My new love – laser-cut, powder-coated furniture.  Let the colors and shapes speak for themselves.  (more…)

While in Paris with the French Trade Commission, we visited Ateliers d’Art, France’s federation of local crafts people. (more…)

While in London I checked out the London Design Centre in Chelsea. It’s fun to see how our U.S. brands are represented overseas, and likewise, to see our European brands on their home turf.

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Like many design centers in the U.S., the area surrounding the London Design Centre offers plenty of high-end home furniture showrooms and antique dealers. (more…)

I am not a foodie, and vow not to write about food. But what you see here are the macaroons from the famous Paris restaurant Laduree. I fell in love with the romantic design of Laduree. (more…)

The French Trade Commission, Espace Textile, and Ubifrance (three organizations that focus on developing French businesses) invited a handful of us worldwide distributors to speak at a conference in Paris.

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We stayed in the exquisite Hotel le Bellechasse in Paris, right next to the Musee d’Orsay and designed by Christian LaCroix. My photos can not do the design justice. Every wall is wrapped in a colorful paper, every surface and detail carefully planned to completely envelope you in an imaginary world. Even if the wild patterns are not your style, you will appreciate the strong design personality. If you can’t go, I recommend you check out the web site. http://www.lebellechasse.com/

In Paris, there are two main locations for interior design products, and then plenty of independent shops scattered across the city. It seems most of the top international textile brands are largely clustered on a romantic, windy street called Rue du Mail.

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While out on a speed walk I dropped in on Decorati partner Galerie de Lampes at 9 rue de Beaune, 75007 Paris. View Map. Catherine, Galerie des Lampes showroom manager, pointed out a lamp we sold for them on Decorati, then gave me a tour and a quick lesson on the exquisite quality behind the products. I was impressed by the sturdiness of the swing-arm lamps, totally wobble-free. The lamps are made on-site, enabling the company to manage almost any custom order, and they have a relatively rapid production schedule (about 4 weeks for some pieces).

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Paris is known for some of the best shopping in the world. For anyone looking for high-end furniture like what we show on Decorati, I suggest you skip the following: Galleries Lafayette.

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