One Year Celebrations

Ferrochie EST. 2009

One year ago this month I started the experiment called Ferrochie Studio. It's still very much a experiment but one that has had some surprising outcomes along the way. What started with simple wood candle holders has grown to home accessories, furniture and much more! All because of the support of many friends, family and loyal customers.

So this weekend we celebrate the year that has past and the years yet to come and owe a great deal of thanks to all of you. You know who you are! :)

Au revoir Paris!

So the trip was incredible to say the least. The amount inspiration and trends we found at the tradeshow is staggering. Many would appear the same but you have to dig deeper underneath the surface to find the subtle nuances of change. These are the real gems of what was found. Ethnic Chic is still stronger than ever but with some interesting twists. Industrial finishes have taken a turn and colors are shifting slightly as well.

Louis Vuitton - Paris

 As I mentioned previously we did a lot of retail crawling as well as the many outdoor markets that can be found around Paris. All of these trips collectively over the course of the week helped formulate the foundation of some very interesting product idea's for this fall.

I apologize for being so vague here but I can't give away the secrets however a lot will be revealed in the fall and spring products. Until then I want to leave you with a bit of a retail puzzle. Look at this photo of a store window in Paris and ask yourself, "What are we trying to say with this?".

What are we trying to say with this?

Design Inspiration on the Streets of Paris

Antique Door

This first day consisted of getting settled and exploring our neighborhood. With a looming travel strike coming this Tuesday we have modified our plans a little to do some inpirational visits, retail crawls and antiquing today and tomorrow. Then we head to Maison&Objet Sunday and Monday. It will come as absolutely no surprise when I tell you that Paris is awash in inspiration. We toured some of the major sites you would expect such as Notre Dame down to the little niche places and back alley stores. The retail is amazing here with all the small independants selling very high design at affordable prices.

We spent a lot of time just admiring but then a bit of time actually buying. Johnathan got a great deal on a set of designer luggage that is not available in the U.S. Of course, the shop owner delighted in pointing out that Americans love to have something one of a kind especially from France. Well, can't argue with the truth. Misty bought an awesome Parisian hat (picture coming). I have yet to buy anything but I'm holding out for something really special.

Marche' de la Creation de Bastille

Day Two we headed to a couple of Markets. The first is called Marche' de la Creation de Bastille. It's a very cool local artists market similar to what we do back home. We jokingly called this place Etsy Paris but it is a lot like Etsy shows only not as well produced :). Lots of artists doing oils, water colors and pencil sketches.

Marche' d'Aligre

Next we headed over to Marche' d' Aligre which is primarily an outdoor food market but did have an antiques section. Lots of old sketches, textiles and books! Lot's of books. A couple notible finds is a 1950's sketch portfolio that we spent a few minutes going through. We were a little saddened wondering who this really great portfolio belonged to and subsequently how it found it's way to laying on the ground at a flea market. Lastly, we found a hideous doll head in a box. The eyes were rolling around inside but did still work mechanically. It was one of those things that was so scary and aweful that it was fantastic.

Johnathan Holding Creepy Baby Head