Award winning hotel suite features wooden furniture by Thos. Moser

Thos. Moser announced that The Moser Room at Freeport, Maine's Harraseeket Inn was named "best designer room in Maine" by Yankee Magazine.
Thos. Moser partnered with the Harraseeket Inn in 2008 to create the room. It features wood furniture pieces from Thos. Moser's collection, which the company says are valued at more than $50,000 total, as well as furnishings by other New England companies and the works of several Maine artists.
“Thos. Moser and the Harraseeket are honored to have been singled out as the best designer room in Maine,” said Steve Wyman, manager of Thos. Moser's Freeport showroom. “Feedback from the guests who have stayed in the Moser Room has been universally positive and it’s great to have this additional stamp of approval from one of New England’s favorite magazines.”

Leda Furniture debuts condo-scaled furniture collection

Leda Furniture will debut its "fresh" collection at High Point Market in April.
This new condo-scaled furniture collection features Zebrano veneers with complementing paint trim colors of silver, black and pink as well as Amaretto and Mahogany wood finishes.
“You always hear the furniture industry described as a fashion industry, yet whenever there is a new collection introduction it’s always in some shade of the safe brown and beige tones," said Marco Confalone, president of Leda Furniture. “It doesn’t matter what name you give the finish, it’s still brown. We wanted to showcase something fresh as part of our new introduction, hence the inclusion of the ‘pink & black’ bed option.”
Leda Furniture will debut "fresh" in High Point, N.C., at H-1112, IHFC Building.

Stanley Furniture's British Colonial, Bungalow styles bedroom furniture fan the flames of love

I don't know what it is about the tropics but that style of furniture makes me want to fall in love over and over again and never leave the bedroom. If you're lucky enough to have someone who feels the same way, invest in some romantic furniture and keep those flames of love burning.
Stanley Furniture Co. will introduce two new styles to its Classic Portfolio at High Point Market: British Colonial and Bungalow.

The British Colonial and Bungalow styles will join Stanley's European Cottage, Louis Philippe and Transitional furniture design offerings.
“The experience of owning fine furniture is sensory,” said Adam Tilley, vice president of product management. “Not only does fine furniture feel soft and luxurious to the touch, it has to be graceful. Your eyes should melt into the layers of finishes that glow in the light. These patterns were designed to envelope you in the total experience of finer furniture. The closer you study a piece, the more it should reward you.”
High Point Market will take place April 2-7, in High Point, N.C.

FurnitureLab announces table top design contest for trip to Las Vegas

FurnitureLab is hosting a national graphic table top design contest for the chance to win a trip to the Hospitality Design Expo in Las Vegas on May 18-20.
Contestants are encouraged to use collages, illustrations, artwork or photographs to illustrate what the contest theme of "travel" means to them and effectively display it on a table top. FurnitureLab staff will judge all entries and select a winning design to be displayed on a 24-inch table at the company's booth during the HD Expo. Entries will be judged on creativity, aesthetics and how well the design translates on a horizontal table surface.
Entry to the contest is free and the deadline for submission is Thursday, March 31. Visit FurnitureLab's website for contest rules or to submit an entry. The winning designer will receive free admission to the HD Expo, a special award during the show, a $500 gift prize to cover round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations in Las Vegas, a feature on FurnitureLab's website, and the actual table on which their winning design is displayed.
"We have been passionate about custom tables since the day we started because they let you make something that is truly unique," said Gregory Rapp, president of FurnitureLab. "This contest has been such an inspiring process and it reminds us that tables can do more than just support plates and elbows, but they can be a medium for expression, communication and truly make a place feel special."

Four furniture trends to make your home a personal retreat

More consumers are turning their home into a calm oasis, a respite from the chaos, according to Kelly-Moore Paint’s Top 10 Home Design Trends for 2011.“… Consumers have reached a point of 'frugal fatigue' -- they're ready to spend and take risks again in their homes, with a desire to revitalize, renew and restore their spirits. This shift is demonstrated in today's home design trends as we move towards a cleansing future," says Mary Lawlor, manager of color marketing at Kelly-Moore Paints.
A cleansing future…not sure, where she’s going with that, but here’s my take on her top four home design trends.
1. Home Design Element: Handcrafted goods. Handcrafted goods are experiencing a resurgence.
It’s a true fact that if you sprinkle glitter on anything it looks artsy.
2. Home Design Element: Furniture. Instead of designer couches or tables, homeowners will repurpose garage sale finds and family heirlooms.
Milk crates and lawn chairs they aren’t just for college anymore. Yippe.
3. Home Design Element: Imperfect natural materials. Nature's imperfections, such as wood flooring with knots and color imperfections in leather are now valued.
I believe this is called texture or distressing and people usually pay more for that.
4. Home Design Element: Furniture "Botox" -- or "Fotox". Families will make small upgrades around the home repurposing what they have. Lawlor calls this "furniture Botox" -- or "Fotox." Instead of buying a new piece of furniture, homeowners can upgrade existing ones -- a new slipcover or Granny's bureau painted high gloss black with decorative glittery knobs.
I’m not sure how much paint was huffed to come up with "furniture Botox." I’m guess this is where frugal fatigue sets in and you go out and buy something you really like. 

Furniture so down home you may never want to leave

Paula Deen, the patriarch of the Food Network, is taking a break from her Southern cooking to create a line of furniture so comfortable it’ll melt you like butter.
Known for her comfort food and southern charm, Deen is expanding her empire by collaborating with Universal Furniture to create pieces that are comfortable and casual with a bit of coastal style. Unlike some celebs who lend their name to a project, Deen helped design the collection and some of the pieces are similar to plantation antiques in her own home.
The Paula Deen Home collection includes furniture for the bedroom, home office, dining room, living room and home entertainment. The line’s wood furniture comes in a distressed tobacco finish, and accent pieces are available in painted finishes such as linen, Spanish moss and sea-oat.
According to Deen, life revolves around family and food—thow in some butter and I couldn’t agree more.

Wood furniture or functional piece of art?

Texture and natural imperfections are what gives wood its character. Mike Messer, owner of Great Lakes Rustics likes to take a living piece of wood, imperfections and all, and turn it into a functional piece of art otherwise known as a coffee table.
Great Lakes Rustics specializes in hickory, pine, red cedar and white cedar log furniture. The furniture line covers beds to dining tables to accessories. My favorite part of this rustic furniture line is the barn wood end tables. These end tables are made from historic Michigan barns that have been marked to be destroyed. The design varies somewhat because all salvaged wood is one of a kind.

Ornate furniture with a modern twist

Modern furniture doesn’t have to be sterile and cold. Light Vintage from Italian design firm Moda offers an ornate, classic wood furniture line paired with bold, colorful modern fabrics. The result is a playful mix of old and new that would fit in a European palace and a loft in Chicago. The furniture line features chairs, sofas and my favorite the fainting couch.

Flexible wood furniture

Nevermind those extra holiday pounds you packed on, Dutch designer Carolien Laro has released a series of stools with flexible seats created by cutting slits into their solid ashwood tops.
The seating collection includes a three-seatbench and three stools, one on wheels, one without and another with folded steel legs. To create the Springwood effect, each seat has 480 CNC-milled cuts.

Liege ornamental carvings is my kind of wood porn

You've heard of food porn (those cooking shows you only watch when you're starving), well, for me this is wood porn.
Patrick Damiaens is the only fulltime ornamentist (the carving of ornaments in wood) in Belgium and the Netherlands who is devoted to Liége style ornaments for interieur and Liege style furniture (XVIIIe century style).
Because of the European quality standards, the originality of the drawings and the performance, Damiaens says his profession appeals to the imagination of many, including Belgian magazines and newspapers and even the Belgian Royal family.
The fabrication of Liege style woodcarving for the interior and the reproduction of Liége style furniture is done only in Belgium, and is known for its design and look, the drawings, and the carving. Damiaens says the work is not commercial, since the number of pieces of furniture produced on a yearly basis may be two or three. The main reason for fabrication is to satisfy the highest standards of craftsmanship and to keep and old tradition and art alive. For more information, see Patrick Damiaens.

My, what a large desk you have

Desk size, like everything else in life…size matters.
The right sized desk is a key factor in long-term business success, according to research from Avanta Managed Offices.
Here are three questions to ask before purchasing a desk.
1. What do you need?
2. What shape do you need?
3. What will be on your desk?
 For inspiration, I’ve attached a photo of William Randolph Hearst’s desk. This is the desk that launched a publishing empire. Can you feel the power?

Fug or fab?

Besides a love of sitting, I have a strange affinity for chairs of all kinds. So, as I'm pondering Anthropologie's latest offering, the Calandria Armchair. I'm conflicted...do I love it or hate it? 

Behold inspiration!

Fall has hit the Midwest and being from a land-locked state (Lake Michigan doesn't count as an ocean), coastal living seems, in a word--awesome! check out Coastal Living's 2009 Seawatch idea house. It's full of beautiful millwork and the design is inspiring. My favorite room is the master suite and it wasn't an easy choice. What's your favorite room?

AWFS 2011 Fresh Wood Student Competition now accepting entries

The Association of Woodworking and Furnishings Suppliers (AWFS) is accepting entries for the 2011 Fresh Wood Student Woodworking Competition as part of the AWFS Fair, scheduled for July 20-23, 2011, in Las Vegas.
The competition is open to full-time students in an accredited high school or post-secondary woodworking or related program, and part-time students in an accredited post-secondary woodworking or related program who are transitioning into a career in woodworking or design. The deadline for entry applications is May 2, 2011.
The competition has six categories at both school levels: case goods, chairs, open, production/contract, reproduction and tables. Entries will be rated by a panel of judges that represent different aspects of the industry and those scores will determine the finalist pieces that will be displayed at the AWFS Fair. The final judging will be held July 19 at AWFS Fair, where awards will be given for first and second place winners in each category, at both school levels. A Best of Show award will be selected among all first place winners and the winner’s school will receive the Larry Hilchie School Grant Award. Fair Attendees will also have the opportunity to vote on the People's Choice award.
All forms and guidelines for the 2011 Fresh Wood Competition are available online or by contacting Adria Torrez of AWFS at 800.946.2937.

Global demand for new housing to reach 53 million units in 2014

After a sharp drop in new housing construction in North America, Western Europe and Japan, those countries are expected to enjoy the fastest growth in construction through 2014, according to a study, World Housing, from The Freedonia Group. But despite that new housing activity in the U.S. is forecast to increase 24 percent annually, the level of activity in 2014 will generally remain below what was achieved a decade earlier.
Worldwide, demand for new housing through 2014 is projected to advance three percent per year, generating the construction of 53 million new housing units. Among the developing regions, the most rapid growth in new housing units will be in the Africa/Middle East region, where growth in population and household formation will support 3.9 percent annual advances in new housing construction through 2014 to 11 million units.
The largest number of new housing units will be generated in the Asia/Pacific region, where an expected rise in new housing construction of two percent per year will result in 31.7 million new units; a deceleration from 2004-2009.
The world housing stock was 1.9 billion units in 2009, roughly two percent larger than the number of households. The Asia/Pacific region had the largest housing stock, with its nearly one billion units accounting for 52 percent of the world total; China alone represented 23 percent of the world total. The Africa/Middle East region had the second largest housing stock in 2009, with 292 million units, or 15 percent of the world total. Western Europe and North America, together, accounted for just under 20 percent of the housing stock.

Moser to make furniture for Simply Ming television show

Thos. Moser, designers and builders of hand-crafted wood furniture, will once again partner with chef Ming Tsai to handcraft a table and chairs for the set of his public television cooking show, Simply Ming. The cherry Meridian round dining table, designed by David Moser, is the newest addition to the Meridian collection and is an adaptation of the existing Meridian trestle table. Tsai will use it to dine with his guest chefs in the last segment of each show, as well as to help display the food they have prepared to the viewing audience.
The Meridian 48-inch tabletop accommodates up to four. The dining chairs feature a fine radius of the chair’s underside, the inverse matched radius at the top of the leg, and the optical correction effect at the termination of the chair’s crest. The single back slat is a first for David and accentuates the chair’s sleek lines. The Meridian collection will be available in ash, and cherry and includes a coffee table, dining sideboard, rectangular dining table, hall table, chests, and stools.

Esquire throws its mass-produced vintage fedora into the design ring

Inspired by the lifestyle of the modern, discerning Esquire man, Hearst Magazines is launching, the Esquire Home furnishings collection. The collection features accessories, area rugs, lighting, furniture and upholstery from licensing partners The Halo Group, Asia Minor and Go Home Ltd. Some highlights include barware, desk accessories, and decorative “man toys.” If you’re not sure what a “man toy” is, it’s apparently a vintage inspired brass wall sconce modeled after the headlight of an early 20th century Jaguar.

Furniture pieces have fun, manly names like the “Triple Whisky Collins” leather sofa, “Irish Coffee” table lamp, “Black Russian” architectural desk and a “Martini” armchair. Wait, I’m picking up on a theme here… I wonder, if Cosmopolitan magazine launched a furniture line for the ladies would it have names like … “The one night stand” sofa sleeper, “Walk of shame” rug collection, and “Appletini” vomit, I mean champagne bucket.

Acimall reports positive industry numbers in Q2 2010 survey

The second quarter 2010 brought significant signs of recovery, though highly diversified, among the companies included in the statistic sample selected by Acimall, the Italian woodworking technology manufacturers’ association.
The periodical survey indicates the industry has grown by 69.8 percent from the same period during the previous year. Orders from abroad recorded a 63.6 percent increase, with an even stronger trend on the Italian market, which was up by 83.3 percent.
From April to June 2010, prices recorded a slight increase (up 0.4 percent), while the period of ensured production was 2.2 months at the end of June. Looking at turnover, there was a massive increase over the first quarter (up 70.5 percent).
According to the quality survey, 44 percent of interviewed companies indicate a positive production trend, 52 percent stable and 30 percent reported a decrease. Employment is considered stationary by 83 percent of the sample, falling by 8 percent and increasing by the remaining 9 percent.
Available stocks are stationary according to 65 percent, decreasing according to 22 percent and growing according to the remaining 13 percent.
The forecast survey outlines possible trends in the next few months: after the positive rebound of orders, a period of stability is expected to consolidate the results obtained in the first half of the year.
Foreign orders will grow according to 30 percent of the sample, while they are expected to stay at the same level according to 48 percent. The remaining 22 percent predict a drop. The Italian market is expected to remain stable according to 61 percent of the interviewees, shrink further for 22 percent and expand for the remaining 17 percent.

CPA formaldehyde legislation approved by US House, Senate

Formaldehyde legislation urged by the Composite Panel Association (CPA) passed the US House of Representatives by voice vote on June 23, and was unanimously approved by the Senate.
The Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act, S. 1660, establishes the first comprehensive national standard for formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products. It directs the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to announce implementation of the regulations by January 1, 2013, and make them effective 180 days after. The bill must now be signed by President Barack Obama.
“This is a historic moment for the North American composite panel industry, which has always been at the forefront of environmental stewardship,” said Tom Julia, CPA president. “The legislation represents a responsible, bipartisan approach to advancing consumer protection, fair trade, and domestic jobs.”

Building a furniture brand

Convincing someone to invest in a quality piece of furniture is no easy task. Stores like Ikea and low-cost imported furniture are seductive to cash-strapped consumers and have helped create a throwaway culture.
Mark McKelvey, a Maine woodworker who lost his shop to arson in 2009 understands fine furniture is a hard sell and is now promoting Maine woodworkers online. His non-profit Web site, www.MaineFurniture.org was founded to add value to Maine’s custom woodworkers and furniture makers. “I found it very difficult to promote my business without spending thousands, and thousands of dollars in website design and maintenance, magazine ads, and trade shows.”
McKelvey’s community-based marketing strategy is simple — promote and brand Maine’s woodworking talent. Potential customers can browse different shops, read bios, look at pictures, watch videos and visit a shop’s Web site, if they have one.