Category Archives: Designer Inspiration/Trends

Design Lines Top 10 Fall Market Finds of 2014

Kravet Furniture 2014 Fall High Point Furniture Martket 2

1. Presence of Kravet Furniture at  Market

Kravet Furniture 2014 Fall High Point Furniture Martket

2. Blown Glass from Czech Republic

 Blown Glass 2014 High Point Furniture Market 2

Blown Glass 2014 High Point Furniture Market

3. Rose Gold from Nuevo

Nuevo 2 2014 High Point Furniture Market

Nuevo 2014 High Point Furniture Market

4. Lee Industries Camp Chair

Lee Industries 2014 High Point Furniture Market

5. Kelly Wearstler Collection at Visual Comfort

Visual Comfort 2014 High Point Furniture  Market

Visual Comfort 2014 High Point Furniture  Market 2

Visual Comfot 2014 High Point Furniture Market 4

6. Vanguard Bed

Vanguard Furntiure 2014 High Point Furniture Market

7. Options for custom art – Lucky Fish Gallery & RFA Decor 

Lucky Fish Art Gallery 2014 High Point Furniture Market

Lucky Fish Art Gallery 2014 High Point Furniture Market 2

Lucky Fish Art Gallery 2014 High Point Furniture Market 3

Lucky Fish Art Gallery 2014 High Point Furniture Market 4

RFA Decor 2 2014 High Point Furniture Market

RFA Decor 2014 High Point Furniture Market

8. Beautiful one-of-a-kind rugs from Feizy Rugs

Feizy Rugs 2 2014 High Point Furniture Market

Feizy Rugs 2014 High Point Furniture Market

9. Hickory Chair‘s new mirror and accessory line

Hickory Chair 2014 High Point Furniture Market

10. Pearson’s seating options – bunching tables and banquette

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Tibetan Tiger Rugs

While the historic origin of Tiger Rugs is shrouded in mystery, these Tibetan Masterpieces seem right at home in contemporary design.  Newly- reinvented with today’s colors, they are the perfect addition to any eclectic home.  But don’t worry – no tigers were harmed in the making of these rugs;  they’re 100% hand-knotted wool.

tibetan rug urban outfitters

PicMonkey Collage 2

PicMonkey Collage

PicMonkey Collage 3

For a more in-depth look at the history and meaning of these fascinating rugs, visit our friends at http://theflyingcarpets.blogspot.com/.

Photos: Pinterest and The Flying Carpets Blog

Garden Style | A Succulent Centerpiece

Succulents are some of the most striking and uniquely beautiful plants out there.

The plants themselves are stunning, even without a flower. They’re perfect for containers and patio gardens and can easily be used to create centerpieces, wreaths, and arrangements. To top it all off, they’re easy to grow and maintain. No wonder they’re all the rage!

Container gardens are great for small spaces and are super versatile. They make the perfect accent to a patio set or bench, they’re beautiful clustered on the front stoop for a welcoming decor touch, and can even be used as a centerpiece for gatherings and dinner parties.

I’ve been inspired by some of the low-profile pots and planters I’ve seen recently, and decided to create a succulent container garden to use on my patio table as a centerpiece. A garden on a tabletop? What a conversation piece. Yes please!

Styling + Creating a Succulent Centerpiece

Step 1 | Find a planter

Find a planter or low-profile dish that’s the size and shape you prefer. Succulent plants are so bold and gorgeous. To allow the plants room to shine, try going with a planter that’s neutral in color. Neutral tones are also easy to work into any decor style. I found this low-profile wooden vessel at Home Goods. I couldn’t resist the organic texture and form of the wood. Gorgeous, neutral, earthy, and perfectly suited to my style and taste.

How to Create a Succulent Container Garden Arrow+Sage/Design Lines Raleigh NC

Love!

How to Create a Succulent Container Garden Arrow+Sage/Design Lines Raleigh NC 2

Step 2 | Gather plants

Local to the Raleigh/Cary/Durham area? I found loads of gorgeous succulent beauties at both Logan’s and Fairview Garden Center. Hard to decide which plants I ‘needed’ so badly for this project. They were all so gorgeous. And to be honest, I have so many plants already. Maybe too many. But this project was a good excuse for new ones.

I ended up going with some echeveria, sedum, and an aloe.

How to Create a Succulent Container Garden Arrow+Sage/Design Lines Raleigh NC 3

{Tip} When selecting plants for any arrangement or container, try to find something with some height, something trailing, and then some shorter, ground-hugging plants to fill in. Keep your plant selection to three to five varieties, depending on the size of your planter.

How to Create a Succulent Container Garden Arrow+Sage/Design Lines Raleigh NC 4

Aloe ferox or ‘Fierce Aloe’

How to Create a Succulent Container Garden Arrow+Sage/Design Lines Raleigh NC 5

Echeveria ‘Lola’

How to Create a Succulent Container Garden Arrow+Sage/Design Lines Raleigh NC 6

‘Blue Spruce’ sedum

How to Create a Succulent Container Garden Arrow+Sage/Design Lines Raleigh NC 7

Echeveria pulidonis

Step 3 | Drainage

If the planter you’ve selected doesn’t have drainage holes, put some gravel (easily found at your local garden center) in the bottom of the planter. This helps the soil drain properly, and prevents the roots of your plants from sitting in pools of water.

How to Create a Succulent Container Garden Arrow+Sage/Design Lines Raleigh NC 8

How to Create a Succulent Container Garden Arrow+Sage/Design Lines Raleigh NC 9

Step 4 | The dirt

When planting succulents, go for a potting soil designed specifically for these plants. They like soil that drains and dries quickly. Miracle-Gro has a great option that I use for all of my succulent plants. Once selected, add the dirt to your planter. Fill it about 3/4 full, and save some to add after the plants are arranged.

Step 5 | Plant

The fun part! Try different things and see what you like best! For an aesthetically pleasing arrangement, I place tall plants in the center or back of the planter, trailing plants toward the front or spilling over the edges, and then fill in with smaller plants.

How to Create a Succulent Container Garden Arrow+Sage/Design Lines Raleigh NC 10

How to Create a Succulent Container Garden Arrow+Sage/Design Lines Raleigh NC 11

How to Create a Succulent Container Garden Arrow+Sage/Design Lines Raleigh NC `

After arranging your plants, gently add more soil around the base of the plant stems, and pack the soil around the base of each plant. And as a rule of thumb, always water any new planting to settle the soil in around the roots of your plants.

And voila!

How to Create a Succulent Container Garden Arrow+Sage/Design Lines Raleigh NC 13

A beautiful succulent container garden, perfect as a patio table centerpiece.

Xo!
Anna

Images and Content by: Arrow+Sage

Design Lines’ Top 2 Picks from Spring Market

Design Lines 2014 Spring High Point Furniture Market Trends (2)

Twice a year we travel to High Point Furniture Market to see the latest in trends, furniture collections, and mingle with experts in the interior design industry.

Here are our Top 2 trends we discovered from our April trip!

Pastel brights are everywhere! We saw several rooms done up in uplifting colors. Some of them reminded us of the colors of the beach, or a dreamy sunset. Coral, Mint, Lilac, Robin’s Egg, & Yellow

Design Lines 2014 Spring High Point Furniture Market Trends Pastels

White as a finish- From Chair legs to tables- White feels fresh and new!

Design Lines 2014 Spring High Point Furniture Market Trends Painted White

Is this something you would use in your home?

2012 Fall Trends from High Point Furniture Market

Here is a pictorial journal of the  trends we saw recently during our Fall trip to High Point Furniture Market. What trends are you seeing?

1. Lounge furniture

 

 

2. Horns/antlers/animal heads

 

 

3. Gold, brass, bronze

 

 

4. Chevron

 

 

5. Pink 

 

 

 

6. Greek Key details

 

 

7. Geode/malachite/moiré

 

 

8. Citrus Tones

 

 

 

images: Taken all by DLL

DIY- Overdyed Rug


 

Have you seen the overdyed rugs currently flooding the home decor market?  It’s hard to resist the bright, saturated colors and unique character of these rugs!   Several years ago, I was given a 50 year-old wool rug with a traditional oriental design, but the old-school navy blue & maroon color scheme just wasn’t doing anything for me.

I needed something fresh and new, but I wasn’t ready to buy a new rug — And that’s how I decided to try a DIY approach to overdying my rug.

 

***A note of caution: the dyes and chemicals below can be harmful and you should only perform the following steps in a well-ventilated area while wearing a respirator.

 

Supplies you’ll need:

1. A 100% wool rug.

2. Long rubber gloves and a respirator.

3. For Rugs 6ft x 9ft or smaller,  buy the largest plastic storage bin you can find.  If your rug is larger, you’ll probably need something much bigger.  For my 9ft x 12ft rug, I used a collapsible pool from Home Depot.

4. A bucket heater (to keep the dying solution warm).  Jon-Don Chemical supply is a great source.

5. Thiox and Soda Ash from Pro Chemical.  This if for bleaching your rug.  How much you need to use depends on the amount of wool in your rug.  As a rule of thumb, you will need 10grams of thiox and 10grams of soda ash in 10L of water for each pound of wool.  However, if you rug is dark (like mine) you may need up to twice as much to remove enough of the original color.   More detailed instructions on these products can be found here.

6. Acid Dye and Citric Acid from Dharma Trading Company.  Again, the amount you need depends on how much wool you are dying.  I used 3tsp of “Brilliant Yellow” dye and 1tsp of citric acid per pound of wool and got a good result.

7. Synthrapol (a detergent) from Dharma Trading Company.  Follow the directions on the bottle for how much to use based on the volume of solution.

 

Here’s what to do:

1. Fill container with water, soak and rinse your rug.  Then drain water.

2. Fill container with clean water and synthrapol detergent.  Move the rug around to wash it.


3. Rinse the rug again.  Put it aside.

4. Fill container with water again, and using the bucket heater, warm water to 130-140 degrees, or as hot as you can get it.

5.  Add Thiox, Soda Ash, and rug to the container.  Agitate thoroughly for up to 30 minutes.  You’ll see the dye begin to come out of the rug and into the water.

6.Let the solution work for about 30 minutes, then add more Thiox and Soda Ash as needed.  Soak for another 30 minutes or longer until much of the color from the rug is gone.  The rug will never bleach completely, but that’s OK.  The underlying design will remain an interesting part of your rug.

6. Rinse the rug in water.  This is how mine looked at this stage:

7. Repeat the above steps, but use your Acid Dye and Citric Acid instead of Thiox and Soda Ash.  It is a good idea to first mix the dye in a separate container with a gallon of boiling water before adding to your rug.  The dying solution should be kept as warm as possible with the bucket heater — but make sure not to leave the bucket heater unattended at any time.  You can let the rug sit in the dye solution overnight for the most brilliant color.  You can also add salt, which some say helps to exhaust the dye solution.

8. Drain the rug, then wash with Synthrapol.

9. Rinse the rug thoroughly to remove all excess dye.  You may need to wash with Synthrapol a second time.

10.  Hang the rug to dry.

11. Enjoy your new rug!!

 

After two days of hard work and about $175 in supplies, your rug will have a new look that you’ll enjoy for years to come!

Let us know how your DIY overdye rug turns out in the comments section below.

 

Good Luck!

-Robert

 

image 1: lahidesign.com

image 2: pinterest.com

all other images by Design Lines Ltd.

Current Trend: Farm to Table

These days the trend is to buy local. It seems farmer’s markets, backyard fruit and vegetable gardens and even chicken coops are popping up everywhere. For us this has translated into clients requesting us to use local resources, American made products, and even using reclaimed material.

 

This lifestyle not only enriches everyday life but also simplifies it by knowing where and products are made.

Raleigh has even embraced this localization with a Chicken Coop Tour that showcases all the coops in their glory!

Katerina’s family receives a box every Thursday with fresh seasonal produce from local farmers. This is perfect for the working family who doesn’t always have time to stop by the supermarket. This box is left on the front porch; it is always a surprise to see what produce is inside.

Can’t get enough produce? Surrounding area farmer’s markets provide endless options for your culinary desires.

Downtown Raleigh Farmers Market , Western Wake Farmers Market, Midtown Raleigh Farmers Market, Carborro Farmers Market , Durham Farmers Market

 

Local restaurants in and around the surrounding Triangle area even promote that their ingredients come from local resources. Rob and Judy recently ate lunch at the Umstead and Herons has a menu devoted to everything local.

Brittany’s farmers market is in Carborro. She particularly loves the Chapel Hill Creamery Cheese Products and their Fall flowers – Dahlias and celosias are her favorites.

The crew at Design Lines doesn’t think this trend will end anytime soon, if anything we predict this trend will grow. How do you buy local?

 

images: 1-4: Carolyn Scott Photography-for Downtown Raleigh Market 5. Pinterest 6-10: Personal 11: The Umstead Pinterest 12: Personal