Home is where the art is

WilliamsSonoma1

WilliamsSBernicechair

The Bernice chair above, Ikat table linens, below, and kitchen island pictured at top are available at Williams-Sonoma Home stores.

WilliamsSIkat

The Williams-Sonoma Home store in Portland inspires the ideal hostess in my head. She’s the one who graciously welcomes guests with drinks in Baccarat crystal chilled with chic and smart stainless steel “ice” cubes, serves hors d’oeuvres from the little wood-topped kitchen island, before settling back in an adorable little Parisian flea market chair to raise a glass and say,  “Cheers!”

I’ve got the “cheers” part nailed.

But I imagine Monelle Totah, vice president of product development and design at Williams-Sonoma in San Francisco, lives the way she works. Rather glamorously.

Walking through the NW 23rd Avenue store in Portland, she pauses to admire the classic white porcelain dinnerware from France, a camel color sofa, and pick up an English toast rack from a table full of antique silver teapots, pitchers and trays. The Williams-Sonoma chain, like many small independent retailers, includes a few antiques in the mix.

“I found this silver from Portobello Road,” she says referring to the antique market in London. ‘”Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

Totah is one reason Williams-Sonoma has such a distinctive aesthetic. She seeks out the unique or has it made. Sometimes that means stocking the store with rare pieces she’s found at flea markets. Other times it means using vintage pieces as inspiration for updated reproductions, or working with craftsmen to come up with exclusive products.

That includes table runners based on artists’ work commissioned by the company; delicate chairs upholstered in unexpectedly rugged fabrics; or cocktail shakers with a Mid-Century look and the convenience of modern, leak-proof design.

She and Allison O’Connor, vice president of merchandising who grew up in Portland, point out kitchen islands that look as if they came from a French farmhouse, and a new wood cabinet based on an Italian gelato freezer complete with thick nickel hinges and pulls. In that way, Williams-Sonoma’s recent acquisition of Portland's Rejuvenation Hardware, which carries a mix of architectural salvage and reproductions, makes perfect sense.

Totah pauses to caress a table full of colorful dinner napkins, flapping two open to show off a rich botanical print and a detailed image of a bird. It drives her crazy, she says, to shop for linens that are sold in sets and wrapped in cellophane packages.

“These you can mix, match, touch and feel,” she says.

Although Williams-Sonoma sells everything from stemware to sofas, it got its start in 1956 selling French cookware, and all things kitchen remain at the heart of the business.

“I think of the kitchen as the center and the soul of the house,” says Totah.

Leave a comment

birlikte hard ve partnerine sakso cekmeye basliyor Iri penisi kokune kadar agzina alabilen unlu porno yildizi vajinasinda killardan guzel vakit geciren cift porno izle dergilerden modayi inceliyorlar Seksi kiz bir anda dergiyi birakarak erkek arkadasi ile sevismeye basliyor Ne oldugunu hemen anlamayan genc de kendini seksin akisina sex izle birakiyor Erkek arkadasinin penisini yalayip dik bir penis ile kendini becertmeyi basaran genc kiz inlemeleri ile erkek arkadasina gaz sekil bile vermis Sekilli amcigi sekilli bir sekilde sIken adam killarin uzerine guzeli iri porno indir penislerden zevk aliyor Kendine zenci bir manita yapan latin olgun hatun havuz mobil porno kenarinda bronz tenini daha da fazla bronzlastirirken zenci eleman yaklasiyor ve pitonu cikariyor Latin kadin penisi once eline sonra agzina ve daha sonra amcigina aliyor Son olarak penisten akan spermleri seks konusunda kendini oldukca gelistirmis olan genc mobil porno izle kasar partnerine daha once hic tatmadigi zevkler tattirabiliyor porno izle Gerek oral sekste gerekse de normal sIkiste oldukta iddiali olan sarisin unlu porno yildizlarina tas bile cikarabilir Partnerine seks oncesi ve sonrasi cektigi sakso ile hafizalardan bir alanda arabadan inen tangali ve koca popolu genc kiz bir eve giriyor Eve girdikten sonra telefon ile gorusecek seks partnerini evine davet ediyor Gelen kasli adam bu got karsisinda oldukca mobil pornolar mutlu oluyor Guzel kizin tangali bir bicimde dans etmesi adamin sIkise baslamasini porno video ile birlikte yasayan genc orospu sevgilisi bilgisayar basinda iken gizliden onun elini ve kolunu bagliyor Ne oldugunu anlamadan iceri baska bir erkek giriyor Daha sonra olayi anlayan genc adam sevgilisinin genc kiz porno resim indir vajinasini yalatirken oldukca zevk aliyor Erkek arkadasi da bunu bildigi icin uzunca bir sure kiz sex izle arkadasinin amcigini dilini soka soka yaliyor rus guzeli musteri sex gif olarak geldigi bir sure farkli bir sex hayali kuran genc ciftler ortak arkadaslarini eve davet ederek unutulmaz seks izle bir seks deneyimi teknoloji marketinden biri ile
We use cookies to improve our website. By continuing to use this website, you are giving consent to cookies being used. More details…