Color Pulse 2009

Last night, hosted at the Lawrence Gallery, was Color Pulse 2009 attended by over 375 interior designers. Giving her fourth annual presentation, and the second annual in Portland, on the future of color, Color Director Doty Horn of Benjamin Moore wowed the audience with her pictures of things to come.
"Benjamin Moore's North American creative team continues to track emerging and cutting edge trends from around the world. For 2009, the overarching theme is Simplicity. Simplicity is intuitive and pure. It is Genius, It is essential in the world that we live in today and in the future. Color Pulse 2009 recognizes Simplicity in 4 distinct translations:

• Raw - you can see evidence of "Raw" in basic fibers, grays, sand colors, white tones, galvanized metals and warm gold metals. Raw reflects the green movement, where things are reused and recycled. It's authentic, honest, pared down.
• Urban Silence - It's slowing down, listening to nature, except nature is now the city and we will be bringing more of nature, trees and foliage, into our home and work environment. It's "slow food", unsight dining. Colors will tend to intense greens with a yellow base, mixed with cork, enlivened with copper and finishes will look wet or slick. Horn referred to this Urban Silence as an Amish ethic or Organic.
• Simplexity - one pattern that is repetitive, bringing order to chaos. Simplexity is where walls become fluid and fabrics become rigid. You see the colors mentioned above, but blackened; colors with complex undercurrents. Think origami and folding.
• Private Identity - our world is coming under influences from outside, think Spanish, Mexican, Latino, Dubai, think cultural fusion, YET, you want to maintain your identity. Maybe we see that in the tattooing or high end "one offs"

Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery is proud to have once again helped sponsor Color Pulse. If you want more information, buy the book Benjamin Moore Color Pulse 2009:

Bev & MIke

Fresh 'green' designs from the October High Point Market

One trend out of Highpoint that is gaining momentum is "green" or "eco-friendly". FURNITURE/Today writes,

A wave of fresh, new eco-friendly “green” furniture – both wood and upholstery -- was introduced at the October High Point Market. The introductions reflected the growing interest in furnishings made of sustainably harvested woods, organic cottons and other natural or recycled materials.

Here are three highlights from Furniture/Today’s showroom visits during market that are vendors to Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery.

An organic hopsack of bamboo, linen, cotton and hemp from Molteni and 100% hemp fabrics from Enviro Textiles, respectively, are showcased on a new slipper sectional and mid-century lounge chair from Palecek Furniture.

The Phillips Collection’s Vine console is crafted from twisting and turning natural vines, carefully assembled to create an ecologically friendly design. Finished with a glass top, each piece is unique.

Rowe launched its Eco-Rowe collection at the fall market, including the Paige sofa in a cover of 100% hemp with a sustainable wood frame and eco-down cushion

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

A Triptych On Luxury

Mike has written three articles for his blog The Landfair Retail Focus on Home Accents Today's website concerning the luxury consumer:

The Luxury Consumer - Who are the luxury consumers? Where are they? Why focus on them?

The Luxury Consumer's Toys

Luxury Items As Gifts - I am not so sure it (buying luxury gifts) is “the latest fad”. I am beginning to think there may be a “clamour” for luxury for another reason. We are told by analysts, on talking-head TV shows, that there is no inflation; that excluding food and energy, the core rate of inflation is only 2% or so. I believe we are seeing a movement to hard assets; things that hold value.

Mike says he will continue writing about luxury consumers, including interviews with key players, coming soon.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Michelle Fernando: Home & Garden Blog

We are adding Smarter.com Home & Garden Blog to our blogroll. Michelle Fernando has an uncanny eye for the unusual and beautiful furniture and accessories.

Check out what would be my Mom's furniture from hell, “A Chair Only Medusa Would Love”.

But, also, check out this round table Michelle found from DB Fletcher Design that gains or loses size in 30 seconds:



The average price of the table ranges from $49,700 and $69,600!

And, finally, check out these luxury wooden tubs from Laguna





The table and tubs will be a wonderful addition to the yacht.

PS, LF + DG does not have a vendor agreement with either manufacturer, but with firm orders in hand, we will be happy to make contact.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

New at High Point Market

From FURNITURE Today,

Fresh product on tap for the High Point Market A desire for casual living and the need for modern style blend this market to create a soft contemporary that seems — like the Energizer bunny — to keep going and going. New styles avoid being fussy but at the same time are anything but frumpy. Upholstery textures are soft and, with microfiber and performance fabrics, forgiving. And finishes seem to center on warm, soft brown tones rather than the starker black of previous markets. It’s great stuff for the family room and den — perfect for gatherings of family and friends.

Some vendors singled out that Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery proudly carry are:

ROWE FURNITURE

The Caren settee, 69 inches long, is aimed at the space-conscious consumer. Part of the company’s Mini Mod collection, the piece will retail for about $750.

PALECEK

Inspired by Swedish mid-century designs, this new chair from Palecek is constructed of plantation-grown wood and uses the newest green fabrics.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

New Team Effort

FURNITURE Today and Home Accents Today have teamed up and on October 22nd will bring you FT Tube & HAT Tube. It will put you in some of the top showrooms from the Fall 2007 Highpoint Furniture Market. You'll see new products and hear about what those featured companies are doing to help your business

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

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