Check out our guest from last week! Sister Parish and Ligne Roset.

Sister Parish

We love our friends at Better.TV whose decorating challenges always keep us on our toes. Some of the tips like color coordinating kids dressers to their clothes or making sure the room fits their size not yours are great pointers for all! Be sure to check it out.

Design on A Dime: An idea that WORKS…

The Talk at Tigerlily’s is always on the Home and how ”Housing Works!” It is why the non-profit that bares the same namesake is so important to us. The concept brainstormed over twenty years ago was a simple one, provide for those in need soup to nuts. From housing, to health care;  job training to legal services, Housing Works has made a tremendous impact on the blight of the homeless in the New York Metropolitan area.

With a tried and sophisticatedly spiced business model, Housing Works has generated revenue for its causes through nearly a dozen retail spaces in New York.  The shops are creatively merchandised to appeal not only to those who consistently shop for bargains but for the many who may not otherwise walk into shop with gently used offerings. I am huge fan of the space and especially the Yorkville location near my Upper East Side apartment and easy access to Greenwich, CT day-trippers. The treasures uncovered pull from a chest like exotic jewels. High-profile designer clothing mix with antique furnishings ripe for reupholstery and reuse.

DESIGN ON A DIME:

I am not the only one who juggles the virtue of giving back with an incredible opportunity to create Housing that Works for myself and for others. Design heavy hitters like Ty Pennington of Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Jaclyn Smith, Charlotte Moss and more are all behind this year’s sixth-annual Design on a Dime interior design charity extravaganza on May 6th that raises money for Housing Works. Held this year at the Metropolitan Pavilion at 125 West 18th in New York City, this year’s event brings together 50 of the world’s top interior designers to create unforgettable room vignettes with new merchandise, donated and then sold for 50 to 70 percent off retail pricing. Design on a Dime kicks off with a VIP sneak-preview shopping event on Thursday, May 6 from 6 PM to 9 PM for $150.  On May 7 & May 8 the event opens to the public free of charge to Shop Shop Shop!

We all know that saying first come first serve… so to get the best deals, you’ve got to be the first in the door on Opening Night! For more information visit the website: www.housingworks.org

For more on Housing Works, I chatted with the Richard Vorisek, the president of the organization to learn how  Decorating on a Dime turns into Dollars for Housing Works:

POKER4LIFE:

From Designing on a Dime to earning those dimes! Poker4Life founded by Ethan Ruby and Jeremy Schwartz in 2005 is a deck of cards filled with charity, personal pursuit and the idea that Power of Poker can bring about change for players and people in need. The mission, according to Ruby who we chatted with to on Talking Tigerlily’s is to provide a forum for professional, celebrity and everyday poker players to come together and support causes they believe in while playing a game they enjoy.

Ethan is family. His story is incredible, stacked with adversity and the will to find passion and meaning in life following a severe accident that left him confined to a wheel chair. A college athlete, Ethan’s life changed on route to his post-school Wall Street job when he was hit by a car on Orchard Street.   It was then that he needed to find a competitive outlet that made him feel that he was an equal in the field, and poker came back into his life. “You roll up to that table and the wheelchair doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s your mind against anybody else’s, and I like my odds in that situation.”  Ruby’s odds are a winning hand. He placed second out of 445 players in the 6th annual World Poker Tour (WPT) Invitational held in Los Angeles in March 2008. He is leading by example and using his success as a poker player to spread the positive power of poker. Money raised through Poker4Life goes to Spinal Cord Injury.

Next week, Poker4life .org looks to cash in on its charity event at the Manhattan Automobile Company. Tickets are still available on the website, poker4life.0rg. Star studded with the likes of NBA’s David Lee, to first time players the event has something for everyone including the opportunity to learn form the experts for card-minnows like me! Great door prizes and an opportunity to plat at the World Series of Poker main event, this is a most attend event. To hear more listen to our chat on Talking Tigerlily’s.

TALKING TIGERLILY’S:

We love to hear from our listeners and followers. If you have ideas or stories you would like to share, email us at tigerlilys@tigerlilysgreenwich.com. You can also stop by our store Tigerlily’s Greenwich at 241 East Putnam Avenue. Cos Cob CT. 06807. Our websites, tigerlilysgreenwich.com, talkingtigerlilys.com, samanthaknapp,com are on line to surf.

ENJOY! XOXO#

As a strong proponent of local content through news papers, I was thrilled when the Miami Herald asked me to weigh in on going green. Local papers like our Greenwich Time provide the best in community coverage with personal care and touch.  Anytime I can contribute in print, I leap in with all my energy. Enjoy the tips!

It is Easy Being Green

Loving the new furniture collection from South Hampton’s Jeff Muhs. He takes a  fresh look at 50′s modern furniture by updating  materials such as baltic birch and modern laminates, Muhs distills archetypal designs with a sculptural sensibility.

Muhs is a painter, sculptor, and designer based in Southampton, New York, USA. Muhs studied at the School of visual Arts in New York City.  Muhs lives and works in Southampton, New York with his wife, art dealer, Beth McNeill.  Visit www.jeffmuhsstudio.com/muhsstudiodesign/muhsstudiodesign.html for more details on the collection or call Muhs Studio, 1-631-287-7690 for more information.

The idea of natural resources is a deep thread for me. Below are tips on going green that I shared with the Miami Herald. ENJOY!!

I.          Reuse Renew Recycle: The mantra that guides the eco-concious lifestyle rings true in decorating. When approaching a room, home or commerical project I access what is already existing in the space and look for opportunities to Reuse Renew & Recycle. Reuse: Often the prexisting layout works, the size, shape deminsions of a piece fit in the floor plans. Furnishings have their own stories to tell, have a legacy, tradition and value as they pass generation to generation. The pieces can be reupholstered to change the look dramatically with new fabric, trim, nailheads, etc. In addition pieces that already exist can be moved to different areas of a home. Can the Buffet from the dining room be striped, stained, handpainted, batiked and reupurposed as a television Console with storage?   Can old fabric that you love be tranferred off an existing piece and cut & framed into art, pillows, napkins? What you don’t reuse winds up in landfils

II.          The Fourth “R” Reupholstery: I am firm believer in transforming what you have or what you pick up second hand via, flea markets, antique centers, bargain basements into something new with reupholstery. If you’re flying solo without a decorator or a interior design savvy friend, educate yourself on the service. There are many different stages of reupholstery ranging from simply striping off the existing fabric and swapping to new to gutting the piece down to its core frame and beginning from scratch. Bringing a piece down to its existing frame allows for a total green transformation. Don’t be afraid to ask the workroom doing the work for there suggestions on how deep you have to go…. In green upholstery it is important that the foam in not treated with brominated fire retardant which is a harmful chemical. Ask for natural latex foam and natural wool batting, down and feather fill for cushions. To prevent a feather in your tail, be sure the workroom uses down-proof ticking.  For finishing fabric, source textile companies that use organic cottoms. Fabric manufactuers like Oliveria Textils & Rubie Green offer vibrant, geometric patterns in organic cotton.   The finishing touch on new upholstery is pillows! I like gathering hand died fabrics from travels abroad and using them as accent pieces.

III.          Shop Smart: When shopping for clients, I run from retail to rummage room!  I carry a room layout with deminsions of what I think works in the space. It is a loose guide that gives me a plan of attack and guides the shopping experience. New retail stores and vendors in decorating and design buildings should have information about the contents fill and orgin of products to help you make your choice. The industry has evolved with demand and the options available are widespread. What was once a limited arena now caters to even high end luxury products with awareness to environmental impact. To shop outside a retail store, you must have an open mind! See pieces for their potential.  You are looking passed the piece for the bones, like a doctor examining an x-ray. A good wooden frame can be repainted, striped, upholstered over.

VI.          Community First: There is nothing more organic then hand crafted wood pieces from local artisans. When working with eco-concious clients, I dive deep into the clients’ green-community. At organic coffee shops, grocery stores or small artisan open markets, I look at bulletin boards for new sources.  Locally promoted artisans generally is easily approachable and can often create a custom finish that in not only in keeping with sustainability but one of a kind.

V.          Bring the Outside-In: Green-decorating is based on an ideology and decorating should be in unity with nature. When I approach a eco-project I immediately go outside for inspiration. Color palettes can be chosen directly from an outdoor adventure. Passionate for ocean waterfront translates into blue, seafoam hues. Passion for the forest evokes greens, rusts, bronze and minerals.  I also pull directly from the outside. At a salvage yard, discarded metals become unique valance boxes, storm torn trees become bases for coffee tables and stools

Setting the Stage: Expert Tips on Getting your House SOLD!

The Talk At Tigerlily’s this last week in March is marching forward and taking the right steps to creating a successful open house.  Nancy Rawls Dauk, a long standing Darien resident considered one of the top brokers nationwide by Unique Homes Magazine and Who’s Who in Real Estate in North America, shed light on the subject from several different points of view. With a passion for property and by incorporating the desires of potential buyers the needs of the sellers and the perfect climate for brokers, she offered several successful tips of the trade.

IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK:

Dauk warns that if your walls could talk, then you may potentially loose the interest of a buyer. Too many personal objects on the walls can be distracting and lead buyers astray into a world of who,what, where while looking at your memorabilia rather then looking at the bones of your home. For successful staging reduce what you have on your walls dramatically and create meaningful focal points, like fireplace walls and transitional walls that lead from one room seamlessly into another. It is also a good time to look at the state of your walls. “It’s amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do for a room – or a new soothing color such as a creamy beige or sandy tan,” said Dauk. It is also a relatively inexpensive way to renew your space.

A NOD TO NEUTRAL:

A neutral palette is ideal for selling your home.  Neutral colors have a soothing effect on buyers and help to camouflage furnishings that might otherwise stand out as dated, oversized, highly personal or stylized. When the furnishings disappear in the space, it opens up the space and allows buyers to see their own furniture in the space. Neutral tones and carefully edited furniture arrangements work hand-in-hand. Leave only the bare essentials in the room.  There should be enough seating in a living space for six, a sizable bed in each bedroom that fits the space but isn’t over powering. Too much bed and the room could look cramped. Exchanging a King for a Queen can trick the eye and open up a floor plan.  Add fresh white linens to compliment a neutral palette and translate as crisp, clean and luxurious.

SEE YOURSELF SOLD:

Once you successful sell you are one step closer to moving into your next space. Whether its growing needs of your family or a downsize, Dauk suggests taking some time to write your wish list. Imagine the next place you see yourself and create a prioritized list. Sometimes it is possible to have it all and sometimes one compromise can turn out to be the first step in the best decision of your life. Use open dialogue with your broker to ensure your needs are met. It can be difficult and exhausting to house hunt with a net cast too wide. Narrowing down specifics needs to create a clear concrete path to your next front door!

MORE INFO:

Nancy Rawls Dauk
Exec. Vice President
Halstead Property
Connecticut, LLC
671 Boston Post Road
Darien, CT 06820
Tel: (203) 656-6501

TALKING TIGERLILYS:

You can catch Talking Tigerlily’s every Tuesday on WGCH or WGCH.COM live 9:30AM-10:00AM.  Have an idea for the show? We would love to hear from you. Drop us a line at tigerlilys@tigerlilysgreenwich.com. In between shows, visit us at our design studio Tigerlilys Greenwich. We are located at 241 East Putnam Avenue across from the Cos Cob school or visit us on the web at tigerlilysgreenwich.com & talkingtigerlilys.com.