Papillon Linens - European Elegance

A Riot of Colors and Fantastical Shapes!

2011-03-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

OK, so I have been in hibernation. I'm officially out, spring is here and it is invigorating. It doesn't hurt that it is 79 degrees and sunny, sorry for you folks still in the chill;-) I read some exciting and happy news today, and that alone is cause for celebration! Part of the news is that Harper Collins has announced that they will be publishing The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories by one of my childhood favorites - Dr. Seuss! This will be in a collection of seven stories dating from 1950 to 1951. "To publish such an amazing new collection of stories from Dr. Seuss is a dream come true,” says Neil Dunnicliffe, editorial director of HarperCollins Children’s Books U.K. “I know that Seuss fans of all ages will share our joy on the publication of this book.”

Next, I got a fantastic free download from the folks at Home Accents Today of their 2012 Color Forecast, along with their sponsor Lazy Susan. The fun palette that they have named "Global Adventure" is filled with the colors I associate with the beautifully bright and vivid colors of The Dr. Suess illustrations themselves! This is definitely worth a look and the other color stories are equally intriguing with names like "Indigo Inspirations", "Earthly Fortitude" and "Speaking Vintage". For this post though, I am thinking of all of the bright and playful ideas I have been saving for just such a mood!

Isn't it amazing how nature can influence our styles? This is from Northern Holland, the tulips in bloom!

 

Designers Diamond and Baratta

Designer Doug Meyer

Designer Mary Douglas Drysdale

Elle Decor

Designer Ghislaine B VinasLoom borrowed from Beach Bungalow 8
HGTV.com

Collage by Lulu de Kwiatkowski

Hands on Monet

2010-11-13T13:34:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to see the impressive exhibition of Claude Monet's "The London" series, which resulted from three separate painting campaigns from 1899 to 1901 - about 20 years ago at The High Museum of Art in Atlanta. It was a wonderful experience and I just stumbled across a modern day exhibition that you can take from your own home! With new technology a wonderful web site with a very interactive element is here to coincide with the "Claude Monet (1840-1926)" exhibition, now showing at the Galeries Natioanales, Grand Palais. This is the most important exhibit in 30 years - covering a sixty year painting career with nearly 200 paintings! You don't have to make the trip to Paris to see it. If you have children, please be sure to share this with them, it is delightful! You need a little patients and I suggest playing your own music, sit back and explore a true genius!

The Ups and Downs of Life

2010-11-07T15:48:00.000-08:00

This time of year usually finds me in a more reflective mood, with the ancient desire to hibernate. Moving from hot to cold, outside to in, I am in an up and down kind of mood. I thought I would show you some beautiful staircases with something for everyone! I grew up in a home with a magnificent staircase in the entryway; I have a love for grand entrances!

Hot Skwash!

2010-09-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

I know summer is not officially over, but when I saw these on my wonderful friend and customer's website Beadboard UpCountry, I just had to join in the fall fun! Another woman after my own heart - Daria Knowles is the artist, creator and owner of the business that creates these beauties. With a rich background in art, the humanities and classics, she ran an art gallery before deciding to be a stay-at-home Mom. While doing this she continued her creativity by sewing and knitting. With a passion for textiles, she started making beautiful purses out of fine silks, linen, suede and velvets.

Leave it to a creative soul to come up with the idea for Hot Skwash after seeing a crude gingham version, and then turn the proverbial sow's ear into a silk purse, so to say! She has a great eye for color, texture and shape and this gives each "skwash" it's very own personality. She works with local farmers in Oregon to recycle unwanted pumpkin and squash stems AND she employs other stay at home Moms to help with the harvest! The company motto is "to combine creative passion with family" - how can you miss with this loving, generous attitude! See her website and blog for more information.
http://www.hotskwash.com/ http://velvetpumpkins.typepad.com/

Sneak Peak at Maison & Objet!

2010-08-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

I was thrilled beyond belief when the US representative of this incredible company commented on my blog, and was kind enough to leave her company's web address. They will be exhibiting at Maison & Objet in of course, the most elite Scènes D’Intérieur. I started going to this trade show of all trade shows back in 1993, even before it left Paris to move to the outskirts of the city in the huge convention like setting of today. I am so excited to introduce the Portuguese company Boca Do Lobo!

Boca Do Lobo furniture is an exclusive emotional experience, a sense of belonging and a state of mind. They strive to encourage sensational experiences by creating beautiful pieces which are passionately inspired and handcrafted in Portugal by a staff that loves what they do; experiences which pass on the feeling of exclusivity. Their designers possess an undeniable talent for composing pieces which stir emotion in their admirers. Their artisan’s wisdom, accumulated from years of experience, is instilled with love and dedication in the art that they perform. No detail or element is overlooked as they offer the best at the frontier between design and art. Their mission is to design emotional products. Their vision is to understand the past and interpret it through technology and contemporary design. They use this knowledge to transfer the entire artisan’s wisdom into the design. The latest technological methods are combined with traditional manufacturing techniques allowing their pieces to transform into timeless objects.

Expect the unexpected and gain a new passion for furniture. Each Boca Do Lobo piece reflects a dedication to design, with a unique personality and sophisticated character. This collection of exclusive products is the result of the collaboration of a team with the common goal - to conceive pieces with the highest level of prestige, innovation and beauty. Passion is what they want to share with all of their enthusiastic fans. Since 2005 they have been working to share the best Portugal has to offer: the knowledge of its people who design and create furniture art, the tradition of working with the noble material of wood, and the artisans and joiners who create the pieces with their years of wisdom and experience and their love and dedication to the art that they perform. They strive to present admirers with the most innovative designs and highest quality works of art which bring emotion in to their interior environments.

You must visit their website to experience the emotion of all of their collections! They are far too many to show here, so I will preview a few of my favorites, enjoy!
http://www.bocadolobo.com/

Definitely NOT your Grandma's Wallpaper!

2010-08-20T17:08:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned below, I had such a great time at the recent Las Vegas Market and so much was due to the wonderful people that own and run Postcards Home - the showroom where my goods are represented, and the other amazing designers I have met there. Wallteriors and the brilliant men behind the brand, Hector Romero and Christopher Obeji completely re-educated me that wall coverings could become three-dimensional works of art! I can't even begin to describe how gorgeous these completely handcrafted wall coverings are in person. Pictures just do not do them justice! For twenty-five years they have been developing wall surface treatments with the philosophy of being eco friendly, long before this was the trend! All of their products are made from recycled paper substrates and are created with no machinery or power tools. All of the paints and mediums are water based, have a 0 to low VOC's and are mixed by hand. They are based in Palm Springs, CA and not only use the desert landscape for inspiration, but also the dry climate for drying their goods once made.

They like to use the term "surfacing material" and want their clients to think of their creations as multi-use design tools, to be used in any manner of decoration. The products are being used as shades for lighting, beautifully adorning case goods and even being framed as art, just to mention a few creative uses. They have even teamed up with Diamond Head (see below) to add so many more possibilities than they were already offering - that it boggles the mind! You must visit their web site for a more clear understanding of all that they offer, from custom designs, colors, hand cut, hand torn, traditional rolls, squares, rectangles, even stained edges! You can even wipe the surfaces, if needed! With the renewed interest in "statement walls" and wall coverings in general - there couldn't be a better time or company to fill this need. PS These fellows are unmercifully funny and friendly, so take any opportunity you can to meet them!

Bring a Little Bling into Your Life!

2010-08-19T16:26:00.000-07:00

At the recent Las Vegas show, I had such a delightful time meeting some of the brilliant designers in our showroom! I have already done a post on my friend Jackie Von Tobel and her beautiful new line of textiles, so I thought I would introduce you to a few of the others I was so fortunate to befriend! I am so pleased to introduce Bree Cox and her astonishing line of upholstery tacks. The collection is appropriately called Diamond Head. Bree not only has model good looks, but she also practices meditation everyday and has for twenty years! You can tell, she is simply radiant with positive and creative energy. As an interior designer, she had an epiphany while in Hawaii in a spa... well, I can't tell you the whole story here, but best to show the results of this inspirational moment. She did come up with the perfect name in the shower the next day "isn't that where all the good ideas originate" she says! Of course, thinking of a hike on that famous Hawaiian landmark it came to her as another Divine gift.

After a year of research and incredible hard work, she launched her company and has even been issued a US Trademark. Her search led her to Europe where she worked with her manufacturer to create the perfect process to incorporate genuine crystals and stones into upholstery tacks! It had to be the power of her positive energy and thinking that led her to this manufacturer as they worked together to devise an ingenious way to work with such seemingly fragile things such as crystals, for something that is usually pounded in with a hammer like tool! I will let you visit her web site for all of the details. The uses for these are endless and we all know the imagination is boundless! Visit this website at Diamond Head Interchangeable Upholstery Tack - www.diamondheadut.com

Fantastic!

2010-08-03T07:34:00.000-07:00

We have the greatest showroom in the mart, I think! Right on the first floor, next to an excellent restaurant - nobody can pass it up once they walk by! This is all due to the multi-talented owners/designers - Craig Dye and Donna Johnson. Their ability to curate, accessorize and decorate is amazing. Now, if I can just get them to my house;-) Here are a few more shots of the showroom before I have to run...

It's Showtime!

2010-08-01T21:43:00.000-07:00

If you haven't made plans to come to the Las Vegas show yet, there's still time! This will be the biggest and best with more accessories and new vendors than ever. I will post just a few pictures here as time is running out, but I will try to post more during the week. These were taken during set-up, so now the showroom Postcards Home is even more beautiful! You will see my bedding, of course - but I have added a brand new style of curtain, as well. Notice the extremely deep pencil pleated curtains, one with ruffle and one without. We have decided to double the size of the ruffle and I am really excited about these! I am so happy to be showing with my friend the very talented Jackie Von Tobel! She is debuting her line of gorgeous fabrics. There are many other well known and plenty of brand new vendors, as well - so come on and join us for the fun!

Cuckoo for Coral!

2010-07-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

I'm really crazy for all colors and shades of the red family. Being an Aries and a fire sign, might have something to do with it. I do tend to love the warm reds, ruby, pomegranate, coral, watermelon, etc. I also especially love them with their complimentary colors in the blue family, but basically with me - anything goes when it comes to these delicious shades that appear in every form of nature! I fell in love with this darling tree frog - I found it on a friends blog that I didn't even know he was writing! My friend from Kansas City, Brian Morley owns Bergamot & Ivy a gorgeous floral and gift store. I found this tree frog on his blog, which is very fun to read it is called Green Mansion Composts.

I was also inspired by this beautiful floral arrangement from Design Sponge.

I can't forget my mascot - Le Papillon!

I couldn't resist showing this, one of my very favorite textile designs that I did in 2002. This was my daughters room at the time and the duvet looked lovely with my box pleated burlap bed skirt. Don't mind the faux walls, they really were rough plaster as it was a 1920's Spanish Colonial home, and this was just a color wash. This turned out to be one of my all time best selling fabrics. I initially designed it years earlier with a bright red background (it was also a great seller)! More of my designs from the 1990's were the following toiles in coral and terra cotta.

Several of my favorite designers use corals and I love them! The following pictures are from Amanda Nisbit Designs.

Another major favorite group Mancuso, Warner and Miller!

A newly found wonderful blog called Avolli led me to this gorgeous picture with a Josef Frank fabric on the window.

Never disapointing, the fabulous Absolutely Beautiful Things and Anna Spiro, one of my design heroes!

From Houzz

Another favorite (new for me) designer, just check out her website! Krista Ewart from Domino.

Random beauties...

Christopher Farr fabric...

Love this Kenzo fabric from my friend Melanie at Le Petit Cabinet de Curiosites.

For me this coral Utecht chair is so yummy! Can you believe it was designed by Gerrit Rietveld in the 1930's? Wow, that's what I call enduring style and color! Found this little gem in one of my favorite books Southern Accents on Color, by Frances MacDougall along with the editors (some old friends) of Southern Accents.

Luxury Camping - "Glamping"!

2010-07-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

I was so surprised and excited when I read Tobi Fairley's blog the other day about this subject. There, as the first example was a project that I designed years ago for El Capitan Canyon, outside of Santa Barbara, CA. Right off the coast with the mountains at your back, this was Chumash Indian country and I used the motifs from cave drawings as inspirations for the furnishings for both cabins and safari tents. I knew it was popular when we first finished, since "The Today Show" had one of the safari tents with all furnishings - shipped to New York for a taping! I hadn't thought about it for years, but now I can see that since then it has been the subject of many articles on "Luxury Camping", and as the cover story for the same subject in Sunset magazine. Or the travel section of the LA Times. The cover story for Ventana-Fine Living in Ventura County, titled "Comfprt Camping" started like this "Don’t forget the marshmallows—or the Veuve Clicquot. The luxy digs and new spa cabin at El Capitan Canyon offer “campers” the best of both worlds."

I even discovered it on fabulous travel blog with really hip spots for the whole family! Ciao Bambina. which then led me to another really cool blog Vignette Design, with another story on tent living - You've got to see this one! I guess it is the triple digit temps here that made me long for my own summer camping days in the Colorado Rocky mountains.

Only in Vegas!

2010-07-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe New York and a host of other cosmopolitan cities around the world, but I happen to live in Las Vegas right now, so this is a treat for me! You might say that all casinos are gaudy and tacky, but not to me anymore. I already loved "The Hotel" at Mandalay Bay, the lobby and one of my favorite restaurants - Mix, all decked out in white! Now let's talk about visual stimulation and bold fun colors! Not surprising for Las Vegas, but this place in person is more beautiful than these pictures can convey. Usually, one might be writing about the scores of world famous chefs that have flocked to the city to open their mouth watering restaurants, trust me as a "foodie" I have tried out many of them and words can't describe how delish they are. But I want to tell you about the many famous designers and architects that together built the astonishing collection of hotels, casinos, restaurants and shops that is CityCenter. Just a few of the names - Karim Rashid, Adam D. Tihany and Jacques Garcia, you must see it (and taste it) to believe it! Here are some of my favorites, but for a full post go to Hospitality Design.

Some Like it Hot!

2010-06-15T12:42:00.000-07:00

It's time to start planning your buying trip to The World Market Center in Las Vegas. Yes, it gets really hot here in August, but the folks at the mart make sure they take good care of you. With cool water misters on top of covered walkways, to free ice cold water at ever turn, you can catch a shuttle from your air conditioned hotel directly to the nearby mart. With nearly 1,500 exhibitors in three beautiful modern buildings, the mart spreads out to just over five million square feet of shopping nirvana. This summer's market will be held from August 2-6 and will showcase the newest styles and trends in rugs, floor coverings, lighting, home textiles, gifts, furniture and decorative accessories. I am still showcasing my collection in the fabulous showroom Postcards Home, located in building A, Suite 119 just across from a fabulous restaurant!

The shot below shows the colors of the bedding I will have on display - mostly silver-grey with small highlights of plum, kiwi and violet! I can't wait to see you there! Contact me for hotel suggestions as there is something for everyone.

I've Moved!

2010-06-11T14:47:00.001-07:00

Sorry for my absence, but I have moved both my home and office! It is not much fun and I am still unpacking, but looking forward to redecorating a new place! Hopefully, I will eventually be able to post some pictures of the new place. In the meantime, this is how I feel...
Cool photo courtesy of The English Muse blog.

More Belgian Design

2010-04-18T15:47:00.000-07:00

I know we all love collecting beautiful design books and one of my favorite publishers is Beta-Plus from Belgium. They are prolific in publishing high quality books on architecture, gardening and design. With delicious photography from all over the world, but mostly Belgium and Western Europe. Check out the Amazon site where you can get a sneak peek before buying. Here are some of my personal favorites!

Going Green

2010-03-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

I would be remiss if I didn't post something in honor of my Irish ancestry. Well, part of my ancestry anyway. Like most Americans I have an eclectic mix, but I do know about my green roots. I have to say that I tend towards the paler shades of green and the more blue in them the better, but for today I will try to stay true to the more traditional greens. Kelly, olive, emerald, lime, forest and just one turquoise since I love it! Of course, I like to tell my tales in bedroom pictures, so the below shots run from saturated in green or just the tiniest touch.

One of my favorite memories from childhood was getting my school supplies every year. My favorite thing was the big box of Crayola® crayons. I would spend hours arranging and rearranging the colors to suit my fancy. My favorite color of all was "Sea Green". As you can tell by my website - it is still my favorite color! I have added the link to the history of Crayola® colors, it's quite interesting. The photo above makes me really wish I were in NYC for today's celebration. How cool is this dining area in The Crosby Street Hotel?

This is one of their guest rooms. By the way, the hotel is very "green" environmentally speaking.

Again, I would be remiss if I didn't add one of my own designs to celebrate the day!

Our Slip Covered Bench in Country Living!

2010-02-19T09:04:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen the brand new Country Living March issue, you need to check it out! I'm thrilled because they have shown our slip covered bench on a full page and it looks wonderful. It is in an article entitled "Ravishing Ruffles" and it is an eight page spread filled with drop-dead gorgeous images! What is nice is that they have shown fashions as well as home fashions. The rest of the issue is equally fabulous, so make sure and get your own copy! Remember, we have over 100 colors of linen to choose from and we also do COM (customers own material). Our benches come in any size but we make them primarily to go at the end of your bed, so twin, full, queen, king and Cal king are our typical lengths. Since these are slipcovers, we have many customers that have a lighter color for summer and a darker color for winter!

More from Las Vegas...

2010-02-11T09:13:00.000-08:00

I promised more pictures from last weeks show in Las Vegas, so here they are! We had a great show with a very positive response to our new offerings. Everyone loved the tone on tone embroidery of our universal "monogram". Shown here in the pictures is the color Grey/Natural from our choice of linen (over 100 colors) and it seems to be the color of the day. It went with everything in this beautiful showroom Postcards Home. I simply paired it with ivory for a very clean elegant look, but it could be jazzed up with bright colors and any color of matching or contrasting embroidery! For more information on all of the lines you see here, contact the showroom or come by The World Market Center. They will be open Monday - Friday year round!

Meet me in Las Vegas!

2010-02-01T08:48:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the World Market Center in Las Vegas this week! I am so honored that Papillon Linens is included in the selection of home furnishings to be represented by interior designers, Craig Dye and Donna Johnson. Their new showroom, Postcards Home located in Building A, suite 119 will be open year-round and is incredibly vibrant and beautiful! Please come see us this week for market, or anytime during the year. I will post more pictures later in the week...

The Latest from Maison et Objet

2010-01-25T13:49:00.000-08:00

Just in - from the trade publication Home Textiles Today, author Hermine Mariaux has surveyed the trends in textiles. For her astute assessment click here for the full article. She covers the color trends and design influences at the world's greatest show for home decor, on earth. I am particularly happy with her conclusion that "Linen is the primary star". We could have told her that, ahead of time! What a great time for Papillon Linens with all of our vibrant color choices that pair so wonderfully with our neutrals.

Raining in Las Vegas?

2010-01-21T17:54:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has been raining here, a lot! This is the desert and I knew that it rained occasionally, after living here just over three years - I had given up on rainy days. We would have a drizzle here and there, but nothing like this. It's supposed to rain in Paris or NYC or Seattle, but here? It's making me nostalgic and ready for Paris, so I've been on a shopping spree. Since this is my imaginary trip, I've decided to make it a retro one but with the most up to date essentials.

Agent 99 Trench coat

Bright red rain boots, this is Paris, non?

For nighttime, Dior, of course!

Love this umbrella, you can see where you are going. Maybe a little tourista, but c'est la vie!

Wherever you are, stay warm and cozy...

Traditional Embroidery

2010-01-09T14:25:00.000-08:00

When I first started this company, one of my first purchases was the incredibly beautiful and informative book The Book of Fine Linen by Françoise de Bonneville. This is an incredible resource book with gorgeous photography and a complete history of linen through the ages. It is a large book worthy of any linen lover’s coffee table or library. I was especially intrigued because of its emphasis on 100% linen and all of the traditional styles of embroidery and needlework that have become almost a lost art. On the cover above you can see monogramming in bourbon embroidery, the classic satin stitch and seed stitching edged with broderi Anglaise and Renaissance lace. To me these are all masterpieces, and the women that made them - artists!

I have collected antique and vintage linens for years, and wanted to bring back this look in our best selling collection “Brussels”. My inspiration for our “universal monogram” came from the hundreds of real antique monograms that I researched for this classic look. I wanted to share a few of them with you. White embroidery on white linen has been the most common, but over the centuries, there have been other colors of embroidery thread and each had its own symbolic reason.

With that said, I am so pleased to announce that Papillon Linens will now be offering our “universal monogram” in any color! Now that we offer such a wide range of colors of linen, we can now customize to your own taste. We will continue to offer our “Brussels” collection with the 4” ruffle – with or without the embroidery, and will now add the option of embroidery to our more tailored “Ghent” collection. Imagine the possibilities, tone on tone, colors on white or colors on color – let your own tastes and creativity combine for a truly customized look. Stay tuned for examples of our new offering…

I'm dreaming of a Belgian Holiday

2009-12-22T13:15:00.000-08:00

A dear friend of mine was kind enough to send me some photos of his lovely home recently. I had requested them, as I had been enjoying more and more posts on Belgian interiors from other blogs and wanted to revisit my previous trips there. I have many friends there that have the most chic and elegant homes and I am always so amazed at the way they exude such style in a seemingly effortless way. Very much like the French, but uniquely Belgian.

My friend is so charming, brilliant and urbane - so it is just natural that his eclectic and museum quality collections of art, furniture and accessories are a reflection of him.

The home was built in the Art Déco style and filled with many pieces from that era as well as Art Nouveau, Modern Art and 19th century antiques. They blend so beautifully in this warm and inviting interior.

I had so much fun researching the famous artists and sculptors represented here that I filled four full pages of text on them, so I thought it better for me to just leave you with these images to enjoy! Besides, I haven't even started my shopping...

Santa Baby

2009-12-10T10:51:00.000-08:00

I just about fell over when I saw this drop-dead gorgeous chaise on the blog Velvet & Linen, from the fabulous collection at Windsor Smith. It reminds me of the most favorite piece of doll furniture I ever owned - this Petite Princess chaise lounge, mine was in the pale blue. I will ask Santa for both of the above!

Target and Liberty of London?

2009-12-08T16:21:00.000-08:00

Breaking news: The prestigious Liberty of London is going into partnership with Target for a spring launch collection! This will include everything from home fashion, clothing and accessories for women and children to bicycles and garden equipment. Being the textile nut that I am, I have always thought of them first for their fabric designs and have purchased shirts for myself, when in London. These were made in Italy, hmmm... I wonder where the goods for Target will be made? The two pictures below are of my shirts. I have washed these at least 100 times over the years and they are still in perfect condition and the colors haven't faded one bit.

When doing research for this post, I ran across this from Beachbungalow8. She does such a great job of explaining the fabric and the store in general, that I will let you read about it there. (Besides what fun it is to see her archives from 2007!)

I also discovered a couple of new (to me) blogs that were fun to explore, the first being Hidden in France where I found the top photo of the stack of Liberty fabrics. The next one is True Up a must see for her coverage on the new Liberty Art Collection! Also a great blog for textile lovers!

I love this black and white, blown up version for bedding in my same shirt design - Ianthe. If this is anything like what we can expect from this merger, I will be a very happy shopper, indeed.

My Barbie and Ken Dreamhouses

2009-12-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

I mentioned before in an earlier post, how much I loved playing with and arranging the furniture in my Barbie Dreamhouse in the early 1960's. I have become so nostalgic about everything these days, I thought I would try to see if I could find original images of the Dreamhouse and of other doll furniture I use to play with. Leave it to Ebay and Etsy and you can find almost anything from your past! I thought I would pick out a few rooms and items that most remind me of my dreamhouse and I found a bonus house - Ken's! Or at least a miniature version of a very cool cat's den. These are some photos I have gleaned from other blogs as they appealed to me in one way or the other, mostly from my "mid-century modern" file and my "color" file.

I would have to fight tooth and nail with Barbie over who gets to live here!

I would add a room divider like this one to separate the bedroom.

I love the peacock blue from the chair in the original dreamhouse, so I think this whole arrangement will work. Besides, peonies of any color are my favorites!

I have to have this throw in case there is a Barcalounger covered in Naugahyde lurking somewhere. Besides, Barbie could never be unhappy wrapped in this... PS Nothing against Barcalounger or Naugahyde, I'm sure they've "come a long way baby" since the sixties!

Ken and Barbie will have to fight over this artwork and vases, I think they would work in either space.

Now for "Ken's" turn or whoever this cool cat is, love his den! Look at this crazy wall!

Real life designer Doug Meyer made this really cool space.

And this one...

Okay, so now we know for sure that isn't Ken in the room above since this is his framed photo. We'll just have to use our imaginations as to whose house these accessories belong...

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T11:49:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was always a favorite holiday for my family, like most. I had the honor of decorating and setting the table from around the age of eight. Of course, I would help out in the kitchen a little bit, but not as much as some kids since I had the fortune of having my "Granny" live with us. So, between she and my Mom - we had two of the best cooks ever! I loved setting the table with my Mom's china, silver, beautiful serving pieces, the crystal and of course the linens! I still have her porcelain, a timeless Haviland pattern that I mix and match since it is white with a beautiful gold trim. However, the MOST precious holiday treat for me is seeing this old battered recipe - written in my Mom's own handwriting, which I have used year after year. You can see all of the spills and use this has gotten over the years, so it is good that we have this scanning technology to help preserve it for the next generation. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Head to Bed

2009-11-22T16:34:00.000-08:00

I warned you I had a passion for the bedroom, so here are a few more elaborate designs and ideas from some of my favorite magazines. Also, as I have said before and apologize ahead of time - I have been clipping pictures for so many years and never thought to label them before, thinking they would be for my eyes only. Now, that I am sharing through blogging, I very carefully label the source before filing my favorites away! Unless I get distracted... The photo above is from Elle Decor, October, 2009. It is so stunning in every detail, I especially love the curvaceous upholstered headboard.

I love artwork above a bed! Plus the two mirrored screens and matching bedside tables. I'm not a matchy-match person in general, but in this case the symmetry is stunning!

Now this is what I call layering! From Cottage Style, this is either a very unusual placement for a bed or they are using a free standing antique fireplace as the headboard. Either way it is so much fun and I love the mixture of crystal and shells!

What a gorgeous antique bed! Is it by Thonet or in the Art Nouveau style? This is one of those cases where I clipped wildly not even noting the source, just knowing it was a work of art in itself!

This is what I call cocooning! From the minimalist leather panels to miles of silk enclosing the bed - just makes me want to crawl in and call it home.

Cool and sophisticated, this is rich mahogany paneling with cream suede upholstered panels. A gorgeous master bedroom retreat featured in Luxe Interiors & Design, fall issue 2009.

From Southern Accents - Our Most Beautiful Bedrooms issue, Summer, 2009. I couldn't agree more! This stunning antique Indian palampore (bed hanging) in a popular "Tree of Life" motif, makes this bedroom so serene and lovely. I love all of these bedrooms and each and every one of them lend themselves well to simple bedcovers. Imagine they could all be done with Papillon Linens;-)

Simple yet Fabulous Headboards

2009-11-17T17:53:00.000-08:00

I could blog everyday about beautiful bedrooms - my favorite room of the home. I have to limit myself as I would post twenty a day, if I had the time! I will try and bring you some of my favorites that you may have missed, or would love to see again! The rustic, highly textured one above is perfect with this simple yet stunning setting. Just add washed linen-linens for more texture.

Here is a simple wood headboard that can hardly be seen, but the real star is the homeowners own photography. Artwork is always one of my favorite highlights for above the bed.

What imagination! A homemade slipcover from printed burlap bags. Notice how simple all of the bedding is when you have such interesting focal points as the headboard or above.

Here is a simple white headboard, but with all of the fabulous wallpaper available now, why not use the wallpaper as an entire headboard wall? You could change this every few years without breaking the bank and have a whole new look each time.

Yet another simple white headboard, but with the gauzy hanging above the bed and the way the light reflects through the hanging wicker pendants, you have a totally romantic and exotic retreat.

How simply elegant is this? A classic canned French bed with both head and foot boards. I love how they have kept this so monocromatic that it allows each piece in the setting stand out on it's own.

Okay, so this one is not so simple! This fantastic Colonial style four poster canopy bed is so dreamy and exotic, I just had to include it! I can just feel the tropical breeze...

Jackie Von Tobel

2009-10-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

What fun to find out that one of my favorite authors and designers lives right here in my city! Even more fun was actually getting together with her recently for lunch and learning more about her exciting career. Jackie Von Tobel has been in the design world for over twenty years, it was amazing how much we had in common from sewing at a very young age to testing out various areas of the design industry before settling on our passions.

She has done such various things as making wedding dresses, designing her own line of costume jewelry, running a successful business painting murals and decorative painting - to a full career as an interior designer. Then she became an author! Her first book The Design Directory of Window Treatments published by Gibbs Smith, is an incredible design reference book that should be in every designer/design lovers library. Now she has another brilliant book, one that just called out to me - The Design Directory of Bedding. This is not just any book, it is 530 pages filled with knowledge, resources and my favorite - thousands of color hand illustrations by Jackie herself! It even comes with a CD-Rom with all of the illustrations in black and white line drawings, what more could you ask for?

The answer to that question is - a gorgeous new fabric collection by Jackie! How amazing is this woman? I don't want to spoil all of the fun of you finding out for yourself. I will post just a few teaser pictures and you can see for yourself why I am so excited! Her full website will be up soon, so please check out her blog in the meantime.

Who me?

2009-10-24T13:02:00.000-07:00

I just found out that my delightful friend and customer, Maryanne from Beadboard UpCountry has nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger Award! What was she thinking? Or drinking, one might ask;-) Anyway, I will try not to be intimidated and take the plunge... You are suppose to tell seven things about yourself that most people who read your blog would not know. Hmmm where to start?

My love for design might have started when I got my Barbie's Dream House in 1962. This picture is from 1964, but I played with that thing for years! I remember my favorite part was rearranging the furniture, much more than playing with Barbie, herself! Funny, I have been preparing for an upcoming post on doll furniture and especially the "Ideal Petite Princess Dollhouse Furniture", which I adored! I wonder how many of you bloggers of my age had the same experience? I'll post more about it soon.

Next, I would say that I grew up in Kansas City, of which I am very proud! There is amazing architecture and I was lucky enough to spend most of my years in this house, which looks kind of scary in the winter, but it was pure heaven to me! It was definitely the biggest design influence in my life. It was built by one the the first female architects in this country - Mary Rockwell Hook. What she did inside and out of that home in the way of details and pure imagination, really sparked mine and I would spend years marveling at them. I was planning on doing a post about her in the near future because she was so amazing.

Now, for my true mentors and best friends for my entire adult life. They were the best parents, role models, characters and I miss them dearly, since their passing. They were stylish without even trying to be, generous to a fault and dear to all that knew them. I remember taking this picture like it was yesterday (1974) and I apologize for obscuring the gorgeous marble fireplace that was in our dining room. My Mom and Granny (she lived with us) sewed many of our clothes and would surprise me often with a "bedroom makeover" where they had made new bedspreads and curtains and re-decorated my room, just for fun! I started sewing myself at an early age and stayed with it through high school. In fact my senior projects were a winter coat and an elaborate quilt!

My precious children who I live for, who have brought so much joy into my life! I would not be who I am at all unless I were to introduce them to you. Eric is 25 and Anna is 21, I am so proud of both of them for they are the sweetest, brightest, funniest, most loving children that I could ever have hoped for. I just can't get a good shot of both of them in the same frame! What delights me to no end, is that they love each other and are so close, choosing to hang out together.

If you visited my post on dogs, you will have met my new baby "Vivi", here she is with my handsome husband - Max! This was two years ago, but isn't it amazing how their coloring is the same? Max is Belgian and a very talented man. I will blog about him someday, too! These two keep me laughing everyday, even when I am feeling my worst - they always can cheer me up. This goes for the rest of my family and friends of whom I could not live without.

What you might also not know about me (unless you read my press page on my website) is that I used to do many things before I owned this company. I did not go back to work until both kids were in school and then I started out of my home doing all kinds of design related things. My biggest accomplishments came when I owned The Chandler Collection (my namesake company). I was the very first to import new (as opposed to antique) whole cloth quilts, known as Boutis starting in the early 1990's. They were all of the rage at the time and still very popular. I designed the first "smocked curtain" that were sold in the wholesale market. Even today if you google them if they aren't by The Chandler Collection, then they are copies of my original design. I was thrilled and honored to be asked by The Museum of New Mexico to do thier first textile collection. That was probably the most fun in designing I have ever had. Lastly, I have done over 40 private label collections for stores and catalogs - in bedding. This is not something you can post on your press page! OK, enough about me. Now I get to invite seven of my favorite blogs to do the same. I've tried to choose some blogs that I know haven't done this yet, but some I'm sure already have.

The Paris Apartment

Opal Petite Clothier

Ice Milk Aprons

Jackie Blue Home

If the Lampshade Fits

knack

Beach Bungalow 8

A Vintage White

Our Best Friends

2009-10-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have lived with at least one dog my entire life. They are precious, lovable, amazing and sometimes as annoying as can be (sounds a little like kids) but I can't live without them! Here is a lovely, funny poem:

"Verse For a Certain Dog" by Dorothy Parker

Such glorious faith as fills your limpid eyes, Dear little friend of mine,
I never knew. All-innocent are you, and yet all-wise. (For Heaven's sake, stop worrying that shoe!)
You look about, and all you see is fair; This mighty globe was made for you alone. Of all the thunderous ages, you're the heir. (Get off the pillow with that dirty bone!)
A skeptic world you face with steady gaze; High in young pride you hold your noble head, Gayly you meet the rush of roaring days. (Must you eat puppy biscuit on the bed?)
Lancelike your courage, gleaming swift and strong, Yours the white rapture of a winged soul, Yours is a spirit like a Mayday song. (God help you, if you break the goldfish bowl!)
"Whatever is, is good" - your gracious creed. You wear your joy of living like a crown. Love lights your simplest act, your every deed. (Drop it, I tell you- put that kitten down!)
You are God's kindliest gift of all - a friend. Your shining loyalty unflecked by doubt, You ask but leave to follow to the end. (Couldn't you wait until I took you out?)

Send me your beautiful dog pictures as I will post them again, I didn't have room for all of them here. I also have a collection of cat photos, so I'll be looking for those, too;-) The doll at the top is my miniture dapple Dachshund - "Vivi" (short for Vienna).

Cote de Texas
Elle Decor

French Magazines
Vickys Yard Sale
Design Sponge
Desire to Inspire
Metropolitan Home
La Dolce Vita
This is Glamorous

Romance is Back!

2009-10-10T12:33:00.000-07:00

The latest company with the courage to rear it's head in this economic climate, and THE one to watch is the Martha Stewart "Dreamers into Doer's" contestant Cindy Jo Morgan. She is the owner of Soft Place to Land. Inspired by a long illness after 25 years in the cosmetic industry, and countless hours fostering, and rescue/volunteer work with Greyhounds, a Soft Place to Land was created. If you ever get the chance to chat with this (young) old soul, you will find the story worth a listen.

The only 100% Belgian Linen Sheet and feather bed cover collection, created and manufactured in the USA - a woman after my own heart! In her passion for creating romance with an "Old Hollywood" feel, Cindy Jo has created a Belgian Sheet line, believed to be the finest in linen being made in our Country today. The styles range from a simple and clean knife edge to a luxurious signature 5 inch ruffle all the way around the flat sheet - the perfect compliment with any of Papillon Linens top of the bed styles! These sheets have the softness and quality of true heirlooms.

In addition, she has created the Bemberg 1940's movie star inspired line. It breathes new life into the bedding industry as we know it. The Bemberg fabric circa 1930's and the 1940's, provided movie stars of that era silk quality goods, from the USA. This new designer is bringing this all but forgotten fabric to you, once touched, you will be amazed buy the pure luxury of this special secret blend that mimics silk of a bygone era.

After all, at the end of the day we all deserve A Soft Place to Land.....

End of the Bed

2009-10-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

My main focus with home decor is the bedroom, being the linen merchant that I have been for so many years. I wanted to share some of the many styles of "end of the bed" benches & ideas that have made it into my files. This will probably be a two part series since I have so many. I will also be posting headboards and other ideas for "head of the bed", soon. I collect all styles, not just my own style, but there are some really great ideas here. Above, you will see my slip covered design which is what I would call romantic.

Ooh La La, I love this!

I love this elegant iron bench!

Beautiful tufted bench would work in many decor styles.

Elegant country style small settee.

Perfection in poufs!

Even though this is a small bench, once you add the rolled up quilt it stands up to the bold bed!

Double your pleasure - just gorgeous!

If you have the space, why not make a whole seating arrangement?

Probably should save this for the "headboard" post, but I just love this!

Slightly Asian inspired bench - and another stunning headboard.

Simply beautiful!

Love the pairing of the half-wall behind the headboard and the simple wooden bench.

Wicker - always a favorite.

Glamorous Lucite benches from The Paris Apartment.

Pierrot Cries for the Cause

2009-10-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

I could not resist posting this bit of vintage fabric that I have in my collection. Pierrot crying amidst the pink blossoms always makes me cry. He seems to be looking to the heavens for hope and answers in some of the poses and utterly sad in others.

It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2009-10-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

I am so inspired by Megan at Beach Bungalow 8 that I wanted to join her call for other bloggers to mark this occasion with honor. So far, I am one of the lucky ones that has not had breast cancer in my family, but too many of my family members have been affected or died from other types of cancer, so I do want to champion this cause. I think it is a wonderful tradition to designate the color pink, as I believe it is a beautiful, feminine color that most women love from their earliest memories and can relate to the softness and calming effect it has. I have always loved pink and have been collecting pictures of beautiful pink bedrooms for 20 years. I have hundreds of them and some inspirational pictures in pink that I wanted to share today. I hope you will be reminded to get checked on a regular basis and always take good care of yourselves. Thanks again, Megan!

Amazing Blogs

2009-09-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

I follow many blogs and I love them all, each with their own personalities and styles - just like all my old favorite magazines, some of which are no longer in existence. I have an unquenchable thirst for all things relating to beautiful homes and so I have decided to write about one of my favorite blogs. It is Cote de Texas and I know it is extremely popular and probably everyone already knows about it, but after yesterdays post, I just had to make sure that if you haven't yet discovered it, that you will now. It is an amazing post and quite long as far as posts normally go, but the story and all of the gorgeous photos just blew me away. It is about her top 5 design elements and I couldn't agree more with her about every single one of them. I am thrilled to know that she considers Linen to be in the top three! As you know, I sell all things linen - mostly white, ivory and natural and I have been pushing more colors lately. So if you want to add just a touch of color and linen to any decor check out our Ghent boudoir and decorative shams, and don't worry about the wrinkles;-)

Best New Product Award!

2009-09-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

I'm still unpacking from the NYIGF and ran across an award that our Dreamfit™ quilted sheet sets won! We were in the top three finalist for the Best New Product Awards with the Tencel fiber quilted sheets. These are the most amazing sheets and the only sheets I will ever use. There are two patented components in the design of these wonderfully soft, Eco friendly and beautiful sets. The first one being the technology that keeps the fitted sheet securely on any size of mattress and the other being the unique quilted decorative top sheet with the smooth flat sheet underneath.

I also wanted to thank my very good friend Denise Copp, for making us some of her fabulous custom trays! She will customize any shape, design/color combinations to suit your taste. We had her make us one with our own universal monogram on it and another for fun - Hotel le Papillon!

I was also thrilled to have my own "Papillon" french notebooks on hand to use as journals for business cards and notes on new customers. These are amoung literally thousands of great products from The Laughing Elephant, check them out!

New York International Gift Fair

2009-09-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

The NYIGF was held a few weeks ago and I am just now getting around to posting about it! Needless to say, it was an exhausting yet positive experience. I can only applaud my friends from the terrific id-810 design group for their great design plan for our booth and all of the work that went into it! After fifteen years of managing by myself (booth design and setup) I decided to ask for help this time and the results were far beyond anything that I could have achieved from across country. It was like designing a temporary set for a theatre production with hundreds of details to tend to and a story to be told. The story being the promotion of all products shown within the confines of a 12'x20' space, amidst a huge convention center with thousands of other companies vying for the attention of buyers. Not an easy feat, and not without plenty of drama! We were extra lucky to have the considerable help and talent of our two other booth mates - Dreamfit™ - for the best fitting, best selling sheets made in America, and the brilliant Lucite furniture designs from The Paris Apartment . We were also able to use some of the other items that are sold through the website, like the fabulous armoire and chandeliers. What a great team effort and my undying thanks to all!

Beadboard UpCountry

2009-07-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to be posting this story and pictures from one of my favorite customers, Beadboard UpCountry! When I met Maryanne Flaherty (the owner) at a Dallas Market, I instantly liked her and felt we had a strong connection with our design styles. She has such a great sense of humor she is a blast to work with! She describes herself as a California girl with Texas roots, and her incredible store reflects her vision of an upscale Euro Country Lifestyle, that is perfect for her customers that come from all over Texas, California and the rest of the country.

Her store itself is a completely restored Farmer’s Bank building in the Classic Revival Style on Brenham's "Main Street" district which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Brenham lies halfway between Houston and Austin and is 20 minutes from the renowned Round Top Antiques Fair.

Customers browse to the sounds of Parisian jazz, and enjoy her beautiful vignettes of tabletop landscapes, decorative accessories, fine linens, home fragrances and toiletries from France and Belgium, and her custom upholstered and slip covered furnishings, just to name a few of the delights that greet you.

She has a large fan club including Ann Williams from Hill Country House . I was inspired by Ann's great story on Beadboard UpCountry a little while back, take a look (more pictures!)since she does this blogging and story telling full time, and it shows! To top it all off - Mayanne goes to Maison et Objet every fall (I'm so jealous) and has been awarded the Texas Downtown Association's "Best Commercial Interior" of 2007! What an honor and what a pleasure to have Maryanne as a customer!

Romantic Journey

2009-06-25T15:58:00.000-07:00

I am particularly proud of my friend and customer Tammi Swanson! I am a strong advocate for creative and entrepreneurial women and she just knocks me out with all of her talents. She started out in the fashion industry of Paris, Tokyo, New York and LA where she was a successful model and fashion photo stylist. That is when she and her husband met. They have worked as a highly sought after and acclaimed photography team for nearly 14 years. For Tammi, her beautiful children are her muses. She is passionate about photographing children in a timeless, romantic fashion that to me has an ethereal quality. Tammi’s latest incarnation is the most charming collection of children’s clothing I have ever seen. This quote from her blog - “Opal Petit Clothier is inspired by the children in renaissance paintings and pale sea/sand colors” is perfect! She named the collection after her Grandmother and it just happens to be her birthstone, as well. Her heart is always in the right place - she wants to allocate a portion of her sales proceeds to go for a charity involving children. We are going to work on this and try and coordinate so that I can start this practice, as well. For a fantastic voyage, check out her many sites and you too, will feel the enchantment that I have. All photography, photo styling and clothing designs by Tammi Swanson.

PS I couldn't resist adding the three bottom shots of Tammi's daughter Mia Bella (one of her top models) playing here in her bedroom. Notice her bed is done entirely in Papillon Linens and the rest of the room is so beautiful!

La Ville de Mille

2009-06-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

I love how the blogeshpere works! You get to sit at home and see beautiful photos of others lives, families, homes, inspriations and musings. I just happen to find this great blog since they have Papillon Linens as an inspration!! Imagine how excited I was to find that someone from Norway liked my products enought to put a link to my site! I just spent half an hour going through this blog and I felt like I was there for a moment, in a country I have always admired from my early school days when learning about it. So much of the wonderful Scandinavian design that I love, the natural and simple way they approach design is almost organic. I hope they don't mind my borrowing these pictures that inspired me, thank you La Ville de Mille!

The Paris Apartment

2009-06-02T18:39:00.000-07:00

I am so excited! One of my favorite blogs The Paris Apartment has posted our sheer linen tie top curtains on their site! What a compliment to be on there, thank you! These are one of my favorite products and they just look beautiful in any setting. I especially love them when the windows are open and they flutter in the wind. For me it is a mini beach holiday every time I see this! The author of the blog, Claudia Strasser wrote the book The Paris Apartment, Romantic Decor on a Fleamarket Budget and I just ordered it and can't wait to get it. As some of you may know, I traveled to France for years on buying trips when I owned The Chandler Collection in the 1990's. There is still nothing like the thrill of going to Paris and shopping, eating, drinking and just soaking it all up! I have always loved the way the French make everything so stylish. My first trip to Paris was when I was 17 and I went for a summer to be an au pair. As soon as I arrived and went up to my little hotel room, glanced out the window at the roof tops - I had my first and only real experience with déjà vu. I knew instantly I had been there before! It really was such a profound experience and it has never happened to me since. I am definitely a Francophile! Bises...

Vintage crochet for our "Flanders" collection

2009-05-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

I know many of you are sorry to see our "Flanders" collection change from what we have been offering for three years. However, now that I have made the commitment to make my collection here in the USA and not import from countries where I can't monitor or trust the entire process from start to finish, I have chosen to use only "vintage" crochets for my Flanders items. Not only is it reusing (recycling) something already made - usually by hand, but it adds to the romance and mystery when thinking of the talented women from the past that have made these lovely crochets to enhance a tablecloth, a pillow case, etc. I have sewn all of my life but never tried knitting or crochet. I don't think I would have the patience to spend hours on such delicate pieces of art! And that is exactly what I think of the hundreds of crochets that I have collected over the years just for the sake of their beauty. Now I will offer "one of a kind" or limited editions of shams, duvets, pillowcases and curtains in a customized fashion. You, my customer, can choose the color and size of crochet and the color of the linen in which to make these beautiful items. I have mostly small yardages in which to make shams, but I was fortunate enough to find unused rolls of hundreds of yards of the crochet from Germany that you will see in the following pictures. Also, a rack of just some of my treasures after I lovingly wash and dry them. There are some imperfections and some stains that would not come out, but I will always send pictures in advance and point out any small flaws. I personally think they add to the authenticity of their vintage nature. I have also been asked what I use on my own bed so often that I am including a picture of my "summer" bed.

Dreamfit in the blogesphere

2009-05-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

One of our stocking dealers had a story in the Cool Hunting blog the other day. This will be the first published story about the Dreamfit quilted sheets! We have the exclusive right to sell these to designers, boutiques and other outlets that do not want to invest in stock and can order one set at a time to be dropped shipped directly to you or your customer. We are working on a sample kit for customers, but in the meantime, if you have an interested customer or would like to check them out - please contact me and I will send some samples. Sweet dreams;-)

We were represented in High Point;-)

2009-05-12T19:51:00.000-07:00

My good friend Simon Scott, owner and designer at Jardins en Fleur, chose our Tencel quilted sheet set for his display bed. It was a great pairing of a diamond motif on the quilted sheets and the bamboo style fretwork on his exclusive linen blend print. The bed itself was the hit of the show, it is called "Soleil" because of the sunshine-like rays that emanate out of the foot board and in the roof of the canopy. It is shown here in "Blanc de Chine" white. His other exclusive fabrics are the Alicante Ikat, Chinoiserie Silhouette Toile, and the Bamboo Fret. They are all available to us to make into anything in our range. We were quite happy to be a part of this magnificent display, so thank you Simon! Also showing with Jardins en Fleur, my friend Troy from Urban Nature had some new designs - just look at these living wall art pieces! They are the most fun and stylish way to add live plants into your environment when you don't have a green thumb!

Young, Hip and Creative Designers - id 810 design group

2009-04-08T11:58:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to start a new addition to my regular news and other posts. This will beome a frequent place for me to publish about you - my customers, your store or for designers - your special projects featuring Papillon Linens, of course;-) I invite all of you to submit your stories and photos for this blog. It is with great pleasure that I introduce id 810 design group.

"At id 810 design group, our goal is to make our clients' homes a blend between luxury and comfort, innovation and practicality. Our designs adapt classical principles to modern day spaces. We know the importance of deadlines and budgets and sticking to them.
We pride ourselves on listening carefully to each individual's needs, working within each client's budget and specifying furnishings from "trade-only" to affordable retail products and making the two fit seamlessly. Whether you are a design savvy client who struggles pulling your different ideas together, or you are someone who doesn't even know where to begin, id 810 design group will help you focus your wants and likes into a cohesive style. Our main objective is to turn your house into your home and we want your home to reflect you. It should look like you designed it with a little help from us, not the other way around."

"This is a house that we designed in Westhampton Beach, NY - the clients are a young couple with a baby and they love entertaining, but since it's a summer home, we of course wanted to keep it a bit casual and carefree as well. It was also important that even though The Hamptons is typically a summer vacation spot, the house would be equally warm and cozy in the winter as it is comfortable and "beachy" in the summer. The husband has very modern taste, while his wife prefers more traditional furnishings, so we gave them a little bit of both with the Louis style chairs and the Parsons table (as a side note, we couldn't find a table in our price range that could seat 12, so we had our carpenter combine two Pottery Barn tables to give us the length we needed). This combination of styles, as well as the pops of coral color, continue throughout the home, which was especially important because the floorplan is very open and one room flows to the next. We are all thrilled with how the home is turning out - our next part of the project is the huge outdoor space which will have several seating areas including a firepit for chilly nights, an outdoor bed for lounging and several intimate seating areas."

More Product Pictures Coming Soon...

2009-03-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

I had the best opportunity recently! I got to go back to Los Angeles to have a photo shoot of some of my new colors in variations of my standard line, as well as some new Dreamfit® products that I am so happy to be selling now. The best part was having my two grown children Eric & Anna with me, visiting and working along side me for three days! I was so proud of how hard they worked for me - just because. My daughter also did some modeling for us and that was really fun. I was able to pick such a fabulous photographer, David Roberts from Silver Lion Designs. You will see more of his work when I can put all of the pictures on my website. Another amazing thing was to be able to have the location in my old office building - Spring Arts Tower. It was great seeing all my old friends there. There was an Art Crawl one of the evenings and it was wonderful to see how transformed downtown LA has become in the 2.5 years that I have been gone. A huge thank you to some of my favorite companies that helped by allowing me to use some of their incredible products as props! The fantastic company Cisco Brothers and Cisco Pinedo for all of the beds, Jardins en Fleur and Simon P. Scott for such beautiful and stylish lamps, screens and an eye popping étagère. They have had many items popping up in Elle Decor and many other blogs and places. Last but not least - Urban Nature the brain child of Troy Silva for his modern planters with contemporary greenery. It was such a privilege to work with these masters of design!

Las Vegas Market

2009-02-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

Designers, designers and more designers! Thank goodness for them. I think they and my regular brick & mortar stores that haven't seemed to be hit by the economy will be my biggest customers this year. I am so glad I started over a year ago setting up for a more customized business with not a lot of overhead and inventory. I am still selling off the remnants of my Indian stock, but we are getting down to the end of that. I am far happier with custom orders and my customers are, too.

I am thrilled to be bringing in some new products to offer that complete and compliment my existing line. Welcome the famous Dreamfit® sheets! They are the best product innovation with the special patented features that will keep them firmly on ANY size mattress. Not to mention they are made in the USA and they are simply dreamy to sleep on. I will be offering the 400tc up to 1020tc in the finest cotton of all Supima® cotton. Their latest innovation presented at market are - their quilted top sheets and pillow cases that are sold of course with their fitted sheets that are guaranteed to never bunch up or come off. Stay tuned for more information on these divine products and take a look at the fabulous way they add texture to my beds from the show.

I was so happy to share a booth with my long time friend and colleague from 1993 - Denise Copp. She has been an inspiration to me and to so many personally, and as an artist. She has reinvented herself many times to keep ahead of the trends (and because everyone knocks her ideas off;-), all of the beautiful hand painted items in my booth are made by her and you can visit her e-store at http://www.hungonwords.com/.

New York International Gift Fair

2009-02-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

I just returned after a week of exhibiting at the Gift Fair. WOW! It exceeded my expectations for sales given the economy and the last few dead shows. I had the chance to show my new colors and many new designs. Unfortunately, I take horrible pictures! The worst part of the show was hearing of all of the closings of so many magazines! My favorite "Domino" made me weep. All of the fabulous editors being replaced at Country Living, what are they thinking!? Cottage Living - gone, and the list goes on. I can only hope that when the economy comes back - they will too! My heart goes out to all my editor friends, I will keep you in my thoughts and meditations.

Viva Victoria!

2008-12-16T18:13:00.000-08:00

Long live Victoria Magazine! I know I was one of millions of fans of the magazine before they closed, and now one of the millions of fans to welcome them back! They do Romantic like no other. That brings me to the latest issue for Jan/Feb 2009 in which our linens add to the romance of white. I always look forward to the design magazines "winter white" issue as it is always a sign of the new year and brighter things to come. This year we all need a touch of hope and sparkle to help us remember things will get better;-)

Full Circle

2008-09-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

It is a bit ironic that I am now doing what I originally started out with over fifteen years ago! I started importing 48 different colors of Belgian linen for a bedding collection and 60 colors of Italian linen for tabletop. The problem back then was that all I could really sell were the white and cream! Customers were also very reluctant to buy 100% linen, being against ironing. Well, I have come full circle now and I have been selling 100% linen for over two years now and 99% of my customers machine wash and dry the linen, so that is not an issue any more. In fact, they love the linen so much that I am now offering it in 34 colors in 1 weight and 78 colors in another! This time the colors are selling! To help with this I am offering linen swatch cards with all the gorgeous colors to have in your stores and design studios. You can order yardage, order any of my bedding styles or my furniture pieces in any of the colors. I will be offering as my stock program - white, ivory and natural, yet have all the colors available for ordering as well. These are beautiful European linens and are in stock here in the USA, so do not worry about long lead times. The cost is fantastic in both the yardage and my made-ups, so let your imagination run wild! Or not, because the look can be the classic style of antique linens or contemporary with color - you now have the choice.

Made in the USA!

2008-09-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time in the making, but we are finally well on the road towards having all of our goods Made in the USA. This has been a 15-year dream for me and the time has finally come to do something about it. Our prices will go up just a bit, but in the long run, the pros far outweigh the cons of making this change. Not only does it help keep and create jobs in our country, but also it reduces pollution and there will be no more overseas container shipping delays. We think your customers will appreciate it, as well. Our packaging will be improved, our lead times and the consistency of the fabric and product. We are buying linen that has already been imported to this country from the European continent, thus vastly improving on the regularity and quality of the linen that we use and our ability to order it quickly! For all of our collections, the linen is very fine, beautifully woven and super soft. It is extremely durable and can be washed and dried for years to come! The linen we will use for our Papillon Maison furniture collection is also fantastic and comes in 73 mouth-watering colors! We are offering for sale - linen by the yard in both our bedding weight and upholstery weight. You can order the swatch cards with all colors and more information to have on hand for your customers to see. We are offering a huge warehouse sale starting today to clear out the old goods and make way for the new! Take advantage of this by contacting us for a private code to see all of the sale items, quantities and sale prices on our web site. We are excited to have found the best furniture makers to produce our small collection of pieces for Papillon Maison. Now you can order any of our selected styles and if you do not see what you want - we can probably do that, too! Let us know (preferably by email) what you need and we will do our best to accommodate you. Thank you and keep checking this blog for more news updates!

Domino Magazine

2008-06-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

I just love Domino Magazine! They did such a beautiful job of styling our Flanders linen pillow case in this very cool bedroom! This reflects my personal taste of mixing antique linens (our linens are new but most styles made to look antique) in a more contemporary setting. This photograph couldn't be more perfect!

Shopping in Nashville

2008-06-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

One of our longtime favorite stores - Gilchrist, Gilchrist in Nashville, TN has a new famous client! Nicole Kidman, who now lives in Nashville with her country singer husband - Keith Urban, has found a great place to shop! She recently wiped out the store's stocks of Papillon Linen's Hasselt napkins, His and Hers hand towels and our Brussels hand towels. We don't know what else she bought, but Gina Gilchrist had to order more of those items to fill Nicole's order and to fill her depleted stock! I'm a big fan (of both the store's owners and Nicole Kidman) so it was really fun for me to hear. Let us know about your famous customers or interesting stories...

Coastal Living

2008-06-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to congratulate one of our customers - Hilary Sinauer, the owner of Blanche and Mimi Home, in Portland, ME. She sold some of our products including a Knokke Euro sham's that ended up on the cover of Coastal Living! We were all very excited to see what a beautiful cover shot it was. She has a beautiful, sunfilled shop in the "Old Port" area of historic downtown Portland

Elle Decor

2008-05-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to have Madaspen Home, one of our stocking dealers, be the one to provide the Hasselt Euro shams for Cristina and Chris Cuomo's weekend house in the Hampton's! Their master bedroom was a beautiful full page shot in the June issue of Elle Decor. The rest of this home was stunning and we are pleased to be in such great company.

Bébé Papillon

2008-05-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

Finally Here. We have just finished a photo shoot for our new baby collection. We will be adding the pictures to our website as soon as they are all ready, but in the meantime we have started slowly adding them for you to see. Our new line of baby bedding is made from the softest 100% linen and is complimentary to our existing line of adult bedding and accessories. We have used the old European style of raised satin stitch embroidery to create a very beautiful and romantic style for the nursery. Our collection is small but classic. We offer two styles of crib bed skirts and bumper pads (with removable insert) in white linen to go along with our duvet and boudoir size pillow shams in six different designs. These include the Hasselt design borrowed from our popular adult bedding, our signature Papillon set which is a soft white on white embroidered design, our Fleur, Knokke, Le Zoute, and Petit Cado sets. We use pre-washed linen and recommend machine washing and drying with no ironing necessary. This natural fiber is one of the best to sleep with for any age. We also carry fitted crib sheets in linen and a variety of linen curtains for the home, nursery or to use as bed hangings.

www.papillonlinens.com/baby

Welcome Friends

2008-05-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

This is my first encounter with blogging, so please bear with me while I learn the process. Any comments or suggestions are gladly welcomed. My main objective is to communicate news, any changes, delivery schedules and just basic information and tips for my customers and anyone else that happens to wander by. My favorite part of this business along with the design and creative process, is to speak with and communicate with my customers. I am hoping this will give me a broader chance to do that with a blog. I also want to be able to share special news about your store or projects and be able to post your pictures of same. Blogging is a great way to unite a community that has similar objectives and ideas. For instance, if you have put together a particularly great display using our linens - mixed with others or not, and would like to share your success with others - this is your chance. I will even have contests and free giveaways, at times. I am eternally grateful for your support and please let me know how I can better serve you!

My Best Regards,

Leigh