Bedside Lamps

Glass Elegance

This clear glass lamp and white shade are perfect for a soft color palette.

 

Bold Gold

A unique lamp can make a bold statement. This circular gold bedside lamp offsets the black floral wallpaper and dark wood nightstand to expand the pale colors of the headboard and bedding. Design by Erinn Valencich.

Thin and Simple

A simple stick table lamp works perfect with this bedroom's modern decor. Design by Lori Dennis.

Moroccan Beads

A dark wood headboard and colorful Moroccan-inspired pillows in this bedroom call for taupe bedside lamps to neutralize the deep colors of the accent pillows. Design by Daniel Bodenmiller

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Hallway Dramatics

The Hallway


A welcoming front entry pairs antiques and vintage finds with modern accents to reflect the city's own juxtaposition of old and new.

About the Hallway


Subtlety had no place in the design of a luxury apartment with views as grand as the city itself. "Right from the start I wanted you to have a visual impact," says interior designer Vern Yip.

Antique Peruvian runners purchased at ABC Carpet and Home, an iconic rug and design store located in New York's Flatiron District, lend an air of elegance to the space.

 
 


The hallway blends seamlessly into the kitchen, where a palette of dark wood and stainless steel lends sophistication to the work space.

Contemporary floor lamps topped with silk shades place a spotlight on art pieces and brighten the entry space. "I selected those lamps because they are visually unobtrusive and have a base designed to slide underneath a piece of furniture," says Vern. "For that reason, I had a pair of custom made bases for the lions to sit on, with slots to accommodate the bases of the floor lamps."

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Design Styles/Part 3 of 3

Today, we are continuing Part 3... About design styles and everything you always wanted to know about design but were afraid to ask.

Moroccan


A heavily layered look consisting of intricately patterned fabrics, colorful mosaics, metal lanterns, textured walls, bold, jewel-toned colors, layers of Oriental rugs and pillows in luxurious fabrics and ornately-carved wooden accents. Design by David Bromstad. LOVE David's creativity and his program (Color Splash)!!!!

Shabby Chic


Coined in 1980 by Rachel Ashwell, this cottage-inspired look includes weathered white-painted furniture, painted motifs, floral prints in muted colors, white slipcovered sofas and vintage accessories. A sense of brightness and airiness is always evident in these interiors. Photo Courtesy of Miles Talbott's Shabby Chic® Collection.

Traditional


Furnishings are usually 18th-century English, 19th-century neoclassic, French country and British Colonial revival. Use of classic styling and symmetry to create a calm, orderly decor. Color palette is usually in the mid-tones and fabrics are muted, usually simple florals, solids, stripes or plaids. Design by Tracy Morris.

Transitional


The transitional look bridges contemporary and traditional design. Offering a deep rooted sense of history in some pieces, while furniture often gets an update with cleaner lines. Leather ottomans used as coffee tables is very popular in this decor. Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn could be considered transitional looks. Design by Tracy Morris.

Tropical


A look inspired by beaches of Hawaii, French Polynesia or other tropical destinations. Thatched furniture, heavy prints of palm leaves and bright colored flowers find their way onto upholstery. Muted colored rugs or sisal and seagrass carpets cover the floor. Design by Linda Woodrum. Soooo fabulous and fresh!!!! Great job Linda.

Western


Raw, rough hewn woods, inviting fabrics or cozy plaids play up the Western look. Worn leathers mixed with stone hearths or walls and other natural elements. Furniture is usually large scaled and wooden. Design by Shelly Riehl David.

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Design Styles/Part 2 of 3

Today, we are continuing Part 2 About design styles and everything you always wanted to know about design but were afraid to ask.

Eclectic


This catch-all style borrows from several other design styles and evokes a sense of imagination and surprise with unexpected contrasts. The style is not simply throwing together everything and anything, but rather relies heavily on the building blocks of design (color, pattern, texture, composition) to make the space look cohesive. A multitude of fabrics is characteristic, whether patterned, textured, solids or all three. Design by Andreea Avram Rusu.

English Country


A feminine look, with lush rose patterns, extensive uses of greens, reds, pinks and blues are characteristic of an English Country home. Ornamental, fine carved wood furniture, overstuffed sofas with tufting and skirted furniture mix with antiques and lots of small decorative accessories. Design by Phyllis Harbinger.

French


An ornate, fanciful and decorative style is characteristic of this look. Colors range from rich, sun-drenched Mediterranean hues to softer, muted shades. Often, one color or fabric is repeated throughout the space. It's characterized by rich details and extensive use of gold, bronze and gilt. Antique or heirloom furniture, layered dramatic window treatments and abundant fresh flowers fill out a French home. Design by Camilla Forte.

Mediterranean


Inspired by the coastal regions of Spain, Greece and Italy, this look favors colors that echo the sea and also include terra cotta, yellow and lavender. Furniture pieces are short with ornately turned legs and feet; hardware is heavy and often burnished. Velvets, linens and textured fabrics mix with textured walls. Design by Ammie Kim.

Mid-Century Modern


A look originating in the '50s and '60s and epitomized by the Rat-Pack days in Palm Springs. Scandinavian designers and architects were very influential at this time, with a style characterized by simplicity, functionality and natural shapes. Architecture shows off its minimalist design with walls of glass. Pops of deep colors such as orange, yellow, olive green and chocolate brown add to decor. An updated version of this look is found at stores like Jonathan Adler, marked by fun, colorful and quirky furnishings.

Modern


Rooted in minimal, true use of material and absence of decoration. A clean, streamlined furniture and architecture style from the 1930s. It's characterized by a neutral color palette, polished surfaces, strong geometric shapes and asymmetry. Design by SPI Design.

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Hickory Furnituture Mart

Hickory Furniture Mart, the nation’s leading home furnishings resource offers a diverse selection of 100 factory outlets, stores and galleries, representing 1000 fine furniture manufacturers. You’ll find everything you need under one roof. Open to the public 6 days a week: Mon - Sat, 9am-6pm. Shop & Stay packages available. Hickory Furniture Mart is the ultimate furniture destination. Choose from countless selections at affordable prices, featuring the most reputable manufacturers, designers and expert craftsmen within the furniture industry. For fine furniture from all over the world and topnotch service to match, there’s truly only one place to go…………Hickory Furniture Mart.

They also offer a Personal Shopper Program which is another example of Hickory Furniture Mart’s dedication to providing exceptional service for their shoppers. This complimentary program was specially designed for busy individuals that need to furnish multiple rooms if not an entire house. Let one of their Personal Shoppers guide you throughout their extravagant North Carolina furniture galleries and assist you in finding everything you need to bring your design plans to life!

Check out their furniture blog for up-to-date information on what's going on with new designs and more.

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Designer's View

In this article, I am going to critique each of these rooms, it is usually what a designer sees when she/he walks into a room. I feel this room has balance and the colors blend beautifully. First of all your focal point is the sofa, then the eye moves toward the black in the accessories and pictures, the next thing that makes this room blend beautifully is that the colors in the rug are picked up with the choice of colors reflected in the pictures and the paint on the wall. The plant to the left keeps warmth in the room and balance with the window. Placing the lamp on the opposite side allows, once again ,balance. The sheer black window treatment keeps the room contemporary, light and airy!!! I would give this a WOW great job!!!

First look, you see lovely furniture and balance with the lamps, plant and picture. YIKES, the wall color is way to harsh. It conflicts with the bright blue in the picture. The wall color should be the subtle color of blue/grey in the rug.

Beautiful setting, love the patio set. Now it needs a center piece with whites, greens and purple to pull the colors out of the cushions for a focal point. Weather permitting, an indoor/Outdoor rug, accenting the same colors from the cushions would warm this great patio setting.

Nice color balance here, the only thing I would change is the height of the picture. It needs to be moved up on the wall. The rug is acceptable but I feel it needs to be more in the taupe color like the wall. A great accent rug with taupes, white, reds and yellow would really make this room POP!!!!

Nice balance here, lovely blend of colors. Great accent pattern on the pillows and love the fringe! Good balance with the lamps and pictures. Love, love, love the fabric on the sofa and chairs.

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Beautiful Things

While shopping for a few furniture items today I found a great shop and the name truly says it all, " Karen's Beautiful Things", they began in 1986 as Karen's Boutique, located in the quaint Reynolda Village in Winston-Salem, NC, adjacent to Wake Forest University. The small but charming boutique was filled with exquisite lingerie and romantic dresses, reminiscent of the Victorian Era. Being a designer myself, I was very impressed the way the store was arranged so beautifully. Everywhere your eye roamed, there was another breathtaking item, I spent over 1,000. in my mind immediately!!!!! I did purchase the animal print ottoman shown in the last picture, it worked well with my pillow and animal/oriental accents. I already have plans to purchase a lovely animal accent chair next month, which will complete the finishing touch in my family room.


During time in Winston-Salem, Karen was a flight attendant for the former Piedmont Airlines. On one of her flights, she met her future husband, Bobby Holder, who owned an Art and Antiques business. They married in 1991, merged their businesses, and relocated to historic Dilworth - a suburb of Charlotte. The business was renamed "Karen's Beautiful Things", inspired by many customers who came into the shop and commented on how BEAUTIFUL everything was. They soon outgrew this location and the business moved to McMullen Creek Marketplace south of Charlotte. After 3 more years, they moved to the Park 51 Shopping Center south of Charlotte and filled it to the brim with treasures from all over the globe.

Karen's Beautiful Things is proud to announce that as of June 1, 2009 they have left the Park Rd location and moved to a Beautiful and more exciting space. They are now centrally located in the Arboretum Shopping Center. (see Map below) They still have all the Beautiful Things, Clothing and Accessories that Karen's is known for as well as delightful vignettes with new home decor and furnishings, antique furniture, and home accessories from as far away as England and the Netherlands. Karen and Bobby stay busy on frequent buying trips, always finding unique and unusual pieces! They now have a quaint area filled with vintage clothing & accessories reminiscent of the days gone by.


Brian, their son, is a partner and buyer for the business. He graduated from Kings College with a degree in Retail Management, Purchasing, and Advertising. He brings with him over 18 years of retail experience. Brian has managed stores from Gadzooks to Stein Mart and decided to follow his family's dream and become a part of Karen's Beautiful Things.


And the MOST unique feature of Karen's Beautiful Things - is their Unique Greeter - Gracie! Gracie is a small Yorkie with big personality. As Karen's "Official Greeter", she is a major contributor to the charm and "GRACE" of Karen's Beautiful Things.
While browsing, I found Gracie sleeping on the ottoman I was interested in buying, I thought she was a toy until she raised her sweet head to look at me, startled me because I thought she was a toy.

You'll always be well taken care of at Karen's Beautiful Things. Karen greeted me, complimenting me on my choices of lamps which were gorgeous oriental and of course, my taste gravitates toward the most expensive everything, however, the price was quite resonable for the unique quality and size.

There are always New Arrivals!!

8042 Providence Rd, Suite 900 Charlotte, NC 28277

Arboretum Shopping Center at the corner of Pineville-Matthews Rd. and Providence Rd.

If you live in Charlotte, the shop, is a must visit. If you are visiting Charlotte you can ask anyone on the street where the Arboretum Shopping Center is located and they will know, it is one of our cities quaint shopping experiences in the city.

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Antique/Vintage Table Lamps

Feature Article

Antique/Vintage Table Lamps



A finely carved pair of French, 19th century,lime washed, portrait, fruit wood busts as lamps.The subjects, Louis-Auguste, Dauphin of France andMarie Antoinette, Archduchess of Austria.Louis is shown as a handsome young man of 15.He wears a short, side curled, powdered wig,tied at the back of the neck with a large silk bow.At his throat is a tied linen cravat, or, stock, a stiffened neck cloth.Across his right shoulder he wears theSash of the Order of the Holy Spirit. The Order was worn suspended from asky blue, silk moire ribbon, Le Cordon Bleu,(children of the king being members of The Order from birth).On his left breast he wears The Badge of The Order,a gold Maltese cross with white borders,each of the eight points ending in a gold ballwith a gold fleur-de-lys between each of its arms.At the centre of the cross, is set a white dove descending.Marie Antoinette is shown as pretty, young bride of 14,her hair dressed with roses.Marie Antoinette was an Austrian Hapsburg Archduchessand roses were the symbol of her Austrian heritage.Recall her famous 1783 portrait, Marie Antoinette with the Rose,painted by Vigee Lebrun who painted 30 portraits of the Queen,most including her signature flower, the rose.



A striking, early 20th century, English black ground,papier mache, urn and domed cover as a table lamp.The black ground finely decorated in gold leaf workwith a large loose bouquet of summer flowers.The domed cover similarly decorated.A table lamp with a strong decorative statement.

A most handsome, vintage, Chinese, baluster shaped table lamp.The monochrome lamp with a rich, dark blue glaze.The lamp on a turned maple wood stand, water gilded.A perfectly understated table lamp with an elegant look.

A very rare, French, 19th century, black matt glazed,terra cotta vase as a table lamp.The lamp decorated with a classical Greek subject.The lamp derived from the style of the Bucchero, Etruscan,terra cotta vases of classical Greek antiquity, circa 500 B.C.These vases, characteristically paintedwith highly glazed black figures on a grey-black ground.The lamp of Nikosthenic Amphora shape,an oval body with a narrow neck and curved handles on either side,the Amphora shape supported on a short socle on a circular base.This shape was introduced by the “Bucchero potter”,Nikosthenes in about 530 B.C

A small, vintage, Japanese, claret ground or Pigeons Blood,cloisonne, Ginbari, accent lamp.The claret ground decorated with a spray of flowering plum blossom.The lamp cap and stand of silver plated bronze.
Showa - Circa 1950

A rare, late 18th century, Leeds pottery, Pearlware,underglaze, transfer printed, baluster shaped, accent lamp.The lamp finely printed in dark blue in typical Leeds quality.The transfer printed subject, A Chinese Landscape,with island pagodas in a setting ofwaterways, lattice bridges, junks and Chinese houses.The lamp generously printed in full, front and backwith sides printed with narrow sections of the main print.The lamp with a bright pearlware glaze,undimmed by over 200 years!The lamp fitted with a custom made, gold plated bronze cap.The lamp standing on a custom made, polished maple wood base.Pearlware was the name given to this type of glaze,which had a small amount of cobalt addedwhich produced a bright, pearl-like lustre.The Leeds factory was established in 1771 inJack Lane in the village of Hunslett, near Leeds in Yorkshire.By 1775 it became noted for underglaze transfer printingand by 1790, Pearlware was introduced.

Antique & Vintage Table Lamp Co.

Their relationship with antique porcelain and pottery spans a period of 45 years. This includes 25 years as international specialist dealers, formerly known as "The Antique Porcelain Gallery", valuers to The Australian Incentive to the Arts Scheme and regular lecturers. Their long experience with antique ceramics and glass includes dealing with museums and the supply of pieces of national interest to the Prime Minister's Department.
They have extended ceramics expertise into the quality bespoke table lamps seen on our site and are well known to interior decorators who have included many of our table lamps in minor to major projects.
Included is a certificate of authenticity with each of our individually designed lamps, providing a full description, circa date and unconditional guarantee.

Maurice quotes, "our company produces an elegant range of classic and decorative table lamps with each lamp representing a work of art, combining function, artistic design and beauty. Maurice Robertson - Principal of The Antique & Vintage Table Lamp Co

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