Looking for a piece of art for your home but want something unique, not out of a chain store? Consider buying from an artists’ guild online catalog like The Artful Home. The gift of art is an original Valentine’s Day present for the art lover, new home owner, or person who has everything. Art vendors carry everything from handcrafted jewelry to one-of-a-kind furnishings that are sure to be conversation pieces. Try a sculptural wood bench like Mark Levin’s Nymph Stool in your foyer for instant art impact. The Artful Home makes searching easy by breaking each category into a refined search using art terms (not just typical filters) such as color, discipline, medium, new items, price, technique, and theme.

Faces in the Wild is an art event hosted by Humanscale aimed at raising awareness and funds for wildlife protection. Proceeds from the eighth annual auction, scheduled for May 13, 2008, will benefit World Wildlife Fund, the leader in international efforts to protect endangered species and their habitats.

In 2007, Faces in the Wild generated $26,000 for wildlife conservation, and since 2000, Faces in the Wild has raised more than $200,000, including matching donations by Humanscale.

Humanscale founder and CEO Bob King has served on WWF’s National Council since 1999. As a company, Humanscale is committed to environmental sustainability and continually strives to design, engineer and manufacture products that consume less of the Earth’s limited resources.

Create Art, Protect Wildlife

Faces in the Wild: Call for Entries

Calling all artists and designers, amateur and pro: Here’s your opportunity to do what you love most while showing support for a great cause.

Humanscale is now accepting original artwork submissions for Faces in the Wild, an annual art auction and competition aimed at raising awareness and money for World Wildlife Fund, the leader in international efforts to protect endangered species and their habitats.

Original artwork in any tangible medium depicting the face of a non-domesticated animal is eligible for entry. All artwork will be auctioned and judged by a panel of design and architecture leaders in Humanscale’s New York showroom in late April/early May. The artists behind three winning entries will each win a $1,500 credit toward Humanscale products. So unleash your best beast and take comfort in preserving the creatures that inspire your designs.

Due to space limitations, the number of entries is limited to a maximum of 75. To participate, contact Karen Brooking at 212-353-1383 or karen@bdeonline.biz.

> Learn More About Faces in the Wild
> Read Complete Call for Entries Details
>; See Previous Art Submissions

Space sells. In home staging one of the goals is to make small spaces seem more… well… spacious. Here are some tips to make a small room seem bigger.

1. Clear out the clutter! We can’t reinforce this enough. Less is more. If a shelf is completely full then nothing on it stands out and it gives the impression that there is not an inch of spare space. A buyer will think that there is no room for their belongings in the home. Pack up the collections. Create small groupings of two or three items and have tons of free space to show off shiny surfaces. Which leads me to the next tip…
2. Make it shine, all of it. Surfaces should sparkle and reflect light. Pearly or light paints on walls are another bonus. We’ve all heard that light paint makes rooms look larger. It’s tried and true.
3. How about making walls look taller? Make the room look bigger still by hanging window treatments as close to the ceiling as possible all the way down to the floor. It is very dramatic!
4. Clean your windows (everything shines and sparkles remember). Be sure to let in the light and expand the view by opening blinds and curtains during showings. Views and space help sell a home.
5. This is one people have trouble with, make sure the furniture is to scale with the room. Too big of furniture can dominate a room. Too small can look cheap or out of place. Make sure there is space to walk with a good traffic pattern. Professional interior designers and home stagers will choose the right furniture for the room and arrange it in the best way possible.

Did you know that cooking with your special someone can turn up the heat in your relationship? This spicy info came from a study done by Kenmore appliance’s high-end line, Kenmore PRO, and relationship expert Dr. John Gray. Gray is the author of the well known bestselling book Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus. 1,500 couples were polled and the results said that 82% of the couples who cook together described their relationships as “excellent.”  Only 25% of those who do not cook together could say the same.

“Can you help me choose colors and furniture?” is one of the most common requests that we get from clients, friends, and family seeking interior design advice. Our response is to find pictures of rooms that they like in magazines. Another option on how to select colors, furniture, fabrics, and flooring is to check out Adrienne Chinn’s Home Decorator’s Color & Texture Bible. Chinn believe’s in starting from the ground up, which we agree with considering most people would rather work with the floor that they have than reinstall brand new hardwood, tile, or carpet. This lovely reference showcases 180 different decorating and color schemes so you will be sure to find inspiration.

The wirebound hardcovered book is published by Firefly Books and sells for $29.95.

Habitat for Humanity of Summit County will be opening up a new store at 1020 Canton Road in Springfield which is set to open in mid-November. THe store will sell gently used building materials, appliances, and household items and will benefit everyone in the community including contractors, businesses, landlords, and do-it-yourslefers. Consumers save an average of 50-90% off retail prices! Items can also be donated and used as a tax deduction. We love that proceeds go to a good cause and that items are saved from landfills.

Benjamin Moore introduced a new interior paint line in 2007 called Aura. The promise is truer colors with a washable finish. Touch-ups blend invisibly into the existing paint because of ColorLock technology, which embeds the pigments. The surface resists water, stains, and fading. The paint is low VOC and quick drying. The price is about $54.95 a gallon. An exterior version may become available within the next year.

“In the United States, 12 million barrels of oil and 14 million trees go to producing plastic and paper bags each year.”

Time to vent! I refuse to throw away plastic bags and I just won’t use paper grocery bags. Now I have bags of bags of bags, especially during this shopping season. The collection is getting out of control but there is an answer! No, I am not going to break down and throw them in the trash. (Speaking of break down, it takes plastic bags as much as 1,000 years to break down in landfill and 450 in water.) I plan on taking my bags to a local recycling bin (as seen in many Medina, OH parking lots) or to the local Giant Eagle grocery store which also has a bag-recycling bin. I will also stash a folded-up fabric shopping bag in my purse. Maybe this will relieve me from the funny looks I get when I reuse or refuse a bag at the store! 

Furthermore, I will now give preference to retailers that sell reusable shopping bags, like Giant Eagle. When I am not at a green store, I tend to apologize to clerks about my proactiveness, but why should I? I think I am hip and ahead of the crowd, kind of like the city of San Francisco who recently banned plastic grocery bags. You can read more about that in this past post by Sharon.

My friend’s think I’m crazy, but I know I am just more educated and aware about the issue. Now you are too.

More facts on plastic bags and their unfriendly impact on the earth:

• Plastic bags don’t biodegrade because their components do not biodegrade (especially oil). They actually break down into smaller toxic bits which become consumable contaminants for animals, even humans.
• Other than oil, plastic bags contain metals like chromium and copper. Exposure leads to diseases.
• Oil is expensive! Can avoiding plastic bags lower gas prices? Yes, if more people change their ways! 12 million barrels of oil, remember?
• My fave environmentally friendly, earth-loving, life-changing website ever - IdealBite - is chock full of facts like the one at the beginning of this article. 

K+BB (Kitchen and Bath Business) magazine is one of my favorites, because of my background as a professional NKBA (National Kitchen and Bath Association) trained kitchen designer. Here is a list of the top 10 kitchen requests interior designers receive:

1. Sub-Zero refrigerators
2. Solid surface, granite or quartz countertops (not tile).
3. Fully integrated appliances
4. Pullout pantries
5. Warming drawers
6. Timeless, not trendy designs
7. Wine refrigerators
8. Stainless-steel appliances
9. More storage
10. Products clients pull from K+BB

Susan Smith of Rooms that Work in Farmington, CT wrote a beautiful blog post called “What is home staging? How about what it is NOT!” on her Blogger site. This beautiful inventory of facts from my fellow stager and activerain member really impressed me. Below is a sampling of her list.

Home Staging is NOT:

“…Decorating - Anyone can make a home look decorated. Staging is about marketing your home to your target buyer. In fact, personal taste has nothing to do with it. It’s about making a great first impression that creates an emotional connection with buyers and helps them imagine themselves living there.”

“…Just for high-end homes - Every home deserves the best chance at selling quickly and for top dollar whether a starter home or a mansion. Remember, you are competing with other homes within your price range!…”

The list continues with 8 more facts on what staging is not. Check out Susan’s blog to read the rest. You’ll be surprised!