Lauderdale House comes into its own when one of its lively craft fairs coincides with an art exhibition full of pleasant surprises. This happened on Mother’s Day, when an Italian tenor filled the downstairs rooms with resonating song and Leonard Manasseh’s inventive pictures held their own against the melee of stalls whose wares ranged from crystal jewellery to archive photographs of Archway.

Now in his 90th year, Manasseh is by profession an architect and an artist for the fun of it. The drawings in the exhibition included scenes from his days as a wartime pilot in the Fleet Air Arm and from his working life, including a design for a lakeside pumping station, which looks intriguingly like a woodcut. On closer inspection it proved to be an ink drawing, a medium he uses to advantage in a fine study of an interior with stylish anglepoise lamp. Read more »

It’s a small step, but Riverton village residents are organizing to retain the annual fishing derby, even after its benefactor, The Hitchcock Chair Co., goes out of business next month.

The fishermen who love the cold-water pools in the west branch of the Farmington River would probably keep coming anyway, and the contest helps draw fishermen from around Connecticut and other states.

The derby also attracts bicyclists, hikers, shoppers, weekenders and others who enjoy a scenic ride. Read more »

Vanessa N. and Maurice Opstal have opened BOX Furniture Boutique at 1417 First St. in Sarasota.

Each piece of BOX furniture is made of solid, plantation-grown teak. The wood is kiln-dried and handcrafted at an artisan workshop in Indonesia. The Boutique currently has 250 pieces in its furniture line. Each piece is available in six stains, from a very light brown to deep ebony, and there are 14 carvings from which to choose. Customers have the option of buying furniture on display at the boutique or custom-designing their own signature pieces. Read more »

Today’s bank holiday is the key date in the DIY year. Across Britain (and around the world), millions will be grappling with collapsible coffee tables and self-assembly sofas. How did it happen? Helen Brown heads to Sweden, spiritual home of the flatpack, to find the answer
17 April 2006

The Easter bank holiday is traditionally associated with yellow and blue: the daffodils, the bluebells - and the family trip round the ring road to Ikea. This is invariably followed by a rain-sodden afternoon of impossible instructions, missing screws and swollen thumbs. The man to curse, as you realise planks A-F are all the wrong way round and you can’t remember where you put the Allen key, is Gilles Lundgren, who invented the flatpack exactly 50 years ago. Read more »

EverythingFurniture.com, a leading online retailer of furniture, announces that it has surpassed the 10,000 product milestone. This achievement was accomplished with the addition of several key suppliers.

“Offering one of the largest selections of any online furniture website has been an important factor in the continued success for EverythingFurniture.com,” says Scott Perry, President and CEO of Everything Furniture Inc. Because the online furniture retailer is not constricted by the walls and space of a bricks-and-mortar furniture retailer, EverythingFurniture.com has been able to offer its customers a large and diverse product selection. This product selection is one of the key aspects that appeals to its customers. Read more »

Bill Karn has been named as a New River Casual Furniture sales representative for Illinois and Indiana, Vice President of Sales and Marketing Michael Mettendorf announced.

Karn has more than 25 years of experience in the casual furniture industry. Prior to joining New River, Karn’s primary product line was Lloyd/Flanders.

“Bill’s wealth of knowledge about this industry is a great asset to our company, as is his insight into the sales climate in the Illinois and Indiana territories,” Mettendorf said.

Dundee City Council is prepared to take legal action against residents who leave unwanted furniture and other combustible materials on common landings, housing convener George Regan warned today, writes Alan Wilson.
Following yet another fire in a tenement block at the weekend involving dumped furniture, Mr Regan said persistent offenders could be taken to court and evicted from their properties.

“The council has previously indicated there is no need for anyone to leave anything that might pose a fire risk within the common areas of buildings,” Mr Regan told the Evening Telegraph. “For example, there are organisations that will take away furniture that can be re-used, and the city council will, for a small charge, uplift bulky items for disposal. Read more »

The American Society of Furniture Designers is accepting applications for its 2006 Pinnacle design achievement awards. Now in its 11th year, the awards competition promotes outstanding furniture design quality by recognizing and honoring furniture designers within the retail home furnishings industry.

Entries may be made in 15 categories including accessories, bedroom, casual dining, home entertainment, home lighting, home office, juvenile, leather upholstery, major collections, motion upholstery, occasional storage, occasional tables, stationary upholstery and summer/casual.

Entry forms including requirements and eligibility rules are available for downloading at www.asfdpinnacle.com/downloads. A free 2006 Pinnacle poster/entry kit is also available by contacting ASFD at 910-576-1273 or by e-mail at info@asfd.com. The submission deadline for all entries has been set for Aug. 4, which is a month earlier than in previous years. Read more »

Finally, there’s a scale that weight-conscious Americans can do something about. The furniture scale.

It seems our living rooms and dens are overstuffed with furniture too wide, too deep and too heavy for the surroundings, and it has some designers ready to put homeowners on a decorating diet.

“The most important thing in a room is scale and proportion, and if you don’t get that right, no matter how beautiful the furnishings are it’s not going to work,” laments Carol Swetman, ASID, of Swetman Design in Atlanta. “It’s not easy these days when some of the rooms are so large and the ceilings so high.” Read more »

The National Business Association (NBA) today announced that “Furniture Medic” would be featured on its website (www.nationalbusiness.org) as its “Member of the Week”. A featured “Member of the Week” reaps the benefit of being listed on its home page, electronic newsletter and member mall (www.nationalbusiness.org/mall). The NBA Member Mall gives members the opportunity to promote commerce between themselves and consumers of the Internet community.

Furniture Medic, the world’s largest furniture repair and restoration company, has established a reputation for excellence unmatched in the industry. Its success is firmly rooted in its dedication to providing customers with unparalleled craftsmanship and quality service. Utilizing exclusive, technologically advanced equipment, products and processes, the expert technicians of Furniture Medic can revitalize valuable furniture and wood pieces, restoring and enhancing their natural beauty and strength. These skilled craftsmen meticulously remove the telltale signs of age and use, virtually erasing scuffs, gouges, water rings, and dents. Even broken, water damaged and burned pieces can often be repaired to like-new condition. Read more »