Here's the Country Sampler Cover

I know, it is a little hard to see our gourds, but, we promise, we're there! You can also check out the complete magazine online! There is so much to enjoy! Click here

Country Sampler Magazine Cover

We're so excited! Our Gourds are covergirls! Yep, Furniture Gourmet's fall 6-piece artificial gourd set appear on the cover of the September 2010 issue of the fabulous Country Sampler Magazine!

It's "OK" to love the Color Blue!

I was thrilled to receive my March issue of House Beautiful! It is the spring Color issue, and it is "All About Blue"! If you have secretly loved blue, you now have permission to use it! You may just want one vibrant lamp, or you may really want a room dancing with different hues of blues!

Even Stephen Drucker, Editor in Chief of House Beautiful writes that if he were to do an issue about only one color, it would have to be blue..."the most popular of all colors, a color full of good feelings and often prone to obsession." I say, Thank you, Mr. Drucker, for this fabulous issue! If you don't subscribe to House Beautiful, the magazine, there are wonderful resources online at www.housebeautiful.com including "50 Blue Fabrics", "70 Years of Blue Rooms", and a great paint color tool that lets you try out an entire spectrum of paint colors in sample rooms!

The pictures shown above are from their online collection of "70 Years of Blue Rooms." Enjoy!

Celebrating Mother's Birthday

Mother was always my best cheerleader. She thought I could do anything, and always encouraged my every attempt. She was a great Mom. She knew all my faults and shortcomings, but always focused on the good that she could see through her Mommy eyes.
Today would have been her 95th birthday, but she died last March. She always said "she left" about a loved one, rather than "died" or " passed away". I think I will say that from now on.
You may wonder what musing about my Mother has to do with my blog about all things Home.
I guess, because she made our home Home with her warm love, the yummy aroma of dinner cooking when we walked in the front door and her very special support of our dreams.
When I started my business, Furniture Gourmet, she was excited and positive about it, and had great advice, too.
As I think about her today, on her birthday, I know in my heart of hearts, that the most important thing to have for happiness at home, is Love. So, I will admit, that without the warmth of acceptance and love, the most special blue & white candlesticks, or the perfect color of paint or a pretty tray made in Italy, will not fill in the spaces in the heart that yearn for love.
But in defense of the importance of those "things", they can be expressions of love, and can help create a place of comfort, belonging and self-expression, and can add even more to the marvelous gift we give our family each day, that is all wrapped up in that one special word, LOVE.

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!

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.

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!