For the Design Professional Archives

Every great room is not just a product of its layout, or colour; its style rests in the furniture and how these pieces function daily.  Living and family rooms really put their upholstered pieces to the test as they are always in heavy use.  Sofas and chairs, especially, need to last when they are used constantly for every type of activity.

Up to about twenty five years ago, fabric covered sofas and chairs were still largely made in North America so it was assumed that the quality good.  But with globalization came pressure on local manufacturers to take furniture-making off-shore in search of cheaper labor and materials.  Today, we have paid the price for this as consumers are less educated about what makes a quality sofa and why it’s important to purchase key pieces from Canadian manufacturers.

As it turns out, Canadian wood is excellent for producing not only goods like tables and bed frames, but it is also amazingly strong for building the interior structure of upholstered pieces.  In addition, the craftsmanship and knowledge of furniture builders here is substantial.  For instance, corner blocks, added for strength, dovetail joints and hardwood frames are all commonplace among good quality furniture makers in Canada.  These are very important to the long term stability of upholstery that is used regularly.

So how do you know if a sofa is good quality?  There are several key things to look for:  a solid hardwood frame is paramount to the strength of a sofa or chair.  Particle board is not hardwood!  High grade foam (which costs a lot more than the cheap stuff) is really important to the long term shape and ‘spring’ of seat pillows.  Padding added to the sides of the arms and to the back of the sofa to ‘fill it out’ also helps with its look and overall comfort (cheap sofas don’t have this…its feels like cardboard when you knock the side of the sofa). Webbing and springs also make a difference to how well a sofa will last. 

When we purchase ‘made in Canada’, not only do we have a lot more choice of sizes and materials, we often get better furniture than items imported at a lower cost.  Although it may seem like less money for a specific piece, it has incurred transportation costs, duty costs, and sometimes more people have been paid than the cost of the actual materials put into the item in the first place.  A piece made in North America means more is spent specifically on materials and labor directly affecting the item made.  Basically you are getting more “furniture” for the money!

Also, furniture made here employs Canadians and keeps our economy running.  We may pay more for goods produced here but in the long run it comes back to us as workers in the forestry and timber businesses largely in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec see their materials sold to a local market not just overseas.  And goods made here employ skilled labor to construct and even involve the retail sector. Even though some components of furniture pieces may come from other areas of the world, assembling them here in Canada keeps a lot of people busy and that’s just so good for so many.

Lastly, it may interest Canadians to know that our designs, styles and materials are often desired by other nations around the globe.  Somehow we seem to think that if it’s made here, it’s just not as good as elsewhere in the world.  Although we don’t have a long history like England, France or Italy of furniture design, building and production, many of the people who work in these fields carry the knowledge of previous generations who have immigrated here.  Not only is Canada a great place to live we make great furniture, desired by many! Let’s start to spend some loonies at home!

The Story of Yellow

Warm sunshine, happy smiley faces, Sesame Street's Big Bird...all the positive associations to yellow that our culture holds near and dear!  Yellow is a complex colour with not only a positive side to it, but some other interesting associations that have been made to it over the centuries. But one thing is for sure: it is definitely bright!

Yellow's Beginnings

Yellow Ochre pigment is naturally occurring, found in clay in many parts of the world.  It is non toxic and has been used in painting since prehistoric times. This material has appeared in cave paintings and other depictions all over the world given its easy accessibility. 

"Indian" Yellow is a pigment used centuries ago named for its formation in India.  It is a transparent and fluorescent material that was used in oil paintings.  It was claimed to have been produced from the urine of Indian cows fed only on Mango leaves!  This is a local tale but interestingly, yellow, and shades derived from it like ochre have their own tales specific to the region in which it was obtained. 

During the 15th century and up until modern and synthetic pigments were created, yellow was produced from saffron. This is a Mediterranean crocus from which its stamen was dried for the colour.  You can still purchase saffron today and when mixed with water, see its bright yellow pigment exposed.

Yellow and its Use

Uses of yellow over the centuries have been varied.  It has had a dubious history as the colour assigned to the star of David, a symbol forced to be worn by Jewish slaves  in Mediterranean and European Medieval kingdoms. 

In the tenth century, it was customary in France to paint the doors of felons and criminals in yellow so that they could be identified in the local area. 

But by the 16th century and the rule of Queen Elizabeth I, yellow had come to signify hope and renewal.  During this time, however, clothing colours were dictated by your rank and class so it was really the upper crust who enjoyed the positive benefits of yellow apparel! Yellow dye was very costly and only the very wealthy could afford it anyway.

Yellow and the Brain

Yellow has been recently seen as the colour most associated to high intelligence.  Studies have suggested that citrus and pine smells (both often produced in the colour yellow) to have the greatest affect on mental abilities.  In jest, it has even been pondered that those who select yellow as their favorite colour, have a higher IQ than others who choose different hues!

And then there are also other less positive studies which have shown that babies cry more in yellow nurseries!  Perhaps this has less to do with the baby's distaste for the wall colour but rather that bright yellow can have a rather unappealing refection on skin-tone resulting in parents being more apt to pick their baby up thinking its ill.  Thus an infant's learned response to colour!

But yellow sure can be bright! It has the highest Light Reflective Value (LRV) of any colour, so if you want a bright room, select yellow not white  (a great 'happy' but livable yellow is Benjamin Moore's Honey Harbour CC-170 - not a tacky yellow).

Red is one of the most ubiquitous colours in our modern world today.  It is used in advertising, packaging, home decor, children's items, flags etc. The list is endless.  Red is a very interesting and most well known colour as it is a part of so much of what we do and say. Just think of some of the phrases that use the colour red in them:  "red with anger", "The Reds"--signifying Communists, "redheads".  The colour Red is an important colour in many facets of our lives.

Red and Culture

Ever wonder why your guy looks charming, not cheezy, in his red winter hat?  The colour signals power and success--universally attractive qualities, say University of Rochester psychologists whose recent experiments showed that women find men who wear red more sexually desirable.  The connection is deeply rooted in history:  Red has traditionally been seen as a colour of authority and prosperity across societies, such as those of ancient Rome and China, for thousands of years.

It is with great pride that I introduce a new furniture line that Gresham House Furniture Manufacturing Inc., builders of fine upholstered furniture has produced in partnership with Jane Lockhart Interior Design called: The Platinum Collection.

There are five main pieces in The Platinum Collection:

• Sofas - 1 full-size tuxedo sofa, 1 full-size sofa with a demi-arm and show-wood base
• Chairs - 1 stylish swivel chair, 1 tailored club chair
• Ottoman - square 42" with oil rubbed bronze metal X-base and upholstered top

I absolutely adore fabric!  Whether silk, or satin, damask or linen,  it adds so much to a room; it creates a feel; it is part of history....fabric is so interesting! And it is never to be overlooked when designing or decorating a space.

Here are some interesting facts about fabric that I think are cool and even useful!

1)  Flax is the earliest known natural textile fabric seen used in about 5000 BC. Flax is the material used to make linen which is seeing a huge come back today in drapery and upholstery.

2)  There is evidence that cotton and wool were used to create natural fabrics in about 3000 BC and evidence of silk use in 2500 BC in China.

3)  China is still the largest maker and exporter of silk in the world and has been for 100's of years. 

4)  The earliest evidence of fabric textiles has been found in Turkey, Egypt and Israel.

5)  The creation of man-made fibers has only been within the last 100 years.  Rayon, was the first man-made fiber created in 1910 and it was called 'artificial silk'. Viscose is the most common form of Rayon.

6)  Microfibre or Ultrasuede was invented over 20 years ago in Japan.  Microfibre is the thinnest of all man-made fibres, even finer than silk.  it is 100 times finer than a human hair.

7)  Acrylic is a man-made fibre that has a soft, wool-like hand, is machine washable and has excellent colour retention.  It is often an additive to textiles to take advantage of these properties.

8)  Nylon is also man-made and was first produced in 1938.  It has high strength, excellent resilience and superior abrasion resistence.  Nylon replaced silk stockings for women in the early part of the 20th century.

9)  The highest quality cotton still comes from Eqypt.

10)  Bamboo is a grass that has been used to create a fabric that hangs much like a heavy linen.  Interestly it has natural wicking ability that pulls moisture away from the skin so it can be useful in reducing moisture related ordour.  It also has natural anti-baterial qualities.  And it is sustainable as bamboo grows quickly and doesn't need pestisides to thrive.