Found: March 2009

3.31.2009

liberty!

Dreaming of a new spring wardrobe last night, I found myself flipping through Barneys latest catalog. I am in love with the new floral sundresses and camisoles by Cacharel and was so excited to realize they are Liberty patterns. What a delightful partnership! Liberty is a British textile house that is famous for its sweet floral patterns. They are very English looking, delicate and detailed. I researched a bit this morning and found that Liberty patterns are available for purchase, mostly from British showrooms. Fellow blogger, Katy Elliot, had an entry back in February regarding her affinity for Liberty. She turned me on to a great website that shows a full array of their patterns. I love the small scale patterns, like 'Poppy and Honesty'....the name of the pattern alone makes me smile.

'Tatum' is also a sweetie. I think my niece Audrey would love it for curtains in her newly painted room.

Liberty does not only create floral patterns; they also have some lovely art-nouveau inspired looks, such as the peacock feather print below. Wouldn't this be great on an upholstered screen in a lady's dressing room? Or lining the walls of your powder room?

Here at Found, we have a few new pieces that need to be reupholstered....hopefully Tyler will agree they need to be Liber-ated!

-Caitlin

3.28.2009

if this chair had a name it would be 'Coco'

18" x 18" x 34"; $565 SOLD

extreme makeovers: before/after

we don't always give our goods an overhaul before placing them in the shop, but certain items need updating - whether for the sake of comfort, aesthetics or (more often than not) both. i've received a few requests to know what some of those pieces looked like before the facelift, so...

before: tired, scratched, mauve paint and stained, worn cushions...

after: fresh, colorful and full of personality!

before: ugly wheels, scratched finish, faded fabric...

after: bright, quirky and comfortable!

before: good paint, flat/boring cushions...

after: still traditional, but stylishly updated!

before: the yellow was cute, but faded - and the cushions were as hard as rocks...

after: plush and graphic!

please forgive the somewhat lazy post. it's 70 degrees and sunny here in san francisco, and i'm off to make the most of it. happy saturday!

-tyler

3.27.2009

curvy mirror for your entry or powder

24"w x 40"h; $175 SOLD

3.26.2009

round rugs

Maybe because it finally feels like spring here in San Francsico, but I am really want to inject some spring-time vibes into my apartment. Kind of like cleaning out your closet and packing away your winter sweaters, I want to freshen things up and add new elements that coordinate with the bright sunshine pouring in our windows. One element that I am considering incorporating is a round rug. I've been spotting them in some of the design magazines and they add such a great vibe to a room. Some designers incorporate them to encircle a grouping of furniture within a larger space. New York designer, Celerie Kemble does with a dining area she creates in this project. The dining area is shared with the apartment's formal living room so by layering a round area rug beneath the dining room furnishings she creates a room within a room. I love the colors and stripes of this rug and because it's a more casual floor treatment it balances the more fussy-ish chairs and the darkness of the banquette upholstery.

One of our favorite designers, Tom Sheerer, also incorporates a round rug into a design of den in a country home of a client. This rug feels familiar to me, kind of macrame-esque, a little hippy (in the best sense). Yet because of it's graphic look, with the dark charcoal and crisp white stripes, the room is bright and chic (not dusty and beige plant holder-esque). Also, the shape and weave of the rug is welcoming, totally UN-intimidating. Mr. Scheerer is quoted as comparing round rugs to hugs. "It's like extending arms, an invitation to literally gather around", he states in the April issue of House Beautiful. I certainly want to gather!

Now, I definitely want one. Our apartment is pretty colorful already so I am thinking that I may need a solid version. I spotted this one over the weekend.....hello summer!

-Caitlin

3.24.2009

re-upholstered sweethearts in osborne & little fabric

28"w x 32"d x 28"h; $3200/pair

everything is better in gold... even leaf springs

you may have noticed many suggestions for stylish ways to lessen environmental impact in the decorating news these days. we at found do not pretend to sling vintage goods in order to save the universe, nor do we purport to be experts in environmentalism. we are, however, happy to do our part and believe it is important to be educated on the subject. lucky for us (and the future of our beloved mother earth), zem joaquin of ecofabulous has got the subject covered. she frequently touts the benefits of mixing vintage pieces with modern decor, which she did in the remodel of her own marin county home.

in a recent interview she lists 5 habits that people can adopt in order to become more eco-conscious, including "stop and think about how and where the things you buy were made and what will happen to them when they no longer serve a purpose for you..." this led me to think about one of our pieces in particular.

this vintage table was purchased from the local estate of a very stylish lady, and is actually made from car springs (my limited research has led me to believe that they are leaf springs specifically, but i could be wrong).

vintage, local, and repurposed. how's that for eco-decorating with glamour?

-tyler

p.s. in my research, i also came across examples of car-parts-made-into-furniture gone horribly wrong. needless to say, you would never find such a piece at found.

3.21.2009

classic & elegant chairs upholstered in David Hicks fabric

34"h x 18"w x 16"d; $475/pr SOLD

3.20.2009

display this stately Knowles number on your walls featuring the ever stoic Rhett Butler

8.5"d; $35

add a bit of splash to your walls with this prismatic plate...

10"d; $65

3.19.2009

'Haviland' Pattern "Birds of India"

$450/set of eight

plates!

Earlier this year, my sister and I were brainstorming about how we could beautify her Dining Room. She had seen our installation at Found of a set of eight 'Birds of India' plates by Haviland and liked it. She is a traditional gal, my sister.

Heather (my sis) has a lovely set of Mottahedeh plates in the 'Tobacco Leaf' pattern and we thought those could be a great starting point for the design of the room. As you can see, the pattern of her china is very colorful and provides a wealth of options for the other fabrics, wallpaper, and paint colors that we are in the midst of selecting for her Dining Room.

We agreed that these would be perfect for a blank wall in her Dining Room but that other plates (with a different pattern) should be mixed-in to give a little dimension to the grouping. We made a date to meet that Sunday at the Alameda flea market and low and behold, she found these guys.

Which led to this.

The design of the room is still underway (you can see we narrowing our selection of grass cloth wallpapers at the moment) but eventually the room will be complete (and we will post a photo).

This leads me to the reason I am writing today. Readers, if you are lucky enough to have some china, don't let it gather dust stowed away in your cabinets or under your bed. Head over to your local hardware store, purchase some plate hangers and hang away. Also, keep in mind your plates do not need to be expensive or fancy. Don't be worried if something looks a little crooked or you do not have a full set to display....sometimes this is what makes an installation look all the more lovely. Take comfort in the image below of a free-flowing arrangement by blogger (albeit a retired one), Bluelines. They went for a more organic, mis-matched feel. Isn't it wonderful?

-Caitlin

3.18.2009

dream client (?)

it is a little known fact that, despite her bad attitude, volatile temper, and substance abuse issues, elvira hancock is one of my imaginary dream clients. while perusing the following photos of the montana's master bathroom suite, i decided on a few items from found to spruce the place up a bit.

is it just me or do you think manny is in need of a table for his bathtub-side food and beverages?

i think these ladies would fit it in nicely,

and while i'm sure elvira is very happy with her all-gold color scheme, an injection of black, pearlescent lighting could add interest without detracting from the bling-y vibe.

i can think of few things that scream early '80's glamour louder than an onyx table lighter and ashtray set...

and a drapey brass vase for fresh flowers on the vanity is a natural fit.

i'm pretty sure that the addition of this lucite icicle chandelier to the room would be one of the few things that tony and elvira couldn't help but agree on.