Agates are everywhere these days and I am loving it. Take a look around and you will see them used as jewelry, bookends, coasters, chargers and even as stunning accessories around a room.

A little background on the agate…Agates were obtained over 3,000 years ago from the Achates River, now the Drillo, in Sicily. Most agates occur as nodules in volcanic rocks or ancient lavas where they represent cavities originally produced by the disengagement of volatiles in the molten mass which were then filled, wholly or partially, by siliceous matter deposited in regular layers upon the walls. Such agates, when cut transversely, exhibit a succession of parallel lines, often of extreme tenuity, giving a banded appearance to the section. Such stones are known as banded agate, riband agate and striped agate.

Just a little history repeating itself!

Image Via: La Petite Fashionista

Image Via: Calypso

Images Via:  The Someday Blog

Agate Cheese Plate | Pyrite Cluster |  Trinket Box |  Crystal Lamp

Image Via: Purelands

Image Via: Shop Ten 25

Image Via: Horchow

Image Via: Calypso

Image Via: Vivre

Image Via: Rablabs

Earlier this year, Kimberly Lewis launched her own line of boutique wallpaper. The collection is designed in Brooklyn, NY and produced in the USA not far from her studio. I first spotted her line at ICFF in NYC this past May and have been trying to find the perfect project to use one of her patterns.

The current line  includes four patterns with two color ways each. My favorite part…the bubbly descriptions that she has given each pattern.  Here are my favorites: A nod to the era of mad men and pencil skirts,  a classic chevron that is cheeky,  swinging London and colors drawn from the architecture of New Orleans.

Striped

Marigny

Sierra

Pebble

I’m excited to be featured on Design Shuffle’s blog today! They loved the purple and orange downtown loft we did for one of our favorite bachelors…pop on over and take a look.

Thank you Design Shuffle for the fabulous feature!

Since opening Shop Ten 25 last March, I have had to show some serious constraint!  I love every piece that I add to the shop and always ask myself, “would I use this in my own house?”.   Obviously I have said yes to that question quite a bit and I recently felt is was time to treat myself.    My master bathroom is a great space and where I spend most of my mornings putting on make up and getting ready for the day and evenings getting ready for bed….all while barefoot.  My current bath rug from Anthropologie was super cute but it was too small and I was getting sick of dragging it around to keep my feet cozy.  Here is how the bathroom looked before…..

So, I pulled the trigger and finally took one of the Blue Wilshire Rugs from my inventory to try in the bathroom.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE this rug and it is the perfect size for the awkward space.

The mix of the greek key and quatrefoil pattern brighten the space up and the color is still soothing, I just couldn’t bring in something that was crazy colorful or too busy.  Of course the seal of approval had to come from the girls. They now have a soft place to lay down while I’m getting ready.  What do you think?

Here area  few shots of the rug’s detail, a super soft loop that is cushy and easy to vacuum.

Now if I can just get Ivy outta here…..

I finally made time to visit the new Rug Company showroom here in Dallas this week. I have been a huge fan of their rugs for quite a while now. I am beyond excited to have a few projects where their rugs will fit right in and complete those empty spaces. .

From the moment I walked in and found myself swooning over the Key Turquoise Rug from Suzanne Sharp I knew it was going to be a good visit!

{Left} Overleaf Yellow Rug by Marni    {Right} Zap Rug by Fiona Curran    {Top of Stack} Peacock Light by Matthew Williamson

Chiesa Neutral Rug by Suzanne Sharp

Swirl Cushion by Paul Smith

After scanning the showroom and trying to take it all in…I began to pull my favorites and Oscar (Showroom Manager)  was pulling 3′x3′ samples for me to get a closer look at the details.  I’m stopping by again this week with a client to nail down a few of these beauties!! Keep your fingers crossed that we find a “love connection” and I promise to share pics as soon as they are in the house!!!

Swirl Rug by Paul Smith

The back of the showroom is the perfect place to look through samples while taking in the hip vibe of the rug wall display.  I loved hanging out at the work table and finally narrowed the huge pile that we pulled down just a little bit!

I hope you enjoyed the mini tour of The Rug Company showroom here in Dallas…it is a must see!

This weekend I received the latest Horchow catalogue and instantly fell in love with this wingback!  I have been rethinking my main desk chair and have wanted to bring in a black and white graphic…although this lovely pieces is too large, I have plenty of other inspiration to get things moving!   Take a look at a few of my favorite black and white graphic chairs.

Image Via: Howchow

Image Via: A Life’s Design

Image Via: Eclectic Revisited

Image Via: Maitland-Smith

Image Via: Studio Bon

Image Via: Studio Ten 25

Image Via: Decor Pad

Image Via: ru.vandm

Image Via: 6th Street Design School

Image Via: Decor Pad

Image Via: Signed by Tina

My latest obsession lately has been everything teal. Paint, fabric and even accessories in the color have been catching my eye,  I know it’s because I’ve been working on a few projects where we are using the fabulous color!  Here are a few of my favorite teal images.

Image Via: Kendall Wilkinson

Image Via: Decor Pad

Image Via: Kendall Wilkinson

Image Via: Living Etc.

Image Via: Decor Pad

Image Via: Kendall Wilkinson

I have been a busy little bee over here in the Studio and find myself milling through piles of fabrics, and I’m not complaining.  The one pattern that keeps popping up in my “favorites” pile is the scallop pattern from Studio Bon Textiles.  Not only is the fabulous line made right here in the good ole US of A but the modern graphics are hand printed.  Each unique pattern is printed, one painstaking yard at time, by artisans in the Unites States. (Which is good for our economy, and even better for our planet!)

Here are a few images of the scallop pattern and this hip print is available in three standard colors as well as custom colors….I have teal and plum on my “wish” list for a couple of projects!

All Images Via: Studio Bon Textiles

I love love love piping on furniture and seeing it done in a contrasting color is just stunning. Seeing a simple chair or sofa with  a simple trim can completely change a room too. I am considering  a new headboard with a contrasting trim for our master…shhhhh… don’t tell my  hubby.

Image Via: Lawson Fenning

Image Via: Decor Pad

Image Via: Marcus Design

Image Via: Decor Pad

Image Via: Elements of Style Blog

Image Via: Houzz

Image Via: Decor Pad

Happy Friday everyone!  Just in case you don’t know, I own an online furniture & accessory boutique named Shop Ten 25.  The Shop has been the perfect addition to my interior design business, Studio Ten 25 and we recently celebrated the Shop’s 1st Anniversary back in March.

Today I wanted to send out a special thank you to all of the wonderful bloggers who support my Shop and have posted fabulous features with our products!   If you haven’t heard of these blogs please take a look, I promise you will find something you love.
Abbe