Monelle Totah on Spring 2011 at Williams-Sonoma Home

Monelle Totah, our vice president of product design and merchandising, has a talent for turning every design into a classic - and this season is full of new classics. Here she tells us about her favorite products in the new Spring 2011 collection. To find out how a top designer like Monelle collects inspiration from around the world, read an interview with her here.

Spring is always about fresh new color. What's this year's spring color palette at Williams-Sonoma Home?

We are inspired by blue and white, as well as coral this year. There's no look more classic than blue and white. Inspired by sea and sky, this color combination has been used in homes for centuries. Blue and white can carry a room from season to season without skipping a beat, and adapt easily to existing décor. These crisp hues, paired with a striped rug and printed bedding or textural, handcrafted pillows, create a pleasing mix of patterns.

Coral-both the sea creature and the color-inspired many pieces this season's collection. Coral's iconic form adds intriguing detail to a room in objects like our Coral on Stand. The bold color in textiles warms a room, as with our Coral Printed Pillow or Bold Stripe Rug.

Do things like textures, materials, fabrication and styles also have a seasonal evolution?

Certain classic fabrics like linen or a great basketweave cotton never go out of style. It's how creative we get with those base cloths that make each season so unique. This year, the look is eclectic and fun.

We're hand-embroidering our cotton pillows to create fabulous, chunky textures, and mixing up colors, as in our Ikat Duvet paired with the Cotton Stripe Rug.

Can you talk about the influences behind the Bleeker and Pyrenees Collections?

Our new Bleeker Collection is so clean and so simple. It's made of reclaimed solid elm wood and clean metal legs. We've paired it with both traditional and modern looks and found that its seasonless style blends easily with many interiors and furnishing styles. We love it so much that we're adding a console this summer.

Spring is a great time to cook and entertain with our Pyrenees Dining Table and Console. The table was inspired by a grand European farm table with thick wood parquetry and veneered center, very rustic and old world. I am partial to round dining tables where conversation can flow easily and there is always room to pull up another seat for a last minute guest. The console is also perfectly sized and includes wine storage below where bottles can be a decorative element in a room.

The ceramic seat is a classic in traditional Chinese gardens. What do you love it about it and what inspired you to bring it back this spring?

This classic garden seat can complement any décor, whether classic, traditional or modern. It can sit next to a chair, be a small side table, or brighten the backyard. The patterns and colors that we have designed are amazing and really give them a special look.

If there were just a few easy updates to bring the new season into your home, what would they be?

Walls always need attention, so art is a great way to focus a room. You can also pull colors from artwork to set the mood of a room through its objects and textiles. This season, we have curated some tranquil landscapes of hand signed original oil paintings, as well as limited edition photographs of the sea. If your room needs vibrancy, we have giclée reproductions of 18th-century butterfly illustrations and painterly fish illustrations that originate from vintage copper engravings.

As always, a change of throw pillows in a surprise color or pattern, or a striped cotton rug really brighten the mood. Other than painting a wall, these inexpensive updates are great way to bring a room to life and introduce a new season.

Registered designers, sign in now to shop and receive trade pricing and applicable tax exemption. Not yet registered? Become a member today to enjoy exclusive trade benefits.