design show

Exactly five years ago M comes to town and we go to the Architectural Digest Design Show. Today we go again.

My hope is to find the perfect coffee table that is small enough, 42 inches by 27 (and affordable enough) to go with my sofa. And to find a perfect rug that can be made big enough (16'8 in by 12) and not cost (as my mom would say) a fortune.

I meet M at 10:45. The show, at one of the Piers on 12th street, is already busy. We had pre-bought tickets and getting in and finding M is quick.

We start at the back and I immediately see these colorful hand-blown bottles from a company called Vetro Vera and fall in love. M tells me that my apartment is looking too clinical with all the beiges and soft greys. 

Next, I see a booth from a company called Snowe. I wouldn't have thought that my purchase today would be a terry slate/bluish grey bathrobe, but at $79 I can't resist. 




We then spend time at MINI OYOY, a designer of unique baby and kid items. M ends up buying a tooth fairy pillow, wooden blocks with a portable tracked rug, and a few other precious items. 

This is not what we thought we'd be getting at a home show, but we are both pleased with our purchases.

I see a coffee table I like.  It's beautifully crafted by a Minnesota company called Woodsport. The owner can make this round coffee table into an oval shape in the size I need. I am definitely thinking about it. His work is exquisite. 

I also fall in love with an orange lucite vase from LePage New York. M and I spend a fair amount of time finding the optimum flower arrangement. I am about to buy it, until I'm told the final price. At slightly over $1,000 it's too much.

We see some beautiful alpaca throws by Alicia Adams Alpaca, but end up buying none.

I have no luck finding a rug. Everything I want is stratospherically priced.

There are vendors for appliances, sliding doors, floors, tiles, garden designs, and everything else you can think of for a home. 

By two, we have seen most of the show, and are hungry and ready to leave. We cab over to The Harvard Club where M is staying. With just a few minutes till closing, we are allowed into the dining room, which is serving a buffet lunch for another ten minutes.

We load up on salads, lamb, vegetables, and desserts. The quite, reserved atmosphere is conducive to a relaxed, un-rushed meal.

Whenever M visits, I feel like I'm on vacation.  It's always effortless fun.