An Afternoon With Michael Wainwright

We are merely weeks away from one of the West Hartford Center’s most anticipated events of the season, an afternoon with luxury porcelain designer and friend of LCR , Michael Wainwright. Michael Wainwright has spent a lifetime designing ceramics. He was introduced to clay at a very early age and achieved a master's degree in sculpture. Having also worked as a jeweler, Michael became intrigued with finding a way to join metal and clay. It did not take Michael very long to be a staple in the luxury market.

Many of his designs for his collections were inspired from his studies in Italy and travels along the Mediterranean. He developed an affinity for the use of architecture, and has collections inspired by the Piazza San Marco in Venice, the Palio
in Siena, and the Almalfi
Coast as well. His most recent collections have been inspired by the domes of the U.S. Capitol Building, and Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.

Wainwright is the president of his company and the sole designer of each piece in his collection. His porcelain dinnerware and accessories are all made and hand-painted with 24 K Gold and Platinum in the U.S.A, as is his barware
. His new enameled aluminum Eggshell collection and metal serving pieces are imported from overseas, though all were designed in porcelain in his Great Barrington, MA studio.

On Saturday May 5th at 12 PM, Michael will be in our shop meeting and greeting with our clients. Even if you have never met Michael, stop in and say hello and even have your Wainwright piece signed from the artist. Michael has just sent our shop his latest collection pieces and we are displaying them now. The artist will be signing his work that has been purchased from our store from now to the day of the event. Here is your opportunity to have an instant collectable. Portions of each sale will be benefiting our local charity, The West Hartford Food Bank. LCR , is proud to offer a wide variety of Michael Wainwright tableware and accessories in our West Hartford store and online at www.lcrcollection.com .

31st Annual Fine Arts and Flowers Show

Need some springtime inspiration or just some time for you? Celebrate Spring with LCR West Hartford as we participate in the 31st Annual Fine Arts & Flowers presented by the Women’s Committee of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in downtown Hartford. This year, we will be in The Austin Gallery of the museum creating a stunning tabletop setting inspired from their masterworks collection of 17th and 18th Century paintings. LCR has partnered with The Wadsworth for years setting our designer luxury china, Garnier- Thiebault table linens, crystal stemware, and floral arrangements to the most beautiful art our country has to offer. Please join us and view LCR’s inspirational tabletop creation as our tribute to the great Masters of art. The event takes place from Thursday, April 26 – Sunday, April 29, 2012.

LCR and Garnier-Theibaut

Spring is here and our social events calendar continues to build. With a fresh outlook for 2012, new ideas, eloquent style and personal expression for your Spring gatherings can be easily found in your next tabletop setting. But with any great expressions of table décor (the kind your guests won’t seem to stop complementing on), one needs a firm foundation.

LCR West Hartford is pleased to announce a Table linen event with French Linen company Garnier -Thiebaut. Garnier -Thiebaut is a renowned world wide leader in luxury linens. Decorating the most prestigious restaurants and hotels throughout the world, Garnier -Thiebaut’s table linens weave a bright aesthetic in tabletop décor. With the use of 2 ply yarn and Indathren coloring (renowned as the best thread stability in the world), these linens are guaranteed to have a long life. It’s no wonder that Garnier- Thiebalt has been a staple at LCR for many years.

Starting April 21, you can be part of our event and view our latest Garnier -Thiebaut collections. With our new table linens, napkins, placemats, and runners, bring in your fine china or everyday dinnerware and let us design a fresh new feeling to your table décor that is not only stylish, but uniquely your own. At LCR, Savoir-Faire is everywhere!

Spring Ahead at LCR West Hartford

Spring is right around the corner, at here at LCR West Hartford that means the introduction of lots of fresh, new product. After 3 days of shopping at the New York International Gift Fair last week, we are excited to introduce new vendors along with the latest product from our most popular designers that we currently carry in the shop. Some of our favorites include the new expanded Molten collection by Michael Aram, and the aqua & platinum Como collection by Michael Wainwright. We’re also looking forward to introducing new product in our shop and on our website by Rogaska Crystal, Diane Markin, Annieglass, and Nambe.

One of the most exciting things about visiting the NYIGF is discovering new vendors. We’re especially excited about the acquisition of Waylande Gregory, soon to become an LCR exclusive. Waylande Gregory was one of the most influential ceramic sculptors of the 20th century, who had helped to shape the Art Deco period in America. His pottery line, which is still family-owned, is reminiscent of the fun 1940s and 50s American style. His playful patterns feature stylistic animals, prints, and abstract designs trimmed in gold or platinum. Objects include everything from lamps and garden stools to bowls and mirrored trays, amongst a vast array of other tabletop items. He is truly a fashion force of nature – we are looking forward to featuring his product in our shop and on our website in 2012.

At LCR West Hartford, we are delighted about the introduction of new product for the new season. Be sure to check our online shop, as the latest designer collections arrive weekly for your home.

LCR West Hartford Welcomes the Fall Season

Fall is right around the corner, and at LCR West Hartford that means setting new fall tabletop! After days and nights spent eating al fresco over the summer, we are all ready to head back indoors to warmth and comfort food.


When designing our fall table we started with the china; Solonge by Gien. With a forest animal motif in warm browns, grays and hints of green, Solonge is reminiscent of the fall season. We then decided to keep the tabletop muted; instead of bringing out the greens and yellows as we could have easily done, we kept within a neutral palate, playing up those very browns and grays that you see on a cool, cloudy fall day. Because we were able to layer these tones, as well as utilize texture and shine through our accessories we kept the table looking rich and warm rather than dreary and dull.

For table linens we turned to our favorite line in our retail shop, Kim Seybert. We’ve always loved her capiz shell placemats and found the gray ones seen here to be stunning. The luster of the capiz shell is a wonderful contrast to the motif on the china. We added in Kim Seybert’s “Brushstroke” Napkin, which incorporates both the gray and tan that we wanted to pull out of the china and then added in a flower napkin ring in the same gray as the placemat. The flower juxtaposes the more masculine images on the table to add visual interest. The final touches for the place setting are a cordial and flute by Saint Louis, both in a smoke gray.

We again combined our two colors for our candles, using latte colored candles in our L’Objet Platinum Evoca Candlesticks. Other accessories on the table include Nest Bowls, also by L’Objet, which add to the nature motif we’ve drawn from the china, as well as bring in a bronze finish which goes well with our coffee and gray colors. Lastly, we added Poppy Salt and Pepper Shakers from Michael Aram. By carrying the bronze finish throughout the table, as well as keeping within our natural theme, they proved to be the finishing touch for our fall table.


To purchase any item, please visit:
www.lcrcollection.com

or feel free to contact us at:

LCR West Hartford
981B Farmington Avenue
West Hartford, CT 06107
(800) 878-9446
(860) 231-7742

info@lcrcollection.com

Colorful and Creative Gifts at LCR West Hartford

LCR West Hartford is pleased to announce our most recent addition to our website, Diane Markin. Diane Markin, an American artist, currently lives and works in California where she is busy transforming ordinary elements such as glass, jewels, recycled materials and metal into unique works of art. In our retail shop, Diane Markin is most well known for her many frames, but her line extends far beyond them to include everything from clocks, ornaments and garden accessories. Just about everything in Diane’s line is bright, colorful and whimsical, making them perfect gifts for a fun-loving friend.


In addition to creating new objects from the raw materials she so enjoys working with, Diane reuses objects like antique silver plate flatware, “tortures” them, and transforms them into something special. Our favorites are the clocks and serving pieces, like the vertical napkin tray (shown). Other creative and useful recycled items are the garden stake knives, decorative garden accessories made out of glass, jewels, and wire attached to antique silver plate dinner knife, which, according to Diane, makes the perfect garden stake. They are available in dragonfly, butterfly, daisy, heart, sparkler.


Any piece from Diane Markin’s line makes an excellent gift, especially when given to those who have the same love of colorful, cheery and handcrafted items as Diane. Her entire line is made by hand here in the United States, by Diane herself or a member of her team. Many of the pieces are made out of recycled materials making them great gift choices for the Earth-conscious friend as well.

Decorating with Neutrals

Many times we talk about adding a ‘pop of color’ to a room to make a space more exciting and appealing. But, can you still have a room with visual interest without the addition of color? The answer is yes. If done properly, a room designed in a neutral palette can be soothing as well as rich, luxurious and aesthetically pleasing. To achieve this look special attention must be paid to texture.
Even when color is used in a design scheme, texture still plays a big role; once it is removed, texture becomes the focus. Texture should be kept in mind even before furniture and accessories enter a room. In lieu of painting a wall, papering in a grass cloth or other wallpaper can serve as the perfect backdrop. Grass cloth is something that our designers at LCR West Hartford use quite often; it doesn’t have a pattern, and therefore doesn’t compete with other patterns throughout the room, yet has more depth than paint. Carpets are also a great way to add texture. A frieze area rug is not only incredibly durable but also warms up a hardwood floor nicely.

After the foundations are complete, attention can be turned to fabrics, furniture and accessories. Using a multitude of fabrics in a room is a very simple way to add texture, as well as add depth with different neutrals. When designing with neutral scheme it is also best to vary the shades slightly; for example, instead of using tans, vary the palette to incorporate cream, sand, camel and caramel. The way to achieve the combination is to make sure they are all of the same tone; keeping with either a cool or warm scheme, for example. Fabrics then can be found that incorporate any and all of these shades; they will help to add the depth and warmth needed for interest. Mixing different types of fabrics; from damask to velvet, woven chenille to silk, easily adds texture and interest all while keeping within the scheme.

Lastly, add in accessories. Look for special pieces that speak to you, and accessories will soon become the easiest way for you to make a room unique. Lamps can easily add texture and interest, as well as much needed light, and many vases do have a special finish or texture to them that will add to a space. Not every room needs color to be interesting and fun, a gorgeous space can be created with a neutral scheme, all you need is creativity and imagination.