In my mailbox

A new Williams-Sonoma Home catalog arrived this week. I love everything about this full-page pic of their Farmhouse Collection. (below) I've always liked the collected look of upholstered host chairs with completely different wood side chairs and these ticking striped wingbacks are quite nice. A little small in scale perhaps next to that chunky farm table and tall ladder-back chairs, but I'm okay with that. Not everyone has the space for a big fat armchair at the head of the table so this is a way to get a similar look without over-stuffing the room. The large botanicals over the sideboard are a dramatic take on a traditional look. The vegetable-dyed Peshawar rug adds beautiful, subtle warmth and texture with a minimum of pattern. The remaining accessories here support the Italian countryside look that's been so popular of late. Like I said, I love every bit of it.

Also in a ticking stripe, the Chelsea wing chair is a staple of Williams-Sonoma's upholstered furniture collection. She's available in many fabrics, leathers, and your choice of polished nickle or antique brass nailheads. Blue ticking is so perfect for Summer decorating and this chair would be appropriate whether your look is farmhouse, like the previous pic, beach house, or as part of a more eclectic mix as shown here in the catalog.


More pretty. A mirror from the Hampstead Bedroom Collection. No rules would be broken though if you chose to use it in an entry, a dining room or even over your bathroom vanity. Solid woods are turned and finished to mimic bamboo. Nicely proportioned and I love the criss-cross corners. However, I'd prefer to see it paired with something not so "matchy" as this dresser from the same collection. It should be allowed to stand on its own.


A beautiful dresser that might just steal the show from any mirror hung over it is this one from the Capri Collection. Solid cherry and tulip woods are stained and hand-rubbed. The pretty tapered legs, antiqued brass pulls and other nice details give it the look of a piece you might have inherited from a fashionable aunt. That it could easily move from bedroom to dining room to entry hall makes it a worthwhile investment.


Finally, here's my attempt to stand up for coral. Love it or hate it, there certainly has been a lot of it around. In reds, oranges, deep blues and aquas for the most part. This embroidered pillow, (reminiscent of Waverly's classic coral prints, don't you think?), in white wool chain-stitch on khaki-colored cotton, brings a little bit of beach to your home without a hint of garishness or kitsch. At $79.99, (reduced from $118), it's an affordable way to add this trend to your decor without breaking the bank. Or looking too trendy. And because it's more subtle than it's boldly patterned and brightly colored counterparts, it will play well with the pillows you already have and you could almost certainly keep it around into the fall. Then bring it out again next year to get another Summer's-worth of under-the-sea style.



All images via wshome.com and catalog