Category Archives: Hot Products

The Furniture Connector – Charlotte, NC (UHM Feb/March 2013)

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It’s all about expansion for North Carolina native Rodney Hines. In addition to their original store, The Furniture Connector, Rodney and his business partner have added two more stores in Charlotte.

High Cotton Home Co. and Southend Trading Company showcase different design styles and merchandise, providing a complete selection of home goods and interior design services covering all customer tastes.

Looking for the opinion of an interior designer on how to complete the look of your bedroom? Need one special piece of furniture as a focal point in the room? Does the family room need a complete overhaul? Visit one of the three stores to complete the specific look that suits your home and consult an onsite designer for advice. Check out the unique offerings at all three stores:

The Furniture Connector – Still incredibly popular, The Furniture Connector is the first store Rodney and his business partner opened and carries an array of eclectic pieces in a fun and flirty environment. You can discover how to mix styles – a rustic chair combined with a crystal chandelier, for example – and the power of decorating with “opposite” materials to complete a room’s design. 2905 Griffith Street, Charlotte.

High Cotton Home Co. – This store showcases tailored, high style furniture collections with a refined, modern look. The 8,000-squarefoot warehouse is classically decorated thanks to overhead crystal chandeliers hanging from metal piping and rafters. Modern furniture completes the high-end aesthetic. TFC’s excellence in customer service spills over into this store – designers are on site to help you choose the right furnishings for the look you want and will even come to your house to offer advice. Customers say they love the quality furnishings and the hospitality. 2137 South Boulevard, Charlotte.

Southend Trading Company – The fun continues at the newest addition to this family of stores with Southend Trading Company. “This store is a diamond in the rough,” says Hines. “You can find one-of-a-kind pieces, repurposed furniture, antiques with new upholsteryand gifts for others.” Hines says it resembles a Paris flea market with yesterday’s antiques mingle with handmade items, dressed up for modern use. Wondering how to incorporate Pantone’s 2013 Color of the Year, emerald, into your décor? An in-store interior designer can lead you to the answer. 2935 Griffith Street, Charlotte.

Visit all three stores often to see the wide range of merchandise, which is sold off the floor as one-of-a-kind finds. The room vignettes change weekly as pieces are sold and new shipments arrive at the warehouse door. If you’re in the market for new furnishings and accessories, sign up for the stores’ catchy e-newsletter, which lists upcoming sales and provides sneak peek photos of new arrivals each week.

Text “ilovefurniture” to 22828 to join the email list for all three stores and receive early sales and event information, along with photo previews. Visit all three stores in the Southend Furniture District to find the furniture, artwork, rugs and accessories that are right for you. Call 704-523-3163 to reach the stores.

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Santa Baby…Santa Poo!

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Ho Ho Ho—yup, even Santa’s got to go!  A new Poo-Pourri Santa 2oz
bottle and gift sets are now available for all your holiday giving.

We love this stuff at Urban Home Magazine. It works and it looks
cute in your guest bathroom (and we like that our guests get a
little chuckle when they’re nosing around the corporate office
bathroom). Natural essential oils creates a flim on the surface
of the water, trapping odor at its source.  A citrus and holly
fresh blend of lemongrass, grapefruit, evergreen and other natural
essential oils that leave the bathroom smelling clean.  Get some
for the holidays—makes a great gift.

For Urban Home Magazine fans only – we’re offering a 20% discount.
Simply use URBAN20 - valid through the entire month of November.
Readers can either purchase online at www.POOPOURRI.com or by
phone at (972)818.8200 with this code.
Twitt

Why Hire An Interior Designer- Charlotte, NC (Oct/Nov 2012)

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Written by Anne Marie Ashley
Traci Zeller Design /Dustin Peck Photography

Your home is distinctive; it’s a reflection of your personality and your lifestyle and hiring a professional to help you design the perfect space allows you to focus on enjoying it. Hiring an interior designer can take expression of your style to a whole new level while taking the pressure off to get the job done in your free time. We spoke with the experts at the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) for the Carolinas to get some tips on hiring the perfect designer for you.

How do homeowners hire the right designer? Designing the interiors of your home is as
personal as selecting your wardrobe, so choosing a professional that understands your style is key to loving the finished product. Have an idea of what you’d like your space to look like and use inspiration from magazines and design websites to get your message across to the designer.

ASID offers some key considerations when hiring a designer:
• Is the professional accredited as an interior designer? (If required in your state, be sure
the designer is licensed)
• Does the designer have experience in the type of project you are doing?
• Has he/she demonstrated creativity, talent and resourcefulness in their portfolio?
• Is the designer attentive, responsive and do they communicate well with you?
• Be sure the designer has a record of reliability and good work habits.
What can a professional interior designer bring to the table?

As ASID points out, when you hire an interior designer, you get the benefit of an experienced professional who can solve problems, help you avoid costly mistakes and, most importantly, create an attractive, affordable space designed specifically to meet your lifestyle needs. Interior designers offer a trained eye that can help you bring your vision to
life, possibly in ways you never imagined. They also provide specification and purchasing services for materials, furniture, accessories and art, some of which you might not be able to find on your own.

What should homeowners expect to pay for an interior design project? Designers, like other professionals, are different from one another in their combinations of talents, knowledge, experience, and specialties.

What and how they charge will vary accordingly. Here, ASID outlines the common methods or combined methods for residential designers, tailored to fit the client’s needs:
• Fixed fee (or flat fee) — The designer identifies a specific sum to cover costs, exclusive of reimbursement for expenses. One total fee applies to the complete range of services, from conceptual development through layouts, specifications and final installation.

• Hourly fee — Compensation is based on actual time expended by the designer on a project or specific service.
• Cost plus — A designer purchases materials, furnishings and services (e.g., carpentry, drapery workrooms, picture framing, etc.) at cost and sells to the client at the designer’s cost plus a specified percentage agreed to with the client to compensate for the designer’s time and effort.

ASID offers this final word about cost: How you choose to furnish your interior and how you work with your designer will have tremendous impact on the final cost of the project. Items such as antiques or custom-made furniture, and modifications that involve altering or moving load-bearing walls or beams will significantly increase the cost of your project, as will requesting changes mid-project or making excessive demands on the designer’s time. The more research and planning you do before you start, the more you will be able to help keep costs down during the project.

To find an interior designer in Charlotte, please visit www.asidcarolinas.org
or www.interiordesignsociety.org for more information.

Click here to view the article or visit www.urbanhomemagazine.com

Twitt

Why the Room Works- Charlotte, NC (Oct/Nov 2012)

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Written by Anne Marie Ashley

We asked Lana Helda, of Lana Helda Design in Charlotte, to give us the rundown on one of her favorite client spaces. Here, she explains how the project came together and outlines some of the key design elements she used to create it.

Lana Helda: I recognized the challenge in this uptown dining room project after my
first meeting with my newlywed clients. I felt it was necessary to appeal to both his contemporary style and her warmer, slightly more traditional sense. I approached this complex design fusion with a layering effect and provided a space they both felt
was perfectly tailored to their desires.

The textured wall adds warmth and makes a great backdrop. It has multiple levels of warm
tones, along with a touch of shimmer created from the addition of bits of gold and silver paint. I further accentuated the wall, while maintaining its luster, by choosing round gold leaf medallions by Arteriors Home.

This layered more texture while giving the wall the final accent. Well-directed and balanced lighting is critical for creating great ambience. I selected soft lighting accents to enhance warmth and richness and bring a sense of elegance. The Swarovski crystal chandelier is
contemporary but adds the sparkle and drama every dining room needs.

The rug is one of the items I like to select first, as it is becomes the basis from which the colors of the room evolve. This Tibetan wool and silk transitional rug by Stark Carpet mimics the same warm neutral colors in the wall and sets an elegant and modern tone to the room.

The dining chairs are a custom design using a java-finished frame with clean distinct lines and buttercream leather upholstery. The leather reinforces the lush cream tones in the rug while providing a rich durable finish that is sumptuous to the touch. The buffet, by Marge Carson Inc., is my favorite part of the space.

It’s elegant and timeless, yet clean and modern. The table, a very modern design also from Marge Carson Inc., is sleek yet classic enough for almost any style room. Although a dining room is sometimes less used than other rooms, it should still make a statement that sets a tone for the rest of the home. Entertaining itself is a labor of love. A beautiful, inviting dining room draws your guests in, making them feel they are in a special place.

Click here to view the article or visit www.urbanhomemagazine.com

Twitt