The Selby is absoloutely awesome at taking an interesting person or couple and showing great shots of their space. Top it off with a unique mini-questionnaire and the result is an interesting view into the life of the featured person. Today Ines de la Fressange is featured. French model turned fashion and parfum designer, she is gloriously elegant and often written up in French media. Not too long ago she completely changed the look of the interior of her office, turning it into an explosion of pink… to induce happiness. Here are a few photos… check out the link for the full look ! Warning: these photos will make you desperately crave both a chic, well appointed office space and a looong, long trip to Paris. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! 

Check out The Selby’s look at Ines de la Fressange (here).

Prairie Avenue books, a Chicago gem legendary for offering a huge selection of architectural and interior design related tomes (actually the largest architectural bookstore in the world) will be shuttering its doors mid next week. The selection runs from the small but interesting gift book to a 3 foot tall book of engineering drawings of the Eiffel Tower. 

In their final days, Prairie Avenue is reducing prices to clear out their stock. Although it’s sad to see them go, this could be your perfect opportunity to stock up on the books you’ve been drooling over but not wanting to buy! 

Want to stop in before they disappear and take advantage of the 70% discount? Prairie Avenue books is located at: 

418 South Wabash
Chicago 60605
Tel: 800.474.2724

If you are from Chicago chances are you know of Erin Gallagher’s line of jewelry. Their first retail outlet in the West Loop has been a success depite nightmarish parking, streets congested with meat trucks and quite a bit of grime. Come the end of September EG will be moving to a new location on Halstead Street in Lincoln Park. What does this mean for you? 40-75% off jems, jewels and some knockout pieces. The sale runs this weekend, Friday to Sunday (Fri., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., noon-5 p.m.)…. be sure to head over early for the best deals and selections. 

http://www.egjewelry.com/
1017 W. Lake St., between Carpenter & Morgan Sts.

It comes as no surprise to me that the New York Times “most emailed” list currently features an article on “Plan B” starting your own business after losing your job. Even in a down economy, the numbers of persons registering a business has been on a steady tick up. Sites such as Etsy.com, allow people to get their creative juices flowing and put products out in the marketplace with minimal investment.

Take a peek and let me know what you think and/or how you are dealing with the recession. Started your own business on the side? Pondering it? Now may be a good time to take that leap!

Article here: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/business/smallbusiness/23venture.html 

Magisso, a Finnish company priding itself on developing new and innovative products that work (!!) has debuted a really fantastic cake server. Now, normally I wouldn’t promote the purchase of a kitchen accessory that in all likelyhood will be used once, thrown into a drawer and become another relic of kitcken clutter. But… seeing this in action and knowing how many times I have juggled a cutter, knife and plate in a feeble attempt to get a nice, pretty slice plated has definately swayed me in its favor. Watch the video and check out the site. See what you think! 

Interested in ordering one for yourself?  Visit urban-butik.com (the North American distributor for Magisso). Enjoy!

Pierre Frey Paris, one of my favorite sources for fabrics, also offers custom carpets and rugs. Choose your inspiration and they will work with you to create something special.

I just stumbled upon an image of a custom rug they recently completed… Yum! 

Interested in creating something for yourself or a client? Visit their website for further information on the process.

 www.pierrefrey.com

I am well aware of the fact that everyone and their mother probably receives the CB2 and West Elm catalogs… but I also think that sometimes you mindlessly flip through a catalog and see things without always seeing them. So, I’m pointing out some of my faves from this week’s catalogs. Great finds for when you need a piece for your space that is well-priced, readily available and not of disposable quality. 

My CB2 faves today:

Bamboo bath towels! If you have ever searched for bamboo bath towels you will know they are 1) hard to find and 2) usually quite expensive. These towels from CB2 are a great discovery. A 65% bamboo/35% cotton blend, the cost stays low without sacrificing the antibacterial properties of the bamboo and even helping the environment a tad (bamboo is better less taxing on the environment and grown without pesticides). 

Another favorite is the Anchor sectional: 

Three modular pieces turn into one great sectional… perfect for smaller apartments or when you want to divide a room into more distinct parts but don’t want to commit to a piece of furniture that may not work in your next space. Functional and very nice looking. 

The Avec Sofa… nice lines, button tufting with a contemporary feel, bank account friendly sticker price. All based on a Parisian flea market find. What’s not to love? In front of the sofa are the Peekaboo tables.. great way to add tables without giving the impression of taking up much space. 

An oldie but goody is the Lubi Daybed. All put together it resembles a couch. Need a larger space for two guests to sleep? Lubi folds out into a full size daybed matress. 

For those not afraid of a little splash of color, the Zest C side table should add some pop to your space… 

Some cute, informal tableware…

Let’s not forget some great furniture pieces at West Elm: (yes! Ed Westwick outfitted his apartment with West Elm goodies… )

The West Elm upholstered slipper chair. Clean and low-profile… a nice contemporary take on the slipper chair at a price that won’t make you cringe. 

The Gates Chair. Great for reading without the overstuffed, grandparents house feel of other wing chairs. 

Parallel Nesting Tables. Go for subtle in deep chocolate or add a little punch with the deep orange. 

Enjoy!

I recently started the book Why We Buy: the Science of Shopping  by Paco Underhill. Usually I’m not a huge fan of business books or even self development books but Mr. Underhill makes the subject of shopping and consumption accessible and interesting. 

Applicable to many industries, Why We Buy addresses the ways we are influenced in shopping and how tiny changes from the store window to verbage you use on your website can make or break your sales. I’m currently working on some merchandising for an athletic apparel store, so it is interesting to think of the science behind where you place items or even what people look at when standing in line at the bank. The principles are also applicable to small Etsy shops looking to increase traffic or the mom and pop shop on the corner hoping to attract more customers. 

Its a quick, interesting read… check it out in our Amazon store (click the books image in the right hand column). 

One of the best things I learned from my time working with a French interior design firm was appreciating more traditional pieces and mixing them freely into a space. 

I recently happened upon the catalog Wisteria and was immediately stuck by some of the traditional furniture pieces. They offer reasonable prices and are currently running a sale. If you need a few interesting pieces, now is the time to snap them up! 

My favorite selections… 

Swedish Gustavian Tub Chair

This is hands down my favorite chair on the site. Nice smallish size, good lines. It would work well in a broad array of spaces. 

French Colonial Rattan Chair

Simple and clean lined, this chair is traditional without being frumpy. The squared shape and straight lines are what caught my eye. 

Triple Medallion Settee

This settee is obviously not going to work in all spaces but I love the elegance of this piece. I’d love to see it  against a steel grey wall. 

Take a look at the site and let me know what you think! www.wisteria.com

Coming up tomorrow… my favorite contemporary (and well-priced) finds at West Elm! 

Bourdon Design is now listed on Blogs by Women! If you are ever at a loss for something to do and want to browse the most diverse array of blogs out there just visit blogsbywomen.org . All blogs submitted are women owned, checked for quality (no crappy spam infested fake blog links) and offer a topic/category list to put Amazon to shame. 

Check us out and support the Blogs by Women community! 

http://www.blogsbywomen.org/