faith sheridan’s blog

Making your home as comfortable and inviting as it can be helps create a sanctuary of peace and cheer that you can return to in good times and bad. In uneasy times like now, your personal space is also your personal refuge. Feel at ease spending time there no matter what your mood or fears. Relax in its supporting embrace in comfortable furniture and feel the harmony within its walls.
A comfortable home is an inspiration that calls to you when you long for tranquility and a place that encourages a sense of contentment. It can also be a place where you celebrate life’s joys and enjoy the results of your labor. The home you create reflects your inner tranquility. When you make your home as peaceful and comfortable as it can be today, you will always feel drawn to it.

The holiday traffic in and out of your home can leave stains and scratches.  Plus, the New Year event is still to come.  Here is some general advice to respond to spills on upholstery, carpet and wood furniture.

CARE OF WOOD FURNITURE

Several coats of lacquer protect wood furniture but lacquer can be damaged by scratches, dents, alcohol and direct sunlight.  Here are some recommendations:

1. Immediately clean spills or food with a soft clean cloth; blot don’t rub.
2. Dust often with a clean, soft, natural cloth that is slightly damp and dry with another clean cloth.
3. Remember dust is abrasive, so be gentle on your furniture.
4. Use a non-silicon based furniture polish and carefully follow the directions.
5. Direct sunlight may cause harm or deterioration over time.
6. If damage occurs, call a professional for the name of a reputable re-finisher.

CARE OF UPHOLSTERY

A lot of work is done for you when the fabric undergoes the finishing process at the factory. It is usually treated with soil and/or water repellents and some form of mildew inhibitors may also be used.  However, it is not an invisible shield.  Here are some recommendations:

1. Turn cushions and rotate them to even the wear and tear on the surface.
2. Vacuum weekly to remove surface dirt from embedding.
3. Blot but don’t rub surface spills immediately.
4. Test in an inconspicuous area before you use any product for spot cleaning, and check the manufacturer’s instructions to see if you need a water based or solvent based cleaner.
5. Use mild cleaning products first such as the foam from diluted laundry detergent and water.
6. Call a professional for removing major spills or stains.

Holidays trigger memories of past celebrations and rituals with family, friends, and co-workers.  The magic of a carousel ride with background music playing creates warm emotions and bonds.  Children dress up for a photo with Santa or a Nutcracker performance. Many other traditions involve favorite foods, ornaments made in preschool placed on the tree, the smells of evergreen and cider, sharing bounty with those in need and expressing to one another their importance in our life.  

And all around the world there are unique customs that make this time special.  Christmas is a Christian holiday and many  Christmas customs originated in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. These customs include sending Christmas cards (Hallmark says thank you) and hanging a sprig of mistletoe in a room or hallway for romantic opportunities.

The nine days before Christmas in Mexico are called posadas, which means inns or lodgings.  Each day, Mexicans reenact Mary and Joseph’s search for lodgings on the first Christmas Eve. After each posada ceremony, there is a feast to celebrate and  children enjoy trying to break the pinata.

TOO MANY TAMALES

In Los Angeles, Christmas is  time for “Too Many Tamales,” an annual holiday show which  acknowledges biculturalism in a city where 41 percent of the population was born abroad.  The play tells the story of Maria consuming all of the family’s holiday tamales in a fruitless effort to find her mother’s missing engagement ring while explaining the Latino tradition of making tamales at Christmastime.

The play is a celebration of culture and a reminder to maintain and respect traditions from all over our interconnected world.  Last year my family enjoyed a dinner with tamales transported from San Antonio.  What traditions will you celebrate this holiday?

A FAVORITE THING FOR DECEMBER

With tree lighting ceremonies that kick off the holiday season, we witness the tremendous expansion of LED. LEDs are the lighting technology of choice for holiday lighting installations around the globe. 

LED (light emitting diodes) are so efficient not only for major displays like the ones below, but especially for our personal use. LEDs are becoming more and more popular because they last much longer and are extremely energy efficient.  One 26-lamp string of traditional lights lasts 1,000 hours and burns at 125 watts. The same size string in LED lasts 20,000 hours and burns at 2.3 watts. One set of LED lights costs only ten cents of electricity to run all season.  For more information on how you can use eco-friendly lighting technology in your home and for discount coupons, visit www.gelighting.com. 

                          Winter Light Show, Kuwana, Japan                                  

4.5 million LEDs at the Nabana no Sato theme park in Kuwana, Japan form the centerpiece of their annual Winter Light Show that runs until March 8.

London’s Covent Garden commissioned a light-based sculpture called “Constellation,” which hangs from its ceiling.  The sculpture comes with a total of 578 two-meter long TARMLED double-sided LED strips.

      Northwesterners embrace the season of rain with an eye on the Mudroom.  Starting with umbrellas, wet, dirty shoes and backpacks, this is where the family sheds their stuff and gets down and dirty.  The mudroom is more important than ever with today’s busy families and with so much more to organize.

Once dominant as the home of the television and components, the latest victim of technology is the armoire.   No longer bulky and awkward, flatscreen TVs are minimal, attractive and a status symbol.  People put them in full view for all the reasons just mentioned.

The name, armoire, (ar·moire)  (ärm-wär) derives from their original use for storing arms. As the story goes, when the French changed tax code and started taxing by the number of rooms, closet walls were removed.  The armoire replaced the closet for wardrobe and linen storage. In the beginning, the armoire was designed by André-Charles Boulle, a cabinetmaker,  as a tall cupboard or wardrobe and  was sometimes made in two stages, the upper compartment containing numerous small drawers.

At first designers and furniture manufacturers resisted replacing the venerable armoire but inventive types quickly  introduced cabinets with pop-up mechanisms and storage for components. 

Pop-Up Flatscreen TV Cabinet

Some clients are comfortable with placing the flatscreen directly on a buffet or console.  They continue to use the buffet for storage of related components and other items.  With less clutter and the development of streaming technology, customers no longer have stacks of CDs, DVDs and the accompanying equipment.

Many consumers prefer to wall mount televisions and they could choose to frame them as an alternative using moulding found at frame shops. You can enter a search for ‘frames for flatscreen TV’s’ for more information.  For my clients I have interpreted ‘frame’ as a unified art arrangement on either side and/or above the flat screen. I like the  balance this provides on the wall and it also reduces the starkness of the black screen.

An even more sophisticated approach is the one from Media Decor http://www.mediadecor.com.   This is a description from their website: “Media Décor Moving Art provides a silent motorized solution to concealing displays. These innovative units are all powered by Lutron drive units. The QC Elite series employs a magnetic roller system to ensure silent and smooth operation.”

And what do you do with that armoire?  Some are now outfitted as a bar complete with a small refrigerator and wine cooler.  Others are returned to their original purpose as storage for clothing and/or linen.

The color ochre, also spelled ocher, is one of my favorites.  Early in my design career I participated in a Designer Showhouse. My challenge was the foyer, all stairs and hallways. With other designers all around my areas, I sought a color to invite, complement and add a warm contemporary feeling.  My choice was ochre.  Over the course of the month that the Showhouse was open to the public, I received many calls for the exact name and number of the paint. 

So when I saw this photo in the latest issue of Southern Accents magazine, all my memories of that design concept refreshed in my mind.  I like that this color is suited to antique and traditional elements as well as transitional contemporary styles.  Whether the other designers worked with reds, burgundy, blues or greens, the ochre fit.  Likewise soft blue greys, creams and ebonized wood looked rich and fresh.

This color is understated and doesn’t draw attention to itself.  Not too bold so that beautiful art, rugs, flowers and all the other design elements have space for appreciation.  Accents of white or black create balance when added selectively. 

Possibly the biggest plus for ochre is that it flatters all skin tones so everyone invited to enjoy the space looks equally fabulous.

In this article the author notes Sherwin Williams Sunrise SW 6668 and Weekend 1029-C Martin Seynour in case you want to check it out for yourself.

Locate a designer

Helios Carpet is promoting LocateADesigner.com in Metropolitan Home magazine. The ad is on page 46 of the November issue and is on newsstands now!

This Website was developed by Helios Carpet to help you find the right interior designer for your decorating or remodeling project. Designers from all over the country have posted profiles that include information about their services, experience, and qualifications, along with images of their work.

Click on Locate A Designer to find a designer near you.

Ed Del Grande of Kohler shares his top ten tips:

1. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving to avoid using excess water.
2. Cut a minute off your shower time every day to save more that 750 gallons of water annually. Also consider swapping out your showerhead with a low-flow model that can reduce water usage by one-half gallon per minute.
3. Landscape with native or drought-tolerant plants to significantly reduce water usage outside the home.
4. Replace old toilets with High-Efficiency Toilets (HET) to save up to 17,000 gallons of water annually.
5. Use leftover water for houseplants instead of pouring it down the drain.
6. Make sure the dishwasher is fully loaded to maximize the number of dishes cleaned in a cycle.
7. Use the appropriate water level and load size on the washing machine when doing laundry. Consider purchasing a front-load washing machine.
8. Fix leaky faucets and install low-flow aerators on kitchen and bath faucets to effortlessly save 200-300 gallons of water each month.
9. Use a broom rather than a hose to clean off driveways, steps and sidewalks.
10. Water your garden during the coolest part of the day, generally in the morning, and avoid watering on windy days.