Interior Designers like shopping at ABC Carpet and Home



Follow that truck!

What a nice surprise I found when I visited ABC Carpet and Home recently.  It has always been a great place to find a beautiful rug.  Their furniture department was full of antiques, reproductions and all kinds of interesting "stuff". They still have a bed and bath department that carries luxury linens.  But things have changed at ABC and it really blew me away.



The piles of carpets seem smaller.



But you can still find fabulous rugs hiding in those piles.

Look at what greeted me as I entered their furniture showroom.  I knew this was no ordinary furniture store.

Gone are most of the antiques, odds and ends and the over the top Murano glass and crystal chandeliers, though I managed to find a few "hanging" around. They have been replaced with more contemporary styles.  There were still some areas of traditional design but it felt like the whole showroom had been transformed.

There were several of these popular industrial lighting fixtures.

Wouldn't this be great for a banquet in a dining corner?

What do you think about an all white room with slip-covered  upholstery?

Very cool sculptural pendant lights.

Is this a beaded handbag?  An ancient form of doing math...an abacus?

Did you guess it was a cocktail table?  That orange makes it even more fun. 

Did you say you wanted a pop of color?  Lucite is making a huge comeback.

As I strolled through the floor I did come across a whole corner of the warehouse style showroom that featured Ralph Lauren.  The sales consultant told me this collection is not even shown in Ralph Lauren stores. It is exclusive to ABC.  Peeking through these window panes I knew I was going to love what I would find there.

This is the finish on the armoire  you see above.
Antique? No, but a pretty darn good reproduction.

This collection does have a definite sense of history.

I love how they set the stage for the furniture with the rustic wood planked walls.

Does this primitive farmhouse style appeal to you ?

How do you feel about  the rustic feeling of this collection?  It is probably not what most people would use in our typical South Florida interiors but couldn't you see it in a coastal cottage setting?  Beach houses are frequently old and rustic, so why not think about incorporating something like this?

One thing I used to find at ABC was antique pine Country French pieces.  I was thrilled to find just a little bit still showing up there even though the look and finishes were different.

Look how pretty the crystal chandelier looks contrasting 
against the worn finish on this mirror

I love the way they used their rugs as backdrops for the furniture.

Dare I say.....look at the Radiant Orchid? 

I just realized this is Radiant Orchid.  What a pretty way to introduce Pantene's Color of the Year. It looks beautiful complimented by gray and gold.  What do you think? ( For more on Radiant Orchid check out the blog post "Decorating with Radiant Orchid" on Jan. 3, 2014)

I did spot a few pieces of transitional style furniture too.

For drama try a black chandelier like this.....
looking fabulous against a gold screen.

There were still a few wonderful antique reproductions.

It was fun to revisit one of my old haunts and see what's new.  Sometimes when you are trying to find a new resource maybe it would be good to  remember to look at where you used to go.  You never know what you will find!

Have you ever gone back to a place you used to shop only to find it totally changed?  Sometimes there could be a new owner or new buyer.  Have you every been surprised by what you find inside a shop? What did you find that was totally unexpected?

As always I invite you to share your experiences and ideas in the comment box below.  After entering your comment you copy the weird letters/numbers below it and submit it.  It will come to me before you see it on the post.

I look forward to hearing from you!

                                   HAPPY DECORATING! 

If you would like assistance with a decorating project please contact me at pictureprettyint@aol.com