Georgia Interior Design

High Point Market Notes-Spring 2010

The trip to market this year started with a crime.   Walking out of my house to jump in the car for the five hour drive to High Point I spied my son’s laptop…and took it.  I was thinking that I might have a better chance of making my notes on the computer while thoughts were fresh in my mind rather than trying to read chicken scratch on the back of cocktail napkins four days after the fact.  I left him a ransom note.

The weather couldn’t be more perfect as I plowed through the pollen towards North Carolina.  (Did you hear that the pollen count is somewhere around 6000?  A high number is 120) I always look forward to market and my mind was swimming with questions.  Is it going to be busy this year?  Will the eco rage still be the focus?  What new color would start bubbling up throughout all the showrooms, and how do they do that?  Most importantly, with the economy showing signs of life, will the manufacturers loosen up with the food and drinks?  Offering Chex mix and directions to the drinking fountain was a real mood crusher last year.

(The answers to the previous questions were; yes, sort of, navy blue, don’t know, and YESSSS!!!)

I checked into the Wyndham Garden, the word ‘garden’ being a bit of a stretch unless your definition of a garden is looking up at a freeway.  For the price I should have no complaints, especially considering the staff was unusually chipper and helpful, but for a newly remodeled hotel, especially in the center of the furniture and design universe, you would have thought they’d have remembered to put a toilet in the room.  Well, there was one, and it was remarkably short, but I am sure it was put in after they realized they forgot to do so because the sink counter actually hung over the porcelain.   My key card took so many attempts to work I began counting.  Eighteen swipes was the winner.  I asked for help twice at the desk.  Darrell, sharp guy, looked up at me and said “Room 119?”  My room was notorious.  He showed me a special trick, involving bending the card up and pushing down as I removed it from the lock while standing on one foot, which worked like a charm.

By the way, Wolfgang Puck’s Signature Estate Grown Coffee tastes just like Folgers, IMHO.

So, what does this have to do with furniture and the upcoming trends in design?  Nothing, but I assume you are reading this because you want to know what its like to go to market.  It’s one a.m., no more questions.

The next morning I met up with a couple of friends from Austin, Jared and Mary, and we drove to our first stop in style in their rented brand new Dodge Charger.  Jared has a nasty habit of sitting in the chair I am trying to photograph and flashing the “hook ‘em Horn’s” hand signal that all depraved University of Texas fans love to make, but I wouldn’t tour a showroom with anybody else.  His hind end is a highly calibrated furniture tester, with the ability to detect the slightest flaw deep within the construction.  I swear he has sonar pinging from his glutes.  Watching him ‘test drive’ a chair is like watching a sommelier thoughtfully evaluate a glass of wine.  Someday I will video his process and you will understand how funny it is to watch. 

Our first stop was at the Miles Talbott and Michael Thomas showroom, lines I was considering for my store provided they offer the look, value, and service I require, but my secret intent was to see the Joe Ruggiero collection because Joe is following ME on facebook!  Can you believe that?  For those of you not in the know, Joe Ruggiero is of “Homes Across America” fame on HGTV.  My designers nearly passed out when they saw him on our facebook page.  (http://www.joeruggiero.com/joesbio.html)

We were greeted warmly by Rhonda at the front desk and once we showed our credentials and flashed the secret handshake, we were welcomed in.  The FIRST people to greet us were the owners.  Tom Jordan is the President of Michael Thomas, and his son George is the President of Miles Talbott.  The two companies operate separately (you can use fabrics from one to the other) and compliment each other perfectly.  Both gentlemen oozed classic Southern charm and impressed me immediately as they demonstrated an understanding of the challenges of today’s retailer and a focus on personal relationships.  As George said to me, “there’s a lot of great furniture manufacturers out there, and the big difference is the service provided by the people in the office and the reps.” I couldn’t agree more.  All the styling in the world won’t make up for poor service and there have been many times I have been at war with a manufacturer on behalf of a client without their knowledge.  That’s frustrating and unnecessary in today’s economy.  Take care of me as a customer or I walk.

Tom and George effused a ‘can do’ spirit in a lighthearted manner and if one got called away for a moment the other stepped in, effectively engaging us in a friendly tug of war between the two lines.  It was really fun.  Tom told me his team could do anything I wanted to a piece of upholstery.  “I’d upholster the propeller of a moving plane if you asked…provided you paid me.”  I believe him, too. 

Miles Talbott has a traditional look yet with the cleaner lines many people are looking for today.  Options are plenty and the construction is very good, facilitated at the plant just blocks away.   They will provide my clients a great product at an attractive price point. 

Michael Thomas is the higher end product line and the showroom boasted their varied finishes, creativity, and customization capabilities.   After walking enough vendor spaces it becomes a rare thing to be impressed and Michael Thomas stopped me in my tracks with stunning vignettes on a couple of occasions. 

One effective display technique was that they took the same sofa or chair and showed it twice somewhere in the showroom with completely different fabric combinations.  So different that it was sometimes hard to recognize that I was looking at the same basic frame.  That just goes to show you the impact that can be made with a skillfully selected pattern and color palette.

The two tones of leather on this chair are actually from the same leather.  The darker tone is accomplished by using the underside of the hide.  Clever!

Check this out, a swivel settee!  And yes, orange is still a color of note…tangerines and burnt oranges were in a lot of showrooms.

Look at the level of detail on this skirt. 

Fully impressed with what we had already seen, we reverently entered the Joe Ruggiero collection, only to find that Joe himself was there, and his wife Barbara too!   Elegant was the word that came to mind to describe the two of them and yet with all their fame they are just the nicest people.  Hailing from California, Joe’s style is simple, clean lined, and tends towards the monochromatic.  I loved the custom 8’ screens, and the winning Tribeca sectional, but the most amazing thing was that ALL of his fabrics are Sunbrella.  Yes, you heard me, the outdoor fabric.  Guess what? Sunbrella isn’t just outdoor fabric anymore.  This is going to revolutionize our industry, by the way. Sunbrella has been known to be the best in outdoor fabric because it won’t fade and can be easily cleaned.  It is as close to indestructible as you can get and yet it feels just like upholstery fabric!  I had no idea I was sitting on outdoor fabric indoors.  Even Jared’s backside sensors failed to detect the difference.  What about the fabric on the screens, curtain panels, bedding, and lampshades?  Yup, Sunbrella.  Do you know what this means?  You don’t have to wait for the kids to go to college or join the army before you get nice furniture.  THEY CAN’T RUIN SUNBRELLA.  Spills are a non issue as you can clean it, even with diluted bleach.   How awesome is that?  Way to go Joe.

Just in case you were thinking about investing in Sunbrella, it’s a private company.  I asked.

So, if that wasn’t cool enough, we walked across the hallway to the B. Smith collection and guess who was there?  B. Smith!  What a sharp person she is.  Very engaging, and very focused on business.  She showed me her collection and used the word ‘Afrasian’ to describe the look.  The fabric selections are rich and warm and the furniture design will have a hint of Asian elegance here or an homage to an African mask there.  Very cool.  We talked about her restaurants, her cookbooks, her furniture…prompting me to ask what she does in her spare time.  By the way, did you know she came from Western PA and was once crowned Miss Three Rivers?  We had such a good time.  Then I met her husband and we started laughing together, mostly about the three guys in the room being bald.  He even gave me a good look over and pronounced my dome worthy of a clean shave.

After a nice lunch on the patio (notice the Sunbrella fabric sandwiched between layers of glass on the tabletop?) with George and Chrissy, the VP of Sales, we went upstairs to their new Shabby Chic collection.  Weren’t Joe and B. enough?  This isn’t your copycat Shabby Chic, mind you, and notice that I am capitalizing it?  That’s because the folks at Miles Talbott are presenting a new collection from Rachel Ashwell who basically invented Shabby Chic.  And let me tell you, Shabby Chic is BAAAACK!  Monday night they had a party with Rachel and all the relevant media were there.   The sofa chaise was so ridiculously comfortable we were calling it the stupid chair because our IQ dropped thirty points just sitting in it.  I am telling you, it was so comfortable we became unable to complete a sentence, or plan what to do next.  Completely catatonic.  Always looking for fun, the folks at Miles Talbott had a facebook competition to name the cushion.  ‘Asstastic’ and ‘Butterific’ were frontrunners, but more tasteful heads prevailed and they agreed on The Ultimate or something like that.  

The Shabby Chic collection comes with a choice of over 40 fabrics.  A few points of interest that indicate authenticity of the style are the slipcovers always touch the floor, the cushion will always leave a print of your tushie when you stand up, and the white or pastel linen/cotton fabric will always be wrinkled.   Don’t mistake that for poor craftsmanship, however, because you might suggest it would be easy to create that look, it is another thing to maintain it.  The fibers in the back cushion channels are made by Nike Dri-FIT, which will not compact like other fibers.  It will stay nice and cushy and hold its shape.  Very Shabby Chic.

After four or five hours I felt like we might have worn out our welcome, but really didn’t want to leave, and only did so when I was told that Marge the margarita machine was going to be in full churn at five.  These guys have it going on.   I love it when a company allows and promotes a fun culture.  Think of Southwest Airlines.  That is a top down formula for success and it was evidenced by the energy throughout the place.  The only slacker in the bunch was Jeff, and that’s an inside joke.

Over margaritas at five (yes, we came back) I asked where we might find some good North Carolina barbecue.   You would have thought I asked an inflammatory question about religion or politics.  The size of the group swelled as the intensity of the debate flared.  Voices were raised, aggressive postures were taken, and that wasn’t just Chrissy.  Attempting to leave before a riot broke out, we said our goodbyes and turned right on business 85 to head to an old barn that is Lexington BBQ.   What I didn’t expect was that old barn was surrounded by a sea of cars.  The line of hungry patrons snaked out the front door.  I started chatting with the guy standing behind me to determine if the place was worth the wait, only to find that he eats there twice a day.  Normally a BBQ order is not complicated, but when I asked him what he recommended, the level of detail in his standard order prompted me to say to Norma, our server, “I’ll have what Max is having.”  Excellent recommendation.

Yes, we did go visit some other showrooms, but I will save that for another blog post.  Next up will be spring market trends and something for Bubba.  I’ll post more photos on my Facebook page by the end of the week.  So long from High Point.

Notes from High Point Market-Fall 2009

One of my favorite sayings is that history doesn’t necessarily repeat itself but it certainly does rhyme.  I used that line a couple of years ago in an editorial, well really an editorialita, I wrote for a magazine a couple of years ago lamenting the return of the seventies in home fashion.  Even though I was only in my teens during the Carter administration, I was painfully aware of the dreadful nature of the avocado appliances, hard rock hair styles, and nasty shag carpeting.  I couldn’t wait for that era to end knowing it would never return.  Fast forward a few decades and there I was in the home furnishing/interior design industry when, like a bad shrimp, the seventies style returned.  Fortunately, we have grown smarter as a society and our flirtation with that genre quickly passed as our preferences continued to march back in time.  Retro has always been fringe cool, like James Dean and the young Elvis, and was clearly the attention grabber along with the clean lines of the transitional look this month at the fall market.  But wait!  Retro may not be retro enough as I saw pieces like this channel back sofa that reflect the glamour days of the 30’s and 40’s!  Going back in time at this rate, we will be showing the Little House on the Prairie collection next spring and medieval by fall.

By the way, some of the shag rugs out there right now are really cool, and there are countless choices in color and texture.  Adapt and improvise, they say.

The manufacturers put the same amount of effort in both the spring and fall markets, displaying new product to impress their accounts.  The difference is that the warm weather gracing a North Carolina May makes that market feel like an invitation only outdoor party while October is the time the buyers get serious about placing orders in anticipation for the following spring decorating frenzy.

I arrived in High Point with the temperature reading 57 degrees with light rain and a stiff breeze.  It was chilly.  I had to chuckle as I strolled past an outdoor furniture showroom that was set up for a warm weather soiree on the patio.  The one man band was doing his best Jimmy Buffet as a few hearty patrons sat bundled up in their comfy outdoor chairs, trying to have fun.

The decline in the housing market over the past couple of years has certainly been felt in the furnishing and décor business and it has been interesting to watch the evolution of an industry as manufacturers try to make adjustments to maintain market share.  Because of the downward price pressure from Chinese imports, the US companies either had to become more custom or more efficient in an attempt to buck the trend or keep pace, respectively.  Last market the green movement was in full force as every showroom, it seemed, touted the real or perceived earth friendliness of its product in hopes of opening wallets. 

This past week I noticed a couple of things in particular as I spoke to reps and executives.  One, there was a little teensy skip in the step of the merchants.  A ray of hope.  The bartender at the Embassy Suites told me, and you can always count on getting the real scoop from the bartender, this was the first time in a long time they had sold out their rooms for market.  Orders across the board were up slightly over last fall, but as one rep told me “that might be more indicative of how bad last fall was”.  Party killer.  What I did see was that rather than a collective movement towards a similar style and color direction, this year many manufacturers started doing their own thing again.  Some who presented color like a Barnum and Bailey circus in spring went all neutral for fall.  Others who were trying to cut corners to keep up with negatively trending prices decided to get back to doing what they did best and returned to crafting top quality products.  However, as I mentioned before, the transitional look with its clean lines was consistently a winner wherever it was presented, and classic retro was a show stopper. 

Check out these chairs.  Don’t they look like they came from the set of The Jetsons?  Fun, huh?  There was a whole room full of these chairs and a lot of them spin around! 

How about these office chairs?  These are from a classically traditional manufacturer that decided to try something for shock value. 

Swivel chairs were everywhere.    Wives don’t like recliners, but they must be ok with swivels.  This one was my favorite.

When people ask me what color trends I saw, the answer was it really depended on the showroom I was visiting.  I would say that in the mainstream upholstery lines, the word “spice” comes to mind.  Paprika’s and cinnamons accented the neutral and natural settings, but before you go change all your pillows, I saw a lot of apple green fabric and leather, too.  Classic bright yellows, tomato soup reds, and rich sky blues were prevalent.  The one color consistently shown, but due to it’s very nature didnt catch the eye right away, was gray.  Gray fabric or leather in the right application is sophisticated and elegant.  A common accent color to gray was yellow. 

Vignettes were not necessarily organized by product lines, but rather by color.  What this said to me was, “we are not going to try to predict a trend, putting all our eggs in one basket this year, nor steer you towards one.  So, what’s your favorite color?  Great!  Mine, too!”

Sunroom decorating ideas-before and after

Here’s a fun before and after.  I want to show you how fun and easy it is to take a blah space and make it a vibrant part of the home.

One of our favorite clients had this mostly empty sunroom that was adjacent to the breakfast area and kitchen.  She wanted to furnish it in a way that allowed the room to be used on its own but also be able to accommodate an overflow crowd when entertaining.  She found a magazine photo that she liked which we used as a reference.  The photo had antique style occasional pieces surrounded by fresh and bright upholstery that kept the room from looking dated.  The client likes greens and golds with pops of red and these colors flow throughout the house.  Given the open nature of the floor plan, we had to select fabrics that would blend nicely with the nearby living spaces.

Suzanne, our design consultant on the project, suggested the bench seat in order to accomplish the goal of seating in the room that also allowed seating facing the kitchen during parties.  The paprika bench with barley twist legs is fun, functional, and does not block the view of the open room.  You can’t see the doors on either side, but the bench can be moved against the wall on the right, between the drapery and the door, if the client wants to open up the room.  Click here for a full size photo.

The rug is a banded grass cloth, which keeps the room casual and is consistent with a sunroom theme.  The lamps on the rich walnut console table are shabby chic, with distressed bases and contemporary brown shades.  The side tables are available for drinks or books and complete the desired eclectic look.  The client didn’t want the room to look “matchy matchy” (a designer term!).  The nonfunctional drapery panels are intended to add color and frame the windows without heaviness or blocking the view of the outdoors.  They are hung on wrought iron poles that bring in a touch of black but do not draw the eye up or conflict with the molding.  The chairs are covered with a large scale apple green contemporary botanical which also reinforces the sunroom theme.  Notice the little leaves?

The client is thrilled with the fun and casual yet elegant results, and come to think of it, the room really reflects her personality.

To learn more about Suzanne, click here.

High Point Market

I’m off to the High Point market for the weekend to check out the new offerings presented by manufacturers from all over the world.  The new trends and colors should be interesting and I am expecting to see a greater emphasis on “green” products, clean lines, and natural colors.  I had a big time last year and you can (should!) read my notes here, http://www.dotiduluth.com/atmarket.aspx

Look for a full report next week!

Design Sleuth-Family Rooms

Family rooms are usually one of the more popular rooms in most people’s homes.  For those without separate home theatre or game rooms, it is often where you’d put the television set, the gaming equipment, and in some cases, the family computer or home office.  In many families, both kids and adults entertain their friends in the family room.  I know at our house, we’ve always tried to make the family room appealing to our kids (often to the detriment of its style!) because we wanted it to be a comfortable place for them to hang out with their friends—and it sure beats having them spend all of their free time in their bedrooms.

According to designer Nathan, there is no reason for families to sacrifice style in their family rooms, even when they have kids and/or pets.  The key, he says, is to focus first on where the kids and the pets are going to be in the room, and then buy comfortable, dual-purpose furniture.  According to Nathan, family rooms are often one of the rooms that can really benefit from de-cluttering.  “Because the room serves so many different purposes for different family members, it’s easy for this room in particular to end up with too many furnishings.”  For that reason, he believes that it is important to keep the family room furniture classic, durable, and simple.  He suggests buying furniture with tough fabrics, such as polyester and blends, and keeping the colors neutral.  Instead of using occasional tables consider using cocktail ottomans that will double as extra seating for parties, a place for snacks, or an additional work surface when needed.

Nathan recommends replacing any loveseats with two or three chairs.  “In a casual setting, love seats are often only used by one person at a time, so it’s more practical to replace them with separate chairs.  And when you have chairs, it also makes it much easier to re-decorate and move them around when you’re ready for a new look.”  Sofa and chair pillows should also be purchased with a dual-purpose in mind. “If you know your kids will be spending a lot of time on the floor,” Nathan says, “it’s a good idea to buy sofa and chair pillows that can be tossed on the floor and sat upon or used as armrests.”

Next Tuesday I’ll be sharing some tips with you on how to furnish a smaller home.  Nathan has some great ideas.  Talk with you then!

Deborah
A.k.a. Design Sleuth

Design Sleuth-Whimsy

Adding whimsy to your home decor can be as simple and inexpensive as sticking planets and stars on the ceiling in your child’s room or buying a cool accessory, to something more expensive such as purchasing a funky piece of furniture or hiring an artist to paint wall art.  If you’re in the mood for fun, DOTI at John’s Creek is a great place to go.  Besides having lots of fun pillows—mentioned in a previous blog—they also have some wonderful fun furniture and neat accessories. Lucky for you, there is often at least one designer or more in the store, so if you see something you like but you’re not sure how to use it or where to put it in your own home, there’s usually someone around who would be happy to provide creative assistance and help you think outside the box.

For example when I was in the store recently, Alan, the owner, pointed out some beautiful hand-painted chairs. They were gorgeous with bright colors and strong designs.  Looking at them, I was able to imagine a couple of ways to use them to liven up a home interior, but thought I would still ask Alan for his input.  Immediately, he began to rattle off at least ten design possibilities, and probably would’ve listed another ten if I had given him a few minutes to think about it!   So, if you see something in the store you really love but you’re not sure what you’d do with it or where to put it, don’t hesitate to ask Alan or one of the designers for suggestions.  I’m sure they’ll be able to give you lots of great ideas.

Designer Nathan enjoys using animal prints and patterns to add fun and drama to a home interior.  “I’m working with a client now who has modern tastes in decor and furnishings but just moved into a more traditionally styled home.   Rather than replacing all of their existing furniture, we’re working together to find ways to blend the two styles together.”  One way he is doing that is through the use of rugs.  “One of the suggestions I have for a rug under the dining room table is a bold zebra print,” he said.  “It’s fun and contemporary, but can also work well for a more traditional home.”

In later blogs we’ll talk more about adding whimsy to your home.  I’m planning to interview some of the local artists that DOTI at John’s Creek works with to create fun and magical environments for its clients. This Thursday, Nathan shares some of the things you need to think about when you’re designing a family room around kids and pets.  See you then!

Deborah
A.k.a. Design Sleuth

Thinking of buying leather furniture?

Ahhh…there’s nothing like the rich scent of new leather.  Smells like…luxury.

Before you inadvertently buy one of those big poofy things or something you stick to, here are a few things to consider.

If the price of that new sofa is too good to be true, there’s a reason.  Read the fine print.  ‘Real leather everywhere the body touches’ is one of my favorites.  How do they know where I am going to touch it?  What’s the rest of it made of?  Real leather stitched to fake leather doesn’t work too well over time, and if the visible part is made of mystery materials can you imagine what’s on the inside? 

‘Genuine leather’ is another line to give pause.  I don’t know about you, but the word ‘genuine’ in my mind has devolved into something along the lines of ‘in a court of law we could argue that technically this is really what we are representing it to be, but barely’.

Without going into too much detail, you want top grain or full grain leather.  The hide of the cow is split twice and the outer layer is the good stuff.  It has all the markings (if you are into that) and is more durable, up to five times they say. The inner layers are called splits.  Any quality manufacturer uses the top and full grain.

Leather is tough, tough enough to hold the inside of a cow, um, in, and keep the elements out.  It’s funny that many clients are worried about leather durability under family conditions.  Maybe they didn’t have the right kind of leather for their lifestyle?

You will have two primary choices of good leather, aniline and protected. Aniline leather is dyed all the way through but done in such a way that you don’t lose the characteristics of the hide, and it stays very soft which you will appreciate every time you sit on it.  It marks more easily, which to some of us adds character, but could quickly resemble a poor wildebeest savaged by jackals if you own a Jack Russell terrier.

I’m told that the color of leather prior to dyeing is a light blue.  If your leather is not aniline dyed, that’s what will beam through when scratched.

The protected leathers, which should also be aniline dyed, are treated on the surface; ‘painted’ might be a good way to look at it.  You will lose some of the softness and individuality with a protected leather, but gain durability and stain resistance.  Industry insiders call it ‘pizza proof’.  The color will be very consistent.  This might be a better choice if you have kids, pets, or you are the overly analytical and orderly sort.

You will also have the option of doing some really creative things with protected leathers as they can be found stamped with patterns, such as stripes, crocodile, or even paisley. Most of the vendors we work with use leather from South America that is tanned in Europe.  The South American leather can have cool markings like tick bites and scratches from barbed wire fencing.  I’m told some of the finer unmarked leather comes from Germany where they must have more careful cows.  Now a lot of leather you see on furniture found in bulk is coming from Asia, but I haven’t noticed the better custom manufacturers using it.

Well made leather furniture should be passed down through the generations.  Even if that’s not the plan, you don’t want your furniture to lose its shape or start coming apart before you are ready to put it in the neighborhood garage sale.