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 

Where do designers shop? Treasure hunting at Adam and Eve Salvage.

What could I possibly find for design projects at my favorite salvage yard, Adam and Eve's, in West Palm Beach, Florida?   I was dismayed to read that they would be closing at the end of this month.  Where would I find all those rustic treasures that inspire me to get creative?

Adam and Eve's has been around for years.  You can basically find anything you want...and lots that you don't know you even need....at a place like Adam and Eve's.  Remnants from mansions in Palm Beach, hotels, churches, old buildings and more jammed their yard and their warehouses.

You can see that much of their inventory has already been depleted.  What is it about digging around in old stuff that gets me so excited? I thought you would enjoy exploring this fantastic place with me one more time before the gavel sounds on the auction block.  As I look back I wish I had loaded up my car with a few of these remnants of the past.

I love these intricate panels.  What could I do with them?  Could I mount them on a wall as art? Paint them bright colors?  Turn them into standing screens or a room divider?  What about paneling for a wall?  The small one would make a great door for a cabinet...I am sure I could find a mate to it in that pile somewhere.

Oh, this is very pretty.  Architectural fragments like this are wonderful on a shelf just as they are but what else could I do with this one?  I just thought, how about in the back splash over a stove or maybe as part of a fireplace surround?  I wonder where it came from.  Their stories fascinate me.

What do you think, parts of a balustrade or table legs for a stately console or dining table for a patio?  Maybe one could be an over scaled candlestick for giant pillar candles or a stand for a fabulous Boston fern?

I have to say I am a sucker for wrought iron.  This is the best place to find tons of it.  Here is one of my favorites. I did struggle with taking this sweet thing home. What would you do with it?  Hang it on a wall, turn it on it's side, create a trellis or turn it into a table top and put a piece of glass on it?

Perhaps you have an old fashioned tub that is missing a foot?  If you like the really rustic look,  put these on an ottoman for fun.  My favorite is the ball and claw foot with some of the white paint still on it.  Where did they come from?  Who took baths in those tubs?

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Isn't the design on this railing lovely?  Of course this could be used  on a porch as a railing but could it be turned vertically and function as a poolside towel rack?

This iron fragment was undoubtedly part of a front porch but I keep thinking I could turn it sideways and place it above a window like a valance.  I could incorporate it into a cornice.  A pair could frame a doorway.
You have to either love the time worn (rusty) finish or be willing to use a bit of elbow grease to restore it, however.

Windows were everywhere.  I can picture the white ones with photos behind each pane.

Put a mirror behind  the arched window and hang it over a doorway or window to create a dramatic arched window or door effect.

I can't figure out why I love these screen doors so much.  Maybe it reminds me of my grandparents farm in Mississippi.  I keep thinking I could brush off the dust, freshen up the finish and use it in my bedroom to hang jewelry on. Would that work?  Should I go back and get it?

This patina of this scruffy door frame is wonderful.  A finish like this would cost a lot to replicate and is highly desirable in many decorating styles.  Would it work in your home?

French doors always seem to lend a certain charm where ever they are. I am thinking of replacing my old bifold louvered door on my pantry with this one.  Would it fit?  That reminds me to always bring measurements when shopping at a salvage yard.

I had hoped to find some pretty stately carved doors to use as a screen in the corner of my living room, but I did not find them.  If I wanted louvered doors or simple raised panel doors, there were tons.

Inside there were lots of old chandeliers and outside these lanterns caught my eye.

If these fixtures were left as they are, wouldn't they look striking hung on a fence with a candle glowing inside?

This was the only "statuary" I found and as adorable as they may be it wasn't quite what I hoped to find.  Outdoor figures are fun to place in unexpected spots in your garden or on a bookshelf or ledge inside too.

Inside their warehouses we found furniture, art, chandeliers and lots of parts....hardware,  crystals, frames, and more.  It has already been a week since our little field trip to Adam and Eve's but I am still thinking about it!

Do you like to poke around salvage yards?  What kind of treasures inspire you?  How do you like those time worn finishes?  I invite you to share your salvage yard tales as well as your own thoughts and ideas in the comment box below.  I look forward to hearing from you.

       Happy Decorating!

If you have questions regarding a decorating project of your own please email me directly at
pictureprettyint@aol.com