Design Notes: Highlights from High Point
Here is a look at a few home furnishings trends that surfaced at the High Point Market, held last month in High Point, N.C.:
Biggest trend: customization. Furniture is available in an array of finishes and upholstery selections (even monograms), so that customers can make it their own.
Bright spots in a bad economy: sales of children’s furniture, small-scale furniture for condos and down-sizers, outdoor furniture.
Hot colors for 2009: browns (something warm in bad economic times), grays (the new neutral), berry (from clear red to raspberry) and more golds, metallics and bronzes. Geometric patterns are big, and animal prints are still popular.
Shown above: The Biomorphic Console, finished in gold leaf, from the “Selected Works of Tony Duquette” collection at Baker furniture.
Home tip
When you are done reading this newspaper, consider this tip found on the Better Homes and Gardens blogs page: Stuff it in your shoes.
It’s a cheap and ecofriendly way to deodorize them, an editor tells us.
Oh, those holiday stains
Cotton Incorporated offers tips on treating common holiday stains, as suggested by its resident stain guru, Norma Keyes.
This is just a sampling, but you will find more at TheFabricofOurlives.com.
Note: In all cases, dry item only after the stain has been removed.
• Gravy: Treat the stain with a prewash stain remover. Wash according to the care label instructions, including bleach, if allowed. Repeat if necessary.
• Pine resin: Create a mixture of 1 cup liquid laundry detergent and a few drops of ammonia (using caution). Soak the item in the mixture for at least 30 minutes. Rinse the item followed by a normal wash. Repeat the process if necessary.
• Sweet potatoes: Wipe off excess. Flush under cold running water to loosen the stain. Treat the stain with a prewash stain remover. Wash using bleach if allowed by the care label instructions. Repeat if necessary.
And finally …
“I prefer things that naturally look better with age, as opposed to those that feel pristine and perfect.” Jenna Lyons, J. Crew creative director, describing a floor in her home made from salvaged barn wood. In Domino magazine.
Compiled by Home & Style Editor Susan Martin from News and wire sources
