Designer Insight

April 17, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

I believe it would be a great honor to be asked to help decorate the family quarters at the White House, and I would like to help Hillary Clinton for two reasons. One, she would be the first president who is female, plus she has a spouse who has already served and lived in the White House (oh, the stories that could be told…). Two, it would be a great time to shake up some of the furnishings with more eclecticism. I would use handmade artwork, glassware and furnishings from all over our country. Each piece would have a story to tell, either about the people or artisans who made it, or about our past and where our country is going in the future. I feel the use of color, texture and materials, mixed with the White House’s architecture and historical furnishings, would be the unexpected surprise -- just like having a strong female president. --Mark Abrams

January 10, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

I think you will see two very different perspectives in color and trend for 2008. With the economy, oil prices and personal expenses at record highs, it will all be about opposite ends of the spectrum. At one end of the spectrum, it’s opulence and the look of wealth in gold, metallic finishes, reflective surfaces, overscaled lighting and over-the-top furniture. The second trend is more classic -- the look of traditions passed down, antiqued and worn with aged finishes and hardware. I believe we always cycle back to the middle and pull out trends that we are familiar with when the economy, going into an election year, is like it is. --Mark Abrams

October 17, 2007 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

"Green" has become a buzz word that I don’t think most people in our industry have an opinion on or have paid much attention to. Over the last year or so, market centers, shelter magazines and trade publications have all spent space and energy focusing on green. It has made us think, or at least wonder about, recycled wood furniture, bamboo flooring, and the like. But at the end of the day, when you go out to the dock and look at all the boxes and packing materials used to ship the goods we buy and sell, do you think it really makes a difference?

I know I may sound like a pessimist. I just remember when we studied recycling and conservation in my youth in Alabama. That was 20 or so years ago. Have we really changed that much since then? 

America is one of the most wealthy, spoiled, pampered countries in the world. We drive large SUVs, purchas...Read More

July 25, 2007 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

I hate walking into a store and the first thing you see is old, tired merchandise. Too often, better stores put “sale” merchandise in the front entrance to entice customers with lower prices and promotional goods. But you get the picture: piles of discontinued, mismatched merchandise. To make it visually worse, the “sale” entrance is usually poorly displayed. It makes me want to walk out!

 

As customers, we all love a bargain. But I suggest placing the discontinued, sale goods at the back of the store or in the clearance center. You segment the “old” merchandise together, and the customers will walk through the store to the back to possibly buy better goods. Put yo...Read More