BARBARA COSGROVE LAMPS NOW AVAILABLE AT LOFT32!

There's a certain intrigue associated with antique lamps. I believe it has to do with the mystery and unknown past of antiques, as well as being unique. 
Antique lamps are also known to serve as a "work of art" when decorating. Because of this title, they typically come with a hefty price tag! Today, manufacturers and designers strive to recreate this very look, by coming up with their own version of the "antique lamp".

I fell in love with Designer, Barbara Cosgrove's lamp collection. I decided to offer her lamps as part of my LOFT32 product line. As some of you may already know, when it comes selecting potential new products or textiles for LOFT32-I only carry products and textiles within a price point that my clients/customers (YOU) can afford and only the items I would put in my own home!

Barbara Cosgrove specializes in nouveau-traditional lamps (which can be used in almost any decor style). Owner and creative force, Barbara Cosgrove began designing lamps out of her garage in the mid-nineties. There, a company was born when she put her first collection of lamps together and headed for the Atlanta Market. Cosgrove's lamps are inspired by her background in the Arts. Her lamps sell to retail boutiques from Manhattan to Beverly Hills to Claremont ♥. Neiman Marcus features her styles in their "Make Room" catalog season after season. A commitment to quality, style and good taste has earned her lighting solutions an extensive following in the design community as well.
Barbara Cosgrove Lamps are regularly featured in publications, a few being: Elle Decor, Domino, Southern Living, Veranda, House Beautiful, Better Homes and Gardens, Country Living, Home Magazine, Southern Accents, Country Home and Midwest Living....and now, my blog!


Here are just a few of my favorites from her collection:

Sold as a pair, these light gold horse statue lamps are perfect...nothing better than a lamp that also adds flair! I ♥ these lamps. Antique bronze base and stem, with white shades.

It doesn't get better than these floor lamps, which double as a side table! Choose the white or black shade on either Gold or Silver option.

Another statue lamp! This sitting dog lamp can add eclectic charm to modern sophistication in any room. White dog statue with a grey/brown shade and antique brown base and stem.

Just like at the studio! These amazing theatre/spot lights are still raising eyebrows all over the design industry. They're timeless and brilliant in their chrome finish. Choose from 3 different size options.

Cream Colored Foo Dog lamps! There's always a place for a Foo Dog in your home. Medium brown shades for these puppies and they are sold as a pair.

Who doesn't adore a nice pendant!? Glam it up or bring it to a casual mood with these hanging beauties. They're available in two different shape options and two color options. Silver or Antique Bronze.

So, which lamp fits YOUR style best?



For pricing on the above lamps or others from Barbara Cosgrove's Collection, email me.

A STORY WORTH TELLING......CHAPTER II

As you might recall, from my previous post (Chapter 1), I realized that your home (and our home) is your book and the treasures in your home are small chapters! I promised to share more of my "chapters" with you, so here we are....

Chapter II-Trash vs. Treasure 
 
As you all know, the saying goes..."one man's trash is another man's treasure". Well, I believe there's some truth to that, and the saying that should immediately follow it is "the beauty (or shall I say-potential beauty) is in the eye of the beholder".
  
I wanted a very basic, but solid wood table in an espresso stain. I decided after seeing tons of "almost the right table" (a lot of them in veneer, and some that were VERY close, but way too expensive), that the only remaining option was to have one custom made.

In the meantime, what in the world would I do about the chairs? The furniture maker could make chairs, but I wanted them upholstered, not all wood. I went on another quest, for chairs. If I bought chairs from a retail store and had the table made, how would I get the stain to match? Then, I figured it all out...I was going to mix old and new-old (vintage) chairs and a new table. I narrowed it down to chrome chairs for a classic look and began searching for the perfect chairs-vintage style, classic and still in good enough condition that I can restore them myself. I wanted to keep the cost down, but as you know, once it's called "vintage", the price usually gets increased by about five notches! I searched online for 3 months! I searched Etsy, Ebay and Craigslist...until I found THE ones!

Someone who ate dinner in these chairs from childhood, through adolescence, into adulthood and now couldn't wait to get rid of them-posted six Chrome Vintage Chairs for sale on Ebay for a starting bid of $100! As I scrolled through the pictures, I KNEW they would be absolutely amazing with my new table (or table to be). I HAD TO HAVE THEM! Three days left in the auction and no bids yet.....okay, sounding good.....reading through the description, I stumbled upon the shipping details. The details said "PICK UP ONLY" ....oh noooo....and where were these chairs??? NEW YORK!!! (cue the record skipping noise)

I was NOT about to give up! I contacted the seller to ask if there was ANY way that she would consider shipping them to me (in California) if I bid and happen to win them. She was reluctant at first, but said if I researched the shipping method and found someone to also pack them, then she would do it. So, I researched my heart out and found out that she could ship them via Greyhound from a local station near her and right to a station here in my hometown! The shipping costs weren't too awful either. So, I placed my bid and WON them for only $100! (vision: me dancing around the house) But....then I get a call from the seller...oh no....but it was good news....she called to say that she found two more chairs (8 total) and if I wanted those too, then she would include them....let me think about it....UMMMM YEAH! 

Now, we had to plan on designing a larger table to accommodate 8 chairs, instead of six. Thank goodness the dining room was big enough to fit all of it! So, as you can see from the above picture, the chrome was a little pitted and had some scuffs and rust. The upholstery was a 1968 faux suede in a beige color and should have been replaced about 43 years ago! Once the chairs arrived, we removed the seats and backs, bought some really fine grade steel wool (0000), used a LOT of elbow grease and some chrome polish to clean up the chrome. They shined up really nice. We took them to our local upholster and selected a white leather fabric for them. Drum roll please.....

Once we had the table made, it was a match made in heaven!

And the WINNER is.....

....MARGI !! 

Way to go MARGI- YOU WON my blog giveaway!
You won...a gorgeous Set of 3 Decorative Antiqued Baskets. YAY! I just emailed you to get your address! Please send it to me so I can get these babies to their new home!
Congrats to you! And THANK YOU to everyone who entered. I'll have another GIVEAWAY in a couple weeks. So, stay tuned! 
In the meantime, be on the lookout for some more of my "Chapters"!!

OVER 500 FACEBOOK FANS=GIVEAWAY!!!!

On Monday, I'll be announcing the winner of this week's BLOG GIVEAWAY! That lucky person will receive...Set of 3 Wrought Iron Antiqued Decorative Baskets!

To enter, it's simple: FOLLOW THIS BLOG.→
(If you ONLY "subscribe", I don't know who you are, SO MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW!)



Good Luck!

A STORY WORTH TELLING...CHAPTER 1

As most of you know by now, I have a passion (okay...obsession) for home decor. I can look at home decor photos, read home decor blogs and books, watch home decor shows, decorate my home, offer advice to others, sell home decor items...and I'm still not over it. I don't exactly know why I love it so much, but I'm beginning to figure it out.

Last weekend I was browsing through some photos of our first home, good memories....and then I started looking around at our furniture and decor elements in our current home, which is a completely different style. Our first home was very traditional, while our current home is more of a transitional/modern/chic. Anyways, what I soon realized is that almost EVERY piece of furniture or accessory in the house has a great story attached to it. What I've discovered, is this just COULD be THE reason I'm so darn OBSESSED! What I'm trying to say is....Your home (and our home) is your book and the treasures in your home are small chapters!

For the next few posts, I'm going to share some of my chapters with you. I would love to hear some of yours too.

Chapter 1- Souvenirs

I've never been interested in buying mugs, snow globes, spoons, t-shirts, etc. while on vacation, because I couldn't figure out what to do with them. They were never quite as impressive as the memories we've made while on our little adventures, not to mention, I had nowhere to put them (meaning, I didn't want them integrated into my decor). So, what I do instead is take a lot of photographs. Not just of us, but photos of landmarks, historical monuments, and things that we know are unique to that particular city, country or place in general. Once we return from vacation, I go through all our vacation photos and select a few to keep in full color, some to make into black and white and once selected, blow them up into a much larger size. Then I mount them in gallery frames with matting and hang them in our house. What we get...are decor accessories, memories, one of a kind artwork and endless stories to tell. Below are a few examples, which hang proudly in our entryway.


Introducing... Manhattan, NY. And the most famous building in this shot is the
Empire State Building. In summer of 2006, we had the opportunity to visit this
gorgeous skyline.



Public Market Center in Seattle, WA. I was lucky enough to end up in Seattle in 2007. This is where all the fish throwing happens! Pike's Place Market is one of the most popular places within the Public Market.



Monterey Canning Company, located in Monterey, CA. In 2008, we drove to Carmel, CA. for our Anniversary and took a detour to Monterey for a little sight seeing.This is the where all the sardines used to get canned, right off the boat! Now, it's a very popular landmark and the address is the same as our Anniversary date...7/11!



Jack's Fish Spot and Crab Pot at the Farmer's Market in Seattle, WA. Also located in the Public Market, they had some very unique sea creatures! This entire area was so full of life and local culture. Everyone was so friendly and having a blast.

And....here are some of those photos displayed in my entryway. I feel so fortunate. Everyday I can reminisce about the amazing places I've captured in these photos....a moment in time, but a beautiful memory. The icing on the cake- it's such a great conversation starter when guests come over. Not to mention, it was an inexpensive decor project!

CHIC TALAVERA LAMPS FOR SALE!

The first time I layed my eyes on these beautiful lamps, I fell in LOVE! I thought it was too good to be true....Talavera pottery, with a chic and slightly edgy style, painted zig zag or striped finish...WHAT?!
I not only had to have them, but I had to allow YOU to buy some too!
So, today...I am extremely excited to be able to sell them! I don't have them on a shop site yet, but if you are interested, you can still purchase them from me.

First, let me tell you a little bit about how they're made and the history:

In a small historic village tucked away in the Guanajuato Mountains, small shops and vendor stalls line the cobblestone streets. Women and children, squatting on curbs, sell juicy limes and just-picked avocados. Vases, hand painted with bursts of brilliant flowers and squiggly designs, decorate the sidewalks. This is one of the best places in Mexico to buy Talavera pottery. This village is known for their superior quality for production of Talavera.

All art pieces are created totally by hand-from the molds that they use to shape the pieces, to the colorful final touches that these creative Artisans put into each piece. They do not use patterns to paint the designs, they use their amazing talent (freehand) to craft different designs that you are going to love. The Artisans specialize in all Talavera, not just lamps. They are masters of their trade and their talents are showcased in plates, sinks, tile, planters, vases, ginger jars and much more.

If you ever have the opportunity to witness the Talavera process, you will be blown away. We are so spoiled by machinery and the American way of mass production, that the intense work that goes into every piece of Talavera is astounding and demands respect for the artists who create each masterpiece. Each piece takes hours and hours to make, then hand painted by skilled artists who have been taught this tradition for generations.

Black Striped Lamp
Size: 10"w x 18"h
Price: $235.00

Burnt Orange Striped Lamp
Size: 8"w x 13"h
Price: $185.00

Blue Striped Lamp
Size: 10"w x 18"h
Price: $235.00
SOLD OUT!

Burnt Orange Zig Zag Lamp
Size: 10"w x 18"h
Price: $235.00 

Black Zig Zag Lamp
Size: 10"w x 18"h
Price: $235.00

I'll also be selling ginger jars and vases in these same patterns soon!!!! Contact me to purchase or check availability! loft32@verizon.net