Designing an interior is a multifaceted process which involves conceiving a design and further, finding brands and sources that can help create that vision. At Rachel Blindauer interior designs, I am always on the hunt for products that can become part of a gorgeous home design and enhance the experience of home. As an interior designer in Sarasota, Florida, I choose to source many of my products online, looking for brands with good design and attention to quality. So, here are some of my favorite sources for home furniture, lighting, decor and more
Home of luxury Italian handicrafts, Artemest is an online store with a difference. Founded by jewelry designer Ippolita Rostagno and Marco Credendino, Artemest offers the best in handcrafted Italian designs, created by artisans practicing traditional arts and crafts across the country. Products on Artemest are unique, each having a history of its own. The items are also made to last, having been made with high quality materials and crafted with care. Artisans and workshops are selected for the quality of their furniture and decor products, and buyers are able to view the stories behind each of the pieces, adding a personal touch to the process. Many of the pieces can also be customized, creating a connection between the artisans and the buyers. Iconic Italian designs, along with modern and contemporary objects, are all part of the curated collection at Artemest. When searching for exclusive and tailored products in Sarasota for interior decoration, Artemest is always my first choice.
Visual Comfort is a key concept of lighting, so it is no surprise that the brand named after it is a master in the trade. Established in 1987 in Houston, Texas, Visual Comfort has collaborated with design titans like Ralph Lauren and Kelly Wearstler among others to produce signature lighting collections. Each of these collaborations reflect on the ideals and style of the designers to create unique and stunning pieces. The Parkwood Medium Table Lamp and Ellery Bow Sconce showcase the whimsical, chic style of Kate Spade, while the Ori Wall Sconce and Strada Pendants demonstrate Kelly Wearstler’s love for the opulence of Art Deco and the boldness of Maximalism.
Founded by Gabriel Hendifar and Jeremy Anderson, Apparatus Studio began as a luxury lighting brand, and caters today to furniture and home decor along with lighting. Designs by Apparatus Studio are unusual and alluring, taking inspiration from their surroundings and different cultures. The studio reimagines these experiences into lighting and home objects that add glamour to any space. The contemporary chic Trapeze lighting collection draws inspiration from the circus trapeze, while the Pars furniture collection is influenced by nomadic tray tables commonly found across the Middle East. These designs are further enhanced by materials like aged brass, porcelain, suede and marble that add a unique look and style to the designs.
With a quirky minimalist aesthetic, Ladies and Gentlemen Studio focuses on furniture, lighting, home accessories and jewelry. The varied portfolio speaks to the experimental and playful nature of Dylan Davis and Jean Lee, who established the studio in Brooklyn in 2010. The studios’ work breaks free of traditional notions of design and design styles, creating delightful pieces that juxtapose varied materials and styles. The Shape up lighting series – featuring a diverse range of shapes and materials hung together – attests to the ability of the duo to create elegant pieces in unexpected styles. L&G Studio’s works make for distinctive products that add liveliness to contemporary and modern homes.
Aerin Lauder, founder of Aerin and granddaughter of Estee Lauder, created her eponymous brand to focus her passion for interior design and decor. With the motto ‘living beautifully should be effortless’, Aerin offers home decor and lighting products that bring beauty to every piece in a home. The casual yet sophisticated style of Aerin showcases the luxury lifestyle brand’s focus on products aimed at creating a cozy home – one that feels warm and lived in. Staying true to Estee Lauder’s legacy, the Aerin brand’s success comes from its authenticity and passion. The Aerin store is filled with delightful finds, like a shagreen chess set in a streamlined design with brass detailing, gilded crystal bookends, an organic side table inspired by coral and a jewelry box with croc embossed leather. Products at Aerin have an informal yet elegant charm, making it the quintessential Palm Beach style brand ideal for interior designers in Tampa.
The brainchild of designer Arielle Assouline-Lichten, Brooklyn based Slash Objects uses unconventional materials to create homeware. With materials such as brass, recycled rubber and marble, the studio uses simple geometrical shapes to form their range of well designed products for home. The Coexist Askew tables use customisable brass and marble to form elegant sculptural tables, while the Ring coasters use polished brass edging to elevate the look of recycled rubber to create beautiful and functional home objects.
The creation of interior designer Sam Hood, Amara is a premium homeware store that carries products from over 300 luxury brands including Versace Home, Tom Dixon and Missoni Home. The store takes an all embracing approach to homeware, offering furniture, lighting, furnishings, kitchenware, garden products and even storage solutions in extensive styles. Amara’s own collection of homeware – ‘A by Amara’ – is also available through the platform. Partnering with the best in design to deliver the most exclusive products, the brand’s success lies in being able to continue the experience of luxury with exceptional service. Along with personal shopping, a wedding registry and gift finding services, Amara is also an unending source of interior design inspiration. The store’s blog communicates trends and brand stories, offering ideas on interior styling and design.
Meant to last generations, South Carolina based Urban Electric Co. makes handcrafted lighting with impeccable quality. Their designs are polished and elegant, blending modern with traditional, and giving them the ability to look equally good in country retreats and urban homes alike. All of the lighting products are made by skilled craftsmen using high quality materials. A company known to take pride in its workmanship and standards, Urban Electric Co. offers a one-of-a-kind “lifetime” warranty on all products.
Based out of Los Angeles, Zoe Bios Creative offers select artworks for home furnishing. The art collective works with several artists to create paintings, textiles and photographs inspired by culture, art forms and nature. From abstract works and floral prints to portraits and detailed sketches, ZBC offers a varied selection that satisfies the needs of any interior design. The pieces are sophisticated and limited, intending to be art focused and a departure from mass produced artwork. This is achieved through a meticulous process that involves enlarging each hand rendered piece with multiple scans for color density and the desired level of detailing, followed by overlaying paints and textures by hand. The artworks can also be customized as needed, making Zoes Bios Creative every interior designers’ dream come true!
Antiques are a great addition to any interior design. They often come with a rich history – sometimes having shared homes with visionaries and leaders. Antique and vintage pieces are also highly unique, with quality craftsmanship to its name. It is this charm that I like to add to my projects at Rachel Blindauer Interior Design, and makes any trustable source for antiques highly valued for me. InCollect was created by Antiques and Fine Art Magazine founder John Smiroldo to streamline the process of sourcing vintage and antique works. The website connects antique and art dealers to collectors and interior designers, offering a better alternative to spending large amounts of time visiting auctions and antique stores to find the ideal piece. Antique furniture, fine art, decor and the latest high end customized works, InCollect features them all.
Wallpapers by Fromental are not used to simply cover up a wall, but are rather the equivalent of adding a piece of fine art to a home. The home of exquisite wallpapers, Fromental uses the finest silk for its wallpapers. The silk is further hand embroidered and painted in intricate designs by artisans in Wuxi, a city known for its silk and embroidery. The result is a luxury wallpaper with a unique British style and materials. Fromental’s wallpaper collection includes several outstanding works like the highly textured Goldoni series and a modern interpretation of Chinoiserie work called Modern Chinois. The collections also include bold designs created in collaboration with various artists, abstract and plain designs to add a subtle texture and quality to walls, as well as a choice of colors and embroideries in select pieces.
Yet another resource that simplifies interior design sourcing significantly is Material Bank. Material Bank is established by Adam Sandow, a seasoned entrepreneur with an array of successful fashion and design ventures like Luxe Interior + Design Magazine and New Beauty Magazine. Sandow’s knowledge of the design industry led to the creation of Material Bank as a marketplace with an extensive selection of materials for interiors and architecture. As an interior designer, there is nothing more reassuring than knowing that I can order a material tonight and get the samples tomorrow to put together a beach interior design palette or a Hamptons style interior palette. An easy way to identify relevant materials and check samples allows designers more time to spend on the design, which makes Material Bank an invaluable resource.
One of the secrets to staying within budget for an interior design project is to visit auction houses. Sometimes, you can snag amazing pieces for a steal at auctions, and this makes them a great resource for designers. Interior designing in Tampa and Sarasota does not always give me the opportunity or time to visit auction houses across the country, which is where Live Auctioneers comes to my aid. Live Auctioneers allows users to find and bid for pieces from across the world in the comfort of their home, so I can effortlessly buy an antique wooden cabinet or a unique chair from an auction house in New York for interior decorating in Florida.
While abc Carpet & Home carries an array of products for the home, it is their offering of carpets and rugs that truly stand out. With a centuries long history as a carpet store, it is of no surprise that abc Carpet & Home boasts one of the best collections of carpets and rugs in the country. Be it a Mororccan rug or a flatweave or an overdyed rug, abc Carpet is the best source for high quality hand woven rugs for the home.
Based out of Los Angeles, Noir and CFC are sister brands that produce beautiful furniture and decor, led by Stephanie Lu and designer Georg Baehler. Each of the pieces by Noir and CFC are designed by Georg Beahler, who draws the designs by hand and to actual scale. His designs are influenced by classical furniture – ideal for contemporary and traditional interior designs. The designs are then handcrafted by local artisans using locally sourced wood and materials, making the brand an example of quality American craftsmanship. Furniture and decor pieces at Noir and CFC are customizable and made in a sustainable manner, often with recycled Douglas fir trees.
The Future Perfect is a gallery that curates and showcases works by some of the best contemporary designers. A platform for rising artists, the gallery has discovered many talented artists and designers who have gained acclaim since. The Future Perfect is a place where you can find modern, sculptural and futuristic pieces – the kind that catches the eye and is sure to be a conversation starter. Playful pieces from current and future design luminaries that can create quirky and unique spaces are what The Future Perfect specializes in.
Created by artist Kelly Porter and interior designer Bridget Cochran, Porter Teleo brings wallpapers to life with a bold style. Hand printed and hand painted using the finest quality of materials, Porter Teleo’s wallpapers are unique. The process uses a mix of traditional and modern techniques including block printing and chine colle to create modern, bold designs. The creative abstract patterns and designs can be used on ceilings and walls to invoke a dramatic effect in an interior design.
Artsy is an online platform for sourcing art from the world’s leading galleries. Artsy makes it easy to find and purchase artworks by partnering with premier art institutions in every country to provide an extensive online catalogue. Reinventing the traditional model of art sourcing for the modern era, Artsy connects buyers with galleries and museums directly to purchase or bid on any piece of art and sculpture. The online catalogue also creates an opportunity for buyers to discover other artists by simply searching the categories and styles and by reading the editorial showcasing artists and artworks. Artsy is the digital adaptation of the art world, covering art shows from across the globe, and connecting art lovers to artists and museums.
Take the first step towards creating your dream space. If you are a couple with multiple homes looking for a decorator near you, a hotelier doing a redesign, or a developer looking for top-notch interior design services near you, Rachel Blindauer and her team are here to bring your vision to life. With our wealth of experience and expertise, we can create stunning and functional spaces that exceed your expectations and bring you to a new height of design and sophistication.
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