The material that fascinated the Victorians has become the eco-chic darling of home design.

Bamboo, a staple of British Colonial style, is making a resurgence in fashionable new forms. It’s turning up in contemporary flooring, furniture, accessories and even bedding, and it’s grabbing the attention of interior designers and consumers who are drawn to bamboo’s beauty, function and environmental friendliness. Read more…

Good design can soothe you, energize you or just make you want to linger.

Flowers can do the same.

So it’s appropriate that the two are being combined for Orchid Mania, the annual orchid show that opens today at Cleveland Botanical Garden. This year’s theme, “At Home with Orchids,'’ is being carried out by interior designers and floral designers who have created room vignettes incorporating the exotic-looking blooms.

The idea is to introduce visitors to the huge variety of orchids and help them see how effectively the flowers can enhance a living space, said Cynthia Druckenbrod, the garden’s orchid authority and manager of its Eleanor Armstrong Smith Glasshouse. She’s hoping the show will take the anxiety out of orchids, which have a reputation for being finicky but which she insisted can be easy even for beginners to grow.
Read more…

The Rogers Sales Co. can now offer Curved Plywood, Curved Plywood Components and Furniture Parts with many options with regard to face Veneers and inner plies. Rogers Sales Co. offers these components on a custom basis across a wide variety of industries.

The Rogers Sales Co., the leading wood products supplier located in New York, has added Curved Plywood, Curved Plywood Components and Furniture Parts to its line of premium grade wood products. Read more…

HIGH POINT — The High Point pre-market kicked off Monday, and one industry analyst says some of its importance has died down.

“Many of the retailers have either been here back in January or they went to Vegas to see some new product, so for them to come back right away – or almost right away – and have market just a month away too, I think a lot of them look at it as there’s really not as much need as there was before,” said Ken Smith, a furniture industry analyst. Read more…

CAMERON - In 1995 not long after Don and Rhonda LeFebvre married, they sat down and made a vow to each other: together they would build their dream home, a place to suit them the rest of their lives.

Today, the 2,800-square-foot oak log house the couple designed and built with their own hands is a testament to their commitment to each other and their love for the land it rests on.
Read more…

The notion of universal design in the home — or how to make interior spaces more user-friendly and accessible — usually comes up in kitchen and bath designs.

But what about accommodations for ease of use in home offices?

It is routine for large businesses to consider ergonomics, lighting and other factors when creating offices to make work spaces more functional.
Read more…

Design seems to be Toronto’s buzz word this weekend. Besides Come Up To My Room at the Gladstone, there’s that event that all Toronto designers with an asymmetrical haircut and a closet full of black clothing wait for like Christmas day: The Interior Design Show. IDS07 began Thursday night with a bang. Their kick-off party, the White Gala, was a fete complete with acrobats and fire breathers that roamed the many design kiosks which housed the hottest new interior designs. Read more…

university third-year interior design students worked in pairs last semester to create culturally sensitive living arrangements for the Ojibwe and Hmong cultures, prevalent and growing cultural groups in the Twin Cities area.

The groups presented designs of an entire living community on display at the Hennepin History Museum through June 3.

Professor Tasoulla Hadjiyanni said this is the third year she brought her research findings about cultural needs in housing into her design classes. Read more…

RETAIL

Another N.C. online furniture seller has been sanctioned by state regulators and a state court. National Furniture of High Point can no longer require upfront payments for orders unless it puts money in an escrow account, places orders within five days and gives a “realistic” delivery time, the N.C. Attorney General’s office said Wednesday after getting a court order against the company. National Furniture also must refund consumers who have not received their orders.Owner Myron Savage, who also was named in the court order, did not return calls from the Observer. Read more…

Vaughan Furniture Co., Galax, Va., and John Scarsella, the former CEO of Durham Furniture, have joined forces to launch a new up-scale, domestic case goods manufacturer called Virginia Sterling.

The new company will debut at spring High Point market in a 5,000-square-foot showroom located at 228 Market Square with four solid wood bedroom collections. Virginia Sterling will target the middle to upper middle segment of the market with retail prices for bedrooms ranging from $2,999 to $3,999; and focus on providing a limited network of retailers with exclusive products and services. Product is scheduled to ship in June. Read more…