Furnishings

It is hard to believe, considering our national fondness for the White House and its history, but new presidents used to sell off the furnishings from the previous administration in something like a garage sale. In an attempt to make "the people's house" their own, first families would get rid of the old to make room for the new, or the newest fashion. Incoming administrations could simply do away with what they didn't want and no one batted an eye until years later when first lady Jacqueline Kennedy asked for it all back.

Mid-Atlantic Fine Furnishings Show Rug maker Michael Heilman will highlight the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Fine Furnishings Show , which will take place at Maryland State Fairgrounds on May 3-5. Heilman will use handheld rug-making tools dating from 1870 to 1970 during his demonstration. Tools from the “Blue Nose Rug Hooker” to the “Rumpelstiltskin Hand Speed Needle” will be used while Heilman creates new rugs. The event promises to be both educational and entertaining. Attend the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Fine Furnishings Show, May 3 - 5 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.

Home style trends follow fashion. Similarly, the metallic finishes of hardware, lighting, plumbing fixtures and some furniture follow trends in jewelry. After decades of gold jewelry, white gold, silver and platinum eventually took over as the dominant materials. Now, that silver look is starting to skew cold, and warm golds are returning at the high end. Where jewelry goes, the kitchen and bath will soon follow, according to industry professionals who often refer to hardware as jewelry for the home.

When Kevin Luskin decided to fill a vast, long-vacant spot in a shopping center he owns in Towson, he envisioned a "category killer" store that would specialize in sofas and other seating - a store that would defy customers to leave without finding what they wanted. Luskin and his brother, Cary, opened the Sofa Store in April in a retail center that was once the site of a Luskins, the now-defunct TV and appliance chain founded by their father, Jack Luskin, who is now retired.

From the looks of things, there's a lot of entertaining going on. At least that's one explanation for the huge proliferation of home bars. Look through recent Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel and Horchow catalogs and you'll see them. Some are mini-versions of restaurant bars, and others look like armoires fitted with lighted glass shelves and tuck-away spaces. You'll find mobile carts whose wheels allow them to travel where needed, even outdoors, and sideboards or cabinets with cubbies designed for wine.

Furniture buying often involves virtual reality and a leap of faith. You pick out a finish and a fabric, put down a hefty deposit, and hope the chair that arrives on your doorstep three months later is something like the chair of your dreams. Given that, is it such a stretch to buy a chair online? Yes, says Henry Shofer, president of Shofer's Furniture in Federal Hill. "You can give yourself a pretty good education and see what's out there without leaving home," he says. "But it's difficult to tell what the finishes and fabrics are like on the Web."

It's beach season! Time for a week, if you are lucky, on the coast to enjoy all that the Maryland and Delaware shores have to offer — including some really great shopping. With a built-in captive audience of second-home owners, the Mid-Atlantic coastal towns offer a variety of home furnishings and accessories boutiques with merchandise that suggests a laid-back lifestyle without being overly beachy. For me, no trip to the shore is complete without stopping into my favorite shops to see what's new. Here are a few that are worth a beach detour: Boxwood Home 39 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del. One of my new favorites, Boxwood Home is perfect for home decorators looking to create a calm, sophisticated look.

Ten years ago, Nini Sarmiento and Rob Degenhard were scouring flea markets, antiques stores and yard sales searching for midcentury modern pieces to furnish their Rodgers Forge townhouse. They were having such a good time — and becoming so good at it — that one vendor suggested they try selling furniture themselves. And so Home Anthology was born. Today their Catonsville store has become a destination for those seeking midcentury modern, vintage, and retro furniture and accessories.

The slogan winked at me from the rear window of a bright red Chrysler minivan parked in a furniture showroom lot. "Veni, vidi, VISA: I came, I saw, I charged." It seemed fitting. We were in High Point, N.C., the self-proclaimed home furnishings capital of the world. An indulgent shopper can do serious damage to the household budget in a place like this, where a single Oscar de la Renta dining room table sells for upwards of $22,000. But if you're in the market for furniture, nowhere else in the nation compares.

Home design has met with a bit of fowl play. And the culprit is pecking its way onto our welcome mats, into our living rooms, onto our tabletops and into our gardens. Animals and insects take turns as nature mascots in our homes. Over the years, we've embraced geese, butterflies, dragonflies and frogs. This year, roosters rule. "People find roosters very warm and friendly," says Sally Conley, assistant manager of the Kellogg Collections, a home furnishings store in Baltimore. Roosters have been gaining popularity in her shop for about a year.

Downsizing often means making big changes in lifestyle. David and Deborah Russell never regretted the decision to do so. With their daughter, Marie, long out of the nest, the couple thought it high time to leave their six-bedroom single-family home in Harford County and find something smaller to accommodate their needs. There were self-imposed conditions, however. They would not leave the area, nor would they spend a fortune on new furnishings. The Russells discovered a new development, Monmouth Meadows, close by their former home.

Ten years ago, Nini Sarmiento and Rob Degenhard were scouring flea markets, antiques stores and yard sales searching for midcentury modern pieces to furnish their Rodgers Forge townhouse. They were having such a good time — and becoming so good at it — that one vendor suggested they try selling furniture themselves. And so Home Anthology was born. Today their Catonsville store has become a destination for those seeking midcentury modern, vintage, and retro furniture and accessories.

Belle Patri means “beautiful home” and that's just what owner Jennifer Lane intended to market when she opened her Jarrettsville store of the same name in 2007. From French Country and Primitive to Shabby Chic, Vintage, and Traditional, Belle Patri has an eclectic mix of new, consigned, estate and antique home furnishings and accessories. “We have a very affordable pricing, and we have a lot of space to bring in a lot of pieces. We update our website everyday, so people can see what is actually in our store.” Lane, mother of two children, 10 and 8, and married to native Harford County resident Erik Lane, is known for refinishing and painting furniture.

It is hard to believe, considering our national fondness for the White House and its history, but new presidents used to sell off the furnishings from the previous administration in something like a garage sale. In an attempt to make "the people's house" their own, first families would get rid of the old to make room for the new, or the newest fashion. Incoming administrations could simply do away with what they didn't want and no one batted an eye until years later when first lady Jacqueline Kennedy asked for it all back.

In Sunday's Nation section of The Baltimore Sun, there is a picture of President Obama in a meeting with senior advisors using a table for a foot rest. In the past, there have been other pictures in various settings showing the president's feet on an assortment of furnishings within the White House. They all show disrespect for the White House and its furnishings. The White House belongs to the people of America and should be more revered than to use anything and everything for a foot rest.

Home style trends follow fashion. Similarly, the metallic finishes of hardware, lighting, plumbing fixtures and some furniture follow trends in jewelry. After decades of gold jewelry, white gold, silver and platinum eventually took over as the dominant materials. Now, that silver look is starting to skew cold, and warm golds are returning at the high end. Where jewelry goes, the kitchen and bath will soon follow, according to industry professionals who often refer to hardware as jewelry for the home.

For a little over a century, starting with the end of the Revolutionary War, Maryland craftsmen were producing some of the finest home furnishings anywhere. Inlaid bellflower furniture, painted furniture, repousse silver, case clocks and other goods made in Baltimore, Annapolis, Frederick and elsewhere during this period are still admired for their design, quality and craftsmanship. Today, furniture from all over the world is easy and often inexpensive to come by, but there remains a demand for quality furnishings made by hand.

SPLURGE OF THE WEEK EXOTIC DREAMS BRANDON HOME FURNISHINGS 118 Shawan Road / / 410-771-9191 or brandonofhuntvalley.com Looking for an armoire or a new sofa? Brandon Home Furnishings, a recent arrival at Hunt Valley Towne Centre, may have what you need. The store has more than 35,000 square feet crammed with furniture, art and other accessories. Everything is available immediately; in other words, if you buy something, you can take it home right away, provided you have car enough to haul it. Store hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday through Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

For a little over a century, starting with the end of the Revolutionary War, Maryland craftsmen were producing some of the finest home furnishings anywhere. Inlaid bellflower furniture, painted furniture, repousse silver, case clocks and other goods made in Baltimore, Annapolis, Frederick and elsewhere during this period are still admired for their design, quality and craftsmanship. Today, furniture from all over the world is easy and often inexpensive to come by, but there remains a demand for quality furnishings made by hand.

It's beach season! Time for a week, if you are lucky, on the coast to enjoy all that the Maryland and Delaware shores have to offer — including some really great shopping. With a built-in captive audience of second-home owners, the Mid-Atlantic coastal towns offer a variety of home furnishings and accessories boutiques with merchandise that suggests a laid-back lifestyle without being overly beachy. For me, no trip to the shore is complete without stopping into my favorite shops to see what's new. Here are a few that are worth a beach detour: Boxwood Home 39 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del. One of my new favorites, Boxwood Home is perfect for home decorators looking to create a calm, sophisticated look.