My plan was to do my next blog  on a store that was completely opposite to the places I visited before. Consequently, Centro, the center for the Gucci and Louis Vutton brands of the home furnishing world located in the Central West End, was my original destination.  Literally 30 seconds before arriving I was sidetracked by Buddha; he was sitting calmly on the middle of a table facing me as though he was patiently awaiting my arrival. A skylight located above him directed soft natural light around him and a gorgeous 9 x 12 oriental rug hanging directly behind him.

I find most oriental rugs to be too distracting for my taste, but this one was different; negative space was a part of the design and not just the outcome of left over space from the motifs.The colors on this rug had a distinct hue to them that made it appear bright and alive without demanding attention. From my experience, rug shops are suppose to be large warehouses with huge piles lying everywhere. This store is only a tenth of the size of a small warehouse and uses half of the space and prime real estate to display only five rugs.

Intrigued, I walked into the store and was instantly welcomed by a yorkshire terrier. After I was cleared entrance, I was allowed to go behind Buddha and interviewed again, this time by a  standard poodle, while another one watched sleepily on a pile of rugs. Note your second interview will not go by as smoothly as the first since the poodle is still a ‘baby’ but you will be saved by Greg Halbert the owner. Mr. Halbert is the reason I am now in love with blogging. Talking to someone with so much passion, love, and knowledge fills you with the same emotions, even if you do not feel the same about the subject. His emotions were contagious!

Halbert’s rugs are collectables you could use in your space for decades, without loosing any value because they are ‘bullet proof’. They are made the exact way rugs were made 2,500 years ago. With yarn and dyes, rugs made by hand and natural materials. It takes up to six months to complete one rug. Halbert says they are an investment unlike synthetic rugs which do not increase in value over time and will not last as long. All of Halbert’s rugs come from a closed market. This means the designers and artisans of these rugs have total control over what they create; they send him a picture of what they made and the price.

Halbert told me a story about the Ford Granada that was built in the 1970′s to look like a Mercedes to compare his rugs to most of the rugs on the market. His simple question afterwards was, which car do you think people are still driving around today? If you appreciate art, craftsmanship,  and beauty, I highly encourage a visit. That is if your not allergic to  dogs and are not afraid of a standard poodle constantly showing you love and affection. ( that is, after winning his approval).

For more information, please visit…

www.halbertrugs.com

It’s no secret that all of us here at DesignSpeak love our city, and we know you do too. We frequently hear about so many great local places around town; places that make St. Louis a unique and vibrant community. Since we depend on so many of these small businesses in our day to day lives, we feel that they deserve to be highlighted for what makes them stand out.  Using our twitter hashtag, #STL365, and by posting highlights on our blog, we will endeavor to share these small businesses with you.

These aren’t your “big box” type of stores; these are going to be small local boutiques and businesses that are open to the public. Whether it’s a brand new local restaurant that just opened with an amazing design, a boutique that has a great selection or service, or a small city park that you might have forgotten about, we want to help our friends discover the city. Especially the designers, craftspeople, and local building resources we know and love.   If there is a place around town you would like for us to scout out, please let us know, as we might already have a connection there.

We will be posting our finds on Fridays to give everyone a bit of inspiration for those weekend home improvement projects, or for a place to kick back after the work is done. If you love our city also, and want to support local businesses, we encourage you to connect with us and join the conversation as we go out and explore what makes St. Louis unique.

Connect with us here!
Blog: http://www.designspeakstl.com
Twitter: @DesignSpeakSTL
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/designspeakstl

In-house design consultation, custom lamp design and repair, and professional installation are just a few of the many services available at the Blodgett Lighthouse. With over 30 years of experience, the lighthouse claims to be more than just another lighting store. According to them, they are your only lighting store. Quick disclaimer: If you are looking for professional help when it comes to selecting a lighting fixture and want a piece that sits quietly in the background, this is not the place for you. If you want expert advice and have a desire for a fixture that speaks to you, your client, and/or a specific project, look no farther.

Initially, I took The Lighthouse’s bold claim of being, “the only lighting store you need,” as a challenge. When I entered the building I was flooded with an odd sensation, which continued while walking around the store  (literally ever inch of the store is covered by a lamp, fixture, or the components to make one) and couldn’t decide if my feelings were a good or bad thing.

Because the Blodgett Lighthouse is set up like a museum with every collection on display, you have to give yourself adequate time to take it all in. If you don’t take the time, you would fail to notice how the motion-sensored lamps were constructed from vintage jars, bottles, and cans. Sure you would see the typical pendent fixture made with colored glass, but would completely miss the vintage and contemporary factory lamps (3x times cheaper than most without a loss of quality) to the right. Did that bright yellow sticker imply that they could turn any strange item I desire into a lamp? Why yes, yes it did.

Custom fixtures go beyond picking a different color than what is stocked. After fully appreciating what this means; all the cords, wires, and screws sitting neatly on the shelves start to scream creative potential and possibility. The staff here is friendly, funny, and completely obsessed with their job; these lighting gurus know what they are doing!  If you want a piece that sits quietly in the background, theres a lamp for that here as well. Good luck finding it. You may find yourself hours later coming up with items that spontaneously need to be turned into a wall sconce to go inside the future home of an unknown client… just in case.

Be sure to check out The Blodgett Lighthouse. An experience you will not soon forget!

P.S.  The old sensation was labeled a good thing upon reflection.

“What year is it again?” You have to ask yourself this question at least twice when you enter the Rocket Century gallery on S. Grand. The window front display, though nicely done, fails to prepare you for whats in store upon entering the gallery. Its the music that hits you first and acts as the catalyst for your transportation through time, but every designer knows its the furniture that keeps you there.  The gallery, which is no bigger than a small apartment, is designed to look and feel like distinctive spaces during the peak of Modernism, and trust me, it succeeds.

Its amazing how every piece exemplified not only quality and craftsmanship, but love and care until you meet the owner Kristina Starr, then it becomes blatantly obvious why. Mrs. Starr, along with her shop assistant Brian, have a strong bond with every piece and can tell you in full detail the history of any item you select in the gallery. Recently, they have acquired original designer pieces from Denmark made by ‘true designers’ that inspired the modern designers in America. These pieces are the result of designers ‘thinking out of the box’ for the first time, going against doctrines and tradition to produce something that responded to the times, something cool, something modern. Seeing these pieces in person is like meeting the role model to your role model (slightly mind blowing if your a romantic like me).

Before entering the showroom each piece is updated without loosing its essence; the upholstered furniture is reupholstered in fabric from its origanally time period. I highly  recommend not only visiting, but building a relationship with Rocket Century (trust me it wouldn’t be hard to do) for those projects that need a unique piece, from ashtrays to sofas, with a distinct history to make your spaces distinct,  for the times you need assistance for finding a specific item made in the 1920′s – 1980′s, or if you just love modern furniture.

But beware! It is easy to walk in and go directly to the record player or jukebox with the desire to turn up the volume, because your favorite song is playing, before looking for your remote so you can see if Bewitched is playing on your original black and white TV.  Although it isn’t your apartment, there is no TV, and unfortunately no Bewitched, you can always pretend.

Visit Rocket Century’s website!

Robust’s new location, Downtown at the MX is fabulously done!  Not only do they offer an amazing selection of wines (and bubbles, see pic below) but they do so with such effortless hospitality that it’s hard to imagine they have only been open a few weeks.  Everyone from our servers to our event coordinator to the owner, Stanley, were so welcoming to our group.  Thank you Robust for being so wonderful, accommodating and treating us to super yummy appetizers!

Robust – Before DS madness…

Robust – After over 80 DS peeps arrived!

This month, we had an amazing architectural renderer as our surprise vendor raffle, Danae Designs & everyone enjoyed mingling in the space designed by SPACE Architects.  Check out a few pictures that I took trying to capture the ambience & energy of the event.  You really need to check it out for yourself.  Parking Tip: Valet at Embassy Suites for only $3 and it gets added to your Robust tab…can’t beat that downtown!

Being our first event this year, DesignSpeak popped open a few bottles of bubbly to toast!  Overall, a very encouraging start to 2013 and I’m very thankful for all the amazing people that continue to support our mission!  I’m looking forward to many more exciting events this year!

Cheers & we’ll see you in February!!

A beautiful space + amazing group of people = Yulespeak success!  Thank you to all involved!

My DesignSpeak Team, hard at “work”!!!

We had a lot packed into this holiday party with 3 raffle prizes, a presentation to recap the year and a side “fundraiser” for our Adopt A Family!  But all the guests wanted to do was fill out an application to Interapptive after getting lured by the beautiful interiors, complete with a fantastic view of the Arch!  I would definitely say the Arch was the star of the evening, as you can see below, people were lined up to get a photo op!

Our brand of “networking” has generated quite a following and we couldn’t be happier.  Even with all the holiday events that week, we had our best attendance yet at Yulespeak!  To all who came out, we so very much appreciate your support and couldn’t do it without you!   Also huge kudos to my DS team for springing into action and making everything run so smoothly!  You guys ROCK!!  Overall, we had a great time and we hope all of our guests did, too!

Another big shout out goes to Dana Diaz de Leon for beautifully capturing the event in photos!  Click the thumbnails below to enlarge the pictures.  We picked our favorites but you can view the full album here.

Thank you again to all involved & here’s to a fabulous 2013!!

1.  Cardinals Jersey Raffle!

We have amazing raffle prizes this year, the best of which is a Cardinals jersey!!!  One lucky winner will receive the brand new St. Louis Cardinals jersey with personalization of their choice, courtesy of Lids sport stores.  Bring cash to buy raffle tickets and increase your odds!  1oo% of the proceeds go to our adopt-a-family charity!

2.  Cost!

$20 not only gets you in the door but covers drinks and food!  Also, if you are thinking of becoming a member or need to renew your membership for next year, we’re giving you $5 off!

3.  Adopt-A-Family!

DS has selected a wonderful family (single mom & 3 kids) that deserves a little extra special attention this holiday season and beyond.  The money we raise for them will go towards clothes, books (they love to read!), and a few fun things for under the tree!  Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

4.   Exclusive Tour of Interapptive!

An amazing space executed flawlessly by Nehring Design with 360 degree views of downtown.  Bright & playful, perfect for our version of the holidays!

photo by Alise O’Brien

5.  YOU!  You are the reason we hold these events!

We look forward to looking back on the successes of 2012 and ahead to a great 2013!  Hope you can make it!  Please click here to view the invite and join the festivities!

Huge thank you to our Platinum Sponsor, Integration Controls
& Gold Sponsor, Cosentino!  We couldn’t do it without them!

Jennifer asked a few good  basic questions to help select the  right vanity.

What size vanity will fit in the space?

If your space measures 40″, the 42″ wide vanity you want is not going to work.   A slightly smaller vanity may give you space for a towel bar or toilet paper holder.

Vanity shown is from Pottery Barn

How do you use the space?  What kind of storage do you need?  A cabinet with doors provides typical storage for larger items.  Drawers are important for storing smaller objects.

Vanity shown is from Restoration Hardware

Vanity shown is from Restoration Hardware

Do you want a vanity with a one sink or would two work better for you?

Vanity shown is from Restoration Hardware

Vanity shown is from Restoration Hardware

How tall do you want the vanity to be?  Standard heights for vanities are 32″, 34″ or 36″.

Vanity shown is from Lowe’s.

The height of the vanity above is 34″.  The top of the back splash is at 38″.

Vanity shown is from Pottery Barn.

The height of this Pottery Barn vanity is 36″.

The vanity is an integral part of a bathroom’s design. Asking the right questions and taking good measurements will help you  select a vanity that is  right for your bathroom.

Choose your option below to renew now and sign up for the holiday party!

STLDW was our surprise raffle for the month.  We gave away a beautiful poster designed by Kiku Obata‘s own Carlos Zamora as well as a reusable bag with the STLDW logo.  By complete coincidence, the color scheme at the event space matched the logo!

We also turned the tables on the crowd in terms of networking.  Usually, we have our team ask questions for a raffle drawing.  This month, we decided to try a little game we call “6 Degrees of DesignSpeak” and had the attendees get signatures of at least 10 people they didn’t already know.  This resulted in a very lively crowd and I’m glad we had a mike to get everyone’s attention.  Thanks Jamie & Integration Controls!

Here are a few pics from the evening!