Friday, December 27, 2013

NYC store displays ~ ABC Carpet & Home, Christmas 2013

I've been wanting to do a post on the store windows and displays I saw while in Manhattan last month, and I am finally getting to it. I have enough photos that I'm going to do two separate posts. (Click on each image for a better/bigger view.)


Today's post is all about ABC Carpet & Home, located on Broadway  in the Flatiron District of Manhattan. ABC Carpet & Home is known for their wonderfully creative displays. Honestly, if you don't feel creatively inspired when you walk through this store, you've got to be half-dead.


I love the way they take items that we might not necessarily think of and turn them into intriguing tabletop displays, such as the religious statues. And their displays contain so many surfaces that catch the light.


I'm not positive, but I think those are geodes at the top of this table. And then there are little glass ornaments with sand inside at the bottom.



This display inspires me to get out my vintage perfume bottles to mix with glass votives for a regal dinner table.

I love the look of the matte, charcoal-gray plates with the shiny fuschia and purple ornaments.



This is an idea that could easily be duplicated. Simply take a small bunch of branches, spray them white, and add glass ornaments in jewel tones.


Did you spot the Mr. & Mrs. under the cloche? Cute idea for a wedding or bridal shower.


This was my favorite display: an old set of rusty bed springs from which they hung a number of disparate objects.


Side note: A few weeks ago, I was driving down my street and I spotted an old set of bed springs in a dumpster. I was so tempted to go to a new store we have in town, owned by a couple from Brooklyn, and tell them about these springs. They are clever enough that I think they could have turned them into a display like the one at ABC Carpet & Home. But when I returned from running my errand, the dumpster was gone.




These are not the best pictures -- I was trying to hurry since I felt pretty self-conscious about shooting in the crowded store (although I had asked for permission) -- but I hope they give you a feel for what it was like in this visual playland at Christmastime.

Stay tuned for more NYC store and window displays in my next post!