A Look Behind & Ahead
Hello, and Happy New Year!
We hope that the holiday season treated you well.
After taking some time to lay low, cook tasty food, and sit by the fire, we are eager to return to work and have more structure.
Last year was the first full year that we focused exclusively on New Collar Goods since moving to New York. Up to this point, we had been splitting our attention between critical renovation projects at the factory and serving our long-term customers. We are so grateful for those who have been with us throughout this transition and for our new customers. Fostering these relationships has been both encouraging and rewarding.
A year ago this month, Greg joined New Collar Goods. He transitioned from renovations around the factory to furniture making. We have enjoyed collaborating with him on renovation projects and it has been equally rewarding creating with him in the woodshop. He’s a gem and we’re happy to have him on our team!
We also had a ton of fun leading up to the holiday season designing and making giftable items. To those of you who chose to give them to friends and family, we thank you! It leaves us energized and eager to design/make more goodies for you this year!
As we move into the new year filled with inspiration and creative juice, we thought it would be fun to share what is guiding us.
Jon and I have been inspired by a shift toward layered and storied spaces. I am not claiming to have my finger on the design pulse by any means, but we've noticed that many people are being drawn toward maximalism and color at the moment. Light walls and furniture seem to be replaced with rich/warm wood tones and material contrasts. In our home, we’ll fall somewhere in between as that is what feels authentic to us.
I have always turned my head at spaces that are filled with well-made furniture, quality textiles, and treasures from different regions/eras. Composing these spaces in a true-to-you manner takes time, sometimes like….decades. Our home started as a minimalistic, paired-back space with a clean and neutral pallet. We did this for two reasons: we love to return to a tranquil and clean space and we needed to make financially prudent design choices.
Our hope is that we can add layers and interest with the use of quality furniture pieces, well-thought-out storage spaces, family heirlooms, and interesting vintage finds.
In an effort to keep our home fresh without blindly embracing a trend, we make it a priority to assess our space before making a new design decision. We evaluate things like architectural style, floorplan, and natural light sources to make well-suited changes for our own home.
For our place, we wanted to highlight the truss work and focus on the natural light that pours in from the many windows it boasts. In our main living/dining space, it made sense to us to paint the walls and ceilings light and rely on the warm wood tones in the weathered floors and columns to anchor the space.
Over the last year, we’ve spent time in some remarkably cozy family homes that hold years (often generations) of trinkets from travels, cherished photos, and furniture… a real patchwork of treasures. These spaces evoke a coziness that cannot be curated in a calendar year and do not adhere to design trends.
To be in spaces filled with items made with intention and kept in the home because of their lasting usefulness or sentimentality is what inspires us. These are the design sensibilities that we hope to carry with us into the new year as we make pieces for your home (and ours) that add layers and richness to a quilted home.
In our free time this winter, we’re excited to make a shelving unit for the dining area and a butcher-block extension off the kitchen island. We plan to use oiled cherry which offers the same warmth (once exposed to sunlight) as our old weathered floors.
Wishing you all joy and creative inspiration (in whatever form you seek) in the year ahead!
Warmly,
Deana