|
Welcome to our Designer Tips!
Ask the Designers Directly
click on their email address and ask away
Melissa Breden - Featured Designer
Hickory Designer
www.furnitureshoppingguide.net
Melissa@furnitureshoppingguide.net
Sally Osborne Design - Preferred
Designer
sallyosborne@earthlink.net
Yvonne McRee Interiors - Preferred
Designer
Yvonne McRee, ASID
ymcree@charter.net
Spring Into A New Look!!!
It's Time For A New Pillow When....
Fabric is in!
What Constitutes a True Oriental Rug?
Overwhelmed?
Every project is unique and challenging. Taking on the task yourself can be very
overwhelming. Use theses tips to help guide you while shopping for furniture.
Q: Do you know what furniture layout will be most functional for the room?
A: You will need to draw your plan to scale and place or draw in your furniture
to fit, keeping in mind the traffic flow for the room.
Q: Do you know what fabrics and leathers will stand the time for the rooms use?
A: With leather and fabric there are different grades. The grades factor the
cost not necessarily the durability.
Q: Do you know the constructions of furniture so that your money is spent
appropriately on the right pieces?
A: The family room needs a sturdy sofa. The sturdier construction will cost a
little more, but save you money over time. The sofa without the best
construction can be placed in the formal living room where it is used less and
more for its looks.
Q: Do know how to select the focal point in the room and balance the rest of
the room around it?
A: When you walk into a bedroom you should see the headboard or a mirror first.
Q: Do you know how to coordinate fabrics, window treatments, area rugs, wall
finishes and accessories to complete the look that you want?
A: Mixing fabric patterns, area rugs that have designs woven into them, a
textured wall, with just the right picture, can be tricky. Use solids and tone
on tones on top of busy rugs and add accent fabrics with patterns that
complement the rug.
Q: Do you know in what order you begin with your project? Do you buy furniture
first or the ornate area rug you have always wanted? Do you paint the walls
your favorite color first or by new bedding?
A: With my experience I have found that a client should buy the furniture
first. It is usually easier to match a rug with furniture rather than the other
way around. A client should buy bedding first. You can always have the paint
store match your fabric.
Melissa Breden - Featured Designer
Hickory Designer
www.furnitureshoppingguide.net
Melissa@furnitureshoppingguide.net
Fabric is in!
 Drape it, tie it, twist it, gather it, and
create with it.
Fabric will change the look of your life. You
are in charge to create new color and new style within your own budget. Today
the overall look and feel of most rooms is more casual much like our
lifestyles. This makes way for more frequent fabric and in most cases by never
sewing a stitch. Even seasonal effects can be created to celebrate the holidays
with a special décor. By draping or wrapping, learn to be bold with fabric.
Drama is in! Romance is in! Fabric is in!
For Spring---layer a table with pastel colored
fabrics
Great for decorating Weddings or Showers!
Take a round table, place the fabric cut in a
large square evenly over the table letting the corners hang down. Don’t worry
if the fabric is not even, you can also use sheets for this effect. Take one
corner hanging down and tie a large knot loosely then let it puddle gracefully
on the floor. Repeat the other corners and pull the fabric to balance the
amount of fabric evenly around.
For added drama place a different color under
the tied cloth. The same fabric or color palette can be used to tie across
folding chairs to pull the entire collection together. Your guests will think
they are at a grand ball. Have a great time experimenting with different looks.
Spring Into A New Look!!!
Welcome to Spring! Time to look around your home and think of sprucing it up for
the fun outdoors and in. Sunrooms and patios can come alive with two or three
new items. Change out that tired look to a fresh happy color. Greens and butter creams
or add a splash with bright primaries.
Today there are lots of new looks to wicker. Indoor and outdoor wicker is hot!
You can make you patio, deck or sunroom look like a photo right out of Southern
Living. Let us help! Scan through these photos for some great idea and look to
our website for info on how to purchase.
Don't stop at the sunroom. Look at this beautiful collection to freshen up any
bedroom. Picture your guest or master bedroom with a background of soothing
lavender paint or crisp white. This ensemble would freshen up any space and
place you in a relaxing mood. Contact About Last Nite for more information.
Celebrate Spring through-out your home. Let Catawba Furniture Mall make it
happen for you. The right look at the right price. THE REAL FURNITURE DEALS ARE
IN HICKORY!
It's Time For A New Pillow When....
- You lay your head down and it keeps going,
and going and going….
- The pillow is shot
- Your pillow has had more birthdays than you
(change every five years)
- You wake up to soreness and discomfort in
your shoulder and neck
- The dog is sleeping better than you
- You fold your down pillow in half and it
does not spring back to shape
- You toss and turn trying to find a
comfortable position
- You stack up two or three and you still
can't see the TV (bad habit anyway)
- You have to put it quickly into a pillowcase
to keep it from falling apart
So check out your current pillow situation and
make a decision. Here are some basic guide lines regarding pillow sizes and
choices.
Sources for pillows in the Catawba
Furniture Mall
About Last Nite, Studio 70, Designers' Choice
Furniture Galleries
Standard pillow are 20"X 26" They are designed to fit any bed really but are
best used on twin beds as a single or for a double or queen two pillows.
Queen pillow are 20"X 30" as you can see four inches longer than the standard
and designed to fit queen beds with two.
King pillows are the big boys 20"X 36" These are designed to fit all sizes of
king beds from California to Eastern King beds.
Specialty pillow are also good and come in a variety of sizes for example the
Tempur-Pedic are as follows:
Swedish Neck Pillows ranging in thickness from 2.5 inches to 5 inches are
available.
There is a size to fit every body.
- Junior Neck Pillow 15 x 10 x 2.5
- Small Neck Pillow 20 x 12 x 3
- Medium Neck Pillow 20 x 12 x 4
- Large Neck Pillow 20 x 12 x 4.5
- X-Large Neck Pillow 20 x 12 x 5
Designed for Queen and King-size beds, these
Queen length Swedish Neck Pillows Are 4 inches longer than the standard length
neck pillows above.
- Queen Medium Neck Pillow 24 x 12 x 4
- Queen Large Neck Pillow 24 x 12 x 4.5
- Queen X-Large Neck Pillow 24 x 12 x 5
Specially designed pillow cases are available
to fit the unique cervical design of the Neck pillows
- Pillow Case for S, M, L or XL 20 x 12 x 5
- Pillow Case for Queen series 24 x 12 x 5
- Pillow Case for Travel Pillow 10 x 12 x 4
Travel Neck Pillow Ideal for traveling, this
versatile pillow is the same thickness as The medium neck pillow and can be
rolled to fit in its own convenient carrying case.
When rolled, the travel pillow can be used as a
lumbar support or neck roll. 10x12x4
What Constitutes a True Oriental Rug?
An Oriental rug must include the following
things:
1. It must be of MidEast or Asian origin.
2. It must be made completely from natural fibers
3. It must be knotted completely by hand.
Traditional vs. Contemporary:
There are two major categories that oriental
rugs can
be grouped under. Traditional and Contemporary. Traditional rugs are the
result of a carpet-making heritage of at least 1000 years including tribal,
city or town origin. Contemporary rugs come from nontraditional weaving
regions and are comparable with modern decorating styles.
How to Determine the Value of an Oriental
Rug:
There are eight factors that determine the
value of an
Oriental rug:
1. Man years
2. Color
3. Designer
4. Recognized artist
5. Material
6. Dyes
7. Weaver
8. Labor rate
Materials in an Oriental rug are mostly wool or
silk knotted
onto a cotton foundation. Wool is a critical element in the quality of
an Oriental rug. Intensive use of good wool carpet over a period of time
will polish the wool and the natural oils will come to the surface giving
it a wonderful sheen. Sometimes an older rug can look like it is made
of silk instead of wool.
Dyes:
Dyes fall into three different categories:
1. Aniline dyes
2. Chrome dyes
3. Natural dyes
Aniline dyes are acid-based synthetics Chromium
dyes are
now almost equal to vegetable dyes Natural dyes are made from flowers,
roots, berries, bark, insects, and sometimes from minerals or metals such
as iron.
Color:
Within Oriental rugs there is a strong meaning
to each
color. These meanings are an integral part of the Easterner's beliefs
about life and order in the universe.
Design:
 There are four different types of designs:
Medallion - designed with solid color or with
small designs
surrounding a central medallion.
Repeat - designed with a repeating pattern cut
off by
the borders with more of a geometric pattern.
Representational - designed with people and
animals and
often tells a story.
Niche and tree - design is uniform from the
point of view
of style even though the patterns vary considerably.
Weaving:
 Carpets today are woven the same as they were
thousand
of years ago. Rows of knots are tied on a foundation of wrap and weft
and become the pile. When the rug is completed, the ends form fringes
which may be braided, tasseled or secured. The weaver's instruments are
simple and hand made.
There are two basic knots:
1. The Turkish (Ghiordes) knot
2. The Persian (Sehna) knot
The choice of knot varies between districts.
Both types
are sometimes used in one and the same locality. Weaving is carried on
from sunrise to sunset twelve to sixteen hours a day. Output naturally
varies from weaver to weaver. A good weaving speed is 800 knots per hour
or 6400 knots per day.
It can take more than three years to weave a
9x12 with
a 300-knot density.
Great Artists:
An artist's statement is definitely found
within an Oriental
rug. It is a statement to all mankind - a testimony that he lived, loved
and triumphed over his harsh environment. The artist's soul is communicated
through a great Oriental rug. The bright colors are the emotions and feelings
the artist has within himself.
Choosing Oriental Rugs as an Investment:
Over the last decade, Oriental rugs have
averaged a steady
10% appreciation per year, a rate that surpasses most other types of
investments.
An important medium for investment is the purchase of objects of beauty
and utility, which have increased in value over the years. Unlike paintings
and stamps, they perform a function throughout the consumer's lifetime.
Liquidity:
Liquidity is one of the major factors for
consideration
by the investor. Generally the greater the degree the liquidity of an
asset the lower the return. Oriental rugs are the exception. They enjoy
a great degree of liquidity while offering one of the highest return for
your investment due to the increasing demand caused by awareness of the
public of their value. Couple with the international market for all types
of oriental rugs, good rugs continue to keep their promise as investments.
As always in life, the phrase "only the best
yields
the highest profit" applies here, not only in actual increase in
value, but also in psychic satisfaction gained from the carpet.
Freshen-up the indoors for Spring........
Sometimes just adding accessories and unique
accents are all you need to give your interiors that spring-fresh-feel!!!!
For bringing wonderful color and texture to an existing sofa, try adding a few
new pillows. Shop at "About Last Nite" to find the current
styles. Layer the pillows by using two large matching ones at each end
of the sofa, and place a kidney shape (small rectangle) in the center.
Don't forget to notice the trims.. cords, fringe, and tassels that are on
most of the pillow options. Those details on a small item really yield
the designer look at a fraction of the cost of all new upholstery. In
addition to pillows, shop for throws, quilts, and all types of bed linens at
About Last Nite.
For more accessories, shop "Cornerstone
Wine and Gifts". They have lamps, picture frames, statuary,
garden accents, and iron wine racks..just to name some of
their assortment..they have something to see in every inch of the
store..and it's a fun place to shop!
Also, check out the "Designer's
Outlet" for special pieces..perhaps you need a chest with a
decorative mirror for your foyer..or a bench, console or other item for
a finishing touch. For the Spring-theme, look across the hallway to the
Painted finishes of the Riverside collection at "Heritage
Home". This collection has a cottage-feel. Or for the
contemporary or simplistic style, visit "Studio 70". They have
wonderful artwork, table top pieces, and lighting. You'll especially
enjoy hearing the calm, soothing sounds of their water fountain
accessories.
All of the showrooms in the Catawba Furniture
Mall have a wide assortment of accessories for every taste and budget.
The sales people will welcome you to shop for furniture and accessory
items at your leisure..They are willing to point you in a
direction if you just tell them what you are looking for, as well.
Happy Spring and Happy Shopping at the Catawba
Furniture Mall !!!!!!!!!
Tips and Hints
When furniture shopping, bring samples of paint
colors, wallpaper, carpet, and window treatments for color and pattern
co-ordination.
House plans or a sketch of your room is helpful
for selecting items of correct dimensions and proportions.
Consider how a room will be used in
selections. For example, a family room would require more durable fabrics.
Your furniture should reflect your personality
and lifestyle. Creating a setting that will welcome you home and make you
feel good when you arrive is important.
Rugs are an important ingredient in
decorating. They add warmth, color, and can anchor a conversation
area. Placing rugs at an angle in a bedroom (under corner of bed) can add
a splash of color and interest. Dining room rugs should be large enough to
accommodate table and chairs sufficiently. Measuring carefully will avoid
costly mistakes.
Decorative pillows can add so much interest to
upholstery. They can be changed with seasons to create a whole new
"feel". Warmer and heavier fabrics are nice in the winter and
lighter fabrics are better for spring and summer.
Older lamps can be updated with new
shades. Adding shades to the chandeliers in the dining room can give a
softer, more elegant look.
Extend your living area...to
the outdoors
by including the patio, porch, deck, or yard.
-A well designed outdoor room should begin with a theme that suits you and your
lifestyle
-Select furniture that blends with the theme and is comfortable and functional.
-For added interest, use containers of various sizes and shapes for greenery and
flowers.
-Fountains, benches, bakers racks, or architectural pieces make great focal
points
-Privacy can be obtained by adding decorative screens, fencing and shrubbery.
-Music, candles, and lighting can create a peaceful and relaxing setting.
-If the space is small, use smaller furniture in one basic color and contrast
with pillows.
A great selection of outdoor furniture has just arrived at Catawba Furniture
Mall, featuring wicker, wood, steel, and iron in many fabric choices. Hope
to see you soon!
Transform a Drab Room
If you want to transform a drab room into a new
exciting space, add color, pictures, pillows, florals and rugs. Table
settings and new glasses can transform a "tired" table into something
new and exciting. New rugs and towels can update a bathroom with a minimum
of expense and effort. Shower curtains sewn in fabric and raised higher to
the ceiling creates an illusion of space and elegance. Paint is still the
most cost effective method for changing the complete look of any
room.
Fall is upon us, and this is the time of year
is especially good for using your patios, porches, and sun rooms as an extension
of your house for entertaining and enjoying. Architectural pieces are
great for outdoor spaces. Also they work great indoors when pictures and
mirrors are not appropriate, or have been over-used.
The past spring furniture market in High Point,
NC showed more elegance in design with "swirls and curves" on case goods
and fringe and tassels being used on upholstery. Of course, there are
always the more modern and mission styles that will always be popular.
Fall market is just a few weeks away and we will update you afterward regarding
what's hot and what's new.
One of the questions I am
asked most often as a designer is where do I start when I am picking furniture,
accessories, art, and colors. As a
designer, I begin with what is known as a Concept.
Do you want your room to feel
or look like a chic and modern New York loft, a rustic European villa, a classic
traditional Colonial, or your favorite country room in Grandma’s house?
Each one of these ideas is a Concept to begin decorating an entire home
or just an individual room. Finding
ideas in magazines, books, on television and through traveling can start you on
your way to creating your own Concept that best fits your personality and
lifestyle. Keep the ideas you find-
pictures of spaces, favorite colors, fabrics you love, anything that can be a
visual reminder of what you of desire. This
collection of ideas will be a great reference when you are decorating a new
home, or when you renovate an existing one.
Select each item you are
using- from paint color to flooring to furniture to ceiling fixtures-with your
ultimate Concept in mind. Using
that vision, you will create the Room of Your Dreams.
10 Myths About Hiring an
Interior Designer
|
|
The Myth
|
The
Truth
|
|
1
|
It’s
too expensive.
|
A
designer can work in any price range- from spending a few hours freshening
up a room with what you already own to complete upfits.
|
|
2
|
I
can do the project cheaper and faster myself.
|
A
designer can help prevent costly mistakes as well as use sources only
available to the trade to keep costs under control.
|
|
3
|
Anyone
with a “flair for design” can decorate.
|
A
professional ASID or IIDA designer has met education and work requirements
of 6+ years and passed a 2 day exam on planning, codes and ethics.
|
|
4
|
A
designer will impose a style that does not reflect my personal taste.
|
The
best designers will incorporate your taste and lifestyle into the design-
after all, YOU are the client.
|
|
5
|
Designers
only pick colors and furniture.
|
Designers
do choose colors and furniture, but they can also plan your space,
incorporate lighting, and specify finishes that are appropriate for your
space.
|
|
6
|
Designers
only do big projects.
|
Many
designers work on a room by room basis from simply hanging art or
assisting with color selections only.
|
|
7
|
Designers
will sell me a bunch of stuff I don’t want.
|
A
designer’s main goal is to meet YOUR needs through planning and
analyzing the space which may or may not include replacing or adding new
pieces.
|
Now that you know the Truth, let Campbell
Design make your home or office the most beautiful and inspiring place it
can be!
|
