The New Feminine: Curves, Legs & Runway Inspired!

Are you ready to be inspired today, dear Hadley Court readers? We hope so!

Come with us as we take you on a tour of 3 of the 6 elements that make up the trend Leslie Hendrix Wood identified and coined as

#TheNewFeminine

at the recent Spring 2015 High Point Market.

It was exemplified by…

Beautiful ruffled edges, exquisite, artisinal surface embellishments , jewellery like detailing in hardware, curving upholstery frames, legs {!!}, and many runway details in upholstery, inspired by New York and Paris fashions.

Today, I will take you on a tour of her style spots that incorporate the last 3 of these: curves, legs and runway details and please come back Friday for Leslie’s own post on what she loved that incorporated ruffled edges, exquisite surface embellishments and jewellery like detailing in hardware!

We hope you, dear readers, will be as inspired by The New Feminine as we were, and want to own some of these beautiful pieces to treasure forever in your own homes. Although they are all part of #TheNewFeminine trend, Leslie also believes they will all, over time, also represent the best of timeless design.

Ready?

Let’s talk first about…CURVES!

Here are Leslie’s Style Spots that she felt represented the best in CURVES and each one of them is more beautiful than the next. It was hard for her to choose, but here they are, in no particular order.

The beautiful CAPTAINS COMPASS occasional table by Dunes and Duchess held its pretty marble top above a gilded gold curved base. It also comes in many other lacquer finishes, if you love the shape, too, but can’t use gold.

Next is the gorgeous SIDNEY chair by Wesley Hall. It immediately struck Leslie for its sensuous, deep curving lines. It also scored high on the scale for legs { see the picture below!}.

The curving lines of the CARTOUCHE Nesting Tables by Global Views were quickly style spotted by Leslie as soon as she saw them. Notice their silver edge versus a more expected gold edge. We both saw a return to bright silver and stainless steel finishes this market, an emerging trend.

Now, onto LEGS!

Leslie saw so many beautiful examples of LEGS on many of the pieces she viewed at #HPMKT, and the following represent her Style Spots in this sub- category of #TheNewFeminine trend.

The Bridgitte ottoman by Mary McDonald for Chaddock Furniture took Leslie’s breath away for its elegant gold legs.

If you know Mary McDonald from her appearance on Bravo TV’s MILLION DOLLAR DECORATOR and have ever seen the stiletto heeled shoes she wears to all her speaking events and even to market, you will know that this piece is a true representation of Mary’s personal style. She shared with Leslie that she designed it for a special client of hers, and it is a new addition to a larger collection that includes a sofa and loveseat that Chaddock Furniture introduced last market.

A small accent table that caught Leslie’s attention for its unique, hand carved swan legs was this one by Bliss Studio, the CIGNET. We asked the owners of Bliss to move it so we could get a better picture of these legs and they kindly obliged by putting it on top of dining table for us. Thank you, Bliss Studio!

Decca Home’s division, Boiler & Co. showcased this stunner, their DRINKS table. It struck Leslie immediately as representative of #TheNewFeminine for its graceful, high, tapering, curving legs. Notice how the *shoe* [known in design speak as a ferrule] is silver, versus gold.

Lastly in the LEGS category, was Tobi Fairley for C.R. Laine’s stunning SHERIDAN daybed and its lucite leg. Although this could also easily fit into the CURVES category, Leslie loved it for its lucite leg and the fact that it was so practical for families, too, with its single cushion sized for twin sheets. Below, a few more views of it.
L

The lucite leg.

A straight on view without the pillows – isn’t this perfect for a guest bedroom/ library?

One last view as it was shown in the showroom, with better color. Notice the leg on that cocktail table, too. Tapered and feminine!

Image Credit: Tobi Fairley for C.R.Laine

Next in the CURVES category was Libby Langdon for Braxton Culler’s tufted, very comfortable, small scale and very affordable MERRILL loveseat. If you’re looking for a loveseat that is well designed and affordable, it would be hard to find one that was better than this and Libby’s line is designer friendly, too, for designer reader/friends of this blog.

One of the editors of Traditional Home, who just happened to be in the showroom with us at the same time, was quite taken with it, too, and although we don’t know if it will appear on their pages, we hope so!

Lastly in the CURVES category was William Yeoward for Jonathan Charles’ beautiful new MORRIS bed. It was hard to get a perfect shot of it in the showroom but William Yeoward’s description of why he created it captivated us, as did getting to meet Jonathan Charles himself, who lives full time in Vietnam, overseeing the artisans who produce his line for him.

Here is William Yeoward’s description:

My “Morris’ bed, is so called as it was the resting place of one of my favourite terrier dogs. The bed in essence is inspired by the traditional beds of Mallorca, the beautiful Balearic island south of Spain. These beds are traditionally simple, light and extremely comfortable. The detail in the joinery is the point of the whole.” WY

Here is our picture and be watching High Point Market’s website in a few weeks for Leslie’s video interview about this exceptionally crafted bed.

Now, we move to RUNWAY INSPIRED!

It is no secret that fashion is inspiring furniture design and textile design more than ever, but this market Leslie saw two examples so on target, that she Style Spotted them.

First was Joe Ruggiero’s ROSIE chair for Miles Talbott Furniture. Joe designed the fabric for Sunbrella, inspired not only by the *flower power* trend in fashion -shown in the opening picture of this post – but also by the gorgeous rose garden he and his wife cultivate at their home in California, pictured below.

Image Credit: Joe Ruggiero, Sr.

As a result of Joe’s work with Sunbrella and Miles Talbott, this chair is not only beautiful and comfortable, but the fabric is also spill proof for all of you, dear readers, that have small children. If you love garden inspired design and fashion, this chair could be the one for you. You can also have this fabric as cut yardage, and if you need that for a sofa or loveseat or another application, indoor or outdoor, Leslie can help you order it. Just leave her a comment.

And lastly in today’s post, an exotic, breathtakingly pretty loveseat, manufactured in Portugal. This company, Demorais International, more commonly known here as BY KOKET, is bringing unique and original furnishings to the United States, incorporating the highest standards of craftsmanship.