Halloween Goodness

Look for the Good, not the Evil.

Happy Halloween!

After the Rain Comes The Sun!

The Best part of California rain is the California sun that comes after. The garden Sparkles.

The Rain Helps California Gardens.

This morning I awoke to much needed rain. I am not complaining; this has been a nice fall for "sprinkles." The gardens are very appreciative and so are we. This will give strong roots for the winter.

Feel Good and See Secretariat, the Movie.

Yes, I am a movie buff but I must admit my tastes go to the classics. Give me a good Alfred Hitchcock or a classic musical and I am riveted. I have to say I enjoyed Secretariat. I believe we need more "feel good" movies. I was charmed by the story, although many of us lived through it and knew what happened; but it was filled with positive energy. This world needs more of that right now. Thank you Walt Disney Company.

Sunbrella Spring Preview: Think Pink!

SPRING PREVIEW:
Yes, we are putting together the line for Spring. The Joe Ruggiero/ Sunbrella collection is looking beyond beige and we see pink (just a touch) as the dominate color. Yes, there will be other accent colors and beige will be the base to it all but as Kay Thompson(photo left) in the movie Funny Face said we should "Think Pink" for Spring.

Mix It Up with Sunbrella:

Mix it up with Sunbrella patterns from my new Collection: Moonshine and Zulu work together to make a bold statement. This season pattern will "punch it up" on basic monotone textures.

Gloria Vanderbilt, Design Icon.

Town & Country salutes Gloria Vanderbilt with one of the most stylish covers I have seen in a while. I remember her style not as the "jean" lady but as an artist and style icon. Her collages where truly inspired and her "patch work" period inspired many including Ralph Lauren. I salute this remarkable woman of style.

Inspired by 1930s Paris the Salon Sofa.

The Salon sofa for Miles Talbott was inspired by the Salons of Paris during the 1930s. Graceful, deep seating brought an elegance and grace to the traditional sofa. Here it is covered in Sunbrella Meridian/Wren with pillows of Velvet/Cocoa and Courtyard/Cocoa. Decorative cording is also made of Sunbrella fibers. New for Fall 2010.

Katherine Hepburn Summertime

One of my favorite movies is Summertime with Katherine Hepburn. Perhaps because it was filmed in one of my most favorite cities, Venice. And this was literally filmed in the allies and San Marco. It is a feast for the eyes to capture that time and place. She never did recover from falling in the canal and it is said she suffered from some bug that she caught in the fall. A must if you have not seen it,

Sunbrella Textures.

Sunbrella Textures make a debut at Market 2010. The pattern: Romeo/Parchment makes a soft, serene statement with punches of Kenya/Charcoal. The art is from W.King Ambler with fanciful leaves available in four designs. All available at Miles Talbott as part of the Joe Ruggiero Collection.

Bunny Alert!

An early morning visitor to the garden. What a treat to see them explore as I sip my morning coffee and plan the day.

Consuelo Crespi, a style icon.

We morn the loss of one of America's most stylish women, Countess Consuelo Crespi. Born Consuelo Pauline O'Brien O'Connor, an Irish American in Larchmont, New York, she went on to become a Countess and a big influence in dressing American women. She had a wonderful sense of style. Her daughter Pilar will carry on this gift.

Julie Bova Gives a Party for Joe!

Indianapolis designer, Julie Bova had an al fresco party to welcome us to the city...right in the heart of the city. She had pre arranged with Scotty's Brew House to display the Joe Ruggiero Sunbrella Collection of pillows on the outdoor furniture. What a great time to meet new friends and tell the Sunbrella story. Miles Talbott President, George Jordan had a personal tour of the many fabrics he has in the line, all in stock! Greg Rosendale, our brand manager and Ric Hutterly and Sandy Weidemer were all part of the event. Thanks Julie and thanks Scotty for a marvelous event.

High Point Furniture Market

The Furniture Market is over and we head back to California. What a wonderful event it was. I believe one of our best. This could be a good sign for the economy and we continue to be optimistic and encouraged.

We are so proud our blue & white, Miles Talbott entrance won "first runner up" to Bunny Williams for best showroom display. The room featured Sunbrella Tesora and Zulu.

High Point Furniture Market.

In many ways High Point Furniture Market is like giving a big party and having friends visit that you have not seen in awhile and also a way to meet many new friends. The enthusiasm was high and the reception to the new Miles Talbott/JR products better than I had anticipated. Certainly the comments about Sunbrella fabrics seem to be always the same: "I did not know Sunbrella made such fabrics for interior use!"

Lacey Howard of BetterHomes and Gardens (Bottom Right) especially liked the new Joe's Garden Fabric.

High Point Furniture Market.

When you introduce a new chair or any new introduction, you never know what the reaction will be. I sit back in anticipation to see what piece they will gravitate to and sit and linger (at market this is very rare). Well this market it seems to be the Salon Chair. Inspired by Parisian salon chairs from the 1930's, this chair is covered in Sunbrella Velvet; yes Sunbrella and it is an extremely comfortable chair. Thank you experts at Miles Talbott for making my dreams come true!

High Point International Furniture Market

Our most discerning clients are shopping in our showroom. They want upholstery that they can live in and enjoy. All children are welcome in any room of my showroom at Miles Talbott and they can test any of my Sunbrella fabrics or new upholstery. Thanks Kids!

High Point Furniture Market.

A New World of Design! We introduce clean, simple design lines that bridge the old and new design worlds. Organic patterned fabrics from Sunbrella paired with classic furniture design: a nod to the past and a look to the future. All at Miles Talbott.

Vote for the Joe Ruggiero Showroom

We entered my House of Blues vignette into the High Point Market 2010 People's Choice Award a part of the Showroom Design & Merchandising ideas competition. Cast your vote for our display by tweeting our showroom ID #: s

r2096 to

@hpmsc or by sending a text to 99158 - enter our showroom ID # in the body of your text. Voting ends on Monday, October 18th at 3:00 p.m. so don't wait - cast your vote now!

High Point International Furniture Market

Before & After

Our Showroom entrance before and after. We have used a deep indigo blue to make our statement this year. The Sunbrella patterns are ZigZag/ Indigo and Tesora (floral) in Indigo. The Stanton Screens are Zulu/Ink. The wood pieces are from Gat Creek and of course all the upholstery(Germaine Chair front and Conrad Chair back) designed for Miles Talbott. We open today!

High Point International Furniture Market

It is easy to put our canopy up when you have the right tools and the experts who know what they are doing. Here are the results featuring our new Sunbrella fabric Joe's Garden in the color Autumn. The bed is our Wong bed for Miles Talbott. We open the show today. Hope I see some of your there.

1690 English Road

High Point, North Carolina.

High Point Furniture Market.

The photography has begun to record the showroom displays. Master Photographer Chris Brantley works with great skill and talent. I have been working with Chris for ten years and twenty furniture markets. What a pleasure to work with such a talented young man.
Below he photographs our new Sunbrella fabric Joe's Garden in the color Autumn.

All at the Miles Talbott showroom.