Gilt Complex

pun intended...coming to our space at Faded Elegance on Wednesday, January 2nd!

'Holiday Home'

Our Holiday display is now in the booth at Faded Elegance. The theme this season is 'Holiday Home' and was inspired by Deb's memories of Christmas at her grandmother's home in Northern California. Bright red, warm gold, a bit of silver, and cozy cream & ivory round out the color scheme, while the mood is decidedly post-war, small town kitsch!

We utilized the same furniture as earlier in the month (It's only been two weeks since our first setup - no time to get more ready) but changed the table angle and removed one chair. Lots of comments on our special 'Lustre' paint finish on these pieces....if you look closely at the photos, you can catch the sheen on the drawer fronts. Suitcases beneath the table hold lots of bagged selections of vintage glittered & painted ornaments, and we mean a LOT! More are tucked into the dresser!

On top of the table, stacks of vintage Shiny Brite ornament boxes filled with glass balls make an eye-catching display, leading you to the ivory ceramic sleigh planters and up to the tissue paper bells hanging from birch branches above. Deb 'aged' the 1970's bells ("They just weren't ragged enough!" she says) with a few of her secret potions, then tore the edges to complete the look.

Deb also created miniature versions of her famous NeSts for the season - perfect for stocking stuffers! 'Holiday mini-NeSts' are vine nests wrapped with red thread, brown thread, a few crystal beads, three red holly berries, and a sprinkling of snow glitter. Above, you can see one of the vintage felt bird ornaments Deb found perched on a box....

Deb collected a bunch of fab ephemera to make paper packs (filled with vintage papers, ribbons, crepe paper, and music sheets) in several themes & sizes, filled silver julep cups with perfectly browned hydrangea blooms and a flower posy made from vintage chenille, and culled through her decor stash to find the perfect finishing touches for this theme...

...like this selection of antique bottles, wrapped in assorted trims and finished with vintage holiday pins & bejewelled accents. You'll also find stockings fashioned from old linens, a vintage wreath made from old netting (as found!), more wreaths made from those chenille flower posies & knit scarves....lots to be found that is inspired by our philosophy of remake, recreate, restyle!

These products & furnishings will be available until later in December, when it will all change AGAIN! (Don't worry, it will still be Holiday, just with a different feel.....) Oh, and the new items for January are already in process.....sneak peeks to come!

Edited to add: I just found out that we won the Best Holiday Booth award! Thank you to all who voted for us...wow, what an honor!

retreat at Faded Elegance

November 1st marks the unofficial opening of retreat, with installation of our booth at the Faded Elegance Antique Mall in Everett. Here's a quick photo tour!

The 'Before' shot...

The 'After' shot....

I think it measured out at 2 1/2 feet deep by 9 feet wide. Tiny. But we packed it full of goodies! And Deb included her ever-present 'over the top' display touches, of course...like leaves cut from old sheet music. They dangle from tree branches and are tossed onto the canvas dropcloth that covers the floor. The theme is 'Autumn Picnic'...sort of a Thanksgiving Dinner in the woods type of feel.

We have a small table, three chairs, two tiny accent tables, a dresser with mirror, tall lamp with table attached, two brass lamps, and a slew of accessories in this tiny space.

A selection of linens, china, glassware, a picnic basket filled with little knit pumpkins and a vintage tole tray...

Of course, we have some of Deb's famous 'NeSts' for Autumn...

A new use for rusty wire plant holders....

Old bottles get gussied up with vintage flair....

...and that's how it all shook out this time. The three big vintage suitcases that didn't fit in the booth are located nearby, thanks to owner Kimberly's generosity with her own space!

There is a 'Girls' Night Out' bash in Everett on Saturday, and Faded Elegance is part of it, so we hope to see an influx of customers buying up our wares. If you'd like to visit, Faded Elegance is located at 2112 Hewitt Avenue in Everett, Washington. That's just East of the Comcast Events Center on the corner of Hewitt & Broadway. (Exit at Pacific from I-5, head West to Broadway, turn right and head North to Hewitt, turn right and it's located immediately on the right hand side in the brick buildings). Parking on the street or by the corner Espresso stand.

And yes, we are aready planning the Holiday theme! It's to be a mix of metals (gold, silver, copper, rust) with red, and it looks like it will install right around November 15. See you then!

welcome...

what is retreat?
an escape from the ordinary.

retreat is style - relaxed, comfortable, welcoming, restorative.
retreat is design - useful, innovative, simple products and environments.
retreat is a philosophy - be creative, be imaginative, and be responsible. reduce, reuse, restyle, remake, redesign, recreate what you have & what you find. make your own statement, and make an impact in the process.

retreat is lazing away a golden fall day at the lake house. spending a snowy winter afternoon by the fire in the cabin. sighing at the sunset on the ocean from the deck of the beach house. swinging on the hammock under a big tree at the farm, with a dinner under the stars to follow. retreat is about bringing that feeling home with you.

welcome to our retreat.... where the living is easy.

More About Retreat

Retreat is a home decor collection and lifestyle brand. We create vintage-inspired furnishings & accessories using recycled, reclaimed, and restyled materials.

Retreat style is an escape from ordinary decorating. Welcome to our REvolution!

Retreat style is a lifestyle - relaxed, comfortable, welcoming, restorative.

Retreat style is design - useful, innovative, inspired products and environments.

Retreat style is a philosophy - be creative, be imaginative, and be responsible. reduce, reuse, restyle, remake, redesign, recreate what you have & what you find. make your own statement, and make an impact in the process.

Retreat style inspiration is memories of places and moments that define relaxation.

Retreat is about bringing that feeling home with you...
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Utilizing materials from thrifted, salvaged, reclaimed, and reused items, we reimagine, rethink, redesign, and restyle them to create furniture, accessories, gift items and home décor with vintage style and everyday usability.

We're husband and wife team Bob & Deb Kennedy, the designers and artisans behind Retreat Style. With backgrounds in home building, furniture manufacturing, retail store design, speaking & writing, and as previous owners of a retail home decor boutique, we bring a vast scope of experience to our business. Our design sense is driven by the principles of 'reduce, reuse, recycle, recreate, redecorate' that we have lived daily throughout our 30 years together. By incorporating these resourceful practices into the daily operations, design, and manufacturing of our business & products, we make a difference in our world and yours.

Our products range from one of a kind furniture and decor accessory creations to a developing line of reproduced pieces - designed to consistently replicate some of our most popular one of a kind furniture designs.

Retreat products are available at select independent retailers and regional antique/flea market shows across the Western US:

The Farm Chicks, Spokane, Wa.
BarnHouse, Battle Ground, Wa.
Sand Point Antique & Design Market, Seattle, Wa.
The Tumbleweed Cotillion, Reno, Nv.
Clocktower French Flea Market, Mill Creek, WA.
Funky Junk Sisters Antique Show, Puyallup, Wa.

Poppyseeds, Stanwood, Wa.
Haley's Cottage, Mill Creek and Kirkland, Wa.
French Vanilla, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
(previously available at Faded Elegance, Snohomish, Wa.)

In spring of 2010, select Retreat products will be featured on the BarnHouse Marketplace online and in our own seasonal boutique on our farm.

Contact us at RetreatStyle@Gmail.com