designer's notebook - from founder Anki Spets

"For the unconventional mindset and an ode to a modern lifestyle, AREA's signature scent, created in collaboration with Night Space, will set a transportive atmosphere with its warm accents of oak moss wrapped in hints of citrus and rooted in smokey, earthy vetiver." - Kat Hammill of Night Space   Photo courtesy of Night Space.  The idea of the candle first occurred to...

    The way cotton yarns are woven determines the look and feel achieved in the final fabric. There are two basic types of cotton fabric - percale and sateen. There are a lot of factors that create variation within these weaves, but generally percale is evenly woven, with one yarn over and one yarn under. This makes for a sturdy fabric...

  Gifts, however meaningful, often miss the mark. The best gifts are the ones that are useful and disappear, things we consume. We eat cookies, burn candles, wash with soap, or smear creams.   How about something that's really useful and most people are skimping on?  A new set of sheets may not be the first thing most people think of when it comes...

Designing can be a bit obsessive, I get into things and work it over and over in various ways until I am done with it... or perhaps it's done with me. ELI is the latest example of basketweave, a very exciting new development that we've been working on for a while to get it just right. Basketweave is the most transparent of...

  We have a nice variety of products on sale this year. Only discontinued items are part of the sale, and prices start at 50% off. In addition to new sale items, we pull from our warehouse and backstock: previous sale items, special exclusive designs, plus samples from trials or developments. Sign up for the AREA newsletter for sale related announcements....

  Continuing AREA classic herringbones, we introduce EMMET flannel. We know... flannel in the spring!  Yes, this is for the many cold nights and mornings still ahead of us.  SHOP EMMET.   HARRY, our popular soft and sturdy cotton blanket.  SHOP HARRY.   AREA founder and designer Anki Spets is heavily influenced by menswear. She pulls from the wide spectrum that on...

  In a recent article for Remodelista, AREA founder and designer Anki Spets gave her insights on the European practice of sleeping partners using separate duvet covers. Much like skipping the flat sheet, this practice is starting to spread. The benefit is better sleep, as well as the opportunity to style your own side of the bed. As we went over in a previous post on the...

We get a lot of questions about thread count, and for good reason - it's often touted that higher thread count = better product. Since we have been in the bedding business since 1990 we’d like to share what we’ve learned on the subject as well as our point of view. what is thread count? Thread count is a measure...

One of the most enjoyable and rewarding aspects of working at AREA is seeing what combinations we can come up with. I've spent many a pleasurable hour in the LA store with a customer or designer, exploring blends of colors and textures to match myriad needs. Every season we update our Inspiration Look Book with combinations Anki curates herself. See her current Inspiration picks right...

Color and pattern are the fun part of my work.  With these two new designs, I wanted to create new color combinations in bolder patterns. First, I usually goof around a bit until I get a good feel for what I like to do.    EIGHT Using ink and brush is a very satisfying and calming process. You might have seen that...