Interested In A Better Sex Life?

I've heard it said, The secret to a great sex life lies between your ears."

Now there's news from the Better Sleep Council (BSC) that the real secret for a better sex life is under the sheets! According to new findings from a national survey by BSC, consumers revealed that investing in a new mattress can lead to a 26% improvement in your sex life. It also tells us that new mattress buyers experienced an improvement in sleep quality (52%), intimacy (40%), and personal health (27%). Now if I had put "sleep quality" first would you still be reading this far?

The BSC has a few questions to help you evaluate your current mattress and EASE you into a new mattress if needed:

Do you wake up with aches and pains?
Are you getting a better night’s rest somewhere other than your own bed?

Then Arm yourself with information to make the best decision.

Shop to find the right mattress to suit your individual needs, and be sure to “test drive” your new mattress when shopping in the store.

Ensure that you get the most out of your mattress with quality care. Make sure your new mattress and foundation are properly installed in your home, and be sure to use a good quality, washable mattress pad to protect your bedding system.

Bev & Mike (Recent buyers of a bowling ball, pillow top mattress)
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

A Double Helping of Bridget A. Otto (2)

In the second helping of Bridget A Otto, we meet Kim Foren who owns Geranium Lake Flowers.

BOLD AND BRASSY / This twig wreath wrapped in a shawl of fine copper mesh and accessorized with a garland of beads is the creation of Kim Foren of Geranium Lake Flowers. She loosely tucked ornaments and the garland into the twigs, then added the foot-wide mesh in a blowsy effect. Foren used floral wire to anchor it as needed. In Foren's mantel display, varied textures and heights keep the interest level buzzing. Dusty-copper pillars line up with radiant votives to throw a warm glow amid wired ribbons of copper, chocolate and tawny bronze.

In Dazzled By Copper, I was reminded of the Color Pulse 2009 event that predicts colors for more than a year out. Color Director Doty Horn of Benjamin Moore told us colors will tend to intense greens with a yellow base, mixed with cork, enlivened with copper and finishes will look wet or slick.

Here and here and here in pictures by Marv Bondarowicz is exactly what Horn was talking about.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

A Double Helping of Bridget A. Otto (1)

A friend of ours, member of NWSID, and interior designer, Deb Seeley, is featured by Bridget Otto in this feature about the Rowzee's need for space in a cramped NE Portland bungalow.

The single-story house with finished basement had been recently renovated, but the Southern transplants felt squeezed in the home's 840 square feet of main-floor living space.

The basement was the only place for their large-screen TV, cozy chairs and dining table -- an annoying situation at best.

Somehow, the couple found Deb Seeley of Deb Seeley Designs. She started with a questionnaire that outlined the couples goals and lifestyle. From that starting point, Seeley came up with a plan for a master bed room, a bigger shower, storage space, a dining room on the main floor and colors for the rooms.

It takes a special kind of talent to elicit these kind of comments from Robert and Elaine Rowzee

Elaine was blown away by the built-ins. "It was just phenomenal... It was way beyond what I ever expected."

Robert says their new retreat is exactly what he wanted but couldn't quite verbalize -- or visualize.

"For me, I really didn't have a vision of what I wanted. There was a feeling and it was hard to express that. This is it. . . . I wanted somewhere that would feel like a retreat. Somewhere sort of cozy and warm in the winter and cool in the summer. . . . I come down here and feel like, ahhh . .

Click here and here for pdfs of the pictures Marv Bondarowicz took.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Jamie Oliver: COOK with Jamie

Color me perplexed! I'm browzing through the latest House Beautiful, and there on page 56 in the December issue, is Jamie Oliver, once known as the naked chef. He has a new book out, COOK with Jamie, and on the cover of the book (and this is what caught my eye in the magazine) is a picture of Jamie with a butcher knife stuck, point first, in the butcher block counter!

One day I was cooking in the kitchen and Mike asked if he could help. I said sure and gave him a knife and he started to chop carrots. When he was done, as a goof, he stuck the point in the butcher block island he was cutting on. He pulled it out and then re-stuck it.

I said that was no way to treat a good knife and pulled it out, only I did not pull it straight out, but off to the side and broke the tip off; about a 1/16 of an inch.

I immediately saw red and blamed Michael. He admitted he shouldn't have stuck it, but said it was my fault. I didn't pull it out correctly. He said he would buy me a new knife for Christmas.

But now, we have Jamie showing off in the magazine and on the cover of his new book. Is it just the little boy that comes out when men get around knives?

I'm reading great reviews of the book. I have to have it. Penelope Green in House Beautiful says It is a happy, happy thing, a cookbook to be savored and read, generous in tone and spirit, like cookbooks published by two other terrific English sensualists, Nigella Lawson and Nigel Slater. Oliver promises it is "my guide to making you a better cook."

What's Michael to think when he sees the cover? Maybe, I can find one of those covers we used for books in college. Or maybe, I should show the cover to Michael, and have a good laugh!

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Nika Stewart Advice For The Holidays

Nika Stewart, the designer success coach, asks a good question in an email today!

How can you enjoy the holidays when you have so much to get done for other people? And how can you possibly be expected to also promote your business during this busy time?

Most of us don't. When we are busy with a lot of design projects, we don't have the time to do our regular business promotions. Some designers think: "I would like to do some promotions, but I simply can't find the time now."

Stewart says you must find the time and suggests some ways to see to your marketing efforts:

Set it and forget it - if you advertise in newspapers or magazines, use long term contracts, so your advertising doesn't lapse. She contends that ads build a foundation. If you stop because you are busy and then restart, you have to build the foundation from scratch.

Email newsletters - If you send out newsletters, don't neglect this month. To save time, you can recycle an old article (like I just did!). You don't need to write anything new. The most important thing is to get the newsletter out!

Just make a phone call - a wish for happy holidays to your best customers is quick and promotes good feelings. And what a great time of year to do that (bonuses are received now, and homeowners are fantasizing about what to spend theirs on)!

Bev & Mike wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

"Related Feature.

We Had Fun At Stanley 101!

Bev was very pleased to have so many interior designers and their clients attend Wednesday night's Stanley 101.

We added Stanley Furniture to our growing list of furniture vendors since the move to the Pearl and larger quarters. Bev thought it might be fun to get together over wine, pizza and Oreo cookies to learn about one of America;s finest furniture manufacturers whose website says

Stanley Furniture Company is known for creating timeless furniture that is practical, beautiful and stays relevant even as your taste and lifestyle changes.

Some things we learned that night:

• Stanley is an American company and the furniture is made in the U.S.
• Stanley ships fast - if the piece chosen is in stock, it will ship in 7 to 10 days. That's very important to many clients who don't want to wait six to eight weeks for special order deliveries.
• Stanley has a remarkable online presence with links to:

How furniture is Made
Construction Features
Color Coordination
How to Do a Floor Plan
Signs of Quality
Finishes

• Stanley has a drill down catalog on line. Find the room you are interested in, then the particlar furniture items. Do you want a dining room table? What shape? What size? Do you want to see it's dimensions? Large pictures of the piece? Do want to see it with other furniture? Basically, you have Stanley's catalog on line and the MSRP Prices.
• Finally, Stanley has introduced the Young America line - Young America easily adapts to these changes, and grows right along with your children. Imagine you can go from the changing station to toddler to teenager:

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

H2Okinetic Technology

The world from our perspective is going "green". The buzz words are eco-friendly and sustainable. We wonder, are at this point because the newspapers have emphasized the concept of global warming or the concept of "peak oil" or because of the droughts in various parts of the country. Whatever the reason, manufacturers are developing new technologies that give us greater comfort and a reduction in the use of resources.

Take for example, this innovation from Delta, H2Okinetic Technology™

By controlling the water’s shape, velocity and thermal dynamics, Delta Faucet Company has reinvented the showering experience — creating a warmer, more luxurious spray that blankets the body, giving the feeling of a high-flow shower with less water.

We don't want to take a shower under a low-flow shower head to save water and we certainly don't want to take a cooler shower to save energy.

It seems clear to us that we will be seeing more innovations in our cars, our homes, and our clothing to help us do more with less.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Bridget A Otto Thursday Two

The second article by Bridget Otto concerns the use and application of metallic paints. In the recent Color Pulse 2009 presentation at the Lawrence Gallery, we were told that galvanized metals and warm gold metal, copper and silver were the colors we would be seeing in 2009.

In this article Susan Lura Macdonald of Habitat Studio explains how these metallic paints are to be supplied. You can see an example of her work in this pdf, photos taken by Marv Bondarowicz.

It is real tough, I think, to paint a wall with these paints. Mike and I tried having it done in our bathroom several years ago and Mike has never been pleased with it. I don't think our painter was used to the paint and tried traditional applications. Not a good idea.

I had contact with another artist not long ago, and was struck by her work. Her name is Lucinda Henry of Shakti Space Designs Ms Henry can be reached at 503.998.2411

The old fireplace in this lovely Portland bungalow home was very ugly stone most likely installed in the 60s. The contractor built up the fireplace, covered with wallboard and skimmed it out. Then came time for our magic... a pounded copper faux finish leaving the client with a custom, unique treatment that blends in with their decor.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Bridget A Otto Thursday

We always look forward to Thursday, because, you guessed it, it's Bridget A Otto Thursday. Because she writes about real interior designers faced with real problems, and the designers are local, we get a kick out of giving everyone a little extra publicity. Our blog has steadily acquired more visitors each year who read what we write and these visitors come from all over the world.
This week Bridget has out done herself with two articles in Homes & Gardens of the Northwest (HGNW)and the first article, The Power of Color has three parts.

We found a woman who finally did away with her bland white walls, another who made her dark living room pop and a man who fearlessly captured the spirit of the Mediterranean in his Northeast bungalow.

Cathy Elkins had a home with bland white walls. She tried opaint samples on her own, but it wasn't just right so,

She turned to Patrick McGill, paint consultant at Pearl Hardware. He toured Elkins' home, took note of her furnishings, art and light, and came up with a palette for nearly every room, not just the kitchen.

Read what she says about her prints after the transformation.

In Muntaquim Chowdhury's home, the Bangladesh-born Intel engineer's love of color and adventure is painted on the walls and ceilings of every room.

When I bought the house, it was drab gray. And given the gray Oregon winters, it's just not a cheerful place to be. I love colors and wanted to make this place a place where I can come in and be surrounded by the color tones of the Mediterranean."

Read what the reaction is to his home, when visitors just know him as an engineer.

Collette Gray "liked the wood tones in her house but didn't know how to complement those hues with paint." If she used color the rooms were too dark. Collette found Patrick McGill at the Pearl Hardware. Read what he did with an oatlike shade called 'Fennel Seed.'

Like perfectly chosen makeup, the 'Fennel Seed' paint boosted Collette Gray's living room from attractive to stunning. The previously white walls had done nothing to accentuate the room's woodwork. Photo by Marv Bondarowicz

Patrick McGill can be reached at 503.267.8219 (mobile) - 503.697.3553 (land) or by
email: patrick@talkingcolor.com.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Today Is Bridget A Otto Thursday

On Bridget Otto Thursday in Homes & Gardens of the Northwest, in the Oregonian, our friend and interior designer Diane Keaton is featured in a redo of a kitchen in a home on Cooper Mountain.

Keaton's Philosophy

“I always tell people: ‘My goal is that it is your house. You have to live here when I’m gone, and I want you to love it.’ I’m always trying to dig out of them how they use the room or the feel they want or the colors they like. I’ll take what they want and massage it to be wonderful.”

Otto writes,

The Andersons had used designers in the past, but only for color. This was the first time they'd sought expert advice to this extent -- floor plans, materials, lighting -- and they're glad they did.

This story illustrates why we focus on interior designers at Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery. We read and hear all the time about how an interior designer has made this whole process of remodel, redesign and redecorating so much easier and less stressful. If you want recommendations that fit your style or personality, ask and we can refer you to a minimum of three designers that may fit.

Diane Keaton can be reached at Diane Keaton Interiors, 503-848-8045

Bev & Mike