Email  Print  del.icio.us  digg  yahoo!  Comments  Feed

Whether you’re looking to furnish an entire home, or simply looking to do some chic accessorizing, Seattle’s style scene provides a plethora of options. But these wonderful wares don’t materialize out of thin air; they’re the result of extensive hunting expeditions by Seattle-area retailers and showroom owners. From Vegas to Paris, local design gurus travel the globe to bring back a world’s worth of style.

New York International Gift Fair
Mary Jo and Danielle Thomas, the mother-daughter team behind Curtsy Bella (2920 NE Blakeley St.; 206-523-3221), the personality-packed décor store near University Village, attended the New York gift fair earlier this year. From colored toilet paper to glass decoupage trays—“We’re really excited to carry some amazing designs by Cindy Avroch,” Mary Jo Thomas says—the pair stumbled across some stylish accents to spice up your décor. Here are a few of their favorites:

Maison & Objet—Paris, France
This year’s trade-only show in Paris drew a record 101,206 international visitors. And while only 4 percent came from the United States, two of Seattle’s own were among that small percentage. Kelly Forslund (Seattle Design Center, Suite P-158; (206) 762-6076) and Jennifer West (Seattle Design Center, Suite A-100; (206) 405-4500), of their eponymous showrooms at the Seattle Design Center, share their thoughts on what’s hot straight from the capital of style.

“I noticed a broad spectrum of colors used, rather than a trend such as the blue-and-brown of last year,” Forslund says. “Lots of blues, greens and lavender throughout all lines.” One of her favorite ideas from the show was the use of ikats in fabrics. “This motif was used in almost every collection I saw,” she says.

A highlight of the show for both women was the flea market, where Forslund spotted a crystal chandelier inside a chocolate linen drum shade. “Tres Chic! The Europeans are great at mixing unexpected items together and layering to create a great effect,” she says.

Inspirational ideas were perhaps the greatest draw of the flea market. “It’s one thing to have a limitless budget and it is another when your budget is no greater than a shoestring and you want to capture a point of view,” West says. “I was amazed to see how dealers would transform a tiny space with the use of paint colors and a careful selection of materials.”

High Point International Home Furnishings Market
Twice a year, some of the greatest, latest designs from hundreds of furnishing manufacturers are unveiled to designers and retailers at High Point in North Carolina. Interior designer Faith Sheridan (206-774-6771) made the voyage to High Point this fall and shares some of her favorites. “Harrison and Gil inspires with furniture shapes, hand-carved, that find a designer asking ‘where can I place this?’ ” Sheridan says. “I especially like the nested tables—what a design statement!”

The designer also discovered Bungalow 5 (Bungalow5.com), which makes clever, fun furniture fit for many places, packed for easy shipping and well priced. “The Lao cachepot is an example of a classic form,” she says. She also reports that the custom-design trend is going strong with major manufacturers—such as Hickory Chair, Sheridan notes—inviting designers to create custom pieces with multiple finishes and upholstery customization.