My love affair with Mecox began fifteen years ago when I was touring the Hamptons.  I had the privelege of going with a dear friend on a trip organized by Sotheby’s of the gardens and estates of the Hamptons.  It was an amazing trip with stops at Martha Stewart’s gardens, the studios of wonderful artists, and a trip to Mecox Gardens in Southhampton.  At the time, I think that this was their only location.  I was enthralled with the plant selection and styling.  There were wonderful garden vignettes everywhere, with fountains and arbors and garden urns and statues that were sublime.  In the middle of all this garden splendor sat a small and unassuming building.  I wandered in,  and my jaw dropped.  Instead of a slightly musty display of seed packets and pesticides, there was a wonderland of home accessories and furnishings.  It was heaven.  Unfortunately, we had to leave before I could purchase anything, but the impression was indelible.

Fast forward to 2006 and the construction and design of my home.  I was working with a bit of a handicap as some of my things were still in storage, some were being refinished and refurbished, and the house was still unfinished.  I was not very keen on ordering furniture for the house – barely sheetrocked at this point- as I hadn’t laid eyes on some of my furniture in literally years, so I wasn’t sure of proportions and shapes.  I was so excited to hear that Mecox was here in Dallas, but I had no idea what to expect when I walked in the door for the first time.  What I found was a group of the most lovely salesmen, although to call them that seems off, somehow.  They were incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to please.  Did I like that chair?  Yes, but I needed 10.  And maybe in a different color?  Done.  Can I try it in the room?  Certainly.  Take it to the construction site?  We will clean it up when you get it back to us.  No request was too inconvenient and every transaction was truly a joy.  Now the store manager, David Lee was a sea of calm and zen as we were in the throes of finishing the house, trying to stay on budget, and get moved in.  Don Hicks and Jeffery Bell were always on hand to sherpa things back and forth from my Expedition to the store and had great design sense to boot.  It is sort of amazing to me that I have not done a post about Mecox, as so many of my favorite pieces were sourced here.  A partial list:  table and chairs in the loggia, dining room chairs, breakfast room cabinet, living room bench, garden stools, and harp chairs, entryway dressers, and more accessories than I can count.  You get the idea.

So once I realized my omission, I hopped on down to Mecox to take some pictures of the store and wouldn’t you know it, left my memory card back home.  Rain check.  In just one week, the store looked completely different, which is one of the reasons that Mecox does so well.  You always have a sense of discovery when you walk in.  So, what is new at the Dallas Mecox?  First, and unmistakeably, is color.  While neutral pieces will always be a backbone for Mecox, the Dallas store has amped up the color with accessories, art, pillows, and occasional chairs.

They are displaying artwork by some local Dallas artists, and I am a huge fan.  The look is fabulous and the pricing is reasonable.  This is a new direction for Mecox and I really am a fan.  They are doing a lot of custom work with area artisans, and picking up great vintage pieces and “upcycling” them.  The look is very hip and yet very classic and the same time.  You may not see some of these pieces on the Mecox website as a result, but I am giving you e-mails and phone numbers to contact the Dallas Mecox directly.

These are very fresh and appealing, no?  They are painted on translucent glass and can be painted on any color backdrop and at any size.  These were each $525, which I think is a great bargain for an original piece of art.

Here is a more neutral palette.  I really love the organic feel of these pieces.

Funny story about these acupuncture sculptures.  I saw human size versions of these at another haunt, the White Elephant, and they were vintage.  I loved the look of them but thought they were a bit overbearing.  Some enterprising Dallas-based manufacturer must have thought the same, as here are these!  Again, notice the use of color.  It is here and there, but very powerful.

Here is my breakfast cabinet’s twin, styled with great bursts of color.  Aren’t those orange chinoiserie pillows fun?

Here they are in chocolate and tangerine.  Again, they make such a statement against the neutral sofa.  If you have bought a neutral sofa and have painted your walls in one of the new neutrals and are now longing for some color, take note.  Pillows and accessories can add so much drama and color to a room, as long as they are boldly sized.  If the pillows are too small or the object too diminutive, then the color looks haphazard and half-hearted.  If you are nervous, just try out a few different combinations before you decide which one works best in your room.

Here is another view of the first vignette in the post.  I just think this is dynamite.  The leather chairs are slipcovered!  And the steel gray pillows, with the stripes railroaded, soften their vibrancy and relate so well to the zinc coffee table.  And of course, the painting is masterful and brings the whole look together.

Here is another look at how a smallish piece of artwork, supplemented by some large and colorful accessories can transform a space.

This sofa is actually a lovely pale blue.  Here they have it dressed in a beautiful bitter chocolate, but it would be equally lovely with some bright colors on this, too.  Look just behind the sofa at the aquamarine Windsor chairs.  I love that unexpected twist.

An entirely neutral palette has not gone away.  Here is a serene bedroom vignette.  It is very similar in feeling to my bedroom, which is why I like it so.  I have so enjoyed my neutral, nature inspired bedroom as it is serene and restful.  This has a more sophisticated feeling than my bedroom and I really love it.

Here is another vignette that I really liked.  The artwork gives things a pop, but with more mellow color and I have always loved how Mecox displays their mirrors, layered one on top of the other.

These lamps are really fun, flanking the great artwork and turquoise shell obelisks.  Cote de Texas posted that gray might be the new turquoise, but at this store, turquoise is the new turquoise.

These vintage chairs, newly recovered, were featured in D Home magazine, which is also starting to show more color.  This could just be a local trend, but the new House Beautiful issue showed a lot of color, too.  We’ll see what happens.

These ethereal porcelain fruits and gourds are the steal of the year.  The most expensive piece is $75 and the smaller ones start at $40, if I remember correctly.  This is another part of the evolution at the Dallas Mecox, which is to offer more variety in pricing.  Yeah!

If you have questions or a sudden insatiable desire to purchase any of these things, e-mail David Lee or Don Hicks.  Or you can give them a call at (214) 580-3800.  They would love to hear from you, and I know that they are wonderful to all their clients.  I have a reader who sent me the most heartwarming e-mail about how lovely they were to work with in trying to get a table to her in Canada.

Enough vicarious shopping for me, I am off to back to school activities for the boys.  Although those porcelain figs and pears are dancing in my head….

Kristin

PS No, I don’t get anything from Mecox for mentioning them on my blog, except for lots of hugs and as much Diet Coke as I can chug down while I am there.  But they do that for everybody…..

Michael Smith designed this living room and he employed no fewer than eight patterns that I can count in this portion of the photo!  Now, I find all that pattern somewhat dizzying, and as Redd is known for bold color, Smith is known for an expansive use of pattern.  Of course, pattern and strong color often go hand and hand in the same room, but that is not always the case.  So, why do I think pattern will be a strong trend for 2010?  Certainly, pattern never left us, just as color never did, but pattern was kept more to a minimum recently.  Large swathes of linen, seagrass, and white walls dominated the recent Belgian trend.  What I see is that pattern is sneaking back into our fiercely edited interiors.  That’s a good thing, in my opinion.  So where is pattern making its stealthy entrance?

This is a Nate Berkus design.  And again, look more closely for the pattern.  Obvious, of course, is the zebra rug which has been the go-to pattern in recent years.  But look more closely.  The circles on the screen give it much more interest, and the pillows on the lime green sofa have great interest and pattern.  While you might have seen one or two of these patterned accents recently, now you are seeing more of them.  And, don’t get me wrong.  I am a huge proponent of the solid sofa, as you can easily change pattern and direction with pillows.  It is a classic design tool and one I employ a lot.

Here Barry Dixon uses a very bold pattern on the floor.  He had hex signs from quilt patterns painted on the floor in the kumquat and eggplant colors used on the upholstery.  I love this idea.

Another note for you.  I am starting to see oriental rugs making a comeback.  In every single photographic spread from December’s Elle Decor, an oriental rug served as a launching pad for the pallette and feel for the room.  Yeah!  While I love sisal and seagrass, and have oceans in my home, I also have wonderful oriental rugs that were a real investment when my husband and I bought them years ago.  My family room and living room are anchored by two of these rugs and I am so glad to see photos of designers using them again, although I am pretty sure that they were always being used, just not so much photographed.

Another 80′s design signature is  making a comeback.  Kilim is starting to appear here and there.  This is an ottoman from Garnet Hill.  I love the pattern of kilims and the warmth and coziness of its woven wool.  I looked on eBay for kilim and there are so many choices – a sure sign that a trend may be on its way.

This was an eBay find.  For $29, it’s a bargain.  So, why would kilim make a comeback now?  As I’ve written before, things tend to become trendy when we rediscover them and there is a plentitude to be had at a reasonable price.  And if I am right and pattern and color are both going to be strong trends, then kilims are an affordable way to add a great pop of both.

This is the Du Barry pattern, again from Osborne and Little.  There are so many different colorways in this pattern, it is dizzying.  This pattern in this color is one that I think you may see sooner rather than later, as it softness marries so well with the Belgian look.  It’s quite dreamy, isn’t it?

Again from Osborne and Little, this wallcovering by Nina Campbell is called Gilty.  As its name implies,  it has a metallic element to it, and comes in several colorways.  This is a dip of the toe into more pattern on the walls.

If Gilty is a dip of the toe into a patterned wallpaper, Jagmandir has you at about waist high.  This lovely pattern is obviously Asian in inspiration, but the pallete is more muted and in keeping with the previous more neutral pallette.  You could see covering a screen in this paper, or maybe a wonderful niche or alcove.  A dining room in this would be stunning.

So Maharani, above, is a full body plunge into pattern!  I could easily see  Mary McDonald using it as an anchor for a major room, such as a living room or dining room.  It truly packs a punch in this colorway, although there are others, too.  I do love this, though.  But in my humble opinion, I could only use this if there was almost no other pattern in the room, except for maybe a cobalt and white pinstripe.  While I love colorand love pattern, I need it in moderation.

Thanks for reading this really long post.  Sorry if I am going on and on, but I want to be sure that you see where I see the roots of trends that I discuss here.  There will be more trendy posts to come, so be sure to check back in.

Kristin