Archive for March, 2008
By Alan J. Heavens - The Philadelphia Inquirer
You didn’t bring the outdoor furniture inside for the winter, or even cover it. Now, your chairs and patio table, even the umbrella, look plug ugly. No need to panic, though. Just give them a good cleaning, maybe even new paint, and they’ll look fresh as spring.
Whither the wicker? To clean woven furniture, you’ll need to get into and around those intricate weaves. And that requires a variety of brushes - a new, rather than used, toothbrush (stiffer bristles); a small paintbrush with bristles cut down by half, to make them stiffer but not sharper; and a bristle brush with medium bristles. Some experts recommend sharpening a dowel to pick out bits of dirt and debris, but the best tools are already sharpened - the wooden skewers used to make shish kebab.
After you’ve gotten the gunk and grime out of the weaves, vacuum a wicker piece thoroughly. Then wash using minimum amounts of a solution of 2 tablespoons of ammonia to 2 gallons of water.
Clean in sections from top to bottom, then dry the wicker quickly to prevent it from warping. Lay the piece on a clean canvas drop cloth; tip it so the tighter weaves are on top and the looser on the bottom, so the moisture runs down and away quickly.
Keep the weaves straight, so they don’t shrink.
If mere cleaning isn’t enough, sand and repaint (follow the manufacturer’s suggestions). Depending on the piece, spray paint may give better coverage in less time.
Attend to the aluminum: For regular aluminum chairs, grab a plastic scrub brush and dishwashing detergent at full strength and then scrub, scrub, scrub. Rinse thoroughly, then let dry.
For coated-aluminum pieces, experts also recommend full-strength dishwashing detergent, using a sponge instead. Rinse completely, dry with a soft cloth, and then rub on car wax to polish, avoiding the fabric. If you get wax on the fabric, clean it quickly. Buff the metal after it dries.
Ponder the plastic: Take a look at your old plastic furniture. Is it worth keeping another year? If the chairs cost $2 each 10 years ago, you can find sturdier and nicer ones for about the same price today. But if you opt to keep them, wash the pieces with 3 tablespoons of powdered laundry detergent (or oxygenated bleach such as OxyClean) mixed in a gallon of warm water. A scrub brush will work, but avoid stiff bristles, which can scratch or gouge the plastic surface. Let the solution soak in for a few minutes. Rinse thoroughly, then dry.
Cleanse the cushions: Check the label for the manufacturer’s suggestions. If cushions or seat webbing are washable, use warm, soapy water or a foam cleaner. Apply with a sponge, rinse and dry quickly.
Repair the rust: Wrought-iron furniture tends to rust, which is why it should always be covered if left outside in winter. If corrosion has already begun, use a wire brush on the metal lightly, to remove the rust but not the paint. Naval jelly, available at home centers and hardware stores, also can dissolve rust; some products become a primer that lets you apply protective paint in 24 hours. Rust stains can be removed with fine steel wool dipped in kerosene. Wear protective gloves and safety glasses and apply in the open, away from fire. To get into the joints, disassemble the furniture.
Mind the mildew: Got a mildewed patio umbrella? Open it and lay it on its side, then clean with oxygenated bleach in warm water - though you should check the manufacturer’s care suggestions (chlorine bleach will fade acrylics). Use a soft-bristle brush on one section at a time; rinse with clean water and let dry.
March 31st, 2008
By: Furniture World Magazine
Widely recognised as a leading event for the furniture industry in Asia, Furniture China continues to expand: “More exhibitors, larger exhibition space, better service and design … that is our target in 2008 and we are on our way to achieving it,” says Wang Mingliang, founder of the exhibition and Director of CMP Sinoexpo Exhibition Co. Ltd.
The 2008 edition of Furniture China will host about 2,000 exhibitors. Says Wang, “The main exhibition venue, the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), will soon complete two additional exhibition halls, which will allow us to add 23,000 sq m of exhibition space. We will also use the Shanghai Everbright Exhibition Centre to launch a new show, Expo-Store, that will also use retail space downtown. Thus, we expect a total exhibition space of 350,000 sq m (3,150,000 sq. ft.).”
Given its size and importance for the Asian region, this exhibition compares to such shows as High Point and the Milan Furniture Fair. Major efforts will be made to increase the international reach of Furniture China by accommodating more exhibitors and visitors from outside China, in particular from South East Asia, although Eastern Russia and India will also be targeted with extensive promotions.
The continuing growth of Furniture China and its transition from an export show to a regional trade platform is in line with Chinese trade statistics, which confirm that both imports and exports grew in the first three quarters of 2007. Furniture exports reached US$17.974 billion, up 27% compared with the same period in 2006. Imports, while still comparatively small, grew at a faster pace - 33% - to reach US$0.9 billion.
The 2008 edition of Furniture China will also see a range of novelties focussed on design and improved services. Explains Wang: “We have commissioned a well-known design firm from Paris to help us with a comprehensive visual upgrade of the show. All of our print material and the public areas of the exhibition will be re-designed. On the one hand, this is aimed at creating a better look and feel combined with easier orientation for visitors, while, on the other hand, we are sending a signal to the Asian market to invest in design and creativity.”
Along with the improved design is the launch of Expo-Store, an aspect of Furniture China that will encourage exhibitors to make use of their own showrooms in the city centre as additional display and event areas. Participants in Expo-Store will be featured in a special publication highlighting events and collections being presented outside of the exhibition grounds. “The concept of flagship stores and event marketing are still very new. With Expo-Store, we encourage exhibitors to make use of such tools and maximise their branding by including their flagship stores. This is a chance to offer customers hospitality that goes beyond the limitations of the traditional trade show,” says Wang. Frequent shuttle busses will be offered from the main venue, SNIEC, to Xujiahui, the downtown Shanghai commercial district with the highest concentration of furniture retail.
With Furniture Manufacturing Premium, another important event will be launched under the Furniture China umbrella. Stepping into the footprints of the departed ZOW China and taking place in Hall W4 of SNIEC, Furniture Manufacturing Premium will be a high-end exhibition for the suppliers of basic materials, chemicals, fittings and semi-finished products to furniture manufacturers. “The experience with ZOW demonstrated the importance of Furniture China for furniture suppliers and, with Furniture Manufacturing China, we will continue to offer them a prime platform in the future,” explains Wang.
Furniture China 2008 will be held from September 10th to 13th, 2008. The exhibitions are complemented by www.furnitureinchina.com, an Internet trade platform featuring the online showrooms of present and past exhibitors. The website enables vendors and buyers to place trade offers and make appointments for business meetings. Further information and regular updates on Furniture China 2008 can be found at: www.furniture-china.cn.
March 31st, 2008
By JULIE TARASKA
David Weeks may be best known for his spare, Calder-esque chandeliers and lamps, but he is also an accomplished furniture designer. That aspect of his work can be seen on April 3, when his first line of upholstered furniture is introduced at Ralph Pucci International in Manhattan. Sculpt, a collection inspired by the peaks and slopes of topographical maps and Barbara Hepworth’s stone sculptures, includes an armchair ($6,720), a sectional (not priced), a 10-foot sofa ($15,000) and an 8-foot sofa, above ($12,300). Each piece has a stainless steel frame gently cradling an asymmetrical seat and scooped backrest, shapes that Mr. Weeks said he developed in prototype by hacking away at huge foam blocks without the aid of a ruler, trusting his eye to create visual balance. Sculpt will be available, along with Sarus, Mr. Weeks’s new line of lighting, at Ralph Pucci International, 44 West 18th Street, (212) 633-0452.
March 28th, 2008
By ELAINE LOUIE
“Gustav Stickley: The Enlightened Home,” an exhibit of early 20th-century furniture and decorative objects made at the Gustav Stickley Company, opens Tuesday at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.
“Stickley had a huge impact on how people lived,” said Paul D’Ambrosio, the chief curator of the museum. He helped to create “spaces that were easy to move around and easy to maintain.”
In the show are a lightweight tabouret table “that can be carried to any part of the house for any occasion,”
Mr. D’Ambrosio said; a Japonesque dinner gong, below; and a hand-hammered copper tray, above, that holds a cider set from Marblehead Pottery in Marblehead, Mass. Through Aug. 10 at 5798 State Highway 80, Lake Road, Cooperstown, N.Y. Information: (888) 547-1450 or www.fenimoreartmuseum.org.
Next Article in Home & Garden (9 of 12) »
March 28th, 2008
50,000 Visitors to Gather at Asia’s Largest Furniture Fair
SINGAPORE, March 27 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ — Organized by Koelnmesse GmbH and China Foreign Trade Centre (Group), interzum guangzhou 2008 opens today at the China Import and Export Fair Pazhou Complex, Guangzhou. From 27 to 30 March 2008, this four-day event presents the latest in furniture and kitchen production, and woodworking technologies. Strategically positioned as the gateway of the robust Chinese market, interzum guangzhou 2008 provides a trading platform for attendees to meet buyers, manufacturers, and suppliers from all vertical sectors of the furniture manufacturing, production and design industries.
Held in conjunction with the renowned China International Furniture Fair and Hometextile China, the fifth edition of interzum guangzhou is well received globally. The event’s exhibition space of 60,000 sqm was sold out to more than 650 exhibitors months before the show. Being one of the largest furniture manufacturing trading platforms in Asia’s woodworking industry, and with a 100% increase in space from 2007, interzum guangzhou 2008 is expected to attract more than 50,000 visitors from the furniture manufacturing, production and design sectors.
“interzum guangzhou has been growing from strength to strength in the last five years. Our exhibitors return to the show year after year and their booths are increasingly expanding in size. We are encouraged by the enthusiasm and support from both local and international exhibitors,” said Mr. Michael Dreyer, Vice President Asia Pacific, Koelnmesse GmbH. “interzum guangzhou 2008 has become one of the largest and most comprehensive furniture production trade fairs in China and Asia, providing a one-stop procurement centre for both woodworking machinery and furniture component sectors”
In addition to the returning international pavilions from Germany, Italy, Taiwan and the United States, this year’s event also showcases first-time exhibitors like Kentucky China Trade Center and Wright of Hong Kong.
Visitors can expect to visit key players such as Leggett & Platt Machinery and Technology Co, Ltd, Hitachi Kokico,.Ltd, HOMAG China Golden Field, IMA Klessmann GmbH Holzbearbeitungssysteme, SCM Group, Paolino Bacci SRL, Pade S.A.S, Giben International SpA and Duerkopp Adler Far East Ltd from the woodworking machinery sector.
Visitors looking for furniture components can also look forward to the wide array of product offerings from Vicwood Industry, Fritz EGGER GmbH & Co, FGV Asia, REHAU Trading, Huali Industries, Pauls Home Hardware and Decoration Materials, Sikai International Hardware, Dongtai Hardware Precision Manufacturing, OKIN Gesellschaft fur Antriebstechnik GmbH, Titus + Lamat + Huwil and Repon Industrial.
Situated in one of the world’s biggest furniture manufacturing market, interzum guangzhou is part of Koelnmesse GmbH’s global interzum network and complements the parent interzum event in Cologne, Germany.
For more information on interzum guangzhou 2008, please visit http://www.interzum-guangzhou.com .
Media contact:
Caroline Yeung
Tel: +65-6259-3193
Email: caroline@flamecomms.com
March 27th, 2008
By: Furniture World Magazine
Metropolitan Designs and Décor announced that it will bring a new line of fine metal tables and granite tops to High Point.
The tables are available in a variety of sizes and styles to accommodate any lifestyle. Styles range from traditional to ultra contemporary and may be ordered as cocktail tables, console tables, kitchen tables, dining tables, desks, conference tables, end tables and bedside tables. To top these tables off is the option of a custom granite top or a glass top or the table base may be purchased alone.
As with all the furniture they manufacture, the tables are fabricated with unsurpassed master craftsmanship and solid steel framing.
Lead designer and founder, Donna Warren, states “We take pride in providing a beautifully designed yet solid table that can hold its weight in design and function, these tables are a compliment to any style”.
For its first decade, Metropolitan Designs & Décor excelled as a unique bed manufacturer and now moves into a new era of providing its national clientele tables. They have been featured in Furniture Today, FurnitureStyle, Home Décor, Better Homes and Gardens, Texas Monthly Bedrooms, Florida Design and Architectural Digest. , Beautiful
The line will be shown in High Point, North Carolina at the International Home Furnishings Center, Ruby Collection Fine Linens Showroom #D341. Visit www.metropolitandesigns.us for more information.
March 27th, 2008
A FURNITURE recycling system in Dorset is set to be rolled out on a permanent basis after a successful year on trial.
The Furniture Reuse Credit Payments Scheme sees charitable organisations sponsored to collect people’s old furniture and redistribute it to low income households across the county.
More than 200 tonnes of furniture was diverted from rubbish tips between April and December last year.
Organisations such as Dorset Reclaim in Dorchester and Second Chance Furniture in Weymouth were paid around £46 per tonne for the service.
Dorset County Council’s director for the environment, Miles Butler, told the council’s performance over-view committee: “Rather than going into the waste system these organisations are managing the redistribution of the furniture to those on low incomes.
“The trial has proved to be very cost-effective.
“The cost is more than compensated by the savings we make on not having to deal with the waste.”
Councillor David Fox said: “One of the organisations actually took tonnes of furniture up to Gloucestershire to help those stricken by the floods last summer.
“I hope that redeployment of furniture outside the county boundary will continue if there are special circumstances like that.”
Coun John Peake added: “It’s a brilliant scheme.”
March 25th, 2008
Lauren Heist
Going once, going twice, gone to Staci Levenson!
For a last-minute bid of $17,000, Levenson, owner of the interior design firm Levenson Design Associates in Austin, TX, won the right to create her very own collection for Antigua Furniture at an auction at the American Society of Interior Designers’ annual conference on March 14.
“I’m extremely excited,” Levenson said. “I’m still tongue-tied.”
Rex Murphy, one of the founding partners of Antigua Furniture, said the idea to auction off the chance for an interior designer to create their own line of the furniture started when leaders at ASID approached the company about donating a piece of furniture for their annual auction.
“When we found out that the ASID Interiors Show was going to be highlighting sustainability and looking at the greening of the furniture industry, we took a second look at it because we’ve been heavily involved in reforestation in Guatemala,” Murphy said.
So Murphy and his partner started brainstorming: How could they highlight Antigua’s legacy as a manufacturer of high-end, solid-wood case goods that’s become known for its custom furniture-making capabilities strengths and donate to worthwhile cause at the same time?
And then someone stumbled upon the idea of letting an interior designer get creative, and Antigua decided to up the ante by agreeing to show the new line at the October 2008 High Point Market and January 2009 Las Vegas Market.
Murphy said Antigua has carved a niche for itself in the custom-furniture making business because of its strategic location in Antigua, Guatemala.
Murphy said Guatemala has a strong tradition of furniture making, dating back to the Spanish Colonial days, and he said the woodworkers in their factory use precision tools to create the furniture, but then finish each piece off by hand. And because Guatemala is relatively close to the United States, container ships can quickly deliver goods to ports in either Houston or Los Angeles, Antigua can make custom pieces much more easily than a company that has its manufacturing facilities in China.
Levenson, who has often commissioned custom furniture pieces for her clients, says she was thrilled when she heard about the prize that was up for grabs, which included two trips Guatemala, where she will stay in the five-star Hotel Casa Santo Domingo and work with the company’s development team to make her designs come to life.
Levenson said she often works with artisans and custom woodworkers in Austin to create pieces that she dreams up for her clients, and now she’ll have the chance to do the same thing but on a larger scale.
In fact, Levenson said she’s already planning to have Antigua make pieces that she thinks will work with some of her current clients.
“My personal style, I like to combine a real classic, kind of antique piece and kind of clean up the lines,” she said, adding that she likes eclectic pairings, such as a table with a heavy wooden base with a feminine marble top.
Levenson said Scott Bogart, Founding Partner of Antigua Furniture, has encouraged her to be as creative as she wants and not to stick to what she thinks would “fit” with Antigua’s aesthetic.
“We realize we’re taking a risk, but that’s what makes this fun,” Bogart said. “We are giving a designer the opportunity to bring a dream of theirs to fruition and to see their name in lights. And since Antigua is one of the premier players in high-end custom manufacturing, this will be an impeccable, hand-crafted furniture collection; we feel very positive about the success of the line to come.”
Murphy said Antigua is excited to see what Levenson will come up with.
“There were definitely some naysayers around us who thought we were crazy for doing it. How do you know whose going to win? What are you going to do? And then you’re going to have to introduce this at market?” Murphy said. “But we thought life is all about taking chances. We didn’t get where we are today without taking a lot of chances ourselves. We rolled the dice and we’re really pleased.”
March 25th, 2008
Shenzhen (ANTARA News) - Indonesia in May 2008 will have a showroom for furniture products in Shanghai, China, in order to promote Indonesian furniture among Chinese people on a continuous basis.
“We will build a permanent showroom in Shanghai to promote furniture and handicraft products in Shanghai in May,” chairman of the Indonesian Furniture and Handicraft Products Association (Asmindo) Ambar Tjahyono said here on Friday.
He was in Shengzhen to attend the 22nd Shenzhen International Furniture Exhibition (SIFE), popularly called as a special furniture and handicraft products expo, participated in by 40 Indonesian businessmen and hundreds of Chinese and Asian businessmen.
The building of the showroom supported by the government of Indonesia was the initiative of the private sector that covered the cost.
According to him, Shanghai was chosen as the location of the showroom because the city had a strategic location for holding such exhibitions on account of the city`s advanced and complete infrastructure. (*)
March 24th, 2008
Shenzhen (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Furniture and Handicraft Industry Association (Asmindo) has set a target of furniture exports worth US$60 million to China this year, or an increase by ten percent if compared with those in the previous year, Asmindo chairman Ambar Tjahyono said here on Friday.
“We have set a higher increase this year. We even hope, if possible, our furniture exports would reach US$100 million,” Ambar Tjahyono, who were here to attend a furniture trade exhibition, said.
About 40 Indonesian furniture businessmen and hundreds of others from China and other Asian countries were attending the 22nd Shenzhen International Furniture Exhibition (SIFE) being held here from March 19 to 22, 2008.
He said the Chinese market was open wide to Indonesia`s furniture so that Asmindo`s ten percent target was something reasonable.
Indonesian businessmen who were taking part in the exhibition said that Indonesia`s furniture and handicraft products attracted Chinese buyers.
“They are particularly interested in products with characters of Indonesian origin,” he said.
He said that regardless of the fact that human resources and furniture technology in China was already advanced, Chinese consumers still had high interest in Indonesia`s furniture and handicraft products, particularly those with ethnic characters.
Tjahyono said that Asmindo had the courage to set a higher target because it was convinced it had the support from the central government, local administrations and overseas in promoting its product in the international market.
“The participation of a number of Indonesian businessmen who are grouped in the Asmindo is thanks to the assistance of the National Agency for Export Development (BPEN) and the embassy in Beijing,” he said.
Indonesia`s Trade Attache in Beijing Imbang Listiyadi said the SIFE is an important and strategic arena for Indonesia`s furniture and handicraft products to be promoted to the Chinese consumers.
“Indonesia`s participation in the exhibition is strategic and important for the promotion of Indonesia`s furniture and handicraft products to the Chinese people,” he said. (*)
March 24th, 2008
Previous Posts