Transforming Ordinary Into Fabulous

As a designer I can tell you that what brings life to any room is color, pattern and texture.  Without these three elements, used in the proper amount, a room is downright boring.  One can take an ordinary piece of furniture, such as this plain chair from IKEA, and make it fabulous!!!!  Find a fabric that speaks to you and use it on a chair, or a pillow on the sofa, a window treatment, or somewhere in the room where it will have an impact.  Just adding one new item to a room will have a tremendous impact.  Visitors will think you have re-done the entire room.  Don't you just love the color and movement of this fabric?   

Stimulating Creativity With a Visit to NeoCon

I recently attended NeoCon (National Exposition of Contract Furnishings) at the Merchandise Mart, in Chicago, IL.  As a designer it is so important to keep the mind stimulated and creativity fresh.  Attending  a design exposition is one way it can be done.  It was great to see new product and talk to the various company representatives.  One product that caught my attention was "paperstone", counter tops made from recycled paper.  Now the recycled paper counter tops have been on the market for a couple of years, but when they first came out there was a problem with the color fading.  This has been perfected.  Paperstone is a sustainable composite surface, a "green product".  It is made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper and proprietary petro free resins.  The product is distributed by Northstar Services.  On display were tops made from shredded money, playing cards from Las Vegas and the most interesting one of all, coffee beans and burlap sacks from a coffee company.  I was told the tops could be made from just about anything.  One of the designers I went to the show with asked if fabric scraps could be used and they said absolutely.  Just think of all the possibilities!!!  To find out more about this product visit the web site:  paperstoneproducts.com