Who doesn’t love spending a day in Santa Fe? It’s just an hour north of Albuquerque but it seems I don’t visit, the city different, often enough. Turns out, it takes a little prompting and some planning, to take a long over due afternoon in Santa Fe with my good friend and fellow designer Sandy Schargel. We talked about it for a few weeks before we were finally able to set a good time for both of us. She made a very thoughtful list of local design firms and shops, some we’d been to and some new ones we had not, and off we went.
Im always watching for inspirations of all sorts and a wonderful, historic, free spirited town like Santa Fe never disappoints. While I could go in to great detail about how chic Samuel Design Groups new offices are, and how I think I love Statements truly unique and utterly gorgeous decorative tiles and amazing back splashes, I should probably focus on the highlights of our day. (But if you’d like to see Statements or SDG they are next door to each other, off of Paseo De Peralta, begging you to stop in both places.)
Perhaps its just what my eye likes to see, but color was everywhere. Bold rich colors, woven in to the fabrics and splashed on the walls. We noticed deep russets mixed with natural fibers, and rich woods of all sorts at Santa Fe Home. They appear to be one of the larger stores in the area, with a great eye for high quality furniture. Right down the way at Moss, the rich colors continued with all of the contemporary out door furniture they offer. Bold strokes of Lime and Citrus mixed with a wonderful selection of the latest in outdoor options. Though I may have been most enamored with the bird feeders, and the chairs.. I mean who doesn’t love a gorgeous chair.
Its true that I may be a bit biased, but my very favorite stop of all, the one that inspired us to plan the trip in the first place, was Reside Home. They recently acquired the historic Digneo Moore house, and have lovingly transformed it in to a unique jewel box, brimming with treasures. Each room shows off bold, tasteful, colorful, and comfortable design. Interesting and unique items are in every room and of course I touched nearly all of them, but what would you guess I took the most pictures of? Pillows, yep pillows, ok the fabric and layers of their pillows. Im aware that my focus is one sided but if ever there was a way to share ones personality, its through pillows. Im no long a throw pillows all over the place for splash of color designer, Ive learned that a pillow thrown on the floor when its in the way is no longer, a splash of color. And while I now go by the rule of, have as many as you will actually use, I still agree a little personality can be had by all. Id say the design group at Reside Home agrees.
My assessment at the end of the day is, Santa Fe is not lacking in design inspiration, style or color. I will really need to make it a point to return more often, how hard is it really to talk someone in to a day in Santa Fe.
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