With all the advances in e-readers, carrying a library of your favorite books with you is pretty easy to do.  However, nothing can replace the tactile texture of a fabric hard cover or the sound of the pages turning on a real book. I downloaded Pride and Prejudice onto my Nook and although I love reading each beautifully written sentence, seeing it in a digital font makes me miss the soft pages and bent paperback version from highschool. I also remember checking out books from the library and skimming through to see other notes written anonymously (brazen criminals!) in the margins.  Sharing books passed from one friend to another gives the book another layer of life.  Who took Mr. Darcy to the white sandy beaches of Greece? (Oh I wish it was me) or did he end up in a backpack in Boulder, taken out with coffee at a sidewalk cafe.  This wonderful video shows the mysterious life these books lead after the lights are turned off.  Not only do the colors and sizes of books make for beautiful colorblocking as a design element but the video plays off the personality of each title as they dance and play.   I think it's the hidden story of the life a book leads that adds to the depth and impact of the story told by the author in the text they hold. Our memories of when we read a book stays with it and maybe explains why we keep the books we keep.  Or share.  Therefore in that sense, books are a great design element. Arrange by color or turn them around to show only white edges of paper.  However, only you will see something more than colors and titles, you'll see your memories.

 

 

Robinson Home Products Inc., a leader in the housewares and tabletop industry, partnered with The Echo Design Group to introduce the echodesign tabletop collection. Echo, known to push boundaries in print, pattern, color and design in fashion accessories and home products, collaborated with Robinson Home Products to create a bold and inspired collection of dinnerware, flatware and glassware for the home. The collection, which is Echo’s first entree into this market, consists of five dinnerware patterns on a contemporary round porcelain shape, four fun glassware collections and brightly colored flatware in eight striking colors.  One additional collection of 8 solid color banded dinner plates that complement all designs adds an additional mix and match element.  All patterns featured are fresh and bold with bright colors and graphic prints. 

-The Latika collection is an India-inspired paisley that combines rich bright colors and an intricately detailed pattern to weave a beautiful tapestry that is highlighted by mix and match accents.
-The Fan Floral collection is a white and grey floral with a contemporary graphic twist.  Mix and match items feature lime green stripes and offer multiple looks for any table.
-That 70’s Floral collection makes retro fresh once again with a bold black graphic combined with bright green accents.
-The Marble Swirl collection features multi-colored stripes swirling in motion in a lively and fluid pattern.  Bright and colorful, this design will make you smile.
-The Flirty Floral collection features a subtle, shimmering floral brightened by the pure white porcelain body.

“Echo’s rich archive of patterns, colors and distinctive detailing offers a fresh and vibrant approach to dinnerware that is not currently seen in the marketplace,” said Lynne Recktenwald, Vice-President of Marketing for Robinson Home Products. “For more than 87 years, Echo has been an industry leader in accessories and home design and now this new tabletop collection will inspire consumers to dress their tables with that same fashion-forward style.”  “We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Robinson Home Products to bring the world of Echo and its distinctive sense of style and design to tabletop.  Robinson’s leadership position combined with their unmatched expertise and reputation has helped to bring our vision to life,” adds Steven Roberts, CEO of The Echo Design Group.

About Robinson Home Products Inc.
Founded in 1921 as Robinson Knife Co., Robinson evolved from a manufacturer of cutlery, kitchen tools, scissors, and fine edged industrial components into an innovative developer and marketer of branded housewares products. Robinson Home Products is an employee-owned company with headquarters in Buffalo, NY.

Mixing patterns works not only in fashion but in how you fashion your home. Work within a similar color palette and let your imagination run wild. 

Hi, I just purchased the Abstract Palm bedding set with the euro shams and decorative pillows. My bedroom has yellow walls. The furniture is white. What type of valances would you recommend? Any thoughts on artwork would be appreciated. Thank you!

Dear Nancy,

Thank you for purchasing our brand new Abstract Palm bedding. I first want to get a sense of the overall mood of your room. Is it “sunny vacation” or more of an “ethnic tropical?”  I can see both working very well, and though I could make slightly different suggestions for the two looks, I will offer up possibilities that will work for either.  I don’t know if you could or even would go in this direction, but I love the idea of shutters or blinds for this pattern.  They work in both white or dark wood, and both lend a sophistication and distinctive  personality to the room.   If you prefer fabric, I would opt for either a gauzy ivory linen, or even a kind of chunky textured burlap in ivory or a neutral that matches the color of the shams and decorative pillows.

As for the artwork I find that the best art is art that reflects your personal style, your interests, your travels, your life.  The options are so endless that I will just throw out a few that come to mind, but of course you will be the very best curator for your own room!  For a more global vibe, ethnic “artifacts” can be exciting – hand carved masks, bowls, textiles, even interesting garments or accessories hanging on the wall.  These don’t have to be fine or expensive to be dramatic.   For the “sunny vacation” look you can go with tropical prints, or a series of palm leaf botanicals, travel posters, or flea market flower paintings.  And never forget about the decorating possibilities of framed photographs.  Personally, I find it best to go with one of two styles of decorating with art – choosing a theme or subject or category and  creating a collection of like pieces, or going the opposite with a wonderful eclectic Collector’s gallery of varied, but very personal pieces.  Most of all…don’t take it too seriously and just have fun pulling it all together!

I hope this is helpful.  Let us know if you have other questions.  Enjoy your Abstract Palm bedding – and please, send us a photo of your finished room!

Meg
Design Director, Home
Echo Design Group, Inc.

 

  

 Today Saturday March 19th marks the beginning of  India’s Holi Festival which is 2 weeks of celebrating  love, color, and overall the triumph of good over evil.  Holi is a celebration that lasts 16 days in the towns of Vrindavan and Mathura and Santiketan and signals the beginning of spring and the birth of new life. As is with most of the Indian culture the festival arose out of stories of religious figures fighting and overcoming evil –both on the level of waging huge wars to save humanity as well as on a personal level dealing with making the right choices.  Perhaps as a result of this being a thoroughly devout culture this festival has come to symbolize the freedom to lose all inhibitions, play, dance and laugh. India has its troubles and manages through a depressed economy but the joy and happiness in these pictures is pure, bold and real.

The literal translation of the word 'Holi' is 'burning'.  Huge bonfires are lit on street corners and people run, dance and laugh through the streets throwing brightly colored powder and water on each other. Holifestival.org describes that the meaning of the word Holi and the significance of the fires is based in the legend of Hiranyakashyap: “Hiranyakashyap wanted everybody in his kingdom to worship only him but to his great disappointment, his son, Prahlad became an ardent devotee of Lord Naarayana. Hiaranyakashyap commanded his sister, Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap. Holika had a boon whereby she could enter fire without any damage on herself. However, she was not aware that the boon worked only when she enters the fire alone. As a result she paid a price for her sinister desires, while Prahlad was saved by the grace of the god for his extreme devotion. The festival, therefore, celebrates the victory of good over evil and also the triumph of devotion.”

The tradition of covering everyone in the beautiful colored powder started again from a legend, this one about Lord Krishna who applied color to his beloved Radha and other gopis.  These magnificent colors signify the new blossoms of the spring and perhaps even more true to the inherent meaning of this celebration, the powder is made from gulal which includes fragrant flowers and some spices chosen for their therapeutic and emollient qualities such as turmeric or haldi, flower extracts, sandalwood and mehndi.

We've often discussed the meaning of color - for use in the home, in accessories and how color effects each one of us differently. Color has the power to create a mood and can change it as well (see the post here).  We find ourselves drawn to certain colors for reasons only we may - or may not even know. Colors can increase your heart rate or they can soothe and calm. This festival pretty much exemplifies what every culture feels at the beginning of spring - the explosion of blooming flowers and bright skies is a wonderful gift after the dormant months of winter. Even though personally experiencing this festival would be a life changing moment, we can recognize the underlying message of joy, rebirth and take notice of the amazing power of nature no matter where we are or what religion we believe in.

Echo is very excited to be participating in the 14th annual Dining by Design event being held March 17th - 21st at Pier 94 in New York city.  The event is a fundraiser for DIFFA - Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids - which brings together fashion and interior designers, architects, floral and landscape artists and design schools to create stylish dining installations.  Echo's table installation includes our Seychelles fabrics collection we designed & produced at Kravet, used as the frame and on seat cushions; silk scarfs as napkins and a new spring scarf hung as a piece of art on the wall.  This year, DIFFA will be honoring Margaret Russell, editor in chief of Architectural Digest, for her work in shaping the Dining By Design event into what it is today.

We are proud to be a part of this event and to help support such a worthy cause.  As of today March 18th, the event is open to the public so we encourage you to explore all the different installations and see the amazing design trends. You can also shop the silent auction.  A $25 ticket includes admission to the Architectural Digest Home Design Show as well.   Enjoy!

 

Could you help me with a wall color to complement the Delano bedding line? I also want to paint my bedroom furniture-can you suggest a complementary color? Thanks, Molly.

Hi Molly, We are very happy that you are decorating your bedroom around our Delano bedding!  It would be helpful to have a little more information about the style and which pieces of furniture (chair, dresser, nightstands, etc.) you are planning on painting, because that will greatly affect your color choices, but I will give you some general thoughts.  There are two different directions you can go – rich and sophisticated, or more playful.  The colors from the pattern that I personally would work with (in various combinations) are the green, charcoal, lavender, orange and ivory.  I think a good guideline, even if you are going playful, is to choose a combination of safer colors and accent colors.  For instance, matching the soft moss green or ivory for the walls, and then having fun with the lavender or orange for an accent piece of furniture.  Or trying just one accent wall in the lavender, and going with the charcoal or green, which ends up being almost a neutral in this case, for the furniture.  If you don’t mind a deep color on your walls, and you have plenty of light, the charcoal would make a very rich, sophisticated and gender neutral color for the walls, and then I might paint the furniture the green. 

I would also suggest, though you didn’t ask specifically, that you can decorate with colorful accent pieces such as pillows, lamps, vases, etc. in orange and lavender, while sticking to the ivory, green and charcoal for the walls and furniture.  Lastly, you may have noticed that I haven’t suggesting using the stone/beige color for the walls.  That is because this kind of neutral is very difficult to match in paint as it changes drastically depending on the light in the room, and the other colors it is near and can in fact look different from one wall to the next.  If it goes off cast, it may end up looking like a mistake. 

Have fun and I’m sure your room will look great!  Please send us a photo when it is complete.

Best,
Meg
Design Director, Home
http://www.echodesign.com

Echo is known for 87 years of print, pattern and color and that extends to more than just scarves.  Echo has translated the love of great design and patterns to unique accessories for your Home too.  Our designers understand that the right color and the right print is key in achieving the mood and aesthetic that represents your personality.  Celebrity designer and TV personality, Courtney Cachet, recently spotted Echo's Chic Paisley wallpaper and not only wanted to include it in a room makeover, but put little twist on the usual use of wallpaper.   Courtney's work is frequently featured on NBC's OpenHouseNYC and the latest episode shows how Courtney used our wallpaper to personalize a desk in her own home office. 

The beauty of a monochromatic palette versus one that uses a range of colors is in what the lowlights and highlights reveal. We can appreciate the subtleties of the different shapes and lines that are revealed when only one color is used, in this case, a neutral.  Photography is a great way to showcase this as seen in this photo by Jan Masny below.  The fabric appears fluid and even though the image is static, the movement is implied by the depth and dimension that could still be seen if each dress were a different color, but since this is all in greys, the results are much more evident and striking.  Color is a great tool but experimenting with an all-neutral palette in your wardrobe or in decorating your home can be a wonderfully interesting.

 

In your fall and winter wardrobe, choose different tones of the same neutral color family and play with layers.  This puts the focus on the fabrics and difference in textures and patterns.  For example, wear a tweed pencil skirt with a cable knit poncho or cape and tall leather boots. The effect is sophisticated and clean.  In home decorating, it's a standard rule when staging a home to present a neutral canvas for potential buyers to imagine themselves in that environment - to visualize it as their home.  The family's personality can then show with the bold, bright accessories against the neutral shades.  Using this method of decorating also contributes to the longevity of your interior design allowing you to simply change the accessories and accent colors without making a huge investment.  Aside from that, using neutrals in the home is very calming to the eye.  It is one of nature's best palettes after all - evident in the sand and the sea grass. 
   

I was at the Kravet showrooms in Portland and Seattle last week to give presentations to Kravet’s top interior designer customers. Echo designs rugs, fabric, trim and wallpaper for Kravet and I was invited to talk about our design process and show everyone our newest home decor book Color at Home.  It was my first time in either of those great cities and I had a wonderful time.  The weather was actually spectacular in Portland, and pretty nice in Seattle, and I loved taking runs both mornings to see the streets, and get a sense of the architecture, waterfront and northwest culture.  Even saw the first Starbucks at the old Pike Place market in Seattle – very exciting for this Starbucks coffee lover.  

What terrific groups of attendees both days!  At the end of the presentations we raffled off a few Echo accessories and Kristi Knott from Sunset Builders was one of the winners.  She was very enthusiastic and sent us these two photos - one of her wearing Echo's leopard print throw first as a shawl and another photo displaying it on her couch as a cozy throw!  We loved Kristi’s enthusiasm and her creativity!  

I also wanted to show one photo of the Portland Kravet showroom with some of the fabrics from our new Seychelles collection (look for this in 2011!)  All in all, the trip was great though too short, and I hope to return someday and see a bit more.  Next time I will have to plan a time when President Obama isn’t following me around, shutting down the freeways!  Thanks to Ed and all of the staff at the Kravet showrooms who made my trip so enjoyable!  -Meg