Home Decor | Home Decoration Pro

Home Decoration Pro; Glassart Decor

Would glassart fit into your home décor blueprint? What exactly is glassart? Can it be a profitable investment, and what are the details one needs to know? These are some of the questions I’m going to help you answer about the subject and I think you will enjoy the trip. You’ll see an example of how glassart is made as well as discover some essential resources if you’re interested in learning more. I’ll even enlighten you about an annual event at the Miami Beach Convention Center that will be a fun and intriguing show to visit if you’re in the area. What a great reason to visit Miami in the winter!

Glass Art Vase

Glassart (usually referred to professionally as “art glass”) is an art medium that has been used for centuries that’s evolved into one of the finest and most interesting of all art forms in my opinion. According to Peenstra Appraisals, “Art glass” refers to collectible glass pieces that have been crafted into works of art by a glass artisan. This could mean a vase, a pitcher, a bird figurine, a bowl or a variety of other forms.” To get a quick visual lesson of some of the most beautiful and interesting I’ve seen take a quick peek at a few of one of Dale Chihuly’s most impressive works on his web site. Dale, from Seattle, is noted throughout the art realm as one of the most gifted art glass artisans in the world. Art glass comes in all sizes, colors and styles, and you will be amazed at what’s available on the market. With today’s energy prices, labor prices, and high taxes, baked into the pricing along with the highly valued craftsmanship of the masters, it’s going to be a lot easier to start with older productions, and here’s an example of what can happen: “What my research uncovered was that John Lotton had recently retired from blowing glass and collectors were grabbing up his pieces because they knew they would become scarce. I learned that our $800.00 investment had instantly risen in value to about $1400. Today this vase would conservatively bring about $1700.00 at auction!” That was in 6 years, and comes from Deb Petersen Fitzsimmons of Molten Splendor, who deals in some beautiful wares.

If you decide to take the plunge and invest, be sure it’s not a low quality Chinese import which covers a large portion of the market. The mass Chinese productions are easily identifiable once you get familiar with the flaws, light weight, surface applications and their over all low quality. Because of a finish that’s usually added, the performance and visual stability of this particular medium is very disappointing. On the other side of the scale, Dale Chihuly’s hand crafted productions are definitely on the high end, but so is the quality. That doesn’t mean new productions are the only thing on the market that’s worthwhile. There are plenty of valuable antiques that are beautiful as well as some lesser known artist’s productions that have proven to be amazing art, and a great investment. As with any art, before purchasing, make sure it’s something you’re going to enjoy for an extended time. Today’s uptrend may be tomorrow’s downtrend, but if you enjoy your art on a daily basis in your own home or office you’re still going to realize your value.

The number one antique show in the USA will be arriving at the Miami Beach Convention Center February 2nd-6th, 2012 and according to Reyne Haines of “Justglass” who appears on Antiques Road Show, there will be plenty of art glass dealers on hand (over 800 expected) and will be a great place to learn what to look for as well as find beautiful and valuable art “at all price points.” Older, good quality art glass is easier to purchase and are some of the very best values since you’re not paying for today’s high production costs according to Reyne. And who knows, you may even win one of the free men’s or women’s Rolex watches to be given away at the event!

Robert Kaindl Art Glass

Before you go, lets take some quick notes about what to look for according to Glass Facets Glass Collecting: “The body should be free of paper burns, chill marks and cords. Paper burns are small bits of ash that stuck to the glass when cooling and shaping. They look like dull spots in the layers. Chill marks are uneven waves of glass; they refract light differently than the surrounding area. And finally cords are waves of glass that look like strands of material that refract differently than the surrounding glass.” Another thing I’ve learned is the deeper the color, the more difficulty there is in achieving a high quality piece. Additionally as I witnessed at Mary Hill Museum above the Columbia River in the state of Washington about 18 months ago, was the variety of interesting items that are being made. I witnessed some gorgeous and intriguing designs by William Morris from Seattle, one of Dale Chihuly’s trainees, who has become very well known in the glass art world for his own expertise.

If you have a safe area to display in your home or office, are excited about this concept, and ares prepared to make an investment into glass art, remember to purchase something you’re going to hang on to and enjoy no matter what the monetary value. If you get educated, shop carefully, and plan carefully regarding your decor surroundings there’s no reason you can’t find just the item (or two or three, or ?) that fits your style perfectly. You may even find a decor treasure that will become a financial treasure!

If you’re scouting for some upscale silk floral decor for home or office be sure to check us out. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, our experienced craftsmen can probably put it together if you let us know what you need at the Silky Flower Store. If you’re not familiar with us yet we offer silk floral centerpieces, wall sconces, silk plants, silk floral wreaths, and silk trees and topiaries.

Check out the short video of the glass art making process by glass artist Ion Tamaian. I think you will be thoroughly entertained for 2 1/2 minutes.

My Best, Billy Goldmark

Home Decoration Pro; Virtual Bedroom Decor Ideas Review

How to plan painting that next room can be easy and exciting if you know how to see the results before you even start. Digital is here, so put it to use when planning for that bedroom makeover project, or submit the results to your decorator and know it’s going to be perfect when the job is finished. There’s a well known company offering a virtual design system you’re going to want to know about, and I reveal the details. If you can’t save yourself some time with this system and come up with some great ideas, you’re not even trying. I’ve evaluated the reviews of this particular paint company’s products, but the results are mixed. Their virtual interior paint system however is definitely more than useful, and it’s an up to date web system anyone can use successfully. Here’s how it works: Take digital pictures of each bedroom wall (or any room you’re interested in re-styling) including the ceiling, download to your computer (don’t forget the file name), go to the web site, submit, choose your colors, and you’re on your way to an exciting new bedroom decor.

Who’s the company and what’s the plan? Be patient and learn a little about what I’ve found, and lets not forget the furnishing details for your new décor theme. Nearly all décor themes you ever see will include floral arrangements and greenery to help set an inviting tone.

Comfy & Plush With Added Life

If you have time and money to buy and replace flower arrangements weekly, no one has allergies, and you have people to maintain your house plants while on vacation, go ahead. Otherwise, you will be money ahead using today’s computer designed, realistic silk plants, silk flower arrangements and dried natural arrangements from a reputable company that guarantees your satisfaction.

I invested over an hour registering, reading and watching the tips, taking pictures of our bedroom, “masking” and “painting” with this company’s virtual system. My rating of the system? To be fair, I give the company an over all rating of 7 out of 10, but my experience was about a 5 since I wasn’t able to get the masking system to work. I’m assuming it’s my error, but the ease of use rating is a 6 on my rating scale. The registration is not long, but a bit irritating when in a hurry. The short video tools for using the system are a must, but short and to the point. The video is a bit fast in some areas, but you can keep replaying each step until you retain the info.

The color scheme system works well when planning the colors you’re going to use, and once you pick your primary, three other matching accent colors are offered. This is a great help, and the color shade adjustments work well if you want to tweak them for your style. Overall a great system providing you can overcome the masking step problem. You can even create your own “workbook” and come back to it when needed.

The well known paint company that provides the virtual system is top rated on Consumers Reports. However after reading a dozen reviews by users don’t let Consumers make your decision. Be very careful in choosing your paint brand, and by all means:

Experiment with paint samples on your walls before you purchase your paint.

Do NOT buy 5 gallon containers in this market as paint is getting old.

Do NOT use commercial thinners without carefully experimenting.

Some paints will be ruined if you use a certain commercial thinner according to a review on Consumers Reports who learned the hard way. (See their top rated paint reviews).

To summarize, that new painting project can be a lot of fun planning with the virtual system, as well as effective. Follow the easy steps and you can see how your new room will look (or very close). Next, purchase samples of the paint colors you found in the sheen you want. If you’re doing the project yourself I recommend going to the store and previewing the appropriate color strips to decide which paint samples to try. Don’t be too conservative with this step, as too many paint samples are better than not enough. Save yourself an extra trip to the store. Now try your colors on the surfaces and and let them dry over night. How does it look in the various light sources? Happy with the colors AND the paint performance? If you don’t like the paint’s attributes choose a different brand. Use the color strips from the first source to help you find the right choice, but do some research before you choose.

Be sure to read our previous post about color trends if you don’t know where to start, and don’t miss the tip about skipping the masking step! These tips are in the same post: Exciting Grays Take Over Beige.

See a quick video of the system.

4RRT3YN8M7BE

My Best, Billy Goldmark Silky Flower Store

Home Decoration Pro; “Easy Off” Wall Coverings

There are quite a number of “Easy Off” wall coverings available from different sources, but I only know of one that allows you to submit a photo of what you want and within minutes place your order for up to a 20′ x 20′ wall covering. With a new season just ahead of us (Fall/2011) this may be a great time to make a change in your wall decor. There is a new start up company I’m referring to by the name of InkShuffle.com. After an extensive site review and comparison search, here are some details about the products and services they offer:

coverings are easily removed without wall damage or paint removal

smaller size of 3′ x 3′ starts at $54.90

7′ x 8′ example of Thanksgiving Bounty is $246.96

murals, posters & canvas wraps

installation very similar to wallpaper

over 2,000,000 stock designs advertised on site

30 different categories in murals

high quality digital photos accepted for printing

murals can be cropped, filtered and customized

pre-pasted

requires at least two people and 24″ water trays for installation

Flower background "Easy - Off" Design

I’ve included one of the better images that illustrates a stock pattern example that may be acceptable for some Victorian decor if you don’t mind the untextured semi gloss designs.
I found the site to be interesting and flexible for using one’s own art files, however I don’t visualize recommending their stock art for most professional offices or high end homes. The semi gloss scenes, patterns, and photos may work well for some, but they’re not my style . So much of what I reviewed was pop art, Asian scenic graphics, children’s room art, city scenes, pictures of cows…….you get the idea. If that’s what you’re looking for you can choose from one of the 30 categories, and actually kids and young adults may actually love them. The other option is to submit your own art, but the final product will be a flat, semi-gloss, untextured surface. Colors will be vivid, and installation will be similar to wallpaper, but cosmopolitan it’s not.

Halloween Theme for your wall.

I’m sure they have a great niche producing wall coverings from their customer’s own art, but for me a semi-gloss photo on the wall doesn’t cut it. One thing to remember is that with a photographic mural on your wall your stuck with it until you change it. There’s no logical way to alter the decor of the “Halloween Theme,” and how long do you want to celebrate Halloween? Using more traditional patterns you can decorate with your favorite framed art, wall sconces, or other wall art. There are quite a number of patterns available with a repetitive theme, but none I like. The idea of a wall photo scene is too limiting. I had a wall photo when I was a teenager and it was fun for awhile, but then I got tired of the same scene day after day and outgrew the concept. What’s your opinion of this wall covering format? Am I being too critical of them? It’s for you to decide.

My Best, Billy Goldmark Silky Flower Store