Posts Tagged ‘hardwood furniture nc’

High Gas Prices Cause People to Opt for ‘Staycations’ and Invest in Home

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

What’s a “staycation” you ask? It’s a vacation spent at home, and more and more people are re-discovering the advantages to staying at home to renew and restore the senses while padding the pocketbook. And, Patio World Home & Hearth is working to ensure people maximize their “staycations.”

In lieu of high gas prices, the weakening dollar, financial uncertainty, and airport nightmares, stress levels are at an all-time high – just when people need a vacation the most.

And, when bodies are stressed, an array of health problems can arise. These may include: difficulty sleeping and concentrating, panic attacks, neck and back pain, ulcers, rise in blood pressure, digestion problems, depression, heart attacks, and a compromised immune system.

So, what’s a person to do? A staycation is a viable alternative. It also provides time to reconnect with family, neighbors and friends.

Business entertaining at home is also on the rise. Dining out, while still popular, is lately getting some serious competition from its counterpart – dining at home.

Perry Arons, CEO of one of the largest chain of patio stores on the east coast, Patio World Home & Hearth, says, “More and more people are recognizing that entertaining in a comfortable and elegant, open-air entertainment room not only helps to build a personal rapport, but also helps to weather economic uncertainty.”

Well-appointed outdoor entertaining areas can turn a home into a vacation or business destination. According to Consumer Reports, by creating inviting outdoor living space, people can also increase their home’s value.

And, in today’s depressed real estate market, the second most likely home-remodeling project is outdoor entertaining space. Many outdoor spaces are also designed to be the focal point of a home.

Arons sums up this new awareness. He explains that, “Our customers are asking us to design, implement and furnish outdoor areas that rival the best of any quaint Caribbean hotel or high-end resort.”

Patio World Home & Hearth does complete makeovers with marble-top tables for dining; fire pits and cafe sets for intimate or private talks; pergolas and gazebos to resemble a faraway oasis; large fountains to eliminate exterior noise; and elite, gourmet grills containing storage, sinks and refrigerators.

“Place some vibrant throws and pillows for accent color; add a few old-fashioned, but fashionable bronze standing fans and patio heaters to counter a hot or cool evening, and a getaway that is worlds away is simply a few feet away,” Arons says.

Patio World Home & Hearth offers a large selection of furniture and seating arrangements for immediate delivery, and free in-house designing and shipping to anywhere in the world.

“The best part of this ‘taking the inside out’ phenomenon,” Arons explains, “is that parents no longer have to answer to ‘are we there yet,’ and since men are notoriously the grillers, men can grill while women chill.”

Source: www.send2press.com

www.HowardsFurnitureAndDecoratingCenter.com

Spring House Painting? Think Historic Colors

Monday, November 16th, 2009

Each spring millions of Americans set about updating their home’s exterior with a new coat of paint. According to color specialist Robert Schweitzer they should strongly consider historic colors. “Many homes are either blandly or badly colored, thereby ignoring the architectural features or hiding them in a monochrome scheme of white or taupe,” says Schweitzer, author of “Bungalow Colors” (ISBN: 1-58685-130-6) and owner of a consulting business, Historic Color Consulting (www.historichousecolors.com).

Employing period colors on an older home brings back to life the lost features and provides fresh curb appeal usually missing in most neighborhoods. Many homeowners will just repaint with the existing color or fall back to white or taupe – safe colors because they can’t visualize anything better. Most national paint brands have a line of historic colors. Combine these with a little research on color placement or a consultation with a professional color expert and the results will be dramatic. The new paint scheme does not have to be garish. People think wild “Painted Lady” when they visualize historic colors, but in fact most historic schemes are calm and employ “grayed-colors.” All types of architecture from Colonials, to nineteenth century Victorians, Bungalows, Craftsman’s and Retro Ranches can benefit from using colors that were originally designed for them.

A comparison, Schweitzer notes “A 1968 Camero RS would look better in its original red with its white nose and pin stripes than in a modern silver color. The car was designed to be flashy and racy; architecture is the same way.” Allow the house to be what it was intended to be. Stark white colored Victorians rob the viewer of the chance to appreciate the intricate woodwork and to see how the house was meant to be seen in the nineteenth century.

Schweitzer is a nationally recognized color expert offering assistance to homeowners and businesses via email and specializes in historic buildings. “Any building over fifty years old is considered historic in American. But historic colors can be applied to contemporary buildings. I recently convinced a homeowner with a 1980s modern house to use colors from the 1880s, the result was stunning.”

When thinking of a new paint scheme remember to consider weather the roof and foundation are warm or cool tones before picking your body color? Is the house situated against trees, other buildings, or just the sky? How far the house site from the street is another consideration as homes that sit back from the road can take brighter colors than ones close to the curb. Determine what percent the front façade is of the body, and so forth for the trim, porch and windows. Each one of these factors contributes to a decision of how much color they can take and still feel in balance with the other elements. Bright red windows against a stark white trim on a building close to the street may not be the best combination even though they are your favorites.

About Historic Color Consulting

Robert Schweitzer has taught architectural history and historic preservation for over 25 years. He is Director of Research for the Arts & Crafts Society and a writer for Victorian Homes magazine. He performs consulting services for homeowners, architects and businesses in the areas of historic paint colors. By knowing the architectural history of your building, he can develop paint schemes that reflect the original intent of its design and highlight important design features.

Source: www.send2press.com

www.HowardsFurnitureAndDecoratingCenter.com

CA Boom Design Show Selects High Point Market as Location for Inaugural CA Boom East Show in Fall 2008

Monday, October 26th, 2009

Eclectic, Contemporary Design Show from California Chooses High Point Market to Launch First East Coast Show in October ’08; Mills Village, a reclaimed Hosiery Mill Complex Turned New Home to Cisco Brothers’ LEED Showroom, to be Host Venue

HIGH POINT, N.C. and SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 8 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The CA Boom Design Show, the west coast’s leading design trade show and exhibition, announced today that it has chosen the fall 2008 High Point Market in North Carolina to launch its first-ever east coast show appropriately entitled, CA Boom EAST. The new show will be held at the latest showroom complex in High Point: The Mills Village, formerly the Highland Yard Hosiery Mill turned the most significant LEED project in North Carolina’s state history, which also houses the premiere flagship showroom for Cisco Brothers. CA Boom East will open at the Fall ’08 High Point Market October 20 through 26, 2008 in a new flexible showroom space at Mills Village located at 1014 Mills Avenue, High Point, NC.

After a thorough review of other North America design shows spanning the past several years, CA Boom Design Show creator and executive producer, Charles Trotter selected the High Point Market as the location for a new design show which will showcase strictly modern, non-traditional products that are authentically designed and manufactured in the designer’s origin country. States Trotter, “The High Point Marketplace, continues to have the track record of consistently attracting the world’s most important furniture buyers. We see the High Point Market as the center and the future of where real furniture is made and sold and we are very excited to be associated with such a prestigious event.”

Brian D. Casey, president and chief executive of the High Point Market Authority comments, “The CA Boom Design Show represents the next generation of contemporary designers and manufacturers and we are thrilled to have CA Boom EAST involved with High Point Market. CA Boom will be complimentary to where High Point is already positioned with the high-end designer community. It is clear that CA Boom’s selection of High Point for their new show location further validates our claim as the ‘World’s Home for Home Furnishings.'”

Over the past five years, Southern California has been home to the CA Boom Design Show which has become a must-attend west coast design event. While the west coast concept of CA Boom has gained international acclaim for promoting contemporary and non-traditional design and architecture – spanning furnishing to surfaces and finishes to doors and windows to prefab – CA Boom EAST will focus on new, independent contemporary furnishing designers and manufacturers that have yet to be discovered by top contemporary and transitional retailers.

CA Boom EAST will be held during the fall ’08 High Point Market at the newly opened Mills Village Complex which is also home to the new showroom for Cisco Brothers, Los Angeles-based fine furniture, manufacturer and retailer. Mills Village, once considered an eyesore in the High Point community is now the most significant LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) project to be installed in the City’s history and in all of the state of North Carolina. The show will be held in a flexible space on the second floor of Cisco Brothers’ new flagship showroom. The 27-acre Mills Village complex itself is comprised of 280,000 sq. ft. of former mill buildings, surrounded by seven acres of natural wetlands and two acres of pitch pine and hardwood forest. The buildings feature reclaimed partitions, ramps, and staircases made 70% from metals and lumber reclaimed from the old structure and its surroundings.

Cisco Pinedo, founder of Cisco Brothers, states, “Having been an exhibitor at CA Boom, I saw firsthand how this show can benefit the design community on the west coast. In addition, the Cisco brand complements CA Boom’s business values and we are excited to grow our relationship with the show on both coasts.”

As an added value, CA Boom EAST will develop a definitive contemporary design guide to High Point and debut it at the fall 2008 Market. Designed specifically for non-traditional and contemporary retailers, the resource guide will pinpoint the hottest contemporary exhibitors at CA Boom EAST, as well as highlight all of the contemporary showrooms and events involved with High Point Market.

CA Boom EAST Launch at High Point Market

The first CA Boom Design Show took place in the design-savvy community of Santa Monica, California in August 2004. At the helm was Venice, California native Charles Trotter, who was looking to provide an independent, forward-thinking design show on the west coast that harnessed sophisticated event marketing expertise that was previously out of reach to all but the largest corporations and associations, and making it available to the independent, contemporary design community that was underserved and full of promising architects, furniture designers and product designers. To this day, the CA Boom Design Show stays true to its vision and Trotter is looking forward to bringing his show concept to High Point Market this fall.

— SPECIAL NOTE TO THE MEDIA —

CA Boom Design Show creator and executive producer, Charles Trotter will be attending the spring ’08 High Point Market from Sunday, April 6 through Wednesday, April 9. Trotter will be available for in-person interviews throughout Market at the new Cisco Brothers High Point showroom: Cisco at the Mills Village, 1014 Mills Avenue, High Point, NC. On display will be numerous pieces from past CA Boom exhibitors to offer a sampling of the contemporary designers that have participated at the show including: PIE, Bottega Montana, Dellarobia, Magis/Leif Peterson, Not Neutral, Clay & Wood, Areawear, Jonathan Ferrera Gallery, and Motoart. Please contact CA Boom Design Show publicist, Carl Larsen to schedule a meeting during the dates listed above at (310) 210-7018. You are also welcome to attend the Cisco Brothers’ Showroom Grand Opening Party on Tuesday, April 8 at 6pm as both Charles Trotter and Cisco Pinedo will be in attendance.

About CA Boom Design Show

The CA Boom Design Show is the leading West Coast independent, multi-discipline design trade show and exhibition that brings the modern design community together to promote authentic and high-quality design, manufacturing and architecture on both U.S. coasts. CA Boom 6: The West Coast will take place from March 28 through 30, 2009 at Santa Monica Airport’s Barker Hanger in Southern California. The inaugural CA Boom EAST show will be held during the fall 2008 High Point Market from October 20 through 26, 2008 at the new Cisco Brothers showroom. For more information about the CA Boom design shows, please visit www.caboomshow.com.

About the High Point Market Authority

The High Point Market Authority is the official sponsor of the High Point Market in High Point, North Carolina. Featuring an extensive selection of exhibitors spanning every category, style and price point, encompassing some 12 million square feet of exhibit space, and attracting tens of thousands of visitors from more than 110 countries twice each year, the High Point Market is the driving force of the home furnishings industry. For additional information, visit www.highpointmarket.org.

About Cisco Brothers

Cisco Brothers has built hand-crafted furniture in Los Angeles since 1990. Cisco Brothers embraces the beauty of construction through the use of natural, pure materials, such as wool batting, hemp, jute, cotton, and FSC Certified and reclaimed hardwoods, creating elegant furniture that is environmentally friendly and built to last. Cisco Home is proud to be a part of a cultural evolution toward a sustainable future by producing custom, fully upholstered, hand-made, furnishings. Information about Cisco Brothers is available by calling 323-778-8612, or by visiting www.ciscobrothers.com.

Source: http://www.send2press.com/newswire/home_design.shtml

www.HowardsFurnitureAndDecoratingCenter.com