While you're there, check out Sunny Goode’s latest paintings and sale items. And there’s more: Throughout the month of September, V for the Home is offering 30 percent off all lighting. Their gorgeous “Gold Carved Lamp”, featured in The Goods section of R•Home's just-released September/October issue, was originally priced at $745. Come Wednesday, it will be $521.50.
Cheers to that — and to V for the Home’s four years in Richmond.
at Blue Elephant.
They started accepting consignments this week.
“We’re looking for all kinds of furniture and kitchenware, from dressers and cabinets to china, glassware, tablecloths and napkins,” says store manager Jessica Andrews. "Kitschy items from the 1960s to 1970s are also welcome,” Andrews adds.
Already in place for the opening date: a bamboo-styled cream-colored hutch, a sleek wood desk from the 1960s, etched formal stemware and original signed midcentury lithographs — items Andrews has found while scouring sales along Route 15 and in Orange, Gordonsville and Charlottesville with her artist brother, Johnny.
The store is truly a family affair. Andrews’ mother, Patsy Magraf, who lives in Northern Virginia, owns the place. Magraf chose the name “Blue Elephant” because, well, she loves the color and the elephant-headed Hindu god of new beginnings named Ganesha.
Jessica and Johnny Andrews have been hard at work readying the space, and painting has been one of the tougher tasks. That said, the colors Jessica selected are so appealing, I just had to get specifics. A minty-blue hue “Spruce Frost” coats the store’s walls, while “Wet Coral” covers the back of display shelves. Both paints are by Valspar and available at Lowe’s.
A kickin' chandelier — IKEA's “PS Makros” ($89) — wows in the main room. Nearly 3 feet in diameter with daisy-like bursts, it looks like a million bucks.
Come Sept. 6, check it out for yourself. And while you're there, take a look at all the other fine consigned finds.
Interested in consigning? Contact Jessica Andrews at 355-0406 or Jessica@BlueElephantRVA.com.
Store owner Candi Williamson, a recently returned Richmond native who was a longtime resident of Scottsdale, Ariz., has a passion for the West and its local craftspeople.
That passion is reflected in the products Carefree Casa sells: Cave Creek furniture made from reclaimed wood; lamps crafted of copper and iron by W. Kohler, an artisan from New Mexico; and earthy flea-market pottery sets from Colombia.
All-natural, private-label Carefree Casa candles are hand-poured in Colorado. Scents like Sweet Orange with Red Chile and Fresh Mountain Mint surprise and please.
My favorite finds include leather belts ($51) with interchangeable buckles ($15 to $45), by Terry Stack; old, drip-glazed Turkish pots; and striking drawer pulls made of turquoise ($29 each).
Carefree Casa is located in the Shops at 5807. Hours are Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Even better, one of my favorite blooms, coxcomb, is at its peak this week and next. Florist and shop owner Deana King sources her flowers locally, and the coxcomb, also known as celosia, is grown by Watson Brothers in Beaverdam. Hurry in to choose your own velvety varieties — vibrant magenta or blazing yellow — all for $1.50 a stem.
I’m crazy about designer Trina Turk’s indoor/outdoor fabrics for Schumacher. A Trina dress I purchased years ago at Levy’s is still a favorite, and the "Pisces" print of that dress is included in these fabrics.
Palm Springs mixes with Los Angeles in this line, which exudes an exotic kind of cool.
Turk’s collection, available through designers, also shows some peacock pride. An ikat-inspired pattern “Peacock” is one of her signature looks. Available in three color combinations, “Pool” stays truest to its peacock roots.
I’d be remiss, too, in not mentioning a majestic peacock-like wallcovering called “Cascadia” that's part of Schumacher's “Nest Collection."
Arranged by hand on paper-backed panels, it’s crafted entirely of natural feathers. It’s majestic, and a photo just can’t do it justice. See this one in person. There's a Schumacher showroom in the Designers Market, 2107-B N. Hamilton St. All you need is a designer to get you in!
