Entryways are not just for passing through. No matter the size of your foyer, it can be both a welcome into your home as well as space to use creatively for your own lifestyle. Calling cards used to be left on the hall table furniture when people visited. Now the tables are turned to some extent, and your entrance is a special way to welcome family and friends home and introduce newcomers. Here are some new decorating and furniture ideas – from classic to contemporary – to make your foyer ...
I’ll admit it, I am a decorating fanatic. I love to talk decorating—anytime with most anyone. But most especially, I love browsing for inspiration in magazines and on websites. There’s just a special thrill I get when I see a look I want to recreate or a piece of furniture or fabric I need. (Yes, I said “need,” not “want,” that just illustrates my obsession!) My current fave? The Antonella floor mirror. But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. Antonella ...
A new season of Mad Men has recently started, but many TV viewers have not left Edwardian England and Downton Abbey behind. Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the “real” owner of Downton Abbey (known as Highclere Castle in real life), has been widely quoted for saying that the show has renewed interest in stately English homes and greatly increased Highclere’s visitors. But it is more than just visiting someone else’s pile. Transfixed by the many ...
Wood furniture finishes aren’t what they used to be, and that’s actually a good thing. For years, there’s been brown, light brown, dark brown, medium brown…you get the idea. Maybe with a few painted color finishes or black finishes thrown in here and there. Yet introductions at the international April High Point Furniture Market opening later this week signal that wood is emerging from its under-the-radar status to play a more prominent role in the overall design of furniture ...
You wouldn’t expect the words “casual” and “opulent” to hang out together. After all, casual means “easy style” and “suited for everyday use,” while opulent is anything but ordinary. Opulent means luxurious, effusive, extravagant, gilded and glittery. But, as the saying goes, “Opposites attract.” And in fact, when “casual” and “opulent” get together in the design world, they make beautiful home décor together. Want a poignant, compelling room that invites you in? Mix rustic ...
The furniture in your home may take on new meaning as you realize that behind each table, chest or sofa there is a designer or designers who poured their creative energy, vision and even dreams into the piece. Often the unsung heroes, these designers took center stage at the 16th annual 2011 Pinnacle Design Awards gala dinner and ceremony at the High Point Market International Ballroom recently. Melange Rafferty Console ...