Michael C. Fina is located on Fifth Avenue in New York and has been family owned and operated for 75 years.  It carries the largest selection of engagement rings and wedding bands on the East Coast and has New York’s “most comprehensive selection of fine tableware and home decor items.”

Perfect for wedding and engagement gifts — our Elephants Collection.  These beautiful elephants, with entwined trunks, symbolize the love and companionship of marriage.

We have just received new stock in for spring so we are ready to fulfill all your orders.

And, please visit our new Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/JFleetDesigns. We may have a surprise for you if you “like” our page!

DECO and ABSTRACT

Here are the two designs that started it all…..

Living in Hong Kong allowed us the luxury to travel to many different countries – trekking in Nepal, beaching in Bali and Boracay, sight-seeing in Bangkok and Beijing.  Vietnam was our destination in January 1995 – starting in Hanoi and making our way down through Hue, Danang and finally Saigon.  Little did we know the impact of the last stop on this vacation.

Saigon in 1995 was different than the Ho Chi Minh City today. The streets were packed with cyclos ready to take you anywhere, motor bikes, run down buildings and people everywhere. Walking down Le Loi and Dong Khoi filled our senses!  As we walked down Dong Khoi, through the artists street galleries (now a tall high rise), we were struck by the western style to all the artwork.  We stopped in a little corner shop because it had two giant jade color elephants out front.

ABSTRACT (see photo above) caught our eye – totally different from any traditional handicraft we found on any of our Asian travels. This was something from an earlier design time with a very western design influence.  We were drawn to the mix of colors and the combination of eggshell, mother of pearl and colors over foils.

DECO was also fascinating with the careful dusting of foil shadowing the cracked eggshell design. Again, another design was influenced from the Deco style in the 20s and 30s – this was not your traditional local handicraft design.

Light bulbs went off! Of course, these were designs that could be sold in some creative store in New York.! Conversations, research, more conversations and finally a trip planned to New York to find an interested buyer.

The buyers at Frank McIntosh Home at Henry Bendels fell in love with the designs and wrote an order the next day! The buyer at Barneys Japan was also wowed by the designs and placed an immediate order. For both these first customers, the orders were for one size tray and box sets.

And so began the journey that has become J. Fleet Designs….

The gorgeous color of this copper is one of the stunning features of all Vietnamese art.  The Vietnamese aesthetic, influenced heavily by the French involvement in the country for centuries, is one of refinement and luminous hues.  The ancient lacquerware technique of Vietnam derives its elegance from this aesthetic.  It is why J. Fleet Designs would only make its lacquer collections in Vietnam and no other country.

To read more about this beautiful Vietnamese sculpture and the exciting New Museum exhibit, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/17/arts/design/the-ungovernables-2012-new-museum-triennial.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=arts.

Doesn’t our Cherry Blossom Tray look beautiful with those rich, red pillows? Or, look at the sushi on the Grass Styx tray next to our Bamboo Grove Tray:

Don’t the Color Blocks look great with the Martini Glasses Tray like this?

At Asian Village, in Edwards, Colorado,  the collection is “personally curated by owners Susan Bristol and UnChu Ring… it is an ever-changing adventure for shoppers and an inspiration for contemporary interior design.”  They offer beautiful accessories, furniture, art and gifts.

To learn more about Asian Village, go to asianvillageantiques.com.

Our Cherry Blossom design was a hot seller at the New York and Paris shows this month.

Take a look at all the pieces in this very popular collection:   http://www.jfleetdesigns.com/botanicals/cherry-blossom-designs/

We had a great first day at the New York Gift Show. Our new booth design and gorgeous new products are really wowing the customers!

Please come to the booth and see what the buzz is all about!

Pier 94, Booth #46032 and the Richard Cohen Showroom, 7 West 34th Street, Suite 907.

This month, we are introducing two new fabulous products — Round Trays and Vide-Poches (change trays) — at the trade shows in New York and Paris.  In New York, you can visit us at Pier  94, #46032 or at our permanent space at the Richard Cohen Showroom,  7 West 34th Street, Suite. 907.

Above is another view of the creative display done by Richard Cohen and his magical staff. At Maison et Objet in Paris, we are happy to be back in our same great location — Hall 3, Tableware, Booth #C50.

Here are few of the beautiful new Round Trays and Vide-Poches:

Or this beautiful Cherry Blossom version:

And, also being introduced for the first time, our new Vide-Poches (change trays)!

There is so much new to see!  We can’t wait to show you!  Come visit…..

This creative display is brought to you by one of our clients, Henredon & Schoener in Bellevue, Washington, near Seattle. Since 1976, Linda Schoener has been designing furniture and building a fantastic business that encompasses furniture, decor, design and construction.  Her beautiful store offers clients a full array of services to create the spaces of their dreams.

Henredon & Schoener offers elegance in different styles and they offer J. Fleet Designs trays in many designs: our classic Elephants and Monkeys and Frogs, our contemporary Montage, and our brand-new Martini Glasses and Grass Styx, among others.

If you want to visit Henredon & Schoener or learn more about their story, go to http://www.henredonschoener.com/.

Henredon & Schoener is one of our favorite West Coast customers and we’re happy they are part of the J. Fleet Designs family!

We are proud to announce our custom installation at the Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris.  Our beautiful collection of bowls, trays and boxes decorate the entire spa and blend beautifully with the decor. The colors and shapes were created especially for the spa, considered to be the most luxurious hotel spa in Paris. — a true retreat in the vibrant heart of the city.

Also, last week marked the kick-off of the first-ever Global Four Seasons Spa Week — providing spa-goers and operators around the globe with exclusive offers and social media experiences. The Chair of the Four Seasons Global Task Force that sponsored the Spa Week is Christopher Norton, general manager of the Four Seasons George V, where the J. Fleet Designs spa collection has premiered.

We are excited about the possibilities for this gorgeous new spa collection!  Stay tuned….

Peachtree Place is a long-time J. Fleet Designs customer in Northfield, Illinois.  It is a beautiful store with a bridal registry and a full array of table top lines, home accessories, jewelry, stationery, children’s gifts and more.  They carry only the finest brands at Peachtree Place!

To learn more about Peachtree Place, go to: http://peachtreeplaceonline.com/

We love how Peachtree Place mixes textures in its displays.  Take a look at how they combine our Gingko and Maple Leaf trays on the wood buffet with gorgeous plates.

Stay tuned for more stories on our fabulous J. Fleet customers!