interior design
Pinteresting Ideas For Your Houzz (Part 2)
Houzz has become one of the top 2 social media websites for home design ideas. The other top website is Pinterest.
Websites for Interior Design Ideas
Yesterday, I acquainted you with the new trend of using social media websites for your interior design ideas. Click here to read my post about Pinterest. If you are new to the blog, here is a brief introduction on websites for interior design ideas.
2012 has been the year for finding home design ideas on the Internet. With social media sites like Pinterest and Houzz, it has become extremely easy to find interior design ideas, even if you’re not ready to refurnish your home. These websites have developed a way to virtually keep all of your home design ideas in one place, in an organized manner. The days of subscribing to home decor magazines, clipping out the pages, and scrapbooking what you like is over. These social media inspiration websites have paved the way for consumers and businesses to connect in an informal way. This opportunity allows businesses to share their work and knowledge to the consumers who are actively seeking their guidance. Not only can the consumers interact with home improvement professionals, but they can also share their home design ideas with their friends on the social media site. Pinterest and Houzz make it easy for home remodelers to share their ideas with their circle of friends, and get their feedback.
Yesterday, I discussed the virtual pinboard website, Pinterest. Today, I would like to introduce you to Houzz.
Houzz
What is Houzz? Their website states, “Houzz is the leading online platform for home remodeling and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish- online or from a mobile device.” Houzz is similar to Pinterest in the way that you can save images you like to “Ideabooks.” Houzz makes it easy to search for specific interior design ideas and network with other design enthusiasts. Houzz is unique because it also allows you to geographically search for interior designers, architectures, and home furnishing businesses. These local professionals are sharing their “Projects” and “Ideabooks” to inspire you.
Houzz makes it easy to narrow your home design searches, by eliminating the need for a search engine like Google or Bing. The search function on Houzz brings you right to products that match your search. You will be connected right away with an image to match your design idea.
Vermont Woods Studios currently has a handful of Ideabooks on Houzz. We have organized the Ideabooks by room and style, so that you can easily save one of our images to your Ideabooks, too. Additionally, each of our images have image tags with a brief description of the piece of furniture you’re looking at, and a link of where to find it. This function helps separate and name every piece of furniture listed in the photo, and a direct way to find that piece of furniture in our online gallery.
Are you using inspiration boards yet? Let us know what your favorite websites are for saving all of your home design ideas!
Follow us on Pinterest and on Houzz. Every Saturday we share our most popular pin of the week on our Facebook page.
Pinteresting Ideas For Your Houzz (Part 1)
Pinterest has become one of the top 2 social media websites for home design ideas. The other top website is Houzz.
Websites For Home Design Ideas
2012 has been the year for finding home design ideas on the Internet. With social media sites like Pinterest and Houzz, it has become extremely easy to find interior design ideas, even if you’re not ready to refurnish your home. These websites have developed a way to virtually keep all of your home design ideas in one place, in an organized manner. The days of subscribing to home decor magazines, clipping out the pages, and scrapbooking what you like is over. These social media inspiration websites have paved the way for consumers and businesses to connect in an informal way. This opportunity allows businesses to share their work and knowledge to the consumers who are actively seeking their guidance. Not only can the consumers interact with home improvement professionals, but they can also share their home design ideas with their friends on the social media site. Pinterest and Houzz make it easy for home remodelers to share their ideas with their circle of friends, and get their feedback.
Today, I will discuss how Pinterest has changed the way we organize our remodeling ideas, and tomorrow I will introduce you to Houzz.
Pinterest allows you to create several boards to store your home design ideas.
If you haven’t heard of Pinterest, it is a virtual “Pinboard.” Imagine cutting out your favorite furniture pieces from a magazine, and tacking it to a cork board. Pinterest is essentially the electronic version of that. There are three ways to pin: You can find images on the Pinterest website, and “repin” them to one of your Pinterest boards. You can also save images you like from other websites by using the “Pin It” button commonly found on websites (you will see Pin It buttons on our products in 2013). Another way to pin images you like is to install the Pin It button to your favorite browser. Then, when you find an image you like, all you have to do is hit “Pin It” from your browser, and it will prompt you to save the image to Pinterest.
The Pin It button appears on many business websites, allowing you to easily save images to your inspiration boards. Vermont Woods Studios will be getting Pin It buttons in 2013!
Pinterest makes it easy to redecorate your home!
Vermont Woods Studios is on Pinterest. We pin our furniture to organized boards, so that it is easy for you to find them and repin them! We have a variety of boards to help inspire you. We have boards ranging from Bedroom Furniture to Shaker Furniture to Cherry Wood Furniture, and everything in between. All of our images easily click through to our website so when the time comes, you know exactly where to purchase it!
Are you using inspiration boards yet? Let us know what your favorite websites are for saving all of your home design ideas! Come back to our blog tomorrow to learn about Houzz!
Follow us on Pinterest and on Houzz. Every Saturday we share our most popular pin of the week on our Facebook page.
Five Thanksgiving Decorating Ideas
Our Rustic Barnwood Sideboard with Ceramic Sink has an amazing history behind it, much like the Thanksgiving Holiday
Thanksgiving Decorating Ideas for the Green Family
Setting the perfect festive tone in your home for Thanksgiving is the best way to get into the holiday spirit. Every year, with Black Friday and Christmas just around the corner, Thanksgiving seems get overlooked. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it is so relaxed and filled with love, warmth and great food. If you are inviting friends and family over to share the day with, here are some easy thanksgiving decorating ideas sure to please everyone.
DIY Centerpieces and Wreaths - After the popularity explosion of Pinterest, doing things yourself is definitely “in”. DIY door wreaths are extremely easy and can be very inexpensive to create. Then, skip the pre-made candle centerpiece from Walmart and make a unique table decoration to fit the theme of your home or your thanksgiving meal. Incorporate gourds, Indian corn or cranberries for a fall harvest vibe or if you plan on watching the game after dinner, opt for a sports-themed arrangement. Check out these football roses that are handmade in the USA!
Pick an Element of your Home to Highlight - Create an interesting mantle piece design, decorate your table with candles and arrangements, or display your thanksgiving cheer for your neighbors to see with fall themed porch decor. Don’t overdo it with your decorations or it can be overwhelming to guests. Highlight your favorite features of your home and let visitors enjoy.
Give Thanks – Incorporating the message of Thanksgiving is chic and classy. Display crafts and art made by your children, hang thanksgiving cards from friends and family or create festive collages of photos and things you and your family are thankful for. I saw a cute idea for a “thankful tree” centerpiece in Pinterest (of course) that would make a great Thanksgiving tradition. Every year, everyone hangs the things they are thankful for on the tree. This is a great way to celebrate the holiday with your family.
Showcase Reclaimed Furniture – The Thanksgiving holiday is historically significant and has a rich story behind it. Traditional reclaimed barnwood furniture also has a historically significant background and story to tell, plus they are sustainably crafted. Reclaimed barnwood is full of warmth, charm and history, making a great decorative piece for Thanksgiving. Check out our reclaimed barnwood dining tables and reclaimed barnood buffets and be enchanted by their elegance. Reclaimed barnwood is the perfect solution for the environmentally conscious family
Leave Christmas Decorating for December – Let your guests give thanks in November and worry about decking the halls in December. There are many great ways to decorate the interior and exterior of your home with fall hues and harvest idols without having to bring out the red and green. I love Christmas as much as the next person, but let me enjoy Thanksgiving first.
Be sure to check out our Black Friday sale (after you’ve finished eating and giving thanks for the things you already possess of course) going on tomorrow through Monday. We’d love to hear your Thanksgiving decorating ideas. Let us know how you decorate for Thanksgiving here in the comments or on our Facebook.
Selecting the Right Dining Table Shape for your Home Décor
Our Sarah Trestle Dining Table is a great choice for a rectangle dining table shape!
Selecting the Right Dining Table for your Home Décor
With our fall dining sale just around the corner, I figured what better time to talk about dining tables! We have all of these shapes and sizes, but how does that apply to your dining space? What will look best in your room and will you be able to accommodate the right amount of guests? I’ll admit, it can get a little confusing trying to guess what kind of table is best for your situation. Hopefully this post can help to remove some of the mystery about what you’re getting when you order one of our fine, hardwood dining tables.
Rectangular Dining Tables
Rectangle tables are the most common dining table shape since they are ideal for accommodating large numbers of people for dinner parties and fit best in most dining rooms. Whether choosing a solid top or extension rectangle table, you’re sure to always have space for that extra guest. My favorite rectangle dining table would be the Sarah Shaker Trestle table. I love the curved leg work and simple shaker style, plus the added benefit of it being an extension table.
Square Dining Tables
Square tables create a more intimate dining experience. Perfect for small dining rooms or eat-in kitchens, a square table allows you room to entertain small dinners and conserve much needed space. My pick for a square table is our Catalina 40×40 Solid Top Dining Table. It’s elegant, simple and looks great in walnut wood. What more do you need?
Round Dining Tables
Round tables are also great for small spaces or modest dining rooms. Round tables are my favorite option for entertaining guests. A round table allows everyone to sit comfortably and also maintain eye contact with other guests. I would pick our Vermont-made Shaker Custom Round Table. It has an extension option, it is simple and durable and comes discounted in our Vermont Shaker Cherry Round Dining Set!
Oval Dining Tables
An oval table incorporates the best parts of a rectangle and round table. You can still accommodate large groups, like that of a rectangle table, while saving space with the rounded corners. An oval table can also be created by opting for a round extension table, which gives you the most versatility. I choose the Vermont Modern Wave Table. It can be dressed up or dressed down, but no matter what, it always looks classy and is sure to be a conversation piece.
One factor that all of our table shapes have in common is that they are completely green and made from sustainably harvested hardwoods. No matter what dining table shape you choose, you want it to last a lifetime and here at Vermont Woods Studios, we promise just that.
So there you have it! Our four traditional dining shapes, broken down and analyzed so you can find the perfect one for you. In addition to these, you can also find boat shape tables, live edge slab tables and glass top tables on our site, so be sure to check out all of your options before purchasing. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call our sales team and have Liz, Heather or Douglas work with you on dimensions and help you build your dream dining room.
Let us know in the comments what table shape works best for you and how it’s helped to bring your friends and family together.
A Stylish, Sustainable, Space Saving Solution: Nesting Tables!
This week in our green interior design column, we’re talking about nesting tables. Earlier this year, House and Home magazine listed nesting tables and other small accent tables as a “must-have” in their 2012 Decorating Trends issue. Not only are nesting tables trendy and unique, but they’re also great for homes with limited space. Nesting tables allow you the versatility of having three separate tables while only taking up the space of one. These tables would be great to bring out during parties as floating tables for drinks or even as a tray for food. The possibilities are endless with these magic tables.
Here at Vermont Woods Studios, you can find nesting tables that do their job as convenient space-savers and, as an added bonus, they are environmentally friendly and made right here in Vermont.
Our New England Shaker Nesting Tables are traditional and simple, designed to match any home decor. With clean lines and dovetail joinery, these tables are meant to be displayed. With your purchase, you’ll receive 3 nesting tables in your choice of cherry. maple, oak or walnut woods. I’ll also point out that with our current sale (ending today!), you’ll be able to save up to 20%*.
If you’re looking for more of a modern twist on nesting tables, check out our Copeland Coonley Nesting End Tables. With two sleek nesting tables crafted in natural cherry wood, you’ll add twice the luxury and class to any room. Part of Copelands Frank Lloyd Wright Collection, these tables embody the styling of the modern architect.
Check out more of our coffee tables, end tables, sofa tables and accent tables. Call us with your customization ideas to create a table that is perfect for your homes’ interior design.
Trend Alert: What is Green Interior Design?
Interior design is not a new concept. For decades, people have been making a living by creating works of art with furniture and accessories as their palette and empty rooms as their canvas. It is probably not a surprise that fashioning the perfect design for the inside of your home is crucial to how you feel and react in your environment. Interior design is all about aesthetics. It’s about taking items that are visually appealing and combining them with your personality to create something unique and personal to you.
With consumers becoming more conscious about their impacts on our environment, it is no shock that people are starting to ask for green, eco-friendly furniture and building materials for their homes. Interior designers are capitalizing on this trend by offering environmentally friendly alternatives when creating a design for a client’s home. Now this begs the question, what exactly does sustainable interior design mean?
Basically, the difference between interior design and sustainable interior design is the difference between beauty and beliefs and how much they mean to you. Sustainable (or green) interior design can probably be broken down into 4 major components:
- *Air Quality
- *Energy Efficiency
- *Building Materials and the Three R’s (Recycling, Re-purposing, Reusing)
- *Economic Impact
Air quality is very important to interior design. The biggest decision a designer has to make is choosing pieces that are free of chemicals that can make people sick or pollute our environment. This usually means watching out for volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) that can be found in paints, primers, glues, ink and cleaning products. Luckily, you can now buy furniture that uses glues and finishes that contain little or no VOC’s.
The area of energy saving interior design techniques is very broad. It can mean anything from choosing light bulbs that use less energy (like LED) to choosing products that are produced in America to reduce the energy it takes to ship them.
We’ve all heard some form of “The Three R’s”. Now-a-days it feels like there are many “r” words related to conservation. When it comes to green interior design, it is important to remember to recycle, re-purpose and reuse. Choose materials that have been recycled, like furniture made from recycled plastic. Remember that there are many products that are made by re-purposing old materials, like Reclaimed Barnwood Furniture. And always keep in mind things that can be used again before you toss them out.
When you purchase items without checking where they are sourced from, you risk supporting imported goods, rather than supporting the local American worker. Always research where your furniture and building materials come from and support American jobs and our local economy by buying American-made.
Creating a sustainable interior design concept doesn’t mean that you have to be 100% green, but you can make smart choices that will benefit the environment in the long run. You also don’t have to overhaul your entire home to start a green interior design. Make small changes around your home, like opting for new cleaning products or donating that department store furniture piece and trade it in for one made in America that has little to no VOC’s. These little changes will someday make a big difference.
If you are an interior designer, check out the discounts we can offer on our Vermont-made fine furniture.
9 Great Furniture Styles: Modern, Traditional, Urban, Classic and More
Customers often come to us at Vermont Woods Studios with photos of their home decor, asking about furniture designs that will fit in with their style. It's fun working with people to help them achieve their vision for a new bedroom, dining room, home office or living room.
We're always looking to America's leading designers for inspiration and Home Portfolio is a great place to do that. It's an online library of high-end home products where interior design professionals show off their latest creations.
Sharon Johnson of Home Portfolio recently put together an interesting article called "Mixing Old With New" illustrating many design styles (Modern, Traditional, Urban, Classic, Transitional, Glamorous, Whimsical and more) and how stunning it can be to mix them up a bit.
Sharon features nine gifted designers and shows us just how right a room can feel when traditional rubs shoulders with contemporary. "It may seem counterintuitive, but combining antique or vintage furnishings with newer pieces is a great way to create an up-to-date and uniquely individual space."
Check out Sharon's photos and articles for more ideas on how to mix up your own home decor.
Around The World With Vermont Furniture
The other day, Dennis mentioned that our Vermont Sustainable Furniture website has been visited by people in almost ever country in the world. How cool is that? I couldn't resist having a look at our analytics program to see which countries have yet to discover Vermont's Fine Furniture.
So… of the planet's 196 countries, it appears there are 7 that we've yet to reach: Turkmenistan, Gabon, Central African Republic, Chad, South Sudan, Mauritiana, Papua New Guinea.
I'm not sure what to do with this information but it was fun to see how far the Internet has spread the word about a tiny group of fine furniture makers nestled in the foothills of Vermont's Green Mountain Forest.
If you're reading this from abroad and wondering how to bring Vermont made, fine wood furniture to your country, contact us. Exporting our eco-friendly furniture is part of our 10 year plan. We're open to new ideas from established interior design, fine furniture and home decor professionals around the world.
Furniture Discounts for Designers, Interior Decorators, Architects
Are you a professional interior designer, architect, or home decorator sourcing luxury, high end commercial or residential projects? If so, give Rebecca a call– she can make your life a whole lot easier.
We offer online and in-store furniture specification services for our clients. Qualified professionals receive a trade discount on our Vermont made natural, eco-friendly, solid wood furniture. Many designers have earned LEED credits for their projects through the purchase of our furniture. It's green, sustainable, organic and American made. Our clean, non-toxic finishes are low VOC, with many custom options available.
Vermont-made furniture is famous for its quality and durability, as evidenced by innumerable installations in businesses, schools, non-profits and hospitality venues across the country and around the world.
Give us a call and check it out for your next project!
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