Have You Thought Of Consignment?

You are planning a whole or partial makeover to your home furnishings or you need to raise some money in this economy, you might consider a consignment shop. Cameron Huddleston at Kiplinger shares what's hot and what's not.

What Sells Best:

• Upholstered items
• Leather furniture
• Wooden furniture
• Dining sets  
• Buffet tables
• Midcentury modern furniture
• Inexpensive, unframed modern art
• Contemporary lamps
• Unique items
• Accessories      

What Not To Sell:

• TV armoires
• China and china cabinets
• Rugs
• Brass items
• Figurines   

Huddleston continues with tips to improve your chances for a sale.

Bridget A Otto points us to Ikat in Tile at Griege.

Ideas for an Inviting Guest Bedroom

 

Photo via Tracery Interiors.

With summer’s arrival, we’re excited about the outdoor and sun-filled activities that await.  Perhaps you have family returning from college, or maybe your mother-in-law will be popping by for her "surprise" annual visit.  Regardless of who will be visiting, you'll want to prepare a comfortable space for them that’s welcoming. 

If you don’t know where to start, we've compiled a few ideas:

Photo via HGTV.

A Comfortable Bed

A double bed with at least 4 supportive sleeping pillows would be ideal.  Provide cotton linens to maximize sleep comfort, freshly laundered and pressed for a welcoming arrival.  You may also provide your guests with a supply of extra light or heavy blankets if needed.

Photo via DIY Network.

Simple Decor

Clutter is the nemesis of rest.  Keep your guests relaxed with simple décor such as a small floral arrangement on a dresser or night stand.  You may also choose to leave a few books or magazines, a notepad, stationary and pens for your guests.  Provide a lamp or two for reading bedside.  A phone and alarm clock with radio within the room are nice touches, although not necessary.

Photo via Zillow.

Closet Space

Set aside some space in the closet or provide a suitable storage area such as an armoire for your guests' clothes and belongings.  Furnish several hangers for hanging jackets and sweaters, and perhaps reserve a few dresser drawers for smaller articles.

Design by Tracery Interiors. Photo via Sweet Chaos Home. 

Guest Bath

Freshen up the bathroom and leave thoughtful touches such as potpourri, scented candles or a vase of fresh flowers. Whether your guests will have their own bathroom or will share one, it's important to leave space for their personal items.  It’s common to forget to pack certain items when travelling, so you may wish to provide a supply of soap, shampoo, and various toiletries such as cotton balls, Q-tips, toothpaste and a razor.  Don’t forget to leave a few washcloths and face and bath towels just for your guests.  Consider setting up a laundry hamper for used towels and linens, especially if they will be staying for an extended period of time.

Thoughtful Gestures

Summer and warmer weather go hand-in-hand, so leaving a pitcher of cold water and drinking glasses for your guests will be an appreciated gesture.  Think ahead about things your guests may need while staying with you - perhaps house slippers, a bath robe, a vanity mirror or a cozy chair will make them feel right at home.  Your guests will love staying with you, and thank you for your thoughtfulness.

Luxury Furniture

High End Furniture

Henredon

Flowers!

Bridget Otto writes How to refresh your interiors for the summer season and calls on Kathia Emery/Emery & Associates Interior Design, Deb Seeley/Deb Seeley Designs and Celeste LeDuke/Designing Women of Oregon for their advice.

What Does Your Front Door Say About You?

I love driving through Forest Heights up above NW Cornell. Beautiful homes built along winding streets with beautiful doors. Bridget A Otto writes that the front door color reveals character traits of the owner. 

• Red: Tells the world to "look at me!" This bright color says you're not afraid of standing out or saying what's on your mind.

• White: Says you prefer things that are organized, neat and clean. Even if your home isn't always this way, you wish it were.

• Green: Tells the world that you have traditional values and enjoy being a member of the community.

• Black: Says you're consistent, conservative and reserved in your manner as well as your approach to color. With a black door you're saying your design style is timeless rather than trendy.

• Blue: Tells people you are naturally at ease in most situations and people are attracted to your easygoing personality.

• Yellow: Says you have a personality similar to green, but a bit less traditional. You're most likely a leader or organizer of a group.

• Purple: Reveals a "free-spirited" person who is comfortable taking risks, thinking differently and dreaming big.

We have a black door greeting visitors and I would say that's pretty accurate. I wonder if Bridget Otto has a purple door.

Book Review: Blind Curves By Linda Crill

·  266 pages

·  Publisher: Opus International (January 22, 2013)

I’ve been reading about strong women lately. Linda Crill is definitely one of those, but maybe she had to be reminded. “Blind Curves” is a wonderful book detailing how Crill learned to ride a Harley and ride 2,500 miles from Victoria, B.C. to Mendocino, California as a novice. Blind Curves is a metaphor to the fear that bubbles up inside every one of us when we approach a blind curve in our life and what it feels like to reach the other side. Blind curves for Crill didn’t just happen on a Harley. She faced them prior to turning 57, when her husband got cancer and died.

Crill writes, “One of the problems for many people my age is how to keep the passion in their lives. After decades of following the pack, raising children, volunteering, doing community service, and pouring hearts and minds into jobs, satisfying clients, colleagues and bosses, we suddenly find ourselves needing new mountains to climb with fresh challenges and surprising vistas. Many of our old behaviors, which served us so well, no longer make sense.”

Yes, some of her friends questioned her decision to ride along with a negative voice from inside of her, but she triumphed. She tells us that the joy we feel when we round the blind curve “radiates inside our bodies” and we experience “…an inner feeling of connectedness.”

I loved the book, which was provided to me free. There’s an added bonus. If you’ve ever thought about riding a motorcycle, Crill writes very well about her lessons and experience

Interior Design Ideas: Blending Vintage with Modern Decor

Design by Portland interior designer SBaird Design. Photo via houzz.

We find nothing more charming than a creative marriage of old and new pieces in interior design.  The mixture of modern and vintage high end furniture makes for remarkable and memorable decor.  For instance, we found this alluring Modern Danish dining set carries with it a hint of European nostalgia with its clean, slim profile, and refined curves. 

Photo via Homedit.

The vintage accent chairs in this living area imparts a warmth to the room with its natural wooden tones among the predominately black and white scheme.  This understated color contrast cleverly fuses together the past and present.

Photo via Etsy.

These vintage accent chairs have all the charm of contemporary style with a glint of fondness for eras past.  The bright orange chairs complement the modern artwork, and at the same time provides a playful contrast to the natural wooden floors and stone mantle.

Photo via Yossawat.

Sultry curves, button-tufted cushions and golden accents make this vintage-inspired modern chair a striking piece.  It reflects a romantic elegance of a bygone era - an exquisite design that demands a quiet admiration.

Photo via Shagreene.

Vintage pieces can definitely make an extraordinary impression.  As shown above within the dining area, the stunning modern-style, vintage sideboard gives the space a warmth that's as inviting as is elegant.

Mid-Century Sideboard by Heritage Henredon.

This beautiful vintage Mid-Century Sideboard by Henredon fulfills a modernist's dream.  Gold-accented fixtures and a natural wood-grain finish make for a stylish, handsome piece.

With infinite possibilities to mixing and matching vintage with modern designs into your home, you may be pleasantly surprised at how wonderfully old and new can coexist.  We admire the concept of melding the past together with the present, the unexpected visual combinations, and the graceful design choices in this approach, as it will certainly bring a distinguished charm to any home.

10 Mirror Ideas For Home Décor

1. A mirror reflects available light creating the illusion of more space.  A mirror in a small restaurant is made to seem much more spacious using a large mirrored wall. We use a large mirror in our small dining room to create the illusion of more space.
2. Use a wall mirror to reflect something worth looking at; a painting or the lush plant-filled back yard to bring the outside in.
3. Use long narrow mirrors in dressing rooms either sitting on the floor or leaning against the wall.
4. Balance the fireplace energy with a wall mirror, which is a water element.
5. Welcome visitors with a wall mirror in your home’s entryway.
6. Don’t use a wall mirror in the bedroom that reflects the bed. It brings a third person into the room. If you must have a mirror, try it above the headboard.
7. A backsplash in the kitchen may seem like a good idea to bring in light and spaciousness, however it may require constant cleaning.
8. Ceiling mirrors are a no-no. They can make the design look tacky.
9. Use mirrored furniture, such as a mirrored chest of drawers or mirrored coffee table. Vanessa Deleon, host of "Your Place is a Dealbreaker" on SpacesTV, tells us that “Mirrors trick the eye into thinking the mirror doesn’t exist, If you have a big piece of furniture in the middle of the room, you can make it appear as if it’s disappearing by installing a mirrors on it.”
10. Hang the mirror at the proper height. The average person is five feet six, so adjust your mirror accordingly.
    

Stanley Furniture Talks About Trends and Repurposing

The Elements Collection by Bernhardt

Landfair Furniture + Design is pleased to be able to offer Bernhardt Interiors.

What Color Is Your Bedroom?

Not getting enough sex? It may not be anyone's fault, but the color of your bedroom.

A recent study by Travelodge of 2000 homes in the UK discovered that people who sleep in rooms painted yellow, blue, or green get the best night's sleep. People who sleep in blue rooms got close to eight hours of sleep, according to the Daily Mail. And people who slept in purple bedrooms got the least amount of sleep, clocking in at less than six hours.

The color that promotes more sex? Caramel!

Really, we need two bedrooms; one caramel colored and one in blue for recovery.

Slim Paley

Brigett Otto writes:

I may have just found my new favorite blogspot: Slim Paley. Check out the images she's curated for her take on Mandarin & Midnight, or one of my fav combos: Black & Orange.

We totally agree and her photos featuring orange is fabulous.

Interior Decorating Apps

The following apps are full of small projects and major makeover ideas for your home.

iPhone

Elle Decor Magazine (pay per issue or subscribe annually) — This is the favorite interior design magazine of innovative decorators. Fall in love with each issue's casual and extravagant featured homes. (Score: 97/100)

Dream Home HD ($0.99) — You can explore countless options for your home, choosing by decorating style, room type or color palette. You also can view them offline. (Score: 92/100)

IKEA Catalog (Free)* — IKEA, the retailer for those who like modern, affordable and ready-to-go designs, shares its latest offerings in this app. (Score: 87/100)

HGTV to GO for iPhone or iPad (Free — Home and Garden Television gathers a vast array of design ideas and tips in this helpful app. (Score: 82/100)

Virtual Interior Design (Free) — This interactive app allows you to photograph the room you want to change and virtually decorate it in a variety of ways. (Score: 76/100)

Android

Master-Design Furnish (Free) — Draw your rooms and furnish them with 3,000 different items. This very flexible design app allows you to visualize all of your design plans. (Score: 86/100)

Interior Design Gallery (Free) — A large collection of interior design images for every room and style. (Score: 82/100)

Room Painting Ideas (Free) — This gallery of ideas for your home contains hundreds of room-painting concepts, from antique-paint effects to modern, bold colors. (Score: 82/100)

3D Interior Room Design ($4.79) — This app uses 3-D animated software to create realistic images of your rooms and decorate your virtual walls and floors with moldings, wall textures and textiles. (Score: 78/100)

Houzz Interior Design Ideas (Free)* — Houzz's app features 900,000 high-resolution images of home decor. There's an idea for any size or style of home or room. (Score: 69/100)

* Available on both platforms.

Remodel Or Move

Bridget Otto writes about the costs of remodeling and she quotes Dan Fritschen, founder of RemodelorMove.com He offers four tips on getting answers.

Checking out RemodelorMove.com, I found a lot of discussion about remodeling versus moving. This site really heps answer that dilemma. In our neighborhood, I know one couple who remodeled their house, even taking their house higher by adding a second story. They looked all over this area and concluded that staying put and remodeling was cheaper.

We are seeing other homes that are completely gutted down to the foundation and rebuilt turning a $400,000 house into a bigger house valued at $800,000 to $900,000 house. They really must like this Grant High neighborhood and its nearness to downtown!

We Thank You!

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This is a blog on furniture and interior design. It features designs by various interior designers where they share ideas.

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Pantone’s Color for 2013: Emerald Green’s Year to Shine

"Lively. Radiant. Lush… A color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony...A luminous, magnificent hue, the color of beauty, new life and prosperity." - Pantone on Emerald, Color of the Year for 2013.

Emerald Green is Pantone’s color of the year, and in our research, we have developed a new-found appreciation for this rich and vibrant shade.  We’re taken with how it instantly attracts the eye and demands one’s attention, yet still gives a sense of elegance and calm.

Green is a powerful color, but it can just as easily evoke the serenity of nature found in peaceful pastures or majestic forests.  This brilliant hue has captured our imagination and stirred ideas on how to best utilize within the realm of home decor and interior design.

 Photo via Bird and Branch Redesign.

 The beautiful green curtains shown in the above dining area create an allure that’s unique and unforgettable.  Such an arresting and lively color can be wonderfully matched with more neutral shades such as grey, beige and subtle gold, which can lend a space an instantly balanced ambiance.  The striking accent chair exudes a refined grace with its marbleized upholstery in a radiant emerald green.

 Photo via Savannah Collections.

A stunning Italian marble top table such as the Waterford Coffee Table above enchants with lustrous detail.  It’s a marvelous and subtle way to incorporate this gorgeous color into your home.

 Photo via Baker Furniture.

This luxurious dining room designed by Baker Furniture creates a more tranquil setting using green throughout the walls and dining chairs, but with softer shades of emerald.  A shimmering gold chandelier brightens the room while complimenting the serene greens.

  Photo via Willard & May’s Front Door Pinterest Board.

A cozy living room such as the one above plays with various hues of green, with a rich emerald sofa, green walls and lush accent pieces.  This lively mix stands out with its contrasting textures and charming patterns throughout.  A beautiful and fun way to awaken the senses!