We Gotcha Covered

Gray or not, neutral upholstery continues to hold sway in Contemporary Design Group member showrooms across the country. “Neutral fabric—grey, black, brown, khaki, beige, ivory and even some navy and greens—make the clean lines of a contemporary sofa or sectional frame stand out; you can really see the design. It’s just an easier read,” says one designer. “Then, we like to pop it with color.”

In fact, design experts suggest starting with a neutral base in an investment piece like a sofa or sectional and then layering in color with pillows, accessories, artwork and accent chairs, can be a smart and cost-effective way to remain on fashion’s leading edge. Then, as trends  come and go, whether the “it” shade is purple (Pantone’s anointed color this year is Radiant Orchid), fuchsia, egg- plant, blue, turquoise, aqua, teal, green, red, yellow, or- ange or pink, or you are simply in the mood for a change, updating your look is quick and easy.

An even smarter move for many shoppers now is opting for something in the relatively new class of high-performance fabrics. With brand names like Sunbrella, Crypton, Brisa and Ultrasuede, and durable, high-tech constructions like microfiber, easy-care performance fabrics guard against stains and wear, look great and feel just as good. Accidents happen, and performance fabrics are a boon for open- plan spaces where food and drinks are consumed, and for those sharing spaces with children and pets.

Here’s Your Cue

Shoppers seeking inspiration and information about what may be trending in contemporary design have more sources than ever for great ideas and style cues.

Websites like Pinterest and Houzz, the Twitter feeds of celebrity and professional designers, as well as other home furnishings experts, home-related cable channels like HGTV, shelter magazines and publications, and of course, the imaginatively merchandised, trend-setting and ever-changing showrooms of Contemporary Design Group member stores. 

In addition to the fashions in your closet, look around at the places you love most. The combination of colors in nature are fantastic and places you gravitate to may hold clues to your favorite palettes.  Personal taste dictates what’s going to work well and what you will value in the long term. As one standout design talent notes, “You are the one who will live with it, so go with your gut instinct!” 

Contemporary Design Group has annouced the  winner of the first annual Edward Haimsohn Design Award.  The winning design was the Corridor Media cabinet, designed by Matthew Weatherly for BDI.  The award was accepted by Bill Becker, CEO and Design Director of BDI at the Contemporary Design Group annual conference in Coral Gable, FL.

The Corridor Media cabinet features hardwood louvered front doors that allow remote control signals to pass through them while closed. The design also provides flowthrough ventilation for components such as DVD players and stereo receivers.Other features include a drawer and concealed shelf that provide space for a sound bar and media storage, and hidden wheels that make it easier to move the console. In addition to the hardwood doors, key materials include a micro-etched, shatterproof glass top, black steel legs and rubberpadded steel shelf pins that minimize vibrations.

There were over 30 entries for consideration in this year’s competition and 11 final nominees. A panel of judges, consisting of CDG retailer members, evaluated nominees on originality, creativity, consumer appeal, use of materials, functionality, and manufacturing execution.  A complete list and description of nominees is available at www.contemporarydesign.com/award

The award is named after CDG's co-founder, Edward Haimsohn, who was well known for his strong eye for design and attention to quality.  As co-founder of the Contemporary Design Group, Edward had the foresight to help create an organization of like-minded retailers who appreciated design and who saw home furnishings as much more than just a product to sell.   The members of Contemporary Design Group continue on in the spirit of constructive collaboration, teamwork, and partnership between retailers and manufacturers in the contemporary home furnishings category.  Today, Edward Haimsohn is retired and is living in San Diego, CA.  

 CDG is currently accepting designs for consideration in 2015.  To learn more about entry criteria, or to submit a design, visit www.contemporarydesign.com/award

Contents Interiors in Tucson, AZ. --A focus on full design service, strong partnerships—social and business wise in the community and a search for products nobody else carries has.

Owners Carol Bell, president, and Tamara Scott-Anderson, vice president, built on a strong foundation after acquiring the store 13 years ago, and developed it from a furniture store into a soup-to-nuts design center for contemporary and traditional southwest home owners.

The new owners formed a business plan, found financing and started building their staff in a very short amount of time. The new showroom opened with new owners in March 2002.  “We were fortunate to buy an established business with a good reputation,” Bell said.  In addition to a good name locally, Bell and Scott-Anderson benefited from years of networking in the Contemporary Design Group, of which Contents Interiors was an early member.  The partners have divvied up responsibilities: Bell is chief buyer and runs the business side of the operation; Scott-Anderson is lead designer and manages the showroom floor and a staff of five design professionals.

While Bell and Scott-Anderson bought an established business, they had their own ideas of where they wanted to take it. They expanded on selling quality home furnishing to include more interior design services. Contents Interiors is one of the few local retail interior design/furniture showrooms in Tucson to hold an Arizona Contractors license; and is licensed and bonded to do non-structural interior design work both residentially and commercially.  “When Carol and I took over we decided we wanted to offer more services and products—window coverings, wall-to-wall carpeting or tile," Scott-Anderson said.  “We got our contractors license. … That’s one of the things that makes us different from a lot of other stores. … I can help pick out lighting, plumbing and other fixtures, and work with another licensed contractor (for installation).  ”The partners also set aside part of the showroom to showcase resources and work on projects in a 400-square-foot design resource center.

When it comes to the floor, Contents creates a lot to look at.  “People tell us we don’t look like a lot of furniture stores,” Bell said. “We’ll change things out: One year we focused on ‘contemporary Southwest.’  “We have what we call our ‘Tucson traditional,’ It’s a hacienda feel with a touch of Tuscan. The front of the store is where we keep the contemporary and softer traditional looks. We do a lot of what we call ‘organic contemporary’ with reclaimed woods.”

Contents web site is very useful in giving shoppers a sense of what they need to look for in the showroom through an online “style test.” The detailed quiz helps customers drill down to which lifestyle sections in the store are most simpatico with their sensibilities. From general styles of casual, contemporary, traditional, eclectic and southwestern, the shopper’s responses steer her toward the store’s “contemporary,” “comfortable desert living” or “Tucson traditional” settings.  “People can go to the site and pick their look,” Bell said. “They can take the test and feel confident saying ‘I’m Tucson traditional.’”

The key is creating an impressive visual display of products customers might not see anywhere else in the market while avoiding clutter.  “It’s packed full of accessories and artwork,” Scott-Anderson said. “We have at least three items on each table; and we showcase local artists on a regular basis. We have an art show of Arizona artists, and the ones who sell, we’ll show year round.”  “It’s our way of staying in touch with the local arts scene, and it’s good business,” Bell added. “The showroom always looks fresh. If something doesn’t move, the artist always is ready to trade out for a different work. We also have a strong stock in production art work as well.”

What else makes Contents Interiors different from other home furnishings retailers in the Tucson market?  Contents Interiors’ “Master Plan,” sort of a house call on steroids, is big differentiator for the store.  “It’s not just a house call, we do an extensive interview to pin down likes and dislikes, the customer’s goals for the home,” Scott-Anderson said. “We have a graphic artist who produces floor plans to scale with rugs and furniture included, and we deliver that in a formal presentation.“We’re about being professional designers and giving people a program they’ll be happy with, that fits their home, and avoids buying mistakes.”

For the most part, Bell and Scott-Anderson, find advantages in running a women-owned business. Still, furniture remains a boys’ club in some ways. Scott-Anderson believes that two women bosses create a different—in many ways better—culture in the store. “I believe we’ve built a company that’s like a family,” she said. “Of our 10 employees, half have been with us for eight years or longer.  “I believe it’s helped create a nurturing environment for our employees.”

IIf you're in the Tucson, AZ area--make sure to stop in and check out Contents Interiors at 3401 E. Ft. Lowell in the Ft. Lowell Furniture District. www.contentsinteriors.com

Read the full article at: http://furniturecore.com/hfbusiness/CurrentIssue/CurrentIssueModule/ArticleId/11371/evolution-theory.aspx#sthash.bHfcXCaL.dpuf

By Jennifer Ott, Jennifer Ott Interior Design for Houzz.com

Rather than tie itself to one top color of the year for 2014 as Pantone, Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams and Pittsburgh Paints have done, Behr has offered up a whole slew of them. There are 20 colors featured in four collections: Seaside Harmony, a crisp and modern palette of cool blues and greens combined with soft warm neutrals; Urban Alternative, a palette of deep, dramatic and sophisticated hues; Grand Reign, a classic palette that has old-world charm; and Natural Avocation, a fun mix of superbold hues. I’ve assembled a few of my favorites below, along with images and tips for how to work them into your own home. 

Ocean Liner is from Behr’s Seaside Harmony collection. It’s a fetching turquoise that has a hint of gray, which gives it a subdued quality. 

In this image from Behr, you can see that although Ocean Liner is quite vibrant, it has a slightly muted quality that allows it to be featured on all four walls in a room without overwhelming the space with color.

I would pair this watery blue with other hues from nature — a soft sunshine yellow and a fresh, herbaceous green. Any of these hues would be terrific on the walls or ceiling, with the other two colors used as accents.

New Shoot is from the Natural Avocation collection and is an intense grass-green hue. There’s nothing muted about this high-impact shade, so you might want to use it sparingly as an accent only.  New Shoot might be too intense to use on all four walls, but it’s a fun accent color, as shown here on the coffee table.

New Shoot requires some neutral hues to tone it down, unless you are going for a supercolorful space. But neutral doesn’t have to mean white, beige or gray. A deep, dark, toned-down blue or a supersoft sage are good choices. The grounding neutrals provide a nice backdrop to the more assertive bold green.

If Ocean Liner and New Shoot are too bold for you, check out some of the interesting neutral hues from Behr’s Urban Alternative line. Increasingly I’m hearing from homeowners who want to move away from expected shades of white, cream and beige and toward more complex neutrals that have a mix of brown and gray. Film Fest and Offbeat are two such neutral hues that straddle the line between warm and cool neutrals.

These warm-cool hybrids really vary throughout the day. In the cooler morning light they will appear more gray, but will take on a richer, warmer tone in the warmer afternoon light. The best thing about using a neutral background hue in a room is that you can add accents of any other color you like. Or use a variety of neutral hues, as shown here, for a layered look that’s visually interesting without hitting you over the head with color.

Neutral does not have to mean boring. Mix up your muted hues by playing with contrast. Consider a light warm or cool neutral as a base, such as Offbeat or Twilight Gray, and then add a darker neutral, such as Film Fest. This will give you swaths of varying soft colors, which will offer a bit more punch than sticking with one neutral throughout the entire space.

This beautiful saturated hue is my favorite of the Grand Reign colors. Imperial Jewel is a deep garnet that will add a nice dash of drama.

Imperial Jewel works well with a variety of design styles, from the traditional office space shown here to transitional or contemporary interiors. For a more traditional look, pair it with warm neutrals and dark wood tones. For a more modern look pair, it with gray, white and/or black.

Here are Film Fest and Offbeat again, but this time the two neutral hues are paired with the deep, dramatic Imperial Jewel. If you want to keep your space light and open, use Offbeat as the primary color, with accents of the other two hues. For more drama use one of the darker colors for your walls or ceiling, but consider balancing the dark colors with plenty of light — natural and artificial, unless you are going for a supercozy and intimate space.

When it comes to fireboxes, homeowners seem to be gravitating to fire ribbons — gas flames that are wide but shallow, appearing literally as ribbons of fire. The look is contemporary but minimalist, with no faux logs. Instead flames rise from rock, sand or glass. The idea isn’t to provide the illusion of a wood-burning fireplace, just to add the warmth and beauty of a flickering flame.

It's official!  2014 will be all about "Radiant Orchid" #18-3224, according to the color authorities at PANTONE®    

They've been predicting the hottest color trends for over a decade and are considered the leaders in professional color standards for the design industry.  Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. describes this year's shade as "An invitation to innovation, Radiant Orchid encourages expanded creativity and originality, which is increasingly valued in today's society.  An enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love and health. It is a captivating purple, one that draws you in with its beguiling charm.”

We expect to see Radiant Orchid appear on the interior design stage in accessories, accents, and wall color--livening up neutrals with a warm rosy glow.  PANTONE®  notes that the hue is universally flattering to skin tones, reflecting a healthy glow on both men and women.  And seriously, who doesn't want a room that makes you look good just by living in it, right?

The Thayer Coggin and Milo Baughman 60th Anniversary "whistle stop" tour continues!  Next week they're hitting the west coast at yet another Contemporary Design Group Store, Lawrance Furniture in San Diego, CA.

Mid-century modern fans, listen up!  Twenty-one exclusive designs will be featured in the Roadshow Event, including the Scoop Chair and Circle sofa, made famous by the duo.

In many ways, a California stop is a bit of a homecoming for these iconic designs.  Milo Baughman was raised in Long Beach, CA and studied at the Art Institute of Los Angeles and the Chouinard Art Institute (later to become the California Institute of the Arts, located north of Los Angeles).  It was here that Baughman began to develop and evolve the trademark style that he and Thayer Coggin would later make famous.

Southern Californians will have two opportunities to attend a cocktail reception featuring a lecture on Thayer Coggin and Milo Baughman, given by Phil Miller, Director of Sales and Marketing for Thayer Coggin.  Select pieces will also be available at Lawrance Furniture locations through December.  To learn more, visit Lawrance Furniture at www.lawrance.com