Donghia Lighting: Artisanal, Like-New Vintage Lamps

Never a design house willing to rest on its laurels, bringing the Donghia back among the Kravet family was something of a “no-brainer”. The acquisition included the Donghia brand name, the company’s intellectual and digital property, its designs, archives, and all current inventory.

And now, the artisanal, like-new yet vintage-feeling line of Donghia Lighting is, well… illuminating in the brightest, most stylish sense of the word.

Each piece of Donghia Lighting was hand-selected by Creative Director Doug Garfinkle, meticulously preserved to retain its original character, and restored to ensure functionality meets modern expectations.

The intricate details of each lamp, from carefully crafted silhouettes to hand-chiseled texture and specialized glass-etching, can only be achieved with the level of skill specific to Murano.

Hand-Crafted Lamps from Murano, Italy

A hand-blown piece of Murano glass is inherently one of a kind, and for this collection of iconic vintage designs, it is particularly so: there are at most 15 of each style in existence.

Discovered in the studio of a 23rd-generation glass artisan family, each piece of lighting was handmade in Murano, Italy; an island so renowned for its glass mastery, it received the Venetian Coat of Arms in recognition.

The Seguso family of artisans is a historic Angelo Donghia partner. These lamps were originally commissioned for Donghia, but never brought to market and lost to time. Claim a piece of the Donghia legacy with your own Murano glass design.

Further, Seguso serves as the creative production source for all Donghia glass lighting and accessories worldwide. The special collaboration between both brands is based upon a shared desire to produce unique and exclusive products, bringing the excellence of craftsmanship into new and exceptional designs.

More to Come from Donghia

Like Kravet, we promise more to come from the Donghia Collection soon, including peeks at some truly stunning fabrics, wallcoverings, and lighting solutions. Stay tuned for future posts.

If you have questions about other Donghia Lighting products or the availability of the collection, feel free to…   Contact TD Fall today to discover more about this iconic line of luxury home furnishings.

Home Office Furnishings from Kravet & Lee Jofa

As Bob Dylan sang so many years ago, The Times They are a Changing. (Oy, was it really more than 50 years ago?) Of course, the young songwriter was focused on a completely different set of challenges at the time, with little idea of what might befall us today. That is, social distancing and business restrictions that have forced us to think about home office furnishings in a whole new light.

If the look you're going for is minimalist or maximalist (is maximalist even a word?), Kravet offers a broad range of furnishings for the home office. And, with working from home becoming the norm for many, you can expect a bump in home office remodeling projects.

Having offered you some valuable tips for how you can work more effectively in a new, remote environment in a previous post, we thought it might be helpful to share some cool furnishing ideas you can offer to your clients.

Work from Home Office Solutions

Nothing says “home office” quite like the work surface one chooses. While a bulky wood desk can make one type of statement, a sleek and stylish design can have a great deal of appeal of its own. Here, we offer a few different looks from Kravet and Lee Jofa to consider.

Workhorse Desk by Lee Jofa

From Bunny Williams Home, we feature the Workhorse Desk by Lee Jofa simply because it offers so much style with functionality.

The handcrafted hardwood draftsman desk has actually been around since the mid-1700s in one form or another. The newly contemporary cantilevered design, brushed steel legs and divided pencil drawer may find their inspiration in the previous century, this piece has a decidedly 21st Century vibe. The Workhorse measures 60”W x 35”D x 35”H, with the work surface a comfortable 29 inches from the floor.

Courtney Desk by Lee Jofa

For those seeking a more traditional home office feel but still want to make a statement, the Courtney Desk by Lee Jofa offers a 19th Century feel – without overdoing it. Think of it as a minimalist interpretation of a traditional design, as the folks at Bunny Williams Home describe it. Using a somewhat shallow profile to keep the work close, the Courtney measures 60”W x 28”D x 30”H.

Griffin Desk by Lee Jofa

Simple yet elegant, and absolutely loaded with style, the Griffin Writing Desk, from Robert Brown for Lee Jofa, offers clean lines and a substantial presence, without overwhelming the space in which it rests (and works). Available in dark walnut, pecan, chalk, stone, and truffle, this beauty measures 70”W x 36”D x 30”H.

Home Office Seating Solutions

Of course, it takes more than a desk to make a home office. Again, Kravet has something for everyone when it comes to seating solutions for those forced or choose to work from home.

Gainsborough Leather Chair by Lee Jofa

Available in a smooth or tufted leather finish, the Gainsborough Leather Chair by Lee Jofa offers classic comfort for the home office. The chair is available in two sizes and a variety of colors and wood finishes, as well as with or without the swivel base.

Tufted Directors Swivel Chair & Tufted Wing Chair by Lee Jofa

Choice is the watchword here, with two beautiful options for seating solutions from Holland & Co., through the Lee Jofa line from Kravet. The Tufted Directors Swivel Chair is available in a full range of traditional leather colors and custom sizes. The Tufted Wing Chair measures 31”W x 32”D x 47”H and is likewise available in traditional leather colors. 

Home Office Lighting Solutions

As always, putting the right light on the subject is as important to a comfortable home office as are the desk and chairs. A bright designer knows this of course, and is willing to put a spotlight on their client’s lighting choices. (See what we did there? LOL)

Holmes Desk Lamp & Karlene Table Lamp from Curated Kravet

From Curated Kravet, the Holmes Desk Lamp and Karlene Table Lamp provide you with an opportunity to present a traditional lighting solution, or something more contemporary. While both are beautiful in their own right, the statements they make are quite different. While both are made of sturdy, elegant brass, the finishes differ in both look and feel, with the Karlene about 1.5 inches taller (27.5”) than the Holmes (26”).

As home office furnishings solutions go, these desks, chairs, and lamps offer far more than mere functionality. Rather, they present a sharp interior designer with multiple opportunities to enable clients to create a remote working environment in which they can be not only productive, but comfortable and “at home”.

We remain open for business and ready to support you in any way we can. We will continue to share the design trends, like ICreate from Kravet, that we believe will benefit you most as either an interior designer or furnishings retailer. Click here to… Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Every Room Design Begins with Light

Light is one of the four key elements of design. It’s also one of the trickiest to get right, thanks to the all the different options in lighting available. To assess the lighting in a room, begin by considering these questions:

• Is the lighting inviting? (Is it too bright, or too dim?)
• Does it work for various the tasks and activities that take place in that room? (A kitchen needs brighter light than a bedroom, for instance.)
• Is it energy efficient?
• Can I vary it according to mood or time of day?

You can make big changes in how your room is lit without necessarily getting rid of your current fixtures. Dimmers on light switches or lamps give you the flexibility to change up the mood of a room easily. And switching to a different type or size of bulb changes the kind and color of light they produce.If you’re confused about what kind of light a particular bulb will create, check the label on the package, where you’ll find the facts on its brightness, estimated yearly cost, life expectancy, light appearance, energy used, and mercury information.Choosing the Right LightingLight color is measured on the Kelvin (K) temperature scale. Lower Kelvin numbers mean more yellow light; the higher the Kelvin number, the whiter or bluer the light. Warm white - 2500K-3000K (the standard color of incandescent bulbs) is ideal for bedrooms, living rooms or dens. Bright white or cool white - 3500K-4100K is good task lighting, and works for kitchens, bathrooms, and workspaces. Daylight - 5000K-6500K – is the best reading light.The most efficient bulbs on the market now are LEDs, which save up to 80% in energy costs over the older incandescent bulbs now being phased out and last up to 20 years. Unlike the CFLs, which they’re quickly replacing, these bulbs contain no mercury and thus are much easier to dispose of. A 12-watt LED light bulb puts out the same amount of light as a 60-watt incandescent.New options in light bulbs and ways in which to control them are nothing short of amazing. Your smartphone can now be paired with your home lighting system, allowing you to switch lights off and on remotely. There are LED bulbs on the market that respond to voice commands – and there’s even an LED bulb that includes a Bluetooth speaker, so you can pipe music wirelessly into every room from a central source.Remember, lighting sets the stage for an entire room, and affects how everything in it is viewed. Your best decorating efforts can be undermined by poor lighting choices – so don’t forget to begin your design efforts by focusing on the lighting as you set your vision for a room.Looking for more interior design trends, marketing tips, and ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Interior Design Tips - How to Make a Small Kitchen Feel Larger

As we’ve noted many times before, for most, the kitchen is the most popular room in the house, whether for the family or for entertaining. As we’ve also noted, however, millennials are the driving force in home sales today, and many of them are buying in urban areas where home are smaller – including the kitchen.Entertaining or congregating in such a small space can be problematic, which makes this article from Houzz.com so timely, 12 Ways to Make Your Kitchen Look and Feel Bigger.Long the universally accepted color for this space, white kitchens became a thing of the past some 25 years ago. Now though, white cabinets and walls can be used to add to the illusion of more space than exists.White kitchens seem larger (White Hamptons Style from BlogLovin.com)While cabinet depth is generally accepted as 24 inches, most manufacturers offer alternatives: 12” and 15” cabinetry. Especially in lower cabinets, this may be a great way to add a few square feet to the available space in an urban kitchen.Install shallow kitchen cabinetry (Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford)While many homeowners love to add fancy hardware to the cabinets in their home, for those who seek more space in their kitchen, removing the hardware altogether makes for fewer items to bump into or catch on clothing. Using cabinet doors with touch-activated latches or integrated reach-in pulls reinforces the clean lines of your new kitchen, which subtly helps it appear bigger.Try cabinets without the usual hardware (ThrivingHomeBlog.com)Double sinks in the kitchen have long been the standard. For those seeking more countertop space, however, installing a single sink makes a great deal of sense.Single sinks save counter space (TypesofKitchenSinks.com)Panel-ready appliances (usually fridges and dishwashers) are designed to be able to receive a door front of your choosing so they can blend into the look of your kitchen cabinets. The resulting look is more fluid, which creates an overall larger, airier appearance.Install panel appliances (DecorPad.com)Ironic as it may seem, the place where we store so many of our fattening favorites is available in a “Skinny” size. In fact, refrigerators are available in a stunning array of sizes and taking advantage of this fact when trying to save space in a kitchen is a great idea.Try a skinny fridge (BlogLovin.com)While these are but half of the ideas offered in the Houzz article, they should be enough to get you started thinking outside the box when it comes to trying to make your client’s small kitchen feel larger. If these are not enough, feel free to check out the article, using the link above.Looking for more new design trends, marketing tips, and ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Tisserant Art and Style

Since 1930, three generations of craftsmen bronze-founders have been rediscovering and perpetuating the degree of perfection reached in the 18th century in producing bronze luminaires and furniture.