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When Waterworks and Restoration Hardware came to town about ten years ago, the concept of luxury plumbing and hardware was a novelty. Valves as status symbols? You gotta be kidding me. But now people will design entire bathrooms around faucets. Well, here we go again. New retailer Insidesign is trying to do the same thing for high-end architectural wood products—moldings, floors, doors, and cabinets. The Indiana-based company has just opened its prototype showroom at Perimeter Place. At last night’s media preview, Director of Sales and Marketing Seth Pennington explained, “One night over dinner we started talking. Everyone loves high-end wood products, but no one knows where to get them.” Generally, consumers have to rely on builders or baffling line drawings. If they want to see the products in person, they have to chase to warehouses all over town, here for stair parts, there for moldings. Because Insidesign’s parent company, Koetter Woodworking, owns everything from the forests to the mills to the manufacturers, they can supply all types of wood products in one place—and at reasonable prices. (Interestingly, Koetter is a third-generation, family-owned business founded by Pennington’s grandfather-in-law Tom Koetter in 1959.)

The new 10,000-square-foot showroom is lovely, with rooms from a bedroom to kitchen to nursery to media room furnished with millwork and cabinetry in various styles, from Arts and Crafts to Modern. My favorite part was the door gallery. Along one wall there is a row of doors in different shapes and styles. Open one of them, and there’s another behind it in a similar shape but smaller size. Open that one, and there’s yet one more. Talk about getting a feel for the product. Insidesign has recruited some of Atlanta’s top design talent—kitchen designer Pam Sanchez gave me the tour. Customers can pay for design services by the hour for small jobs, or it is provided free of charge for more extensive projects..

Although this concept is especially helpful for consumers working with builders on a new home or a major remodeling project, Insidesign welcomes weekend browsers as well. Last night, Indesign President Jed Wickham said, “We want people to feel welcome. They don’t have to spend big bucks to feel at home. We want to feel less like a furniture store and more like a Barnes & Noble.” Indeed, an expansive selection of very reasonably priced accessories (down to the knitted children’s backpacks hanging in the mudroom) are for sale.

And in case you were wondering, Insidesign is a leader in sustainable forestry. The media room plays a video that Tom Koetter made about responsible timber management—eleven years ago.

Last night designer-to-the-stars Stan Topol hosted the kick-off party for Atlanta's 11th annual Dining By Design benefit. This event is the signature fundraiser for DIFFA, Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS. Held at PierceMartin's lovely showroom in ADAC West, the kick-off attracted a large crowd of design notables like Bill Peace and Suzanne Kasler, who arrived early to toast the occasion. This year's dinner will be held at ADAC--the first time a design center has ever hosted DBD, which travels nationally to eight cities. It promises to be a particularly festive occasion, as DIFFA parties on the industry's home turf.

This year's board, lead by Topol and John Williams, is a Who's Who of design in Atlanta: Anita Best, Bob Brown, Liz Vaughn, Mark Williams, Susan Bozeman, Suzanne Kasler, Tom Abrams, Tony Conway, George Xillas, Chip Cheatham, Christy Dillard, Doug Weiss, and Jason Moattar. See the article in the fall issue of Atlanta Magazine's HOME (page 18) to read more about the legendary tabletops created for this event. In a year that's starting to feel downright austere, it's going to be great fun to attend an event that pulls out the stops!

However, as Topol stood up to give the obligatory "few words" last night, he made a moving, tearful plea that really caught everyone by surprise. Indeed, as medical science has improved and people have become more aware of prevention, AIDS has seemed less of a threat. How easily can we forget the devastation of a mere 20 years ago?? My young niece, who works in the design industry, was asking me about AIDS, and she seemed surprised to learn that it was really so terrifying. How did she not know? I read just a couple of weeks ago that the number of AIDS cases in Georgia rose almost 27% from 2004 to 2007, although the number of deaths has levelled off. The victims are also more likely to be rural, female,  African-American, and younger than in the past. That's where complacency gets us. So, as Dining By Design gears up for another year, I have to echo Stan's plea that Atlanta make this the best year ever--not just because it's the first one held at ADAC, and not just because it's one of the most fun parties of the year, but because it's raising money for a worthy cause that shouldn't be forgotten.

I have always considered myself an intrepid shopper—undaunted by either an overwhelming selection or inconsistent quality. I enjoy searching for that diamond in the rough and relish the endless possibilities at places like Lewis & Sheron Textile Co. So, as fellow staffers prepared to research stores for a feature on bargains in the October issue of Atlanta magazine, I happily volunteered to help with the house-and-garden category. As part of that effort, I decided it was finally time to revisit the access road (aka Dawson Boulevard) off Jimmy Carter and I-85 known as Furniture Row. I hadn’t checked out these stores since I bought nursery furniture at Georgia Baby and Kids. Since my youngest is now driving, that proves my neglect (as well as the staying power of Georgia Baby and Kids).

Well, you can save yourself a trip. That huge building marked “Georgia Antique & Design Center”? The one I was sorta hoping was like Lakewood Antiques? It’s a hodgepodge of odd stores with similar, confusing names like “Factory Furniture Outlet” and “Underpriced Furniture Superstore.” And you can’t tell where one starts and another stops. Most items are not priced. And even though you could theoretically buy a nice piece by a maker like Drexel, it doesn’t seem wise to invest in a Queen Anne dining set in a warehouse that also sells hookahs. The one exception was The Iron Bed, which had a nice selection, great prices, and a well-marked entrance.

If you’re really into sectionals, then you can try the other furniture outlets and stores along Dawson Boulevard—because I’ve never seen so many sectionals in my life. Rooms To Go’s outlet does have a staggering inventory (including sectionals). By Design’s outlet (located in a separate building behind the regular retail store facing the interstate) does offer some great deals, but the selection is a bit haphazard. Arte Forma has some nice, affordable rustic pieces in vaguely Indonesian and exotic styles. But, mostly, I would recommend visiting the area for, what else? Georgia Baby and Kids.

OK, so it’s not a black American Express card. But the “Fall Forecast” Pottery Barn catalog I received in the mail yesterday was labeled “Best Customer Edition.” I couldn’t help but wonder which previews had been especially reserved for talented shoppers like myself. I sensed that mildly territorial vibe that frequent fliers get when they're on the verge of qualifying for Medallion status.

I guess Pottery Barn proved once again that they are brilliant marketeers. And I challenge anyone to visit the new Pottery Barn store opening at Lenox Square this weekend and come out empty-handed. Located in the former Storehouse space, the new Pottery Barn is the largest PB retail store in the world. Where the usual store might have three bed displays, this one has twelve. There are multiple bathroom consoles and showers, with sherbert-colored tilework and shiny chrome faucets that you just have to touch. If that’s not enough inspiration, there are rooms devoted to different colorways—from neutrals to brights to black-and-white. There are flippers for rugs, curtains, and even quilts. Check out the home offices in orange, red, or green.

All the core products are familiar from the catalog, but the store’s clever merchandising makes the accessories much more noticeable here. Love the chunky turned wood candlesticks, the animal print collections, and the beach-y, blue-and-white ensembles.

Alas, there’s no grand opening sale, but the store is providing a month of free weekly decorating classes starting July 27—though maybe that’s supposed to be a secret, for really good customers like me.

My husband's and my first real trip to a lighting store was to Progressive Lighting in Marietta back in 1985, when we bought our first house. It was a builder’s spec house; so when we arrived, the consultant had a stunningly long list of all the fixtures we needed to select. We were bleary-eyed by the time we got to the unfinished bonus room. She wanted to know what type of light we wanted for the back stairs. Back stairs? Neither of us remembered that our house even had back stairs. But we were in no mood to argue, so we chose a Williamsburg-style candelabra (1980s, remember?). When we went later to inspect the installation, we discovered the back stairs were in the unfinished bonus room. For the next ten years we laughed about our uselessly elegant brass sconce.

Those memories came back to me this week as I inspected Progressive Lighting’s new 14th Street showroom. The suburban chain has moved intown in a big way. Their grand building, with its white columns, seems out of place at the corner of 14th and Northside. But I’m adding them to my list of stores filling the void left by the demise of Georgia Lighting.

Yes, specialty lighting boutiques have their place. I adore Circa Lighting and C Lighting. But, as we discovered in the 1980s, sometimes you just need quantity. And this is the place to get it. Though there are a few lamps and accessories, this showroom focuses on what it does best—lights and lots of them. Chandeliers of all descriptions, walls and walls of sconces, niche after niche of lanterns, and a whole room of ceiling fans. If you want crystal, there’s a dazzling array in a dining room setting. If you want a billiard light with a racing horse or sailboat weather vane, an antler chandelier, a crystal pineapple, or a vintage-style art deco chandelier, you’ll find it here.

Best of all, they’re having a fabulous grand opening sale. Get there by Saturday, and you’ll find many of their fixtures are seventy-five percent off!

Anyone who is truly passionate about interior design or fashion is sometimes tempted to choose form over function. This is especially easy to do if it’s not your house. This really struck me the other day when I received a press release from Villeroy & Boch about their new “Squaro” bathtub. (Not surprisingly, the headline noted it was “hip to be Squaro.”) The photo of the rectangular tub, matched with a polished chrome modern faucet and surrounded by black subway tile, was very sleek and sophisticated. I was admiring its neat lines when it suddenly occurred to me that this tub looked downright uncomfortable. I’ll admit that this was not the first angular tub I had admired lately. We have even included some in photo shoots. But now I’m beginning to wonder—just how comfortable can a rectangular tub be? Even if the sides are slightly sloping, by definition the angles are somewhat perpendicular. Does anyone have personal experience with one of these tubs? Tell me it’s a miracle of modern engineering—because these tubs do look really cool.

What is it about Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams that makes them so right for Atlanta? Their furniture is always just classic enough to mix comfortably with family pieces and antiques, but it's also got just enough urban attitude to feel fresh and contemporary. Not to mention that everything is comfortable, well made, eco-conscious, and reasonably priced! As I mentioned in a previous post about Suzanne Kasler's new furniture line, not many designers can reinterpret traditional motifs with grace and style. So-called "transitional" furniture is often oversized, awkward, and downright ugly--much like the McMansions it was designed to fill.

On a recent tour of MG+BW Atlanta showroom, I was once again impressed with their diverse collections. I love the Gustave chair, an updated wing with silver nailhead trim and elongated button-tufting. Upholstered headboards are a specialty, including the lovely, button-tufted Layla or the parsons-inspired Regis Platform Bed. The Dexter leather sofa is a mid-century modern, minimalist take on a classic Chesterfield. (If you detect that I have a thing for button-tufting, you're right. I think it's because a snooty upholsterer once scoffed when I asked about recovering my parents' beloved button-tufted loveseats. He told me they were nothing but dust catchers. This was back in the mid-90s. I persisted anyway, and, boy, did I have the last laugh!)

I also love the sets of bunching tables, which can be used instead of a coffee table or pulled up to chairs if you need to put down a drink. The surfboard-inspired Slater coffee table, the Donnabella mirrored line, and the Power Shag area rugs all add lighthearted touches without being too cute.

So whether you have a Midtown loft or a suburban spec house, this is the place to punch up your style quotient AND make your home a cozier place to live.