Photo courtesy of Jamie Young, Taj Mirror available on Layla Grayce.

The inspiration for Jamie Young‘s unique designs comes from the designer’s extensive travels around the world. Inspired by Jamie’s visit to the Taj Mahal, the Taj Mirror evokes worldly exoticism with a patterned bone frame in black and beige. Sophisticated yet unexpected, this piece will unleash an eclectic vibe in your home that recalls the allure of the magical, faraway place that inspired it.

Twice a year, design professionals flock to High Point Market in North Carolina, the largest home furnishings industry trade show in the world, to showcase and view the latest in home furnishings and accessories. It’s a wonderful opportunity to connect with friends in the design community and also to see what’s in store. Stay tuned for a series of trend posts in the coming weeks! In the meantime, we wanted to give you a behind-the-scenes view of our trip… and let you know that we rounded up our favorite products, which are now available to you on our Layla Grayce web site! See and shop our market finds!

Clockwise from top left: Oopsy Daisy Drooz Studio Personalized Special Delivery 14″ Square Canvas, Clear Star Chandelier (2), Benjamin Moore Paint: Powder Blush 1338 and White Zinfandel 880, Newport Cottages Samantha Changer with Garland, DwellStudio Paper Dolls Crib Bedding Set, Oopsy Daisy Chocolate Vintage Nightlight, Petunia Pickle Bottom Cake Hampton Holdall in Berry Chiffon, DwellStudio Savoy Glider in Ice Blue Linen, DwellStudio Dots Petal Tufted Wool Rug, Newport Cottages Cape Cod Roses Crib

Clockwise from top left: Oopsy Daisy Vintage Basketball, Vintage Football, and Vintage Baseball Canvas Wall Art, Benjamin Moore Paint: Cocoa Butter 1023, Wedding Veil 2125-70, Violet Mist 1437, Newport Cottages Cody Crib, DwellStudio Kids Sky Dots Wool Tufted Wool Rug, Jamie Young Luna Chocolate Floor Lamp Base with Large Drum Shade in sky silk, Nurseryworks Sleepytime Rocker in slate micro-suede, Thomas Paul Antique Toy Puppy Cotton Pillow, Blabla Kids Lemonade Giant Doll, DwellStudio Skyline Crib Bedding Set, Barefoot Dreams Blue Puppy Buddie Security Blanket, Newport Cottages Cody Changer shown with DwellStudio Skyline Changing Pad Cover

The perfect place for Mommy’s little sweetie or Daddy’s little sport star-to-be, what are your nursery dreams made of? It’s the final week to enter to win our $5000 Dream Nursery Giveaway and we’re serving up some inspirational designs for boys and girls alike that showcase some of the items that you could select as our winner. Which nursery gets your fave vote? Sugar and spice modern cottage look for girls, or vintage sports and man’s best friend contemporary look for boys? While we love us some pink at Layla Grayce, we’re thinking that with the addition of a TV and remote control beside the rocker, Dad may be more motivated to volunteer to handle late night wake ups and feedings in his little jock’s room. Which can never be a bad thing, right? Comment below to let us know which design rocks your nursery world and be sure to enter our giveaway before the end of the month!

Vote on which one would make your holiday list and you could win it! Leave a comment below to be entered to win. At the end of the day a winner will be selected from all comments posted on our blog or on facebook (and no worries, you can be a winner even if your choice doesn’t finish as the top pick of the day). Every weekday through December 21st is a new giveaway. Coming Monday: A cute critter that is sure to please!

Comment below to be entered for this giveaway!
Giveaway items will ship out within 1-2 weeks.

Our lucky winner is Lynn (comment #142)!

For years the eclectic style and artistic vision of Jamie Young’s lighting collection has lit up our homes; now the designer lights the way to our hearts with a little wearable bling. Taking inspiration from pieces her husband created for her, Jamie’s original jewelry collection is born of fairytale romance and international glamour. Hand picked semi-precious stones in the cool aqua, citrine zircon and purple amethyst are complimented by the stunning settings of bright, brushed finished 22k gold overlaying sterling. Sure to top your holiday wish list, these earrings, pendants, rings and bangles deliver the same statement-making flair that her lighting collection is known for. We first spied the jewelry worn by Jamie as we met to view the new lighting for the fall. We had to find out who had made her pieces (truth be told we wanted it for ourselves!) We are honored to introduce the collection to our Layla Grayce customers with a few words from Jamie:

“For years my husband and I created pieces of jewelry exclusively for each other, inspired by our travels around the world. We are so thrilled that we can now share the exotic gems and timeless designs with others. I love the versatility of these pieces because I can wear them to my son’s lacrosse game or to the best restaurant in town.”

It’s giveaway time:
Ready to ring in the holidays with a new piece of jewelry? Jamie is offering one lucky reader the ring of her choice from the collection. To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment here or on our Facebook page telling us your favorite song to “ring” in and kick off the holiday season. Contest ends Friday, December 3rd at 6pm EST.

Congrats to Amanda Capps, winner of the Jamie Young ring!

Soft and creamy, warm and inviting. Butter yellow is almost, but not quite a neutral, taking on a pretty classic look paired with white, cream or taupe or grounding brighter shades of blue, turquoise and green. Dare we say it’s a shade so tempting it makes us melt? Shop all butter products here.

Jamie Young (the company) is well known for artful lamps and shades that blend seamlessly into both transitional and modern interiors. What a joy for us to get to know Jamie Young the designer as our guest blogger today! Her insightful dialog has us as captivated as her unique lighting creations. Welcome Jamie!

The Jamie Young Company has been called a line of ?Äúcouture lighting.?Äù What was the inspiration for starting your business?
Our business started when I was in Mexico and saw these beautiful old cement pots on the street and thought they would be perfect Orchid pots. I drove them up to Los Angeles and sold dozens to one florist. Later when we were then looking for lamps and couldn?Äôt find anything we loved, we created our first lamp – a cement urn inspired from that trip to Mexico. David (my husband and partner in the business) was a sculptor, and I went to Parsons School of Design for commercial design and have a love of textiles. So when it comes to our lamps, he designs the bottom and I design the top.

What is the most challenging part of running your company?
The most challenging part is wanting to be creative 100% of our day but knowing that running the company is just as important. Being an entrepreneur has been an amazing experience. Every day you are faced with an extreme rollercoaster ride. This allows for many opportunities to grow and learn as an individual and business person. It can also make you dizzy!

Your collections feature beautiful combinations of modern and antique-inspired materials. What influences your design and color selection?
Most of our inspiration comes from our travels around the world. We started going to India 13 years ago and have been everywhere from Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Bhutan, Europe, Peru, and driving across the good old USA. We love the mix of old with new and modern shapes and textures.

What?Äôs new ahead in the way of trends or product features?
We just came back from an incredible trip to India where we traveled in the deserts of Rajasthan and worked in three to four new materials to launch for the Summer 2010, Fall and January 2011. We are working in stone, a beautiful new marbled glass, jute and steel.

With such eco-chic materials as hemp and linen, how does Jamie Young stay ?ÄúGreen?Äù?
As a company policy we try to use recycled materials when ever possible. All of our packaging is recycled including our boxes. We are always searching for new and interesting materials to incorporate into our designs that are sustainable and environmentally friendly. Our Bamboo, Mango Wood, Seeded Glass, Birch, Twisted Vine and Jute are all examples of sustainable materials. We also use many 100% linen, silk, and cotton fabrics on our shades with natural dyes. Two years ago Jamie Young Company gave away florescent bulbs for one year with every lamp we sold to inspire our customers to understand how important this is and how easy it is to make a difference in their own stores and homes.

If you could share one key to success for others who look up to you as a mentor what would it be?
Keep learning your trade and do not be afraid of change. Enjoy that rollercoaster and know what goes up must come down and visa versa. We live in crazy world where things are more unpredictable then ever before. You must enjoy what you do most of the time (ok, so that was more then one key to success). An accountant and a lawyer are also always helpful.

Let’s get to know Jamie better with a quick-fire round!

• Blogs I frequent are: material girls. Other fun blogs are setenvy, kaboodle and cococozy. I love the fashion mixed with home approach as well as a fun girlfriend approach.
• My favorite color is: Celadon green
• My first job was: Selling candy in a pharmacy.
• I cannot live without: Cheese ?Äì all kinds of cheese and beautiful textiles from around the world.
• My favorite guilty pleasure is: Cheese and nice shoes.
• The best advice I ever received is: Enjoy what you do every day.
• A cause I care deeply about is: Anything related to the well being of children.

It?Äôs giveaway time! One lucky winner will receive a Jamie Young table lamp and shade of their choice AND we?Äôll ship it for free! Thanks to Jamie Young for her generosity and for taking the time to chat with us. Contest rules are as follows:

1. Leave a comment below or in our Facebook posting, post a link to your favorite Jamie Young product and tell us why you like it. For a quick reference, view the entire Jamie Collection of lighting, lamp shades and accessories for the home.
2. Become a Layla Grayce Facebook fan.

Special congrats to Amy Carpenter! She is the winner of our lamp giveaway.

At Layla Grayce we have a deep love for anything ruffled, a little girly and pretty, just like these lovely ruffled white curtain panels from Pom Pom at Home. But can ruffled curtains work in any room? We think so! For your design viewing pleasure, we present Audrey ruffled curtains styled three different ways – romantic, rustic and sweet. Get inspired!

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With Earth Day only a few short days away, we’d like to highlight our noteworthy vendors that pay it forward by doing their part to keep it green saving the world, one eco-friendly product at a time. We applaud their efforts to craft environmentally friendly products that never sacrifice style.

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Have we got a giveaway for you!

Lighting designs at their finest have never been so obtainable. One lucky commenter today will receive a sought after Jamie Young Small Parallax Lamp Base and coordinating Rectangle Cream Silk Shade. This set quite possibly embraces Jamie Young best with its sleek modern styling paired with raw earthy elements. So much more than a giveaway… an elegant focal point, and beloved conversation piece for your home. Post a comment here on our blog, it?Äôs quick! If you?Äôre a facebook fan, your comments left directly below this posting will also be accepted in to the giveaway.

We are happy to announce that the Jamie Young Mother of Pearl Lamp goes to Lindsay Meyer of California, a commenter in the Layla Grayce blog. Another giveaway posts tomorrow, stay tuned.