Current
By Tracy Bulla -- Home Accents Today, 1/1/2007




Eloquent Lessons




Eloquent Ink founder Shawn Laughlin has moved the nature-inspired designs that grace luxury stationery products to the table — literally, with luxe, large-scale porcelain plates and bowls that are produced in a partnership with local potters. The former commercial filmmaker and passionate still photographer combined her love of the visual with her equally passionate love for cooking and dishes, resulting in a striking collection mannerly enough to rest on any table (or not, as the case may be — Laughlin encourages customers to view the line as decorative objects). This month, Eloquent Ink will roll out platinum designs to complement the gold, as well new floral and botanical designs to bring the total number up to 15. Retail prices range from $90 to $125.
White Hot
Luxury soft goods company Ankasa has launched Ankasa White Label, a collection of bedding and decorative pillows at a lower price point. "We have had such an amazing response to our core couture collection, but the offerings are limited to the luxury sector," said Jodi Sandman, vice president. "We want to offer the same fashion-forward color stories and finishings, but at a fraction of the price." White Label will always relate back to the original collection, highlighting surface textures and offered in fine Egyptian cotton sateen. Duvets will retail from $425, sheet sets from $300 and decorative pillows from $125.
Sophisticated Scents
Design house Scalamandre has launched its first home fragrance collection to accent the luxury home. Holiday, the first candle in the collection, blends rosewood, jasmine and Oriental spices with additional fragrances on the horizon for introduction this year. The two-wick candle is packed in a glossy box featuring two of Scalamandre's signature patterns: Pillemont Toile and Pomfret. "The candle is the perfect indulgence for the holiday season — it will add to the environment of any room," said Mark Bitter, co-president/ CEO of Scalamandre. The candle is priced at $48.
Paint Perfect

New to the market is Dover Studio at Home, a furniture and accessory company sponsored by Sherwin-Williams. Hand-painted and manufactured in the USA, the fresh designs layer color and large-format pattern for a distinctive twist. Three separate collections offer a different stylistic touch: the Source Collection extracts classical design elements, such as a pineapple or damask, and transforms them to suit today's lifestyle. Most of the design motifs are interchangeable, in that they can be applied to multiple pieces of furniture. Retail prices range from $124 for a mirror to $3,710 for an armoire.
Chic Sheets
Luxury linen vendor Matouk has entered into a licensing partnership with Lulu de Kwiatkowski, founder and chief designer of Lulu DK fabrics. The debut Lulu DK Matouk Collection features six prints in 500-thread count percale, each in up to seven color choices, and includes accompanying quilts. The initial collection will be unveiled at the International Gift Show in New York this month, blending Kwiatkowski's signature modernist, eco-chic designs with a fashionable palette of Cranberry, Wheat, Ocean, Honeydew, Chocolate, Sky and Red. "The launch of our partnership is a great moment for Matouk," said George Matouk Jr., president . "Lulu's designs are original and modern, yet classic and warm."
Pattern Play
Tricia Guild, founder of London-based Designers Guild, has debuted her 12th design book, a must-have for textile lovers. Simply entitled Pattern, the designer's trademark mix of color and pattern is brilliantly spotlighted on every page. Divided into chapters like Geometrics, Botanicals and Indian-inspired patterns, Guild's book lays out a primer on textiles with exquisite photography to match, all in glorious, saturated hues. "By exploring just some of the many different patterns that have inspired and continue to inspire me," Guild said, "it is my hope in this book to communicate some of my own deep fascination with pattern and encourage others to develop their own." Retail price $40.



























