How Do You Hide?

As for cowhides, my family has gone the natural route.

Brett, my younger brother, has a light brindle grey in his urban condo overlooking Boston Harbor.

My parents have a dark tri color in their country home.

And, my black and white transitioned beautifully from a super modern living space that featured concrete floors and floor-to-ceiling glass windows to my current studio apartment in a hayloft. (Yes, as in a barn. I live in a barn. Don't judge.)

The black and white cowhide rug in the hayloft space.

Moral of the story: cowhides are incredibly versatile.

And durable.

And chic.

And you no longer to have to book a trip to Argentina to hand select the one you want. You simply have to stop in and visit next summer on Broadway in Saratoga.

We just received a shipment of traditional cowhide rugs and one speciality piece that will knock your decorating socks off:

The wild pink on white at next summer in Saratoga.

It's pretty fabulous, right?

We can't wait to see who scoops this gem up...

Visit next summer's Saratoga store to check out our entire selection and to see your custom order options.

Design is a game

How many Saratoga-specific items can you find in this photograph from our Saratoga store? Comment with your guess and we'll let you know which ones you might have missed. Happy searching!

DISCOVERED: Pipe & Holly

Truth be told, we first noticed them because they were wearing wellies.

"They" being Josie and Nicole.

Better known to you at next summer as Pipe & Holly.

After the boot envy subsided, their product took center stage. Hanging from a clothing line and piled high on tables were a wide range of playful, unique images that had been hand-carved and printed on children's clothing and linen napkins. We ended up being particularly fond of the locally-inspired images: sail boats, jockey silks and thoroughbred race horses.

As for Josie and Nicole, a creative business together has always been in the works.

The two attended undergraduate school together at Sage College of Albany as ceramic sculpture students and then continued on in the graduate art education program. Upon graduation, both became art education teachers. (Josie teaches high school art at Corinth Central Schools and Nicole is a middle school art teacher at Ballston Spa Middle School.)

This summer they took the big leap and launched Pipe & Holly, a block print company.

Their goal?

To take a step back into the world of hand crafted goods with a touch of modern flare.

That's a concept we at next summer can get behind.

With the school year in full-swing, both Josie and Nicole are back in the classroom; luckily, their products are still available at next summer in Saratoga and Bolton Landing.

Where's your TV?

The Television is an item that the whole family seems to really love, at least in theory. Those responsible for the decorating around the house often find themselves at odds with the person who actually bought the television. You see, the decorator often wants to hide the television, while the buyer often wants to accentuate the television - or at least, they want everyone to see just how "awesome" their new TV is.

In today's home you'll find the same situation with refrigerators and dishwashers. Lindsay and I have been lucky enough to avoid that argument, but we think it comes down to a sensible philosophy. TV's, refrigerators, and dishwashers are necessary elements of a twenty-first century lifestyle. They should not be viewed as items that need to be hidden away or denied. They are items that we can celebrate. They are opportunities to demonstrate our individual style. Just as a fireplace in a traditional home wouldn't be hidden from view or disguised as something it isn't, today's appliances shouldn't be either. 

Where are the two places that a modern family gathers the most? Around the TV and in the kitchen (around the refrigerator and dishwasher). These items need to be celebrated as communal destinations, as symbols of the closeness of a family. By announcing their presence boldly we welcome those who come in our homes and say, "here is where we gather with those we care about, and respect. We want to include you."

I write this as the proud new owner of a TV that didn't seem as enormous at the store, as it does in our home.