Introducing :: The Night Within Us Leaving Stars

Where to even begin with how I came up with the name for this collection, why I decided on all blacks (well, in all honesty....I have been wanting to do an all black collection for a while now, so that was the easy part), and how meaningful "The Night Within Us Leaving Stars" really is to me.I will be writing a full blog post this week about some big changes that are ahead for Knack. All of them are so, so good....but getting here was not always a good feeling. There were days that there were tears, and days where anger and fear threatened to creep in and overtake....but even more powerful than the darkness was this deep underlying peace. A voice that said.....rest, find joy, step back, be confident....because the plans I have for you are not to harm you , but to prosper you....to bring you hope....and an even brighter future! (paraphrase of Jeremiah 29:11)So, needless to say, seeing the light midst the dark was very weighty and heavy on my mind and the inspiration seemed to flow forward out of me with both pain and joy. The mighty ocean waves that I chose for the wallpapered sideboard are no coincidence....but a purposeful reminder of the very fact that when we feel tossed about and pushed under... there is also beauty in the waves that toss us about....and we can let them toss us...or we can let them lull us to peace.More soon.......xo

I love Target :: beautiful things

I was just showing my husband all of these beautiful things (and dropping major hints!) while we were at Target the other day! I had the thought..."Target is killing it with the collections that they have in the store right now"...and really enjoyed looking through all of the marble, wood, natural fiber, and brass designs.Here are a few of my favorites that I wanted to share and pass along:1.       Threshold Silver and Gold Dip Bowls (small and medium), $2.99 - $3.992.       Threshold Ceramic Gold Rimmed Serving Platter (medium and large), $12.99 - $14.993.       Threshold Ceramic Gold Rimmed Serving Bowl, $12.994.       Threshold Marble and Wood Cutting Board, $24.995.       Nate Berkus Gem Accent Napkin Rings, $16.996.       Nate Berkus Pyramid Placecard Holder (set of 4), $9.99Enjoy my friends!

It's cover Reveal Time :: Furniture Makes The Room

I'm SO EXCITED to be able to share the cover of my new book "Furniture Makes The Room" with all of you today! It has been a long journey with lots of hard work, and lots of pure joy.....but it sure feels amazing to start launching this baby out into the world! I cannot say enough about my dream team at Chronicle Books... Laura, Stephanie, and Hilary... my wonderful agent Stefanie Von Borstel with Full Circle Literary , my styling, photography, and floral team... Angie, Julie, Jessica and Paige for all of the hard work and passion that every single one of you put into this project! I love you all forever! I also would like to thank John French for putting this video together for me....you all should check out his music!Thank you to each and every one of YOU for inspiring me, for pushing me forward, for being here in this place to keep up with all of my antics... and for your constant words of encouragement that you leave me here. I truly would not be where I am today without my readers and friends who find what I do interesting and worthy of love....so thank you.....I am forever grateful.I am very much looking forward to launch day on March 22, and all of the beautiful and fun things that will happen between now and then! To find out more about my book and to get a sneak peek at one of the projects visit Amazon here or Barnes and Noble here!Throw a little confetti with me! xo,Barb

The night within us, leaving stars :: New furniture designs

I am really enjoying being in full on production mode for my Fall/Winter furniture collection. The summer collection was soft pale neutrals, so it has been wonderful to head in a new direction with the current collection and embrace all things dark, rich and moody. The title of the Fall/winter collection is "The Night Within Us, Leaving Stars"...and I will share more later on the meaning of this collection.....but for now, here is a sneak peek at a couple of pieces that are currently in the works..I will be officially launching this collection on November 6th, so save the date!

Fun New Arrivals :: Shop The Website

We are so excited about these *SAWEET* new arrivals in the shop! It is always a super fun day when we get to unload new treasures...and there are more to unload tomorrow!These lovelies are available in our brick and mortar store in Greenville, SC and in our online shop as well!It's never too early to start the gifting game!Cheers!

Only the Light Moves :: White Sideboard

There is always that piece that just grabs your heart and tugs...hard. Well, this was that piece for me. I created this piece for my Summer collection "Only the Light Moves"  along with 8 other pieces of furniture...and it was truly a pleasure to create each and every piece. I try not to pick favorites, but it was hard not to favor this one due to the fact that this style of furniture is my favorite style of furniture to buy and paint, and the knobs are a design that I have had in my head for a while! It has been so cool to see the memories and visions come to life in the form of gorgeous handcrafted hardware!The knobs on this piece were designed by myself and local ceramic artist Jennifer Bedenbaugh of Crave Studios. I am really into indigo at the moment, but even more than that....this design was based off a lightning storm that my family and I watched out over the ocean while on vacation last Summer. The white is for the sand dunes, the indigo blue is for the ocean, and the gold is for the flashes of lightening that absolutely blew us away.So....yes...sometimes picking favorites is unavoidable, but I have to admit....that while my heart was overjoyed today as this lovely lady was loaded up and taken off to her amazing forever home....I had to swallow the lump in my throat. Gonna miss this frosty beauty!Now, I'm looking forward to the Fall/Winter collection which will launch the first week in November! I'm super excited about the designs and hardware for this collection!xo,Barb Blair 

testing 123....hello?

15 projects, full page bleeds, real people's homes, lots and lots of gorgeous photographs by Paige French, and writings about home and what shaped and influenced my design ideas.I am so very excited about my new book "Furniture Makes the Room" which comes out this Spring!Are you ready?xo,Barb 

knobs :: good vibes and great collaborations

My friend Lily and I have talked and dreamed about creating a ceramic knob line for years now....but timing and details did not come together... until last Fall. I had been thinking and thinking about what my next step in furniture would be, and where I wanted to head....and all of a sudden it hit me to pursue the knob line again. When that moment hit me, I became determined to not stop researching until I figured out all of the parts and pieces. It is a lot of work and time to get something new running and off the ground, but I am so glad that I pushed through and surrounded myself with talented friends in this venture because already it has been so rewarding. The time spent with my friends creating, literally made us giddy. We have all become so busy with our own businesses and families that we seldom have time to hang out and just create anymore. This project brought us all together again and it was truly a treasure.I love to collaborate with other artists in order to create truly unique furniture designs, and have done so before with Annie Koelle, and Eric Benjamin which resulted in incredible landscapes and statement pieces. I have come to prefer the texture of the oils and charcoals and exclusiveness of working with other talented artists. It all goes back to what is original, what is unique, what makes my work stand out and feel truly special and beautiful. No detail is ever not worth it to me and pulling out all the stops every time is my constant goal.After several conversations, meetings, many inspiration boards, and all of my crazy thoughts and ideas...and believe me there were lots.... we were off and running! In these photos, which were captured by the amazing Paige French,  you will see the heart and soul that went into the details of this furniture knob collection. Jennifer Bedenbaugh of Crave, Lily Wikoff of Lily Pottery, and TJ Breil are the three artists that I chose to collaborate with for this first furniture collection called "Only the Light Moves" and I could not be happier with the results. I am so thankful for this opportunity and for these human beings that are just pure gems.Look for more and more as we lead up to our party on June 27th where we will celebrate the launch of our brand new website AND furniture collection "Only the Light Moves".Cheers,Barb