Staach

I found these great pieces while looking for some updated and eco-friendly products the other day.  I fell head over heel in love!  The simplicity of the table and chairs and the beauty of the furniture thoroughly impress me.

I  see a design similarity between the Cain chairs and  the Eames Herman Miller "Plywood" Chair.  That perception makes these chairs all the more fabulous in my book because I love mid century modern.

Designed for Staach by Seth Eshelman, the Cain collection is hand crafted out of eco-friendly red and white domestic maple. The finishes are all lead free.  Formaldehyde-free non-toxic wood glue is used along with water borne clear and colored lacquer.  Indeed,  an eco-friendly product that can proudly say it's been approved by the FSC.  ( The Forest Stewardship Council ) 

All fabrication for these pieces is simple and done completely in-house with a limited use of only two tools. This extreme reduction in tool use has helped achieve an even higher level of sustainability by not using more human energy.  The colours are great!  Mix and match the table with some bright chairs.  The possibility of cushions is left to the buyer.  However, I would leave this furniture without cushions so as to not hide the beautiful lines!

More than Twinkle lights ...

The tradition of using Christmas lights actually originates with ancient people that feared the long, dark days of winter. During the winter solstice, large bonfires were kept burning to "lure" the sun back. This tradition continued throughout the ages but, like many ancient traditions, it evolved and mutated so much that its origin is not readily clear.

A house with lights looks amazing but adding a few additional touches can take amazing to fabulous!  Wreaths, window boxes and tree's are incredible additions to you outdoor space.

This front-door decoration brings to mind an elaborate bell-pull. The badge consists of dried flowers, fruits, pods, pine cones, and fresh greenery. The badge was created on a styrofoam disk and the fresh greenery is layered in burlap. The designer constructed the bottom tassel and attached it to the medallion.

To create this look, use pine boughs as a base and then add seasonal produce to the mix.  For even more holiday flair, try weaving outdoor ribbon throughout your arrangements.

Cold winter days are an asset for this display because they allow produce to stay fresh longer. You can replace the fruits and vegetables as needed, or set up the display right before a holiday event.

Decorate your loggia ,add a tree to your  Outdoor space.  The boat house, Gate house or Studio located on your property should be dressed in it's holiday finery too .

Winter outdoor decor

Hello.

I've been very busy working on various projects around my own home for the past two weeks.  Getting ready for the holidays and doing a massive overhaul of all things at Casa Bassi.  I have noticed that with all the catalogs and magazines to which I subscribe, many are recently including displays for the outdoor room.

I have no sense of urgency to sell off outdoor furniture and be done with it until spring rolls around.  In fact, I am noticing many periodicals and websites embracing the outdoor lifestyle and creating vignettes to showcase the outdoor room in a winter theme.  Not everyone lives in a environment  that lends itself to the use of the outdoor space in the winter but you can still decorate the space to reflect the season.  Many of us have at least a few pieces of outdoor furniture in a location where they can be seen from the indoors.  I love continuing my holiday decorating onto my patio.


I found a lovely collection of pillows and accessories, each containing a bird theme.

Twelve days of Christmas, the partridge and pear tree from  Pottery Barn  This pillow makes an elegant statement.

Or if you wanted to go with something red, the Cardinal and pine cones is also avalible from Pottery Barn .

This little light could be hung over a dining table or a outdoor seating area producing a soft glow.  Just enough light to showcase your outdoor seating group  Yet another fabulous find from Pottery Barn.

Perhaps, adding some string lights to the trees in your backyard space would create a festive addition to your holiday outdoor space.

















Or decorating several trees and adding presents to the scape would be a fun way to highlight a porch or outdoor space.


















                                                                                                              

If you choose to decorate the trees in your outdoor space, what could be more appropriate than getting ornaments made from bird seed?   Pine Tree Farms  has an excellent collection of pre-made ornaments that you won't have to worry about storing for the next year.


Each ornament is made of bird seed.  Not only are you going to be decorating your outdoor space but you will be feeding the birds in your area.  They have many decorative styles to choose from as well as bird houses and other styles of feeders that could easily be incorporated into the decorating of some trees.

  

Pine Tree Farms, Inc. is proud to be a key financial supporter of a pioneering scientific study sponsored by the charitable WBFI Research Foundation (www.projectwildbird.org). As a supporter of the WBFI Research Foundation, Pine Tree Farms. is dedicated to the promotion of responsible feeding.








Over the next few weeks we can look at other idea's for creating a festive holiday space in your outdoor room.

Be real (and honest) when selling your furniture

I like to look on Craiglist, Ebay and my absolute favorite, 1stdibs, for eclectic pieces not only for clients but for myself.  It's much like panning for gold - sometimes you get really lucky and find absolutely the most fantastic things. 

Then sometimes you don't...

Please, do not get me wrong.  With certainty, I am not a mean spirited person - far from it.  I will give you the shirt off my back and my last dollar bill if you need it but, sometimes, I have issue with the "verbage" I often see. 

The following are examples of experiences I have had:

Is that "vintage?"  ...Really?
Please refrain from telling me something is vintage simply because it has become weather beaten and/or worn out in your backyard.  Weathered and worn don't necessarily mean vintage.  It might be better to tell the reader you have some pieces that need a little TLC.  Trust me, there are lots of people who get a tremendous amount of satisfaction from refinishing furniture.

Put down that spray paint can! 
Please don't feel the need to spray paint your powder coated outdoor furniture. Once done it's ruined and can not be brought back to the original condition making it worthless to a potential purchaser.  Either call a company that specializes in restoration of outdoor furniture or again, tell the reader that the furniture is structurally sound but requires a new powder coating.  Re-doing a powder coat is not as expensive as people may fear.  I have told my clients often to re-powder coat pieces rather than spend money on new furniture.

What you see MUST BE what you get.
Don't post a picture you found on a website of the item as it would appear if brand new.  People are willing to drive a fair distance to look at your pieces and are bound to be terribly disappointed when they arrive and the furniture needs work.  A camera phone or even a quick snapshot with a disposable camera demonstrates to a potential buyer what they are really buying.  Complete honesty up front is going to save everyone a lot of time and it will also help the seller find the right buyer. 

Don't give away the store.
If you have something that was handed down to you from a friend or family member, it is well worth doing some research as to the origin of the piece or collection.  You just might have a "diamond in the rough."  I once had the pleasure of attending an estate sale at the home of a most delightful couple.  They had an Eames lounge chair and ottoman and were asking a paltry $80.00 for the lounger and $40.00 for the ottoman.  I could feel the vultures circling!  In good conscience, I could not allow this sweet little couple to sell something so potentially valuable.  I talked to the husband and he removed the price tags from the piece until they could get someone to come out for an appraisal.  The chair and ottoman were original, having still had the paper tag on the underside of the chair!  The moral of the story is: If your not sure about something's value have it appraised.  Just be certain about the appraiser is properly credentialed.

Keep the guesswork to a minimum.
On the other hand, don't tell someone something is made by a company if it is not or you're uncertain of its origin.  There are wonderful designers and retailers in the market place that are more than happy to look at photographs of your furniture and confirm the manufacturer.  Of course, its better to be safe than sorry.

Do the right thing.
Just tell the truth.  It has been my experience that there are buyers out there for almost every thing.  If you can't sell it then perhaps a donation to a local charity might be in order.