They are more slender generally than the lamps you see today and the bases are smaller, but what a find. I'm talking about the lamps Ed Sexton and Doug Taylor found all crated and untouched in the Edward P. Paul Company's east coast warehouse.

The Edward P. Paul Company originally imported these gorgeous high-end lamps from the 40s, 50s and 60s, from the finest Venetian glass houses including Barovier & Toso, Barbini, Seguso, and Venini. They were marketed under the BALBOA trade name and were sold exclusively at their New York City store. Later, BALBOA lamps were offered at fine department stores such as Macy’s, Bloomingdales and Marshall Fields.

Changing tastes and mass production techniques in the 1970s compelled the Edward P. Paul Company to focus fully on their gilded iron furniture business, leaving hundreds of beautiful Murano lamps ...all but forgotten.

Ed and Doug purchased the entire contents of the warehouse. They took seven months to uncrate these timeless works of art and then completely restored the Murano lamps using UL Certified hardware. That's when Swank Lighting was born.

Now, Swank Lighting is working with MaterialGirls to sponsor a ‘virtual’ design contest. Their contest was inspired by the collaboration between Metropolitan Home Magazine and SHOWTIME to create ‘Metropolitan Home’s SHOWTIME House’.

You must design your own room based on one of your favorite tv characters! Your design must be from a a pretty well known tv show, new or old, but the winner will be the one whose room captures the tv character’s personality the best, AND you must include a pair of Swank Lighting lamps in your design board.

After MaterialGirls gets all the submissions via email (laurenehayden@gmail.com or emily@ejinteriors.net) by November 1st, they will announce a winner on November 15th!

Do you want to know what you are competing for?

**The winner will receive a pair of lamps (valued at more than $2,000) from Swank Lighting!**

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

I came across My Design Secrets written by Lorrie Brown, an interior designer in South Florida. Here's an unusual post about the front door, How to Create a Welcoming Front Door. She goes on to tie the article to online sales of products for the front door area. However, she has three points worth considering:

1. The Door - Choose a front door that reflects the style and personality of your home and paint it or stain it in a contrasting color to make it a focal point. My favorite colors? Red, Black & stained finishes.
2. The Accessories- Just like any other room in the house, the accessories are the finishing touch and there are quite a few to consider: door hardware, house numbers, door knockers, door bells, mailboxes, doormats, lighting and plants. Since it’s a small space, try to keep finishes and styles similar.
3. A Commitment - Keep the area neat and clean. A simple sweeping up and wiping down will usually do. Flowers & plants are a bonus. It brightens up the area and shows others that you take pride in your nest.

Whenever I have my camera out, I love to photograph doors. Doors keep us from secrets, or magical gardens or mysterious people with lives totally different from our own. Here are some front doors from My design secrets:


Click on the image to enlarge.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

WINKS - weekend links. Here we list what has come in during the week, things we've found and things we think you'll want to see. If you'd like to see your blog or website featured email us and if we think it fits with our readers we'll link you. So what's in this week?

• Cliff Spencer is a furniture maker. His website says so. He specialises in highest quality modern and traditional cabinetry, custom furniture, green materials, finishing & refinishing. But Cliff isn't a furniture maker. He's an artist. Wood comes alive under his hands. As the website says, "When the morning sun hits the swirling grain of the wood in one of our pieces in just the right way, you’ll see a different angle, a shape, a curve you hadn’t noticed before. It’s old world craftsmanship in modern times, using only the finest joinery, built to last for generations." Live simply with beautiful artisan pieces.




• Kim and I have been waiting for some time to introduce you to Manvi Drona-Hidalgo and her blog Mochatini. Emails back and forth and now she feels she's ready ;) "With Mochatini, I hope to share with you things that inspire me, that I am passionate about, some upcoming artists, timeless classics with modern twists, my attempts at design and other musings." Manvi is a busy woman. She also blogs for 2Modern’s Design Talk and Vogue India. Click on over and say hi! Oh and check out all the eye candy.

Belgian furniture designer Casimir Meubelen has launched a new website and is exhibiting his first new furniture pieces after four years of design silence. Casimir uses the symbolism of the well known I form of a building-construction as the inspiration for "The Poutrel". Find out details of the exhibition in Antwerp and discover more of his design here.

Up To You is the über stylish creation of brother and sister team Bill and Dimitra Doufekas. This Toronto design destination showcases funky objects and gifts housed in a shop that replicates your trendy friend's apartment. So many of their internationally sourced pieces can't be sourced anywhere else in Canada. Kim is always lamenting the lack of great design shopping in Ottawa. Maybe a short trip to Toronto will cure your blues Kim. They have an online shop as well.

What do you think this is? It's crusted with Swarovski crystals. Perhaps jewellery? A hair clip? A pendant? A brooch? No it's jewellery for your home.


Yes, a crystal encrusted mural you can apply to a wall a column, a head board. Anywhere. The Saturday Décor designs and produces a unique line of home décor products — including window and wall décor, jewellery, lighting, and pendants. Duco Phangsoa emailed to introduce this concept. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. OTT definitely but just right for your own personal palace!

I wish emails had smells. This one had me wishing for an internet version of scratch and sniff. "Diptyque, the effortlessly chic brand from France, has the solution for your fireplace woes. French for “wood fire,� Diptyque’s Feu de Bois candle is the perfect substitution for a crackling fireplace. The earthy-but-refined candle is infused with a complex scent that is evocative of fir trees, firewood and autumn woodlands." Website is coming soon but there is a store locator. I'm so intrigued I'm off to Ollie and LLoyd in Brisbane to savour the scent.

Another new blog. This time from Byron Bay in Australia. (God's own country.) Paisley Peacock and Paneer combines decor (paisley and the peacock bit) and blogger Mamta Pinnell's other passion, Indian vegetarian cuisine (paneer - it's a soft cheese). Interior design and home-wares (with lots of paisleys), beautiful Byron Bay, India and vegetarian cooking! Sounds like candy for the eye and the spice for the taste buds.