Vicente Wolf Blog On Frustration

In Frustration, designer Vicente Wolf describes how he feels working to get an interior design client. He vents his frustration when the prospective client makes design demands, that he wouldn't put up with if the tables were turned.

Every time you write about the design process in your blogs, you help prospective clients understand what you do and how you do it. They will see you as a professional if you do that.

"A Jumping-Off Point" Interviews The Shoestring Marketer

There's an excellent interview on Vivacity where Kate Sanner brings women small business owners the tools and resources they need to enhance their business success, Sanner interviews Jessica Swanson, the Shoestring marketer. If you want to build your business listen to Swanson talk about her results with Free Marketing.

Bev & Mike
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Mori Furniture Design

The KIta Coffee Table


Kousa Table and Kuso Mirror


The Kumo Coffee Table

Of Mori Furniture Design Mike said, "Honey, now you're talking!"

Bev & Mike
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Sherrill Furniture: Sofas That We Love!

The Designer Insider loves Sherrill as much as we do although we have our own favorites as shown on our website.

Sherrill Furniture has been selling some of the finest furniture since 1944. It is one of my favorite upholstery companies as the quality is unsurpassed in the upholstery industry. The cushions are blended with the eight way hand tied system and mixed with modern methods to create comfortable and durable furniture.

Bev & Mike
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Deckchairs Online

You know how it goes. The weather turns warm and you want to wear shorts and a cute top. You go to your local clothing store and the sizes are all picked over. They have your size but not the style or color that you need.

Outdoor furniture may have it a little better. You don't have much need for a outdoor table and chairs until BBQ season rolls around or its party time for family and friends on the deck. In many cases stores carry what you want until late summer. Then they put it away and bring out the Christmas decorations.

There's one company, for my friends in the UK, that specializes in deck chairs all year long. I liked the company so much...no I didn't buy it, but decided to become an affiliate of Deckchairs Online. They sell traditional deckchairs, non-traditional deck chairs and modern deckchairs. All wooden deckchairs from the UK site are made from solid hardwood and high quality cotton so are extremely strong and very comfortable. In addition, the wooden deckchairs are made from hardwood from managed forests so are extremely environmentally friendly.

The deckchairs they sell are great for use at events and have been regularly used at The Glastonbury Festival, Stonehenge 2009 and recently the BBC used their deckchairs at the Strawberry Fair in Cambridge.

The newest hot product for Deckchairs Online is the Wideboy. These extra wide deck chairs are a perfect size for two people to sit on comfortably side by side or just for people who like to have extra space next to them for a few books or magazines so they are within easy reach.

Bev & Mike
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Women Who Blog

On June 13th I posted Top 10 Online Activities for Moms. The post analysed the internet surfing habits of moms of various ages. Now eMarketer has a column about not just moms but women and their internet habits. Here's the bottom line:

More than one-half (53%) of the US female Internet population of 79 million actively participated in some type of social media at least weekly.

Of the female social media participants, 75% took part in social networking and 55% used blogs.

Every time I visit a furniture store's website or an interior designer's, I check to see if they have a blog. Recently, Home Accents Today came out with their Top 50 Retail Stars. Two Portland stores made the list Bracado and Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery. It is shocking to me that only a handful of the stores in the top 50 have a blog.

I recently conducted a class for interior designers to get them started in social networking. There has been little movement that I can see. Here's why I am so adament that we need to be involved in blogging: Our Customers Are!

In this story in eMarketer we learn

“The scale of social media usage among US women continues to grow, and blogs remain the go-to resource for those who want to gather information, share ideas and get reliable advice,” said Elisa Camahort Page, COO of BlogHer.

Bev & Mike
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Art Imitating Life

Pigeon houses at Mit Gahmr, Egypt

Earth Architecture has a picture of pigeon houses in Egypt that are constructed as a home for the bird for food and a place to collect the droppings for fertilizer.


"Interestingly, the Egyptian pigeon houses remind one of the recent work of architect Vicente Guallart, who in his project The Re-Naturalization of Territory, attempts to create what could be considered as dovecotes for biotechnology and cinema in Tarragona, Spain."

Bev & Mike
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What Color Is Comfort By Nicolette Toussaint

We believe interior designers are their best advertisement for themselves and their business of helping the public live in a home they deserve. We consistently encourage interior designers to get a blog and tell us about your projects, share with us the before and after pictures and the problems that were solved.

Here's an example of a designer, not local however, who posts an excellent piece about color and comfort. Nicolette Toussaint owns Comfort & Joy Interior Design in San Francisco, CA and here's what she shared:

In this post, (What Color Is Comfort) I will talk about the emotional impact of color – about what colors make us comfortable in what circumstances – and also about how color influences our perception of space and place. Most of my recent design jobs here in San Francisco have been color consultations, and this post will share some of those experiences. At the end, you should have a pretty good idea of what the color of comfort might be for you.

It's a long post, but filled with tons of worthwhile information.

Bev & Mike
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Christopher Guy Furniture

This dining table from Christopher Guy is described on his website thusly:

"Sheer elegance and luxury define this magnificent looking mahogany and veneer dining table, complete with delicate marquetry work, a fine example of a contemporary piece with classic appeal."

Ava Living has this video of a furniture fashion show in Paris this year:



Bev & Mike
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Green Design Summit

Don't forget to sign up for the Green Design Summit to be held June 29–30 via Webcast. The event looks to help architects and designers meet rising demand for environmentally friendly materials and designs.

Click here to sign up today!

The two-day Green Design Summit, available nationwide and internationally, will offer a host of well-known experts in green construction, architecture, interior design and the ecological impacts and tax benefits of going green.

Speakers for the event include:
• Ed Begley Jr., actor, environmental activist and HGTV star, presenting "Living With Ed."
• Penny Bonda, FASID & LEED AP, green blogger for Interior Design Magazine, presenting "The New LEED Requirements–What You Need to Know."
• Leslie Carothers of The Kaleidoscope Partnership, a consultant to the furniture industry, interior designer and blogger for Furniture Today, presenting "Specifying Green Furniture."
• Bob Dixson, Mayor of Greensburg, a city that was 95 percent destroyed by a tornado, presenting "The Story of Greensburg and How Building Green Has Transformed the City."
• Joshua Foss, LEED AP, Season 2 HGTV Design Star Contestant and Metro Hippie Blogger, presenting "How to Build Your Practice Around Sustainable Design."
• Lisa Foster, founder of 1 Bag at a Time, presenting "What Is Your Carbon Footprint and What You Can Do to Reduce It."
• Tom Hamilton, senior product marketing manager for Philips Color Kinetics, presenting "Designing Energy Efficient Lighting & Maintaining Aesthetics."
• Libby Langdon, HGTV star of "Small Space, Big Style" and author of Design in Small Spaces, presenting "Design Ideas for Smaller Space Clients."
• Michael Port, New York Times best-selling author and business coach, presenting "The Think Big Manifesto–Think You Can’t Change Your Life (and the World)? Think Again."
• Sarah Susanka, FAIA, architect, interior designer and author of eight books selling more than 1 million copies, presenting "Not So Big Remodeling."
• Cassie Walker, author of The Green Office Handbook and founder of The Sustainable Office, presenting "How to Green Your Office and Help Your Clients Green Their Spaces."
• Robin Wilson, New York interior designer for President Clinton's Harlem office, and the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mary Richardson LEED residence, presenting "Eco-friendly Design from the Foundation to the Furniture."

The Green Design Summit requires no traveling and is a wholly Green event delivered by telesummit/webcast. Attendees receive downloadable MP3 recordings and transcripts of each speaker interview. Tickets are $297.

Click here to sign up today!

Bev & Mike
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Realities OF Furniture Shopping

Jason Ball of Jason Ball Interiors has a great post about shopping for furniture from an interior designer's viewpoint:

Interior designers shop for furniture differently than most consumers by focusing on size, style, lines, color and pattern. Many designers "shop" at designer-only showrooms which don't have a large number of options on the floor, but instead have thousands of options in catalogs covering multiple manufacturers. The number of styles and semi-customization are much greater than most retail furniture stores. The real benefit comes in access to hundreds of fabric options and a higher level of customization possible. Take the "walking the floor" situation. In a designer-only showroom, you'll test out different types of cushions to see what's comfortable. You can then select pieces based on their various measurements - seat depth and height, arm height, overall height, etc. And, the piece you select will be built for you!

Bev & Mike
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A Colorful Accent

Faith Sheridan has my husband's favorite colors: Malachite and I call it a cinnamon.



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Jentrified

Have you been to Jen West Design's blog, Jentrified? I was struck by her post about her visit to the Design Center in San Francisco where she encountered Hwang Bishop:



Darn, we are not on her blogroll either.

Bev & Mike
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Angela Todd's Blog

Hey, gang, check out Angela Todd's blog. She has a step-by-step process to get remodeling or redecorating project underway.

Another post on her blog has pictures of the Home Builders Association’s Ultimate Open House, which took place on April 18th-19th and 25th-26th. She says it was a tremendous success. The Interior Design Society of Portland worked with several of the home builders to stage and style their homes. This picture just steals my heart. I just love the drama and the striking saturated orange:



The only thing missing on her blog is a blogroll and our blog on it.

Bev & Mike
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Knoll Kids - Children's Furniture!

The Child's Womb Chair from Knoll Kids, shown here with the Stone child's seat in poppy. The adult version of the chair was designed in 1948 by Eero Saarinen, and the seat by Maya Lin in 1998.

Kids Today reports

KnollStudio, a division of Knoll, Inc., renowned for its collection of classic and enduring designs for the workplace and the home, has launched Knoll Kids, a modern children’s furniture collection.

Bev & Mike
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Before & After With Interior Designer Marlene Buckner

We've encouraged interior designers in our area to show us their before and after pictures of projects they've completed. We want to give you an idea through their examples why we recommend you use an interior designer.

Our latest example is from Marlene Buckner, president elect of ASID Oregon Chapter, and a consummate professional having passed the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Exam (NCIDQ)

This 1916 residence in Dunthorpe was designed by famous Portland Architect Wade Hampton Pipes. The kitchen was so small the family ate at the farm table that doubled as a work surface. After Marlene designed an 8 foot addition on the opposite end of the room and developed the kitchen design with the homeowners, a new larger kitchen emerged that included an island and nook with built-in banquette seating (in the old kitchen location).



True to the period, painted cabinets with inset doors from Wood-Mode were installed and a satin-etched Mysore Black granite counter was chosen for its aged appearance.

Challenges included lacing in and finishing the new oak kitchen floor to blend seamlessly with the original 90-year-old oak floors found everywhere else. The oven cabinet also required careful modification to bypass the top two steps to the landing above that were hidden in a soffit.

Due to the complexity of this addition and the beauty of its integration with the original home, this project received the 2008 ORA Outstanding Remodeling Achievement Award as well as the prestigious national Chrysalis Award for Best Residential Addition in its price category.

Marlene Buckner specializes in Spatial Design, Kitchens, Baths, and Interiors and is a Certified Kitchen and Bath Designer through NKBA.

Bev & Mike
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Plain English Design

Plain English Design has been added to our blogroll for the people in the UK. They make "bespoke" kitchen cabinets and are beautiful as can be seen on their website. I was curious about the word "bespoke" though.

I asked Julie DeJardin owner of DeJardin Kitchen & Bath Design about the word. She replied:

Hand crafted in my book means custom built, which is very common in cabinet construction as opposed to the "modular" or factory built cabinet boxes.

Their reference [bespoke] is rooted in the old traditional methods of european cabinetry, millwork or carpentry work. Craftsmenship at its finest.

As to what you thought: "all designed kitchens were made specifically for the space..." that again refers to custom built to fit the space; but think of going to IKEA, those cabinets are not designed to fit a specific space, you must utilize various sizes of cabinet boxes to fit the space sometimes requiring fillers.

Bespoke! It's a cool word. I think I will find some ways to use the word in a sentence to impress.

Bev & Mike
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Facundo Poj : Concept To Prototype

Remember the January post titled Facundo Poj Design? Argentinian Facundo who now makes his home in Miami, has just released a video on the whole process of the aztec stool & wine rack from concept to prototype in just over 3 minutes. Naturally, the design is facilitated with a nice bottle of red wine and a cigarette.



Bev & Mike
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Contemporary Lighting for the Modern Style Apartment

When it comes to modern style apartments, the furniture pieces are the all-important focal points of your retreat. Therefore, it is absolutely essential to feature your modern décor in the best way, even at night.

When nighttime approaches, the lighting of your home should not only highlight the beauty of your modern furniture, but it should also encompass the overall modern theme of your room’s décor. Whether you are in the office working or in the living room relaxing, modern lighting can create the ambiance that enhances optimal enjoyment of your residence. The versatility of modern lighting lies in the unparalleled ability to work in all different kinds of settings for many different purposes.

Here are some tips on how to spruce up your décor with contemporary lighting solutions.

What can Pendant lighting do for you?

Watch your head, pendant lights are now all the rage in the modern design world (but don’t worry, you can always adjust the height to accommodate tall people). Overhanging pendant lights are becoming increasingly practical and ornate, with an ever-widening selection of various finishes and styles to choose from.

Additionally, Pendant lights work just about everywhere; whether you want to use them in the kitchen, in the living room, or even outside, they are a great way to impress your guests. In the living room, your modern couch should not be left in the dark because of weak attempts at using recess lighting or track lighting. Rather, modern pendant lights running the length of your couch will make it glow to the point where everyone in the room will gravitate towards that spot. Truly, modern lighting really brings out some of your fanciest modern pieces in a subtle, yet effectively beautiful way.

Ceiling Fixtures for your Space

Ceiling lights, from classically shaped light settings to wonderfully intricate chandeliers, are an integral part of the quintessential modern interior. These lights are best placed in areas that are smaller but used frequently. For example, kitchens and foyers are best for large ceiling fixtures that radiate light to a given space. For those intrepid modern décor fans out there with a little money to spend, investing in a chic designer chandelier will certainly add value to your home, especially if it has large ceilings and an abundance of space.

Depending on the style of the dinner table and chairs, a modern designed overhead fixture is the perfect way to bring people together. Stainless steel, chrome or brushed nickel fixtures that are clean and futuristic looking are the perfect accessories to your dining experience.

Your Child’s Space born Modern

Modern lighting is not just designated to sophisticated, adult spaces. Rather, there are various contemporary lighting options that are fun, colorful and kid-friendly. Some modern lighting décor features are purposely made to work in both children and adult rooms. Offi lamps seem to epitomize this children’s theme perfectly. With lighting styles like “Daschund Dog” and “Teddy Bear Jr,” Offi continues to be a leader in children’s décor. The fun and colorful designs of Offi lamps are sure to embody the imaginative décor of your child’s space.

All in all, your lighting should complement the furniture that you worked so hard to acquire and maintain. Putting half as much effort into lighting the décor of your room will pay off when your house fast becomes a place that brings everyone together. By adding contemporary lighting to your room, not only will your room be illuminated, but it will also be infinitely more stylish.

Bev & Mike
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Tour Of Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Beverly gives a tour of Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery in Portland's Pearl.



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Sofa's Durability Depends On Fabric

Kara Pierce, Senior Design Consultant at The Sofa Company, has written an article titled How to Test My Sofa’s Upholstery Fabric Durability and Strength.

How exactly is a fabric’s durability measured? Most fabrics go by one of two test methods, known as Wyzenbeek and Martindale, to give the fabric an “abrasion” or “double rub” rating. Essentially, the fabric is pulled tight and rubbed in two directions by a standard weight fabric; if two yarn breaks occur, or if noticeable wear is observed, at that point the number of rubs is recorded as the abrasion rating. 30,000 double rubs is considered minimum durability for commercial use; hotels, conference rooms, etc. Between 30,000 and 100,000 is considered heavy duty. Although these tests are only used as tools for predicting wear, it can help when looking at fabrics, to know that the higher the abrasion rating number is, the better it performed on the durability test.

At Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery you will notice that most of the Sherrill fabrics have a "wearability" rating from Heavy and Medium to Light. The Duralee fabrics carry a durabilty rating and the samples will have a "double rub" rating.

It's important for your satisfaction with our furniture that you pair the durability of the fabric with its use. You wouldn't want to use a linen fabric, for example, in the den where the kids wrestle. You also wouldn't want to use a lower quality sofa or chair in a room that gets heavy use.

In our store we have sofas with different price points, different styles and fabrics that can be ordered to fit your needs.

Bev & Mike
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Nick Olsen And First Time Design Mistakes

The Washington Post, today, carries an article about Nick Olsen, interior designer and writer for defunct Domino mag, about first-time design mistakes. He lists six:

Being afraid to paint. - "If you're not willing to paint, you're really not willing to do much in terms of decorating. Being safe will get in the way of good design."

Hanging one print or mirror in the center of a wall - I once knew a bachelor that had mustard, catsup, fuzzy ice cubes in his freezer and a small print exactly centered on his eight by forty foot wall.

Hanging rectangular mirrors on the horizontal. - "I think it brings the eye down and makes any room low and stumpy." Oh my God! I have that going on in our dining room (but the room is small and longer than its wide).

Buying area rugs that are too small. - We should all know by now that no part of a dining room table and chairs should fall outside the dimensions of the rug.

Not taking care with lighting choices. - "Chintzy lamps are a big pet peeve of mine. The big box sofa can disappear, but the big plastic-y lamp will stick out like a sore thumb."

Getting too-bright bulbs. - Nick recommends nothing over forty watts and that's great for ambience, but my husband insists that the living room and den have 100 watts for reading.

Bev & Mike
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What To Look For In A Sofa

In this viseo shot at Landfair Furniture + Design gallery, the owner Beverly Landfair explains the "sit" in a sofa and what to look for when shopping for a sofa:



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HGTV reveals the identities of 'HGTV Design Star' fourth-season cast - Reality TV World - News, information, episode summaries, message boards, chat and games for unscripted television programs

HGTV reveals the identities of 'HGTV Design Star' fourth-season cast - Reality TV World - News, information, episode summaries, message boards, chat and games for unscripted television programs

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Top 10 Online Activities for Moms

Top 10 Online Activities for Moms

“Mothers, now more than ever, are using technology like video, blogs and wireless devices to multi-task through their busy days,” said Maria Bailey, CEO and founder of BSM Media. “2009 stands to produce a record number of tech-savvy mothers bridging devices together to create everyday solutions.”

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Bev & Mike
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Carl Malmsten Samsas?

While surfing the web, I came across Retro To Go. They had a post about Carl Malmsten Samsas sofa and easy chair. The style "originated in the 1920s when Malmsten was working on furniture for the then newly constructed Stockholm Concert Hall." There is still a company that makes Malmsten sofas.

Retro To Go writes,

His design style was routed in his Swedish background and traditions – he worked a lot with the blond woods that are now so closely associated with Scandinavian style – and he wanted his furniture to inspire a warmth feeling. This certainly is reflected in this pleasing curving design. One of Malmsten's main achievements was to found two schools of design and also to establish co-operative furniture making workshops. It's these that continue to produce the furniture manufactured under his name today.

No fashion goes out of style. Good design just gets put away and then brought back at a later date.

Bev & Mike
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Playing house for the first time

Playing house for the first time?

Set priorities and get started with a few essential pieces says article at Home & Garden - Ledger-Enquirer.com

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There's some great advice Bev & Mike
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2009 50 Retail Stars.

We at Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery are very pleased to be named to Home Accents Today's 2009 50 Retail Stars. Joining us from Portland is Bravado.

Wow! Two Portland furniture store in the "top 50". What a treat.

Bev & Mike
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Hollandia & Karim Rashid Have Hot Beds

Hollandia International and world-renowned furniture designer Karim Rashid have once again taken the interior design world by storm.

Created exclusively for Hollandia International, Karim Rashid’s Glow and Shell bed offer a modern, sophisticated look into the future of furniture design.

Thanks to its unique, shell-shaped headboard design, the Shell bed imparts a protective, cocoon-like feeling for the consumer lying inside the bed and offers a high-end glossy finish for elegant style.



Making others green with envy, the futuristic Glow is a compact, neon design featuring drawers for storage under the bed and in the headboard. Additionally, the bed is manufactured with an iPod docking station and cabinet doors that swing out to create side tables.



Last but not least, the Elite bed is truly the most luxurious and indulgent sleep system available. Hollandia International, which encourages their consumers to “have fun in bed,” designed the Elite with a state-of-the-art Sony Bravia® Theater System that contains a Retractable 32” Flat Panel HDTV, a DVD/CD Changer, Five Speaker Surround Sound System, Subwoofer and i-Pod Docking Station. Along with the plush comfort system and Vita Talalay Latex mattress, the Elite makes staying in bed a much easier choice.

Bev & Mike
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