Archive | November, 2008
kitchen with checkerboard floor, teal cabinets, and dark wood island

Checkerboard Floor Kitchen

We’d like votes on this floor: does it make the kitchen or is it a distraction? Mixing colors on the cabinet and island is a popular way to bring variety into a kitchen. Dark brown wood on an island with white stone on top, and  teal perimeter cabinets covered by black counters — inset with [...]

Read full story Comments { 0 }
historic home olana faux bois twig bench

Olana

Take a tour of this Eastern-style Hudson River stone home Olana is the Eastern-style mansion constructed by artist Frederic Edwin Church from 1872 to 1891 on a hilltop overlooking the Hudson River, near Hudson New York. Church was a leading painter of the Hudson River School, the first art movement devoted American landscape paintings. Church [...]

Read full story Comments { 1 }
antique Senneh rug showing severe signs of wear

Cut-Down Heirloom Rug

Every so often someone brings me a rug that is so worn its usability is in doubt. Each time, I’m asked the same question: “Can you do anything for it?”  If you or someone you know has a rug in, or near, this condition there are options available that may surprise you. Many people like [...]

Read full story Comments { 0 }
Cobalt & turquoise floral Nichols

Chinese Art Deco Rugs

Carpets provide the perfect canvas to display Art Deco Fuchsia. Teal. Raspberry. Copper. Geometry. Symmetry. Chevrons. What could those colors and motifs possibly have to do with rug making? They are a sampling of the artfully combined components that resulted in the unique creations known as Art Deco rugs.  The term Art Deco refers to [...]

Read full story Comments { 0 }
Front of rug showing wool tufts worn away

Sniff Test for Rugs

One type of rug on the market is wreaking havoc in households across the country. It has caused unsuspecting owners to summon electricians, plumbers, furnace repairmen and firefighters, blame the paint, the walls, floors and even poor Fido for the mysterious “burning rubber” odor invading their homes.  The culprit? Latex glue, the bonding agent used [...]

Read full story Comments { 0 }