LifeStyle

Well-designed furniture can cost a pretty penny. Not these easy-on-the-eye pieces, which go for less than $300 each.

Spinster

For home or office, the Tirup Swivel Chair ($299) offers comfy yet sleek options. Available at local Ikea stores and www.ikea.com.

In the round

Use the eco-friendly Cork Ottoman ($299) as a combination coffee table and footrest. Available at West Elm, 1330 Chestnut St., and www.westelm.com.

(Truly) spare seating

Contoured Skew Stools ($100-$129 each) embody Asian minimalism at the bar or table. Available at www.cb2.com.

Midcentury storage

This Danish Modern Side Table ($120) offers a place to stow your nighttime necessities. Available exclusively at Philadelphia-based Urban Outfitters' Web site, www.urbanoutfitters.com.

BeJane.com: 7 Tips for Organizing Your Home Office

Is your home office a complete and utter mess? Do you always meet clients someplace (anyplace!) other than your office? If this is you, not to worry - you're not alone. With all your files, supplies, samples and other paperwork, it is easy to let your home office get out of control. But with only a little planning, you can bid goodbye to a chaotic and unproductive home office.

Go Big

Take a look at your home office. Is it a mish mash of furniture, boxes, and files? Alternately, perhaps you are in the process of converting a spare room into an office and your space is completely bare. Either way a multi-piece station may be the answer. Consider a desk that fits around the entire room that sits against the walls. They're available at home organization stores and include shelving, desks, chairs, and storage knick knacks. You can even assemble and install it yourself for extra savings.

BBB complaints claim furniture store closed doors without fulfilling orders

People's Furniture, a home furnishing store located at 1310 Piper Drive near GreatMall, abruptly went out of business in early January. Since its closure, many customers have not received furniture they had purchased, nor gotten refunds, according to the Better Business Bureau.

The People's Furniture stores in Sunnyvale and Dublin also went out of business.

Despite repeated attempts, storeowners could not be reached for comment. Calls to the Milpitas store go to a voice mail service.

Since the closure, many customers sent their complaints to the Better Business Bureau of Silicon Valley.

"We just got a lot of them on Jan. 22; they just started flooding in on that date. That's when the alarms went off and it seemed something was wrong," Zach Vander Meeden, the Better Business Bureau's public relations director, said.

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ASHLEY: Green Park gets center

A Kirkwood-based furniture and furnishings company plans to build an $11.5 million 120,000-square-foot distribution center at the Green Park Commerce Center in Green Park. It is expected to open in November, said Steve Phillips, chief executive of Ashley Home Furnishings.

Ashley Furnishings has three stores on this side of the Missouri River and two in Illinois and plans to add several more soon, Phillips said. The Green Park site provides good access to all the stores, he added.
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Sitting out this downturn

The swirl of negative economic data and red ink gushing from financial-services firms can obscure what's going on in other sectors. Take office furniture, a business that should be on the edge in a shaky economy. What company would buy workstations when it's considering cutting workers? Plenty would, based on the 2007 financial results for Knoll Inc., of East Greenville, Pa. Knoll surpassed $1 billion in sales last year for the first time. In fact, its sales have grown 50 percent since 2004, when it went public. And while Knoll chief executive officer Andrew Cogan acknowledged in an analyst call that 2008 would be challenging, the company is better positioned to weather this downturn. Still, investors aren't convinced. Knoll shares are down 41 percent over the last year. Knoll closed yesterday at $13.49, up 73 cents.

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HOM Furniture finds a home in Rochester

When the new HOM Furniture store opens in Rochester in late March, it will feature a glass elevator to carry customers to the three floors of furniture and accessories.

Right now anyone entering the building at the Miracle Mile Shopping Center needs to wear a hard hat as the major renovation is under way.

With two months left before it opens, about 400 area people submitted job applications to work at the store. It will be staffed with about 45 people.

"You can feel the excitement already," said Showroom Manager Greg Ostrum as applicants lined up at a job fair last week.

Back in October, the Twin Cities-based furniture retailer bought the former Carson Pirie Scott building that had sat empty since 2002.

"We'd been looking for a while and finally found an opportunity," said Ralph Kliber of HOM.

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Retailers promise bigger bargains - and bigger TVs - this shopping ...

Shoppers who missed last year's 32-inch flat-panel television bargains are in for a Black Friday treat: Several retailers are offering low prices this year on even bigger television sets.

It's the biggest shopping day of the year, and today's newspaper reflects it. It's stuffed with deals. Larry Levak, Charleston Newspapers' vice president of advertising, said there are 41 inserts totaling 674 pages. They weigh 3 pounds, 11 ounces. There are so many the inserts have been assembled in three thick batches and then placed in the middle of the regular daily paper.

Levak said crews began assembling the advertising supplements on Nov. 10 and Nov. 11 and then worked from Saturday through Wednesday to complete the task. The advertisements show that on Friday, Sam's Club is offering a 42-inch Sharp-brand high-definition television for $866.52.

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CHOCOHOLICS LOVE WHAT THEY DID WITH THIS ROOM

An all-chocolate room was unveiled in Manhattan last week -- a pre-Valentine's Day creation complete with furniture and artwork made of the sweet stuff.

Godiva chocolate "pearls" were dripping off the chandeliers above the dining table, which was a sea of stars, truffles and crescents -- all chocolate, of course, under glass.

This year, someone who buys a box of chocolates -- starting at $23 -- could win the room. One box contains a note that is good for a getaway weekend for two in May at Manhattan's Bryant Park Hotel, where the chocolate room will be re-created.

Hanging in the "living room" is a painting, inspired by Gustav Klimt's The Kiss, built entirely of multicolored chocolate pieces. Above the dining table is a "canvas" dripping with brown and white chocolate -- a takeoff on Jackson Pollock's signature "drip" paintings.

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Essence of inspiration

COEUR d'ALENE -- When Granny's Wild Geranium closed last summer, it left a hole where it had been for nearly two decades.The empty space in Appleway Square has been filled, with some new items and many of the same products that were carried at Granny's."Everywhere I would walk, I would meet somebody who wanted to know what's going in," said Charles Haddy, who with wife Lisa has taken the spot, expanding their Inspired American Decor store from the space next door where they had been for about a year. "We're going to make sure we're still catering to the same clientele."While Lisa minds the store, Charles works in his Hayden workshop, turning out a variety of hand-made decor and furniture."We're a green store," he said. "I build out of recycled products."From candle holders to larger pieces like armoires and beds, Haddy works with reclaimed wood from all over the country, such as 2,500-year-old redwood."No two pieces are alike," he said.He describes the styles as craftsman, rustic elegance with a hint of country, and country primitive.

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Ashley Furniture Settles Fraud Complaints

PHOENIX -- Ashley Furniture Homestore has agreed to pay the state of Arizona $400,000 to resolve consumer complaints about deliveries and allegations of deceptive advertising.

The money will be used to pay for consumer fraud education, attorneys' fees and investigation costs. The settlement also requires Ashley Furniture Homestore to change its business practices with regard to advertising and delivery and cancellation of orders.

The settlement provides customers with a right to cancel late orders and a right to prompt repair or replacement of defective furniture. In addition, Ashley Furniture will pay restitution of $2,000 to consumers who were charged a restocking fee, and the company will replace or provide refunds of up to $8,000 to consumers who received defective furniture.

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Ashley Furniture opening in old Super Kmart

ONTARIO " Guests encountered a surprising experience upon arrival at Thursday" private opening for Ashley Furniture HomeStore, 919 Lexington-Springmill Road.

"No one would ever know this used to be a Super Kmart," said Joe Cinadr, chairman of Ontario City Council's economic development committee.

The store's interior is lavish, complete with a towering water fountain.

"It's very classy," said Deanna Kreiger, a member of the Ontario Growth Association and the Mansfield-Richland Area Chamber of Commerce. "There's a lot of choices. I just wish I had a big house to put it all in."

Local leaders and guests were able to walk throughout the 35,000-square-foot store, which offers furniture, bedding, mattresses and accessories.

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BBB complaints claim furniture store closed doors without fulfilling orders

People's Furniture, a home furnishing store located at 1310 Piper Drive near GreatMall, abruptly went out of business in early January. Since its closure, many customers have not received furniture they had purchased, nor gotten refunds, according to the Better Business Bureau.

The People's Furniture stores in Sunnyvale and Dublin also went out of business.

Despite repeated attempts, storeowners could not be reached for comment. Calls to the Milpitas store go to a voice mail service.

Since the closure, many customers sent their complaints to the Better Business Bureau of Silicon Valley.

"We just got a lot of them on Jan. 22; they just started flooding in on that date. That's when the alarms went off and it seemed something was wrong," Zach Vander Meeden, the Better Business Bureau's public relations director, said.

Bye-bye scratches, dings on furniture

Unless you live in a museum, your furniture takes a lot of hits. Wet glasses leave behind white rings. Daily use wears away the finish on the edges of tables and chairs. And then there are all the little scratches, dents, and divots that mysteriously appear on wood surfaces. Don't despair.



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Furniture trends get edgy

The new products and trends at the Las Vegas World Market Center Furniture Show are amazing. They are similar to previous markets; however there is an edgier expansion to the trends.

As at the last market, the black-and-white trend has not gone away. It has been expanded upon, not only in furniture but accessories. There were a lot of white sofas with black-and-white pillows, as well as sofas with dark wood contrasts, or white sofas shown with dark tables. These looks could be seen especially in the contemporary venues; however, they also transferred to the rustic and traditional looks. The contrast of light and dark is very graphic and is a favorite designer look.

The texture theme is still present. Fabrics with textures such as chenille, new textured and quilted fabrics on sofas, and ottomans.

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CSPC wants upholstered furniture fire rule

CSPC wants upholstered furniture fire rule

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has voted unanimously to propose a new mandatory standard concerning residential upholstered furniture.

The CPSC said the goal of the proposed standard is to prevent ignition or slow the spread and intensity of upholstered furniture fires. The commission said such U.S. fires cause about $1.6 billion in damage each year.

The CPSC staff estimated the proposed standard, once fully effective, would prevent approximately 100 deaths and 130 injuries every year.

"Fires involving upholstered furniture are a leading cause of fire-related deaths in U.S. homes," said CPSC Acting Chairman Nancy Nord. "Stopping a furniture fire in its tracks or slowing its spread would buy consumers precious time to get out of their homes."

Under the proposal, manufacturers would have to use smolder-resistant cover fabrics or interior fire resistant barriers to protect the furniture's internal filling material, which is the primary fuel in an upholstered furniture fire.

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Tigers' Championship Means Free Furniture

What proved successful for a Boston retailer last year seems to be paying off for a Memphis furniture outlet. The idea ties the selling of furniture to the Tigers' quest to win a national championship. FOX13'S Les Smith found shoppers coming to Ashley Homestores looking for slam-dunk deals. .

When times are changing, some do likewise

Imagine you are the owner of a furniture store, or a real estate agent, struggling through perhaps the nation's worst housing slump in 40 years.
Home sales are moving at a snail's pace, and consequently the demand for a five-piece bedroom set leaves something to be desired.

What do you do?

Hit the pit

If you're Ray Waldrup, you sell your furniture store and open a barbecue joint.

Set to serve its first rack of ribs by the end of next week, Ray's BBQ, at 440 W. Coleman Blvd. in Mount Pleasant, former site of Red Pepper Squirrel, is Waldrup's smokin' answer to a stifled furniture industry.

"I like to enter barbecue competitions, so this is something I've wanted to do all my life," he said. "Now just seems like the best time to try something different."

Waldrup opened a Bassett Furniture in West Ashley in 2004 and sold the business a few months ago, allowing him to shift his focus.

Details of the Ashley Furniture Homestore Appreciation Offer

Syracuse, NY (January 29, 2008) - The Syracuse Crunch announced today the details of the Ashley Furniture Homestore Appreciation Offer.

Beginning January 30 and running through February 15, any customer that makes a purchase of $599 or more at Ashley Furniture Homestore will receive a voucher for two (2) free Crunch tickets (while supplies last) to Ashley Furniture Homestore Night at the Crunch on Friday, February 15 against Binghamton.

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Furniture Buying

Furniture is the general term given for any movable and sometimes immovable objects in a home or office which is used for the support of the body and storage of goods. Home furniture can be divided into three styles. The classical or traditional styles, the transitional style a blend of the old and new and lastly the contemporary or modern styles.
It is important to plan well before we buy our furniture as these are items that we tend to keep in our home for a long period of time. So planning for the purchase of furniture will need us to look at our theme, the style, and the budget we are working
with.
It doesn't matter if you are furnishing a whole house or one room, your theme,taste and budget will determine the character of your home or room.

Home furniture usually will include furniture in the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, dining room, tables, chairs, upholstered furnishings, children's furniture, patio and outdoor furniture.

Home furniture comes in many models and are made from various materials. The most popular ones are wood, leather, fabric, plastics and metal. Home furniture should be livable yet attractive and affordable.

Office furniture have undergone new development in recent years with new lines having attractive styles which are comfortable and functional.
Most office furniture are made of laminated soft boards.
Office furniture would include items like desks, chairs, bookshelves and computer tables.

Buying furniture is never a simple task. Shopping for furniture will require looking around for the best deals without compromising on our taste and comfort.