OK, crush maybe is not the right word but I must tell you that I met a local design rockstar and he is as disarmingly sweet as they get. His name is Loi Thai and he is the proprietor of Tone-on-Tone in Bethesda, Maryland.
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| French mahogany chest HERE |
I had the occasion to venture a bit more than an hour north and figured that it would be nice to stop into his shop and say, "Hello" to a fellow blogger...
and an hour and a half after the greeting...
I stepped away feeling very happy.
Loi Thai is a nationally known designer and a master of styling perfect vignettes, among other things,
like styling a perfect house. HERE
I must say that the Swedish/Belgian/French look has been done a disservice by stores like Restoration Hardware that produce bland washed out bits of expensive crap.
One step into Tone on Tone makes that abundantly clear.
Photos cannot tell the beauty of this vignette. If I saw it in a catalog of mass produced stuff I would keep flipping but in person I can honestly say that I was gobsmacked... there was the perfect amount of crusty patina and messed-upness to make it really marvelous.Everything in his store was amazingly gorgeous. Little alabaster beauties were calling my name. It was difficult for me to leave without buying anything. Yup, not one thing.
Some friend I am!!! Ha!
These photos are all from his site.
Yes, I had my camera.
No, I did not take a single picture.
The reason is that Loi expressed his discomfort with having his picture taken and published and honestly I totally get that. I hate to have my photo taken so I was happy to oblige.
If you are a D.C. local, I urge you to visit. If not, read his blog, Tone on Tone Antiques.
Lets all crush on Loi Thai.
5 comments:
I quite agree with you Kerry! Loi is an amazing talent and such a lovely, friendly, supportive person. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting him in person, but his character shows clearly in his posts and comments.
Oh, I'm so jealous! I don't think there's anyone who could not love what Loi creates. I would LOVE to visit the store sometime.
So glad you got to meet him Kerry! Isn't his shop dreamy? I would definitely uproot and switch styles completely if I had the bucks. Loi is a dear man for sure, and an immensely talented designer!
xo Nancy
Powellbrowerhome.com
My favorite design style is the Swedish/Belgian/ French look. It's so warm and I love how simple and easy the style is. Tres Belle!
Great images and I love that sunburst mirror!
OmGosh....I'm speechless! Well, maybe not :) :) Kerry, it was totally my pleasure meeting you. I thoroughly enjoyed having you at the shop. You're the star, my dear :-) I am looking forward to seeing your art in person. I know I'll love them just as much. And, thank you for all your advice on blogging. Sorry I asked a million questions.
xoxo,
Loi
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