Bobby Berk Bugle 3-19-2012

The Latest in Children's Furniture!

Much like Dr. Suess and Pixar, the Training Dresser by Peter Bristol ($1600) is intended for more than one audience. The informative drawers create an engaging dresser for kids and an iconic furniture piece for parents.


This American made, hand crafted cabinet is finished with conversion varnish, and the drawers are maple plywood, dovetailed and finished with clear catalyzed lacquer for additional durability. The drawers are then packaged with care in Eastern Washington by Mountain View Cabinetry. So, not only will you be getting a unique dresser for your child, you'll be getting a sturdy, built to last piece of art. And if that doesn't do it for you, the dresser comes in one design for girls (with skirts and tanks), one for boys (with shorts and t-shirts)! Too cute, right?

Here's to hoping that your children will love these unique drawers so much, they'll be willing to put their clothing away themselves!

Home Yet Interview featuring G. Romano's Rick Lovegrove!

We stumbled onto this article from Home Yet featuring one of our favorite furniture manufacturers here at Bobby Berk Home, Rick Lovegrove from G. Romano. If you read our posts on Facebook, receive our emailers, follow us on Pinterest (yes, we're fans of social media here) then you know that we love the products from G. Romano. They have a variety of fantastic pieces, from mid-century modern tufted sofas to down filled sectionals. Their endless configurations and fabric options make them a fantastic choice when looking for your new piece, which is often a difficult decision to make. Keep reading to see what tips and suggestions he has for choosing the right sofa for your home.

What are the most important things consumers should look for and ask about when shopping for upholstery?
Rick Lovegrove: Asking where a sofa, sectional or chair is made is a great place to start. Ask the retail sales associate the following: Where is the product made? What’s the frame construction and warranty on the product? What can you tell me about the company that makes it? Are eco-friendly components being used in the construction? Our dealers love to tell their customers that G. Romano furniture is being made just for them by a family business that has been manufacturing upholstery since 1962.


What are the most important trends in upholstery right now?
Lovegrove: We see two major design directions: Organic Modernism and Edgy Traditional. Organic Modernism is a clean, uncluttered look, yet with a softer, warmer approach to modern. Feather-filled seating is key. The look has an airy/loft feel. There are no matching sofa sets here—this is for a more eclectic setting. Meanwhile, Edgy Traditional looks of the past, yet offers an updated approach to scale and fabric application. Here, tufting is a key feature.


What about color and pattern … what looks right for 2012?
Lovegrove: Soft, linen neutrals and menswear flannels continue to lead the way. Color is creeping back in as an accent, however, with orange, citron and navy as complements to charcoal- and platinum-colored sofas.


Well, Rick.... you really hit the nail on the head. 

It's sometimes difficult to add a staircase to your space without it looking obtrusive. Who wants to spend all of their time and hard earned money designing a beautiful home, just to have an ugly staircase jut right out into the middle of it? Whether you want something practical (like the built in shelving or seating areas underneath) or something modern and chic, there are plenty of ways to make your staircase a unique focal point in your home.

We were amazed when we saw some of the beautiful variations (as shown in the blog post by Apartment Therapy), so we did some poking around of our own. Pick an open stair case with thin steps allowing you the space to add seating or shelving underneath, or pick one of the many floating staircases for an instant "aw" factor. One of our personal favorites is the beautiful and elegant staircase that shifts from a traverse to a spiral after the first landing. Stunning, simple, and chic (perfect if you just-so-happen to have a lovely loft space such as that).  

Make Your Small Space LARGER

Living in a tiny space is a common problem for far too many people... and it can be a challenge to find the right furniture that will utilize all of your space (and still make it feel a big larger). Luckily for us, there are many solutions to this problem...

Armadillo&Co. Ribbon Stripe $206.25 to $825

1. Unify the color in your space: Choose an area rug to match your walls! Stripes are a particular favorite for the smallest of spaces, like the Ribbon Stripe rug ($206.25 to $825.00) by Armadillo&Co., because they give your space an instant visual depth that you might not get with a patterned or solid rug. Choose a stripe with a pop of color if you'd like, but the white or cream stripes will help to keep the color unified.

2. Choose transparent furniture: You can buy just about anything these days in an acrylic or glass finish. Pick a glass coffee table, acrylic nesting tables... there are even platform beds with plenty of space underneath, making the furniture visibly less bulky. Pick furniture with thin stainless steel or wood legs to take the weight out of the furniture, making your small space instantly feel larger!

Gus Modern Picture Rail $115 to $165

3. Utilize ALL of your space (while keeping the clutter off of the floor): It's always a good idea when you have a small space to use your walls as much as you can. With the Gus Modern Picture Rails, you can move items around as often as you like, while keeping a clean and modern appearance. Display your favorite artwork, plants, books... you name it! The Picture Rails are available in 3' and 5'.

The Latest and Greatest in Acrylic Furniture!

It's hard not to notice that acrylic furniture is becoming more and more popular lately. Acrylic side tables, accessories, chairs, entertainment units... and while the acrylic furniture is beautiful and chic, no one wants to buy an ordinary piece of furniture that's been seen everywhere. Our furniture by Gruppo Seccio is guaranteed to be anything but ordinary. Gruppo Seccio's Angel Armchair ($437) has a beautiful chrome base with acrylic feet, and if you move or remodel and want to switch up the color scheme in your space, the 9 different color options for the interchangeable cushions is definitely an added bonus! Choose between the black, chrome, white, or even gold base on the Diamond Armchair ($326) for some additional flare.

Modkat in Action!

No longer your dirty little secret.

Who says a litter box can’t embrace form as well as function, work with your décor and provide an unparalleled experience for your cat. Not us. The award winning ModKat Litter Box is the answer. Its modern design compliments any room, while the enclosed base and “rooftop access” allows your cat the privacy needed to do his or her business.

Every detail of this patented design has been thoughtfully considered. The locking lid acts as a walk-off mat keeping litter off your floors while keeping small dogs from enjoying the "treats" inside. An ergonomic scoop with incorporated brush stows neatly on the side and the reusable litter liner is friendly to your wallet and the environment.

NYIGF 2012

If you work in the design industry (or even if you're just a fan of home décor) I would highly recommend stopping by the New York International Gift Fair. After spending the weekend rummaging through everything from pillows and lighting to eclectic handmade jewelry, I've come to the realization that there's really nothing you can't find here! After browsing around, you can stop for lunch at one of their many kiosks and cafés, or attend one of their seminars.  And while you're there, be sure to check out some of Bobby Berk Home's favorites, including Blissliving Home, David Weeks, and the Boskke Sky Planters (just to name a few)!

Inhabit Wall Flats as shown in HGTV's Kitchen Cousins!

The Wall Flats by Inhabit Living take on a modern, three-dimensional eco-friendly wallcovering. Does it get any better than that? Made from molded Bagasse pulp, this is 100% pre-consumer sugarcane waste with absolutely no chemical fillers or additives, and an off white paintable surface. Each tile is 18 x 18" and 3/4" deep with 10 tiles to each box (covering 22.5 square feet)! Inhabit Living is owned and run by a husband and wife who design everything from scratch. They are not just private labeling existing designs or making pillows or bedding from someone's fabrics... These are their sketches, thoughts, and ideas brought to life in the Inhabit line. We feel the uniqueness of the Inhabit Living line can be attributed to the fact that they probably don't think like normal textile and product designers. They were both schooled as graphic designers and have owned and operated Planet 10, an award-winning brand development firm since 1996. It has never been about the awards or recognition that come from design. It has always been about finding out what the brand is truly about, who it's customer is, and being true to that no matter what. Inhabit is never going to a be a brand for everyone. But, isn't that the point?

Gus Modern : Keep on Giving!

Save 15% on any of your Gus Modern purchases through the month of January by donating 3 cans of food to any of our stores! For additional showroom offers (including some great floor model sales) stop by any of our Bobby Berk Home locations.

Come check out Bobby Berk Home Atlanta!

Come check out our new location in Atlanta!
Berk began his career in home design and décor at Restoration Hardware, then moved to Portico Home + Spa, where he earned the title of creative director. His own brand, Bobby Berk Home, launched online in 2006 to showcase furniture, bedding, bath products and home accessories. Showrooms in New York City’s Soho and Miami’s Design District followed shortly thereafter. Today, you can find Berk lending his expertise to any number of high-profile projects, from composing the media lounge for New York City’s Spa Week to selecting pieces for various TV-show sets. The Atlanta store will be the third and largest location yet, opening on the recently developed 14-block stretch of Peachtree Street known for its 1 million square feet of retail space.
So why did he choose Atlanta for our next location? “I’m from the South, originally,” Berk says. “I think that Atlanta has the perfect combination of sophistication and Southern charm in a modern urban setting. You don’t find that very often in the South.”
The exclusive retailer’s latest location will feature items previously available only online. “The Atlanta store will have a kids and baby department with furniture, accessories, toys and bedding,” Berk says. “We’re going to have a lot more room—simply because the store is so much larger than the other ones—to carry the collections. Furniture-wise, we’ll have a lot more beds. We’ll have a pets department, which we don’t do in our other stores.”
Berk predicts that the Gus* Modern line—of which BBH has the largest in-store selection—will be popular with Atlantans. “The Atwood collection is a hot seller,” says Berk, speaking of the tufted, clean-lined sectional and chair. “It goes well with the Atlanta aesthetic.”

Our Eco-Friendly Favorite!

We're happy to say that Eco-Friendly furniture is a big hit these days, and at Bobby Berk Home, we have a wide variety of Eco-Friendly products to choose from. One of our newest favorites is the Plumen Light Bulb ($30), a low energy bulb guaranteed to save you 80% on your energy bills while lasting 8 times longer than a standard incandescent bulb. Not only is it fantastic for those reasons (who doesn't love saving some money by cutting back those bills?), but it brings a new meaning to the words "light bulb." The Plumen Bulb is anything but ordinary. The dynamic, sculptured form contrasts to the dull regular shapes of existing low energy bulbs, in an attempt to make the Plumen a center piece vs. an afterthought. Use it under a lamp shade or show it off! Want to see it for yourself? Come visit us at our Bobby Berk Home Soho location, where you can see the Plumen Light Bulb right in our window! 

Modernist Mogul

Don’t be surprised to find pedestrians on the Midtown Mile doing double takes later this month as they pass the newly opened Bobby Berk Home. From the regal, bright pink chairs featured on Bravo’s Mad Fashion to the modern sofa seen on ABC’s late remake of Charlie’s Angels and the New York storefront shots on HGTV’s Design Star, BBH’s statement-making items are packed with star power, thanks to appearances on primetime shows.
Berk began his career in home design and décor at Restoration Hardware, then moved to Portico Home + Spa, where he earned the title of creative director. His own brand, Bobby Berk Home, launched online in 2006 to showcase furniture, bedding, bath products and home accessories. Showrooms in New York City’s Soho and Miami’s Design District followed shortly thereafter. Today, you can find Berk lending his expertise to any number of high-profile projects, from composing the media lounge for New York City’s Spa Week to selecting pieces for various TV-show sets. Steadily reaching household-name status, style purveyor Berk has become synonymous with affordable luxury that doesn’t sacrifice style. Berk’s Atlanta store is his third and largest, opening on the recently developed 14-block stretch of Peachtree Street known for its 1 million square feet of retail space.
So why did Berk select our genteel city for his landmark installment? “I’m from the South, originally,” Berk says. “I think that Atlanta has the perfect combination of sophistication and Southern charm in a modern urban setting. You don’t find that very often in the South.”
The exclusive retailer’s latest location will feature items previously available only online. “The Atlanta store will have a kids and baby department with furniture, accessories, toys and bedding,” Berk says. “We’re going to have a lot more room—simply because the store is so much larger than the other ones—to carry the collections. Furniture-wise, we’ll have a lot more beds. We’ll have a pets department, which we don’t do in our other stores.”
Berk predicts that the Gus* Modern line—of which BBH has the largest in-store selection—will be popular with Atlantans. “The Atwood collection is a hot seller,” says Berk, speaking of the tufted, clean-lined sectional and chair. “It goes well with the Atlanta aesthetic.”
805 Peachtree St., 866.965.9793, bobbyberkhome.com 

by Maria Carter | Jezebel magazine | October 31, 2011

Celebrity Designer Bobby Berk designs Media Lounge for Spa Week

Check out our founder and celebrity designer, Bobby Berk as he's interviewed about the Media Lounge he designed for Spa Week Fall 2011.  Staying with the theme of the night Bobby chose comfortable yet stylish Gus Modern Atwood sofas and chairs along with the super chic Cobra Yoga Mat from Plank to make this a relaxing oasis.  Take a look at the lounge and his interview in the video above.

Our Very Own Queen of Love... in Action!

A special thanks to our Bobby Berk Home customer (and local photographer) Christopher Boudewyns for sending us these wonderful pictures of his very own Queen of Love Chair ($895) purchased from our Bobby Berk Home SoHo location! 

These fantastic Italian "thrones" are made of recyclable linear polyethylene, and are resistible to color fading, scratches, and weather! The Queen of Love Armchair is not only a luxurious choice for seating but an irresistible statement piece for any decor. 

Want to see it for yourself? Come visit us in New York or Miami, and coming soon... Atlanta!

Spa Week: Bobby Berk Home creates the Spa Week’s Lounge with Plank products…

As part of practicing awareness and education of yoga and personal growth, taking care of self, is sometimes far from reality. Peer pressures & media banter that creates today’s woman to be financially stable, uber mother, independant, home-concierge, princesses, all giving, doing epitomies of love, and to boot, multiple-orgasmic super heroines, sometimes self-indulgence does not occur to me, to be a priority at times. This week Oct 10-16^th, for Spa Week many of the major spa players are offering discounts to encourage all to consider self-pampering as The Priority. Although I’ve all heard it said many times and understand the concept fully, first we need to take care of self, so that we can take care of others, the practice of this philosophy is sometimes hard to include to my lifestyle. For me time is an issue, not to mention the cost. I have no problem paying for the services, for the most part, the customer service and experience I have received are well worth the cost, however when I don’t consider self-pampering a priority, the cost, adds another reason to skip the spa this time. Thanks to Spa Week’s organisers who realize that this little fact of my life and possibly others, how nice that they have created a week-long event, for me, to go full out and pamper myself, big on the time, easy on the pocket.
I was equally honoured, that Bobby Berk, of Bobby Berk Home was invited to create the media lounge for the press night & chose to create a zenful rest place using Plank products. For the media professionals, who extend their work day to go through the plethora of information and test products to advise us, the best of the best, products and services to take advantage for Spa Week and beyond, how relaxing for them to feast their eyes on Plank’s Cobra Yoga Mat and relax their weary feet & butts on the beautifully constructed Gus furniture available from Bobby Berk Home, the go-to store for upgraded living. For much of the press, this was the first time for them to see Plank Mats live and experience it under foot.


Check out the photos and you can count on us to keep you posted of any media or opportunity developments, from a yoga, lifestyle or business perspective.
WHG, an expert in all things, shoes + heels + fitting yoga into a busy lifestyle…

Written by Doreen Hing - Founder of Plank Yoga

Not Just Your Ordinary Fireplace

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a fireplace in their home, and for those of us without one, there aren't many solutions. Or not that we've known of.

Too often we let good design stop at the back door, but our Modfire fireplaces ($950-$1250) are a fantastic center piece and are available as either wood or gas burning! Some spaces beg for a shock of color to lift them from ordinary to unbelievable, and the Modfire will guarantee to do just that. Or, if a splash of color isn't what you're looking for, the Natural Steel Modfire ($950) is still a beautiful accent piece!

The Steel undergoes a bluing process and is hand-waxed before leaving the studio. While aging, the natural steel patina will weather into a completely unique finish - each Modfire taking on it's own personality. All Modfires are handcrafted out of thick fourteen gauge steel and colorfully coated in hi-temp paint, designed to be an heirloom that lasts a lifetime. So, as summer comes to an end and you prepare yourself for many months of sweaters and time spent indoors, why not throw in a Modfire and enjoy that evening warmth just a bit longer?

Bobby Berk Home on Bravo TV

Former Project Runway alum, Chris March, has something up his sleeve in Mad Fashion. From start to finish, viewers will see March and his eccentric crew as they slave away in his studio that was designed by TugStudio with furnishings by Bobby Berk Home to create one-of-a-kind designs for his high-profile clientele. No creation or idea is too crazy for this team as they design Jennifer Coolidge’s Mardi-Gras float ensemble and model Chrissy Teigen’s gown for the MET Costume Gala. Tensions rise as March pushes the boundaries of fashion and challenges his clients’ comfort zones. In the end, will the design fulfill the client’s fashion fantasy or will it turn out to be more than they can handle? 

Want one of Chris's BIG PINK CHAIRS?  Check them out here!

Heavy Metal

Urban Case 1.2 Dining Chair

Have you ever noticed how beautiful and modern the fusion between wood and metal is? We absolutely love the combination! Wood has always been a classic and timeless material used to manufacture the most elaborate pieces of furniture in the market. Another obvious favorite of ours is metal. Its contemporary and sleek appearance brings a more modern and industrial style to any home. Now, why don't we try both materials together? This hand crafted 1.2 Dining Chair ($750) is the perfect example! The walnut frame with aluminum accents is a particular favorite of ours. Add the wool German army surplus blanket cushion, and you have a one-of-a-kind dining chair!  Here are a few more of our finest hybrid pieces. Check it out!

Veridis Storage 602 

Take a look at another great example of the ever popular metal and wood combination. The powder-coated aluminum is a great way to bring a modern twist while adding just enough color to your space. The Storage 602 ($1,650-$1,800) is yet another perfect marriage of two simple materials into boundless possibilities. The shelves are available in two different widths and three different heights, giving you the opportunity to change your storage unit however you please. 

Ilex Side Table

                                                    

The Ilex Side Table ($350-$450) can spice up an otherwise boring color palette, while also bringing a unique design into the mix. These pieces (and many others by Elemental Living) while both practical and functional, are also undeniably stylish! 

               

And last but most certainly not least, are the Gus Modern pieces. These sleek designs, from the straight edges to the solid wood finishes, are a great choice for any range of interiors or design style! Do you (like many others) have old furniture that you just can't seem to part with? These stainless steel accents go hand in hand with any finish or textile, so match it with your old leather couch, and voilà! 

Gus Modern Bishop Table                  

Do you find yourself in need of a side table but simply don't have the space for one? Well look no further, Gus Modern has found the solution for you! The Bishop Table ($335) is available with a variety of solid wood finishes, from macassar-ebony to walnut. So if you're anything like me and simply can't part with your old coffee table, but desperately need a modern side table to give your space a much needed contemporary sprucing, the Bishop Table is gauranteed to fit right in.   

                                               

                                                                                                                              

        

Back to School!

We are very pleased to offer you some exciting gadgets to assist you in the new school year. Here are a few of our favorite products that will help keep you motivated during those long study hours!

Singgih Kartono Desk Set

Oversleep again? Meet Clocky. The alarm clock that jumps from your nightstand and runs away beeping leaving you no choice but to get out of bed to turn it off. Perfect for those who love the "snooze" button.   

Clocky by Nanda

Also, meet Clocky's tech saavy brother, Tocky. ust like the Clocky, Tocky will jump from your nightstand and roll away to get you out of bed. He'll also record personal wake-up messages and play your favorite MP3s as he rolls around your room. Perfect gift don't you think? $69

Tocky by Nanda

And for those who prefer Eco-friendly products at home, you can now enjoy them in the classroom! check out Singgih Kartono's desk accessories made of naturally harvested mahogany and sonokeling wood. Sold as a Desk Set or individually. Kartono's Desk accessories collection includes: Tape dispenser, stapler, box cutter, magnifying glass and even a compass(which is a great gift, by the way)!!

Singgih Kartono

If you want to see more back to school products click