Decorating A Conservatory

We are delighted to have a guest blog post from Liberty-Belle Howard.

A conservatory is an addition to a home that is constructed largely of glass to allow sunlight to pervade the room, visually drawing the outdoors to the inside of the home. Historically, the conservatory was conceived and constructed for English aristocracy. Today, conservatories have become so popular that they are designed into the architecture of many new homes.

Whether a small conservatory is desired to accommodate family and a few friends, or a larger room is planned for extensive entertaining, it is the intent of the builders to design the structure so that it blends seamlessly with the rest of the house. Upon completion, it is left to the homeowner to decide how to decorate the conservatory. Even if a professional decorator is hired, there are decisions to be made.

In choosing furniture to fill the space, care should be taken that colours and fabrics will not be affected by all that lovely sunlight. Window coverings such as conservatory blinds, that will offer complete privacy when needed, should be considered. A variety of plants that will do well with an abundance of natural light, in a room that will be kept cool and comfortable will need to be selected.

Beautiful furniture that is made especially for conservatories is available in a variety of styles. Fabrics and finishes that will not fade in excessive light should be chosen. Lighter shades of colour are clean and airy and compliment the spacious feeling of a conservatory, and are least likely to show the effects of fading.

An excellent choice of conservatory furniture is also the kind of furniture that is durable enough to be used outdoors. Patio and garden furniture are manufactured in diverse materials, styles and colours, and can withstand weeks and months of constant exposure to elements of weather such as sunlight, rain and moderate temperature changes.

Wicker, cane and bamboo furniture are not only comfortable, they are durable and will enhance the décor of any area in the home. Metal outdoor furniture of cast aluminium, iron and steel are fashioned in gorgeous designs that will bring out pride of ownership for the homeowner.

Teak is another type of outdoor furniture that may be desirable in a conservatory. Teak furniture is stylish, comfortable and durable, but will need to be oiled periodically to keep the wood in good condition.

Conservatory blinds are specially treated window treatments to keep heat outside in summer, to keep heat inside in winter, to cut down on glare and to provide privacy. Some of these blinds are designed only for those sections of the roof that are glass, and are capable of blocking out a majority of overhead light if needed.

Common styles of conservatory blinds are pleated, Venetian and roller blinds. The lighter shades of colour of the side window blinds may be chosen to compliment the colours found in the furniture.

Conservatories bring the outdoors inside to be enjoyed in comfort year round. Good planning and design will make the most of the experience.

Modern One From Tufenkian

Always enjoy the new designs from Tufenkian:

"Planking For Moderately Mature Adults (R)"

At Build last weekend at Eagle Crest, this may have been the funniest video of the eleven shown. Enjoy!

Finalista de la Novena Edición de Jameson Notodofilmfest

At Build we learned how to create a three-minute video. Think that's not a lot of time, three minutes? Look what can be accomplished in 3:30:

Were You At "Build"?

We are here this weekend at a not to be missed conference at Eagle's Crest for interior designers, contractors and industry vendors. It's called Build, sponsored in part by NWSID, the NW Society of Interior Designers. Time was spent Saturday learning how to make and publish videos. Here's a snippet from the Group Six, starring Bev Landfair:

Put this conference on your schedule for next year and consider being a sponsor. We are having a great time and really getting to know a lot of people.

Blowout Sale At Landfair Furniture

Little Recovery Seen In Furniture and Home Furnishing Sales

Have you wondered why business is so bad in the furniture and home furnishing's industry? Hf Business refers to an Atlantic Monthly article:

Today, we learned that retail sales fell for the first time since June 2010. But one retail sector is quite used to seeing sales decline, even as they have begun to grow in other industries. Furniture and home furnishing sales fell much farther than broader retail sales and have yet to meaningfully recover. Their path has been a brutal one.

The chart shows that sales of home furnishings peaked in 2007. Interestingly, that's when Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery moved to the Pearl Design Center. We hear from lots of designers and we know it's tough out there.

The article goes on to say that home furnishings are geared to home sales and recent Case-Shiller statistics don't show any pick up in home sales.  That means "...since they aren't expected to rise again anytime soon, we shouldn't expect much sunnier days for furniture sales in the near- to medium-term either."

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design gallery
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New From Bernhardt Interiors

The June 2011 issue of Architectural Digest features this ad from Bernhardt Interiors:



New items include the Halden Chairside Table,


the Maxime Platform Wing Bed,


the Candide Sofa


and the Cabrillo Mailhead Chest.

Come visit us in our showroom to see more of Bernhardt Interiors.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design gallery
Become Our Fan on Facebook

Wow! Neato!

The Neato Vacuum Robot

Proud and Grateful

I Googled Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery this morning to see if there were any reviews of our business that needed a response.  I remember writing once that reviews can be both good and bad.  One hopes that all the reviews are glowing, but occasionally one could receive a bad one.  It's imperative I wrote that you respond immediately to a bad review.  Maybe, you can change an attitude or right a wrong.  Maybe, in the case of a bad review, your response is merely to tell your side of the story.

I'm proud to say that there were no bad reviews.  Actually there was only one review and that was our own review.  I should renew my efforts to get reviews posted to our site.  When my husband and I relax for a moment to reflect on the past ten years in business, we are proud of the business we've built and love the showroom.  I'd like to have even more furniture on the floor and represent even more vendors, but in these economic times I believe it prudent to run a little lean.

I have been posting on this blog since 2005 and each year have posted on average about 10 to 15 times a month.  In that time I have posted 35 pages of images.  I took a moment to look at some of those images.  There I am at the top.  Who will forget these images:











Thanks for reading and commenting on our posts and visiting our store. We hope to be here for you for many more years.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design gallery
Become Our Fan on Facebook