Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

MANHATTAN Its probably a bit early to hope that the cold days of winter are in the rear view mirror, but homeowners with dreams of a lush summer lawn should already be concocting their spring work schedule.

Nows a good time to make a lawn care plan, said Ward Upham, a K-State Research and Extension specialist in horticulture. I suggest marking dates on a calendar so that important tasks are not forgotten.

A majority of Kansas homeowners grow such cool-season grasses as bluegrass and tall fescue. In the southern and western parts of the state, Bermuda, zoysia and Buffalo grass are popular warm-season grasses.

Upham, who for nearly 30 years has answered homeowners questions through the universitysHorticulture Information Center, said the months leading up to summer are crucial for setting up the home lawn for success.

Fertilizing at the correct time can help prepare our cool-season grasses for the stresses of summer, Upham said. If you fertilize too little, the turfgrass plants enter the summer in a weakened condition. If you fertilize too much, the plant responds by growing faster, which leads to mowing more often or removing too much of the leaf blade at one time.

Follow guidelines so that you fertilize at the correct time and with the correct rate, which leads to healthy plants that are better able to fight off disease and weed invasion.

K-State publishes aweekly horticulture newsletterwith tips to help home gardeners maintain healthy landscapes. The Feb. 18 issue outlines a schedule to help homeowners care for their lawns.

For cool-season grasses:

March spot treat broadleaf weeds, if necessary. Weeds should be treated on a day that is 50 degrees F or warmer. Do not water the lawn for at least 24 hours.

April Apply crabgrass preventer when redbud trees are in full bloom. The preventer needs to be watered in before it will start to work. One-quarter inch of water is enough.

May Fertilize the lawn with a slow-release fertilizer if you water your lawn, or if you normally receive enough rainfall that the lawn doesnt go drought-dormant during the summer. Spot treat broadleaf weeds with a spray or use a fertilizer that includes weed killer. Rain or irrigation within 24 hours will decrease the effectiveness of the weed killer, but fertilizer needs to be watered in. If using a product with both fertilizer and weed killer, wait 24 hours before watering.

For warm-season grasses:

Marchspot treat broadleaf weeds, if necessary. Weeds should be treated on a day that is 50 degrees F or warmer. Do not water the lawn for at least 24 hours.

April Apply crabgrass preventer when redbud trees are in full bloom. The preventer needs to be watered in before it will start to work. One-quarter inch of water is enough.

May August 15Fertilize with one pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet per application. Follow the recommendations on the bag.

More applications will give a deeper green color, but will increase mowing and lead to thatch buildup with zoysia, Upham said. Bermudagrass can also have problems with thatch buildup but thatch is less likely with Bermuda than zoysia.

Upham suggested that homeowners should plan on two to four applications of fertilizer for Bermudagrass, and one to two for zoysia and Buffalograss. He offered the following guidelines to determine when to apply fertilizer:

One Application: Apply in June.

Two Applications: Apply May and July.

Three Applications: Apply May, June, and early August.

Four Applications: Apply May, June, July, and early August.

For a complete lawn care schedule stretching through November, subscribe toK-States weekly horticulture newsletter, which includes information on fruit, vegetables, trees and a variety of other landscape topics.

Interested persons also can visitK-States Horticulture Information Center online, or send email to Upham at[emailprotected].

Excerpt from:
Now's the time to prep for healthy summer lawns - Salina Post

Great Notion Brewing, the pioneer known for popularizing New England IPAs in Portland along with boundary-pushing culinary-style beers, this weekend opens its new westside location.

The Cedar Mill taproom, at 230 N.W. Lost Spring Terrace, will hold a grand opening with ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. then complimentary barbecue.

The Beaverton location features 20 taps, a limited, barbecue-focused menu, and beer to go. The location includes 2,000 indoor square feet with rollup garage doors leading to a stone beer garden.

We really like the Timberland shopping center because it doesnt have that old strip mall vibe, said Ryan OConnor, vice president of operations. The wood, stone and metal really echos our Alberta and NW 28th locations.

Great Notion, which opened in Northeast Portland in 2016 and expanded to outer industrial Northwest Portland a year ago, is planning a fourth location, which is scheduled to open this summer in Seattles Ballard neighborhood.

Parties for the release of Fanzine IPA, a collaboration between Grains of Wrath Brewing in Camas and Fort George Brewing in Astoria, will be held tonight in Vancouver and Saturday in Portland.Courtesy of Fort George Brewing

Fanzine IPA, the recent gold medal winner in the American IPA category of the Oregon Beer Awards, was released this week at Grains of Wrath in Camas, and parties are planned in Vancouver and Portland.

The collaboration between Fort George Brewery of Astoria and Grains of Wrath Brewing in Camas will be celebrated tonight at Tap Union Freehouse in downtown Vancouver, then Saturday at Roscoes in Southeast Portlands Montavilla neighborhood.

Both parties are from 5 to 8 p.m. Roscoes is at 8105 S.E. Stark St., and Tap Union is at 1300 Washington St. #200.

The makers of the West Coast IPA described it thusly: A piney bitterness backs up the heavy hop additions, with grapefruit and other citrus notes. Mild sweetness from the malt bill lingers with a taste of orange juice.

Little Beast Brewery located at 3412 SE Division St, Portland, Or., May 24, 2019. Mark Graves/StaffMark Graves/Staff

Little Beast Brewing on Saturday will release the 2019 vintage of Dream State, whose predecessor earned a spot in The Oregonian/OregonLives 2019 ranking of Portlands top 10 beers.

The maker of fruited and funky farmhouse ales will release this years version at noon at its tap house, 3412 S.E. Division St.

For the first time, the brewery will offer vertical tastings of the foeder-aged ale with strawberries, pouring 2017, 2018 and now 2019 vintages.

The collector boxes sell for $99 and include limited-edition 6x9 prints of each label and a tap-handle magnet for each character. The last of the boxes are being offered Saturday at the brewery.Courtesy of Gigantic Brewing

Gigantic Brewing on Saturday will sell the last of its limited edition Hellboy collectors boxes, featuring all six Hellboy beers.

The Hellboy series, based on the popular horror comic-book character created by artist Mike Mignola, includes:

The collector boxes sell for $99 and include limited-edition 6x9 prints of each label and a tap-handle magnet for each character. Fifty-eight of the original 666 boxes remain.

Sales of the last of the boxes will begin at noon Saturday at the Southeast Portland brewery, 5224 S.E. 26th Ave.

Tight Tacos had been a mainstay at Growlers Taproom at Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard and 32th Avenue, but it was forced to find a new home after the taproom closed. Now it's taken over the kitchen at Southeast Portland's Thirsty Monk.Courtesy of Tight Tacos

The Thirsty Monk, a Belgian-beer focused bar in Southeast Portland, will reopen this weekend after closing for three weeks to remodel and incorporate Tight Tacos, a former food truck, into the bars kitchen.

Tight Tacos had been a mainstay at Growlers Taproom at Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard and 32th Avenue, but it was forced to find a new home after the taproom closed because of a landlord dispute.

Thirsty Monk CEO Barry Bialik said the bar will shed a few more remnants of its former European soccer bar vibe and incorporate elements of the Tight Tacos branding. The brewery taproom will reopen at 11 a.m. Saturday with Thirsty Monk taps only, craft cocktails and of course, delicious tacos from Tight Tacos.

Thirsty Monk also has pubs in Asheville, North Carolina, where it was founded, and Denver, and it brews Belgian-rooted modern ales at those locations, as well. It opened in Portland in 2018 in the former home of Bazi Brasserie.

The Belmont Station bottle shop at 4500 S.E. Stark St.The Oregonian

Belmont Station, the longtime Southeast Portland beer bar and bottle shop, is Oregons sole candidate for USA Todays readers choice Top 10 Best Beer Bars annual ranking.

Readers are able to vote once a day for their favorite from a list of nominees compiled by a panel of beer experts. The bars were chosen for their stellar selection of draft and bottled beers, many with a focus on regional or Belgian selections. Pair that with a relaxed atmosphere and knowledgeable bar staff ready to help any guest become a beer junkie, and you've got a recipe for a great beer bar.

Voting ends at noon Tuesday, March 17. The top 10 will be announced Friday, March 27.

-- Andre Meunier

Subscribe to Andres text service and get ongoing alerts about beer releases and news from the Portland and Oregon beer scene. And check out Andres beer reviews on Untappd, where hes andremeunier13, and follow him on Instagram, where hes @oregonianbeerguy.

More beer coverage:

Original post:
Oregon beer this week: Beaverton Great Notion opens; Fort George/GOW, Little Beast releases - OregonLive

The Gypsy King is known for living an exuberant life and his love for luxury motors is something that all his fans are aware of. Tyson Fury has owned a range of cars starting from Ferrari to Rolls Royce to Range Rover. He has a collection of all personalized and expensive cars in his garage.

Read: Conor McGregors cars collection

Read: Khabib Nurmagoemdovs car collection

Though Tyson Fury has seen all the ups and downs in his career, his love for cars is something that remained. These were the list of cars owned by the star and we are eager to see what the Gypsy King adds to his list now.

Read the rest here:
From Rolls Royce to Ferrari: The Stylish Car Collection of Tyson Fury - Essentially Sports

Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) is now standard across both model grades in the Patrol range, and the AEB system also features pedestrian detection. In addition, the updated Patrol also gets rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning and blind-spot monitoring.

Further standard equipment highlights for the entry-level model on test include: satellite navigation, electric front seats, surround-view monitor, leather seat trim and steering wheel trim.

Using the term entry level is a bit of a misnomer given the luxurious feel and build quality you get with the Patrol, but the fact remains that we have the most affordable Patrol on test in the CarAdvice garage.

So here weve tested the Ti, which starts from $75,990 before on-road costs, and you can of course step up to the Ti-L, which starts from $91,990 before on-road costs. Even though pricing for both models has crept up slightly with the facelift, its hard to argue the value-equation point given comparable competitors cost a whole lot more.

The age-old battle has always been Toyota versus Nissan in this space, and that hasnt changed despite the fact that this-generation Patrol has never had a diesel engine to take the fight toe-to-toe to Toyota. Still, price comparisons are inevitable.

Of course, theres no longer a petrol LandCruiser 200 Series; however, the diesel range starts from $80,190 for the base GX, while GXL starts from $91,890 before on-road costs. The VX starts from $102,590 before on-road costs, and the range-topping Sahara starts from $123,590 before on-road costs.

Given a Ti as tested here feels like a GXL, if not a VX, theres a fair win to the Patrol simply in dollar terms against its closest natural competitor. Youd still opt for a diesel if youre setting off on a lap around Oz or doing some remote-area touring, but for most buyers, a petrol makes just as much sense as a diesel engine.

Theres no doubt that the Patrol lost sales to the 200 Series given it lacked a diesel engine option, but its luxurious cabin and primo positioning probably cost the Patrol some credibility among off-roaders, too. Which is a shame because it remains a formidable off-road performer. It just happens to tackle off-road work in consummate luxury.

The safety updates are quite obviously crucial to buyer appeal, theres no doubt about that, but most potential buyers will first notice the new styling. The headlights are new, as is the grille, the tail-lights and the alloy wheels.

Unfortunately, Australia wont get the impressive new dual-screen infotainment system we saw in launch images from overseas, nor do we get the updated infotainment system that features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Those additions would make a good thing even better, its hard to argue that case, but the ageing system that Nissan moves on with works reliably.

The 5.6-litre petrol V8 is a powerhouse and generates 298kW at 5800rpm and 560Nm at 4000rpm, and is mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission. What the V8 does do is get a big hefty SUV up and moving with pretty sharp focus. The gearbox plays its part, too, with well-spaced ratios and smooth shifting capability.

The Patrol gets off the mark quicker than you expect, and the whole drive experience is a lot more rapid than you might be expecting, too. It rolls up to freeway speed with almost comical ease, such is the creamy nature of the way the V8 generates power. Its quiet and refined you know there is a V8 under the massive bonnet, but it doesnt make the usual rumble that you might be accustomed to. Find one on the net with an exhaust on it, and you might be considering fitting exactly the same thing to your Patrol. It sounds tough as nails.

The ADR fuel claim is 14.4L/100km on the combined cycle. We saw an average of 16.9L/100km during our time with the big SUV, with genuine efficiency on the freeway evening out the thirst in traffic around town. Youll see the figure drop below 10.0L/100km on a prolonged freeway run, but countering that, if youre going nowhere in traffic for long periods, it will creep up around the 20.0L/100km mark.

Now, there is an efficiency argument to be had, of course, but if you round our average up to 17.0L/100km, thats only 4.0L/100km more than our 13.0L/100km average from a 200 Series diesel not so long ago over a similar drive loop. Given the refinement of the petrol engine, the smooth nature of the power delivery and the driving dynamics, not to mention the price difference, theres a lot to like about the Patrol as a buying proposition.

Weve done plenty of off-road testing in Patrols before, and we know how capable they are, so this time we spent our week behind the wheel doing what most buyers do roll around town to and from work. The first thing you notice is the comfort.

A lot of that comfort is down to the quality and execution of the cabin. The seats are broad and positioned commandingly. The cabin itself feels huge across all three rows, especially in the second row, and theres more room back there than just about any other large SUV of any kind. If youve got teenage children, or children approaching their teenage years, this is the big SUV for a growing family.

Youll easily seat three adults across that second row, and there is ample knee and foot room, too. The roof doesnt feel too close to your head in the second row either, even if youre taller than average.

Into the third row, the seats are useful, and the only gripe is that they dont sit down completely flat when you fold them out of the way. They go close, but not quite. Most buyers who are up for some touring remove the third row and fit a specific set of drawers into that section, really adding to the flexibility of a specific battery, fridge slide or simply smarter storage, for example.

The infotainment system is ageing and feels like it needs a refresh, but it works, and works reliably. The Bluetooth connection performed faultlessly, audio streaming likewise, and the proprietary satellite navigation also worked well. The switchgear is well laid out and easy to understand, too.

On-road, everything about the Patrol is effortless. The ride is magic-carpet-like, the engine and transmission beautifully paired, and the steering well weighted. In fact, you quickly forget how big the Patrol is physically, such is the ease with which it cruises around in luxury.

Theres almost nothing in the way of wind or tyre noise entering the cabin, and while the suspension is supple enough to be luxurious, it doesnt wallow and roll the way big 4WDs can tend to do its actually quite well balanced. All in all then, it makes for a practical daily driver, even if it does use more fuel than a diesel V8 would, and even if it is bigger than other large SUVs.

The Nissan Patrol is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, and the first six services are capped at $376, $577, $392, $860, $407 and $624 respectively with 6 month/10,000km intervals.

While it is undoubtedly a behemoth, especially in town, the Patrol remains as useful, practical and comfortable as its ever been perhaps even more so. It makes a lot of sense as a two vehicle, off-road explorer or family SUV truckster if your garage is big enough. Dont be put off by the petrol-only option either. It makes more sense financially than you might think, given the initial outlay.

Go here to see the original:
2020 Nissan Patrol Ti review | Size, Versatility and Tech - Drive

Off Feise Road in OFallon, Muirfield Manorhas three gorgeous designer market homes remaining, all scheduled for summer delivery.All are reduced between $6,000-$8,000, plus $6,000 to $8,000 in Union cash. Final prices: $420,827; $454,008; $535,304.

Wyndemere Estates is featuring $6,000 to $8,000 in Union cash on three market homes. Move-in-ready are two Ranch plans, the Sterling Display, $565,000 with savings of $35,063 and a Tuscany II, reduced by $33,041, for a final price of $420,619. To be completed in summer are a 3-bedroom ranch and a two-story, both sale-priced in the $400s.

Photo provided by McKelvey Homes

The 1.5-story Provence display is now for sale listed at $521,960 in the hot-selling Villages of Provence, representing McKelvey savings of $30,824, plus $7,000 in Union cash. $6,000 in savings is also available on two completed ranch plans, The Sterling and Tuscany II.

Brand-new just north of I-70 in St. Charles, the historic Villages at Sandfort Farm has two fabulous homes eligible for $7,000 in cash at closing. Both sale-priced in the $500s, the LaSalle ranch and 1.5-story Muirfield are under construction for summer occupancy.

Excerpt from:
McKelvey Homes welcomes March with savings on top of savings! - STLtoday.com

The 50 States Project is a yearlong series of candid conversations with interior designers we admire, state by state. Today, were chatting with Rehoboth Beach, Delawarebased Jess Weeth of Weeth Home, a firm she launched as a side project four years ago while working in the fashion business before pivoting to design full-time two years later. In addition to sharing favorite moments from two recent local projects, she tells us how her background in fashion informed her current career, shares why she partnered with a local furniture retailer to give her clients a white-glove experience, and describes her hometowns unique coastal aesthetic.

You had a career in fashion before starting your firmlets start there.I have loved design in all ways as long as I can remember, but I didnt really consider it as a career when I was looking at colleges. Instead, I went for as rigorous an academic school as I could and got a bachelor of arts, thinking I would jump into the business world in some way, and try to get as close as I could to the creative areas of business. So when the opportunity [came] to join a corporate training program and take on a buyer role at the corporate office of Abercrombie & Fitch after graduation, I was able to jump out of college and get right into a $4 billion company, which gave me so much insight into not only the design side of fashion, but also the production element.

I traveled everywhereI was in China, Korea and Turkey often, and in London and Paris for inspiration and shopping trips. I got to see the mills and fabrics and all of the production elements firsthand. I was able to have an awesome career and ended up running a pretty large team, overseeing a large side of the womens business.

Abercrombie was a brand in transition at that time, correct?Exactly. When I started, it was the heyday of a huge global company that everyone knew so well, which then became a huge challenge to overcome, because everybody had one image of Abercrombie. It was a very cool learning experience to be around all those hardworking people. You would never imagine the amount of talent on that design team. Yes, youre designing jeans and T-shirts, but the capabilities and the [sources of] inspiration are a lot bigger than that.

I was running a $350 million portion of the business with a team of 13 under me by the time I left. So [the experience of] project management, presenting to the CEO, and exposure from that standpoint cut my teeth a little bit on the business end of things.

But [the office was in Ohio], so I wasnt anywhere near home. I grew up here in the Rehoboth Beach area, and my husband and I were thinking about how to get closer to that area. We started looking in Philly and Baltimore, a two-hour drive away. He ended up getting a brand manager role at Dogfish Head, a brewery that has a pretty sizable team here, so we relocated back to Rehoboth Beach. I had never considered coming exactly back to my roots, but it was awesome. Along the way, we had renovated our historic home in Columbus, Ohio, and it sold really quickly. Then we moved here into a small ranch fixer-upper and ended up doing the same thingrenovating it completely and flipping that house. In the meantime, I started blogging about it.

In the dining room of this project, we worked really hard to strike a balance between laid-back and polished, says Weeth. I wanted it to be the kind of room where you could get out the good china but stay barefoot in jeansapproachable with a hit of coastal prep. Keyanna Bowen

Weeth paired navy grasscloth with shiplap for an elevated but still casual effect.Keyanna Bowen

Left: In the dining room of this project, we worked really hard to strike a balance between laid-back and polished, says Weeth. I wanted it to be the kind of room where you could get out the good china but stay barefoot in jeansapproachable with a hit of coastal prep. Keyanna Bowen | Right: Weeth paired navy grasscloth with shiplap for an elevated but still casual effect. Keyanna Bowen

And the blog turned into a design business?In this town, there is a huge needit wasnt long before friends and coworkers and word-of-mouth referrals started coming in and I started taking on smaller projects. I took online classes at the Interior Design Institute to learn as much as I couldI had a baby son at the time, and wasnt at a point where I could move to a city and go to design school, so I had to get a little creative in [how to] get information and hone my skills.

Had you left Abercrombie when you moved back to Delaware?I was still working remotely for the company when the design business started to grow, more quickly than I could have ever imagined. In May 2018, it got to the point that I actually went full-time into my interior design business.

The vision for this home was a light and bright open entertaining space for a fun, young couple, says Weeth. With a neutral palette at the heart of the open-concept living space, it was all about texture! Cane chairs, tufted leather, bohemian textiles, woven baskets and an abaca chandelier brought life to levels of whites and creams.Meghan J. Shupe

How did you know when it was time to do design full-time?My husband would tell you it was blatantly obvious, because I was just working around the clock. I would finish my work, do dinner with my son, and then be up and working, and the projects just kept coming. I did work remotely, but it was also starting to feel like a cheat on Abercrombies time, where occasionally, if somebody needed to schedule a 3 oclock meeting, I would go to their house quickly and then make up for [that missed work later]. It was crazy.

It just became so clear that the work was there, and I was honing my confidence and my skill set. I was able to raise my prices and start to wrap my head around the business model of design, which is complex and interesting in terms of the margins, savvy sourcing, tracking time, flat fee versus hourly, all of that stuff. It took those two years of hustling [to] feel confident that I could make the jump. Every client project that went smoothly puts that feather in your cap, where youre like, OK, I can do this, its getting easier, and Im loving it more and more because things are clicking. Now, when I source sofas, Im not looking at 2,000, Im looking at my favorite 60 that Ive already narrowed down from years of looking at and sitting in them.

The classes you took onlinewhat did you gain, and what made you realize that was an important piece of the process?I took 10 modules of interior design, so it wasnt years of schooling. I learned the history of architectural periods, some of the jargon that was making me feel uncomfortable. I knew I could style, I had an idea of what I liked spatially, and color has always been my strengthat Abercrombie, I was one of the color testers. But having that vocabulary and background [the courses provided] gave me the confidence and some good basic tools. The last thing I would want is somebody to think that I have a four-year design degree. There arent a bunch of big firms here, so interning was not an option, and I wasnt able to move to a city to attend school or work at a big firm. For me, that was my scrappy way to do it.

Woven elements continue into the kitchen.Meghan J. Shupe

What did the early projects with friends and family look like?They were furniture and styling projects. It was cool to find people looking for something different and a fresher aesthetic. Theres a lot of traditional design that I think is done really well here, and then theres a [firm] or two that does very modern design. I think I fall more in that fresh take on classic [category], that middle, breezier feel. So it was refreshing to see people that saw my home or blog or heard about me and gave me a shot. When I came with design boards and the aesthetic started to sync up, the projects started to spiral in a good way, where it was like, Oh, did you know theres somebody in our area that does this? I worked hard. My prices were super low back then. I was scrapping to gain traction, because I didnt have the internship. I didnt have a prestigious four-year degree, but I had the passion and had an aesthetic that some people were looking for.

My poor husbandI would have our guest room stocked to the brim with lamps and nightstands, little pieces of furniture. He would help me load everything. We would hang things ourselves. It was definitely down and dirty four years ago, and then one of the biggest changes came when I synced up with Mitchells Interiors, a fine furniture retailer out of Laurel, Delawaretheyre an hour away, but the owner, Derek Feist, lives in the Rehoboth area. I think its a pretty unique setup in some ways. I love a lot of the upholstery lines that they carry, and they have more of a breadth of resources for custom than I could ever want or need in terms of dining tables and beds. Plus, they do all of the receiving for me, including for [a lot of goods] from other vendors. The pricing is great and the client gets that white glove experience. We also spend a day together at High Point, where I point out new lines Im interested in and they use some of their buying power to help with that. Our partnership gives me a huge breadth of resources that I, as one individual designer, couldnt have.

An abaca chandelier is the focal point of the dining area in an open-concept space.Meghan J. Shupe

The homes master bedroom.Meghan J. Shupe

Left: An abaca chandelier is the focal point of the dining area in an open-concept space. Meghan J. Shupe | Right: The homes master bedroom. Meghan J. Shupe

How long ago did you set up that partnership?I started working with them pretty close to when I started, when the logistics were killing me. So its been over three years at this point. I feel like were on the other side with the logistics a lot more worked out, which is nice.

You opened your studio in October 2019. Where does that fit into that equation?It seems like a big jump, I know, but I had the luxury of two years of working from home for Abercrombie, and knew that I was not good at working from home. I just struggled with itI was so used to leading a really big team and being in meetings and that energy and focus. Home is home, and work is work. I was really struggling with that and wanted to have a space. Then I was getting so bogged down with the project management and logistical aspects of the job that were not paid as much, that bringing on an assistant or project manager was necessary. Even installs that dont seem that big, doing it by yourself is hard. And textiles are a huge passion of mine. I was building up this sample library that was a tool for people to understand my aesthetic and the things that get me excited. I think if it was all tucked away in our little office at home, which it was, it wouldnt be serving me as well as it could.

[The studio is] a huge investment that I had to think hard about, but because I work on so many second homes, I was meeting people in Starbucks or bringing fabric samples to dusty new-build sites. It was logistically very hard to give somebody what I thought was a high-end experience from my home. I was tired of bringing design boards to Starbucks and ready to have the presentation be a positive part of their experience rather than something that I was feeling self-conscious about.

I also think its nice for people to be able to walk in and be like, OK, so when she says shes coastal, but not too coastal, this is what she means, this is what that feels like. There have been anchors and seashells around here my whole life, and I couldnt want to be further away from that, but theres also this barefoot spirit that is why Im obsessed with living here, and why I think people move here or have second homes here. Rehoboth is super small, but it balloons [exponentially] in the summer. So its a nice way to say Im here and part of the community. We did a total gut on our building here on the main street, Rehoboth Avenue. It was a super cute boutique, but very coastal, and set up for a clothing shop. It took a couple months, and then we were able to open last October.

The bedrooms were designed to be cheery and calmingand to get you ready for a day at the beach! says Weeth. Meghan J. Shupe

Its you and your project manager. Is that your whole team?Yeah, thats my whole team as of now. My project manager joined when the studio opened. Its crazy that as of six months ago, I didnt have her. I dont know how I functioned. So thats been great.

OK, and so youre both there, and the studio is open by appointment only.Here, we have such a defined season. Its pretty much Memorial Day to Labor Day. Obviously, that extends every year, and its not like its dead year-round now. For us, it makes sense to be open full-time [during that season], when more people can walk in. We have some cash-and-carry things in here, and its been fun for people to come in and shop and see it. Im getting so much pressure and requests like, I just want to shop there all the time. Cant you make it a shop? That kind of thing. So I think come May, well extend that arm of the business and hire the extra couple of hands to be here when I have to be on-site.

You mentioned High Point earlier. Why is that so important, and where else do you go for discovery?High Point is essential for me, because of where we are. There really are no resources around hereno big design centers, no huge showrooms. It is a time for me to walk until my feet are numb and sit in everything I possibly can. Seeing something, it just clicks whether its a good fit for your clients and projects or not. I love discovering new lines and building relationships. That way, if theres an issue, theres somebody going to bat for you thats going to get it resolved.

Weeths studio. 'The focus was really on two thingscreating a living, breathing space that embodies our breezy take on classic style, and to showcase the beautiful textiles and materials we incorporate in our designs, says Weeth. I wanted clients to feel like a kid in a candy store during our concept presentations.Keyanna Bowen

How many projects are you typically working on?About a dozen at a time. Im about half-and-half right now, [in terms of] full house versus decorating. But the full house ones are on longer timelines, so in terms of all the decorating side, we have a little bit more time to pull things together. I think probably everyone loves the bigger projects, just because efficiencies pick up when youre doing bigger projects. But I dont think we will ever completely [forgo] the smaller projects. We try to impart to people that we really like to do projects to completion.

Were definitely looking to make the room feel meaningfully different and very finished when we leavenot just coming in to do the window treatments. Not that we cant use a favorite old pieceI certainly love the character and soul that that can bringbut I want to be focusing on, at the very least, the whole rooms design.

You talked about how in May, so many people are moving in. When did they approach you, and what kind of lead times did those projects come with?Thats the loaded question. The amount of project inquiries we get in January spikes, and even in the last month, too. I think once you cross the holidays and January is behind you, people start thinking about spring and summer. It would certainly be nice if people had the forethought [to think about it] back in early December.

Often theyll be like, Its March! Can you help me? Those requests havent changed, but my answers haveIve gotten stronger in my stance of being like, No. We cant start now and have a completely renovated, perfect house by May. That doesn't happen. But I will say, from working with builders around here, everybody is on that same timeline. So a lot of new builds, I dont necessarily have to set the schedule as much, because they started on the build nine months or a year ago with that date in mind. Now, am I often waiting on builders to finish up, and then it makes my life a little stressful? Sure.

A vignette near the shops entrance. Weeth focused on an array of lighting options so that the studio seems to glow from the street.Keyanna Bowen

We renovated the space completelyit was a drywall box when we started, explains Weeth. It was important to add some character and soul through reclaimed and vintage pieces. The beams came from Old Wood Delaware and the figure drawings are 1920s sketches I found on a trip to the Brimfield Antique Show over the summer.Keyanna Bowen

Left: A vignette near the shops entrance. Weeth focused on an array of lighting options so that the studio seems to glow from the street. Keyanna Bowen | Right: We renovated the space completelyit was a drywall box when we started, explains Weeth. It was important to add some character and soul through reclaimed and vintage pieces. The beams came from Old Wood Delaware and the figure drawings are 1920s sketches I found on a trip to the Brimfield Antique Show over the summer. Keyanna Bowen

What are your plans for the next few years? What do you see coming for the firm?I definitely see the shop experience, the studio experience being a big focus, just because of our location. The way weve designed it, its very well lit at night from the road. So theres been so much curiosity about it. I know that its a little unconventional to have such a focal spot thats appointment-only. So we are definitely going to make the studio experience a profitable portion of the business. [Another thing thats important to me is] curating. I dont want the pieces that you see everywhere to be here. We try to utilize our custom lines as much as possible when planning for the retail furniture items in here and some of the decorthat has been a work in progress that were excited to launch in May.

Im trying to pace ourselves a little. It would be great if this next year or two we are refining our processes and still taking on the same workload before taking on more headcount. I would certainly love to very intentionally grow this team, but I think me being as close as possible to the projects is whats right at the moment.

Whats the most inspiring thing about the business to you right now?I feel so strongly about the entire history and importance of this area, and how there really is, to me, such a vibe [in Rehoboth Beach] that hasnt necessarily been defined by a style. Theres not a West Coast or California coastal feel at all. It really isnt as specific as a Nantucket. It certainly is not a Southern vibe here, either. You have a lot of heritage components coming from Washington, D.C., and Philly, and some of that old-school tradition, but in a very laid-back way [because] people are so chill here. And theres a huge generational vibe to this town, where everybody is connected.

A lot of these homes have had iterations, and some of peoples best times are probably in these houses that are packed on top of one another on their way to the beach, and its a very inspiring thing to be a part of, especially having grown up here and seen the evolution. I love being able to bring a global lens, because I did leave and travel around the world [for my former job]. So its very cool to be able to bring, hopefully, a fresh take and style to an area that is very close to home for me.

To learn more about Jess Weeth, visit her website or find her on Instagram.

Homepage photo: Jess Weeth in her studio | Leeann Rae Pulchny

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How this Delaware designer went from boardroom to showroom - Business of Home

IN 2009, CELEBRITY fashion stylist Thomas Christos Kikis agreed to go on a date with Derek Curl, a film producer, at an East Village dive bar. Kikis, wanting to impress, wore his best Thom Browne suit. Curl, a burly, bearded Southerner, arrived in jeans and a camo trucker hat and ordered them each a bourbon and a beer. The unlikely pair hit it off; three months later, they moved in together. In the subsequent years, their careers have pulled them in different directions: Kikis to Los Angeles, where his clients live and work, and Curl to Europe, where he owns several film distribution companies. Yet the two have found common ground and a home in a farmhouse in Andes, N.Y., three hours north of New York City.

They discovered the area by chance. In the early days of their relationship, Kikis, 35, would tag along on Curls film shoots in the Catskills, exploring local auction houses and antique stores. On one such trip, Curl, 46, noticed that there were a number of affordable 19th-century American houses in a style he calls the poor mans Greek Revival slightly ramshackle properties with neo-Classical pediments and columned porches that reminded him of the antebellum architecture of his Georgia childhood. He had only three requirements when they began house hunting: I wanted a Greek Revival; a large, old dairy barn with a stone foundation; and a creek running through the property. Kikis had just one: to be no more than 12 minutes from a place where you could buy The New York Times.

The search took years, but one day in 2016, they came upon a 2,000-square-foot, two-story, three-bedroom white-clapboard 1854 house with a large weathered barn surrounded by five acres of rolling fields. They bought it and did a light exterior renovation, but for the interiors, they enlisted Billy Cotton, the 38-year-old New York-based designer known for his exuberant, off-kilter interpretations of American vernacular. Recently appointed the creative director of Ralph Lauren Home, Cotton was raised in a Federal-style house in Burlington, Vt., and his first job was with the decoupage artist and East Village shopkeeper John Derian. His classic New England sensibility he favors straight lines, simple stripes and the innate minimalism of colonial architecture is tempered by his formal training in industrial design at New York Citys Pratt Institute, as well as his deep affinity for French Modernists, including Jean Prouv and Jean Royre.

Cotton also loves a good back story; he believes it endows a space with soul and a source of intrinsic warmth. His narratives tend to unspool gracefully, starting quietly and growing more colorful and eclectic as one proceeds through the environment. For Kikis and Curl, he envisioned a home that had been built for a refined family that had migrated from a small European city to begin anew on a farm in the New World, carrying with them only a few bits of antique finery. As such, the public areas downstairs are decidedly ascetic, as were rural homes of the era. The austere kitchen, with simple cabinets painted Shaker red and wide pine-plank floors, has walls of 4-by-4-inch vintage off-white Delft tiles, sourced from different lots, which gives them a subtle patchwork quality. In the sparsely furnished parlor, beside a rough-hewn mantle-less brick fireplace (Cotton convinced the couple not to replace it), a pair of low-slung settees covered in blue-and-white ticking face each other, and a 19th-century mahogany grandfather clock stands in the corner.

BUT THE STAIRCASE hallway, with its original turned-walnut banister, gives a hint of the idiosyncratic adornment that Cotton has created in the upstairs rooms. Here, the moldings and door frames have been painted bright white, in contrast with the cream background of the vintage-feeling Zuber wallpaper, which is alive with flowering vines and birds. The faded red stair runner, with a Swedish geometric pattern, seems particularly daring in this context. Soft light comes from a simple midcentury Italian pendant lamp in an unexpected shade of matte tangerine.

In the master bedroom, Cottons love of mixing color and pattern reaches full bloom, with peacock-blue moldings and walls papered in a dense indigo block print. To camouflage the chambers low, slanting ceiling, typical of the period, he covered it with a similar-scale block-printed fabric in red and gold. A pair of Italian gilded and painted oak twin beds one from the 18th century, the other a 20th-century copy have been made into a king-size one, draped in a patchwork quilt, while on the floor, Cotton has layered a red-and-black Tunisian rug over a geometric Turkish runner. In the corner, he added a Louis XVI-style chair covered in worn green leather. The small spare bedroom upstairs has been turned into a cozy refuge as well: Cotton created a corner bed nook from a small closet and painted the paneling a pale blue. The wall behind the mattress, which is covered by a windowpane-checked blanket, is decorated with a piece of faded red Sardinian fabric and a mirror whose glass has clouded with age. The tiny space can be closed off from the rest of the room with a striped curtain, and a red 1960s sconce serves as a reading light.

The designer pushed the couple to embrace such juxtapositions, which they might never have considered themselves although he played up the houses intrinsic Americana, he paired it with midcentury Italian lighting and vibrant wool Berber rugs. He also encouraged their reimagining of the barn, which Curl plans to use for aging bourbon.

But Cottons main accomplishment is making the place feel like home. The house has become such a haven from urban chaos that the couple recently decided to give up their West Village apartment altogether. Here, they spend time with their new friends, from the county butcher to the town lawyer to the dairy farmer next door. On weekends, they pick blackberries, swim in the trout pond down the road or fish for bass in the Pepacton Reservoir. And when they return, leaving their muck boots at the paneled front door, they are enveloped in a quiet beauty that years ago they could not have imagined for themselves: the glow of a vintage Scandinavian pendant light on the polished dining-room table, the feel of a Moroccan carpet beneath their feet, the tang of pine and wild ginger in the near distance.

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A Farmhouse Fantasy Tucked in the Woods of Upstate New York - The New York Times

When you hear the word recliner, the words elegant, modern, or chic might not be the first that come to mind. For many design-oriented folk, the classic La-Z-Boy recliner has always been something of an eyesore a super comfortable one, sure, but still something meant to be hidden away in a man cave, basement or at least a den separate from the living room.

We used to have this saying, that you could always tell how much a wife loved her husband by how ugly the recliner he was allowed to buy was, says Mark Wilson, Director of Merchandising at Comfort Design with a laugh.

While the clunky recliners and motion furniture of 20-plus years ago could be something plucked out of an interior designers nightmares, todays motion furniture is telling a different story. Thanks to improved technology and a response to changing consumer lifestyles, motion manufacturers are creating designer-friendly pieces with sleeker silhouettes, improved functionality and stylish fabrics that are perfectly at home displayed proudly in the living room.

Motion used to look like a big clunky piece of furniture, and now with the advancements in technology, motion has started to look more and more like stationary furniture, says Spencer Bass, Creative Director at American Leather.

In fact, Bass said hes often seen people walk into the American Leather showroom and take a seat in what they presume is a high-back stationary piece, only to show a look of surprise when they realize theyre sitting on motion furniture.

So what changed? One piece of the puzzle is technological innovations in the hardware that makes motion furniture move. Motion furniture inherently requires more bulk to hide all of the mechanics and metal components that make it work. But as motors and mechanisms have become smaller over the years, its become easier to upholster around them for a sleeker finished product.

The introduction of power motion also offers todays consumers the option of an unobtrusive button tucked into the arm or side to control the furniture instead of the manual crank that used to be standard.

Wilson says at Comfort Design, hes seen chair arms, in particular, size down with the advent of smaller electronic parts.

Ive now got the the control system down to where I can make a 2.5-inch-wide arm, where in the past that had to have a 4- to 4.5-inch-wide arm to make it big enough to hold the components, Wilson says. So now I can do it with a 2.75- or 3-inch arm, which looks more sleek and substantially cleaner and nicer.

Its not just the improved, smaller components alone that allow for sleeker motion pieces, Wilson adds. Its also increased acceptance and interest in sleek motion on the part of consumers that drives the volume needed for manufacturers to see the benefit of mass-producing units of component pieces.

Theres now more focus on making a better, nicer-looking chair that still performs those comfortable functions, and since theres more emphasis in that category, the guys who are developing the mechanisms are much more in tune to it and theres more volume involved. That makes it profitable for the guys making the component pieces to help develop mechanisms and components that more easily lend themselves to a better-looking, more functional and sleeker piece. So its not really that they cured cancer, its just that there are more people accepting the category. That makes it beneficial for those guys to stamp out those types of mechanisms.

Along with technological advances, shifting consumer lifestyles have also given rise to a thriving market for stylish motion furniture. Where many homes used to have a formal living room meant for entertaining and a family room or den where the TV was (and where the family actually spent time), todays homes are moving toward open floor plans with one main living room featuring a TV.

American Leather is designing product with this in mind, Bass says.

We literally designed the sofa with the idea of, if there was a TV in front of me, how can the headrest articulate to get the perfect seating position to watch television, he says. This is the sofa for the living room with the TV now, not the sofa for the living room with the occasionallysat-in sofa.

These changing floor plans reflect less formal attitudes among consumers, Wilson notes.

With the consumer being more casual in their attitudes and their lifestyle, its becoming much more acceptable to be comfortable in your home, and kicking your feet up has always been a staple of that environment, Wilson says.

With the rise of streaming services, consumers are staying in to watch movies in the comfort of their home, and want to create a comfortable experience without compromising on style.

You dont have to give up comfort to get the look that youre looking for, and thats really what were striving for, Wilson says.

Founded in 1990, American Leather has been in the motion business for about 20 years and Bass says its grown to be the companys largest product segment. The most popular product is its Comfort Sleeper, a sleeper sofa offered in 15 styles that features a construction with no uncomfortable bars or springs. Along with its own product offering, the company also makes sleeper sofas for retailers such as Restoration Hardware and Room & Board.

Over the last few years, American Leather has launched three categories of its Style in Motion series of sofas and chairs, the newest of which just launched at the fall 2019 High Point Market. The Style in Motion A-series features pieces with a solid back for a more stylish look from every angle a benefit for consumers who want to float sofas in an open floor plan. Customers can also customize with three different arm styles and nine different back options, along with their choice of 177 fabrics or 100 leathers. Bass says a goal of the new A-series was to continue to offer a range of product, both in terms of price point and styles ranging from transitional to modern.

Somebody who likes contemporary may not respond to transitional, and somebody who likes transitional may not respond to contemporary, he says, so its about having all the different lifestyles of motion that your retailer can cover. What a store in Aspen or in Denver might carry would probably not be the same thing somebody in Miami carries.

Introduced about a year ago was American Leathers I-series, inspired in part by 1960s Italian mod sportscars. The Turin chair, with peekaboo welt detailing and metal sled legs, earned the company a Pinnacle Award at falls High Point Market. Across all of the styles offered, Bass is proud to offer sleek motion upholstery delivered in just 30 days.

At Comfort Design, launched in 2009 as a higher-end offshoot of Klaussner, a new partnership with designer Stacy Garcia is helping the company reach interior designers. Announced before last falls High Point Market, Garcia will debut a stylish new line with Klaussner and Comfort Design at the upcoming market in April.

With Garcias eye for pattern and color and Comfort Designs customization capabilities (they offer a variety of nail and cushion options along with more than 300 leathers and thousands of fabrics), Wilson says the partnership is moving the company in a promising direction.

The recent trend toward more transitional looks has made it easier to style motion furniture in a way that fits each consumers aesthetic, Wilson says. Twenty years ago, he says a recliner line would likely feature hardcore traditional and hardcore contemporary styles, offering little room for customizability.

Because its all blending, now a lot of the styles are going to fit in more environments, and the consumers themselves are also much more eclectic, Wilson says.

With different fabrics, nails and other design components, a motion chair with the same silhouette can be customized to fit any environment. When motion doesnt have to look just one way as it may have in the past, the consumer appeal becomes broader.

Along with aesthetic styles, Comfort Design also offers a range of motion options. Any given chair starts with manual, then graduates up to single power (a single button to power recline), then graduates up to power recline with a power headrest, and then graduates up to power recline with power headrest and power lumbar. The next version has all of these features plus a new heat and massage system that Wilson says gives a great massage and uses inductive heating technology that doesnt damage the fabric. Out of all of these features, Wilson says power recline and power headrest functions have become a given, so much so that theyll develop pieces with these features before creating the manual version.

With all of the innovations and style options available in motion today, the question remains: Are consumers aware of all that the motion world has to offer? Wilson says its hard to tell, since people only really pay attention when theyre in the market for a new piece of furniture. As consumers and designers alike continue to catch on, todays manufacturers will continue making motion thats fit for everyone, from the Archie Bunkers to the Frasier Cranes.

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Motion Furniture Gets an Upgrade in Technology and Style - Furniture Lighting & Decor

CINCINNATI, Feb. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Systems Integrator, Kuecker Logistics Group (www.kuecker.com) recently completed the design and installation of a new 655,000-square-foot distribution center including full case pick modules featuring ResinDek with MetaGard steel flooring from Cornerstone Specialty Wood Products, LLC (www.resindek.com; MODEX Booth 6623). The facility is used by a large retailer of closeout merchandise and excess inventory for replenishment of its stores.

The four-level pick modules are equipped with a central conveyor on each level to transport picked cases to a centralized merge point. Associates on each level pick a variety of case sizes from pallets during a single shift. When empty pallets are removed from the pick positions, the associates slide them on their ends to designated pallet drop zones.

To save time, money and provide a durable warranted product, Kuecker Logistics Group designed the pick modules with a combination of ResinDek flooring panels; ResinDek with the Gray Diamond Seal 2 finish and ResinDek with the MetaGard galvanized steel finish.

"We've worked with Cornerstone and their ResinDek flooring panels for many years; it's the best flooring product we've installed in pick modules, with high durability and fast installation time, and the best engineering services," said Chase Watt, Site Foreman and Project Manager for Kuecker Logistics Group.

"Before Cornerstone developed the MetaGard finish, we would specify a second layer of steel to be applied on top of the flooring to protect it from the pallets as they're dragged across the surface. It's a common technique in the industry for extreme wear applications," Watt noted. "The disadvantage of that is it's essentially a second installation, which takes more time and adds to the materials and contractor costs. When we saw the new MetaGard finish on the ResinDek panels at a trade show, we knew we wanted to use it in our next project."

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ResinDek flooring panels are designed and engineered specifically for mezzanines, industrial work platforms and pick modules. Backed by a 10-year product warranty, ResinDek panels have the proven structural integrity that supports live and dead load limits from 2,000 8,000 lbs. The MetaGard's steel surface is fused to the ResinDek panel with a proprietary bonding agent. To prevent sharp edges that could cut or snag, as well as providing further protection against delamination, the steel surface encapsulates the perimeter of each panel.

Hard-wearing and skid resistant, MetaGard's finish on ResinDek flooring panels delivers an even more robust surface than concrete. In testing, it's been shown to resist five times more scratches and gouges than concrete in heavily trafficked areas where dirt and debris are not routinely removed, such as 24/7 operations, drop zones, or where heavy loads are dragged across the floor. In both pilot installations and testing the MetaGard dark stainless-steel surface has been proven to withstand more than 2 million passes by automated guided vehicles (AGVs) annually. That equates to more than 20 million passes during its standard, 10-year product warranty period.

Additionally, there is no difference in ResinDek panel thickness, whether the MetaGard finish is specified or not. This ensures a smooth, level flooring surface unlike floors that have an additional layer of steel applied to high traffic areas, which can cause a trip hazard. They are also easy to clean and maintain, as well as reflect ambient light, contributing to a brighter, safer work environment. Unlike concrete, ResinDek panels do not crack, produce dust or require sealing; they are also lighter than concrete, making them faster, easier and less expensive to install. Finally, ResinDek with MetaGard costs less than other metal flooring, including diamond plate and bar grate.

As a system integrator, Watt particularly appreciated the free engineering services and support Cornerstone Specialty Wood Products provides: "Cornerstone gives you an exact drawing of your pick module and your floor layout showing precisely which ResinDek panel goes where. Panels that need to be field cut are clearly marked with instructions about which end should be trimmed. It's essentially a turnkey design that is very easy for a contractor to install quickly; they know the installation is not going to be a headache, and that saves both time and cost."

Further, because the installers Watt used to install the ResinDek panels had not worked with the MetaGard finish before, Cornerstone sent a team to train the contractors for two days to ensure the flooring was installed properly. "That's unbelievable satisfaction from a customer service standpoint. I think it's the best flooring product in the industry," Watt concluded.

For more information, visit Cornerstone Specialty Wood Products' MODEX 2020 exhibit in Booth 6623, or visit http://www.resindek.com.

CONTACT: Sandy BallCornerstone Specialty Wood Products, LLC 234688@email4pr.com513.996.4882MODEX Booth 6623

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/system-integrator-saved-time-and-money-installing-resindek-with-metagard-steel-flooring-in-full-case-pick-module-301009447.html

SOURCE Cornerstone Specialty Wood Products, LLC

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System Integrator Saved Time and Money Installing ResinDek with MetaGard Steel Flooring in Full Case Pick Module - Yahoo Finance

WednesdayFeb26,2020at2:10PMFeb26,2020at2:10PM

NEW BEDFORD Gulf Coast Floor Covering is moving to Popes Island in New Bedford.

The company is relocating its business and home office from Framingham to a leased space in the Bridge Shoppes, according to a press release from Coastal Commercial Real Estate.

The lease is for a ,600 square-foot retail/showroom space located at 191 Popes Island, the release states.

Established in 2015, Gulf Coast Floor Coverings is a family-owned and operated business and offers generations of expertise and years of experience of expert installation and top-quality products sourced from the best brands in the industry, the press release from Coastal Commercial Real Estate states. They look forward to continuing to provide customers with outstanding service at their new location overlooking the New Bedford Harbor.

Neighboring businesses are Popes Island Marina, Niemiec Marine, and Fathoms Bar & Grille.

The lessor, Popes Island Harbor Development Corporation was represented by Richard Stang of Coastal Commercial Real Estate.

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Floor covering company moving to Popes Island - SouthCoastToday.com