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One of the eternal questions in life?

Every year I decide on a color theme (last year was black, white, and silver) and stick to it. This will save you the time and effort of having to match the wrapping paper to each person. No more looking for guy-appropriate wrapping paper! And it makes your tree look uber-chic. Add fun extras like tiny ornaments, jingle bells, pinecones, or anything sparkly. Go green and recycle your magazines for wrapping paper and tie with twine. Take a page from Martha Stewart and stamp something festive on plain paper. Mom will be so impressed!

If you are stressing about finding the perfect Holiday gift, you are not alone. During some recent Holiday brainstorming sessions with my confidantes, the one product that comes up again and again is a digital photo frame. Yes, the future is here.


Out of the box, it supports up to 20 photos and has a built-in speaker for MP3 playback. Think slide show, soaring grand music, and sentimental moments galore. The product design is outstanding. It just looks like an Apple LCD.

Outside of buying a dozen gift cards this Holiday Season, I guarantee that someone close to me is getting this gift. Merry Christmas.

Get your weekly dose of style reading with my Brilliant Book of the Week! Out of the millions of books on the market it can be quite a task deciding between The Best of Martha Stewart Living: How to Decorate and Barnes and Noble's decor bargain books. This weekly posting will help you pick out the best of the best, leaving you with great ideas and (eventually) a beautiful home!

Check it out!
"Styles: Compendium of Interior," written by Francois Baudot.

Want to make your room look regal? Try a gilded mirror! It doesn't have to be relegated to the dining room you use once a year. Put it in your bedroom over a simple vanity so you feel extra fancy while getting ready in the morning. I've seen these everywhere lately (Pottery Barn also has an elegant version), but my absolute, hands down favorite is the exquisite Versailles Arched Mirror from Four Hands. It literally sparkles every time I walk past it! You may not be Marie Antoinette, but you can still have a bit of Versailles in your home.

It's common to see the same piece of furniture in several magazines (Ghost Chair, anyone?), but it's rare to see a fabric used in a variety of magazines, in a variety of ways. I've seen this same Asian floral fabric used for pillows, drapes, and wallpaper. The good news is that we have it here at High Fashion Home. The better news is that it's only 18 bucks per yard! Take a cue from these magazines and use it for pillows or drapes. Up the adventurous ante and upholster an accent chair with it. No matter what you use it for, it's a stylish and surprisingly neutral fabric to work with. Oh, and for those of you not in Houston, I have the best news of all: we ship.

Maybe you want to make the space personal. A photo collage is easy, but try giving it some punch. Print the pictures in black and white and hang them on a bright wall. Vary the size and style of the frame you use, but keep them all the same color. Then, add block letters in the spaces to represent everyone in the family (or just you). Try Anthropologie for cool block letters to add to your wall. Tres chic!

Don't leave the creation of art just to artists. Frame your own art: start with pieces of pretty fabric, wallpaper (like the one above from Nama Rococo), or pages from books. Pick up a paintbrush and make bold, colorful brushstrokes on a canvas. Take pictures of interesting places while on vacation. Just frame and you're done!
Here's a quick tip for framing. You don't have to spend a fortune. Hobby Lobby frequently offers 50% off of all of their frames- including custom. You'll never want to pay full price again! Instead of getting something custom framed, just buy a larger frame than the piece of art and get a mat cut to surround it. It's a much more budget conscious way to get a custom look.

Oh, the holidays. A time of family togetherness, mounds of presents, and a heap of stress over creating and serving perfect meals. I can't whip up a pie for you or baste your turkey, but I can give you ideas for making your dinner table beautiful this year. Whether you are throwing an elegant and formal soiree for fifty, creating an artistic and modern dinner for friends, or reigning in the kids for an evening with the fam- we've got the table for you.



The holidays are certainly a time to bring out the good china- why let it sit in storage all year? Make your neutral china festive with red accents and a bowl full of bright ornaments. Don't forget the champagne!


Just because it's Christmas doesn't mean your table has to explode with red and green! Try a subdued celadon and a candlelit centerpiece to create a romantic and cozy table. Instead of fabric, use folded paper for the placemat and add a matching origami stork. It may not be traditional, but that doesn't mean it's not beautiful!

There's nothing quite like Christmas with kids around- waiting for Santa and his reindeer, frosting cookies, and decorating the tree. So when it comes to the table, keep things whimsical. Instead of a tablecloth, use black butcher paper and give the kids chalk so they can draw while the adults chat. Make an easy centerpiece by stacking up small wrapped gifts. It's better than pumpkin pie- almost!


All dishes, flatware, and glassware from Crate & Barrel.

Here at High Fashion we don't just carry your average furniture. We have so many pieces that will make a big impact in your home- pieces that will make people say, "Where did you get that amazing (insert amazing piece of furniture here)?!" As a blogger, I feel it is my duty to bring these amazing pieces to your attention.


This week I'm obsessed with the Pure Side Table by Directions. This ultra mod table is glossy white lacquer with striated zebra wood drawers and funky knotched pulls. Two of these will flank your sofa perfectly and add a hint of the 60's to your 21st century living room. If you prefer, there is also a media stand and a coffee table available. While some tables can lose their appeal to overdesign, this table is about as simple as it gets, letting the contrasting finishes speak for themselves. With that in mind, the name is very appropriate. Simple, Pure design.

Looking for a good sofa before the Holidays? Well, it's here. We just received 85 pieces of upholstery sofas and chairs. These pieces were showroom samples that one of our manufacturers has shown to Crate and Barrel, Room and Board, and Federated furniture buyers over the last 5 years. Unfortunately, they don't have a lot of retail accounts outside of the national guys. Luckily, we are a good fit in the sense that we are an independent store, yet we have a lot of real estate (125,000 SF to be exact) to swallow up all the samples.


They gave us 50% off to buy all their samples, and in turn we are giving all of our customers 50% off regular prices. Now is the time to get a great deal on some beautiful contemporary, mid-century modern pieces.

Every once in a while, someone comes out with a product that is so simple, but so genius at the same time. Take, for instance, Outdoor Wallpaper by Susan Bradley. She has taken all of the pretty damask patterns that you see in wallpaper and made them weather-proof for your exterior walls. It looks great when it has vines growing through it so that you can only see portions of the pattern, and Outdoor Wallpaper is perfect for homeowners who want to add some punch to their walls.

When you visit her website look at all of the amazing installations she has done. You just might find yourself planting a damask garden...

Pictures from top: Frank Lloyd Wright's original barrel chair, the Yi-Chin Tub chair by EWest, the Winslow chair by Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams.

Our team is working hard on our 2008, 64 page catalog. Here is a sneak peak of some photos.

Keep an eye out for our massive website update. We'll include an additional 400 items.



Cody, the photo shoot mastermind from the Butler Bros, is in deep contemplation about the next shot.