Italian Lighting Design

Some Beautiful Italian designed lighting fixtures. I love them all, but especially the first image of the "Feather Chandelier". How fun is that?! I would hang it in a bedroom, closet area, or maybe powder room. The second image is a classic "Fortuny" style design.

These would be nice over a kitchen island

360 Italian Design

Patricia Gray writes about Interior Design inspirations, emerging trends, and the world of Design.
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A Guide for Buying Complementary Occasional Tables

Progressions in technology and other areas tempt customers to rethink their home’s most central place, the living room. Basic cocktail tables or end tables are a thing of the past. Today’s occasional tables play more than a utilitarian role or even a mere ornamentation. A great functionality of today’s contemporary cocktail tables is storage, among other things. Here are some ideas that will help you with your next occasional table purchase:

• Use triangular or round cocktail tables with stationary upholstery.
  
  
• Use cocktail tables with casters for motion upholstery because they are perfect companions. This especially applies to home theater seating.
  
  
• If you need to solve some of your storage needs, choose the ones with drawers or the ones that offer more shelves.
  
  
• Make sure that the occasional tables are scaled to the sofa or sectional. Try to match the shape and size of the tables to the upholstery.
  
  
• The occasional tables should be in the same design constant with the surrounding furniture. Try to make the tables interact with the adjoining upholstery.

Use these simple rules and you’ll have sleek and trendy occasional tables.

To purchase contemporary occasional tables go to FOWfurniture.com

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Helpful Tips for Reducing Carbon Footprint of Furniture Stores

There won’t be enough energy in the world since countries like Vietnam, China, and India are growing exponentially and are competing for the same energy as us. Everyone can attest to lately, as the demand for oil goes up, the prices follow. As a result, things are becoming financially stretched for everyone including furniture stores. The carbon footprint left behind in the furniture industry can be narrowed and not only will this help the environment, but it will also pass the savings on to the end consumer. Can a typical quality NJ furniture store, for example, really go green? Sure it can and here are some ways:

• Install weather striping on all the doors in the furniture store, thus reducing a substantial amount of air that can get in or leak out.
  
  
• Change the entire store’s lighting to fluorescent bulbs. Fluorescent bulbs are almost three times as efficient as halogen. Not only will this make a dramatic difference in the energy efficiency but the energy savings will mount up rapidly and cover the higher initial cost of the fluorescent bulbs.
  
  
• Encourage employees to carpool. Not only will carpooling save money, but it will also reduce traffic and most importantly save the environment.
  
  
• Coordinate all of the delivery trips to minimize extra driving. This will save gas and time.
  
  
• Use diesel trucks or better yet, use bio-diesel to run the delivery trucks. Pure bio-diesel reduces carbon monoxide emissions by more than 40%, hydrocarbons by more than 60%, and particulates by more than 40% according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
  
  
• Tune-up all the delivery trucks. Tune-ups drastically improve fuel efficiency.
  

Furniture stores can go green by following the above suggestions. All of the above suggestions add up.

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Helpful Hints to Keep Area Rugs Looking Their Best

Area rugs are purchased for the purpose of covering large floors in your home and they are used as coordinating accents that bring together the design strategy throughout the home. Whether you own a 100% hand woven wool area rug or a more moderately priced machine-made rugs that have the ability to show more than 100 colors on a single rug, there are ways to keep your area rugs looking their best.

1. For one thing, try to rotate the rug that gets sunlight to enable even fading.

2. Padding is an ideal way to protect area rugs with high foot traffic.

3. In order to keep your area rug clean, sweep them with a broom.

4. If you insist on using a vacuum, use the low suction setting and don’t vacuum the rug’s fringe.


Follow these tips and you’ll have the best looking area rugs for years to come.

To purchase these area rugs go to FOWfurniture.com

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Customizable Teen Furniture

Over 70 million mothers in America can be categorized into three main demographics: Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. In addition to these three groups there are also the grandparents and you have to be able to satisfy all these groups when it comes to teen furniture. When they shop for teen furniture, 4 very important things are considered: price, practicality, furniture dimensions, and teen’s desires. Our Bergen collection offer endless opportunity for teens to personalize and customize their rooms by offering a choice of 15 water based and environmentally friendly finishes. You can combine finishes for each of the furniture pieces if that is your preference. There is also a two tone options for all the dressers, nightstands, chests, and other case pieces. To top it all, Bergen collections are made in USA and are not just another import. By offering a choice of finishes, we allow a teen’s voice to be heard and thus empower them to take charge of the way their room looks. After all, their bedrooms are their sanctuary.

To purchase teen furniture go to FOWfurniture.com

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Ferrara Italy - The University of Architecture

It's official, I am going to be studying at the renowned University of Architecture in Ferrara Italy for the month of July 2008!!! This University is situated in the Medieval walled city of Ferrara and has been the top ranked University of Architecture in Italy for 8 consecutive years. The University of Ferrara was founded in 1391, and that makes it one of the oldest Universities. I feel very honored and privileged to be studying at this facility under the tutorage of top Italian Professors in the "Facolta di Architettura di Ferrara".

Location of Ferrara in Italy This is a map of Ferrara and you can see the
outlines of the wall around the city.

Ferrara is a city in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River. The town has broad streets and numerous palaces dating from the 14th & 15th century. It is a walled Renaissance city, surrounded by 9 kilometers of ancient red brick walls. For its beauty and cultural importance it has been qualified by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. Ferrara is a "bike city". When I arrive, I am given a bike to ride back and forth between campus and the Residence. It is apparently a 10 minute bike ride. Very European and very energy efficient, as well as good exercise.

The city walls and one of the gates into the City of Ferrara Ferrara is a bicycle city--as you can see from
in front of the train station.
photos James Martin

I will be taking two courses juring the month of July:

The Faculty of Architecture building

The first course is 19th - 21st Century Design
History of Italian Architecture, Interiors, Furniture & Graphic Design
Taught by Prof.ssa Dr. Giulia CERIANI SEBREGONDI
My text books for this course are two "Bibles" of 20th Century Architecture and Furniture Design

20th Century Furniture Design Modern Architecture Since 1900 by William Curtis
by Klaus-Jurgen Sembach The front cover is Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Brick Villa Project, plan, 1923


2. My second course is Sketching and consists of three nodules
Module 01 taught by Prof. Mario MANGANARO
- Proportioning an drawing plans and elevations
- Direct perspective and exercises on representing elementary volumes
- Field exercises
- Examples of travel sketches (Rome, Venice, Naples, Palermo)
- Field Exercises

Module 02 taught by Prof. Salvatore SANTUCCIO
- Part One: a theoretical lecture focused on sketching history in recent architecture from the experiences of Le Corbusier in the Middle East and Delacroix in Maroc
- Part Two: "on site" sketching in the city centre of Ferrara. At the end of class students should have a rich sketch book with some different drawings of Ferrara to show on final examination.

Module 03 taught by prof.ssa Carolina CAPITANIO
- Tools and methods for a sketching survey to highlight the major elements of an architectural text
Consists of 3 lectures on developing the sketching survey through:
The rules of classic architecture
The rules of modern Architecture
The interiors survey
The building survey
The townscape survey
The landscape survey

As well as having classes on campus we have 3 field trips planned in Florence, Rome, Venice, and Milan.
I can hardly wait as I have never been to Florence, Rome or Milan. And what makes it even more interesting to me is that instead of studying Antiquity, we will be visiting 20th Century Architectural sites. I will have an extra free day in each of these cities so of course I will visit the museums and Historical sites.

Stay tuned and I will fill you in on my adventures in these four Cities

I love this quote by Mark Twain:
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.
Dream. Discover.

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Eco Friendly Bedroom Furniture

Rising interest for sustainable furniture has generated a powerfully fashionable pick of Earth-friendly home furnishings. Equipped with an arsenal of eco-conscious production methods that minimize waste and ecological impact, a collection of perceptive furniture manufacturers have realized significantly more inexpensive and effective ways to safeguard our fragile planet.

Some of our adult bedroom sets are manufactured in USA and over 99% of the lumber used to manufacture the bedrooms comes from within 500 miles of the factories – 80% from within 200 miles, thus reducing the carbon footprint associated with the transportation of the primary raw materials. Also, 150,000 poplar, ash, oak, pine, maple, and applewood tree seedlings were donated to the Virginia Department of Forestry and the planting of these trees allows the replacement of all trees used in the manufacture of furniture. Basically, a new tree is planted in Virginia every year for every tree that is harvested.

Sustainability and renewability both appear as terms that go with eco-friendly products and the production of those products. Basically, we need to use material responsibly over a long time. This concept is especially true to the way wood is harvested. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) offers rigorous guidelines for responsible forest management standards, and some of our kids’ furniture collections are FSC certified.

The following kids’ bedroom sets are FSC certified:

To purchase eco friendly bedrooms go to FOWfurniture.com

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Not Your Typical Recliner

Like everything else in the contemporary furniture realm, the term ‘contemporary recliner’ seems to have a pretty subjective meaning. Ask ten different people what a real contemporary recliner is and you’d most likely get ten different explanations. Still, it’s difficult to disagree that the contemporary recliners featured in this post are anything but. Introducing a recliner with ottoman that doesn’t look like your typical run-of-the-mill recliner!

Although they share some of the same design elements as the Scandinavian recliners, yet we’ve still managed to make these significantly affordable. Each of these contemporary recliners shares a common trait or two. These recliners have been growing from a steady diet of creature comforts. Each features a reclining lever that is small and discretely placed for a tidy and organized design. Each can swivel 360 degrees so no straining and stretching is needed. The ergonomic ottoman is the perfect companion to the recliner and is perfectly angled for vital leg support. The back and the seat of the recliner are precisely padded and countered to support your body. Finally, these contemporary recliners are available in hundreds of fabrics and leathers.

To purchase these recliners go to FOWfurniture.com

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Bedroom Shelves

elfa® Home Storage - Platinum & White

Put elfa® Easy Hang Shelving to work in your office to maximize space and create smart storage.

elfa® Girl's Room - White

With limitless possibilities and easy installation, elfa® is our most popular storage solution. A wide variety of components and finishes can transform your child's area into an efficient study and play area - making use of ever-important wall space

elfa® Shelving Unit - White

The experts at The Shelving Store have the cure for all your storage dilemmas. Toy with a wide variety of shelving possibilities that will help you take control of clutter in your child's room.

elfa® Boy's Room - Platinum & White

elfa® is simply smart when it comes to organizing your child or teenager's room. Our strong Solid Shelves provide storage space for all of his trophies, books and treasures, right above a spacious desk top that's perfect for studying or playing on the computer.

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Bathroom Shelves

Find decorative and creative ideas for bathroom shelves and solve bathroom storage problems

Are you tired of leaving your toothpaste, makeup, soap, and everything else in the bathroom balanced precariously on the edge of the sink?

Do you get annoyed with the lack of useful shelving in your bathroom?


A lot of people overlook the need for extra bathroom shelves, and it always seems cluttered as a result.
Bathrooms are a central room in your home, and they need proper decorative shelves and storage shelves just like anywhere else. There are a lot of creative, decorative shelving solutions available to enhance your bathroom, giving it a more ordered look while providing you with not only extra storage space but also great ways to display vases, pretty bottles, bowls, figurines and other objects that will add beauty to your bathroom.


Most bathrooms aren't all that big, so when adding shelving to the bathroom you have to really measure carefully and whatever you do, don't overdo it. Just one bathroom shelf unit, or one set of bathroom wall shelves is usually as much as you can normally add to a bathroom. Even if you have more space to add glass bathroom shelves or other bathroom shelving, think twice. If you put in too much your bathroom will feel crowded and uncomfortable.

When considering bathroom shelves, think creatively about where to put them. We've found decorative bathroom shelves as well as bathroom storage shelves that are designed to fit into every nook and cranny of your bathroom. You can find shelves designed to fit above the toilet (but mounted on the floor, not the wall) as well as shelves for under the sink, around the mirror, and in the corners.


There are glass bathroom shelves, wood bathroom shelves, and also metal bathroom shelves to meet your taste, as well as your needs.

If you are interested in wall-mounted bathroom shelves, take into account the type of wall you have. If you have bathroom tiles on the wall, you must have the proper drill bits so you won't crack the tiles when you drill the holes.

Wood bathroom shelves are very nice, and certainly a step up from plastic ones. Take into account, however, that wood bathroom shelves need to be finished and sealed properly. Exposed wood in a humid area, like a bathroom with a steamy shower, will become moldy, and a health risk. Get shelves that are rated for bathroom use.

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Kitchen Wall Shelving

Adding On Wall Shelves and Storage In Your Kitchen

If you're interested in adding additional shelving into your kitchen, you can either mount more shelves on available wall space, or buy a floor-standing unit. If you want to add on wall-mounted shelves, you should take a lot of things into consideration before you begin drilling holes:

Location Of Shelves

This is really important. You don't want the shelves to get in the way of any kitchen appliances, doors, or windows. Also, if the shelves are mounted in that space can anyone (especially taller people) bump into them accidentally?

Accessibility

If you mount shelves in that location, will you be able to easily get whatever you plan on storing on the shelves? How often will you need the items that will go on these shelves, and how important are they?

Type Of Walls

This is important for knowing how to properly mount the shelves. If the walls are brick or concrete, no problem! However, plasterboard walls are weaker, and mounting shelves that will hold heavy (and breakable) kitchen dishes on them is trickier.

Closeness to Stove Top

Not only could mounting shelves above a stove be a potential fire hazard, it can also become a grease trap.
Shelf Material
Not all shelf materials are necessarily good in the kitchen. Stainless steel shelves are easier to clean, but not as nice to look at as real wood.

What material goes with the rest of the kitchen decor?

Once you've taken all these factors into account, you are ready to make some decisions regarding kitchen wall shelving.
For some great stainless steel shelves that won't cost you an arm and a leg, take a look at this kitchen wall system which is fully adjustable, and it also provides hooks along the bottom for utensils.
If your looking for pantry shelving, it's important that it's light, flexible and strong. You don't want to be concerned, for example, that the shelves are not strong enough to hold a mixer or heavy food processor.

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Kitchen Shelving

When The Shelves You Have Just Aren't Enough Space

You can double the size of your kitchen, and triple the amount of shelves you have, it still won't be enough. Kitchen shelves fill up, and there is no such thing as spare space in a kitchen. That's just the way it is.

A lot of kitchens that we've seen, even the larger ones, tend to have a lot of enclosed cabinetry, and not enough open shelf space. There might be enough shelves for the dishes,

but what about kitchen bookshelves for your cookbooks?

Not only do you need space for books, but also for microwaves,vases, displays, radios, wine bottles, and a whole lot more. This plus decorations is what turns a kitchen into a warm, friendly room that invites you and your family to spend more time in it.




Even people who don't cook a lot tend to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and it often becomes a warm, social area for interaction. In our home guests feel as comfortable in the kitchen as they do in our living room. By having open shelving strategically placed around the kitchen, we are able to display a nice collection of interesting bottles, all of our cookbooks, a few vases, and even some of our kid's art projects.

If you lack open kitchen shelf space, consider adding on either extra wall-mounted shelves, or choose from a wide variety of shelves and units that are designed specifically for the kitchen. These units come in a variety of designs, some with lots of open shelf space, some with drawers, and even some on wheels. They make handsome additions to any kitchen, and provide you with lots of extra space for holding books, artwork and more. Kitchen carts, buffets, sideboards, microwave stands and bakers racks are all designed to fit into available space in the kitchen, and provide you with additional surfaces for preparation, shelves for presentation and also drawers and baskets for storage purposes.

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