ENJOY A MASTER PEACE
Why not let great art soothe your slumber? For its new collaboration, Savoir Beds will turn any painting from the prestigious National Gallery in London into a made-to-order bed. Choose from three lustrous fabrics—linen, velvet or cotton—and from 2,300 paintings from the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Monet and van Gogh. Order your one-of-a-kind piece at savoirbeds.com.
WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Shades, blinds and curtains, oh my! Metropolitan Window Fashions has opened a new store in Green Brook (270 Rte. 22 W.), its second in New Jersey, carrying customized Hunter Douglas window treatments for every room of the home. This new location at Fabricland is also New Jersey’s largest fabric sewing and window fashions store.
Meanwhile, Hawthorne is now home to Lighting Studio (1050 Goffle Rd.), a new designer showroom that sells lighting and unique home furnishings and décor. Manufacturers include Visual Comfort, Troy, Mitzi and Corbett.
PAINT THE TOWN
There’s a very good chance that the paint splattered across your living room walls was born—and, well, raised—right here in New Jersey. Morris County’s Mount Olive is home to Benjamin Moore’s research and development center, where the colorants and base paints for the brand’s 3,500 hues are created and tested. And we mean really tested, as more than 25,000 boards containing paint on wood, aluminum, brick and other materials are evaluated 24/7 at the indoor and outdoor facility, sometimes for years on end, to ensure the finishes are fade-resistant, scuff-proof, durable and gloss-retentive, which are just some of the qualifications today’s customers are looking for in paint. Among those colors is Metropolitan AF-690, a light gray that’s Benjamin Moore’s official Color of the Year 2019, because, yes, the neutral hue is still the most desirable both in interior design and in real estate. Knowing the journey your paint made before it hit the can and your wall—and that it all began in the Garden State—really puts a whole new perspective on your living room, does it not?
HOME SHOWS TO CHECK OUT
Whether you’re looking to embark on a large-scale renovation or a minor home update—or just are seeking a little design inspiration—there are plenty of ways to get started right here in New Jersey this spring. Here are a few:
The interactive NJ Home Show, coming to Toms River March 30–31 and Voorhees on April 5–7, has home renovation experts on hand—think window treatments, kitchen remodeling and landscaping—to help you get started on your own projects.
- Ocean County Home Show, RWJBarnabas Health Arena, 1245 Old Freehold Rd., Toms River.
- South Jersey Spring Home Show, Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone, 601 Laurel Oak Rd., Voorhees; njhomeshow.com Then on April 14, add the finishing touches at the Somerville Arts & Crafts Festival, where 100 artisans will display their crafts and fine art, including paintings, pottery, jewelry, photography—the works.
- Somerville Arts & Crafts Festival, Main Street, Somerville; jcpromotions.info/ arts-crafts.
And what’s springtime in the Garden State without some fresh blooms? The 17th annual New Jersey Flower & Garden Show in Edison April 25–28 features gardening presentations, seminars, demonstrations and the can’t-miss Standard Flower Show that’ll make you want to up your own gardening game. This year’s theme is “Artists of the Past,” and there will be stunning and unique garden displays inspired by the magical world of Disney.
- New Jersey Flower & Garden Show, NJ Convention and Expo Center, 97 Sunfield Ave., Edison; njflowershow.com.
AND THE COLOR IS…
Every year, the folks at Pantone Color Institute designate an official color of the year for fashion and home design. The big winner for 2019? Living Coral, “a nurturing color that appears in our natural surroundings and at the same time displays a lively presence within social media,” as the company says. And as with most vibrant hues, a little goes a long way in the home. You need not paint a whole room in the golden-tinged hue (though an accent wall could make a nice statement, no?), but can start small with accent pieces, such as throw pillows, lamps, bedding or rugs. Coral and orange in general pair well with gray and white, or you can add in some turquoise for a beachy vibe. Here are some coral products we love:
BAN BATHROOM BLAHS
The bathroom is a room we can’t live without, so why should it be humdrum? It shouldn’t, says designer India Mahdavi, who has created a punchy new collection for Italian tile brand Bisazza (bisazza.com). The whimsical tub, sink and mirror come in pistachio, blueberry and, perhaps coincidentally, the 2019 Pantone Color of the Year, Living Coral.
MARCH HOME SALES
Thinking about buying or selling a home? Consider NJ Realtors’ real estate stats from last March—and how they compare with the prior year—while you’re scoping out the market:
11,976
New listings in March 2018, down 9.3 percent from 2017.
$290K
Median sales price of a single-family home in March 2018, up 7.4 percent.
$346K
Average sales price of all homes in March 2018, up 3.6 percent.
75
Average days all properties had been on the market, down 12 percent.
44,963
Homes for sale in March 2018, down 17.4 percent.
MUST-READS
Finally, an interior design book specifically for parents. Lifestyle expert and mom-of-one Erin Gates’ new book focuses on designing your home with kids in mind. Elements Of Family Style: Elegant Spaces for Everyday Life (Atria Books, $26) is full of candid advice on how to make your space stylish and beautiful yet practical and functional for the whole family.
World-renowned interior designer Bunny Williams’ new volume, Love Affairs with Houses (Abrams, $60), features stunning photos of 15 houses she’s decorated. It includes the personal stories behind each home as well as design secrets, like how to decorate with pieces that can have multiple uses and how to choose classic items for each room.
Have a friend who’s watching her design dollars? There’s a tome for her too. Betsy Helmuth shares her top tricks in Affordable Interior Design: High-End Tips For Any Budget (Skyhorse, $13). Learn how to create a gallery wall, how to choose paint colors, where to place accent tables and more in this book that’s for both DIY novices and experts alike.
HOME DÉCOR FROM DIOR
Dior has been using the Toile de Jouy pattern in its designs since 1947. But now the fashion brand is reinventing itself by incorporating wild animals, such as tigers and lions, into its iconic motif. The pattern is strewn across plates and pillows in Dior’s new capsule home collection, available at dior.com and in Dior stores worldwide.
DESIGN ON DISPLAY
Want some more inspiration? These museum exhibits are worth the trek:
Walk through 23 rooms ranging from the 17th century to the 20th at the Decorative Arts and Period Rooms exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. Each room features curated furniture and decorative artifacts from both the U.S. and Europe.
- Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Pkwy., Brooklyn, N.Y.; brooklynmuseum.org
- Raise a glass to Manhattan’s Museum of Art and Design’s Goblet Collection. The ongoing exhibit showcases whimsical goblets made by well-known studio glass artists such as Fred Birkhill, Dale Chihuly and Fritz Dreisbach. It’s on view throughout 2019.
- Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, New York, N.Y.; madmuseum.org
- And here’s an excuse to celebrate spring break in sunny Florida. LA-based design duo The Haas Brothers, whose celebrity fans include Lady Gaga and Donatella Versace, opened their first solo exhibit in December titled The Haas Brothers: Ferngully at Miami Beach’s Bass Museum of Art to coincide with Art Basel. Their eclectic and anthropomorphic pieces will be on display until April 21—here’s hoping their humorously titled “Zitney Spears” and “Palm Grier” works make appearances too.
- The Bass, 2100 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, Fla.; thebass.org