Sumner Design Studio

I’ve moved…

sumnerdesignstudio — Sun, 03 May 2009 18:23:02 +0000

Sumner Design Studio has moved to its own domain – please visit me at http://www.sumnerdesignstudio.com. Please be sure to update any bookmarks or feeds you may have.

Furniture with Animal Feet

sumnerdesignstudio — Sat, 02 May 2009 17:01:54 +0000

I am absolutely crazy for furniture with animal feet. I don’t know how it happened – I used to think it was ugly, but now I can’t get enough. And lately no one seems to be doing animal feet quite as well as Oly, who were already one of my favorite furniture manufacturers. I love this table, it always makes me think of Mr. Tumnus from The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe:

Am I right? And what about this chair – doesn’t it look like it wants to walk around the house with you sitting in it?

But I think my favorite is this bench. It’s a little bit scary, but in the good way. Someday this will be at the foot of my bed.

San Francisco Decorator Showcase

sumnerdesignstudio — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:07:39 +0000

I went to the San Francisco Decorator Showcase yesterday. Overall, I was quite impressed. The rooms were a bit more low-key than they have been in past years, and they actually seemed to relate to each other, which is unusual for a show house. My favorite space was the entry/staircase/upper hallway, which was done by designer Nicole Hollis. She presented the rooms as a cabinet of curiosities, and she did an amazing job with it. This is what you saw when you walked into the house:

I love this. There was another, smaller cabinet of curiosities in the upstairs hallway, and framed butterflies and beetles on the walls of the stairway:

That mass of flowers you see on the left was a huge “chandelier” made of vines, flowers, and butterflies that went down the center of the stairwell. What I don’t have a photo of, but absolutely loved, was the photo at the top of the stairs – you turned the corner and right in front of you was a huge black & white photo of a tiger snarling at you. Very surprising and very cool. It was kind of a dark look for the show house, and I really enjoyed seeing it.

Jayson Home & Garden

sumnerdesignstudio — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:34:56 +0000

Jayson Home & Garden just gets me. It’s like someone crawled inside my head, found out everything I wanted, and put it all in one place. Unfortunately, they tend to be out of my price range, but there are some little things that are more affordable. And it’s totally worth it just to look & be inspired. They have a category called curiosities – how can I not love them? This vintage factory gear is like an industrial take on those Asian discs on stands that have become so ubiquitous:

And who couldn’t use a few vintage tiny trophies?

Ever since Elle Decor featured this on the cover I’ve spent entirely too much time thinking about those vintage snake illustrations over the sofa.

And lo and behold, where do I find some very cool alternatives?

Like I said, they just get me.

Unusual Upholstery

sumnerdesignstudio — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:39:25 +0000

Recently, a friend of mine asked for some advice on reupholstering a couple of wing back chairs. I immediately thought of this picture that I’d seen on one of the design blogs (sorry to whoever originally posted this, I don’t remember where it came from):

They used old burlap coffee bags to reupholster this chair, and it looks incredible. Not to mention, this same friend (who works in the recycling industry) was looking for ways to re-purpose old burlap sacks that are donated to her facility. It was very nearly a perfect storm of interior design. Unfortunately, this won’t work for her – the whole reason she needs to reupholster her chairs is because her cats have used them as a scratching post. I think few things in this world would call out to be scratched quite as strongly as a burlap chair. I still think it’s a great idea, and I’m definitely filing it away in my “maybe someday” file. Also, I have to mention the gigantic portrait in this photo – I’m a total sucker for old portraits, and I think I would kill (or at least maim) for one this size.

Are octopuses hot right now?

sumnerdesignstudio — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:57:38 +0000

Is it just me, or are octopuses showing up in home decor lately? And don’t argue with me about the plural of octopus – Random House tells me that octopuses and octopi are both perfectly acceptable. Anyways, just in the last week I’ve seen three octopus throw pillows from major retailers. As a longtime fan of the cephalopod, this is a trend I like to see!

First up, Z Galerie is doing a very nautical blue and white version:

Thomas Paul has a printed linen version that’s a bit more abstract:

And finally, my favorite - Pottery Barn’s embroidered version. I love that it’s so detailed, yet it’s embroidered, not printed:

What do you think – any other octopus enthusiasts out there?

Sara Story is a genius

sumnerdesignstudio — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:28:54 +0000

Did you catch the spread on Sara Story’s Manhattan apartment in the May issue of Elle Decor? I love her slightly dark aesthetic. Her living room looks like what I want my living room to look like when it grows up:

But my favorite is her home office – she combines de Gournay wallpaper with a West Elm desk:

I love that she’s mixing high end wallpaper with an inexpensive desk, and that it looks amazing.