As we approach Memorial Day weekend mailboxes, physical and virtual, will be stuffed with flyers, postcards and emails proclaiming “Memorial Day Sale.” What has surprised me this year is the number of Memorial Day ads that have appeared sans the traditional red, white and blue. I will be the first one to tell you that as a consumer, I can’t stand glib, bombastic, hyperbolic...
Over the past couple of years two kinds of traditional textiles from non-western cultures have been imitated by fabric designers for upholstery and home decor markets: Suzanis and Ikats. Both of these ethnic influences appear very fresh in modern interiors. Suzanis are ornately embroidered textiles made in several Central Asian countries. These elaborately decorated cloths were presented as part of a bride’s dowry on...
Two years ago Ethan Allen came out with an arresting new TV commerical. It consisted of quick cuts of stills featuring beautiful architecture, beautiful people, some beautiful furniture, and words such as “hip, cool, pretty, elegant, chic, sexy, fresh and modern.” The words appeared in white on a black background in a modern sans serif font. The spot did not use any voice...
Over the past few years, pattern has grown more prevalent in interiors. I think this can be attributed this to several things: Pendulum swing. In the early part of this century design was dominated by simplicity, Real Simple Magazine and the basic upholstery covers in the Pottery Barn catalog. After all that plain-ness it’s only natural that we would crave something more interesting. Shifts...
Last April I was walking through the temporary exhibits in the design wing of the IHFC during the High Point Market when something caught my eye: a horse head assembled from driftwood. This is one of the major, semi-annual markets of the furniture industry and what was remarkable about the site was that it seemed that the furniture industry was catching up on breakthrough...
Right now the Pennsylvania state legislature is debating about whether or not licenses should be required for interior designers. This has generated a lot of negative reactions from the public, primarily because the news of the deliberations broke before the budget had been passed by for the fiscal year. Twenty-six states require interior designers to be licensed and lobbies in several other states are...
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