Where Do Designers Buy the Latest Trends?

Do you often find yourself wondering how designers learn about the latest trends? Where do they find furniture?

For many designers out there, Highpoint Market is the answer. Highpoint Market is held two times a year in Highpoint, North Carolina – once in the spring and once in the fall. The spring event just wrapped up on April 22nd.

The majority of the big name manufacturers and many  smaller names show off brand new products and trends. Store owners, managers, buyers, sales representatives and visual merchandisers come from all over the country. It is a very long, jam-packed, stressful week, but it’s well worth it in the end.

The show presents new products, addresses new technologies, showcases trends and determines which products are being discontinued. Can you imagine walking into a 40,000 square foot showroom of all new products, accessories, wall art and fabrics? It’s absolutely amazing!

Many Continuing Education seminars and presentations are held throughout the week. We always hope that someone attending the event will bring back information for us! Many manufacturers ask a local representative to give presentations for all of those that could not attend. It can still be amazing, but it’s not quite the same as seeing it in person, touching or sitting in the latest upholstery.

Networking is also a big part of the event. Dinners, luncheons and golf outings are often held to give the furniture industry  professionals a chance to reconnect, meet new people and discuss current trends.

Stores place their orders at Highpoint Market and begin to see the product flow into their showrooms by mid-summer. One thing to keep in mind if you live near North Carolina is that many of the showrooms have sales before the event to clear old products off the floor. Some also have big sales afterward to clear out the new products and make room for next season.

If these dates don’t work for you, there are also many mini-market manufacturer showrooms you might be able to visit and purchase what you need.

Have you ever attended a market like Highpoint Market? What do you think about this type of experience?

Why Shopping for Furniture in a Store is a Great Option!

Are you ready to make your next big furniture purchase? With today’s technology it can be easy to buy furniture online. While this is very convenient and quickly accomplishes your task, it may not be the best option.

Furniture is a major purchase and will most likely be in your house for 10 to 20 years. Do you really want to buy it online without seeing it in person first? Online photo quality and colors have come a long way in the last 10 years, but I must admit that more often than not the piece of furniture is going to look different in your living room than it does online. I recommend looking online first for what you like, then finding the local store that carries it. Call and make sure they have it on the floor and then make the trip to go look at it!

Stains

Are you looking for a wood case that would look great in your bedroom, living room or dining room? Wood stains can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. It is a smart idea to see the wood in person if you are trying to match a piece with other furniture in your room.

Finishes

Consider is the feel of the wood. Some companies offer smoother finishes than others. A smooth finish can give off an expensive yet elegant look. Distressed wood is a popular choice, but companies distress their wood at different intensities so it depends on your preference. Online photos can make it difficult to see this so seeing the wood in person is the best option.

Drawers

The way drawers are installed in dressers, end tables, cocktail tables, china cabinets, buffets and consoles can vary greatly. Some companies have them on metal slides while others use a wooden track on the base. If you buy that piece online, how are you going to be able to tell how easily the drawer pulls out and in or if it locks before falling out? If you see the piece in person, you will have your answer and be able to make the best decision.

How does it feel?

Upholstered goods are an entirely different process for purchasing. If you buy the piece online you don’t get a chance to experience what it feels like when you sit in it. Everyone’s body is different in size, shape and weight, so sofas and chairs need to be made different to accommodate everyone.

Soft or Hard?

Cushions can be hard or soft so it’s important to sit on one before you make your purchase. If sofa cushions are too soft you can sometimes actually feel the wooden frame underneath you. Does that sound comfortable?

Deep or Short?

Sofa seats can be designed deep or short. When you sit normally on the sofa, don’t you want to make sure that your feet can touch the ground or that your legs aren’t hanging off too much and causing stress on your back? Sitting down and standing up can also be a difficult task to accomplish if the sofa is too deep and soft. We wouldn’t want anyone to fall trying so please go test it out! I highly recommend sitting in the sofa or chair at the store.

Custom Options

Another great reason to go to the stores is that the sales associate can give you all of the custom options for your piece. These options might include firm or soft cushions, custom fabric, nail head trim or adding a sleep sofa. That is what they are trained to do so let’s use it to our advantage.

Do you prefer to shop online or in the store? Do you agree with me on the importance of store shopping when it comes to choosing your furniture? Have you ever bought a piece of furniture online that turned out to be just awful? Tell us your story!

Changing the Face of Medicine

We have all been to see doctors in cramped examination rooms with a bed, a chair and a small counter with a sink. When we have blood work done, we sit in what reminds me of school desks.

As we have more serious medical issues, we go from doctor to doctor. For a mother with small children, there is just not enough space for all of us. It almost feels like no one has ever thought about this issue. When mothers who have more than one child need to have medical issues addressed, the room is easily crowded. Patients are left feeling like part of the process. Well, design has addressed those issues and more.

Steelcase has developed a new line of products called Nurture. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic observed how consultations were done and felt that there was a disconnect between the doctor and patient created by the layout of offices and examination rooms.

The desk between the patient and the doctor minimized interaction and created a situation where it was difficult to see test results and images. Steelcase found that many of the doctors also felt disconnected and wanted an environment that engaged the patients more fully in the understanding and treatment options available to them.

As more information becomes available, patients are researching and coming in to the doctors with their information and looking for answers. The relationships between patient and doctor are more a give and take than in the past, when a doctor would prescribe medicine and walk out.

With this in mind, spaces are being created so there are work surfaces that protrude and create mini conference spaces. Test results can be viewed on a computer screen and papers can be put on the work surface. Designers at Steelcase believe that in the very near future patients will be bringing in their laptops to show their research to the doctor.

Have you seen any changes in medical facilities at your doctor’s office or labs? Do you perceive medical treatment more as a partnership than a dictatorship?

Hidden Charitable Companies: Kohler

When searching out some product inquiries on Kohler’s site the other day I was surprised to learn that they are so much more than just bath fixtures and faucets.

This privately held company has four very separate and distinct divisions. The Kitchen and Bath Group manufactures water-saving products for conserving water and utilizing recycled materials. The Interiors Group consists of businesses like Ann Sacks, McGuire Furniture, Baker Furniture and Kallista – four well-known names in the Interiors program.

As a company focused on environmental issues, many of the tiles within the Ann Sacks line are sustainable. McGuire Furniture has designed furniture that uses renewable natural products, like the water hyacinth fibers, in their Copenhagen lounge chair and ottoman. Global Power Group focuses on decreasing emissions and improving air quality and their Hospitality and Real Estate Group has preserved vast acres of wildlife habitats.

Regardless of which division you are working with, there is a sense of responsibility to their communities and our global environment. They talk about their “corporate environmental, and the health and safety considerations in all company activities.”

Kohler talks about their goal to have an environmental footprint that nets zero by 2035. To achieve this, they started working on reducing their dependency on natural gas back in the 1970’s. They reuse the heat from their kilns (which bake on the enamel finishes on the sinks & toilets) to heat their facility. When making cast iron tubs, rather than use new mined materials, they use their foundry to melt recycled metals and reclaimed materials. They recycle wood, corrugated materials, paper, waste oil, machine coolants, batteries, electronics and light bulbs rather than send them off to their on-site landfill. When they develop new facilities, Kohler use green building principles and incorporate green spaces with each facility design.

Let me continue filling you in on some of the surprising information that I learned about Kohler. Kohler’s has donated approximately 43,000 kitchen and bath products to Habitat for Humanity homes. They donate products to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and have charitable contribution programs that are concerned with education and preservation of the environment in every community they manufacture in.

Kohler has won awards for their gardens not only on their manufacturing facility locations, but also throughout their communities. The gardens are designed to encourage the wildlife in the areas, e.g. plants to feed hummingbirds and butterflies. So much for me thinking this is a little company in the hills of Wisconsin just focusing on making quality products.

Do you know of other corporations – public or private – that focus on green space design and manufacturing?

New Life for Leftover Paint

What should you do with your leftover paint after you finish a project? We’ve seen it a thousand times. You want to save it for touch ups but soon enough those old paint cans clutter your basement. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 10 percent of all household paints get discarded, which is equivalent to 65-69 MILLION GALLONS!!

We could really paint the town, couldn’t we?

Paint has a tendency to be high in Volatile Organic Compounds. Fungicides are often found in very old paint, along with their friends lead and mercury.

If you do want to keep your paint for touch ups I recommend the following:

Remove the lids and tightly place two, if not three, secure pieces of saran wrap over the top of the can and then place the lid on TIGHTLY! Funny as this sounds, store your paint cans upside down, like you would with a wine bottle. This will keep a tight seal and the paint inside will stay fresher for longer.

Other thoughts on what to do with those half used cans:

• Consider donating the paint to a local charity for reuse. For example: The Park District in my city will accept SOME used paint, depending on it’s age, for art classes in the summer and the students paint murals under the viaducts.
• Recycle it! If you choose a water base or latex paint it can be recycled, but please check with your local environmental agency and/or visit earth911.com for other recycling options.

Remember that older paints are oil or lead based and are extremely flammable! These older paint cans are actually considered hazardous waste. Be careful and make sure that you know what you are doing with these. Be aware of your local laws for proper disposal of hazardous waste. I would advise taking the old cans into your local paint store for help if you are not sure how to dispose of them properly.

Best of Luck! Be good to the environment!

So You Have Decided to Work with a Designer

You have finally decided to take the plunge and hire an interior designer to help you out with your home. Great decision – this will make your life a lot easier! Designers have connections and knowledge to stores and vendors that you may never have known about if you had decided to take this project on yourself. But you must remember: just because you have hired a designer to help you out, that doesn’t mean that they are a mind reader. You have to come to the consultation meeting with some information for them.

Preparation: My first recommendation would be to sit down and look at some of the popular interior design magazines out there today – Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Ikea’s catalog, Atlanta homes, Mountain Living, etc. Whenever you see something that you like, tear it out and file it away under a category. The best way for a designer to help you the most would be to get a small sense of your style from the start.

Comfort: Envision yourself sitting in the space every evening with you family watching television, eating, playing games, and sleeping. Can you relax and feel like yourself? Does your spouse agree with your taste? It is very important for you both to be comfortable. Remember, showing a designer what your taste is does not mean that they are going to design your space just like the photograph.

Budget: A majority of designers work on an hourly basis, so if you will not share with them what you are looking for, this could easily become a costly and frustrating process. Before they can begin designing your space, agree on an approximate range for your budget to work within. Once they get a sense of what you want, they can start a game plan on what stores and vendors they will need to visit.

Collecting: Finally, images, fabrics, and floorplans will start to be pulled together for your space and everyone can sit down together and make sure this is what you would still like. Doesn’t this sound like a fun start to a fabulous designed room?

Have you ever worked with an interior designer? What are some helpful tips you have when doing so?

What Is That Retail Designer Thinking?

Have you ever been in a store and wondered “How in the world is this display getting me to buy the products?” You are not alone my friend! Retail designers are trained to learn what will attract the customer to certain areas of the store.

First of all, window displays can be an important part of retail design when the windows are located in an indoor or outdoor mall. What the customer sees when walking by will determine if they will come in and shop. Bright colors are a must; our eyes are attracted to them! Most likely some sort of metal might be added in with jewelry, lamps, appliances, etc. Ah, they’ve grabbed your attention now!

Once inside the store, the displays are set up so you will walk into them and look at the products. Also a “pathway” of sorts is laid out so you can easily walk from display to display and not get caught in a “dead” zone. Now that means you won’t miss anything, which is great for the retailers to make more sales!

Lighting can be an added advantage – with the right amount of light focused on an item, our eyes are drawn to the display. When products are placed on shelves, shadows can take away from the coloring. To prevent this, lights are placed above the shelves to keep our interest.

Finally, color inside the store is a huge factor in keeping you inside. This might mean through the products themselves or with coloring on the walls. When color is used on the walls, the fixtures themselves tend to “disappear” so your eye will concentrate on the bright color you are most likely walking towards. Often you will find the bright colored walls towards the back of the store or near the sales counter. This will unconsciously lead the customer to the back and hopefully they will buy more if they walk through the entire store.

Some stores like to keep the walls, flooring and fixtures very neutral. Most likely this is so the store doesn’t become “dated” or clash with the color trend of the season. It is then up to the visual merchandiser to be able to pop the products by their color. Often you will see this in clothing stores, souvenir shops, or furniture/accessory stores.

Have you noticed anything that attracts you to certain stores more?

Lighting Energy: Concerns About Mercury

Osram Sylvania, a major manufacturer of lamps used in lighting fixtures, took their second telephone poll of more than 300 homeowners and renters. The poll, which was done in November 2009, had the results issued in December 2009.

Now, this may not be as important as the U.S. census, but it did show that many of us want to save money on our lighting through efficient lamps. We are also interested in what they are made of and how it may affect our planet. This interest by the public may well be of interest to other manufacturers; the public’s views are not micro but macro, as we do understand that there is interconnectivity in the choices we make.

Osram Sylvania found that three out of four consumers had switched to the energy efficient lamps we know as compact fluorescent. The survey also showed that though compact fluorescent lamps were the overall favorite choice by the public. There were, however, serious concerns about the mercury found in these lamps. Lamps with mercury are considered hazardous waste items and are not to be thrown in the trash to go into landfills.

What was a surprise in this survey was the fact that the public did not know about the legislation that had been introduced and pasted requiring phase out of incandescent lamps by 2014. With the United States being the major consumer of incandescent lamps, the phase out would reduce the demand for incandescent by 1/3.

Experts say that by changing to compact fluorescent from incandescent, this could lead to a drop in energy demands and close 80 coal fired power plants because compact fluorescent lamps use 75% less energy. The phase out of 100w incandescent lamps is scheduled for 2012.

Americans are not the only people being asked to change over to compact fluorescent lamps. In February 2007, Australia instituted a mandatory program to phase out incandescent lighting by 2010. Great Britain announced, approximately six months later, a voluntary initiative to change over by 2011. The British officials estimate they will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 5.5 million tons annually just by changing from incandescent to compact fluorescents.

Did you know about the legislation phasing out incandescent? Did you know there was mercury in fluorescent lamps? Did you realize there was that kind of energy efficiency in a compact fluorescent?

Green Cleaning For Your Interior: Is It As Effective?

The more eco-driven designs I work on, the more I have realized it is just as critical to address the upkeep along with the initial design work. What kind of interior designer would I be if I designed and ran? I think it is critical to talk about green cleaning with a client. I mean, after I have done all the research, put time and creativity into using new innovative materials, employed recycled content, why would I want that to be wasted and contaminated with harsh cleaners?

Sometimes, like for healthcare environments, you can never get them away from bleach…which I think a lot of people would be thankful for. But for other interiors for corporate, education and hospitality, green cleaning can be both beneficial to the integrity of the green design, and as I have research, economical as well. It’s a win-win!

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are one of the biggest no-nos in regards to green design. VOCs can be defined as any type of off gassing that occurs from the production or use of a product. I think the most common example of everyday VOCs is new car smell. Believe it or not, but any smell, including fresh money smell, is considered a VOC. Copy machines are a big culprit of VOCs in the corporate world, so it is suggested to keep copy and print machines in separate areas from employees and preferred with separate HVAC duct work. Cleaning products traditionally contain massive amount of VOCs.

So if VOCs are that dangerous, why would you want to choose cleaning products that make the situation worse? Harsh chemicals may get the job done, as you think, but there are many solutions that include simple household products, like vinegar and baking soda that can be just as effective. Baking soda is a smell reducer rather than a smell creator – think about how it helps the contents of your fridge. Why not take that house wide and break out of the ice chest with baking soda?!?

Before starting a green cleaning program in your home or business be sure to do some additional research on various green cleaning products and methods. Here is one article I think gave some good and basic- idea starting advice. Good luck and think green clean!

Sustainable Desk Chairs

Did you know that many Contract Furniture Companies have been leading the way in sustainability for many years? They are very innovative and forward thinking in the development on their products. The company may choose to have a Life Cycle Assessment done on each chair design before they even produce it.

A Life Cycle Assessment is evaluating the chair’s lifelong impact on the environment, from the chair’s production to the time we throw it away ten or fifteen years down the road. During Life Cycle Assessment, the following may be taken into consideration: the impact on global warming, acid rain, eutrophication (loss of plants and animals in aquatic ecosystems due to loss of oxygen after algae blooms ,which are caused by pollution), air pollution, resource depletion, land and water toxicity and waste. Can you believe that a simple desk chair can possibly affect us and the earth in all these ways?

As you can see, many things are taken into consideration on how sustainable a product really is. Here are just a few things that you may want to look for before purchasing your new desk chair.

Materials: What materials are put into the chair may be determined based upon their environmental impact. Many chairs today contain a percentage of post-consumer and pre-consumer recycled content, which can be found in the plastics or even the fabrics!

Toxic Emissions: Next, what toxic emissions may be released during production are taken into account, such as toxic mercury, PVCs, asbestos, solvents, CFCs, PBBs, methylene chloride, formaldehyde or HCFCs. The goal is to have as little or no VOCs emitted during the manufacturing process and the life of the product. So this means that many of these harmful chemicals may continue to be emitted into the air after it has been delivered to your house or office, even after it’s been sitting there for awhile!

Certifications: Some key ways to tell what sustainability measures a company has looked into would be by the certifications a product has received. Some common certifications to look for are: GreenGuard Certification (promotes healthy indoor air quality), Indoor Advantage certification for indoor air quality, Cradle to Cradle certification, and even if it may help contribute towards LEED!

Recycle: Finally, find out if the chair can be recycled when you are finished with it. Many furniture companies offer to recycle the chair for you, but this may require a cost. If you do not have a large quantity of chairs, you may want to consider donating it or selling it. This is just as environmentally friendly as recycling it!

Enjoy your new environmentally friendly desk chair!

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