More About Feng Shui

Here's a follow-up to a post Feng Shui Made Simple:

Feng Shui Flow and Colors

There are basically nine different aspects each of which has specific colors and materials associated with it that the Chinese believed were important and influenced by your surroundings.

Those aspects included:

• Prosperity which relies on the color purple and uses wood or water as its primary textures.
• Reputation or how successful you are which has the color red and the elements of fire and wood.
• Love and Relationships which is reflected by the color pink and has the earth and fire as elements.
• Family which relies on the colors green, black, and blue and trusts only in the ever changing form of water.
• Health which features shades of yellow, brown or orange and has both earth and fire at its heart.
• Creativity and children or offspring tones of yellow and subtle earth tones are used here with the element of metal to add strength.
• Knowledge and Skill colors of black and green with the earth to balance them.
• Travel and Friendly assistance stark whites and blacks with materials of either metal or water are used here.
• Career aspects of career use the colors blue and white and rely on the strength of metal to reinforce them.

Home Decorating Reviews continually comes up with articles of interest to Interior designers and DIYs.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Furnish

Like furniture porn, the new book Furnish: Furniture and Interior Design for the 21st Century is over 200 pages of full-color photos of design objects made by the world's brightest furniture stars. With work by emerging designers such as Jason Miller, Joris Laarman, &made and Jamie Hayon, as well as by more established names like Tord Boontje, Tom Dixon and Hella Jongerius, the images will look familiar to anyone who follows contemporary design.

Chopped up, pieced together, deconstructed, ironic, patched over, mutated and irreverent, the furniture in the book gives an overall sense of ever-reigning post-modern influences and plenty of art-as-design. Rather than organize Furnish by designer (a more conventional choice), each well-curated section points out specific trends like "Transformation and Hybrids" and "Limited Edition."



Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

HGTV Design Star

Sunday, July 22 begins the second season of HGTV Design Star.

The die is cast, the expert judging panel is back and 11 finalists have been selected to compete during the second season of the original interior design competition, "HGTV Design Star." It's anyone's guess which finalist will walk away with the coveted prize - his or her own show on HGTV... (emphasis added)

[...]

As with the series' first hit season, fans can expect captivating challenges that stretch the creativity, ingenuity and skills of the designers, artists, stylists, architects and craftsmen who aspire to host a television show.

Does this have the appeal of American Idol? Probably not, but I can see a lot of designers tuning in to gauge the competition and measure themselves.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Portable lighting

Courtney Mueller writes in Casual Living,

Outdoor lighting has evolved over the past five years, resulting in the creation of more elegant, sophisticated tabletop lamps for outdoor. Weatherproof shades, cords and bases combine to round out the outdoor living experience.

One Company singled out is this lamp from Frederick Cooper, a vendor supplying Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery.

The Thatcher teak lamp from Frederick Cooper stands with a square baluster shape complemented by black marble accents and a beeswax round stretch shade.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

In Step & In Style

Don't miss this article by Erin Hoover Barnett in "inPORTLAND": Uptown style, downtown address/Victoria Taylor keeps The Mercantile fashion-forward amid change, including an impending move.

At Christmas time all the presents were wrapped for the family, Mike's Mom and Dad, our daughters and the grandkids, my Mom and Dad and my brothers and sisters. Now it was our time. We went downtown and the first place we stopped was The Mercantile on the corner of 7th and Park. Mike found a sweater for me in a style unlike any I had ever seen in a wonderful gray-brown color. It fit perfectly and I could dress it up, wear it to work or dress it down and wear it with jeans. We asked the very helpful sales woman to hold it for us while we continued shopping.

Mike looked across the street at the big hole in the ground and then saw the Virginia Cafe up the block next to The Merc and said that Tom Moyers new highrise will be taking out this block. He wondered how long The Merc will be at this location and where they will move.

Barnett's article gives us a history of the store and owner Victoria Taylor. Victoria is one year older than me. She was born in 1949. She bought the store in 1975, at 25. Don't worry about losing The Mercantile to progress. The PDC is wooing her to stay downtown and has invited her to partake of low-interest loans.

Victoria Taylor's advice on Suceeding as a shop owner:

* The store is an extension of yourself.
* Know your customer by spending a lot of time on the floor.
* Listen to what your customer wants.
* Believe in what you are selling.
* Be able to wear every hat that business requires.
* Build good relationships with your vendors.
* Learn how to sell.
* You must be able to invest the hours to make it a success.
* Remember, it's not a museum; the clothes have to go out the door.

The last thing we did that night shopping was to stop back in to The Mercantile. The special sweater was waiting and my husband added it to his Christmas presents for me.

I've already circled Victoria's picks for spring and The Mercantile can expect a visit soon:

Lightweight trench coat

The new "little" dress (Hint: It's not black)

Dolman-sleeve tunic top

Straight-leg jean, white for sure

Extra-long tanks and T-shirts

At-the-knee shorts

Lacoste polo shirt, the new fit (longer, more buttons)

Flirty skirt

Multistrand bracelets and hoop earrings

Extra-wide belt

Missoni anything, for the color -- Victoria Taylor (as translated by fashion apprentice Erin Hoover Barnett

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Kitchen Remodel in Dolph Park

Ruth Mullen has an article about how Caryn Urata of Arciform worked with Peter and Mary Osterberg, inspired by Art Deco graphics, to update a 50s kitchen in Dolph Park.

Mary and Peter Osterberg lived with their functional but oh-so-'50s kitchen for four years before they felt ready to remodel. Then, it seemed, everything just fell into place; their prized Art Deco table and chairs, for instance, which they discovered at a local vintage store. Photo by Marv Bondarowicz THE OREGONIAN

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Bridget A Otto: Sliding Into Loft Design

Bridgett A Otto has an interesting article about Gary Lee and Jack Messick founders of ConstructaVision and the use sliding barnlike doors in lofts to solve the problem of privacy for their clients.

Ann Laman of Soderberg Laman Designers came to them asking for a sliding barnlike door that would make a bedroom area private...

[...]

(Lee and Messick) found that making the sliders out of frosted glass allowed light to pass through without compromising privacy. By not using a floor track, they avoided any sign of a retracted door, save for the frame it hangs from.

SCREENPLAY: Sliding doors close off a bedroom from the living space in Ed Tonkin's loft in the Eliot Tower. The design of the door echoes the glass-and-metal design of the loft's expansive windows. Marv Bondarowicz THE OREGONIAN

[...]

The two men, both native Oregonians, seem half shocked by the demand for their sliding doors and how it has led them to develop other loft furnishings that emphasize efficient use of space.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Bridget Otto Thursday on Saturday

On Bridget A Otto Thursday, our friend Julie DeJardin was featured in Otto's Going With The Flow.

David Hyser and Nancy Werner sought a lifestyle change and "engineered" a move to Portland from Chicago in 2004.

Their realtor was "horrified" at their choice of house to purchase due to its "issues":

There was no flow between the kitchen and the living/dining room. Homemade built-in shelving crowded the living area. Flooring changed from tile at the entry to carpet in the living/dining room to laminate in the kitchen. A dropped ceiling and poor use of space made the kitchen uninviting. Poor-quality window casings detracted from the windows in the living/dining room.

The couple interviewed a number of interior designers and found that Julie DeJardin fit them the best "because they felt confident she would listen to them."

Isn't that one of the most important things in working with people? Our clients want to know that we are listening and have empathy with them. That doesn't mean we give up control over the process, but we let them know how the solution we propose fits with their needs as they expressed them.

"This whole space now is contemporary and minimalist and engaging," says DeJardin. "It is now more simple and more beautiful."

Hyser and Werner agree.

"We're thrilled," Werner says.

And that's the goal of a good designer.

Julie DeJardin OWNER: DeJardin Design
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 15
SPECIALTY: Kitchens and baths
STYLE TOUCH: "I really work to personalize the space to the individual," DeJardin says.
CONTACT: 1500 S.W. Fifth Ave., Portland; 503-768-4540; www.dejardin.net

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Storage Beds

We received a call the other day from a woman seeking a bed with drawers underneath, a storage bed. This article by Amanda Somers caught my eye:

Talking of beds, there are times we all crave for more space to store everyday bedroom articles. You know, those heavy blankets, matching curtains, cushions and the like.

Storage beds fit the practical ideals of viability and functionality and serve the purpose of small spaces to near perfection. ...a neat and tidy bedroom is the dream of almost every home.

We found a storage bed at BermanFALK, the Sonoma storage bed. It is solid birch with dove-tailed self closing drawers. It also comes in a variety of finishes and in three sizes.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Floors and furniture... made from cow manure

We are all for "Green", however I'm a little concerned if this gets wet!

Home-buyers of tomorrow could find themselves walking across floors made from manure.

That's no cow pie-in-the-sky dream, according to researchers at Michigan State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

They say fiber from processed and sterilized cow manure could take the place of sawdust in fiberboard, which is used to make everything from furniture to flooring to store shelves.

And the resulting product smells just fine.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + design Gallery

Haunted Furniture

I was checking out furniture blogs and came across this chair, perfect for Halloween. I thought I'd seen about everything!



I don't know if they will accept COM. Hat tip to Cool And Modern Furniture.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Hot products in High Point

Courtney Mueller in Casual Living outlines some of the hot products at High Point:

This month marks the first early start for the High Point Market, held March 26-April 1 in High Point, N.C. The change doesn't have any effect on the variety of outdoor products featured at the show. From outdoor lighting to full-scale casual furniture collections, there will be plenty to see in the Furniture Capital.

Several vendors whose furniture is carried at Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery are singled out:

Part of the Outdoorables line of outdoor lighting, Frederick Cooper's The Golden Stalk lamp is crafted from unique porcelain with hand-painted Tuscan leaves over black marble, topped with a sesame fabric round stretch shade.

Palecek's Al Fresco Marina Collection features a unique variegated gray and brown finish over an all-weather weave.

CBK's garden-style bench, formed with wire and iron, has an antique gold finish with a scroll design, creating an elegant piece for the outdoors.

Bev & Mike

Rowe Furniture Back In Action

From FURNITUREToday,

Last market, buyers were shying away from long-established Rowe, reluctant to place orders with a company that had filed for bankruptcy protection and was widely believed to be looking at liquidation.

This market, the 60-year-old midpriced upholstery producer, acquired by a high-powered investment company with close ties to the furniture industry, is back in action with new money behind it and a whole new attitude.

Stefanie Lucas, named last week as president of Rowe, said that new product is available,

including a collection in its Robin Bruce line from designers outside the industry, who were commissioned...to put a fresh face on Rowe’s offerings.

The designers, Silvano Banfi, Frank Zambrelli and Banfi Zambrelli, have designed for such fashion-forward companies as Judith Leiber, Calvin Klein and Coach. The group has never done furniture and approached the task like it was a big, empty canvas, Lucas said.

Lucas said it helps to be a woman as president of Rowe, because she is a target customer of Rowe's marketing.

Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery carries Rowe, with its lower price point, as a complement to Sherrill and Duralee.

Bev & Mike

Fundamental Southwest

From Home Accents Today,

Color and texture capture the essence of the Southwest, while contemporary designs keep things clean and simple for urban living.

* A desert-inspired, burnt earth palette carries the look without added adornment or fuss.

* Subtle animal inspirations and rustic touches replace overt references to the region’s culture.

* Natural wood grains and unpolished materials keep the look from becoming overly refined.

One company singled out is The Phillips Collection:

Reclaimed wood and vines take on the appearance of sun-bleached animal bone in Driftwood Decor sculptures from The Phillips Collection.

You can see more at The Phillips Collection website or at Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery on the corner of NW 15th and Savier.

Bev & Mike

BERMANFALK: New At Market

Phi, The Golden Ratio

Designers use Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese practice of placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with the environment. Some designers are, also using "Phi", a mathematical concept, a ratio, an aesthetically pleasing proportion of one length to another.

Phi is the ratio that results when a line is divided in one particular way. That ratio is sometimes called the golden ratio, the divine proportion or the signature of God because the resulting proportions are so aesthetically pleasing and show up again and again in nature.

Picture a line divided into two segments.



If the line is divided at exactly the right point according to phi, then the ratio of the longer segment to the shorter one is exactly the same as the ratio of the whole line to the longer segment. In our illustration, the proportions of the red and blue segments are exactly the same as the proportions of the whole line and the red segment.

Inscribing a square in a golden rectangle leaves another golden rectangle. Setting up quarter circles in each of the squares create very nice spirals

The Akron Beacon Journal has an article about two designers using phi in their space planning.

Phi, they say, yields interiors that are more calming and inviting than any arrangement they could devise themselves.

Interior designers study phi in their basic course work.

A good interior designer -- one who's trained in design, not just a decorator -- will incorporate phi into the proportions of a room.

"One of the reasons phi works...is it results in arrangements with a pleasing kind of asymmetry."

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Phi Golden Ratio Interior Design Bev & Mike

The dangers of watching design TV

Karla Hollencamp of Cox News Service writes about the dangers of watching design TV. They make it look easy on the "make-over TV prgrams, so before you begin a project ask your self some questions:

Do I have the time?

Any serious remodeling project takes more than a couple of weekends.

Do I have the tools?

Do I have the talent?

Carpentry, electrical work and plumbing require special skills. Interior design isn’t just picking a paint colour. Custom upholstery doesn’t just happen. These professions are a combination of knowledge and experience.

Do I have the treasury?

Hollencamp writes

Your mistakes will not only cost you time, they will cost you money. If you are trying to save money, this is frustrating.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

ABCs of interior design for children

Kip Farmer writes an informative article at Courier Press entitled ABCs of interior design for children. She He writes

The challenge of creating a child's personal space is among the most freeing of all design experiences.

Approach your child's space as a designer with a very special client. Observe your child playing, ask her questions, and remember when you were a child yourself. A little childlike thinking will lead to a unique space. By all means, think outside the toy box when decorating this important area.

She He offers a number "ABCs" for decorating a child's room and here are a few of my favorites.

• Framing your child's artwork adds color and motion into the space, while building a little self-esteem and pride in his room.

• Quit buying sets of furniture for your child's room. Mix styles to develop a more individual space.

• Walls are (sooner or later) made to be scribbled on, so paint a few with chalkboard paint to make an appropriate area for this creative impulse.

Read Mr. Farmer's article for all 26 tips.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Rustic Bedding Designs

Home Accents today highlights Pendleton Woolen Mills.

Sparked by a nostalgic, back-to-nature sentiment, designers are inspired by native cultural styles and embracing indigenous materials. Rustic bedding designs, inspired by traditional Navajo weaving, highlight the vibrant palette and rich textures of the old Southwest.

In a lively collection from Pendleton Woolen Mills, coral and turquoise come together to create a fresh Southwestern look in the traditional Los Ojos style.

Always nice to see an Oregon company get noticed!

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Bridget A Otto: Function Sans Formality

Bridget A Otto writes that the Teri Barichello, owner of a Lair Hill Condo, hires Amanda Klash, owner and principal designer of Montgomery Klash Interior Design and Emma McMacken a designer at the firm to help with the functions of a dual living and dining room

while also making the room comfortable for both entertaining and solitary relaxation. It's also likely that Barichello won't stay in the condo and that furnishings will have a future life in a larger space.

Klash and McMacken worked with shape and texture:

Differing heights and textures keep the room interesting and the eye moving from one thing to another.

The squarish furnishings are offset by round tables and round lampshades. In the square dining area, for example, Klash placed a round dining table on a square rug. Small round occasional tables are tucked among the larger seating pieces.

"The eye has to find things," McMacken says, and this can be a challenge in a small space.

What I picked up from the article was the idea that we get used to seeing a space a certain way and get closed off to alternative ways. A designer can help see things in a new way. Teri Barichello said,

"I have lived for YEARS with nearly no furniture. I was so accustomed to an empty space that the night I got home after the furniture came, I almost had a breakdown. It was overwhelming. The pieces I had been most excited about were the pieces that, once delivered, I had the most doubt about."

Klash was leaving on vacation the next day and asked Barichello to please live with the change for more than one night. When she returned, Klash promised, she'd fix anything Barichello still didn't like.

"She was absolutely right," Barichello says now. "I just needed to get used to seeing 'things' in what used to be one very empty space.

The design firm is located in its retail shop, MKID, at 1111 S.W. Alder St.; 503-224-7797 www.montgomeryklash.com.