bright shiny morning

Bright Shiny Morning isn't only the name of one of my favorite books by James Frey, it is also one of my favorite parts of "falling back." The extra hour of sleep only lasts for one night (and the sun goes down before I leave work), but the sunshine on my porch in the morning is positively splendid! This chair is not quite done (or its partner--more later!), but I am so excited that the cushions (even without the zippers that they will get soon) are finally sittable! I'm test driving this lounge chair type and honing my sewing schools, so you might be seeing more of this look available in the future! At any rate, the fall light on my porch this morning made me want to share this sneak peak--be on the lookout for this chair's "official" debut (and name) sometime next week!

dining with jeff

As you all know, I've been working on getting my new and awesomely huge screen porch in working order, particularly in time for the lovely fall weather. I have visions of myself snuggled up on a day bed in the sun--perhaps in a snuggie--reading a good book, watering my ferns as they grow bigger and greener, and last but not least, serving friends delicious chili around my science-lab-desk-turned-dining-table. Designing with a budget that tends to get way-laid by irresistible items, such as sweater vests at J. Crew, I'm taking this a day at a time, but thanks to ikea, I'm well on my way to the chili dream. Enter Jeff. Best dining companion ever. He's sleek, cheap, and oh so practical. It was love at first sight when I spotted him online, but I was slightly dismayed when (in typical ikea fashion) he was only available for purchase in store. Bah! Luckily, my incredible sister was planning a trip to Atlanta, so I didn't have to wait long for this new man in my life (x4!)... I love Jeff for lots of reasons. He's $9.99, quite the acrobat (you can see how he folds), happy to stay outside, good to sit on, and of course, because not every chair needs to stand out (Jeff hangs with allora.signature.CANDIA and the ladies can be quite diva-like).

happy halloween!

Have a safe and happy Halloween from allora.signature.BEAUFAIN and allora home!

charleston home: recognize anything?

What an exciting week! Charleston Home unveiled its first issue [and a new look] on Monday and low and behold, guess what I spotted while perusing its pages? allora.signature.VINE! We're thrilled to be the image to accompany one of our favorite blogs: Parker Sims Interiors! If you haven't had a chance to check out the magazine, grab a copy and a glass of wine and indulge yourself this evening with all of the wonderful ideas for your home! Oh, and yes, let us know if a custom chair is what you need!

burlap: revisited

After last week's post about burlap, my sister and I decided to give this industrial textile another look. Has the potential to bring the burlap out from the bottom of allora chairs been there all along? After further investigation, we decided: yes. Lauren came to town with the supplies, and we got down to business for our "craft weekend." Between her post-consumer, green coffee bean filled burlap sacks and my pillow form collection and sewing machine, we were pretty busy! AND happily surprised to see that the natural burlap (i.e. pre-dyed) is much softer on the skin. The pillows are everything we hoped they would be and then some! We also worked on some chairs this weekend (surprise!) that are different than the rest of the allora collection... you might be seeing more of the burlap soon!