A Sea of Blue Brought to You

By Allison Kahn  - Hooker Furniture

There is nothing more relaxing and enjoyable than taking a trip to the coast and staying at a cozy beach bungalow with family and friends. Owning and decorating a beach house is a luxury not everyone can afford, but you can easily bring the beach to your own home—even if it’s far from the seaside. Hooker Furniture’s coastal cottage collection, Harbour Pointe, brings the vintage beach look to your home in fresh, light colors. I’ve put together some ways to create the perfect coastal-themed living room using the Harbour Pointe collection.

When decorating a living room, choosing a focal point is important. Be sure to work around this piece and only place items in the room that will complement it. In this case, I think using the sectional as the focal point would be a good choice because comfort is key to coastal decor. The sectional from Harbour Pointe in the Lindy Natural fabric is a great starting point. The upholstery fabric closely resembles the color of sand—how perfect!

Blue is a popular choice of color when furnishing and decorating a beach house. When decorating your home in a coastal cottage theme, choosing earth-tones, sands and browns with a contrasting color– such as blue– can really give your home an organic feel. Accent the sectional sofa with some comfy throw pillows in the fabulous blue Spicer Lapis fabric to make it very inviting. Strategically place ottomans in a blue hue around the room for some added comfort.

Transform your living room into a beach-themed getaway with a sand-colored upholstered sectional sofa, blue ikat patterned ottomans, and a rustic white cocktail table and entertainment console. Together they work in harmony to create a relaxing environment.

A relaxing coastal living room

Along with the essential furniture pieces, another way to bring the coast to your home is with accessories. Buy a large glass lamp and fill it with seashells—the seashells are easy to find in bulk at little beach shops.  A lovely white sailboat on a sofa table would make a great conversation piece. Strategically place some blue glass bottles on a shelf or use a blue lamp base with a large white lamp shade to tie in the blue theme.

Blue glass bottles on a shelf make a great accessory

It may not be in the plans for you to decorate a beach house anytime soon, but with Hooker Furniture’s Harbour Pointe collection and some simple accessories, the beach can brought to your house!

For Great Taste At Home, Pick Boyz-n-Berry!

By Mary Wynn Ryan - thanks to Hooker Furniture

In ancient days, purple was a color reserved for royalty only.  Today, this rich color is still right for a look that’s both elegant and exciting. The color forecasters at Color Marketing Group have flagged “Boyz-n-Berry” as one of the year’s top shades, and no wonder: This passionate hue is surprisingly versatile.Check out how regal Boyz-n-Berry looks when paired with gold or other warm neutrals, as in this inviting room

photo courtesy Calico Corners’ Calico Homes

Why not take it beyond a girl’s bedroom to a dramatic library or media room and harness the theatrical power of purple? Or mix it with warm neutrals (gold, bronze, beige) for a complementary scheme that’s refreshing and regal. For a contemporary twist, pair it with silver, chrome or light gray and an icy pastel such as mint or aqua. Or jump in with a mix of flower hues grounded in sophisticated shades of taupe, tan, gray or green.  Use a fabric you love as the basis for a room’s color scheme: A goof-proof plan is to color the walls in the lightest, quietest hue; flooring and some furniture pieces in darker or mid-tone hues; and other furniture and accent pieces in the brightest hues. Here are a couple of fabric choices from Sam Moore Furniture in the Boyz-n-Berry shades:
The “Elodea Berry” upholstery fabric from Sam Moore makes pink and lilac living room-ready with the savvy and surprising addition of hot golden-orange and cool, pale gray.

Elodea Berry fabric from Sam Moore

Classic medallion motifs make a splash in adventurous-but-elegant color schemes like the Lilac fabric from Sam Moore. Lavender takes a dramatic turn when used with deep red, bright gold, pale gray and black.

Lilac fabric from Sam Moore

The Boyz-n-Berry trend is even influencing housewares. In fact, check out this stand mixer in the Boyz-n-Berry shade sold at many outlets including Sears and Lowes! Why not mix  up your next cake in style?

A mixer in the Boysenberry shade

Living in the Moment: Keep It Simple at Home

Thanks to Loreen Epp - Hooker Furniture Company:
A growing desire to live fully in the moment is driving a pervasive design trend that has been brilliantly named “The Story of Now” by one of the world’s leading trend forecasters,WGSN-HomeBuildLife. WGSN recently presented the top trends shaping home product design and décor at the High Point Market, the world’s furniture capital.The Story of Now, WGSN said, is a pervasive market catalyst prompted by a growing need to simplify our lives, to make real time for the things that really matter.

Symmetry in design gives serene feeling

A fresh take on carpe diem? Perhaps. But more than just living the day, we want to live in the moment.  And this moment’s all about home. We want to celebrate our life as it happens in a place and time.
This focus on our ‘now‘ is driving a love affair with simplicity that goes well beyond the urge to clean up clutter,organize our drawers or buy a Swiffer. Our desire to pare back is causing a wholesale change in taste and style preferences, causing many to wonder if the modernists, with their less-is-more credo, were on to something.
In fact, such a growing want of less in pursuit of more is pervading new ideas about home… from less complexity (…the inherent character of a material may be ornament enough) to less strain on the environment (…materials in their natural form are the most natural) to less busyness(… viewing just one or two key design ideas on a piece of furniture can visually ‘calm things down’).
As far as color goes, it would be predictable to expect ‘earth tones’to be right in step with this trend to simplicity. But that’s only part of The Story of Now.Bark and bread tones have a role, but so do washed-out or grayed-down versions of almost any hue (‘complex neutrals’)… along with pure white.
Pure white, especially in bedding, is hard to beat when it comes to calming the senses and simplifying your surroundings. Both of these examples of white bedrooms that combine pure white and soft neutral colors project serenity and an embrace of the here and now:

White bedding is the essence of simplicity

White bedrooms calm the senses

Color is also becoming a key  tool to create depth or exaggerate shape, with light-and-dark ‘value’ contrasts, color blocking, or simple stripes offering a graphic, ‘less busy’ alternative to carving. The simple contrast of the antique mirrored front against the merlot wood finish in a symmetrical design on the 6-drawer mirrored chest in Hooker Furniture’s Mélange Collection illustrates a “here and now” approach to design.
With this less strident approach to color, high-touch textures(concrete, stone, mohair, linen, leather) and the drier finishes that exaggerate them,are becoming fast favorites.
This urn console from Hooker Furniture’s new Rhapsody Collection featuring simple lines and a dry, stone-colored finish is a good example of the color and tactile theme for the Story of Now. Not only the design, but also the function of this piece fits with décor that lives in the moment. In today’s open living spaces, this piece provides a perfect room divider that can be used as a serving piece for parties, dinners or other special occasions.

Dry, stone-line finishes fit the story of now

Although key ideas of modernism may be driving the attraction to less, The Story of Now welcomes historical ideas in pursuit of new ideas about simplicity. Witness the urn shaped bases on the Rhapsody console, straight out of ancient Greek culture.  Beauty and utility are considered inseparable, inspiring designers to mine past and present for ideas that blend the best of old and new ideas.
The Story of Now, in fact, is as much about yesterday as today.“We’re just like academic archaeologists,” writer Adam Curtis concurs, “using all sorts of fragments from the past to examine the present.”

The Power of Paint

By Nancy Lindemeyer (Reposted from Hooker Furniture, thanks!)



Working with color is just about the easiest way to make dramatic and welcome changes in your home. Use your imagination and a few helpful hints from how decorators are using paint today and you can change the look of your home without hammer and nails or a crew of carpenters and architects.

• Dark colors: The first thing to do is decide to be brave to get the effect you want in a room–like this bold wall in the dining room of the Primrose Hill collection.

Deep tone of walls compliment white finish

The deep tone of the walls perfectly sets off the trellis white finish of the chairs and the china cabinet. Artwork is also shown off to great advantage against such hues. Here are some other things to consider when selecting to use jewel tones:

• Don’t be reluctant to use dark color in small spaces. Bathrooms and foyers, for example, can benefit from not only the depth of a dark paint, but also from a lacquer-like finish. Besides being décor-savvy, the walls and even the woodwork will be much more durable. The spaces come alive with luster as well as a brave new look.
• Dark doesn’t mean gloomy. And no amount of sparkling white or happy yellow will turn a normally dark area that doesn’t get natural light into one that looks like it does. You can make the space have its own dimension by choosing an appropriate deep shade.
• A ceiling that’s not white?  Is it a decorating sin?  Not if you want to define a space that otherwise might be overlooked.
• For a cozy space, nothing is as appropriate as a dark tone. A den, library, or home office all take on character with dark paint colors.

• Bright colors: To give a room good cheer and energy, consider a bright color such as the intense blue walls in this Harbour Pointe dining room.

Navy, ink & midnight blue are on trend

Today’s decorators are using such color liberally throughout the entire house for results that make ordinary rooms special. Here are several ideas to take into consideration when using bright colors for a new look for your home:

• Use the same color for woodwork, doorframes, and walls. The uniform look will make your space look clean and fresh. Sometimes painted details can make a room, and depending on the look you desire, one bright color treatment takes attention away from old-fashioned fussy details.
• Old houses just might welcome a modern touch with bold colors–and the combination can be a striking one. Traditional furnishings against such backgrounds will give your home a fresh new look.
• Why not have complimentary colors flow from room to room? It’s been a rule for a long time to choose a color range and repeat it in different shades. But now, go for a new approach and have bright, distinctive colors play with each other as your eye moves from open space to open space. Within each space, pick up one of the colors of an adjoining room–this way the colors will get along beautifully.

• Neutrals and Off-Whites: And just when we thought these decorating standards have gone old hat, there are exciting new ways to take advantage of their subtle power. Giving a room a soft touch is illustrated in this living room furniture area from Hooker Furniture’s Sienna Canyon.

Rich finishes pop against neutrals

Here, the existing tones in the furnishings dictate the paint and allow a very pleasing, unified look. When using neutrals and off-whites, take into consideration these ways to work with natural light:

• For north-facing rooms, avoid off whites with a gray base as these will make a room seem darker. Instead, choose yellow-based, creamy neutrals.
• The joy of south-facing rooms is that you have a wide choice of hues. Whites with touches of blue give you a sense of a seaside home while red-based white paints are warmer and more formal. Using a pure white for ceiling and woodwork will give you a crisp linen look.
• When facing east, you might want to choose a white that has a touch of blue to give the feeling of morning sunlight.
• White walls will enhance west-facing rooms giving you a light, airy feeling. Natural and artificial light are both nicely reflected in this point of the compass. A neutral with gray undertones tends to change during the day giving a warmer feeling in the room as the day moves along toward night.
• Neutrals and off whites are real challenges, but can also give very satisfying results. Painting different aspects of a room with three or four shades can be stunning and actually create optical illusions. Don’t hesitate to ask for help at the design center where you buy your paint.

To sum: Paint is one way to make dramatic changes in your home without taking down walls or making other altering changes. And, it can be lots of fun in the process.

High Point Market Finds

It was a great trip to the Furniture Market in High Point last month. There were lots of new and exciting products that you will be seeing on our sales floor in the coming months.

Durham Furniture launched a new eight bedroom collection called Perfect Balance. This is a scaled down furniture line which will be great for condos, 2nd bedrooms, youth, etc - the possibilities are endless. The beds can feature underbed drawer storage or the whole mattress will lift and give you access to the entire underbed space - great for those with limited storage space!

We found some awesome new transitional leather furniture. Chrome legs and frames compliment the leather and they are super comfortable.

Another great find was a line of French furnishings. Based on designs from chateau's in France, the styles and finish choices are second to none.

We invite you to stop by and see the new products .. we think you'll love them!

Fall/Winter 2012/2013 Trends Forcast

Time to “undecorate”

The UK-based trend-forecasting agency Trend Bible began working on its autumn/winter 2012/2013 in early 2011. The experts observed social, economical, cultural and consumer behavior to build a picture of what they thought the future might look like. What they found is the resurgence of “casually styled” spaces, where decor is mismatched yet sentimental and where tactile handmade goods take center stage. Learn more about these four trends on the horizon below.
        
Undone
“Artful, eclectic curation to reflect a sense of personal style” sums up this trend. Salvaged, “rustic, weather-beaten materials and finishes sit alongside warm and cozy fabrics,” according to Trend Bible. “In essence, this trend is about the celebration of tactile qualities in a post-digital era, where products that tell a story and bring a wholesome, unrefined attitude are valued.” Think reclaimed rough wood, rusted metal, hand-knitted and crocheted fabrics as well as felt, leather and wool. Distressed finishes on furniture add a tactile quality as well.

Curiosity
Dramatic yet whimsical romantic elements will carry over from spring/summer 2012. “Products have a playful quality and reminds us of our childhoods, as adults retreat into child-like worlds in times of political, economic and environmental confusion,” according to Trend Bible. Along with the romantic elements comes bold, graphic patterns and “feather-light” fabrics. Decor elements include chandeliers, pendants, flowers and nostalgic, vintage decor make up this trend story, plus soft lighting, plush rugs, flowing curtains, hand-drawn illustrative characters and damask patterns.

Grey Gardens
This trend forecast gathers inspiration from the 1970s documentary and subsequent 2009 film Grey Gardens, which tells the story of the decline of a 1920s household and its inhabitants. Once decadent and luxurious, the bohemian home slowly decayed, resulting in “flickers of faded grandeur,” reports Trend Bible. The agency’s forecasters say the trend also was inspired by the effects of the global recession, resulting in “down-at-heel glamour.” More elements picked up from the original Grey Gardens include the concept of a garden inside the house, such as wrought iron and rusty finishes, birdcages and fresh flowers; luxe finishes like plush velvets, paisley patterns and furs; and chinoiserie.

Wild spirit
This trend story celebrates different culture’s traditional handmade goods. Patterns and crafts from “Scandinavia, Mexico and South America” and Native American goods like “dreamcatchers and feather trims influence decoration and print,” according to Trend Bible. The trend includes a multicolored palette, primitive decoration, simple illustrations, handcrafted textiles, pieced and patched fabrics and wood, raw and rough-edged ceramics and strong angular geometric patterns.

A Love Affair with White - 9 Tips For Romatic Decor

By Loreen Epp  - Hooker Furniture

 

The flattering colors of flowers and cosmetics may be the historical favorites for romantic home furniture and décor. But today’s love affair with the color white is inspiring other romantic possibilities!

Perhaps it’s no surprise. White was, after all, the color of French lace, tea roses, canopy beds and wedding dresses long before it was the color of iPods. And white does have special powers! More than symbolizing purity, honesty and spirituality (…and enhancing natural daylight), white is chameleon… it can look new or old, cool or warm.

Here are a few tips for using this versatile, unique color to create a romantic lifestyle and ambiance at home…

• Thinks ‘whites’ rather than ‘white’! The most interesting white rooms feel slightly complex; the results of mixing a subtle range of white and off-white hues.

• Don’t think of white only in its purest forms. Today’s enormous range of white tones (ecru, ivory, eggshell, oatmeal, linen, etc.) offers a white hue for every style. The latest collection from Hooker Furniture, Primrose Hill features a Trellis White finish that is a perfect example of the more sophisticated and complex hues of white today.

Primrose Hill Dining Room

• Choose whites with similar undertones. Whites have either cool (blue, gray or pink) undertones… or warm (yellow, orange or brown) undertones. Mixing the two will make the warm whites look dirty.

• Use white all over! Resist the urge to add ‘accent colors’, such as black or other colors… an all-white room feels softer and more romantic. Good rule of thumb?  Use whites on everything except wood furniture or wood floors.  Or throw caution to the wind and make them white, too!

• Match white colors to the style they work with. Older-looking whites look best with well-worn woods, aged fabrics or antique mirrors. Newer-looking whites look best with contemporary shapes, dark woods or stainless steel.

• Use a range of white textures that suit your style. Think white marble with white cabinets… white damask with white garden roses or a white cane headboard…  white canvas or cotton with white-washed pine furniture or white plaster walls.

• Layer white textures. Hang white artwork on a white wall, layer two white tablecloths over one table or mix a variety of white textured pillows on a bed or sofa. Or use soft, sheer white curtains at the window for a very romantic touch as sunlight streams in behind them.

Melange's Mirrored Front Chest

• Add silver! There’s nothing quite so romantic, whether stainless steel appliances with snow-white cabinets, antique mirror-front white cabinets or silver candlesticks on a white tablecloth.

• Make it livable. Not to put a damper on the romance of white, but this uncompromising color does show more dirt. A solution is to use whitest whites on walls and ceilings, and darker whites or more textured white finishes on furniture.   (Tags: the color white, decorating with white, white furniture, white furnishings, white décor, white accents, furniture, romantic décor)

Tips For Using Ottomans, Benches & Cubes

Thanks to Loreen Epp - Hooker Furniture Company:

True, ottomans, benches and cubes are perfect for putting our feet up. But they’re taking center stage in living rooms today, offering a pretty, practical and comfy (!) alternative to coffee tables.
Below, a few tips on choosing the perfect ottomans for your home…
1.  Use more than one! Today’s ottomans are designed to be used in pairs, trios or even quartets. That gives them an appealing visual texture… and flexibility! They can be separated and moved where needed. Check out this pair of Sam Moore’s Porter cubes covered in a new pop art cabbage rose pattern in a bright magenta and tangerine.

Porter Cubes by Sam Moore

2.  Choose ottomans that match each other. There are plenty of ottoman designs to choose from today, but keep sets of ottomans the same size, shape and design. Placed next to each other, they’ll reinforce each other, look more substantial and appear as a single unit.

Ottomans by Sam Moore

3.  Choose ottomans that contrast with the sofa. Ottomans that contrast a sofa’s color, pattern or texture (a leather ottoman with a fabric sofa, or vice versa) is an easy way to add an eclectic, personalized look to your living room. If possible, repeat the ottomans’ color, pattern or texture on toss pillows or on a neighboring chair.

Ottomans by Sam Moore

4.  Size ottomans to the size (and shape) of your seating area. With a large-scaled sofa, use large-scaled ottomans. With an extra long sofa, use rectangular-shaped ottomans or a trio of square-shaped ottomans. For a sectional, consider a pair of four. Ottomans should measure roughly the same height as the sofa’s seat cushion, or the same height as a coffee table.
5.  Make a statement! Choose ottomans with an exotic pattern, interesting shape or unique leg design. They’ll add an artistic quality and even become a conversation piece!
To make ottomans ultra-functional, place a shallow, but generously-sized wood or metal tray on top of one the ottomans. It’ll corral remote controls and magazines or safely balance drinks, bowls, candles or a food platter.