To kick things off, Jeanine declared it the “Year of the Side Chair,” naming our Foster Chair with a flame stitch throw pillow as one of her favorites. Here’s a pic she snapped:

Photo by AphroChic

Jeanine also loved our Keeley Chair featured in a bright and playful ikat fabric.

Photo by AphroChic

AphroChic was also a fan of our yellow gingham upholstered headboard – a beautiful update to traditional style!

Photo by AphroChic

Our friend Jill from Material Girls also fell in love with a headboard…covered in bugs!

Photo by Material Girls

And last, but certainly not least, Jill couldn’t get enough of our tie-dyed upholstered side table with nail head trim.

Photo by Material Girls

See anything you like? We’d love to hear your thoughts, and thank you Jill and Jeanine for stopping by our showroom during your visit to High Point!

The sleigh bed, as you know it, is defined by its curved (or scrolled) headboard and footboard. Designed to emulate a horse drawn carriage, the style became very popular in 19^th century France and America. Drawing from ancient Roman and Grecian influences, the bed is still widely popular today.

Because sleigh beds are most often made of wood and are heavier in scale, we recommend pairing them with lighter scale furniture. For those of you with an eclectic sense of style, we recommend our Faustine Mirrored Night Stand – it creates the illusion of light. Wanting to go for something more traditional? Try our Bouquet Bedside Table.

Another trick? Finish the bed in one of our lighter custom paint finishes. We love the look of our At Home in Belle Maison Sleigh Bed finished in Antique White.

Hoping to make a bold statement? Place your sleigh bed in the middle of your bedroom, allowing it serve as a stand-alone piece.

Any other sleigh bed aficionados out there? We’d love to hear about why this bed style is so special to you!

For starters, our blogging friends Cassandra Lavalle of coco+kelley, Jeanine Hays from AphroChic and Jill Seidner of Material Girls enjoyed a quick moment of relaxation on what is known as “The Pit” (two of our Drexel Heritage Upholstery chaise lounges pushed together with a single plush topper).

Our blogging friends wanted to curl up and take a nap in "The Pit."

Our friends from Coastal Living also stopped by and were excited about mixing and melding our new bright green, blue and yellow upholstery selections — a very coastal look, indeed!

Our friends from Coastal Living couldn't get enough of our upholstery room in our High Point Market showroom!

Be sure to check back soon….We can’t wait to show you what’s next for Drexel Heritage!

Monet, eat your heart out!

We can’t get enough of this brightly colored Monet-inspired pattern. Not your typical floral, it adds the perfect pop against the neutral bedding in our High Point Market showroom.

Straight from our High Point Market showroom.

Who said flowers had to be pink, red or purple? We’re digging these yellow blossoms against the gray foliage!

Forget pink! We're digging this yellow and gray pattern!

And how about this funky hybrid of floral and paisley? We love it!

A perfect combination!

What sort of florals are you wearing this season? We’d love to hear about them!

Settee

Developed in the 17^th century, the settee is the predecessor to the sofa and is the perfect chair for two. This elongated armchair can accommodate two or more people and looks oh-so-stylish in any of Drexel Heritage’s custom upholstery options, such as a fabulously fun floral design. We love the Christelle Settee and its classic form, which blends seamlessly into any room. The settee’s size makes it easy to move and use wherever extra seating is necessary!

Slipper Chair

Another great way to add seating to a room is the slipper chair. Designed in America in the 18^th century, this style chair has a characteristically high back and a low seat with short legs. Our Abigail Chair is a fabulous example of how trendy and functional the slipper chair can be. This chair’s double-curved leg and tufted chair back make it fashionable, while its wide seat and customizable upholstery make it practical.

Are you in need of some extra seating? How do you accommodate for all of your guests?

Designers across the country are using head-to-toe florals to make an important statement: you can be both bold and ladylike. And the same can be said for the household — floral is no longer just for your grandmother’s sitting room. Bold colors and contemporary patterns are bringing a fresh look to this once traditional look.

A few seasons ago, we introduced this fabulous linen floral fabric (above) along with our Dalliance collection. Feeling particularly bold? Upholster an entire sofa or chair with it. Its bright colors and large pattern will grab your guests’ attention in the best kind of way. Not ready for all-over flower power? Try throwing a few accent pillows or an ottoman with a smaller floral print into the mix. For example, these cotton throw pillows add just a touch of floral femininity to our Kerry Sofa and go great with the stripes!

Do you have a fetish for all things floral? We would love to hear how you are incorporating this revitalized trend into your own designs.

To celebrate the approaching holiday, we’d like to revisit a quote from our resident designer, Denise Alala. “Green is the ultimate perennial – the color of nature,” she said. “But a new incarnation is just starting to emerge.”

Denise took note of this in Fifth Avenue windows and SoHo boutiques during a trip to New York early last year. Now, her ideas have taken shape on the showroom floor. Here are a few of our favorites:

Nothing says sleek sophistication like Denise’s green leather desk with lustrous silver nailhead trim.

Invoke feelings of calm and relaxation with this muted green sofa. Want to make it pop? Toss in a few striped pillows.

Sick of the same old solids? Create an interesting focal point in your living room with this Missoni-inspired side table in differing shades of neutral greens.

Go green or go home. This sofa table will turn heads with its bright acid green leather upholstery.

What are your favorite shades of green? We’d love to hear your thoughts, and happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

Elaine loved our upholstered bed-mirror combo at High Point Market last season!

How did you become interested in interior design?

Growing up in the Deep South and New Orleans, I could not seem to think of anything else. I can remember from a very early age loving the fabrics my mom had in our home, and I will never forget the day the “drapes” were hung in the formal living room. I swooned for hours! Moving to New Orleans only added to my addiction of layered fabrics and color.

When you aren’t blogging, what do you do? 

Well, I truly should be blogging more. I have the utmost appreciation for all that bloggers do for our industry and our society in general. They open up and expose our readers to sights and ideas they may never have conceived or come across otherwise. When I’m not blogging, I have a small boutique design firm in Dallas, and it keeps me very busy. But, when I do get a break, I enjoy traveling and painting.

What is one of your design/decorating ideas or tips?

If you are a designer, the best tip I have is to listen to your client and offer the best design you can come up with for them. Tapping into your client’s mind and lifestyle and really, I mean really understanding them is a rare characteristic and brings so much value to the table.

Another useful tip is to study the color wheel. If you can understand the relationship of colors, then your creativity can flow!

Relief Carving

Relief Carving

This ancient style of woodcarving has been used to create sculptural details on furniture throughout history and is still popular today. In this technique, the background material is carved away allowing the design to be prominently raised above the surface. Depending on the depth of carving and the prominence of the projection, there are several styles of reliefs including: low, bas, deep and pierced. Our Armoire of Prosperity employs this relief carving technique, giving the piece more depth and visual interest.

Rope Molding

Rope Molding

Resembling the twists of a rope, this type of decorative molding is a classic technique used to add intricate detailing to a variety of types of furniture. When added to a cabinet or armoire, rope molding instantly adds a touch of elegance. If you want to dramatically display this detail, try our Celladora Celo Poster Bed or Colusa Credenza buffet.

Rosette

Rosette

This design detail is characterized by its carved or pointed circular decoration, formed by rows of leaves in a circle around a bud or center. It has been a common design detail since the early fourth millennium BC, and has been seen in various civilizations throughout history including: Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece and Egypt. The rosette is easy to incorporate into your home with our Casa Vita Russo End Table. And the best part? The piece customizable, so it will blend seamlessly with the rest of your furniture!

Yves Saint Laurent featured plenty of peplums on the spring 2012 runway

As you’ve seen from our previous blogs Tribal Time and Color Blocking, trends in fashion are often mirrored in design. From colors to patterns to the little details, the looks we see on the runway can easily be emulated in the household. The most recent trend we predict to make the crossover from fashion to furniture—the peplum.

This Marchesa gown proves that just because peplums are pretty doesn't mean they can't have a darker edge

A peplum is a short overskirt or ruffle attached at the waistline of a jacket, blouse or dress, but this flirty detail could easily be added to sofas, chairs, pillows or lampshades! Adding a peplum to any of these pieces instantly takes a silhouette from simple streamlined to fun and feminine.

Most of our Drexel Heritage sofas can be customized to add a skirt, so for all of our fashionistas out there, integrating the peplum into your home is simple and easy.

What do you think of this ruffle-y detail? Will you set the trend for the bringing the peplum into the home? We would love to hear how you are trimming your furniture and making your rooms fun and fabulous!