Here I was hired to promote London Apartments:

One of our favorite shows on TV is HGTV's "House Hunters International." We are so envious of families that just pick up and move to warmer climates, or move to a country because of their love of its beauty and history. Most advice concerning moves to another country are to rent first before buying.

Now there's another reason to seek short-term accommodations. The summer Olympics are coming to the UK beginning July 27th through August 12th. Wouldn't it be grand to take in the two weeks of competition?

Londoners Robert And Polly Arnold with their three children Rachel, Jonny and Mike have a vast knowledge of Central London. Through their company London Apartments, they can help you find the perfect place for short or long term apartments and hotels stays. They can also provide relevant information about locations and places of local interest.

Let's face it, when you go online searching on your own pictures can be misleading. Wouldn't it be great to have an adviser to steer you toward the valued B&B's and apartments not only in London but in Europe and Worldwide. I know I would!

You can email Robert And Polly Arnold at London Apartments or just call. Let go of the aggravation and enjoy the Olympics. Use London Apartments when you visit the UK.

A recent post about client Bar Stools AtoZ:

We have ordered a lot of barstools for our interior design clients over the last ten years.  They have been either wood or metal and have come in many styles and many heights.  We were looking at the website of our friends Bar Stools AtoZ.  We noticed that the site has some great information about bar stools on the page titled Barstool Buying Guide:

If you are buying real estate, one of the first questions is, “What’s your budget?”  When you are shopping for bar stools one of the first questions is, “How often will the bar stools be used?”  If the answer is every day, then you will need either metal stools or something in wood that's well made.

One more thing, metals stools while offered in many finishes and are are sturdy, can be heavy to move. Wooden stools can match any décor, but if used in direct sunlight can dry out and fade.

Do you want a bar stool that is stationary or swivels?  Bar Stools AtoZ says the choice comes down to the users.  Is it for the mother-in-law who may want easy access or a child who needs focus. Then there’s the question of how many bar stools do you need for your space and the height of the table or bar.  Bar stools run from 15 to 24 inches wide, and the person using the bar stool needs about 25 inches, so a six-foot plus counter could use up to three stools.  Stools with swivels or arms would need more space. 

There are basically three bar stool heights: Dining is 18 to 20 inches high, Counter is 24 to 26 inches high and Bar is 28 to 30 inches high.  So be sure to measure the height.

Finally, you need bar jokes.  Our friends at Bar Stools AtoZ have some great examples, but they’ve missed a few. In a recently read book titled "Dove Season" by Johnny Shaw, a father and son play a word game called “Walks Into A Bar” in which you pick a subject and then make up jokes about it.  For example the subject is “A Boat.”

A boat walks into a bar.

The bartender says, “I’m sorry we don’t serve boats here!”

The boat says, “But, I’m about to keel over!”

A boat walks into a bar.

The bartender says, “I’m sorry we don’t serve boats here!”

The boat says, “But, I heard you serve schooners!”

Here's a recent post about client Bunk Beds A to Z:

I have had a fondness for the Bunk Bed as a solution for space problems ever since I was in the army.  There for six months, at Ft Lewis and Ft Ord, I lived with a platoon of men where we spent hours in the evening polishing our gear and arranging our foot lockers for inspection.  We smoked and laughed, played cards and told stories about our girls back home. Every morning we made our beds so tight that our drill sergeant could bounce a quarter on the army blanket that encased our mattress.

Again a Bunk Bed came to mind as Bev and I watched HGTV’s “House Hunter International.”  Sometimes a family moving to Milan or Puerto Vallerta or New Zealand needs more bedrooms than fits their budget and a solution is to double up the kids in a room using bunk beds. It’s an elegant solution.

According to our friends at BunkbedsAtoZ, these great beds are manufactured in metal and wood; in a variety of finishes and can be twin over twin, twin over full, full over full and even futon bunk beds.

There are some safety items to keep in mind:

1.     The upper bunk should have guardrails and should be close to the wall.  The army violated both of these rules, yet I never saw a tipped over bunk bed and no one ever fell out of bed in their sleep.

2.     The top bunk should be for the older child.

3.   There should be cross ties under the mattress of each bed.  Again, the army violated this rule.  I went to sleep at night with those coil springs of the top bunk sagging in my face.

4.     There should be a ladder and the children should be taught to use it.

5.     No roughhousing or jumping on the beds!

6.     Use a night light so the ladder can be seen for use in the night.

Call us if you have a particular need for Bev to research.

Something To Remember

[Infographic provided by Grammar.net]

MailBoxPoint Client

Beverly and I want a new mailbox and new house numbers for the porch. We’ve been to the big box stores looking at their numbers, but we weren’t thrilled with the selection. We wanted something with a little more style. Today, we came across MailBoxPoint. Lo and behold, they had what we were looking for, contemporary house numbers. And you can compare prices to similar products elsewhere.

When I looked at the wall hanging mailboxes to replace our current mailbox, I couldn’t believe the choices: 537 items starting at $52.90. This is also the place to go for multi-unit mailboxes, slots and mail drops, signage, and décor like doorbells and weather vanes.

Finally, what about service? The website says the manufacturer of each product is readily available, along with weights, dimensions, and all other statistics related to the product. There is “zoom in” feature on the website which allows you to examine details and features that are important to you. Finally, MailBoxPoint has a Customer Service Team that is available via Live Chat, a “Contact Us” e-mail, or you can just call them..

New Rattan Furniture Client

Monday is the first day of spring and our thoughts turn to living outside as soon as the sun warms us. Spring is also the time when we go out on our deck and assess the winter rain and snow damage. For many of us after we refinish the deck and replant the planters with colorful flowers, we realize that the outdoor furniture is looking a little shabby. Rather than take that high-gas price road trip, we decide to shop for new deck furniture. The home décor magazines stimulate us with pictures of rattan garden furniture in light and dark shades.

A little research reveals that rattan and wicker are used, interchangeably. People may say they have  rattan furniture or a wicker chair. They shouldn’t be confused. Rattan is a relative of the tropical palm tree that grows along the ground. The vines can be as long as 500 feet long. There is no material on Earth called wicker. Wicker is the result of weaving rattan or some other fiber to form furniture.

Rattan is considered to be one of the strongest woods available, since its grain grows vertically instead of forming the concentric rings of most other hardwoods. Rattan vines may also be peeled mechanically to form thin slats for weaving. The straight rattan is usually steamed and then bent into the desired shape through the use of specialized shapers. Once the rattan has dried, it will retain its shape forever.

Rattan is ideal for outdoor use, because it is lightweight and easy to clean. Just wipe it down with a cloth dipped in warm-soapy water. However, synthetic rattan should be considered, if the furniture will be out in the rain. Rain will ruin natural rattan.

One of the new innovations is the rattan cube set. The Cube Four set is a modern four-seater dining set that packs away in to a neat cube form. The Seville Sofa set pictured here includes a rattan sofa, two armchairs and a coffee table.

A New Bedding and Bedroom Furniture Client

Start With A Pillow (Reprint from Landfair on Furniture)

I sold Thom McAn shoes through high school and in college sold shoes at Nordstrom's. After the sale I tried to sell a pair of sneakers with the dress shoes, or a purse with pumps or polish. With men I tried for shoe laces and polish. 

What fascinates me about the selling process is the point where you try to add bedding  to the mattress sale. Is the customer upgrading from full mattress to Queen or Queen to King sized mattress, then they need mattress covers and sheets and pillows and blankets. Then where do you bring up the health issues of bed bugs and dust mites and how to protect the sleep environment from these pests, and also the air in the room. If you wait until the end to discuss add-ons the customer is going to start screaming, "Get me out of here!"

In the latest issue of "Furniture World" there's a fascinating article titled Sleep Essentials about the sleep industry and bedding.

We know from a recent study that 60 percent of consumers within two to three weeks of buying a new mattress end up purchasing new pillows, a mattress protector, sheets and other top of bed items. It’s just natural for them to want to start with a cleaner, healthier environment.

 “We’ve found that about 28 percent of customers, when they buy a new mattress, also end buying a whole bunch of new stuff that day...Once they’ve purchased the mattress, this group is going to buy a pillow and a new set of sheets somewhere. That’s just what they do anyway. They would never dream of putting old stuff on their new bed.”

The author Russell Bienenstock says retailers have had great success starting with the pillow. Give the customers a choice of pillows at the start. In fact the pillow they choose gives a good indication of what kind of bed they will choose. Provide freshly laundered pillow covers for the pillows, then let the customers carry the pillow around as they try different beds.

Some retailers throw in pillows for free.  The study says watch how your customer holds the pillow.  If the customer holds it by the top, then not much value is placed on the pillow. However, if the customer cuddles the pillow or carries it like a baby, then you have a pillow sale.

Now it feels like you are a professional, selling a healthy sleep system rather than just a mattress. I know the successful Bedroom furniture retailers sell that way.

Posted by Mike Landfair at 5:58 AM