal and notebook covers.
In the women’s department, there were exquisite wall hangings and purses made out of kimono fabric and colorful silk brocade. Several young Japanese women dressed in stunning kimonos stood behind glass cases of Mikimoto pearl jewelry, while others sat at a table writing calligraphy on fans.
I truly wanted everything I saw in the women’s department. I had so many choices, I didn’t know what or how to choose. My husband returned to warn me the EPCOT closing fireworks were about to begin. I let myself be dragged out without buying anything. What could I do? There was no way to choose when what I wanted was everything. I promised myself that one day I would return.
When we finally visit EPCOT again, I wondered, will the Mitsukoshi shopping experience be as I remembered it?
This year, I convinced my husband to return to EPCOT, despite his objections against “paying for admission just to go shopping.” In the Japan Pavilion, the front entrance of Mitsukoshi was the same: a gleaming metallic sign reading “Mitsukoshi: Since 1673”, and a few items in small windows. Not much to suggest what wonders lay within. When we walked in, the children’s department at the front of the store looked the same. But, further back, the shelves of exquisite stationery and paper products were gone! Instead, the area featured anime-inspired gifts (dolls, tote bags, etc.) that were more commercial and less appealing. I began to worry.
But the further back I went, the more things I remembered: a small black handbag with the image of a gold crane spreading its wings, silk brocade purses, teacups, jewelry. In particular, jewelry made out of kimono fabric. I was attracted to a sparkling Sakura (cherry blossom) pendant, as well as a red-and-black floral pendant shaped like a donut (see pictures).
Because I love all things Sakura, a set of Sakura hairpins caught my eye, but they were just the tiny tip of the iceberg. The hairpins were sitting on a glass case containing a wealth of traditional Japanese hair ornaments made from satin flowers and silk brocade. Unfortunately, most were designed for longer tresses than my businesslike bob!
I also discovered mini tote bags in one of my favorite Japanese patterns: waves of the sea, shown as formalized wavy lines with white splashes shooting up at intervals. This design was used as a sea god emblem in Japanese shrines. (See picture). I also saw teacups imprinted with another iconic image of the sea: Hokusai’s famous Great Wave off Kanagawa.
Unfortunately, my brief, tantalizing impression of Mitsukoshi in 2009 was not entirely confirmed this year. There didn’t seem to be as much merchandise on the floor, and what was there seemed picked over. The only category that retained its astonishing beauty and variety was the jewelry and hair ornaments. These were worth the price of admission alone.
I had been saving my money for months for this moment. I purchased two necklaces, a Sakura fabric ornament, the Sakura hairpins, and the mini tote bag. All together, this was the only splurge purchase I had allowed myself in months! And I’d do it again.



Louise Burton is a writer, editor and avid shopper who lives in Wilmette, IL. Louise previously wrote about a gift store in Evanston, IL. She currently writes Web content and designs Web sites, uniting her interests in both writing and design. She has written for a host of e-newsletters about marketing trends and techniques. One of her passions is good design, wherever it can be found: on the Web, at art fairs, or in home furnishings. She is constantly on the lookout for the finest products available in gift and home décor.

Glass pendants are made in the U.S.A.


Meyda Custom Lighting's new green fused-glass mini-pendants are made in New York state. The mint green pendant (left), is 8 inches wide and has a fiddlehead pattern. The art glass pendant is high-fired to fall into a flowing, draped fabric-like shape. The 6-inch-tall shade is complemented with brushed nickel hardware. The pendant includes a 6-foot-long cord and a canopy.
The Aventurin mini-pendant is 8 inches wide, with a six-inch-tall.

Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.

Candle warmers are alternatives to traditional candles

Candle Warmers Etc. introduced new products at the Housewares Show in Chicago. The ceramic candle warmer lantern (top photo) uses a soft halogen light to warm the top of the candle so that it releases the fragrance. This eliminates the fire hazard and smoke damage from burning a candle indoors.
The fleur de lis candle warmer and dish line accommodates most 4- to 18-ounce jar candles. Plug-in styles are also available.

Retailers: Contact the manufacturer for prices and minimums.

Shoppers: Ask your favorite independent retailer to order this item for you.