Linen, Mens Suiting, and Dress Shirt Fabric

Posted on | March 29, 2010 | 8 Comments

Last week while I was in New York I took a quick little trip over to the Garment District for some fabric inspiration. My first stop the Fabric Czar— a men’s suiting and custom tailoring shop on West 39th street. I was searching for a light gray window paned wool with a red accent for a side chair in my den. I found a few I liked with yellow and brown accents but no red. The store is a feast for the eyes. Along one side is cotton stripes used for men’s dress shirts. The majority of the space is a collection of fine wools and plaids. I wouldn’t say it was cheap. Most of the fabrics I choose were about $60/yard. It’s still unclear to me if this shop is wholesale or retail or both. When asked if I could purchased using credit they said, cash only. But sometimes I feel in the garment district I have to really tough and kinda pushy to really get a straight answer.

Across the street I popped into Gray Lines Linen. The store is full of upholstery and drapery grade linen fabric. I’ve been searching for a striped linen to make a duvet for my bed. Fyi most of the stripes I found are on the very top shelf which is really hard to see when you first walk into the store. The staff was really helpful and showed me a stack of samples and allowed me to take a few home. The three I choose were 60″ wide and about $4 a yard (they were running a special). Insanely cheap and really great quality. Now which one to choose for a duvet?

p.s. my sister bought a bolt of linen from Gray Lines that we used for two chairs, a tufted bench, and a tufted headboard. All came out beautiful!

Looking for more resources in the Garment District? Click on the related post links below.

Fabric Czar
257 West 39th Street (Garment District)
New York, NY
(212) 475-6666
fabricczar.com

Gray Lines Linen
260 W. 39th Street (Garment District)
New York, NY
(212) 391-4130
graylinelinen.com

fabric Czar Linen, Mens Suiting, and Dress Shirt Fabric

mens wool suiting Linen, Mens Suiting, and Dress Shirt Fabric

samples from fabric stores Linen, Mens Suiting, and Dress Shirt Fabric

gray line linen in new york Linen, Mens Suiting, and Dress Shirt Fabric

vogel textiles sample fabrics Linen, Mens Suiting, and Dress Shirt Fabric

Category: New York, new york shops, textiles

Early Morning Commute @ Grand Central

Posted on | February 26, 2010 | 17 Comments

Hands down my favorite building in New York is Grand Central Station. The last few years I worked in New York I lived in Connecticut and had to commute through Grand Central everyday. I know that seems crazy that I lived in another state and commuted back and forth but it’s actually a quick 45 minute express train ride. I honestly miss my train rides. I loved reading, knitting, and just having some quiet time to chill out after work.

Last week, when I was in New York I commuted in with my sister. The morning light was gorgeous trickling down on the station floor. The green ceiling above was probably my first inspiration for my den. It’s gorgeous in so many different types of light. If I close my eyes I can hear the quiet rumble of voices and high heels bouncing off the stone walls.

Grand Central Station
15 Vanderbilt Avenue
New York, NY
grandcentralterminal.com

Category: New York, on the streets

Subway Tiles @ Soho Grand Hotel

Posted on | February 22, 2010 | 13 Comments

I notice the funniest things since I started renovating a house. In our bathroom at the Soho Grand Hotel I was fascinated by the subway tile design. If you look closely the second tile from the top is not a standard rectangle. It’s square, interesting. I couldn’t find a reason why they did this other then to break up the line.

The hotel bathroom was simple but classic. A pretty pedestal sink with a gooseneck faucet and a stone hex floor. The floor tiles were cream, taupey brown/gray, and gray grout. Kinda funky and different. Look closely at the floor photo below. It may look out of focus on the edges but actually the floor really looked like this. It would change color as you looked at it in the distance. The sketch wallpaper keeps the space from feeling too traditional and adds a modern twist.

Below the view from our hotel room. How great is New York?

Soho Grand Hotel
310 West Broadway
New York, New York
sohogrand.com

update: The wallpaper featured in the bathroom is by New Yorker cartoonist Saul Steinberg. The paper can be purchased through Schumacher.

Picture 8 Subway Tiles @ Soho Grand Hotel

4378816857 d594d85025 Subway Tiles @ Soho Grand Hotel

view from soho grand Subway Tiles @ Soho Grand Hotel

Category: New York, bathrooms, tile, wallpaper

Green on Greene

Posted on | February 19, 2010 | 8 Comments

In Soho this morning I spotted more green paint inspiration. Is the world telling me something? I love this green. Now I’m leaning back toward painting the molding in my den green. Ah! What to do? Above and below a building on Greene Street in Soho.

Category: New York, paint colors

Ace Hotel, The Breslin and Stumptown

Posted on | February 18, 2010 | 7 Comments

Sorry for the lack of posting this week, I’m in New York. I’ve been a busy bee working and visiting with friends and family. This morning my sister brought me over to the new Ace Hotel on 29th street in Manhattan. Design group Roman and Williams transformed the space into a hipster Brit infused oasis. Check out the plaid wing chair in the above photo. The back of the chair was upholstered in navy wool decorated with brass tacking. So freakin’ cute.

Attached to the Ace is The Breslin a British style pub run by Peter Cho and the Spotted Pig (my fav place to grab a burger) crew. I walked through pretty quickly but I was struck by the green molding. In the sunlight the wood appears limey in the shadows it becomes a dark olive gloss. Tufted benches, thonet style chairs, and brass accents give the space a cozy feel. Need a little pick me up? Hit Stumptown coffee just off from the hotel’s lobby. I had a latte and croissant—super yum with a nutty quality. Above and below photos from Roman and William’s website.

Ace Hotel
20 W 29th Street
New York, NY
212.679.2222
acehotel.com

The Breslin
16 W 29th Street
New York, NY
212.679.1939
thebreslin.com