This is an exciting time for us.  The biggest event in the home furnishings world is hosted in April and October in High Point, North Carolina.  We always go, and it refreshes and inspires our store to new heights every time.  Every time.

Here’s a teaser video Norwalk Furniture has posted to whet our appetites on what’s coming.  I’m sure we’ll see our share of solids & other conventional designs, but this video is all about patterns and fun.  These are the type of fabric designs that will make your room sing!

Spice up a bland room with colorful accessories.

Accessories are overlooked and underused to finish the look of a room.  Keeping the main pieces of the room neutral and using accessories to liven it up is a great inexpensive way to change up the look of a room.

What I love about this room is the sofa and chair are neutral and color was added by using pillows and accessories.  Important tip: after you pick a color you would like to use, vary the shades slightly and mix texture to add dimension to your room.  The beauty of this is that you can simply change the look of the room by making a few simple changes with the accessories.

Rosie

I had the coolest thing happen the other day at by Design.  One of my designers came to get me.  She said that a client wanted to pay for something that he had broken.   This is always an awkward situation.  We understand that accidents do happen.  But, there is no great outcome to this situation where everyone wins.  Either both of us lose some, or one of us loses a lot.  That’s ugly.

But that’s not what happened.  I was ready to tell the customer to forget it — but he would not hear of it.  He told me, ” I try to teach my kids personal responsibility, so I have live up to it.” So we came to an agreement.  He was happy with it and I was, too.  Such an honorable man.  It made my heart smile.

What is more, I think our interaction changed everything.  Rather than Lose/Lose, resolving the situation with honesty and integrity made it a big Win/Win.  When we do the math, we have to add the value of integrity, honor and personal relationship in.

There is always hope for us, isn’t there?  He had to get back to his farm.  He was working on equipment.  “By the way” he said, “by Design is my favorite store.”  He has to be one of my favorite customers, too!

Here is a more in-depth video about the most recent interior design color trends that Norwalk Furniture has identified.  These trend projections are the summary of years of observations, thousands of miles of travel and hours of reading and thinking.  The trend experts distill all of the information they read and observe about fabric trends, analysis from fabric vendors, color experts, designers, retailers and even orders from by Design customers in Des Moines. Then they edit it all down into a few coherent collections and weave a story around them.  The story gives the elements and collection their meaning.

Watch our friend, Reyna Moore, discuss the current trending collections below:

If you would like to see some of these great fabrics draped on furniture pieces, go to Norwalk’s digital catalog and try your hand at creating custom furniture!

Make Your Bed

We’ve just added a new group of custom upholstered beds to our floor. We’ve put them in our “neutrals” room and we’ve brought in three different profiles in fabrics and leathers to try to give a sense of the huge selection available.

And huge it is. You’ll be able to choose from different heights, different shapes, pleated or plain, deeply tufted or intricately patterned. Nail-head trim is available in a selection of finishes.

Add in thousands of leathers and fabrics and the choice is immense. Of course, you don’t need choice… you need the perfect bed for your room. And that is what a huge choice makes possible.

Between you and your designer, you’ll winnow the wheat from the chaff. The huge selection will rapidly narrow down, and you’ll focus in on just one with the design, the execution, the colors and the textures that will become the focal point and foundation of your perfect bedroom.

Norwalk Introduces 20 New Finish and Paint Colors

The wood finish of many upholstered pieces is a vitally important element of the design.  That’s why all of us at by Design are excited about Norwalk Furniture’s introduction of 20 new finishes and paints to be used on their custom upholstered sectionals, sofas, chairs and ottomans.

The richness and beauty of hard maple furniture is enhanced with Norwalk Furniture’s introduction of 20 new wood finishes. No longer just a supporting element, decorative chair frames, legs and bases become as special as the upholstery itself.

Norwalk worked with Sherwin-Williams Global Color & Design Center to create this collection of stains, paints and finishing techniques. These finishes are sure to be popular and reflect the most current trends in interior design. They are a natural extension of by Design’s and Norwalk’s customization story.

Stained wood finishes:

Painted wood finishes:

Chicory finish:

My husband, Kevin, went out shortly before Christmas to buy my gift (a really good idea).  He had an idea what he was looking for.  But when it came down to decision time, it was far harder than he imagined.  We’ve all been there: This looks comfy, but I don’t like the color.  Will she love or hate that pattern?  Why am I stressed out over a gift?

Then sales lady asked a few questions about me.  Then she smiled and said, “This one is beautiful.  And, it has this feature that makes it so comfortable.  She’ll love it.”

Wow.  The relief.  Buying presents was fun again.

We so want to help make creating your room fun again.  Sure, a room is more complicated than other decisions.  That’s why we sketch, do floor plans, try hundreds of fabrics and look through catalogs.  We’ll try to understand those crucial questions.  But we’ll also try our hardest to remove the stress and worry… and add back the laughter and fun.

Bonita