Snowy Wood Spirit

Not all wood spirits are made out of wood. This one took form as a result of the snow that my snow blower packed on to the tree. My granddaughter loved it.

I wish all of you a Happy and Blessed New Year. Let's hope that 2010 will be a better year than 2009 was.

Just like the snowy wood spirit, let's all keep smilin'.

beach inspired!

check out The Astoria, this beautifully Unique Trunk! We think it would work nicely at the end of a bed, or as a coffee table!

This cool trunk is new in store, and has just been custom designed for your home! Very sturdy with colors of antique cream, blue & black. In addition to being an interesting accent piece, it instantly creates extra storage ... blankets & quilts ... kids toys ... sports stuff ... lots of alternatives. Its light, sophisticated, and creamy colors offset the size and lighten it up as a décor feature.

Don't forget, we specialize in furniture revamping. You can always bring in a piece of your own as well and we can charge just for the service!

All of our pieces are one-of-a kind, signed and dated.

This item is affordably priced at $250.

Give us a call with questions, or if you're in the neighborhood ... just stop by!

Happy New Year!

At JMX, we are welcoming the new year with hopefulness and high expectations.

For many people, 2009 was a good year to put behind us... the economic climate worldwide, the fatigue of nations at war, a challenging business climate, the millions of people who have lost or are losing homes - these are the types of things we'd like to leave to the history books.

I believe, however, that the human capacity for goodness is a powerful force in this world that can overcome the worst of our fears and our realities, large as they may seem. And more than a force for collective change, the goodness and kindness that comes in our relationships with our families, friends and communities (along with the faith that may sustain us) is a source of real and lasting peace within our lives. I personally will measure 2010 and the coming decade not only in the wars that are fought or not fought, or the number of jobless claims, or whether or not we prevent H1N1, but more importantly in the quality of my personal relationships.

And so, to our customers, potential customers, employees, vendors and competitors, I want to wish you a happy and prosperous new year. This year, may you experience the richness of life and the capacity of high hopes in your community. Cheers!

Jim Miller
CEO, JMX International

New Rugs for 2010! Wool Rugs New To Our Website!

Below you will see some of our new additions for 2010! Beautiful rugs in 100% wool or our wool blend braided rug as shown above. Multiple sizes are available in these unique styled rugs that will fit with just about any decor. Just search at our site, The Designer Insider, using the style number given below each rug. If you are not sure of any colors on our rugs or colors on any of our other products on our site, just send us a swatch and we will check the colors for you! How easy is that!!
Floral Damask Seafoam Rug - This beautiful damask pattern is on 100% wool and is shown in our "Seafoam" tone on tone colors of a lighter green background with the darker green pattern. Multiple sizes available, just search under CP3384SF.

Floral Damask Latte Rug - This beautiful damask pattern is on 100% wool and in our "Latte" color of a cocoa background and pale sage green pattern. A great combo! Multiple sizes available, just search under CP3384L.
Neutral Wool Are Rug - A neutral colored wool rug in our "Stone" color with a textured center and smooth border for a tone on tone look. Multiple sizes available, search under CP9530ST.

Gold Wool Area Rug - A neutral colored wool rug in our "Maize" color of light gold. This textured rug has a tone on tone look but with a smooth border and textured center for contrast. Multiple sizes available, search under CP9530M.


Williamsburg's Wool Leaf Rug - A beautiful pattern of oak leaves from a 17th century design. This 100% wool rug is in ivory and onyx. Many sizes available, search under CP9221ON.

Tweed Square Braided Rug - Several sizes available in this colorful block squared rug in a wool blend. Beautiful colors of brown, rust ,gold and ivory. Search under CP0219B.

All products may be purchased at The Designer Insider website.

Joyeuses Fêtes from us to you ...

our friends, family and clients!

This is a view of our Holiday Window courtesy of merchandising intern Rebekah Carey McNall ... don't you love the snowmallows?

Happy Holidays and best wishes for a safe and productive 2010! see you soon ... xx

Johnelle and Kim

Merry Christmas To All!

We are wishing all of you a very merry Christmas and hope the new year will be better for everyone. We will continue blogging this week so check back in soon. Merry Christmas!

Coordinate Your Paint & Fabric! Pair Robert Allen Fabrics & Sherwin Williams!

Another great pairing of paint and fabric! Robert Allen Fabrics has paired with Sherwin Williams to bring you wonderful fabric collections and great paint colors that will enhance your room. We will bring you one of these collections from time to time and show the many different choices available. Below is the Terrain Collection featuring the Soft Modern Group. Our main fabric, Cats Cradle, is shown below and then is followed by several optional fabric choices. A specific paint palette has been chosen to enhance this group. How easy is that!! All fabrics and trim can be purchased through your designer or The Designer Insider, just contact us.


Robert Allen Fabrics - The main fabric for this group is Cats Cradle in Amber. A beautiful geometric print in a linen/rayon blend. This wonderful fabric comes in 8 different colors!

Robert Allen Fabrics: (1) Satin Swirls in Hydrangea; (2) Spring Promise in Cocoa (this is an open sheer); (3) Longitude in Terrain.

Robert Allen Fabrics: (1) - Rambling Up in Hydrangea; (2) Quilted Time in Hydrangea; (3) Orvis in Ecru.

Sherwin Williams Paint: Top to bottom - Aleutian, Bittersweet Stem, Natural Choice & Leatherbound. Visit your local paint dealer to see the true colors and tones.

All of the above fabrics can be purchased from The Designer Insider, just contact us. TheSource@numail.org.

JMX Bamboo Moulding Featured on Builder's Top 50 Products

JMX International's bamboo mouldings are one of Builder Magazine's top 50 products of 2008, according to the Builder website.

JMX's bamboo mouldings, typically used as transitional pieces and aesthetic compliments to a bamboo floor, reflect the growing trend of the popularity of ecologically friendly building products.

Jim Miller, JMX CEO, sited the company's service as a major reason for why JMX's bamboo mouldings stand out from the crowd. "We go out of our way to take care of our customers. Our sales associates are helpful and knowledgeable. If they don't know the answer to a question, they will tell you that and then go and find it. Additionally, our website is user-friendly and we generally ship within the next business day from our climate-controlled warehouse in Sarasota, where we keep everything in stock."

Builder sited a growing number of energy efficient and sustainable products on its list. The results are compiled by popularity metrics that it monitors on company websites, including "how many visitors its Web site is getting, how long visitors are staying, and how many pages they’ve clicked through."

JMX's bamboo mouldings are found at its specialty store, JmxBamboo.com. They have many ecological benefits and are a beautiful, exotic alternative to hardwoods.

Despite the national slowdown in construction during the recession, Miller says that JMX has continued to sell its bamboo moulding. He says, "Our sales are roughly the same as they were in 2008, which isn't too bad considering the overall state of the housing market. We expect to be busy in 2010. We're making improvements in our packaging and shipping and will also be adding some new products, including bamboo picture frame moulding and a new line of bamboo furniture that is made in America. We're bullish on bamboo."

Electric Wall Sconces: Some Favorites!

Great wall sconces are sometimes hard to find to fit your own personal tastes and decor. We are striving to bring you as many different styles of sconces with unique finishes that will match all styles of interiors. Here are some of our favorites and be sure to check our site for many more! This first group below can be found in our "What's New" section. Be sure to visit soon!

Iron & Brass Wall Sconce - #C05421 - $579.00 pair.
Transitional Antique Silver Wall Sconce - #C05006 - $349.00 each. Matches chandelier #C09964.
Black & Gold Wall Sconce - #C05017 - $388.00 each.
Classic Copper Wall Sconce - #C05478 - $397.00 each. Matching chandelier #C09478.
Modern Mirrored Wall Sconce - #C05042 - $648.00 each. Matching chandelier #C09219.

One Arm Silver Sconce - #C05104 - $199.00 each.


The wall sconces below can be found at the following: The Designer Insider/ Wall Sconces
Antique Mirrored Wall Sconce - #C05405 - $389.00 each.
Black Lantern Wall Sconce - #C05031 - $412.00 each.
Brass Modern Wall Sconce - #C05021 - $189.00 each. Chandelier to match - #C09679.
Contemporary Bronze Sconce - #C05012 - $385.00 each. Three chandeliers to match - C09495, C09498 & C09628.
Iron Wall Sconce - #C05519 - $235.00 each. Chandelier to match - #C09279.
Mirrored Star Wall Sconce - #C05007 - $599.00 each.
Seashell Grotto Wall Sconce - #C05590 - $388.00 each. Matches chandeliers C09590 & C09591.

Brad Sells - Wood Sculptor

“A tree is a selfless mentor inspiring me to reveal its beauty, its truth.”
…Brad Sells

If you enjoy works of art created from wood, you are sure to enjoy the works of Brad Sells. If you have never seen his work you are in for a treat. Go to http://www.bradsells.com/. Make sure you click on “Media” to see the artist in action with his tools.

Brad is a wood sculptor from Tennessee. Like me, Brad believes in the spirituality of wood and the curious co-relationship between humans and trees. I saw his 30 minute show called Tree Safari – A Sculptural Journey, on PBS, and bought the video. (see: http://www.pbs.org/treesafari/) I was totally mesmerized. The video is about his trip to South Africa to find the rare pink ivory wood. But more than that, it talks about the spiritual nature of trees.












His magnificent work can inspire, but also intimidate a simple, hobby wood carver like myself.

What do you think of Brad’s work?

Turquoise: Color of the Year for 2010!

Pantone announced that Turquoise would be the color of the year for 2010. This beautiful color combines a serene blue with an invigorating green to evoke thoughts of a serene and tropical escape. Some cultures believe this color is a protective Talisman with healing powers inspired by the water and sky. Turquoise is a color that has an appeal to both men and women and translates easily to fashion and interiors. Below are some of our favorite accessories in Turquoise. Just contact us for information on ordering any of the below products.


A turquoise collection of wall plates.
A hand made glass bowl of turquoise, cream and brown.
A set of three turquoise fish vases.
Hand made ceramic bowls of turquoise and black.
A beautiful turquoise charger with the fish pattern.

A set of three unusual vases in the fish pattern in turquoise blue.

Thanks to Pantone for the information on their new color choice.

Can you believe it? Our FOURTH Annual Holiday Reception & Sale is Here!

Our traditional Reception & 25% Off SALE!

Be sure and stop by for ....

*A SNEAK PEEK at Mignonne's new furniture partnership with Gina Pericini ... custom order chairs designed and hand finished to your request.

* Of Course, enjoy 25% savings on everything in the store (except original artwork) ... and we have loads of great choices for unique & special items for the season, like our signature vintage glassware ... perfect for gifts or to dress up your holiday tables!

* music by djenaturalselection

* holiday raffle - win one of our great gifts!

* yummy refreshments (slurp!)

* FREE consultation on furniture projects. Get inspired ~ check out our amazing furniture selection and brainstorm with Johnelle to get a jump start on your Spring design & décor ideas.

* check out our holiday windows, freshly fashioned by our spring intern ... Rebekah Carey McNall

(friendly reminder that Mignonne currently accepts cash or checks only for purchases ... )

Please be our guest for this year's holiday reception ... we can't believe it will be our 4th year of celebrating with our friends and family! We have a lot to be thankful for ... continued success during a challenging year, enjoying a wonderful new location, seeing our furniture business blossom ... and working with an ever-growing group of terrific friends and customers to bring affordable beauty into their daily lives!

We'd love to share a toast with you ... come and enjoy some music, our traditional big savings for the event, some laughs and good cheer.

Sincerely,

Johnelle & Kim Mancha
Mignonne Décor
2447 San Pablo Avenue
X Street is Dwight
Berkeley, CA 94702
(510) 388-5830

Interior Design by Barbara Barry

Barbara Barry, one of our favorite designers, has completed a vacation home in Jackson Hole that is an updated version of the American farmhouse. It has the feel of a Shaker structure but with a modern classic style. The palette includes muted hues of sage, gray, ivory, taupe, green and blue which produces a calming effect. The architecture and interior design melds together beautifully with an enclave of buildings that gives the feeling of residing in a small village. This beautiful home is featured in the new Veranda magazine and is full of inspirational ideas. Interior Designer: Barbara Barry. Architect: Peter Block of Atlanta. See some of the photos of this wonderful home below! Above: Modern Fireplace.
Dining Room
Black & White Kitchen
Kitchen Dining
Living Room
Sunroom
Poolhouse
The View!
The Completed Home!

All photos courtesy of Veranda Magazine & Barbara Barry.