Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Nov. 27, 2003, edition 1 / Page 13
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http://www.thecharlottepost.com Cljarlotte ^os(t TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2003 REAL ESTATE Change in season reflects a chaise in mood ARTICLE RESOURCE ASSOCIATION Change is in the air. Fall is here and winter isn’t far away. It’s one of the busiest times of year for interior decorators. “The reason we’re so busy is people really get energized in the fall,” says Thomas Pheasant, an award winning interior designer from Washington, D.C. “The change in temperature serves as a signal to start focusing more on the indoors to get ready for win ter.” Pheasant says one of the best, and easiest places to start, is in the room where you spend a majority of yom time: the bed room. “You don’t have to start moving furniture all over the place to change the look of the room,” says Pheasant. “Chang ing your bedding and curtains is often aU it takes to make a dra matic difference.” Pheasant says the same colors you see on the trees outside — orange, gold, red, brown and ohve green - have great appeal indoors. “They really set the mood of the season, especially when combined with paisley and velvet textures.” The bedroom isn’t the only place where bold color and texture changes will have a quick and noticeable impact. You can also set the mood of the season by putting some dried leaves or branches on the coffee table, and colorful pil lows and a slip cover on your sofa. A seasonal bowl of apples on the dining room table, along with shp covers on the chairs, will also make a big impact. So where do you start if you want to bring the fall ‘look” into your own home? “Start with materials. The kinds of fabric or color you choose can really change the attitude of the room,” says Pheasant. “Vel vet and damask are formal pat terns that are more appropriate for fall and winter. Linen, paisley and leather are more modem and better suited for spring and summer.” Pheasant recommends you take his ideas to an interior designer for help implementing them. “Mistakes are expensive. Professional designers have resources available that most people do not. Hiring someone can make your life so much easi er,” says Pheasant. If you ulti mately decide to take Pheasant’s advice, pieces from his collection of furniture and accessories are sold at Baker Furniture and over 200 other independent dealers throughout the country. Log onto www.bakerfumiture.com for access to a retail store directory. HnNO-FAMnDHIRNmiRE: Must-have furnishings of the season ARTICLE RESOURCE ASSOCIATION From armoires to wooden fig urines to headboards and accent mirrors, home furnishings are canvases for artists around the world. Adorned with floral pat terns, Asian motifs and other ethnic-inspired designs, hand- painted furniture and acces sories are the must-have items of the season. “Hand-painted home furnish ings are taking center stage in the home, adding a world- inspired flare and style to the overall decor,” says Gary Bab cock, vice president of merchan dising and fashion at Arhaus Furniture, a 23-store lifestyle retailer of fine home furnish ings. Worldly influences Hrmdreds of years ago, Egypt ian artisans embellished every thing from tables to pottery with colorful motifs to pass on ancient fables to future generations. “We’re seeing a resurgence of these hand-painted items as consumers look to add personal Please see THE/6C Mi- • Grocery store china still popular ARTICLE RESOURCE ASSOCIATION Family heirlooms come in many guises. For some, it is their Grand mother’s cookie jar, for others a treasured piece of furniture, and for many others, the family china holds a place in their hearts. “I love my china,” says Susan Durrell. “It is very special to me.” She fondly describes the pattern as white with green flowers and yellow flower baskets. “It’s really pretty,” she adds. You might be surprised to find out that DurreU is not talking about an expensive set of Wedgwood or Spode dishes, but rather about a set of dishes she collected 25 years ago as a special promotion at her local Publix Super Market. The Tampa resi dent explains that when she col lected the china, she was newly married and the mother of an infant. “The china was very affordable, it was pretty, and it was an easy way to collect a nice set of dishes, since I was shopping at Publix anyway,” says Durrell. She notes that the store also offered silver- plated serving pieces to comple ment the china. Durrell collected a service for, eight, and says, “This china is as special to me as any fine china. It has been part of ray family for a long time and has a lot of memo ries.” She was sad to discover after a recent move that one of her soup bowls had broken. She wasn’t optimistic about find ing a piece of china from a set sold at a grocery store a quarter of a century ago, but thought she’d try her luck with Replacements Ltd., a North Carolina-based company that tracks down discontinued china, silver and crystal, “The only markings on the back of the plates say ‘fine china, Japan,”’ says Durrell. “I was flab bergasted when I went to the Replacements Web site, typed in those words, and a picture of my china popped up on the screen.” China sold or given away by gro cery stores accormts for hrmdreds of the 175,000 patterns, represent ed in the vast inventory stored at Replacements’ warehouse, which is the size of four football fields, Liam Sullivan, the company’s director of public relations, notes that there is a big demand for these patterns, since they were manufactured in limited quanti ties exclusively for the grocery store, so when they were sold out, they were out of circulation. “Also, most people never collected a whole set, because they acquired a piece at a time and the stock may have been depleted before their set was finished.” Customers who are searching for a specific pattern can simply call 1- 800-REPLACE or visit the compa ny’s Web site. “If they know the manufacturer and the name of the pattern, that makes it really easy,” says Sullivan. However, the experts at Replacements can also research china using a photo or a photocopy of the front and back of a dinner plate. The company prides itself on helping customers track down pieces they need, even Please see GROCERY/6C Wear your he(art) on your walls ARTICLE RESOURCE ASSOCIATION You’ve heard the phrase “wearing your heart on your sleeve” — now you can wear your heart (or your favorite photo) on your wall. Thanks to advanced printing technology, you can personalize your living space with wall murals created exclusively for you, using a favorite photo or piece of art. Murals My Way, a new division of Environmental Graphics, has developed custom software and printing tech niques that enable the company to create unique murals using custom images. “Whether it is a photo from your honeymoon trip to Hawaii or your child’s artwork, we can create a mural that will be the focal piece of any room,” says Ibdd Imholte, president of Environmental Graphics. “Our company has been manufac turing wall murals for over 35 years,” says Imholte. “Now, with Murals My Way, customers can develop the interior environment they desire with a range of options including our Standard and Gallery Collections, all the way to a total ly custom image. Our experience, service, and unrivaled quality will bring a space to life.” -The Standard Collection is a series of murals which are hcensed and developed in large quantities; the resulting cost savings are passed on to customers. These murals are widely available, either directly from Murals My Way or at retailers nationwide. Standard murals measure approximately 8 feet by 13 feet. The new GaUeiy Collection is an ever growing libraiy of images that includes cate gories such as abstract, animals, botanical, children’s, ethnic, photography, religious, scenic, sports and stiU fife. Customers can select an image by visiting the company’s Web site and have it printed to their exact size spec ifications — Gallery murals must exceed 4 feet by 6 feet, but have no maximum size. Murals My Way’s custom option lets customers cover a wall with an image of their choice, printed in the exact size specified by the customer. The company’s staff will work with chents to ensure that the image they are using wiU pro duce a high-quality mural. Standard wall mmals are easy to hang using basic wall cov ering tools, while Gallery and Custom murals require a greater comfort level with hanging wall covering. “We recommend that customers have a pro fessional paper hanger install their Custom or Galleiy miuals,” says Imholte. “Due to the complexity of the image and the materials used, hanging these murals can be a big project for DIYers.” All of the wall murals are printed on high-quality paper and come with specially- formulated paste, making them easy to install and easy to remove when you want to change the look of a room without damaging wall sur faces. This makes the murals suitable for apartments, dorm rooms, children’s rooms or any room that needs some perking up. “A wall mural can transform a room into whatever you want it to be, from a haven for daydreaming to a peaceful place to gather and reflect on the day’s events,” says Imholte. And now that mural can be unique to you and your home. For more information on Standard, Gallery and Custom murals, visit www.muralsmyway.com or call (888) 295-9764.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Nov. 27, 2003, edition 1
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