True North Interior Design & Antiques

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Pale & Interesting

Dan & I have been quite taken by this book, Pale & Interesting bu Atlanta Bartlett & Dave Coote. It is decorating with whites, pastels and neutrals for a warm and welcoming home. It seems to be our "winter" theme in our booth lately here in Grand Rapids at Bluedoor so I thought I would share a few photos with you. Please contact us for pricing on any piece that you see here. Always glad to help.

Thanks for taking a look!

Dan & CJ

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Dreamy Bedding

Fall & winter are always a time of nesting for me & I have always loved fine cotton sheets, down feather beds, pillows and comforters, quilts and wool blankets. As the days grow darker and colder I burrow in.

As an Interior Designer I find great joy in dressing a bed, working with the fabrics to create that inviting aaaaaahhhhhhh bed. Once a few years ago my Mom was helping me put clean sheets on my bed and making the bed. With the poofy layers of a down feather bed, down pillows and a down comforter she couldn't resit turning around and falling like a snow angel into that marvelous mound of down!

I carry a couple of lines of favorite bedding through my Interior Design studio and one of them is Traditions Linens. I was reminded again this week what an awesome company this is when a new package of fabric samples and bedding catalogs arrived in the mail. They are a bedding company that sells custom made duvet covers, shams, bed skirts & shower curtains as well as coverlets in a wide range of patterns and colors, beautiful wool blankets, towels and incredible sheets. Here are a few images of their products that I sell.

Another really great thing about this company is that I can purchase fabric by the yard for upholstery, window treatments etc. from them. I have done that as much as I have ordered bedding.

These are a few of the new fabric samples that arrived this week - so pretty!

Also this super cool stripe linen market bag has been discontinued and there are a few left. Any one interested contact me. They are available @ a close out price of $45.00 plus tax and shipping.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Harvest Tables out of repurposed vintage materials

For the last couple of years we have been building harvest tables. All of our tables are constructed out of vintage materials. For the tops of these tables we use doors, flooring and even salvage existing table tops. The legs are salvaged from table legs, stairway newel posts, or porch posts.

Most of our tables have painted bases with natural finished or stained tops. However we have also sold a few tables that are completely painted. Since this summer we have sold such a large number of tables that I now find myself on the prowl for more materials. I currently have a waiting list of people wanting tables. This Fall I even had three people buy my tables and cut them down for large coffee tables.

The small tables that are thirty inches wide and five to six feet long are the easiest to find materials for. The larger tables that are forty two inches wide and seven to ten feet long are the hardest to find materials for. I do my best to accommodate peoples requests for certain sizes however I am limited by what I can find. I have thought about using newer wood but I just don't enjoy the finished results. I love the feel of wood that has a history and that has the look of a real primitive table.
The latest table currently at Bluedoor here in Grand Rapids already has a sold sign on it. As I can find more material and time I will be building more and try to keep at least one or two in our current spaces at Bluedoor here in Grand Rapids or up north in our space at Then and Now in Petoskey. This is one of the largest repurposed projects we do that I have a real passion for. It is very satisfying to see the character of the finished wood top that was at one time a barn door or the legs of the table that were at one time a porch posts on a porch come to life as a table that loves like it has been around for one hundred years.
Of course with each one I build CJ always asks me when she will be building her harvest table. This winter I might just have to make time to make one that comes home with me.
If you have interest in having a table built don't hesitate to contact us. Prices vary with the size and type of materials used. All tables are finished in the same primitive way we finish all of the furniture we work on. If you have materials you think we could use please contact us as well. We are always on the lookout for interesting wood that we can use to build these tables.

Monday, December 31, 2012

Happy New Year's Eve

Happy New's Eve everyone! Be safe out there tonight!

Sunday, December 30, 2012

The Artist in Me

For my birthday this year I was gifted this wonderful book about being creative. Having read the book the subject of creativity and our business has been on my mind ever since.
Being creative is an important part of any business. For our business being creative in the design part of our business may seem obvious and the many items we repupose out of vintage also call upon our creative side. But creativity in marketing our product and deciding how to display our product are also important parts of any business.
One of the particular things I loved about this book was its premise that nothing is original. The author encourages people to embrace all influences, collect ideas, remix and re-imagine in order to discover what your path is. I am always amazed at how people claim ideas as their own as though they own them and no one else can copy them. This author claims that no one owns an idea and that if an idea inspires you you need to own it and work with it. If you truly work with an idea you are copying; I believe that if you are true to yourself you will make it your own. Nothing is original, we all borrow ideas from the things we see and experience.

I think if you do what you love it will show in your work. Collect pictures and ideas of what you love.That doesn't mean that you won't be bored or frustrated sometime. Make a list of the things you can do when you are bored with what you are working on. If something isn't working out give yourself a break and work on a different project. Be curious about all things that interest you.

Do not be afraid to fail. I almost hate to say this because I learn from everything I do whether everything works out like I want it to. Even the "failures" often let me know which directions I need to go in and what I need to move away from. Some time things don't work out or I don't like the end product. I have at times created things that I like but I just can't get the money I need for the time I have invested. Be prepared to change.

Do what you do because it is important to you. There will always be people who don't like you or what you do. This often has nothing to do with you. Some people just seem to find fault like there is a reward for it. I don't mean that you shouldn't listen to constructive criticism or evaluations of your work but just remember some people are just negative and they get their power by trying to make you feel inferior about what you are doing. Don't listen to them!! I speak as someone that spent many years not finishing projects because I was afraid that my finished project wouldn't be deemed perfect enough.

If you don't like the rules make new ones. I grew up in a setting that was sometimes so rigid that I often accepted the rules that were laid out for me even those they didn't work. I spent alot of time trying to make my life fit those rules when in fact I should have changed the rules. Creative minds are rarely tidy. Do what works for you.

Finally, you can't use up creativity. The more you are creative the more you creative you will be.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Merry Christmas!!

It is Christmas eve! We actually didn't have a very busy Christmas season as far as our family obligations but some how the season has just flown by.
A couple of weeks ago we had Christmas with my son and daughter and their spouses. Cj's parents have already taken off for Florida so we are having and enjoying a quiet Christmas together. We are always grateful for any time we get together. CJ has had a modest amount of design work this year and the antique, repurposing, creating side of our business has kept us incredibly busy. But we are so grateful for all the work we have and through it all the support of friends, family, and faithful clients.