High Point: Hooker Furniture

I have been lucky enough to be sponsored for the High Point Furniture Market by Hooker Furniture and their associated brands, Sam Moore and Bradington-Young for the third time this April, and I am delighted to show you their new lines of furniture. I took more than 200 pictures at the Hooker showroom, and as I was editing them, I tried to sort them by piece, which is what I will do here.

Almost the first piece I saw when I arrived was this gorgeous bed in a bright white finish. The padded headboard with the quatrefoil outlines is just gorgeous! There is such attention to detail at Hooker and that really shows up in their pieces. Here are some of the other beds I loved.

Hooker’s sofas were also wonderful! I had the chance to “road-test” a few of them, and they were all very comfortable. Since I am short-legged, it’s not always easy to find a sofa that I can sit on and have it hit my back and legs in a comfortable way. There are a lot of details, like nail-heads and tufting on these Sam Moore sofas and chairs this season. Some had that 1920’s vibe, maybe hitting that Great Gatsby trend.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am wild about chairs! I think that I have about 12 chairs in my living/dining room alone. So when I saw all of the fabulous Bradington-Young and Sam Moore chairs, I had a hard time choosing which was the one I liked best. I loved the shapes of the chairs, and also the fabrics used in upholstering them.  Let me know which one is your favourite in the comments!

Last but not least, everything else!

Hooker has a new line called Workwell which is a home office line. The pieces are both practical and beautiful, with hidden file drawers, keyboard drawers and comfortable chairs.

I loved the details on the dressers and other case-goods that I saw. Drawers were lined, the hardware was well-thought out and gorgeous and the finishes were so much fun – great colours and textures.

Thanks again to Hooker for sponsoring me. I hope that you you love Hooker’s furniture as much as I do. For your local stockist, please click here.

Ladew Garden Festival: Saturday, May 4th!

Saturday is the annual Ladew Garden Festival, one of the highlights of the spring in our area. If you’re anywhere near Baltimore, this is the place to be! And looking at the weather forecast for the weekend, it’s going to be ideal – sunny and 70.

Ladew Gardens is one of Maryland’s treasures, and last year it was named one of the top five gardens in North America. Its topiary collection is known throughout the gardening world.

This year’s guest lecturer is Dr. Allan Armitage, a horticulture professor at the University of Georgia, who, in addition to his gardening knowledge is known for his Tilley hat. At the University of Georgia, he runs the research gardens where new plant material from most of the flower breeders in the world is evaluated. His courses include Greenhouse Production, Greenhouse Crop Management and Herbaceous Plant Identification and Use. He has visited research and production centers throughout the world and studies annuals, perennials, cut flowers and greenhouse crops in various climates.

There will also be numerous rare plant dealers selling the most amazing plants – ones that you certainly won’t find at your local big box store.

Again this year, there will be the “boutique” section of the Festival, featuring such favourites as Pennoyer-Newman,

Halcyon House Antiques, who will be showing some of their new Angela Caputi jewelry!

I’ve got my eye on this bracelet.

The Ladew Garden Festival begins at 10:00 and tickets prices are $15 for Sale Only (available at the door), $35 for Member Sale and Lecture and $45 for Non-Member Sale and Lecture. All prices include admission to the Festival, as well as the Gardens, Manor House with its Billy Baldwin-decorated aubergine bedroom (space is limited for house tours) and Nature Walk. For more information, please click here.