Pittcburg Gets A Chiluly

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is having a Dale Chihuly exhibit in their Botanical Garden:

Photo credit: Chihuly at Phipps, 2007, Terry Rishel

Here are some of the stunning sculptures:

Photo credit: Paintbrushes, 2007, Terry Rishel

Photo credit: Celadon and Royal Purple Gilded Fiori, 2007, Terry Rishel

Photo credit: Amber Cattails, 2007, Terry Rishel

To top off the show, "Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens has acquired Dale Chihuly's glass chandelier as a permanent installation for the rotunda of its Welcome Center."

Photo credit: Goldenrod, Teal and Citron Chandelier, 2007, Terry Rishel

The two-tiered "Goldenrod, Teal and Citron Chandelier" was designed and created for Phipps to complement the 50-foot-high rotunda. The chandelier is part of the current exhibit.

We are in awe of his talent and use of color.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

5 showrooms take honors in High Point

From Home Accents Today, "Five exhibitors took the top awards in the High Point Market Authority’s first showroom design contest here, market officials announced."



Creativity: The Phillips Collection, International Home Furnishings Center, space C-202, designed by Jason Phillips.

Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery carries the Phillips Collection accessories.

Bev & Mike

Bridget Otto Thursday

The Pearl is the home for over 65 furniture and accessory stores, Todays Homes & Garden section in the Oregonian carries an article by Bridget A Otto that is an interview with Gerard Philippon, owner of Versailles in the Pearl, Patrick McGill, the paint guru at Pearl Hardware and Rosanne Sachson, an architectural interior designer.

Sachson wants people to understand what a skilled designer brings to the job.

"A professional can assist you in providing the skill and the knowledge and information that is required to make any place speak to the person who is going to be in there. Not to the designer or colorist, but the person who is using the space."

McGill would like to shorten the time it takes for people to embrace color.

Sachson has some interesting comments about "distressed furniture":

"Why would someone who is going to buy a new dining room table want it distressed?" she asks rhetorically.

Philippon's response: "The practicality of it. You're not afraid to use it. Those new shiny Chippendale tables? You have to use a pad. And, oh my! The kids are coming. Let's put three pads on."

But with a distressed French country table, there are no worries.

It can be used everyday, not just for holidays, Sachson adds.

The three would like you to attend "Design Classics for Today in the European Tradition" on Saturday Oct 6th from 4-6 PM. The seminar will cover topics from Philippon's and Sachson's knowledge of French furnishings, to McGill's ability to make color work regardless of setting, to history and architecture.

WHERE / Versailles in the Pearl, 904 N.W. Hoyt St.

(RSVPs appreciated: 503-222-2387)

While you are in the Pearl, before the seminar, de-stress at Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery. We carry traditional, transitional and contemporary furniture and accessories. Most of our furniture can be ordered lightly or heavily distressed.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

2007 NWSID Golf Tournament

Partial proceeds from this year’s tournament went to ReFIT (Remodeling for Independence Together). ReFIT is a non-profit volunteer organization providing home modification services for physically and financially challenged homeowners who wish to remain living independently in their homes. For more information go to www.ReFITPortland.org

All in all this year’s tournament was a testament to the dedication and commitment of the members in this organization. It is people like you that make it possible for us to achieve our goal of helping our community and showing the Portland area what a great organization NWSID is. If you would like to participate in next year’s tournament, e-mail us at nwsidgolf@msn.com.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Ottoman Bench - A Great Accent Piece For Any Room

Jesse Akre has written an article about the Ottoman Bench:

One of the best types of accent furniture that you can buy is an ottoman bench. Many people spend their furniture shopping time focusing on things like beds, cabinets, and desks. There are more furniture items out there that you need to consider, though. You can sleep in your bed, but you cannot play cards there. You can do some work at your desk, but it won't provide extra seating when you have guests over. Accent items are important pieces because they complete your home's look and they add to the primary furniture items that are already in place. The ottoman bench is one of those items that you don't have to have, but it adds something to your house that other furniture items cannot.

If you want an ottoman bench, you aren't limited to one size, color, or style. More and more people are becoming interested in buying these items, so there are plenty of options out there. If you like leather, then choose from many wonderful leather options for your ottoman bench. That isn't the most popular type of ottoman bench, though. Generally, people prefer softer upholstery for their accent items. Since these items will not be used in seating most of the time, they will be there for looks.

Generally, the ottoman bench is a big item that can seat up to two people. Unlike its smaller ottoman counterpart that attaches to a small chair, this accent item is meant to accommodate more than one person. Because of its bulky size, you will need creative when figuring out a good place to put it. Ottoman benches are usually found in large hallways towards the front of a home. Other families choose to include the ottoman bench as a part of its living room furniture. This is alright as long as it is simply an extra piece and not the actual couch.

As far as shopping for an ottoman bench goes, people have become very creative in the past few years. Around ten years ago, people would use furniture stores almost exclusively when shopping for an item like this. These days, folks are much more willing to use the internet in order to find a good deal on an ottoman bench. There are plenty of dealers on the internet that are willing to give you a good deal on one of these items. Others have done one better, bidding on items at places like EBay in order to find a great deal on an ottoman bench. This is probably a little bit irresponsible, though, as you are never sure what condition you will get on items like that.

An ottoman bench can do wonders for a home that is in need of a little bit of accent furniture. It can provide not only a good look, but a place for people to sit when they come to visit your home. Finding an ottoman bench on the internet has never been easier, as well.

Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery carries many styles of ottoman benches. Those pictured above are examples from Sherrill, Sam Moore, Whittemore - Sherrill, and the Moondance collection from Stanley.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Marriott Works With Hekman

Marriott has opened a luxury hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan reports Chris Knape and Jenna Carlesso.

From the giant Polish vases filled with locally provided flowers to the hundreds of photographs from sites in Ga District, Ghana; and Perugia, Italy; and other Grand Rapids sister cities, the glittering downtown hotel is a study in cosmopolitan fusion.

Local touches were everywhere during Monday's "sneak peek" media tour of the landmark $100 million, 337-room luxury hotel.

[..]

Furniture from local companies -- primarily Steelcase Inc. and Hekman Inc. -- is found around every turn.

Yes, Hekman is a local company in Grand Rapids, however Marriott is very sensitive to every detail in this spendy refuge for travelers and still chose Hekman. We are proud, as well, to feature Hekman products.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

The Sultry Shades of Gray

Tracy Bulla Senior Product Editor HOME ACCENTS TODAY.RELISH writes about "Smoke & Mirrors."

Gray, the color of the season, arrives in sultry shades of platinum, gunmetal, slate and anthracite. Poised between black and white, gray lends the illusion of mystery, intelligence and extreme sophistication with a silvery smooth, fluid presence. While subtle whispers betray an aura of cool, collected and infinitely understated richness. Whether applied to classic or contemporary designs, the result is effortlessly modern in the absolute.

Wow, all that to describe gray! Too bad you aren't able to see the two page photo layout of Smoke & Mirrors, but Relish is not online yet. I will tell you that I will keep the magazine in the store. You should also know that we ordered a gray sofa some weeks ago and it will be on our floor soon. Give us a call to see if it has arrived.

UPDATE: The sofa is here and it's Fantastic!

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Hekman: Tuscan Estates

At the October Fall Market 2007 Hekman will make some exciting new introductions.

Hekman has a long Heritage of shopping Italy for unique antique furnishings in the areas century's old estates or in the fine shops of the Tuscan Region running along the Tyrrhenian Sea trom Carrara to the north to Capalbio on the south, Cortona on the west, with Florence right in the middle.

This Tuscan area is full of fine artisans who reproduce and finish these antique finds in small family run shops where time honored techniques continue to be used to manufacture and finish furniture. It is not unusual for family members to labor over pieces for weeks using old world lacquer techniques and adding layers of color, sanding through the finish build up with river rocks and river sand to produce an exacting replica of a fine antique from one of the Tuscan Estates of the area.

Hekman over the years has stored in a warehouse their favorite samples of these fine antiques from the Tuscan Region and is reproducing them and some adaptations in a collection they are calling Tuscan Estates.

This collection consists of two dining rooms, four occasional groupings, entertainment and home office pieces totaling 31 items. The crafting of this collection reflects the use of the time honored techniques of the artisans of Tuscany using hand planed thick veneers randomly laid in horizontal and diagonal patterns and hand rubbed with bee's wax to reflect the patina of an old planked floor. This creates the core finish to the collection named Weathered Walnut. Then on a select number of pieces with generous turnings and carvings Hekman layered color and lacquer and then sanded through these layers using old world sanding techniques to create a rich Rubbed Onyx color.

Hekman married the Rubbed Onyx color in tandem with Weather Walnut to high light the carving details and the flowing lines of each antique reproduction. To finish the collection they have reproduced a jewelry finish called Tortoise Shell using hand detailing like, the ancient artisans to create the mix of colors necessary for this finish.

Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery is proud to have carried Hekman since 2001.

Bev & Mike

Get Out of Your Overwhelm!

Is this you? You are a mother to two children, a wife trying to find some quiet time with your husband, fitting in an exercise program, working 7 days a week as a designer, feeling lots of stress, and feeling guilty because you think you should be able to handle everything in your life better.

Nika Stewart, a Designer's Success Coach, writes

I know the feeling too well. I wish I could say that I don't, but I am prone to feeling overwhelmed. As designers and business owners, with so many external and internal factors to deal with - the economy, the housing market, our families, our own homes, the demands of our clients, backordered and discontinued fabrics...(oh my gosh, I am feeling anxious just typing this list!), we are bound to feel overwhelmed and stressed sometimes.

The experts say when you are feeling stressed, you should take a break, get a massage, or take a bubble bath. But, who has the time.

Stewart writes, "When I am too stressed and too busy to take even a little time for myself, that is when it is absolutely critical to do so!"

If you are feeling the stress, she recommends an Intention Break

• Step Away - you can NOT stop the ongoing overwhelm if you do not physically step out of the situation.
• Reflect on your goals - remember your priorities, think about your dreams. Write your intentions down, and keep this paper with you always. Post it where you can see them often.
  
• Go back to your regularly scheduled life - If you are continuously reminded of your business intention (reading it when you wake up, glancing at it from time to time as you work, saying it to yourself over lunch), you will make choices on a daily basis that bring you closer and closer to your goal - and further and further away from overwhelm.

I wrote down some of my goals for business and posted them on the kitchen cabinet. I see them all the time. When I'm feeling overwhelmed, I remember one ofmy goals is to retire at 60. Retiring for me might mean working only two or three days a week. I don't know how yet, but thoughts of how to achieve the goal come to me while I shower or drive to the store and I make choices during every day that bring the goal nearer. I let go and let my subconscious find answers.

BTW, Stewart had an online seminar in which she discussed "how I turned my struggling 7-day workweek into a thriving, successful design business (where I work only 4 days a week, make lots more money, and enjoy my life more than ever!)." Maybe, she will schedule another or there may be slides available of her talk.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

The Phillips Collection

High Point is coming soon! Show dates are October 1st - 7th in North Carolina. We are receiving some very interesting marketing pieces from vendors and I thought this was unique for giving a flavor of a company's design. The Phillips Collection, where every piece is a conversation, has been in business for 20 years. We carry many of their accessories at Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery.



Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Hemlines Are Plunging

Check out this "Boomer" friendly news from The Wall Street Journal's Cheryl Lu-Lien: Tan

The fashion pendulum is swinging to extremes these days. Pants, which were super-skinny just this summer, are flaring out to sail-like widths this fall. Tent-like trapeze dresses are giving way to close-cut pencil skirts. And now — most dramatically — hemlines are dropping.

One of the biggest themes emerging at this year’s New York fashion week is the longer hemline. Here’s a peek at a few top designers’ sketches of this new look.

One of the biggest themes emerging this week at New York fashion shows, which are displaying styles for next spring, is much longer dresses and skirts, many extending to midcalf or even the ankles. Today, Badgley Mischka and Bill Blass are scheduled to present long dresses and skirts for the spring. In the following week, labels including Michael Kors, Donna Karan, Peter Som, Nanette Lepore and Tracy Reese are planning to show longer pieces, many of which are flowing dresses meant to be worn during the day.

The longer looks are a big departure from the micro-mini shifts and short, youthful baby-doll dresses that have dominated stores and runways for several seasons. Just this spring, thigh-skimming looks reminiscent of the mod 1960s were the big trend that retailers and designers were pushing.

Designers — who pooh-pooh the old stock-market adage that falling hemlines presage a falling market – say it’s only natural for the fashion pendulum to swing toward a new shape as the industry seeks to capture shoppers’ interest. Fashion has been careening from one extreme to another particularly quickly these days amid speedier clothing production and broader consumer interest in frequent updates.

As an unofficial and unelected member of the fashion police, I am charged with ticketing any violators of this new fashion, even though it will probably take a year for it to get to PDX. I will say this is great news for boomers and our gravity challenged skin above the knees.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Spotlight On Lighting

We received some lighting tips from Julie Johnson at Lux Lighting. There's some great information here about lighting your home interior:

To Make A Room Appear larger

• Use wall washers on a large expanse of light colored wall

• Use up lighting to bounce light onto the ceilings and walls

• Create panels of light at one end of the room - your eye will be pulled toward it, making the room appear larger.

To Make Your Room Appear Taller

• Use vertical light beams

• Hang pendent lighting low
  

To Make Your Room Appear Cozy

• Use several table lamps to create low pools of light

• Don't allow light onto the ceiling

Julie has many more tips to share and she's in the Pearl.

Lux Lighting
1333 NW Glisan Portland, OR 97209
503-299-6754 X110 or julie@luxlights.com

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

New Products at Las Vegas

Home Furnishings Business has photos of new products at the Las Vegas show in late July.

A small Arabesque table from Global Views offers an airy feel with a hand-tooled leather top.

Hand-decorated wooden vases from Bard International appear to float on black pedestal bases. Suggested retail is $229 for the set of three.

Part of the Candice Olson collection at AF Lighting, this clever lamp features natural horn on a square base.

Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery, located in the Pearl Design Center, offers accessories from the vendors and much more!

Bev & Mike

SALI Interview Of Bev & Mike

Kathy Long of Passionate Interiors just lit up her MySpace page with an interview of Bev & Mike for Cascade Artisans Guild which is part of SALI.

Founded in 1984, the Stencil Artisans League (SALI) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of the art of stenciling

Stencils include decorative painting, e.g.: faux finishes, murals and trompe l’oeil, stenciling, business and more.

We are pleased to be singled out for an interview and hope that interior designers and contractors will contact Kathy Long and her organization for some wonderful ways to decorate the walls of a home.

Passionate Interiors, LLC
11965 Northwest Kearney Street
Portland, OR 97229

(503)819-6758

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Hammary to roll out first retail display format

Thomas Russell at Furniture Today, writes that Hammary will show new contemporary collection.

Hammary Furniture is rolling out a new retail display format for a contemporary style occasional and casual dining collection.

The 40-piece Modern Hammary collection includes cocktail, end and accent tables as well as dining pieces, a low profile room divider and a sofa, chair and ottoman. Finishes are black, ash and merlot.

The group features a variety of items and price points ranging from a $179 glass top cocktail to a $1,400 two-piece home entertainment console with wine storage.

Other signature pieces include a $249 cocktail and a short profile room divider on casters that retails for $399.

Many of the items are sized to fit into smaller homes. For instance, one cocktail is 44 inches long compared with the usual 50 inches. The group also has a 36-inch round cocktail, compared to the normal 38- to 40-inch range.

“There is a real premium here on scale, function and price point,” Huff said, noting that this is the first time Hammary has launched such a merchandising concept for retailers.

Landfair Furniture is proud to carry Hammary Furniture. Come see Hammary and more at our new location in the Pearl Design Center.

Bev & Mike

Mondrian Art

What do you make of coincidences or are there such things?

Beverly and I were talking and she used the word "Mondrian" to describe a design she had seen. I asked her for a definition because it was a totally new word to me.

From Wikipedia:
Piet Mondriaan (March 7, 1872 — d. New York City, February 1, 1944) was a Dutch painter.

His paintings exhibit a complexity that belies their apparent simplicity. He is best known for his non-representational paintings that he called "compositions", consisting of rectangular forms of red, yellow, blue, white or black, separated by black rectilinear lines. They are the result of a stylistic evolution that occurred over the course of nearly 30 years and continued beyond that point to the end of his life.

Some examples of his art:

A couple of days later, a book I'd ordered, Spook Country by William Gibson, arrived in the mail. I sat down to read it and the second paragraph of the first chapter reads in part, "They'd had one previous conversation, the one which had resulted in her flying to L.A. and checking into the Mondrian." How weird is that?

I Googled Mondrian and found pictures of this fabulous new hotel.

Morgans Hotel Group arrived in Los Angeles in 1996, with the opening of Mondrian, located on the world-famous Sunset Boulevard. Mondrian presents the consummate expression of a balancing act between apparent contradictions – entertainment and spirituality, cutting-edge style and simplicity, fantasy and reality. The hotel perfectly captures the quintessential California lifestyle by uniting its deeply rooted appreciation of the outdoors and relaxed, casual living with a pervasive sense of magic, glamour and excitement.

After drooling over the L.A. hotel, and this Scottsdale Mondrian,



I found another example of this painter's influence. Contemporary Furniture.com has this cocktail table:



Is that it or will the word "Mondrian" lead me to some other unexpected places?

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Mondrian

Duralee Acquires Cavalier Furniture

FURNITUREToday announces

High-end fabric source Duralee has acquired Cavalier Furniture, a 40-year-old upholstery manufacturer in Cerritos, Calif.

According to Cavalier's website, "Cavalier produces upholstered hand-tied furniture in fine fabrics and leathers of the absolute highest quality. Owned and operated by the Button family since 1964, Cavalier not only offers exceptional products, but prides itself on providing its customers with the best service in the industry."

Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery in the Pearl Design Center is proud to carry Duralee fine fabrics and furniture and look forward to having additional designs from which to choose.

Bev & Mike

Duralee
Cavalier Furniture

Sei Amici

Six friends had dinner Wednesday night at Iorio Restaurant - Southern Italian Cuisine.

What a lovely little space on 912 SE Hawthorne Blvd. in Portland, Oregon 97214.

Michael started off with caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil and hand pulled mozzarella. Two of us had the beet salad with dolce gorgonzola and three shared organic greens and candied walnuts. We loved the salads. We brought three different red wines and corkage was $12 per bottle.

Mike and Gerry had Tagliatelle with oven roasted tomato sauce and our choice of meatballs or spicy Italian sausage. Mike preferred the meatballs and Gerry wished the tagliatelle, wide flat pasta, had a little more sauce, but the taste was wonderful. Darryl had the Duck comfit and the three ladies had grilled Alaskan Halibut, on a bed of roasted vegetables. It was like homemade goodness. Like the best chef in the world cooked it specially for us. Crispy bread was served with a summer squash spread. Delicious.

For dessert we ordered one flourless chocolate cake with crema gelato, two apple tarts with vanilla bean gelato and three old fashioned sundaes. Fine Illy coffee was served and it was hot and thick, just as if we were sitting in an outdoor cafe in Napoli.

That was one of the best dinners we've had in Portland for some time. Chef Christopher R. Thompson's signature style of southern Italian-influenced cooking is very tasty and the staff is very good. Iorio voted:

Best Italian
Audience Winner 2006

Best Date Spot
Editorial Winner 2006
Voted by Portland Citysearch

Best Romantic Restaurant 2007
Voted by AOL Cityguide

Iorio (E-Oreo) is open Tuesday through Saturday 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Call for reservations at (503) 445-4716

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

What is Blog Cabin?

Blog Cabin is DIY Network’s newest hit series, featuring popular expert hosts who pitch in to bring the Kinzel Springs retreat to life. Watch us build the cabin one blog at a time, then enter daily for a chance to win it!

From February until early April, 2007, DIY Network.com invited visitors to vote each day on 13 design areas for a future cabin to be built in the Great Smoky Mountains. Thousands decided on such areas as the floor plan, roof, countertops, even the front door. The results are here, and don’t miss a minute of the entire Blog Cabin television series, airing Thursdays at 9 pm on DIY.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

High Point Market revamps Web site

The High Point Market’s Web site, highpointmarket.org, has been redesigned to improve its functionality and ease of use.

The site will include guest columns by leaders from throughout the home furnishings industry, as well as clips from the weekly “High Point Market Live” video-cast.

The market’s weekly e-newsletters will also be archived there under the “Industry Insights” tab. Site visitors can register on the home page to receive weekly updates.

If you go to the front page of The High Point Market, you will see an a column entitled Encouraging Eco-Friendly Lifestyles by Sarah Barnard ASID, an interior designer specializing in sustainable design. She and Mike are both writing about "green" furniture. See his blog at Home Accents Today entitled Is Your Furniture "Green?"

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture & Design Gallery

The Landfair Retail Focus Debuts!

Mike is excited! He has been hired to post to a blog, The Landfair Retail Focus, on the Home Accents Today website. They have asked him to post to the blog at least three times a week. They rolled out a new website and his handsome face.

appears on the front page along with his first post, Establishing My Credentials. Down girls! He is happily married for 15 years..

He invites you to surf by occasionally and grade his efforts.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture & Design Gallery

Home Accents Today
The Landfair Retail Focus
Furniture
Retailing
Bev & Mike

Adam Kalkin's Housing Solution

If you follow the trade deficit numbers as Mike does, you might know that the U.S. receives those big shipping containers full with consumer goods from all parts of the world, but especially Asia. The problem is, we tend to send them back empty.

Now, hat tip to by Jennifer Chait at Off Beat Homes, one architect may have found a solution. Adam Kalkin has designed the Push Button House.

The Push Button House is exactly that: it starts as a shipping container until a button is pushed, and it turns into a house. Motorized walls unfold like a flower, revealing a fully functional house, complete with refined, understated furnishings.

Take a look at Kalkins website and watch the short video: http://www.architectureandhygiene.com/main.html

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

How To Light A Room For Reading

This is sure to cause discussion at home.

Elizabeth Bettendorf has written an article entitled Bookworms, illuminate yourselves on right light.

Mike complains that there are few places in our home to read. He says it is too dark, too filled with ambience. His favorite place is the den with the TV off, but then that excludes me if I want to watch some Tivo'ed program. If he moves to the bed in the bedroom, he falls asleep. So now we have Ms Bettendorf to the rescue.

There's nothing better than a good book, and nothing worse than not enough light by which to read comfortably.

She quotes Michael Berman, a lighting designer for the California-based Lamps Plus. He says a good reading lamp should do three things:

1. Reduce peripheral shadow around the reading area to reduce eye fatigue. "You don't want shadows around the reading area because as the eye wanders off the page as you read, the eye has to adjust," he says.

2. Provide good illumination, but not too much. Never consider any bulb less than 100 watts for reading, he advises, with 150 watts being ideal.

3. Eliminate squinting. "When reading, you want a light that helps you focus on the task at hand

There are so many sizes, materials and styles of lamps. In our home we are still searching for the perfect lamps that will meet both our objectives.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Design Star Episode 2

So tell me, did you watch the second episode of Design Star on HGTV?

In case you missed the show you can watch outakes online.

I like most of the competitors and I'm interested in their sense of style and ability to create. Mike would have a hard time, if put in their situation, to visualize what he wants to occur in a space, colors etc. and then bring it to fruition. I admire their skills. I like the judges and their ability to analyse the output of the contestants. Good show! In the end Lisa's show was cancelled. She had the space by the front door and the judges "killed" her for her design.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Better.TV

There's a new channel on the net called Better.TV, Home-Family-Life. It's as clear as the TV in your home and one of the announcers sounds suspiciously like the woman of the local Landmark Ford ads.

Better.TV is brought to the air by Meridith Corp (MDP), publisher of these magazines:
American Baby, Better Homes and Gardens, Child, Country Home, Family Circle, Fitness, Hispanic Ventures, Ladies' Home Journal,
Midwest Living, More, Parents, ReadyMade, Ser Padres, Siempre Mujer, Successful Farming, Traditional Home, and Wood.

When you go to the Better.TV website, you'll see across the top a list of topics, such as "Events", "Remodeling", "Gardening", "Shows", "Family Now", etc. There seems to be a Portland orientation, maybe that's just demographics, but it certainly kept my attention. We've all read about the dying print media, but we are seeing a big push by media giants to take advantage of the net combining the best of both.

One local designer who has made it to Better.TV is Suzanne Gallagher, author of The Fine Art of Wall Design. When you go to Better.TV, click on "Home Now". To the right you'll see a number of tiles. Click on "Wall Decorating" and see her interview and a small tour of her home.

I think this is a great way to combine local information and advertising with a family orientation.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Surfing Through Trendir!

Back in September, 2006, I came across a blog dedicated to the high end:

Trendir is an online magazine about the latest Home Decor Products and Trends. We cover High-End Luxury products. Think of us as having both style sense and the ability to identify new and cool things.

I stopped by again and was impressed by the interest in their site. Their site gets over 5,000 visits per day, almost 180,000 visits per month!

If you visit, you will notice the beautiful photography, like this kitchen featuring an indoor waterfall:



or this stunning tub and view:



It reminds me of the Street of Dreams homes.

At first, I want to "chuck" our home, built in 1929, for the new clean lines of the contemporary siren, but then I would miss our established neighborhood and its nearness to town. I would miss the Grant dog park where Ralph loves to chase squirrels and the dogs of morning dog walkers. I would miss our home's coved ceilings and the gentle arch that frames the dining room. I would miss the memories made in our first home.

But...when I win the lottery, you can bet my second house will feature one of these showers shown in Trendir:



Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Bridget Otto Thursday

It's been a while, but today is Bridget Otto Thursday in H&G NW. Today Otto writes in Banishing 'Aunt Matilda' how Bruce and Joyce Maxwell did a major remodel of the 1960's style home, but were unhappy with the home's living room and adjacent dining room. Their "heavy, old-fashioned furnishings clash(ed) with a (the) ranch's clean lines.

Enter Kim Jaynes of Kimberlee Jaynes Interior Designs Inc to save the day. She wanted the Maxwells to "embrace the home's Eichler-esque architecture with appropriate furnishings and color," but the Aunt Matilda furnishings would have to go.

The article is a case study of how a designer gets information from a client about their activities and preferences, budget, sizes up a home problem and brings about a solution, including shopping with the client. A designer can save a client so much time by knowing what is offered in various stores.

After the Maxwells decided on colors and direction, Kim went into stores and pulled together sofas and chairs and tables and took the Maxwells on tour. Once materials, finishes and sizes were established, orders were placed.

"Kim was helping us find the right place and right shapes," says Joyce, who admits she would not have been happy doing this shopping on her own. "Kim steered us through that process. It was very collaborative."

If you go to the web site of Otto's article, you can pull up pdfs of before and after pictures. What a change and the Maxwells are happy.

The new furnishings and their arrangement make both rooms inviting. The sofa and chairs in the living room take in the view and are placed close together to create a comfortable environment. Joyce says she finds herself standing in the entry, marveling at the change.

Well done, Kim!

If you not happy with the look of your home or just want a change, since more than 80% of our business is with designers, who better to recommend several interior designers for you to interview.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Kim Jaynes
Bridget A Otto

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AZTEC DESIGN VASE
ith Antique Brown, Gold and Patina Finish,
9.25"D x 15.25"H,Ceramic













BUNCHED FRAME DESIGN WALL CLOCK
with Antique Face, Roman Numerals and Antique Gold and Copper Finish, 37.5"D, Face: 26"D









CBK is just one of a number of accessory companies that we carry at Landfair Furniture.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Mike Landfair Will Blog for Home Accents Today

The latest issue of Home Accents Today makes it official with the announcement that my husband, Mike Landfair will be writing a blog at least three times weekly for the magazine's web site.

At the end of this month, we will introduce you to an all-new HomeAccentsToday.com. We have spent months working on our new look and refining the structure to make it easy to use and worth visiting every day.

We will feature four blogs once the site goes live at the end of the month. Susan Dickenson's Retail Update and our Designer Insight you may already be familiar with, but look for lots more postings. Retailer Mike Landfair of Landfair Furniture in Portland, Ore., will post at least three times a week with practical advice and other items of interest for retailers of home furnishings and accessories. And our two most knowledgeable staffers on style, trends and design, Senior Product Editor Tracy Bulla and Art Director Wes Kennedy, will serve up Style + Substance, a look at trends in fashion, industrial design, and, of course, home furnishings.

Not all print media is dead! Home Accents Today has recognized that the web is a big asset and by incorporating relevant features on its web site, it can maintain vibrancy.

Mike is honored to be recognized for his writing and encourages you to email him or add a comment about topics you would like covered.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Design Star Premiers Sunday

We just received word that the Season 2 premiere of Design Star, where interior designers face off for the chance to win their own show on HGTV, begins this Sunday with a 10 pm PDT start.

<br /><a href="&#8221;http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_hstar&#8221;">DesignStar2</a>

Season 1 was fun!

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Novica, A New Way

Considered by many as one of the nations top 50 fastest growing companies, Novica is home to artists and artisans around the world providing you with access to unique, hard-to-find items at great values that only the Internet infrastructure can allow.

The countries represented are the Andes, Bali and Java, Brazil, India, Mexico, Thailand and West Africa and artistic items include

• Area Rugs
• Chess Sets & Games</li>
• Furniture - Accent & End Tables | Beanbags | Chairs | Coffee Tables | Other | Ottomans & Stools | Outdoor Furniture | Storage Trunks & Chests | Throne Ottomans
• Masks
• Mirrors
• Musical Instruments
• Sculpture
• Tableware & Entertaining
• Vases
• Wall Hangings & Tapestries

There is a capsule about each artist on the site info page

One such artist is drum and mask-maker Ernestina Oppong Asante from Ghana.

"Before Novica, I had only one shop," explains Asante. "I've been able to make enough money now to send my six foster children to secondary [high] school."

Or take Isidoro Rojas, 41, who has woven tapestries in his Andean pueblo of San Pedro de Cajas since he was a child. Working through Novica saves the five-hour trips to Lima he once took to haggle with store merchants, he said in a phone interview. It has also introduced him to the Internet, which he navigates from a public computer kiosk two hours from his town.

It would seem Novica has found a unique way to cut out many of the middle man and directly employ artists from around the world then bringing them together with buyers on the internet.

Some may say we are living in the best of times!

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Novica
Home Decor
Bev & Mike

New Products From Prepara

Somebody's been thinking!


I like this, the Herb Savor from Prepara

Nothing makes your meals taste better than the freshest ingredients. The Prepara herb-savor will prolong the life of your fresh herbs for up to 3 weeks so you can enjoy fresh, flavorful meals every time you cook.

How about the Water Resistant Mill from Prepara

Most meat, poultry and fish recipes call for fresh salt or pepper during preparation. When you handle raw foods before using your salt or pepper mill the harmful bacteria stays on the mill long after you have finished enjoying your meal. Now with our patented washable salt/pepper/spice mill you don't have to worry about contaminating yourself or your loved ones with harmful bacteria. Just twist the collar to close the door to the grinder. Then wash all of the germs off the mill without fear of getting water into chamber.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Green Light!!!

Speaking of Green Light, I saw this item at FABSUGAR:

Inside this traditional Mason jar hides a highly efficient solar cell, rechargeable battery, and low energy LED lamps. You simply place the jar in the sunlight and the solar energy charges the battery and powers the LED lamps providing a diffused and warm light from the frosted jar. Completely water tight, it can be left outside in any weather, and is the perfect garden light or night-light.

It's $55 at the MoMA Store.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Green Kitchen: Green Light

This headline caught my eye: The green kitchen: Green light

If you have a newish kitchen, I'll bet a pound to a pumpkin-seed that it has recessed ceiling lights using halogen spotlights.

Yep, that's our kitchen, with one spot over the sink and the other over the space containing the microwave and boombox. The one over the sink is connected to the light fixture that hangs in the middle of the kitchen and they're on a dimmer. Dang, that sink light goes out often!

...low-voltage halogen bulbs "are spotlights, like a torch. They just push light on to the floor." That's why so many are needed. "Ordinary light bulbs produce 10 lumens [the standard measurement of light output] per watt. Low-voltage halogen bulbs produce 20 lumens, but that compares with a minimum of 60 lumens per watt for compact fluorescent bulbs."

Compact fluorescent bulbs?

low-voltage halogen might be using 1kW of energy where a couple of compact fluorescent bulbs could do the same job at 40 watts.

I googled compact fluorescent bulbs and found the EnergyStar site. This is a Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL):

If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.

Ah, so that is a Green Kitchen!

EnergyStar has suggestions for choosing the right CFL:

• CFLs perform best in open fixtures that allow airflow, such as table and floor lamps, wall sconces, pendants, and outdoor fixtures.
• For recessed fixtures, it is better to use a reflector CFL than a spiral CFL since the design of the reflector evenly distributes the light down to your task area.
• If a light fixture is connected to a dimmer or three-way switch, you'll need to use a special ENERGY STAR qualified CFL designed to work in these applications. Make sure to look for CFLs that specify use with dimmers or three-way fixtures.

So now I know that using CFLs will save money and be good for the environment and will work with the dimmer.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Flexible Accent/mood Light

I saw this idea at Pad Style and checked further:

Ever wanted to update your decor or pull everything together but wondered how to do it without a complete overhaul? LIT is a flexible accent/mood light that is easily installed under most furniture. It's a virtually effortless way to update or add warmth to your space. Pick the vehicle, (sofa, bed, sideboard?), choose your color, (Passion Pink? Serenity Green?), and watch how the simplest of things can have a huge impact!

Secured under your furniture with special LIT universal clips that work with any type of frame (wood, metal or plastic). Includes dimmer.

Yoy would have to make sure there are no dust bunnies! I am wondering if it would work in backyard for mood lighting?

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

"Age-restricted Communities"

I remember when King City was built back in 1966. King City was created as a planned adult community. The city's legal restrictions forbid minors from living within its city limits for more than a short time. Not only minors were forbidden. I was under the impression that anyone younger than 50 was not welcome.

The Association of Interior Designers (ASID) points out today that the new buzz phrases are "age-restricted communities" geared toward "active adults", not necessarily retirees built for boomers.

Builders are setting aside big sections of projects, if not whole developments, for older baby boomers.

Take a look at the demographics, said Vernon McClure, president of the Home Building Association of Richmond. The number of empty- nester baby boomers will double in the next 10 years, he said.

Active adults want low maintenance living, first floor condos and walkable neighborhoods.

"This is about a change in lifestyle," said Don-ald O. Allen, owner of D.O. Allen Homes, whose company has built six communities in the Richmond metropolitan area that are targeted toward boomers.

"They can have a first-floor master suite and they can get rid of the lawn mowers, rakes and shovels, and someone will clean their windows once a year."

My question: What is the definition of active-adult? Does this qualify?

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Newest Products From The Home Accents Marketplace

From Home Accents Today, new products from the home accents marketplace and several vendors are represented at Landfair Furniture:

Utterly elegant
A heavily antiqued gold leaf mirror with delicate embellishment from Uttermost lightens and updates the familiar, ornately framed looking glass.
UTTERMOST








Take me away
Roma Moulding’s Corner Fence is a moody landscape that captures a tree-lined fence post receding into the distance.

Nature lover
The Origins Cava table, a semicircular piece made from the shell of a fallen tree, creates a stunning focal point with a ceramic Buddha. Both are from The Phillips Collection

CANDLEHOLDER
with Stamped Round Back Mount with 2 Conquistador Swords and Antique Black and Gold Finish, Set of 3 (2 Swords, 1 BackMount), Back: 17"D, Swords: 9"W x 38"L, Holds 3 Taper Candles,
CBK











EIFFEL TOWER DESIGN WINE RACK
with Glass Holders and Brown Rust Finish,22"Sq x 71.5"H, Holds 20 Bottles
CBK




Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

This Just In, From Design's Front Line

There's a whole new world out there that is more current than the latest home furnishings magazine, the design blog. The Washington Post has a list of design blogs for the interior designer or the individual who is discovering his or her decorating style.

You can find trend forecasts, designer profiles, product launches and reviews, sale announcements and links to featured stores and merchandise along with practical decorating advice and inspirational eye candy. Reader insight and advice are welcome, creating a mix of design voices, resources and ideas from around the globe:

Apartment Therapy , about small spaces.

Design*Sponge

Decor8, an Elle Decor favorite by a blogger in New Hampshire.

Pigtown*Design, based in Baltimore.

Design hole, based in Detroit.

Bloesem blog, by a Dutch blogger.

SF girl by bay, from a self-described bohemian blogger based in San Francisco.

On the right side of this blog, you will find links to local designers and resources, interviews and links to design blogs around the world, for that is the reach of the internet. An article about you doesn't just reach the Portland area, but the U.S. as a whole and Europe and Asia and South America and is available everywhere there is a connected computer. Watch our blogroll grow!

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Introducing Snap Shots from Snap.com

I just installed a nice little tool on this site called Snap Shots that enhances links with visual previews of the destination site, interactive excerpts of Wikipedia articles, MySpace profiles, IMDb profiles and Amazon products, display inline videos, RSS, MP3s, photos, stock charts and more.

Sometimes Snap Shots bring you the information you need, without your having to leave the site, while other times it lets you "look ahead," before deciding if you want to follow a link or not.

Should you decide this is not for you, just click the Options icon in the upper right corner of the Snap Shot and opt-out.

How to offset lack of space, light, cash

From Fort Wayne.com, you've downsized, now you want your loft, condo or apartment to look bigger and you want it to feel bigger, here are some tips:

Altering the lighting, from ambient to natural, for instance, can make a space feel less cavernous and more open.

A fundamental step toward renewing a room is to reduce clutter.

Find furniture and accessories that are multifunctional.

Low ceilings can make a room seem claustrophobic. Painting a low ceiling and the walls in the room the same shade can make the ceiling seem higher.

Replace the large, coffee can-like fixtures in track lighting with smaller, less conspicuous ones.

Mirrors -- even the small, decorative kinds -- can expand a space.

Lose the carpet. It's a lot more spacious with hardwood floors.

Hire a professional. They can help you avoid pricey mistakes.

At Landfair Furniture we can help you find the interior design professional that can match your taste and budget. Give us a call or come in.

Julie Herschbach at Huper Optik ProTINT

Summer has finally arrived here in Portland; 80 degrees yesterday and today. The arrival reminded me of an interview we did last year as part of an ASID Industry Partner focus. We interviewed Julie Herschbach owner of Huper Optik ProTINT and used her product on our Macadam store windows to protect our displays.

We discussed Pro Tint and how her husband Jim started the business in 1989 as Pro Tint Window Trimming. For a long time, she was in the background and people would call and ask for Jim. Gradually, callers started asking for Julie as well as Jim then just Julie. Now with two capable employees Pro Tint is not just the Jim and Julie show.

Julie says that fabrics, carpet, wood floors, art and upholstery will fade over time from not only ultraviolet light, but from heat and visible light. Through Pro Tint’s relationship with Huper Optik films, Julie and her crew can provide the best product in terms of performance, aesthetics, high quality protection and customer service, at work or at home.



Fifteen years after Jim started the business, he is retired, but Julie and Julie’s office manager Amica Quesnel and sales consultant Sandy Coleman are busy seeing clients and making estimates. She does find time for a workout and an occasional book by Nicholas Sparks. There is precious little time for gardening so she and Jim have converted garden areas to grass. Julie has recently added a DVR from Comcast to see some of those TV programs commercial free. Now she can decide when she will view a popular show and she can record one show while watching another. She says she even has perfected a technique to record two shows at once.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Summer Introductions

From Casual Living, Courtney Mueller highlights new products at the summer gift shows. Here we are some new items from vendors we carry that will make a splash this summer.

Metal figures from Palecek are constructed of strip metal in open weave forms to create graceful woman designs.

CBK's Classic Bulging Design Lantern is highlighted by a mix of bamboo, wire and iron in a natural and black finish.

Palecek debuted additional outdoor-friendly designs, including the Bamboo club chair, crafted of bronze wrought iron with gold bamboo nodes accents. Suggested retail with outdoor fabric and cushions is $1,316


Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

The Back Deck

We've posted several times about The Resort Effect, the act of taking

the comforts of the house's interior to a nearby outdoor space, usually one that is attached to the house. This means plush furniture upholstered in weather-resistant fabric, a cooking area or heat source and a covering, such as a canopy, to keep the rain out.

Combine the comforts of home, outside, with plasma TV and expensive electronic games, not to mention stereo systems and you have created an Eden, a perfect world at home.

Not so fast says June Fletcher writing in the WSJ.

...some homeowners say they’re falling out of love with their expensively furnished backyards, which require hours of upkeep and costly repair. Others are abandoning the rooms altogether.

The backyard misery has been a boon for exterminators and repair shops. Fire ants nest in speakers and televisions. (They’re attracted to the hum and vibration.) Squirrels chew on the arms of teak furniture and on speaker wires. When expensive electronics come into contact with water, dust, pollen and heat, burnouts and other problems can occur.

Yes, every year I plant pots with new colorful annuals and Mike refinishes the deck every two years. I've even had to replace some clay pots that flake in the cold. In the fall, pots need to be moved closer to the house to keep plants from freezing and lots of summer nights one of us waters front and back.

While the answer may be Less is more, here in Oregon there is nothing like the back deck for a quiet place to read a book, dine, listen to the birds and the wind chime, and gather with friends. Some evenings we fondly recall our nicest evenings in Tuscany by hauling the dining room table outside. We invite the kids and grand kids over for dinner and conversation as the stars come out in the candlelight.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

The Klismos Chair

Klismos: Ancient Greek chair form with saber-shaped legs, splayed at the front with a concave back. Originally popular in the 18th century, the klismos chair saw a revived popularity in the 1940s in the work of designer T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings.



Carol Prisant in the July, 2007 issue of House Beautiful claims she is seeing this design frequently, lately. Originally it was designed in Greece and its popularity peaked around 400 B.C.. It was revived in the 18th century. You'll know a klismo by its concave top rail that cups your shoulders and four curved saberlike legs.



Furniture of Ancient Greece by by A. Whitham writes

The Klismos, used principally by women, was made with delicately curved back and legs. These features allowed the sitter to be in a freer and more natural position. According to Bishop (1979), the backs of these chairs, referred to as Stiles, were designed to the curvature of the back for comfort and extended to the shoulders. The Klismos, like most other furniture, was made of wood and not ornately decorated. In order to increase the comfort, cushions and animal skins were usually placed on the Klismos.

We have a variation of a klismos in our home, high curved back, curved legs, but ours has arms with an upholstered back, seat and arms. The wood is dark honey colored and I chose a black fabric with nickel sized gold polka dots. It's Mike's favorite chair for reading, feet propped on the ottoman.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Bonnie Trumbull, Season to Simplify

The Portland Tribune in Season to Simplify has a nice article about our friend Bonnie Trumbull of Bonnie Trumbull Interiors.

Trumbull says this time of year, we pack away our winter wardrobe and hang our summer clothes. It's time to lighten the interior of our homes and "It's a breeze to make the transformation."

We want to "create a cooler nest" and we do that by removing many small items that make the room feel "heavier." Removing area rugs automatically lightens a room as does changing out lampshades. Trumbull replaced a mohair throw with a cotton one. The object is to "get rid of the heavier texture. Open the windows to let in more light and remove the candles to the backyard for evening light. Finally, "she brought in seasonal color, placing purple spring flowers on the fireplace mantel and white hydrangeas near the window."

Bonnie Trumbull can be reached at (503) 697-8513 in Lake Oswego, OR.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery