Being an online purveyor of goods has it’s benefits. Everyone’s doing it, or so I hear. When it comes to interior design and decorating, who the heck knows what the color setting on your computer monitor is going to do to your perfectly laid plans. One of the great pleasures of this form of design is the sensory nature of it. 
The vibrancy or subtle hues which set a tone for the story you want to tell. The sheer pleasure of the tactile nature of this expression has me longing to reach through the computer screen and touch that blanket. Will I balk at the scratchiness of the material or want to snuggle into it. Will I want to walk barefoot across the carpet for the sheer pleasure of the silkiness underfoot, or question the odd thickness of it. How is it possible for the two dimensional screen to express the quality, solidity, and craftsmanship of a piece. It can’t. You have to see it with your own eyes. Touch it, sit in it, and experience the weight and massing of the object, to understand if it will play a starring role on your set or be a supporting cast member.
One King’s Lane Studio . SOHO
This is unequivocally the way it works. It’s all fine and good when you are buying a pillow, returning a pillow, starting your pillow search over again. What about your sofa? Your credenza, your bed? One’s fortitude and willingness for risk might weigh in a little lower on the register. In the past this has deterred me from shopping on a site for which I have grown particularly fond. One King’s Lane is an amazing online resource for home goods. I search it tirelessly, but have remained parsimonious in my cart filling and check-out activities. I absolutely hate to have to return things via the mail.
Well haven’t they just gone and solved my dilema. My dear friend Tracey Barrett (a kindred design soul) discovered The One King’s Lane Studio is NYC’s SOHO. 
The Studio, which offers free design services to those with an appointment, is not a showroom with products for sale, but an opportunity to see many of the offered goods in person. To have that all important chance to touch, feel, see, and experience how a room comes together, and to benefit from the assistance of the design staff in tracking down pieces that will bring the design caliber of your space up a few notches.
Oh Tracey, I’m not sure whether to kiss you or send you hate mail. I walked out of that studio on Saturday morning having purchased two lamps, two pillows and an antique desk. All in combinations that were new to me, and that with the help of my design consultant Jessica Smith, I was able to see fit beautifully into my style and vision for my new place.
Jessica Smith, OKL Designer
If your travels take you to NYC or to Greenwich, CT where they are planning a pop-up location at the Homestead Inn, I recommend a visit.
my desk!
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I’ve decided to be magnanimous and send nothing but x’s and o’s to Tracey. May your home be filled with love.