West Elm Does a Pad Right Through the Magic of Accessories

I had a long chat this morning by phone with the fab people at West Elm (for the next issue of the mag). Their blend of high design at really reasonable prices makes it easy to trick out yo' pad, and wouldn't you know it, they conveniently have a store right around the corner from the Fashiontribes office in Brooklyn's DUMBO 'hood...for when a Martha moment hits.

What's interesting about West Elm is that they approach their business the way fashion houses do: they send out 6 catalogs a year, and each season, they completely introduce new accessories (pillows, throws, decor).  While they always offer a line of "basics" -- blacks, white, an avocado color they call "aloe", chocolate & caramel finishes for the wood -- fun new colors get introduced into the mix.  You gotta love any company that encourages accessorizing.

They recently added an expanded line of tabletop items (plates, glasswear, etc) and a lot more lighting. Apparently they're trying to get in on the registry business -- smart thinking if this month's Marie Claire is right about everyone skipping the horror of dating and jumping right to the altar.

It's all about pink for spring at West Elm, http://westelm.com. Sounds good to me.