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Armoires & Chifferrobes & Bears, OH MY!

May 3, 2016 By Sharon 2 Comments

My husband uses the word “chifferrobe” every chance he gets. He also loves old movies, old music, and nostalgia. If the word “chifferrobe” reminds you of “To Kill A Mockingbird,” there’s a good reason. Apparently it’s used 11 times in the 1962 novel.  Needless to say, it’s not a modern term. But whether you use the word “chifferrobe” or prefer to say “armoire,” you probably haven’t said either word very often lately. These furniture pieces are not exactly “trending!” I met an antique collector on a plane recently chifferobewho said, “what’s the difference between an armoire and a husband?” “You can get rid of a husband.”

Since moving to Bryn Mawr 2 years ago I’ve sold a few pieces of furniture on the Philly/Main Line High End Yard Sale Facebook page. Lots of towns have something like it so if you’re looking for an armoire, (first ask yourself “why?”) then start there. It seems everybody has an armoire they want to get rid of. Including me.

I made the mistake of agreeing to buy not 1 but 2 armoires from the previous owner of my home. I thought one would be great for housing a TV in my boys’ room, when they come to visit. Wrong. Millennials watch TV on their laptops. The other I planned to convert into a self-serve bar, with storage for stemware, glasses, and bottles. I thought it would lead guests out of the congested kitchen area and into our seldom-used living room… wrong again! Guests prefer to hang out where the action/appetizers are. So I’m stuck with 2 armoires/chifferrobes/dinosaurs.  I urge you not to make the same mistake. Don’t agree to buy someone else’s cast-off unless you’re sure you want that albatross.

Built-in closets, bars, cabinets and shelves, not only add value to your home, they also serve as stream-lined clutter free storage when equipped with doors to hide what’s behind them. Armoires are heavy, hard to move, and even harder to get rid of.  So for now, I guess I’m keeping the chifferobe, the armoire, and the husband.

 

 

Filed Under: Decorating Advice, Decorating Mishaps, Edit and Organize

Time for some Life Changing?

September 6, 2015 By jlenartweary Leave a Comment

At first, I would have tag-lined this book, “tiger mom meets home organizer,” but after reading (most of) it, I’d recommend it to everyone whoSharon-tidying up book struggles with keeping their home organized and clutter-free. (who doesn’t?)

#1 NYT best seller, Marie Kondo’s advice on whether to toss/donate or not: “Keep only those things that spark joy when you touch them.”

But don’t be fooled, her process is extreme and nothing like what you’ve heard before about “tidying up!”

Filed Under: Edit and Organize

Spark Passion

September 6, 2015 By jlenartweary Leave a Comment

Feng shui says if you want to “spark passion” this is the type of picture you should hang in the right corner opposite the door in your bedroom. Just sayin… Have a good weekend!Sharon Bird Picture

Filed Under: Color, Decorating Advice

Does your Room look like this?

August 13, 2015 By Sharon Leave a Comment

Styles change, colors change.  Chances are, your hair has changed in the past 20 years. After all, change is good for the soul and the eyes.
This photo is compliments of Borden Home Wallcoverings brochure, circa 1987.  If your home resembles anything in this photo, call me… ASAP!1987 decorating brochure

Filed Under: Decorating through the Ages

Color Kittens

August 13, 2015 By Sharon Leave a Comment

I’ve always had a love affair with color.  Now my job is to help my decorating clients surround themselves in colors they love!  One of my key responsibilities is to help them find the color palette they would be happy to live in.  There is inspiration everywhere and it can sometimes beOriginal Color Kittens overwhelming.  One great place to find color palettes that delight are book covers.

Color Kittens was one of my favorite books as a  little girl.  Part of the Little Golden Book series, this was a story I enjoyed again and again.  Although I loved the story, I always thought the cover (on the right) was a bit creepy.

Imagine my surprise when 220px-Color_KittensI encountered my favorite book recently, with a brand new cover.

The Color Kittens is a children’s book by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen published in 1949.

The story revolves around two kittens, “Hush” and “Brush,” who attempt to create green paint through mixing their other paints. Their attempts, amusingly, lead to a variety of different hues—none of them green. The book’s famous catch phrase is “Blue is blue, and red is red! They still need green!”

Children’s book author and illustrator Paul O. Zelinsky, for whom the book was a childhood favorite and inspiration, said that, “In a way, the book was written to teach facts about color, but its real subject is the huge pleasure to be found in the seeing and feeling of color.”

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Color Tagged With: Home Staging

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