The story continues…

…and it’s a tale previously untold until Jeanine Hays brought it to the design world in 2007 with her blog, AphroChic. Jeanine looks at design from a new perspective and she set out to prove that “ethnic heritage and culture can go hand-in-hand with the luxurious and the modern.” Her perspective is all-embracing and authentic, so it’s no surprise that her voice is resonating throughout the design community–bloggers, designers and consumers are craving AphroChic’s modern, soulful style. In 2009, she partnered with her husband Bryan, to introduce Dreamland, a collection of pillows we featured on the cover of Nesting Newbies Magazine, Issue No. 3.

Today, we are WIDE-eyed in wonder (and so is the NY Times!) with AphroChic’s release of their second collection, Brooklyn Renaissance, featuring new throw pillows, wallpaper and tabletop decor in tribute to the borough of Brooklyn, NY. Jeanine was careful to keep the line true to Brooklyn roots, using artist Samantha Hahn for the illustrations, and local Brooklyn models to showcase the AphroChic lifestyle and point of view.

Boerum Hill

Clinton Hill

Fort Greene

Park Slope

Bring New York’s smooth and soulful borough straight into your home. View the entire collection at AphroChicShop.com.

Well done Jeanine and Bryan…keep the story going.

Images by Erin DeMartini, Betsy Rose and Sunghi Sonia Morsella

Chef Lea McIntosh created a fabulous tabletop for the special reception at the San Francisco Duralee Showroom. She wanted to come up with something to reflect both Nesting Newbies and the showroom…and flash! That brilliant right brain of hers saw handcrafted floral arrangements made out of Duralee fabrics!

Knowing that there are so many clever crafters out there, Lea searched the blogosphere and found two great “how to” posts…one on MaryJanes and Galoshes and the other by Maize Hutton…both showing the steps for making the flowers she could see in her mind’s eye.

View Tutorial on MaryJanes and Galoshes

View Tutorial on Maize Hutton

Pat Campbell, (who is always willing to lend us a hand) pulls out her cache of collected buttons for a finishing touch on our Duralee blooms.

Using fine gauge wire, Lea attaches blooms to bare branches. It only takes a few twists of the wire to secure them in place. Lea uses wire cutters to clip off the extraneous wire.

Simple…beautiful…and a perfect arrangement for this buffet table! But wait, there’s more…

Lea filled tall glass vases with fabric blooms!

HER HELPFUL HINT: Put a cardboard tube (an empty paper towel roll) in the center of the vase. This allows more control for placing the blooms…plus you won’t have to make as many! If you have a REALLY long vase, tape tubes together for the desired height. Put your final blooms on top and no one will ever know it’s there.