Q I found an entertainment center that I think would be a good fit for the television I am going to purchase soon — a 42-inch LCD or plasma set. It is from Broyhill and I found it at a local furniture store. Is there any advice you can give to someone shopping for entertainment furniture and TV stands?

MARK BIELECKI, PITTSBURGH, PA

A It is hard from the web link you sent me to make a specific judgment on the piece you are considering, but in general I can advise you that mainstream, full-line furniture companies generally don’t do a very good job designing furniture that is meant to be used with electronics. This has been my own experience as well as that of friends, family members and members of the public who have hired me to help them with their systems. Read more…

SATURDAY

Manufacturer’s Outlet Sale, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (continues Wednesdays and Saturdays through Dec. 20), Studio Vertu, 1208 Central Parkway, Over-the-Rhine. Printed marble coasters, trivets, murals, etc. 513-241-9038.

Soapmaking, noon-4 p.m., Crone Cottage, 605 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue. Make 10 bars of soap. $25. Registration required. 859-581-0690.

Winterfair, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (continues noon-5 p.m. Sunday), Northern Kentucky Convention Center, 1 W. RiverCenter Blvd., Covington. Juried sale of fine crafts. $7, free for ages 12 and under. 859-261-1500. Read more…

In this new era of accumulating inventory and slower sales, home builders are turning to a tried-and-true strategy:

Incentives.

These might be almost anything short of giving the house away. Some builders offer adjustable loans through their mortgage subsidiaries, with teaser rates as low as 2.99 percent the first year.

If you want to buy but can’t sell your current house, some builders will lock in a 30-year fixed rate on the new house and pay the mortgage on it until you sell the old one — up to six months.

Some offer down-payment savings plans. Some extend delivery dates of the new place until you’ve sold the old one. Others will reimburse you the amount of the commission you paid your listing agent.
Read more…

Thanks to the efforts of a number of area volunteers, Christmas has returned to the J.E. Reeves Victorian Home and Carriage House Museum.

The home, at 325 E. Iron Ave., Dover, will open Monday for the traditional full holiday tours. Self-guided tours will be offered through Sunday. Hours for both are 1 p.m. to 7, and tours will offered through Dec. 22.

According to Dover Historical Society Director Matt Lautzenheiser, a fresh approach was utilized for this year’s holiday decor. Read more…

Sustainability is possible in even the most standard suburban home, say Cherokee Investment Partners and Lutron Electronics. To create a model for environmentally friendly living in traditional American neighborhoods, the investment firm, which revitalizes environmentally impaired properties, and the lighting control manufacturer have joined forces to build the National Homebuilder Mainstream GreenHome in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Billed as the first known green home constructed in a residential subdivision, Mainstream GreenHome is designed to consume 50 percent less fossil fuel and water than conventional homes, and recycle or reuse 90 percent of all organic waste on site. Lutron supplied the dimmers, lighting controls, and automated shades—all designed to reduce energy consumption and decrease solar heat. Read more…

WIGAN bargain-hunters are being urged not to dice with death by buying dodgy furniture flogged off the back of a lorry.

Metro consumer watchdogs and trade minister Ian McCartney today led the calls to stick to reputable dealers after Trading Standards officers said they had taken several calls from residents who may have fallen victim to doorstep conmen selling sub-standard and possibly dangerous furniture.

So far the team has taken calls from concerned residents in Beech Hill and Worsley Mesnes but fear this could spread to other areas. Read more…

Michelle Lipson found her way to furniture-making almost by chance.

The Wyndmoor native had just returned to the area after some post-college wandering. She was working for a contractor and pondering her next move when she happened into the Washington Square shop then run by Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers.

“I didn’t know anything about furniture, but I loved what I saw,” says Lipson, 33, recalling the fine handmade tables, chairs and chests she glimpsed that day.
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Educated in business school and groomed on the trading floor of a bank, Jennifer Litwin never planned to get into the furniture business. But after a few disastrous shopping trips for home furniture, Litwin took a furniture course at Sotheby’s and changed her career. Known as the ‘’shop cop,'’ Litwin, an author and a frequent national television guest, has great advice for shoppers during the holiday season. Litwin reviews furniture on behalf of Consumers Digest and has written a book called The Best Furniture Buying Tips Ever based on her undercover shopping research. Read more…

For a place that’s supposed to be our safe harbor, home can be a dangerous place. Smart furniture choices and precautions can reduce the likelihood of accidents. Here are some tips from the American Home Furnishings Alliance:

• When buying tall pieces, look for furniture that meets the tip-over standards of either ASTM International or Underwriters Laboratories.

• Anchor potentially unstable furniture to the wall. Read more…

Wickes Furniture Co., an Illinois-based chain of furniture retailers, will add two stores to its Willamette Valley lineup.

The company has agreed to lease a to-be-built 42,500-square-foot retail space at the Cornell Sunset Center in Beaverton. It has also secured a similarly sized spot in the Keizer-Salem area in a retail center anchored by Target and other prominent retailers, said, Michael Heerman, a broker with HSM Pacific Realty Inc. who represents Wickes.
Read more…