Accent Furniture For The Kitchen - What's Hot

Accent furniture pieces for the kitchen are hot right now. The kitchen island table shown here is one that can be ordered in a wood finish or with a painted finish that can be made to look old. I bought one for my own kitchen remodel that has the unfinished natural wood cutting board top while the body of the table is "barn yard" black. The bottom shelf of my island now has three large baskets to store cookbooks. "Barn yard" means it has been distressed and the paint has been rubbed to show some of the wood tones below the paint, this makes the piece look old and worn giving it character. You can find many of these wonderful European accent pieces by looking at the website www.britishtraditions.com.

British Traditions only sell items to designers and furniture dealers for their stores. They are one of several companies that manufacture new furniture items that resemble antique furniture pieces. They have armoires, bookcases, kitchen islands, tables, chairs, chests, & etc. Take a look at their website and you will be able to look at their catalog. If you find something that you would like to have more information about, send me an email. If you need a colored accent piece anywhere in your home this is the place to find it.

Kitchen accent pieces can make your kitchen an even warmer place to be. People tend to gather in the kitchen for most of their meals even in homes that have a separate dining room. Built-in eating areas are popular in many kitchens. Portable kitchen islands can add flexibility while baker's racks can showcase cookbooks, cooking tools and plenty of other odds and ends. Ceiling hung iron pot holders can help make your kitchen look like a chef lives here.

The kitchen is the "hub" of today's home, it is a great area for casual entertaining. Parents cook while their children sit at the counter and do their homework. When we entertain everyone just naturally gravitates towards the kitchen. Food is a large part of interaction between friends and family so the kitchen becomes the most important room in our home. We spend a great deal of our time there; add a little color and some accent pieces to your kitchen, you will be surprised by the results.

Jet Lag - It's The Real Thing!

Phew! We just got back from a two week trip to Europe and the jet lag everyone hears about really has us under it's spell. Today will be our first day back to work.

We traveled to Rome, Italy where we had the pleasure of seeing so many wonderful historical places. Wasn't prepared, however, for the large crowds everywhere and the traffic in Rome was just unbelievable to a rural country girl from California. We were trained here in the USA as children to form a line and wait your turn; and this training by-and-large has translated to our driving as adults. This habit has obviously not been entrenched in Rome. Imagine five or six vehicles (buses, cars, taxis and motorbikes) merging into two lanes of traffic simultaneously at every corner. This results in an "every man for himself" challenge which results in pandemonium!

We were then guests of Hunter Douglas on a Royal Carribbean ship "Splendour of the Seas" which sailed out of Venice, Italy. The cruise went to Athens, Greece then up the coast to Split, Croatia stopping at several Greek Isles. We like to think that some of our historical sights in the USA are old....but wait until you see the sights in these areas. It is nothing to be looking at a 2,500+ year old landmark! As an example, we visited the site of the original Olympic Games in Olympia, which include some "modern Roman ruins", where the Games started about 2,600 years ago.

We have been lucky to attend these yearly trips and we have been even luckier to meet the best dealers of window coverings from all over the United States who attend them. Last year we were cruising down the Danube River together and next year, if we work hard, maybe we'll be able to be with the group sailing the Baltic Sea. All it takes is hard work and many satisfied window covering clients to do this. Thanks to all our clients for helping us make our sales goals last year to enjoy this trip!

Reupholstery - Is your Chair or Sofa Worth It?

To reupholster your favorite chair or sofa, or not, is a question faced by many of our clients when they are redecorating their rooms. There is a lot of confusion about this subject and many "wives tales" abound about this subject.

When you are making this decision you need to ask yourself several questions:

Do I like the chair/sofa?

Is it comfortable, does it fit in my room, is the style still good?

How old is the piece? How much did I pay for it when it was new, did it come from a quality store?

You get the picture. You must make an honest assessment before you start looking for an upholsterer's services. Frankly, if the sofa or chair originally came from a "discount type" store the frame is probably not worth saving. If it is an old well loved piece, and/or it came from a quality furniture manufacturer, it is worth recovering as it probably has a solid wood frame and good springs.

When a chair or sofa is recovered this is the time to have springs retied if needed and new cushions installed along with the outside covering replacement. A good upholsterer can make an old piece of furniture more comfortable and look better than it did when new, for about half the cost to replace it today with a same quality new piece.

There are many beautiful upholstery fabrics on the market. The cost of these fabrics vary widely. The rule of thumb is to buy the best quality fabric that you can when you recover an upholstered piece. The labor cost to reupholster the piece will be the same if you buy a cheap bargain basement fabric or quality yardage. Doesn't it make sense to use fabric that will last for a long time even though it may cost a little more?

We carry a large selection of upholstery fabrics and have a professional upholsterer who can rebuild your chair/sofa to be better than it was when new. Give us a call or come into our shop.

Also the photo shows a wonderful looking roman shade style window covering - the Vignette Shade which can match any style decor very well.

Alouette LightLouvers - Shutter, Shade & Blind Combined

Photo is NewStyle Shutter

Window Covering News:

Alouette LightLouvers, a fine window covering product from Hunter Douglas, is coming out with new colors and patterns. This shade offers the bold shape of shutters, the flexibility and easy function of shades and the privacy and light control of blinds - all in one product.

This month Hunter Douglas is introducing a new sampling package for Alouette. They are adding two new fabric prints: Chambray, a variation on fine linen, available in six colors, and Raw Silk, designed to accentuate the horizontal look of the louvers, also available in six colors. Coordinating Duette cellular shades will be shown in the sampler too so that it will be easier for customers to mix and match products on windows for their home. Visit our showroom and we will be happy to show you the new products (www.drapesandmore.com).

"Summer Sale Event" - Hunter Douglas' first ever summer sales event will be in effect June 1 through August 31, 2007 (www.hunterdouglas.com). They will offer consumers special rebates on many of their best-selling products, including their new Duette Architella Collection shades, Heritance & NewStyle shutters, Provenance woven wood shades and others of their products. Further information on the sale will be advertised in Better Homes & Gardens, Coastal Living, Home and many other top magazines starting in June. As soon as I know the details of the sale I will include them in a future blog.