"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

Bridget Otto Thursday

It's Bridget Otto Thursday and she's served up a double helping of interior design news.

In Free Style, Otto writes that some furniture retailers have on staff designers to help make your experience as "fun as buying shoes." Shelly Greenwood says, "We work best to educate the buyers so mistakes aren't made." She helps buyers with scale and balance. In store designers advice is free, but they do expect you "to make Informed purchases at their store.

In Refresher course, Otto writes about Sue Augustyn of SAID Interior Design working with clients Dez Young and Karenanne Smith, to rework older furniture and make a living room more inviting. You can see the results of her work in Homes & Gardens of the Northwest in Thursday's Oregonian.

The point I take away from these two articles, is good design can be free from instore designers or can be hired, but in both cases designers help you avoid mistakes, confirm your design choices and can help you with the budgeting.

At Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery, over 80% of our business is done with designers. If you want design help, we can refer you to designers we think will be in tune with your needs and budget. You will also find on our floor, furniture ranging from contemporary to transitional to traditional, all chosen by me, Beverly Landfair.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

The Garden - outdoor entertaining destination.

We've posted about The Resort Effect, the move to take the inside of your home to the outside. In fact,

Troy-Bilt, a leading manufacturer of lawn and garden equipment, predicts that in 2007, gardens will continue to be viewed as an extension of the family room and grow in their role as an outdoor entertaining destination.

Savvy Gardening has some tips for your garden that will get the neighborhood talking, and make it even cheerier and more relaxing for you in your back yard:

• Less is more - any small space can be a garden or used for experimentation. To me, less is more also means allowing plants some autonomy, rather than the cramped beds I see in many yards.
• Add a touch of flair - with bird feeders, fountains, waterfalls, ponds, statues, globes — even lights. Remember tip #1!
• Traditional container gardening is out - Although plants in pots are still popular, gardeners are beginning to mix and match colored pots with bunches of various plants and flowers for a drastic but simple backyard makeover.
• Color is in - Hot hues add contrast to a space and can help hide dull outdoor furniture.
• It’s about you - a garden is an extension of your home and should mimic your tastes.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Gardening
outdoor furniture
Bev & Mike

Green Homes

Last Sunday, I wrote about The Resort Effect and noted that

...creating a resort at home becomes more attractive as transportation costs climb.

Pure Contemporary in Behind the Curtains has an article about GE,
A blueprint for building green homes called ecomagination Homebuilder Program.

This new program helps residential developers and builders design homes that are not only comfortable, but that are more efficient in their energy consumption and indoor water consumption than industry–accepted average new homes.

[...]

In the last two years, natural gas costs have risen 42 percent and electricity costs have risen 17 percent, according to a report in Energy Source, March 2007.

Homebuyers are choosing energy efficient homes and look at some of the things provided:

• an interactive wall panel that provides current and historical feedback on electricity and water consumption.
• appliances that pair innovative energy efficiency with groundbreaking features and cutting–edge design.
• indoor and outdoor lighting that consumes up to 75% less electricity than standard incandescent lighting.
• if the home is equipped with solar power, this system is designed to produce power year after year and typically meets 20–30% of a home's electricity needs and works in conjunction with the local utility to provide complete service.

We complain about high energy costs and our leaders declare goals of ending our energy dependency, however, those higher costs are spurring development of new products to ease our energy consumption and giving us greater control over our environments. All that R&D would not have found a market if energy prices stayed low. Some predict a future of $100 to $200 oil.

I'm not worried. I look forward to electric cars and zero point energy.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Lamps & Lighting
GreenHomes
Bev & Mike

Neighborhood Notes and The Pearl

Neighborhood Notes takes exception to The Oregonian describing Landfair Furniture's move, in Storefronts, as a move to the North Pearl Design District

...becoming known as the Design District, with Globe Lighting, Bedford Brown, Kravet and other related businesses within a few blocks of one another

She notes

While I understand the need to market the North Pearl, I think it's a mistake to label that small section as the one that specializes in design when we have a huge home furnishings group peppered throughout the neighborhood. It's like saying that the area around the armory is "the gallery district" because of a few galleries in close proximity to each other.

The North Pearl Design District leans to To the Trade and is easy for interior designers to make many stops and the area is very accessable via freeways from anywhere in the city. Landfair Furniture does 80% of its business with designers. However, we welcome home furnishing and accessory shoppers and are in a position to recommend designer help if needed.

Neighborhood Notes is correct that there is a huge home furnishings group spread throughout The Pearl. There are walking tour maps of the area to help you discover all that The Pearl offers. Many are having sales, as she notes, this Memorial Day weekend. For a full list of home furnishings stores see Your Guide to the Pearl District.

As for Landfair Furniture this day, we are closed Saturday through Monday. My first three day weekend since before the move and I would like to spend some time around the house with Mike, planting tomatos and basil, b-b-qing, and enjoying the first dry Memorial Day weekend in the last six years.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

HomeFurnishings Bev & Mike

Storefronts

by ANNE LAUFE

LANDFAIR FURNITURE AND DESIGN GALLERY

What's new: This spacious furniture store, the first tenant in the new Pearl Design Center, opened in March on the northern edge of the Pearl District.

Where & when: 1636 N.W. 15th Ave. at Savier Street under the Fremont Bridge, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

What's cool: Landfair carries an eclectic array of home furnishings -- from traditional to contemporary -- from designers such as J.D. Chamberlain, Sherrill, Rowe and Hekman. It also plans to add a line of durable, affordable children's furniture.

Who: Beverly and Michael Landfair opened their first store on Macadam Avenue in Southwest six years ago. Beverly says she travels to High Point, N.C. -- "the daddy of all markets for furniture buyers" -- every six months.

Why here: When the Landfairs lost the lease on their first store, they looked around for something bigger and more accessible. This section of the Pearl is becoming known as the Design District, with Globe Lighting, Bedford Brown, Kravet and other related businesses within a few blocks of one another.

Quote: "We have animal crackers out and water in the fridge," Beverly Landfair says. "We try to make it kind of homey." Get in touch: 503-245-4222

ANNE LAUFE Have a Storefronts tip? Send details to Portland@news.oregonian.com

Oregon Passes New Bottle Bill, Artists Deprived

Beginning Jan. 1, 2009, Oregonians will have to plunk down a nickel deposit on every bottle of water they buy. Yes, the Oregon House passed the Oregon Bottle Bill. The Senate passed a similar bill, so Oregon will recycle instead of dumping.

Oregonians buy nearly 200 million bottles of water each year and most are not recycled. The state Department of Environmental Quality estimates that Oregonians trash as many as 126 million bottles every year.

Over at Fabulously Green, we see that artists have been creative with these plastic bottles:

Aartist Michelle Brand was inspired by the bottom of Dasani water bottles.

The inspiration for these plastic petals were found at the bottom of a bottle--literally. Turn your empty Dasani bottle upside down and voila--a botanically inspired base. Michelle cuts, sands, and strings together recycled bottles to create this light catching fabric.

You can only do so much with 200,000,000 bottles. It's about time!

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Woman Power: Are You Surprised?

C.B Whittemore posting at Flooring The Consumer writes that "Women hold the power of the sale". A big change is coming to retail in the world of retail:

Consider this: The majority of retail operates in a world designed, owned and managed by men for women consumers.

Whittemore says these retail establishments are "not connecting with their woman customer."

Connecting successfully means truly understanding who that person is, how she interacts with your store and what value she obtains from you. Although she may have tolerated the way things have been, she increasingly prefers environments that recognize her, welcome her and acknowledge her as having the means to make significant purchases.

Consider, also,

• Women represent 51 percent of the overall population

• Women are better educated than men

• Sixty percent of women work.

• In 55 percent of US households, women make half (or more) of their family’s income. Thirty percent of women out-earn their husbands

• Women are the major purchase decision makers for home furnishings

• Women carry 76 million credit cards

• Women are more profitable than men.

• Women are more brand oriented than men

• AND...women are more likely to give referrals!

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

May 17th Open House

Beverly (left) and sister Carol celebrate Open House on May17th at Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery in the Pearl Design Center.

Beverly and husband Michael look proud of their creation.

Shakti Space Designs

On May 20th we posted about Organizing tips from Mary Carol Garrity in Organizing: Think outside the basket, One of Garrity's suggestions for organizing was to create a message center in your home and suggested painting a door to look like a chalkboard.

Lo and behold I find out about Lucinda R. Henry owner of Shakti Space Designs, LLC. Lucinda does Custom Wall Finishes, Old World Plasters and Murals. Glancing through her site I see a chalkboard as described, only done by Lucinda at Shakti Space Designs.



Lucinda Henry can be reached at 503.998.2411 and is Licensed, Bonded & Insured
OR: #154545 WA: #SHAKTSD949N3

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Bib Aprons, A Great Impulse Item

Recently. I posted about impulse items in The $80 tube of Toothpaste. The secret to high priced toothpaste, that the big box stores use, is the careful placement of impulse items. Today, I learned that Popularity of aprons is remarkable

Long, short, frilly or barbecue-style, the apron has withstood the test of time, becoming a cultural icon of sorts.

In Arizona, local retailers suggest

● A floral-print half apron, embellished with two bold blue butterflies, brings a festive and springy look to the kitchen.

● Soft ruffles, hand embroidery and delicate floral cutouts on all-white fabric create a crisp, classic and feminine look for an old-fashioned afternoon tea or other special occasion.

● Mommy's or Daddy's little helper can practice cooking while looking adorable in a pint-sized apron

● Vibrant flowers, birds and metallic braiding

For me, I like the solid bib-apron.

A little web checking provides information that a dozen white aprons can be purchased for $48 a dozen. Most aprons sell in the $30 to $35 area. A logo can be added and you have a great impulse item. Can you believe it? People will pay you to advertise your store.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery