We can’t.  But we can at least surprise her with our thoughtfulness, our sentimentality and of course, our punctuality. Come in and let us help you find the perfect gift to make her think back fondly on all the pain and frustration.  Perhaps it was worth it after all!  May we?

She’s the only one like her, shouldn’t her gifts reflect that?  Original art that reminds her of her brood…

Vintage accessories that are as statement making as she is…

Any number of lovelies that can only reflect what a treasure she is…

There are so many possibilities! Don’t waste any more time.  Need inspiration?  Swing by on your lunch and fill up on it.  Need help?  We’re here for you!

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 SLATE: 1   1stDibs: 0

Rare Bronze Finish Platner Coffee Table

Terrific Knoll Warren Platner Coffee Table. This beautiful and timeless design is the rare bronze finish which was only available for a short period in the 1970s. Truly a beautiful design in person! Glass not included.

Chicago Price:  $2,800

SLATE Price: $995 (and ours comes with the original glass – ha!)

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LENGTH:  34 in. (86 cm)
HEIGHT:  15 in. (38 cm) SLATE: 2    1stdibs: 0   Franco Albini Rattan Ottoman Franco Albini Rattan Ottoman Ca. 1950s in top notch condition. This can be used as a foot stool, or end table, or just a sculptural object, very well made and strong enough to sit on. New York Price: $1,200 SLATE Price: $175

Going green in 2013!

Not just in the cork flooring, recycle that water bottle, prevent global warming kind of green (though we support that too).  But consider the color green and it’s significance: the essence of spring, new life, vitality, and well, money!

It can be bold or precious, energizing or tranquil.  But emerald!  Emerald is rich, confident, commanding and crisp.  Emerald is regal, and really, shouldn’t you be the queen of your castle? Or king…  Remember your very first sight of the emerald city?  Le sigh…

And bonus: emerald is gender neutral, so no more arguments about how we women always take over the house with our hearts and flowers. (exasperation implied…) Perhaps you have heard, but let me reiterate.  Emerald is THE color this year.

Sound tricky?  It isn’t.  Need some inspiration?  Perhaps you just need a starting piece.  Try on this incredible, show-stopping chandelier for an entryway sure to make your guests go green with envy.

 Or how about a grouping of emerald plates, lanterns or books? For big impact, collect a group of gorgeous green goods, and display them together.  Instant focal point!

And if you are really feeling like taking the plunge, what better way to begin than with this incredible emerald over-dyed rug?  Divine, my darlings!

Combine emerald with black to create impressively dynamic, of-the-moment, confident living spaces.  Pair it with lots of white for an energetic, fresh, even preppy aesthetic. Or crown it with blues, purples and a touch of vintage brass for a sensual, introspective space.

Need help?  Stop in at SLATE and let us help you define your design.  We’ll give you a jumping off point and plenty of delightful options to try on approval.  Whatever direction you choose, adding a confident dose of emerald to your space will help you turn your place into your palace. There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home…

Ok, I confess I’ve been seriously slacking on the blog posts for while.  Let’s not look at the date of the last one, ok?  It’s a new year.  Time for looking forward, making progress and forgiving the transgressions of the past… (although in my defense, we’ve been busy little bees around here since early fall.  I mean busy!)  It is also time for a bit of reflection about how best to proceed in this dance.

I am both a procrastinator (obviously) and 95%er.  Though not usually at the same time.  One usually follows the other.  I suspect I may not be alone in this.  Anyone? Hello?  I put things off as long as possible until the sheer insanity of the situation takes over and the I leap into a project with gusto!  I work with brilliance and inspiration, that is, until I am in the home stretch, when the wind slows and the sails begin to sag.  Then I’m onto the next project.  Anything to keep from making some final decisions.  You know, the ones that pull it all together and make you feel amazing, even just for one glittering moment?  But what if it’s not perfect?  It needs to be perfect.  In my deranged psychology I have avoided any number of these moments due to a phobia wherein perfection may not arrive on my doorstep wrapped in a big red bow. (What?)

Well, this is my year of appreciating the perfection of completion.  This year, I will actually frame the art.  Then, I will actually hang the art, style the bookcase, and make a decision regarding the rug already!  There are infinite versions of beautiful, so who needs perfect?  (Plato’s Forms…?)  I will find God in the details instead of the devil.  I will just do it.  I will accept that perfection doesn’t mean things have to be magazine-shoot-ready on the first try, or that once finished, it cannot be re-worked.  But I will commit.  I will follow through.  I will.  (Also, don’t think I don’t know it’s February already… but here I am, right?!?)

Thank goodness for Slate, where nearly everything is available to try on approval.  Everything you could possibly need to round out your 100%.  Just try it.  Then, if your instinct tells you that you like it, don’t chicken out.  Do it!  You’ll be so glad you did.  A finished room.  Doesn’t it sound dreamy?   Ready… Go!

And SLATE is eager to contribute to the effort as well.  Last October’s featured artist and local radiologist, Michelle Rivera, donated 10% of all her art sales to the Susan G. Komen foundation.  This year, several merchants will join the effort in addition to Michelle.  On top of which, 10% of sales from all pink items in the store will be donated.

Be sure to check in with us throughout this month as we get in  new pink items!

http://www.komencharlotte.org/komen-race-for-the-cure/

http://www.nfl.com/pink

Finally, I present you with proof that we actually are better than those “other” people.  (Those other people?)  You know, the ones who aren’t obsessed with art/aesthetics?  (Feel free to relish a moment of smug self-satisfaction here.)

“According to a new study by the University of Illinois at Chicago, people with an active interest in the arts contribute more to society than those with little or no such interest. Researchers correlated 2,765 randomly selected adults’ survey responses to arts-related questions to their responses on altruistic actions such as donating blood, giving directions, or doing favors for a neighbor, and looked at “norms of civility” including participation in community groups and charitable organizations. They also looked at responses related to social tolerance.  “Even after controlling for age, race, and education, we found that participation in the arts, especially as audience, predicted civic engagement, tolerance, and altruism.”   http://www.mediabistro.com/unbeige/people-who-like-art-are-better-than-people-who-dont-study-finds_b22858

Last week we had the great pleasure of partnering with Urban Ministries’ Artworks 945 program (see previous blog post), and it was encouraging to see so many art lovers come through our doors with a purpose to benefit local neighbors struggling with homelessness.  If you missed the exhibition here at Slate, you can still purchase art benefiting the Artworks 945 program and it’s participants this Saturday evening at their annual auction.  (again, see previous blog for more details)

So (we all know correlation doesn’t equal causation, but) why not indulge your love of all things beautiful at Slate to get in touch with your inner altruist?  Make it a habit.  You’ll be a better person in no time!  Who knew something so deeply self-satisfying could be good for your community too?

 Home is where the ART is… Sept. 4-9

Just another great reason to indulge your inner art collector! Do you love to fill your home with original art? Love to know that the artist is someone sharing your community?  It’s even better when you know that your love of art can have a lasting benefit on your neighbors.  Come see it, love it, keep it, and help us make a difference within our community!

Slate is happy to announce that we will be partnering with Urban Ministries the week of  September 4-9th to host an art exhibition featuring the work of several of the neighbors involved in their Artworks 945 program.  The exhibition will include a variety of  original art, with all sales benefiting the artists themselves and the Artworks945 program.  In addition, Slate will be donating its proceeds from sales of all of our artists’ pieces sold that week directly to Urban Ministries.  Following the exhibition at Slate will be the annual art show and auction at the Urban Ministries Center on September 15th.

This is our community.  These are our neighbors.  This is where art takes heart.  If ever there was a brilliant reason to happily indulge your appetite for beauty,  this is it.  Help us make a difference, one paintbrush at a time.

ArtWorks 945

The ArtWorks 945 program is built on a belief that the transformative power of art can be a vehicle for engaging and moving our neighbors towards attaining permanent housing. Through various media we seek to restore voices and vitality to those who have so often been silenced and stifled.

ArtWorks 945 operates a functioning gallery and studio space where neighbors and volunteers participate in 150 classes a year. These classes teach life skills through painting, drawing, print making, photography, crafts, and creative writing. In addition to classes, ArtWorks 945 offers 40 hours of open studio time each month.

Outreach to our neighbors is enhanced by connections and partnerships with the greater Charlotte community. Through offsite exhibits and events, ArtWorks is able to showcase the inherent talents of every individual, while inspiring conversation around the larger issue of homelessness.

Well, it turns out there was good reason for the chaos – as many of you have guessed, requested or inquired, Slate is expanding!  There were plans to be drawn, worked, and re-worked, and spaces to be prepped.  In addition, there was a sparkling new website to build and update, a photo shoot for Southern Living to be published in November, and as always, fundraisers and charity events to take part in.  Whew!

So, welcome fall with your cooler weather, cozy nights, and pumpkin spice lattes.  We’re happy to see you.  In honor of fall, the time to exhale, catch up and cozy up, I have collected a gallery of nature inspired lovelies at Slate to get you in the mood…

- n. pl. sgraf·fi·ti

1. Decoration produced on pottery or ceramic by scratching through a surface of plaster or glazing to reveal a different color underneath.
2. Ware decorated in this manner.

If I just taught you something, you’re welcome!  Beginning August 1, we will be featuring the artwork of Janine Medlin, a local artist who applies this technique to oils on canvas, creating depth and complexity in each piece she touches.   Whether you have never heard the word before, or you know all about this beautiful approach to artwork,  you will want to drop in for the artist’s reception this Friday evening, August the 3rd, to celebrate Janine’s art, chat with her, and enjoy some delectable bites, and a glass of prosecco (or two!).

Janine, a Tennessee native and UT Knoxville alumna, began painting in 2000 after moving to Charlotte from Nashville with her husband and sons, and quickly fell in love with it, realizing she had a knack for capturing the complexity of single elements in nature.   Some of her most personal and prolific artwork has consisted of nests of eggs, which have connected with people in countless personal and beautiful ways.  Some of these paintings have gone to new mothers, mothers leaving abusive relationships with their children (symbolizing that home would be wherever they were safe together), the Ronald McDonald house for families away from their homes, and recently to a woman who just lost her husband.  Janine says that her faith directs the feel of a piece as it reflects the serenity and grandeur that she sees in nature back to God who created it all.

Janine has been a participant in many charities including Art with Heart, where she has been a finalist in the emerging artist competition for the past 6 years, earning second place in this years event.  In addition, she’s been featured in Charlotte Living,  and Baby and Child Magazine among others, and one of her pieces was selected for the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition house built in Shamrock.

And, even more wonderful than all her accomplishments, Janine is a lovely woman with a sparkling spirit and a deep and beautiful heart.  Just like her art.  Come check her out on the feature wall of Slate Interiors from August 1-31.

Take the classic Louis chair, and reimagine it in lucite:  Bam! - the Louis Ghost Chair:  an instant update with a quirky nod to the much more formal past.  Thank you Philippe Starke.  And for even more fun, there are now mini-me versions of the ghost chair.  Your little loves will be drawn to them like moths to a flame.  And let’s not kid ourselves (you like that?) - these are a far cry from pink plastic barbie chairs!  Kid furniture with design appeal?  WIN!

And it just feels super special.  Want to make a fearless style statement?  Lux and sophisticated in a small, dark foyer, or perfect to back your sofa without overwhelming it, this lucite console might be the single sexiest piece of furniture you ever owned.

Not ready for quite that big of a leap?  How about a baby step?  This vintage ice bucket is pretty near perfection.  Look every inch the stylish hostess while serving your guests.  Another cocktail?  Yes, please!

And I can’t help but gush over this unique vintage game table set.  Simultaneously a table with four chairs sheer enough to fit into the most crowded corner without feeling cluttered, and its own storage solution.  Genius.  A rare and fabulous gem.  The perfect solution.  Super score!

So what is the moral of this story?  Come to Slate, and see all our exquisite lucite pieces.  They are in high demand, and there is something special for everyone.  Let us help you find the perfect piece for your abode.  You’ll be in love at first lucite.

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