Inspire Me!: Market Inspiration

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Market Inspiration

Market this year proved most inspiring. On so many levels, I saw innovation and creativity. Exciting new ideas in lighting, powerful statements in carpets, truly unique collections in accessories and an overall adherence to excellence in design. I have always considered myself blessed to be able to work in my family's business and to carry on its traditions. Going to market and seeing other business owners, creators and designers furthering their own dreams and expressing their own views of aesthetic wonders - well, that is just icing on the cake.

Below are some of my most treasured finds. Many are on their way into the store as I type, others maybe a month or so behind. But either way, I think you will find yourself inspired.

Inspiration for your tabletop.

Beauty for your bookshelf.

Simple refinement.

Easy elegance.

Where function meets fashion.

Pillows that pop.

New designs in carpets.

Innovation and affordability in lighting.

Color in the carpets!

Geometrics for the floor.

Wonderful artwork - big scale for big walls.

Simple lines for big statements.

Drama in lighting!

Silk adds depth and glamour to the floor.

Sleek, clean lines.

Freedom!

About vanCollier

Established in 1995, vanCollier began as an antique and interior design firm. With backgrounds in art history, fine arts and decorative arts, vanCollier marries old world elegance with contemporary design. The married couple behind this firm-on-the-rise is Beth and Chris Collier, who work together on their wide range of projects domestically and abroad. Their philosophy: Use traditional influences to create sophisticated and approachable environments. Says Beth, "Rooms should be masculine and feminine while conveying both traditional and eccentric details."

To contact Beth, email her at vancollier@suddenlink.net

About Eatman's Carpets and Interiors

Eatman's Carpets and Interiors is my family's business. My grandfather, Bill Eatman, opened its doors in 1957 in Downtown Raleigh as a design studio/upholstery workroom selling high end fabrics, wool carpeting, and wallpaper. My father, Woody Eatman, the current president, followed in his father's footsteps joining the family business after school. Years later, with her Design degree in hand, my mother was hired as a designer by Eatman's. My Dad and my Mom fell in love and married. Over time, Eatman's became a innovator in the world of flooring creating computer systems specifically for the industry as well as adding to the business a supply and installation divisions. Fast-forwarding through my arrival and my sister's, the business is now a hybrid of the past and the present. We continue to be a leading supplier of carpets residentially and commercially, and we continue to expand into the world of interior design with new fabric, furniture and lighting lines. But more than all that, it is where our family hangs its hat. It is, in every sense of the word, a labor of great love.