Design Star Episode 2

So tell me, did you watch the second episode of Design Star on HGTV?

In case you missed the show you can watch outakes online.

I like most of the competitors and I'm interested in their sense of style and ability to create. Mike would have a hard time, if put in their situation, to visualize what he wants to occur in a space, colors etc. and then bring it to fruition. I admire their skills. I like the judges and their ability to analyse the output of the contestants. Good show! In the end Lisa's show was cancelled. She had the space by the front door and the judges "killed" her for her design.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Better.TV

There's a new channel on the net called Better.TV, Home-Family-Life. It's as clear as the TV in your home and one of the announcers sounds suspiciously like the woman of the local Landmark Ford ads.

Better.TV is brought to the air by Meridith Corp (MDP), publisher of these magazines:
American Baby, Better Homes and Gardens, Child, Country Home, Family Circle, Fitness, Hispanic Ventures, Ladies' Home Journal,
Midwest Living, More, Parents, ReadyMade, Ser Padres, Siempre Mujer, Successful Farming, Traditional Home, and Wood.

When you go to the Better.TV website, you'll see across the top a list of topics, such as "Events", "Remodeling", "Gardening", "Shows", "Family Now", etc. There seems to be a Portland orientation, maybe that's just demographics, but it certainly kept my attention. We've all read about the dying print media, but we are seeing a big push by media giants to take advantage of the net combining the best of both.

One local designer who has made it to Better.TV is Suzanne Gallagher, author of The Fine Art of Wall Design. When you go to Better.TV, click on "Home Now". To the right you'll see a number of tiles. Click on "Wall Decorating" and see her interview and a small tour of her home.

I think this is a great way to combine local information and advertising with a family orientation.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Surfing Through Trendir!

Back in September, 2006, I came across a blog dedicated to the high end:

Trendir is an online magazine about the latest Home Decor Products and Trends. We cover High-End Luxury products. Think of us as having both style sense and the ability to identify new and cool things.

I stopped by again and was impressed by the interest in their site. Their site gets over 5,000 visits per day, almost 180,000 visits per month!

If you visit, you will notice the beautiful photography, like this kitchen featuring an indoor waterfall:



or this stunning tub and view:



It reminds me of the Street of Dreams homes.

At first, I want to "chuck" our home, built in 1929, for the new clean lines of the contemporary siren, but then I would miss our established neighborhood and its nearness to town. I would miss the Grant dog park where Ralph loves to chase squirrels and the dogs of morning dog walkers. I would miss our home's coved ceilings and the gentle arch that frames the dining room. I would miss the memories made in our first home.

But...when I win the lottery, you can bet my second house will feature one of these showers shown in Trendir:



Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Bridget Otto Thursday

It's been a while, but today is Bridget Otto Thursday in H&G NW. Today Otto writes in Banishing 'Aunt Matilda' how Bruce and Joyce Maxwell did a major remodel of the 1960's style home, but were unhappy with the home's living room and adjacent dining room. Their "heavy, old-fashioned furnishings clash(ed) with a (the) ranch's clean lines.

Enter Kim Jaynes of Kimberlee Jaynes Interior Designs Inc to save the day. She wanted the Maxwells to "embrace the home's Eichler-esque architecture with appropriate furnishings and color," but the Aunt Matilda furnishings would have to go.

The article is a case study of how a designer gets information from a client about their activities and preferences, budget, sizes up a home problem and brings about a solution, including shopping with the client. A designer can save a client so much time by knowing what is offered in various stores.

After the Maxwells decided on colors and direction, Kim went into stores and pulled together sofas and chairs and tables and took the Maxwells on tour. Once materials, finishes and sizes were established, orders were placed.

"Kim was helping us find the right place and right shapes," says Joyce, who admits she would not have been happy doing this shopping on her own. "Kim steered us through that process. It was very collaborative."

If you go to the web site of Otto's article, you can pull up pdfs of before and after pictures. What a change and the Maxwells are happy.

The new furnishings and their arrangement make both rooms inviting. The sofa and chairs in the living room take in the view and are placed close together to create a comfortable environment. Joyce says she finds herself standing in the entry, marveling at the change.

Well done, Kim!

If you not happy with the look of your home or just want a change, since more than 80% of our business is with designers, who better to recommend several interior designers for you to interview.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Kim Jaynes
Bridget A Otto

New Products From CBK Ltd.

AZTEC DESIGN VASE
ith Antique Brown, Gold and Patina Finish,
9.25"D x 15.25"H,Ceramic













BUNCHED FRAME DESIGN WALL CLOCK
with Antique Face, Roman Numerals and Antique Gold and Copper Finish, 37.5"D, Face: 26"D









CBK is just one of a number of accessory companies that we carry at Landfair Furniture.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Mike Landfair Will Blog for Home Accents Today

The latest issue of Home Accents Today makes it official with the announcement that my husband, Mike Landfair will be writing a blog at least three times weekly for the magazine's web site.

At the end of this month, we will introduce you to an all-new HomeAccentsToday.com. We have spent months working on our new look and refining the structure to make it easy to use and worth visiting every day.

We will feature four blogs once the site goes live at the end of the month. Susan Dickenson's Retail Update and our Designer Insight you may already be familiar with, but look for lots more postings. Retailer Mike Landfair of Landfair Furniture in Portland, Ore., will post at least three times a week with practical advice and other items of interest for retailers of home furnishings and accessories. And our two most knowledgeable staffers on style, trends and design, Senior Product Editor Tracy Bulla and Art Director Wes Kennedy, will serve up Style + Substance, a look at trends in fashion, industrial design, and, of course, home furnishings.

Not all print media is dead! Home Accents Today has recognized that the web is a big asset and by incorporating relevant features on its web site, it can maintain vibrancy.

Mike is honored to be recognized for his writing and encourages you to email him or add a comment about topics you would like covered.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Design Star Premiers Sunday

We just received word that the Season 2 premiere of Design Star, where interior designers face off for the chance to win their own show on HGTV, begins this Sunday with a 10 pm PDT start.

<br /><a href="&#8221;http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_hstar&#8221;">DesignStar2</a>

Season 1 was fun!

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Novica, A New Way

Considered by many as one of the nations top 50 fastest growing companies, Novica is home to artists and artisans around the world providing you with access to unique, hard-to-find items at great values that only the Internet infrastructure can allow.

The countries represented are the Andes, Bali and Java, Brazil, India, Mexico, Thailand and West Africa and artistic items include

• Area Rugs
• Chess Sets & Games</li>
• Furniture - Accent & End Tables | Beanbags | Chairs | Coffee Tables | Other | Ottomans & Stools | Outdoor Furniture | Storage Trunks & Chests | Throne Ottomans
• Masks
• Mirrors
• Musical Instruments
• Sculpture
• Tableware & Entertaining
• Vases
• Wall Hangings & Tapestries

There is a capsule about each artist on the site info page

One such artist is drum and mask-maker Ernestina Oppong Asante from Ghana.

"Before Novica, I had only one shop," explains Asante. "I've been able to make enough money now to send my six foster children to secondary [high] school."

Or take Isidoro Rojas, 41, who has woven tapestries in his Andean pueblo of San Pedro de Cajas since he was a child. Working through Novica saves the five-hour trips to Lima he once took to haggle with store merchants, he said in a phone interview. It has also introduced him to the Internet, which he navigates from a public computer kiosk two hours from his town.

It would seem Novica has found a unique way to cut out many of the middle man and directly employ artists from around the world then bringing them together with buyers on the internet.

Some may say we are living in the best of times!

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Novica
Home Decor
Bev & Mike

New Products From Prepara

Somebody's been thinking!


I like this, the Herb Savor from Prepara

Nothing makes your meals taste better than the freshest ingredients. The Prepara herb-savor will prolong the life of your fresh herbs for up to 3 weeks so you can enjoy fresh, flavorful meals every time you cook.

How about the Water Resistant Mill from Prepara

Most meat, poultry and fish recipes call for fresh salt or pepper during preparation. When you handle raw foods before using your salt or pepper mill the harmful bacteria stays on the mill long after you have finished enjoying your meal. Now with our patented washable salt/pepper/spice mill you don't have to worry about contaminating yourself or your loved ones with harmful bacteria. Just twist the collar to close the door to the grinder. Then wash all of the germs off the mill without fear of getting water into chamber.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Green Light!!!

Speaking of Green Light, I saw this item at FABSUGAR:

Inside this traditional Mason jar hides a highly efficient solar cell, rechargeable battery, and low energy LED lamps. You simply place the jar in the sunlight and the solar energy charges the battery and powers the LED lamps providing a diffused and warm light from the frosted jar. Completely water tight, it can be left outside in any weather, and is the perfect garden light or night-light.

It's $55 at the MoMA Store.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Green Kitchen: Green Light

This headline caught my eye: The green kitchen: Green light

If you have a newish kitchen, I'll bet a pound to a pumpkin-seed that it has recessed ceiling lights using halogen spotlights.

Yep, that's our kitchen, with one spot over the sink and the other over the space containing the microwave and boombox. The one over the sink is connected to the light fixture that hangs in the middle of the kitchen and they're on a dimmer. Dang, that sink light goes out often!

...low-voltage halogen bulbs "are spotlights, like a torch. They just push light on to the floor." That's why so many are needed. "Ordinary light bulbs produce 10 lumens [the standard measurement of light output] per watt. Low-voltage halogen bulbs produce 20 lumens, but that compares with a minimum of 60 lumens per watt for compact fluorescent bulbs."

Compact fluorescent bulbs?

low-voltage halogen might be using 1kW of energy where a couple of compact fluorescent bulbs could do the same job at 40 watts.

I googled compact fluorescent bulbs and found the EnergyStar site. This is a Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL):

If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.

Ah, so that is a Green Kitchen!

EnergyStar has suggestions for choosing the right CFL:

• CFLs perform best in open fixtures that allow airflow, such as table and floor lamps, wall sconces, pendants, and outdoor fixtures.
• For recessed fixtures, it is better to use a reflector CFL than a spiral CFL since the design of the reflector evenly distributes the light down to your task area.
• If a light fixture is connected to a dimmer or three-way switch, you'll need to use a special ENERGY STAR qualified CFL designed to work in these applications. Make sure to look for CFLs that specify use with dimmers or three-way fixtures.

So now I know that using CFLs will save money and be good for the environment and will work with the dimmer.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Flexible Accent/mood Light

I saw this idea at Pad Style and checked further:

Ever wanted to update your decor or pull everything together but wondered how to do it without a complete overhaul? LIT is a flexible accent/mood light that is easily installed under most furniture. It's a virtually effortless way to update or add warmth to your space. Pick the vehicle, (sofa, bed, sideboard?), choose your color, (Passion Pink? Serenity Green?), and watch how the simplest of things can have a huge impact!

Secured under your furniture with special LIT universal clips that work with any type of frame (wood, metal or plastic). Includes dimmer.

Yoy would have to make sure there are no dust bunnies! I am wondering if it would work in backyard for mood lighting?

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

"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