Bombay Co. News For Gift Card Claimants

Mike has written an important post, Bombay Co. Plans Repayment Of Up To 31.5 Percent To Creditors, that includes information about gift card claimants of bankrupt retailers like Bombay Co. that may apply to other retailers in Chapter 11 that offered gift cards and certificates.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

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[Source: Landfair Furniture (Blog)]

Eleven Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Interior Designer.

Back in January 2006, we wrote a post entitled Eight Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Interior Designer. The eight questions were part of an article in Home magazine and we linked to the magazine.

We like to link to an article and highlight several questions in our post, rather
than list all the questions. That way people go to the linked site and we both benefit from the traffic. One of our frustrations looking back at some of our posts is that not all articles are archived. If you click on the link above, you land on the magazines website, but its the June 2008 issue and the Eight Questionsare gone!

Its been awhile, so, because of inflation, weve come up with our own eleven questions:

1. Do I like the designer? Can I spend a lot of time with him/her? Good communication is a must. Working with an interior designer involves some give and take. You will share ideas, and the designer will contribute insights and advice based on his or her talents, knowledge and experience. Depending on the scope of the project, you could be working with your designer a couple of weeks to many, many months.

2. Do I get that he/she is trying to understand me by asking a lot of questions? The key to success is really getting to know you in the early stages and how you and your family use your home and your interests.

3. Does the scale of my project really warrant an interior designer? Even if you think you could accomplish the redesign, do you have the time and inclination? You need to be realistic about how much money you are willing to spend. Include in this estimate the cost of all raw materials, new furniture, labor for installations, and possibly a designer.

4. How do you charge for your time? Designers may charge by the hour, which can be anywhere from $35 to $300, and these costs can quickly mount up. Others may offer a free first consultation, and then quote you a flat fee on the basis of your discussions. Some may charge for the first meeting in advance and then a fee for the whole project based on the estimated hours. Some may bill you for hours used each month. Some may bill each month a level amount. Some may get a designer discount and pass some or all the savings on to you. Whatever the basis on which your interior decorator is paid, make sure you both agree on the budget.

5. Can we accomplish the redesign and stay within my budget?

6. I cant decide if I like the design. Do I still have to pay for it? Yes! When you decide to hire an interior design firm, you have decided to trust the design recommendations of that firm.

7. Are you available for conversation about changes and fine tuning? A good designer knowing you may present you with several options and give you the choice of one or the other. ASID recommends: Minimize changes to your plan. Each part of the design will affect the whole. Changes or special requests can require any number of adjustments that will add time and expenses to your project.

8. My friend doesnt like your ideas. Why shouldnt I listen to her/him? If you have to ask this question you should probably have hired your friend.

9. Can I go to the local Design Center? With or without you? Of course, just let them know that you are working with a designer and his/her name.

10. What if a piece of furniture comes damaged? The furniture store should inspect the furniture when it arrives. The designer should also inspect the furniture before it goes to the client. If something is missed or it breaks when it is used, the designer and the furniture store will work together with the vendor to resolve any problem.

11. How long does it take to receive things, once they are ordered? Heres a guideline (though individual vendors may vary):
Upholstered Furniture: 10-16 weeks depending on vendor.
Casegoods Chests, bookcases, tables, hutches, etc.: 8-12 weeks depending on vendor.
Window Treatments: 6-8 weeks depending on size of job
Accessories, Lamps, Art Prints, Silk Flowers/Plants: 4-6 weeks or less.
Rugs: If machine made, 2-4 weeks. If hand knotted, 3-4 months
Wallpaper/Fabrics: 3-5 days.

Several websites contributed to this list of questions and their answers:

Apartment Therapy LA Good Questions: Hiring an Interior Designer
ASID Working with a Designer
Nancy Werneken Interior Design Frequently Asked Questions
Lynle Ellis Designs Before You Hire an Interior Designer
NWSID Why Hire an Interior Designer?
CCIDC Frequently Asked Questions About Certified Interior Designers
Directory M articles Interior Decorator

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

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[Source: Landfair Furniture (Blog)]

New Dining Room, Living Room, and Bedroom Furniture Added at GoWFB.com

New dining room, living room, and bedroom furniture by ESF Furniture and Furniture FX have been added at Wholesale Furniture Brokers. Check out the new contemporary and modern furniture styles by clicking on the images below.


Baron Glass Dining Table Set
$1649.00

Benson Dining Table Set
$1299.00

Jai Pedestal Dining Table Set
$2449.00

Benicarlo Platform Bedroom Set
$2769.00

Phoenix Black Convertible Sofa
$319.00

Phoenix Tan Convertible Sofa
$319.00

Savannah Sectional Sofa
$319.00

Orlando Convertible Sofa
$539.00

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[Source: Furniture Store Updates from GoWFB]

Bridget Otto Thursday

What a nice way to begin the day. Open The Oregonian and see a picture of Beverly Landfair gracing the pages of HGNW.

Photos by Marv Bondarowicz THE OREGONIAN
Moving to the Pearl Design Center allowed Bev Landfair to more than double the space for her store, Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery.

It's an article by Bridget A. Otto on the Pearl Design Center.

In early 2007, the question was asked, "Why doesn't Portland have a Design Center like San Francisco and Seattle?"

Debbie Madden, whose husband, Mark, is a principal in the development company Stark Group LLC, had spent an entire day crisscrossing the greater metropolitan area to look at fabrics and furnishings. After cruising nearly every county -- and enduring a car accident to boot -- she lamented Portland's lack of a design district where a person could see all these things at once -- hopefully without incident.

So, in classic Portland fashion, Stark Group bought a city block under the trusses of the Fremont Bridge and transformed buildings that once housed Quimby Welding into the Pearl Design Center.

Photos by Marv Bondarowicz THE OREGONIAN
Studios and storefronts now occupy the Pearl Design Center. The space used to be Quimby Welding.

Set between Northwest 14th and 15th avenues and Northwest Raleigh and Savier streets, the approximately 34,000-square-foot showroom and studio space opened last spring and is about 60 percent full, says Tami Wood of Stark Group.

Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery, a showroom of furniture, fabrics and accessories, is its largest tenant. A handful of other businesses -- Architectural Elegance, Quince Flowers & Events, Studio Olivine, Northwest Framing Commercial, Progress Construction, Intrinsic Design and WDC Properties (which manages Stark Group) -- are scattered about the complex.

Bev is excited about the opportunities to be part of a Portland Design Center and is enthusiastic about the coming housing planned for the Pearl.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

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[Source: Landfair Furniture (Blog)]

Wholesale Furniture Brokers Offers New Lines of Contemporary and Modern Furniture by Furniture FX

Wholesale Furniture Brokers just released a new press release introducing the contemporary and modern styles of Furniture FX. "Their sustainable practices, high quality construction, and the straight, geometric designs will give our shoppers another great reason to buy contemporary and modern furniture on our websites," said Wholesale Furniture Brokers Marketing Manager, Matt Holmes.


Seville Platform Bedroom Set

The new Furniture FX collections of contemporary and modern living room, dining room, media, occasional, and bedroom furniture are currently being added to Wholesale Furniture Brokers. The new Furniture FX products are available to order in the US and Canada. If you are shopping in the US, you can view the new Furniture FX page to browse all of the available collections from one page.

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[Source: Furniture Store Updates from GoWFB]

Copy Successful Designers

Nika Stewart has an email that echoes some of the thoughts of KP in The Luxury Consumer Part 2: Interview With Kathie Pozarich

Stewart, Designer' Success Coach, tells us "if you want to run a successful design business, copy what successful designers are doing, and you'll achieve the same success." So, what are successful designers doing? How do they work, think, act? Here are Stewart's three traits that are common to successful designers:

Successful designers have systems
What do you do when a call comes in? When you measure a room? When you hire a contractor? Do you have specific steps to follow for every part of your business? Or do you wing it? I used to! But I learned that "winging it" leads to chaos and confusion, and you certainly can't grow from there. Successful designers handle each part of their business the same way every time. They follow a system for everything. Systems lead to consistency, organization, and effectiveness.

Successful designers study marketing
Unfortunately, being a terrific designer doesn't necessarily make you successful. In order to succeed in business, we need to be super marketers. Successful designers are either great at marketing, or they hire people who are. The most lucrative design firms actually spend more time and energy on marketing than they do on studying design.

Successful designers are detail- oriented
This may seem obvious, but are you doing it? Successful designers take care with every detail of the business - from all aspects of office work to each element of design projects. This doesn't mean they do it all themselves (in fact, profitable design companies delegate a lot of the details.), but they always make sure that every part of their business - down to the smallest details - supports their exceptional image.

Lots of great advice!

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

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[Source: Landfair Furniture (Blog)]

Modern Corner Office Desk

CREATIVE CORNERS WITH STYLE IN MIND. Just because it is a home office, that does not mean it does not deserve to be stylish. The Modern Corner Office Desk, designed by Rstyle, features four different finishes. The durable construction allows for frequent use, as well as long lasting appeal. There is vertical cord management in [...]

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[Source: PadStyle | Modern Furniture Blog]