Appearance on Charlotte Today

In case you missed it, Jane and Cindy were guests on Charlotte Today this morning!  They were naturals behind the camera, as they discussed their book, specifically southern entertaining.  They are both experts on entertaining, and were gracious enough to share with Charlotte some of their tips. "Always have that open door spirit and be ready to welcome one more to your table," Cindy explained. In order to do this, preparation and presentaion will be extremely helpful.  Be prepared before you entertain so you are not stressed in front of your guests.  Do as much ahead of time as you can.  If you are relaxed, your guests will be relaxed.  Monogrammed items and some kind of personal touch are a key to southern presentation.  Also, choose a color and stick with it.  Have flowers not only on your table, but on a chest on your entrance hall or bedside table to show you anticipated your guests arrival.  Because we all are so fortunate to live in the south, you can find something to use in your backyard all year around!  Finally, elevate the evening with a gift or party favor. 



Market Arrivals

Yesterday we unloaded lots of goodies that we brought back from market in High Point!  The rest of the items that we custom ordered will be in in a couple weeks.  From a Verellen sofa, to Verellen lamps, to accessories from all over, we are swimming in new arrivals! Take a look at some of the unique items we have on display here in the Charlotte retail store! Birmingham has some other great new arrivals!

 Our large new pot we have sitting outside.  This can really spice up the front of your house! You can even put a Christmas tree in it!  Birmingham has three other shapes of these.  Cindy could not pass these up after she saw them window shopping in High Point.

 How gorgeous is this slip cover!?

 Hello Beautiful!

 Perfect new side table for any room!

 Verellen's new fabric- covered lamps.  This one is leather!

One of Verellen's new wooden lamps.  We have this with an ivory shade as well.

 

Market

This past week was market in High Point, NC.  Most of us made it there at some point, and came home with lots of great new finds.  A big group of us spent about 8 hours there on  Monday, combining our creative brain power to bring home the best looking and most durable pieces we could design.  We were all challenged trying to keep up with Cindy's incredible energy!  Each year at market, we stock up both the Charlotte and Birmingham stores with upholstery, casegoods, and accessories.  We should have it all by next week, just in time for the Holidays!  If there is anything in particular you need for your home, the shop girls know exactly what is on the way and can help you fulfill that need/want.  Scroll down to see some of the fun we all had together away from the studio and retail stores.

Some of the girls picking out fabrics at Lee Industries.  It's not very  often we have the Charlotte girls and Birmingham girls all together!

Julia and Whitney enjoying a drink at Verellen after a long day of shopping. 

Verellen introduced some new lamps this year at market! Don't worry, we snagged a couple!

Some gorgeous glassware on display

Same Sky Event Was a Success!

The Same Sky event this past Saturday turned out to be a great success!  I think it is safe to say all of our hard work paid off, and benefited many Rwanda artisans.  All the guests fell in love with the jewelry, and even more so with the cause.  This kind of shopping eliminates any buyer's remorse, because we learned where the money of each piece goes directly.  For example, the purchase of one bracelet is linked to providing the payment for one of the artisan's health insurance.

 

 

 

If you weren't able to make it, it's not to late to buy! Check out their website: www.samesky.com

Julia, Ellen, Caroline, Francine, Catherine, and Caroline

 The Same Sky team all modeling some of the jewelry.

"Instead of a handout, we believe in giving a hand-up, and the tools to become self sufficient," Francine told the crowd.

 

Thank you to everyone who came!

Décor

If you haven't yet, you need to grab the most recent copy of the Décor magazine, Fall/Winter 2013 edition- on stands now!  As the cover states, the magazine includes "The most exquisite rooms ever", and you better believe it does!  In the middle, there is a chapter on "Designers on Design", where they chose three top designers from around the country to discover the passions and inspirations that drive their designs and inform their creative processes.  Starting on page 76, there is a 4 page spread about yours truly, Circa Interiors.  We are so proud of Jane and Cindy for this beautiful article!

"With a flair for comfortable elegance, Jane Schwab and Cindy Smith have crafted a signature style that reflects their Southern roots."  The above pictures capture Cindy's inviting living room.

 

 

 

Same Sky Event

This Saturday, October 19th from 5:30- 7:30 PM, Circa Interiors is thrilled to help present an event which supports an incredible cause.  Same Sky is a socially conscious jewelry line, founded by Francine Lefrak, that enables women artisans to achieve economic self-sufficiency in Rwanda.  The jewelry is all uniquely inspired by the stories and lives of these women. We hope that as faithful readers of our blog, you can join us this weekend for a fun-filled night of shopping and cocktails while learning about and supporting this cause by purchasing some of this neat, high quality jewelry!

 

 

 

These pieces are just some of the many different colors are styles that will be at the event.  The jewelry has been featured in many different magazines and spotted on several celebrities! (One of which may or may not be at the party...shh!)

 

Jill Dahan, "Starting Fresh!"

Today we had the priviledge to meet Jill Dahan, who is new to Charlotte after traveling across Europe, the Middle East, and Australia learning about food.  As a wife and mother of three, she strives to nourish her family in the best way possible.  She is trying to promote her new book, titled "Starting Fresh!", and has started to share her foods in some local grocery stores.  She brought us some of her chocolate almold cookies today, which were very hard to believe they were healthy. (They were gone in 3 minutes).  As stated in the beginning of her book, this is her recipe for life: Combine fresh food, great taste, and love.  She is passionate about the transformative power of food, whether you wish to focus on weight loss, lowering cholesterol, or even acne.  The natural way is the best way.  Check out some of her recipes and more background on Jill's inspirations through her website: http://jilldahan.com/.  Keep her book in mind as the Holiday's are appoaching!

 

 

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

A huge shipment just got in from all different places!  Lots of oustanding mirrors and unique sets of lamps!  (Not everything is pictured) We jumped into these boxes almost immediately because we have been so excited for this shipment.  Come in and take a look, or call the shop for any pricing questions or further inquiries.  You won't be disappointed! 

Also, don't forget that our custom upholstery sale is still going on until the 16th! You still have time to place an order and have it ready for Christmas!  This Fall sale takes an additonal 5% off Hickory Chair casegoods and custom upholstery, and 10% off Lee custom upholtery orders, in addition to our customer discounts of 20-30% off retail, we proudly offer all year.  It's that time of year to spruce up the house for Fall, and to get a jump start on hosting for the Holidays!