Archives for 2011

Appearing in the upcoming April issue of Casual Living, ECPR wrote an article about our client ShadeScapes Americas. For our blog followers who work in the outdoor lifestyles retail, hospitality contract and landscape design markets, you can read a special preview of the article here…

An important function for outdoor living retailers is staying informed about products the market has to offer. One company, ShadeScapes Americas, has done its part to search the world for high-end, diverse shade solutions, making them widely available.

Woodline Picollo

For nearly a decade, ShadeScapes has been supplying shade solutions to the design trade, hospitality and contract markets. Co-owners Jo and Ron Edmondson began the company when research indicated a missing link in the category. “We addressed an obvious need for sourcing the finest and most architectural shade designs from around the globe, and adapting them for applications specific to the Americas,” Jo Edmondson says. With an established presence in the design and hospitality markets, ShadeScapes prides itself in unparalleled shade solutions for clients’ projects.

ShadeScapes presently is launching a retail program by offering exclusive dealerships to premier outdoor furnishing retailers. “Our invitation is to select, successful retailers with high-end customers who demand unique outdoor products with longevity,” Edmondson says. With this expansion, her company is accepting requests from specialized retailers seeking regional market exclusivity.

By combining three premium brands with excellent worldwide reputations, ShadeScapes has pioneered shading luxury spaces. Creative shade options include side posts, giant umbrellas and umbrella systems, shade sails, and personal shade designs.

Umbrosa Eclipse

In September 2010, ShadeScapes became the exclusive North American, Caribbean and Latin American distributor for Woodline shade solutions. Headquartered in South Africa, Woodline exports world class shades to 46 countries. The product line consists of eight artistic, architectural and commercial-grade shade products, including cantilever, center pole and dual-pole designs. By combining distinct designs with many sizes and three shapes, the line totals more than 100 options for elegant commercial and residential use. “Woodline’s blend of marine-grade aluminum, Eucalyptus hardwood and stainless steel allows for long-lasting beauty,” says Edmondson.

Germany-based May Sunshades selected ShadeScapes as its exclusive distributor for the same markets in 2009. The line consists of seven sophisticated European shade designs offered in round, rectangular and square shapes. Styles include flexible side posts, striking market umbrellas and 40-plus giant umbrella sizes ranging from 15-33 feet. With limitless flexibility, dramatic style and German engineering, May Sunshades protect outdoor settings with all-day shade.

Umbrosa Venus

Since introducing the Belgium-based Umbrosa Collection to the same markets five years ago, ShadeScapes has evoked much interest in the line’s three artful solutions. Based upon nature, and known for sleek ergonomics and contemporary lines, each ensures stylish sun protection. The popular Paraflex European-styled umbrellas are a one-of-a-kind system, mounting to a wall or pole, with one pole accommodating up to five canopies. The centerpiece is a six-foot-long flexible arm with extensive positioning. As for Rimbou, individual fabric arches spread and tilt like a giant leaf as the sun moves, dispensing shade for each chaise. Ingenua is the first fully integrated shade sail system with removable poles and adjustable sails, affording expansive shade for residential and commercial spaces with square, rectangular and triangular shapes. This spring, ShadeScapes is introducing three new Umbrosa designs; Spectra, Eclipse and Icarus, each having received rave reviews at the 2010 European outdoor design expos.

Hallmarks of the brands include superior manufacturing, innovation, commercial-grade materials, excellent quality control, and easy-to-use mechanisms with minimal maintenance. “Our combined lines provide a complete spectrum of the highest quality shade solutions,” says Edmondson. “We are all set to provide quick-ship, on-time delivery for spring.”

ShadeScapes will be exhibiting at The Hospitality and Design Expo 2011. To learn more, www.shadescapesamericas.com.

Englishman’s Fine Furnishings, makers of high-quality, European-style antique reproduction furniture and accessories (and one of the nicest clients a PR firm could have, we might add), will debut two new product display areas at the High Point Spring Market this April. The new displays will feature Englishman’s Fine Furnishings’ Terracotta and Bronze Collections in collaboration with Halo Styles, also a leader of the luxury furniture and lifestyle market.

As part of Halo Styles’ Old Firehouse building showroom in High Point, NC, located at 212 North Wrenn Street, Englishman’s Fine Furnishings’ Terracotta Collection will be displayed in a luxurious outdoor garden setting. Aside Halo Styles’ superior outdoor furnishings, the Terracotta Collection’s containers and urns will be potted with spring plants.

The display will showcase the Terracotta Collection, which is weather- and frost-proof. The line includes stately plaques, planters, urns, bird baths, and water features that add a touch of classic English style to any yard, verandah or deck. Practical for exterior use and meticulous in detail, the terracotta pieces range from Gothic bird baths and fountains in the shapes of Victorian ladies to planters and urns with dramatic lids and handles.

The Bronze Collection from Englishman’s Fine Furnishings will be located across the street at the Halo Styles’ indoor display space, 212 North Main Street. The tabletop bronze statuaries are mounted on marble bases for use as home décor accents. The design styles range from figurines and dogs to horses, stags, bears, and other animals. When placed strategically throughout interiors, they serve homeowners as both conversation pieces and stately declarations of superior design. Retail buyers and designers will find the display to be one of the most unique of its category at market this spring.

The showroom association between Englishman’s Fine Furnishings and Halo Styles is planned to provide attendees of the market a view of traditional and European styling. For more information about Englishman’s Fine Furnishings visit the company’s website at www.englishmansfurniture.com, and learn more about Halo Styles at www.halostyles.com.

To our friends in the media, Englishman’s Fine Furnishings team members will be available to speak with you at the market. If you would like to set up a meeting time to have an Englishman’s Fine Furnishings’ staff member guide you around the new displays, please contact us here at Eberly & Collard Public Relations. Or, feel free to stop by and ask for an Englishman’s Fine Furnishings’ representative at the market.

The Artist Project New York debuted in conjunction with this year’s New York Architectural Digest Home Design Show March 17-20, 2011. Our own Jeff Collard and Don Eberly had the pleasure of attending, as our firm has been working on two article series regarding both TAP and the Architectural Digest show. Our goals in doing so include providing content to the editors for whom we write as well as evoking exposure for the two shows’ exhibitors.

The public relations and show management team – including the always-helpful Victoria Kent, public relations manager; the well-informed Reed McMillan, TAP show director; and super-hospitable Troy Hanson, Architectural Digest Home Design Show director, made our participation with the show an excellent experience. Our sincere thanks to all of them!

Because our readers, fans and followers have been staying on top of pre-show updates and our Sneak Peeks since mid-winter, we wanted to provide a few insights today from having been on site last week. We’ll start with this brief overview, but stay tuned as we will be featuring our picks for Best of Show in the coming weeks, linking them to our many media outlet contacts.

The four-day TAP art fair featured more than 130 juried artists, who showcased unique bodies of work ranging from paintings, photography, mixed media and sculptures. With almost 19,000 collectors, curators, dealers, interior designers, members of the media and consumers, the show was a great success. The Opening Night Reception kicked off the show event on Thursday March 17 with cocktails and hor d’oeuvres provided by U’Luvka Vodka, Francis Ford Coppola Winery and Butterfield Catering. The reception catered to 2,500 art enthusiasts, members of the art and design communities, and members of the media.

The Artist Project New York produced by MMPI and co-located with The Architectural Digest Home Design Show, offered show attendees a rare opportunity to view and purchase contemporary fine art directly from a juried selection of emerging and established talent. To view more photos of The Artist Project at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show visit http://bit.ly/fl5FFC.

The Architectural Digest Home Design Show featured world class artists, designers and manufacturers debuting new and innovative products and designs. Some of the country’s top indoor and outdoor product companies displayed new products in an array of traditional-to-modern styles and color palettes. Some of the early season’s trends were seen in the now-popular subtle gray textiles and lighter wood finishes. Warm tones combined with touches of contemporary styling were seen as a natural theme, clearly setting the stage for the upcoming season for designers, retailers and homeowners. There is probably no better show than this one for those interested in a diverse yet synergistic approach to home design.

From breath-taking home furnishings to the best in kitchens, our Best of Show series will offer a look at some of the top highlights. Whether you attended or are simply in need of trend and product / design information for upcoming installations or inventory, check back soon for the best of the best as we saw it firsthand.

Media members who may have missed the event should consider budgeting for the show next year. It is well worth the trip. And, where better than NYC?

For those editors, publishers and producers who were unable to attend this year, our series content and other related articles and information are available to you upon request. Email or call us at your convenience.

~ ECPR

Terra Nova Nurseries’ president and well-known industry horticulturist Dan Heims recently made an exciting guest appearance on the Martha Stewart Show. Aired by the Hallmark channel late last week, the show included two full segments featuring Heims, who was introduced by Stewart as one of the nation’s leading breeders. The photo below features Dan with show producer Barbara Fight rehearsing for the taping.

The first segment included an interview between Stewart and Heims, during which Heims discussed plant discovery and breeding. Stewart asked about Terra Nova Nurseries’ process of plant exploration trips, tissue culture and propagation. Heims detailed the process for Stewart and a live audience during the taping of the show by including a demonstration of the stages of tissue culture. Additionally, the first segment also focused upon qualities Terra Nova Nurseries seeks in plants that lead to hybridization, and how this translates to robust plants with superior characteristics for gardeners.

The second segment provided Stewart and her viewers a look at Terra Nova Nurseries’ select new plants for 2011, specifically, Acanthus ‘Whitewater’, Cyclamen ‘Something Magic’, Heuchera ‘Georgia Peach’, Tiarella ‘Jeepers Creepers’, and Heucherella ‘Solar Power’. Stewart commented that she very much liked the plants and asked Heims to send the varieties to her. She concluded the final segment by showcasing the Terra Nova Nurseries’ plant catalog, saying that each member of the studio audience would be sent home with a copy.

The televised segments may be viewed on the show’s website at: http://www.marthastewart.com/article/new-plant-varieties.

Heims guest appearance is one of many speaking and similar engagements on his part each year, including a list of trade shows, garden shows, radio interviews, university events, and other public events. Heims was also featured as a radio guest on the Martha Stewart Living Channel, Homegrown, which aired via Sirius/XM on Tuesday March 15, 2011. To learn more about Terra Nova Nurseries, visit www.terranovanurseries.com. The photo to the left demonstrates part of the Martha Stewart Show production team prepping for the show.

For our media contacts, feel free to contact us at ECPR if you have interest in having Dan appear on your radio or television show. Byline articles on a variety of trade and consumer topics are also available. Garden Writers, industry pros, and friends in the business, post your comments about Dan’s news below.

~ Don

Matsuoka International, an affiliate of Matsuoka Kagu Seizo located in Fuchu City, Hiroshima, has been introducing custom designs since 1866. The company makes case goods in Fuchu City, and partners with exceptional craftsmen in the United States for the creation of fine upholstered goods. The company has been renowned as an artificer of custom designs, executed in exotic materials.

Making an appearance at the New York Architectural Digest Home Design Show later this week, Matsuoka International will be showcasing several unique custom designs, including the Martini Cocktail Cabinet. Crafted from Celebes Ebony, one of the world’s rarest and most exclusive cuts of exotic decorative timber, the cabinet is ideal for those who settle for nothing less than luxury.

Celebes Ebony grows in the Sulawesi rain forest, now a UN World Heritage Site. For centuries, it has been the most treasured wood traded on the Oriental Spice route and “Silk Road” which runs between Europe and Asia. Admired for its sharp grains and charcoal black stripes, the chocolate colored wood is deemed extremely desirable.

The interior of the doors are overlaid with silver leafing, featuring a traditional Japanese pattern called “Celebration Cloud”. The apron is designed with a primitive method called Kamakora adazing. Kamakora adazing is a technique applied by the artist involving creating texture in the wood with an adaze, then sanding to a smooth finish followed by lacquering and polishing for the final touch up.

The Martini Cocktail Cabinet is just one of many custom designs from Matsuoka International. To see more of the company’s collection, visit www.matsuokainternational.com. If attending the show this week, be sure to see their exhibit display.

To our media contacts, please feel free to contact us with your questions, comments and editorial needs as this concludes our “Sneak Peek” series. When we return from the show next week, we will begin the process of the post-show “Best of Products” articles, featuring the show’s best of the best for home and commercial space design.

The Architectural Digest Home Design Show in New York City will open its doors to some of the world’s top designers and manufacturers. From first time exhibitors to veterans, the diversity of the show is what makes it such a prestigious event. This year, custom furniture designer and sculpturist Jeff Soderbergh will be gracing the show with the House Beautiful “Kitchen of the Year” dining table.

He designed and created the table by way of collaboration with Bravo’s “Flipping Out” TV personality and designer Jeff Lewis. Their goal was to creatively combine a traditional table design with a contemporary flare to complete the Kitchen of the Year display at Rockefeller Center in New York City.

Jeff Soderbergh hails from Newport, RI, a historic New England town and home of the famed Vanderbilt family. For nearly 21 years, he has been designing and crafting reclaimed antique structural pieces. His collection ranges from tables and home accents to mirrors and custom furniture pieces, all of which are carefully handcrafted from historical artifacts.

The House Beautiful “Kitchen of the Year” dining table design was based on Soderbergh’s refined reclaimed antique harvest tables. The stunning table was crafted using traditional hand tools from a magnificent, reclaimed Southern Yellow Pine tree located on the Vanderbilt family farm just outside of Newport. Four inches thick and eleven feet long, one end of the table rests on a highly polished chromed X base while the other end is supported by a cabinet or has the ability to be attached to a wall.

The surface has strikingly beautiful wear and tear from a water-driven saw mill used back in the early 1800’s. Combined with a deep espresso finish, the table’s surface is smooth and refined. While the table is a one of a kind, Jeff Soderbergh will be offering custom orders based on the original table design or stemming from other designs. Visit the company website at http://www.jeffesoderbergh.com/ to view more of his remarkable pieces. To view photos and videos of Lewis’ Kitchen of the Year, visit http://tinyurl.com/24mg99x.

Art Donovan, born and raised in New York City has embraced a style of design called “Steampunk”. While this genre surfaced on the internet several years ago, the actual label “Steampunk” originated in the 1980s as a twist on the term “cyberpunk”. It describes a design movement encompassing repossessed objects from the Steam Age to create art. Most “Steampunk” artists focus on the Victorian and Edwardian Era of technology. Influenced by scientists and inventors such as Madam Curie, H.G. Wells and Benjamin Franklin, this movement personifies the art of fantasy.

Art Donovan’s new collection aims to provoke dramatic emotion and innovation. His “Steampunk” lighting designs will be on display at the Architectural Digest Home Design show. To see more pieces from Donovan Designs, visit the company website at http://www.donovandesign.com/.

Haller MetalWerks will be launching its new collection at the New York Architectural Digest Home Design Show this week. Specializing in abstract wall sculptures printed on aluminum, artist Camit Haller is expanding into a whole new era with her designs. The 3-D shapes are available in vibrant colors and are sold as limited editions or as commissioned work.

The new collection embodies circular shapes with the intention of creating a spatial and airy presentation influenced by the Neo-Impressionists, Fauvist color spectrum as well as Cubist design principles. “Nous”, featured in this blog, is a futuristic piece ideal for serene and contemporary atmospheres.

To view more abstract wall sculptures by Carmit Haller, visit the company’s website at www.carmithaller.com.

Suzanne and Greg Evans, owners of Tuscan Hills, were first inspired by Italian design while touring through Italy in 1980. With admiration for the Italian culture, the serene and beautiful countryside, fine craftsmanship, and enchanting villas located upon the rolling hills of Italy, they decided to start a new business venture. Bringing Italian ideas and concepts to the United States, the Evans have created a wonderful niche in the American market. Specializing in two areas, home furnishings and real estate, Tuscan Hills has the ability to imitate the Italian lifestyle.

Tuscan Hills will be exhibiting at the New York Architectural Digest Home Design Show this month. Among the pieces the company will be showcasing is the Piero della Francesca table top. Handmade exclusively in Italy and being imported and distributed in the U.S. by Tuscan Hills, the Piero della Francesca table top is ideal for outdoor landscape designs.

The table top measures 84’’ long and 42’’ wide and is named after Piero della Francesca, an Italian painter whose artwork is most known for the use of geometric forms and perspectives. He passed away on October 12th, 1492, the same day Christopher Columbus discovered America. The travertine stone used for the table is quarried, cut and carved in Umbria, Italy by the Corneli family, whose workshop is not far from where Piero della Francesca was born. Notably, the table is inlayed with handmade terracotta and designed in a geometric pattern on the table’s perimeter.

To learn more about Tuscan Hills and the company’s products, visit www.tuscanhills.com.

SA Baxter is one the premiere crafters of high-end, exceptional quality Architectural Hardware. We are utterly impressed with the fact the company’s architectural hardware pieces are handmade to order by a group of local, world-renowned artisans who use both modern and old-world manufacturing techniques. Highly beautiful yet fully functional door, window and cabinet hardware items are offered in an extensive palette of patterns and finishes.

For our magazine editor and television producer blog readers, please take note that the company’s expertise stems from the fact its artisans marry the ancient process of lost-wax casting to 21st century advances in green technology. SA Baxter would make for a well-informed source for article quotes, photography and show segments. Please comment, or contact us through email or phone with your ideas or questions.

For show attendees, in addition to the SA Baxter’s unique hardware designs, the company is now introducing metal flooring into the mix. The metal flooring design is engineered in various lengths and widths of tongue and groove planks. Offered in Brass, Architectural Bronze, and White Bronze variations, the solid metal floor designs are ideal for homes, hotels, restaurants, and bars. Exhibiting the metal floor design at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show, SA Baxter is sure to make an impact. In fact, we are considering them for our “Best of Products” article series, taking place during and after the New York show. Stayed tuned for more updates.

To see more extraordinary Architectural Hardware designs from the company leading up to the show, visit www.sabaxter.com. For those unable to join us in NYC next week, enjoy an online tour of the SA Baxter foundry and atelier for a special inside look: http://sabaxter.com/foundry.

~ Don