New Look for Holiday Decor

Here's a glimpse of what we're working on this week! We're finishing up an installation using our products to decorate an attorney's office as she prepares for a Holiday Tour for charity and a Christmas Open House to follow. The single wreath is one of two matching wreaths hung on the tall French entry doors to her office.

The idea that looks so new and fresh is created with fruits, flowers and surprising color! Our designers have pulled together our lovely demi pears in yellow-green and golden yellow, along with smaller pears and small green apples. Snowball blossoms and a fresh-looking green ivy are tucked around the artificial boxwood wreath to create a surprising introduction to the office!

Inside, visitors are treated to variations on the theme, as additional wreaths on tall patio doors are placed one over the other, almost like a Topiary, and on those, bright red berries are added along with small fruits in reds and sheer red ribbon bows. A touch of gold on ribbon and fruit creates a subtle sheen perfect for the season.

If you are wanting a new idea for your holiday decorating, visit our Artificial Fruit collection or email me at kparry@furnituregourmet.com. Large quantities of our larger 4" yellow-green pears, along with our light red pomegranates were used for Christmas Decorations at the White House a few years ago!

Room Arrangements make me feel peaceful

Here is the room arrangement that makes me feel "at peace" We have a long family room, with fireplace at one end. However, we have chosen to place the TV (large) in the "first third" of the room - as you come in the door, on the left, with the fireplace ahead of you. In decorating magazines, the fireplace is always the focal point, with no TV in sight. But, our room had both the fireplace and the TV. This arrangement, with two wing chairs, at either side of the fireplace, and (this is the difference) with the love seat angled at the left beside the wing chair, and the movable ottoman rounding out the circle, centered on the generous coffee table, we have a conversation area that finally works!

A Feeling About Home

I love to walk through a room in my home, and think "yes, I like it here." It makes me feel "at home" as though, little by little, I am making it MINE. It was a house, 5 years ago we bought it, I guess we saw the potential. Almost like an attraction, in which we only saw the best of the other person...we sensed the good that the future could bring. We didn't make a list of all the things we wanted to change. Things sort of pop up, asking for a little help. When I respond, then it settles us all back down for awhile, happy and content. Most recently, it has been furniture placement. Who knew that could be so unsettling, or so calming when it is right. I will tell you first about our great room. For 5 years, the room was never right. How to make a fireplace and a big screen tv happy in the same room? How to have two focal points? A question never answered - till now. I will take a picture for you when the sun shines again, and tell you more. Meanwhile, think about what your rooms are saying to you.

It may be Fall, but remember your favorite colors, and don't neglect what's still going strong!

We love our fall colors, but when the blue Plumbago on the deck is still going strong, it is hard to move it out for yellow and orange.  They can go in the front. I've learned not to hang in there when the geraniums have become leggy and look tired. You may notice that as summer drags on. Don't worry,  just replace them with a new vibrant color, like our blue here, which is fresh and healthy.  Plumbago Grafito comes in white and blue.  We like blue because we can follow our favorite color from our family room, out to the deck.  This ties our inside colors with outside. Can you tell, we have had the deck painted, and we're thrilled to have happy plants to greet us when we go outside!  Watch out!  Mums are next, but we can cling to a little bit of summer with our blue, till Frost!

Architectural Digest features Campion Platt

Our top picture is a page from this month's Architectural Digest (September 2009) featuring leading architect and designer, Campion Platt, in his renovated Palm Beach winter retreat. The lower picture is of a project featured on his website, and we think he has things to teach even those of us not in the luxury market.

His projects are said to embody luxury, innovation and an eco-friendly consciousness. I might add, his use of color and texture are amazing, and I think we can learn a lot by studying his designs. In the top picture, Campion designed the colorful banquette, which just fits into the bay window. We might not be able to do that, but we could find a small sofa or love seat to fit in our bay window. In his renovation of this 85 year old Palm Beach house he wanted to capture and make the most of the "Palm Beach" light, so that every room "almost dances with light"(text by Gerald Clarke) Platt used a large mirror to surround the white fireplace, high gloss finish on the floors to reflect light, white furniture and lots of glass. Even white stucco outside in the pool area reflects light into the kitchen which overlooks the pool. I learned to choose shiny tile for my kitchen back-splash because my kitchen desperately needs light, and the glossy tiles will help reflect the light that does come in.

In the Palm Beach house he uses high contrast in his color choices, but in other projects, he choose a softer transition between colors. The lower picture uses medium to lighter wood and brown tones, with that wonderful soft blue on the dramatic chairs, and the same color in the artwork above the table. Clean lines, confident colors and always, Campion Platt creates his own style.

A perfect day in Missouri

Today is a perfect day in Southwest Missouri! It's sunny and cool, but doesn't feel like fall yet - good thing, we're not ready for the season to change! But it's not hot, like August 21 is usually hot. So, what shall I do? Should I go for a walk? Make cookies? Or, reach out into the vast social network to find a friend? Any of these choices would be good...but I have some new products I want to add to my website, and that would mean new and exciting options for my customers...I'd better do that, and then, the walk! Ok, here's one, our large Shell Plate, perfect for jewelry or many other uses - or a wonderful, inexpensive, gift surprise!

Creative Client: Cachepot & Apples

It seems like a simple idea - but sometimes the simplest, cleanest ideas are best. Our client, V, has chosen our Ivory Ceramic Cachepot, and our Golden Green Apples....the result is very pleasing, as the colors play against the soft blue of the placemat, the warm wood of the tabletop, and ivory chairs which relate to the distressed Ivory Cachepot. And, look! The softest blue on the walls, with curtains made from a print that pulls all the colors together. As we always say - our clients are soooo creative! Thank you, V for sharing! A closer view of her Cachepot with Apples is on our website. To us, this is a perfect example of how our realistic artificial fruits and veggies can actually bring "life" to your rooms with their color, texture and reference to food! I think we react with very positive emotions, and our emotions don't care whether the fruits are real or faux!