Showing posts with label window display. Show all posts
Showing posts with label window display. Show all posts

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Houses, signs, and quirks of Old Town Alexandria

Last weekend, I spent a little time in Old Town Alexandria, a quaint little town just south of Washington DC on the Virginia side of the Potomic River.  Old Town seems to have escaped much of the strip-malling of the DC metro, although it does have an H&M, and many of the area's houses have been around since the revolution.  This lends itself to adorable buildings full of character, fine detailing, and placards to read.  I assume all the houses are haunted. 

Here are a few pics to inspire your colonial style. Unfortunately they were taken with my phone as it dies a slow death, so excuse the clarity.  It was a gorgeous day, and I'd love to go back for an afternoon with my DSLR.



Little row houses

Lovely brick detailing


Old colonial home

Sunbathed courtyard full of potted plants

Hidden dream house, except for the ghosts
that probably live there

Excellent use of hanging lanterns

Love the color of this door and the knocker

Rusted shop sign


Government building where I once posed wedding party photos


Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Paper in window displays


Paper, being cheap, disposable, and easy to ship, is a popular choice for store window display. I recently came across two beautiful, and very different examples, of cut paper working it behind the glass.

This was spotted outside Made with Love, the little cafe/bakery where I take my friends when trying to prove that I live in a nice neighborhood:

This was about 18" x 24" and looked hand cut

This second, dimensional piece (flowers I suppose) adorned the windows of one of my favorite stomping grounds, Paper Presentation. Sorry the photo is so close up, there was scaffolding I was trying to avoid.

Probably not hand cut
I'll be keeping my eye out for more pretty papers!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Signs of Spring

The early bloomers are popping up left and right, letting us know that Spring is finally just around the corner!  Though I am grateful for the incredibly warm winter we've had, the lack snow has actually made for nearly 5 straight months of gray.  And here you thought you avoided seasonal depression this year!

One Spring thing I've been waiting months for is the bloom of my orchid, which I received for my birthday last year.  It doesn't have a name because I'm not really into naming plants, but I love it like a like a child (I don't really know what loving a child is like).  I got so much joy out of watching each flower open last year that I'm psyched it's starting to bloom again.  I'm always amazed at watch a plant's life cycle, and seeing it bloom again is a sure sign that I haven't done anything to kill it.  Welcome Spring!

Hey girlfriend!

Friday, March 9, 2012

Philadelphia International Flower Show

The Philadelphia International Flower Show is totally where it's at for people who like literally anything flower related.  One part expo, one part county fair, and one part market, this event is a cocktail of color and inspiration.  Held in the enormous Philadelphia Convention Center, there seems to be an endless stretch of things to see, from 1000 square foot displays to tabletop flower arrangements.  20 year old prize winning cacti mingle with front yard gardens and botanical illustrations.  Unfortunately you're not allowed to walk into any of the displays, which takes a pretty high level of restraint. To say you're overstimulated is an understatement.    

Enough with the clever prose, it's time to get to the pictures.  I apologize upfront for the low quality; all the "mood lighting" actually makes the room fairly dark and it's incredibly crowded.  This is only a small sampling, click the link at the end to view the full album.  Feast your eyes...

A store window display in an old card catalog

A jungle scene composed entirely of pressed flowers!

Botanical illustration of an orchid puts my water colors to shame. 

I love this color palette of white, pink, and peach.
Indoor waterfall.  Probably the largest display in the show.
Magenta and orange orchids
Down the isle.
 See the rest of the photos here.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Display inspiration: Welcome back color

We're on the cusp of February and with only one snowfall so far in New York, you'd almost forget it's winter. But in spite of the unseasonably warm weather, there are early sunsets, leafless trees, and muted landscapes to remind us that winter is still here. For the past few months stores have been filled with drab grays and blacks, save for the occasional sparkly New Year's outfit, now on clearance. While I normally cringe at how early stores set up for the next season (you know, like back to school in July), I welcome the winter to spring transition if for no other reason than this: color comes back.  

And while I'm still waiting for the color of the landscape to catch up to the retail industry, the bright and whimsical window displays of Free People SoHo stood out against the gray backdrop.



The coldness of the geometric wire shapes contrasts with the softness of fake flower petals and puff balls but together have an organic feel. The shapes hang above like a canopy and cover the walls like vines reminding us that life spring up again soon.  




While some of these might be hard to recreate (I noticed some welded corners), you can certainly draw inspiration for wall displays or hanging mobiles! I especially like the idea of wrapping your exposed cords in colorful cloth and string.  


More from pics the SoHo store, plus other locations are available on FP's blog.