Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

As the hurly-burly of the annual National Western Stock Show kicks off, the vision of turning the site of one of the countrys premier agricultural events into a year-round education and entertainment attraction is starting to take hold.

The 114th edition of the stock show, horse show and rodeo, which begins its 16-day run Saturday, brings with it the usual excitement of hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the country and the world. For those whove been planning and working on the transformation of the show grounds in north Denver, theres also the excitement of seeing the early stages of what ultimately will be a more than $1 billion development.

During the stock show, the construction will slow down to accommodate the horse shows, livestock auctions, rodeo performances and all the eating, shopping and the business deals that take place outside in the yards.

Its in the yards where people, especially longtime stock show attendees, will see visible signs of the big changes ahead.

Construction really started almost two-and-a-half years ago. It just takes a while for all that infrastructure to get in, said Paul Andrews, CEO and president of the National Western Stock Show.

Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post

Standing on an outside landing a few days before the show started, Andrews pointed toward the yards, where pens after pens of cattle would soon be on display. Some of the older, wooden structures have been replaced by new pens and shifted toward the north. By 2021, Andrews said most of the pens will have been replaced.

By 2022, all the yards will be completely done and shifted to the north by about 200 yards, Andrews added.

The new pens wont be permanent structures like the current ones. Work on the yards is part of the first two phases of construction, which together make up the first major part of the project.

The first portion is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, said Tykus Holloway, executive director of the Mayors Office of the National Western Center. The office is overseeing the planning, design and construction to expand the existing 110-acre site to 250 acres.

Other facilities planned in the first part of construction include a stockyards event center; a livestock center; an equestrian center; the National Western Stock Shows Legacy Building, which will include offices and a heritage center; and three buildings belonging to Colorado State University, a complex dubbed Spur.

Other features will include 6 acres of open space along the South Platte River. Holloway said work has begun on relocating part of the railroad lines that currently bisect the campus. The lines are being moved to the east, which opens up the space along the river.

The next big part of the project will include whats called The Triangle, on the southeast side of the complex. The current exposition hall, horse arena, and the historic Stadium Arena, built in 1909, are in that portion. Holloway said a draft request for proposals has been written for the work, which will include a new exposition hall, restoration of the Stadium Arena and a new, 10,000-seat arena for different kinds of events.

A timeline for completion of that portion of the project hasnt been set.

The major source of the funding for building out the National Western Center campus is revenue from a 2015 voter-approved extension of taxes on rental cars and lodging and a tourism grant. Legislators approved $200 million in state funding for CSUs buildings.

And the National Western Stock Show is contributing its 90 acres of land and another $63 million it raised. The stock show will pay for its new building, estimated at $50 million to $60 million.

Holloways agency, the stock show association and the National Western Center Authority, which will run the site year-round, are following the principles and direction detailed in the National Western Center Master Plan. The 2015 document was put together with input from the surrounding community, city and CSU officials said.

Provided by the Mayor's Office of the National Western Center

Year-round activities, a mix of community uses and visitors. The tourists coming into town to the various activities a mix and a balance of community uses and activities throughout the campus, said Holloway. That master plan is our guide.

Brad Buchanan, the National Western Authority CEO, said the nonprofit is guided by a 13-member board that includes representation from the surrounding neighborhoods of Globeville, Elyria and Swansea.

Since the beginning and the creation of the National Western Center Master Plan, there was a group formed called the citizens advisory committee, Buchanan said. It has been around for five years, and it is a very robust, active group.

There have also been literally hundreds of community meetings, Buchanan added. The National Western Center will be a year-round destination, he said, offering entertainment and education activities in partnership with CSU, the Colorado Museum of Nature and Science and others.

One of the biggest efforts is that the campus will be home to a public market that will be a retail location for Colorado foods and produce and meat, local arts and crafts, all things Colorado, Buchanan said.Well be doing a lot of programs and events in the different facilities, from the stock yard event center to the livestock hall to the new 10,000-seat arena.

The pop-up fresh produce markets, concerts, agriculture symposiums and the TED-talk-like events that Buchanan envisions taking place in the not-too-distant future will likely be among some of the activities hosted by CSU. The university system plans to break ground in April on three buildings dedicated to the following areas: animal and human health; water; food and agriculture.

We hired three different teams of architects to design each of the three buildings. We wanted each one to really stand alone in its uniqueness and really speak to the activities that are happening in the buildings, said Amy Parsons, executive vice chancellor of the CSU System.

The face of the building that will house faculty, students and private partners working on water research and projects is intended to look like the eddy of a river and evoke feelings of water flowing up and around, Parsons said.

Landscaping in the backyard will replicate Colorados watersheds. The building focused on food will feature an agriculture exploratorium in a multi-story, glassed-in area where people can see things growing and watch high-tech agriculture at work.

Students and people of all ages will be able to come in and understand something about where their food comes from and what agriculture means today, Parsons said.

The Denver Dumb Friends League plans to locate a clinic in CSUs animal health building. The clinic will offer reduced rates to people who live in the neighborhood, Parsons said. The building will include housing for CSU students working temporary stints and Future Farmers of America members attending the stock show.

The three CSU buildings will be branded Spur, which has a lot of different meanings, Parsons said.

When you think of spur you might think of Western imagery. You might also think of a rail spur. Were literally on a railroad spur where were building, Parsons said. And the history of rail spurs is an important part of this area of the city.

The railroad was a driver behind the development and growth of the Globeville area, settled in the late 1880s.

The Spur name and logo incorporate one of CSUs original colors, pumpkin, when the college in Fort Collins was primarily an agriculture school. Parsons said the staff is also using the brand to convey innovation and progress, as in spurring action.

Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post

I would say one theme that runs through all the buildings is that they are built for the public. One of the challenges I think that we have being a university is that the public might assume that theyre not welcome in our buildings, Parsons said. Were building this for the purpose of being highly visible and having the general public in.

The university has a long history with the stock show. The school, around for 150 years, has participated in the event since it started in 1906. The stock show was so important to CSU that the school would cancel classes so people could go, Parsons said. College deans would even lend students money so they could take the train to Denver.

A key goal for all involved in the National Western project is to expand the campus in an environmentally sustainable way. All the entities are looking to tap renewable energy sources.

Were working on the solar side to store some of the power so that during natural disasters or major storm events, we could be a refuge for community members as well as for livestock, Holloway said.

The buildings will be constructed with the goal of achieving LEED certification, given for energy efficiency and conservation measures. And the city and authority are close to solidifying plans to tap the thermal energy from two, 6-foot-diameter sewer pipelines along the river to heat and cool a big part of the campus.

It has been done in Europe and Canada, Buchanan said.

But the city and authority arent aware of a similar project of the scale the National Western is contemplating being done in this country.

Read the original:
Yards, rails and spurs: As the National Western opens, complexs $1B renovation is a step closer to reality - The Denver Post

Over the past few weeks the Australian bushfires have reached catasphrophic levels, causing devastation too much of the country - but one confectioner is doing its bit to help.

Cadbury Australia has pledged to donate proceeds from its animal chocolates to help wildlife affected by the bushfires.

The sweet treats involved in the campaign are Cadburys Caramello Koala, Freddo Frog, and Furry Friends.

On Friday, the confectionery company announced its Freddo and Friends for Bushfire Relief.

The chocolate giant posted a picture on Instagram of Caramello Koala and Freddo Frog holding hands, to kick-start the initiative.

The caption read, To help Freddo and his friends, 100 per cent of our proceeds from Cadbury Freddo, Caramello Koala and Furry Friends products sold over the next seven days will help save wildlife impacted by the devastating bushfires.

Cadburyhas pledged to donate a minimum of $500,000 (264,000) to support wildlife rescue, treatment and habitat restoration projects.

The confectioner has named Zoos Victoria, Taronga Zoo Sydney and Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park as some of the organisations that will receive money.

Its estimated that around a billion animals have been killed in the fires, so far.

Many chocolate lovers were quick to praise the companys initiative on Instagram.

One happy follower commented, Legends, dont need a excuse to buy your chocolate but this gives me another reason to stock up! Great work Cadbury.

Another replied, This is a great reason to eat more chocolate.

While someone else simply said,Bravo Cadbury.

But its not just animals that the company has pledged to help.

Cadbury Australia has said it will be donating food supplies to Foodbank Australia and the emergency services.

In a statement, the company said, Our hearts go out to all that have been affected by the devastating bushfires.

The impact on families, homes and the environment is truly devastating. Like all that have been affected, our precious and much-loved native wildlife has suffered incredibly.

Well done Cadbury hopefully other companies will follow suit.

Read more from the original source:
Cadbury to donate proceeds from animal chocolates to help wildlife in Australia - woman&home

Social media platform Instagram carries a lot of stigma when it comes to its portrayal of real life.

Filtered pictures, celebrities with washboard abs and immaculate postcard scenes are just some of the images its users come across.

Some would say it encourages a false representation of the world we live in.

But for mum-of-two Karen Friend, her life was transformed by the platform when she used it to document the restoration of a newly bought house two years ago in Folkestone.

The young people quitting alcohol for January - and why

Mrs Friend, a businesswoman best known for starting up Emporium Parties back in 1999, said she wanted somewhere to look back on before and after pictures of her home.

With a lack of trust in storing her images on the computer, she thought the social media platform would serve two purposes - to give her instant access and to allow others to follow the progress.

But when Karen's home account exploded with followers, she started to realise just how many people were interested in her journey.

Some people eventually became her friends.

Now the 46-year-old, who helps run BDI Furniture in Park Farm Road with her husband, is an Instagram influencer with up to 50,000 followers.

She now works with big name household brands, whose products she reviews.

These range from Proctor and Gamble, Zoflora, Oak Furniture Land and Dunelm and she is also a brand ambassador for luxury soft furnishing company, Christy.

The companies also take the job seriously and some invite their influencers to London where they hold conferences aimed at educating people about how certain products work.

And she now makes the platform work for her business and has a home accessories page where people such as Mrs Hinch feature her products.

She said she prides herself on "keeping it real" and says she's only just about able to respond to everyone who comments on her content.

Speaking to KentLive, she said: "I don't want to be a large account, I just about able to keep on top of replying to people and posts.

"If someone has taken the time to comment it is only fair to do that back to them."

Instead of merely posting polished images of her nearly-finished six bedroom home, Karen said she tries hard to document the good and the bad.

From moments of her radiator exploding, to speaking about her everyday life - Karen feels this is how she's been able to retain a reputable following, with zero trolls.

"I got to know a lot of people through Instagram, I have two friends that come and stay with me who I met on the platform," she added.

"I have learnt lots about how it works and how it knows whose posts to show.

"I saw people had lots of followers and thought 'I want loads of followers' but I never knew anything about Instagram influencing.

"Then I was approached by a floor cleaning company and they asked if they could gift me a floor cleaner in return for exposure.

"I now work with a number of different businesses."

The biggest item Karen has been gifted was a 1,600 sofa, in return for posts on her account.

Influencing is commonly associated with celebrities who are gifted items to showcase on their accounts.

But now many brands are reaching out to people with a wide following over a range of different areas.

Karen added: "There is a lot of stigma about social media influencing, people think it is just about free items you get given.

"But you end up styling, staging and you can spend hours trying to get the right video or picture for that company.

"Everything I am gifted, if I don't like it I won't promote it. I wouldn't be happy to promote something I wouldn't use myself.

"I'm not just out to get free items - but it is nice to work with other businesses."

For those who would like to try their hand at expanding their account, the mum said it's not as easy as it may seem on the surface.

She said the task of keeping her page fresh and engaging could end up being a full time job in itself.

"My account would be bigger if I didn't work," she added.

"I know some people with home accounts who have got double the amount of followers, but they are on it in the day.

"You'd need to spend the time on it.

"You can post one picture, and that can get you either five or 500 followers - it is so hit and miss.

"I have some that love it, and some that unfollow - I'm lucky as I have lots of rooms to picture."

When asked about how her family feel about her social media following, she said her husband and sons are on board with it.

"They find it quite good, my husband used to say about me being on my phone a lot, but then when he realised I was working for our house, his attitude changed."

Press here follow Karen's account @cherryoakmanor.

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From mum to thriving Instagram influencer - meet the Folkestone businesswoman with 50k followers - Kent Live

Sometimes I'll survey my living space and recall Will Smith's advice to farm housewife Beatrice in "Men in Black":

"Hire a decorator to come in here fast because ... damn!"Even if you don't share Beatrice's love of 1940s wallpaper and stuffed deer heads, there's a good chance your living room, or kitchen, or dining room could use a fresh look.

Before you redesign your living room, kitchen or bedroom, check out the gallery above for what's hot and what's not for 2020.Maybe there's too much stuff for the space. Or it's awkwardly shaped, which makes furniture placement a challenge. Or your last update was sponge-painting the walls right before Y2K. Or there are knickknacks everywhere.

The new year is the perfect time to make some changes. For starters, see what's trending. We compiled the above gallery of what's in and out for 2020, according to several design firms.

Interior decorators and designers work with homeowners or renters to come up with a decor plan that fits their style. Decorators focus on aesthetics and furnishings of existing spaces, while interior designers must have formal training. Each conducts an analysis of how the current space is being used and then recommend fundamental changes for a redesign, such as a new floor plan.

One advantage of hiring a decorator or designer is that customers can give immediate feedback on whether their ideas suit the space. For many people, there's no substitute for face-to-face collaboration with a seasoned pro.

But the typical range for an interior decorator job ranges from $2,000 to $11,300, according to Home Advisor. That might be too steep for some budgets.

One alternative is to hire an online design firm such as Modsy, which offers professional advice via your computer screen to help you create your design at a modest price.

Modsy queries customers on their style preferences and needs and uses their photos of the living space to create custom design plans in 3D. Their experts then revise the schemes until you are satisfied with the final design.

"Our customers love that they have a dedicated designer who works with them through the entire process who carefully selects the products and layouts that are fully customized to their style, budgets and lifestyle all set within a realistic 3D model of their exact home," Modsy founder and CEO Shanna Tellerman said in an email. "Modsy is the best of interior design without the hassle, putting customers in the drivers seat while also providing the design support they need along the way."

The company said the furnishings their designers recommend are from well-known retailers and are never marked up. Some items are even discounted.

The base cost for a one-room redesign is $79; a premium package goes for $149. Other similar online design companies include Havenly and Decorist.

RELATED: 12 ways to maximize a small living room

Don't want to spend any money? Numerous free apps are available for do-it-yourselfers. They typically offer design inspiration and limited visualization tools, but not expert consultation from professionals. Last January, U.S. News and World listed its choices for best free interior design apps:

Houzz, for connecting with professionals.Wayfair, best marketplace.ColorSmart by Behr, for choosing paint colors.IKEA Place, for experimenting with room design.magicplan, floor plan creation.Hutch, for designing for fun (currently not available for iPhone).

Another free app, Homestyler, invites users to snap photos of their space and switch to a 360-degree panorama perspective. You can pick color schemes, floor plans and furnishings, and plug them into layouts for living rooms, kitchens or bathrooms.

Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Digital Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate

See original here:
Is your living space ugly or out of date? Here's how to redesign it without spending a fortune - Albany Times Union

This news is definitely not what dreams are made of.

Terri Minsky, the original creator and showrunner of Lizzie McGuire, has exited the reboot coming to Disney+,E! News has confirmed, though the series is still in production at the streaming service.

"Fans have a sentimental attachment to Lizzie McGuire and high expectations for a new series. After filming two episodes, we concluded that we need to move in a different creative direction and are putting a new lens on the series," a Disney spokesperson said in a statement.

Variety was first to report the news.

Hilary Duff is reprising her role as Lizzie in the new show, which finds her living in New York, working as an assistant to an interior decorator, and about to turn 30. Duff herself announced the news late last summer, and also announced the news that best friend Gordo (Adam Lamberg) will be back too. The new series will also include Lizzie's family, played by Hallie Todd, Robert Carradine, and Jake Thomas.

Also returning is Lizzie's still-13 year-old animated alter ego, who popped into the original series to offer her thoughts and opinions on whatever was happening. You can keep up with everything we know about the series so far, at least until the "new lens" is revealed.

Lizzie McGuire is apparently coming to Disney+ sometime in 2020.

More here:
Lizzie McGuire Reboot Loses Original Creator and Showrunner - E! NEWS

You've probably noticed it in clothing stores: racks and shelves full of high-waisted flares, rib-knit turtlenecks, acid green sweatshirts and disco ball metallics. It's that '70s -- and '80s -- show.

These two fashion trends have, as usual, worked their way into home decor as well.

"Right now, in home design, it feels like a total '70s takeover," says Apartment Therapy's Danielle Blundell. "This time period had two pretty distinct things going on -- boho hippie vibes and glam, glitzy disco feels. Which means you can probably find a way to work something '70s into your home no matter your aesthetic."

Watch for patchwork and peasant prints, fringe and earthy hues. Shaggy, textured woven rugs. Modernist wall art. Rattan etageres and side tables.

One of the hallmarks of the 1980s was Memphis style. Started by Austrian-born but Italian-raised architect Ettore Sottsass, it was characterized by squiggle and geometric pattern, mixing of pastels with black and brights, and an overall playful, whimsical approach. Sottsass and his team designed for Fiorucci, Alessi and Esprit among others, and Karl Lagerfeld and Bowie were collectors.

New York-based designer Sasha Bikoff created the exuberant showstopper of a staircase for 2018's Kip's Bay Showhouse in Manhattan. Using Memphis Milano designers Ettore Sottsass and Alessandro Mendinii as her inspiration, the space was filled with brights and pastels, mirrors, and a riot of pattern.- Genevieve Garrupo/Courtesy of Sasha Bikoff

Designer Sasha Bikoff created a buzzworthy Memphis-inspired staircase for the 2018 Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse in Manhattan. New Yorker Raquel Cayre manages an Instagram account dedicated to all things Sottsass, and even created a temporary space in Soho called Raquel's Dream House, chock full of Memphis themed interior decor.

Memphis originals are pricey, but you can find referential decorative items that are affordable. Street brand Supreme offers clothing and skateboard decks; designer Ellen Van Dusen's Brooklyn-based eponymous company makes clothing and home goods featuring her own versions of Memphis pattern.

Imola Ceramica has the Pop collection of ceramic tile, with Roy Lichtenstein-inspired art comics printed on subway-style tile. Their Let It Bee collection features groovy, semicircular, tone-on-tone designs in brick red, indigo, apple green and dark yellow.

Designer/architect Luca Andrisani has designed a collection for New York Cement Tile called Geometrika. Inspired by midcentury op art, there are retro hues, square and rectangular shapes, and eye-catching optical illusion patterns. Walker Zanger has Australian designer Pietta Donovan's hip new '70s-patterned tile collection.

A selection from Imola Ceramica's Let It Bee tile collection, which features half moon and circle patterns in vibrant midcentury colors, reflects the swingy artistic flair of the era.- Courtesy of Ceramics of Italy

At http://www.spoonflower.com you'll find several peel and stick wallpapers and fabric by the yard with Memphis style or leopard prints. Here as well are '70s-style florals in wallcoverings and fabric.

European bathware designers have been featuring pedestal sinks, toilets and tubs in colors like cranberry, moss, mustard, teal and pink -- colors that would have been destined for the bin a few years ago. Here in North America, eBay and salvage sites like Retro Renovation are good places to source vintage wares. For new products, Aquatica USA has roomy resin tubs in dark red or moss green with white interior, while Bella Stone's got a fun one in fire-engine red.

Check out http://www.roostery.com for whimsical '70s-style fruit and vegetable prints, geometrics and paisleys in softgoods like napery and throw pillows.

Sometimes it's the little things that bring the look home. Atomic starburst knobs, for example; and http://www.zazzle.com has several patterns. Cabinet and doorknob backplates come in starry shapes at http://www.rejuvenation.com.

At http://www.dusendusen.com, find soft furnishings printed with bold check, dot, stripe, cutout and squiggle patterns. There are patterned pet beds, pillows and shower curtains, too.

In a collaboration with London-based Soho Home, Anthropologie offers the Adriana chair; in a deep terra cotta velvet, the chubby, channel-seamed silhouette echoes Italian postmodern design. Kardiel's curvy Miranda gold-velvet two-seater has an Austin Powers flair.

At Beam, you'll find simple yet stylish chairs and tables made of powder-coated steel, hardwood and performance fabrics, part of a collaboration between Gus* Modern and LUUM inspired by the Memphis Group's color palette.

ModShop has a treasure trove of options, including the Chubby 2 lounge chair that swivels on a brass-clad base, and the St. Germain side table and credenza, with an abstract, patterned front in poppy colors, perched on chunky acrylic legs.

Ball-shaped and half-dome lighting in matte and polished metallics reference the '70s, as do embossed ceramic bases and cane and rattan fixtures. Look for combinations of pyramids, squares and balls, as well as thick glass circle shapes in '80s-style fixtures. CB2, Urban Outfitters and All Modern have well-priced designs, while Chairish and 1stDibs are good places to hunt for vintage pieces.

Link:
It's that '70s (and '80s) show in home decor - Chicago Daily Herald

You've probably noticed it in clothing stores: racks and shelves full of high-waisted flares, rib-knit turtlenecks, acid green sweatshirts and disco ball metallics. It's that '70s and '80s show.

These two fashion trends have, as usual, worked their way into home decor as well.

"Right now, in home design, it feels like a total '70s takeover," says Apartment Therapy's Danielle Blundell. "This time period had two pretty distinct things going on boho hippie vibes and glam, glitzy disco feels. Which means you can probably find a way to work something '70s into your home no matter your aesthetic."

Watch for patchwork and peasant prints, fringe and earthy hues. Shaggy, textured woven rugs. Modernist wall art. Rattan etageres and side tables.

One of the hallmarks of the 1980s was Memphis style. Started by Austrian-born but Italian-raised architect Ettore Sottsass, it was characterized by squiggle and geometric pattern, mixing of pastels with black and brights, and an overall playful, whimsical approach. Sottsass and his team designed for Fiorucci, Alessi and Esprit among others, and Karl Lagerfeld and Bowie were collectors.

Designer Sasha Bikoff created a buzz-worthy Memphis-inspired staircase for the 2018 Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse in Manhattan. New Yorker Raquel Cayre manages an Instagram account dedicated to all things Sottsass, and even created a temporary space in Soho called Raquel's Dream House, chock full of Memphis themed interior dcor.

Memphis originals are pricey, but you can find referential decorative items that are affordable. Street brand Supreme offers clothing and skateboard decks; designer Ellen Van Dusen's Brooklyn-based eponymous company makes clothing and home goods featuring her own versions of Memphis pattern.

Surfaces

Imola Ceramica has the Pop collection of ceramic tile, with Roy Lichtenstein-inspired art comics printed on subway-style tile. Its Let It Bee collection features groovy, semi-circular, tone-on-tone designs in brick red, indigo, apple green and dark yellow.

Designer/architect Luca Andrisani has designed a collection for New York Cement Tile called Geometrika. Inspired by midcentury op art, there are retro hues, square and rectangular shapes, and eye-catching optical illusion patterns. Walker Zanger has Australian designer Pietta Donovan's hip new '70s-patterned tile collection.

At http://www.spoonflower.com you'll find several peel and stick wallpapers and fabric by the yard with Memphis style or leopard prints. Here as well are '70s-style florals in wallcoverings and fabric.

European bathware designers have been featuring pedestal sinks, toilets and tubs in colors like cranberry, moss, mustard, teal and pink colors that would have been destined for the bin a few years ago. Here in North America, eBay and salvage sites like Retro Renovation are good places to source vintage wares. For new products, Aquatica USA has roomy resin tubs in dark red or moss green with white interior, while Bella Stone's got a fun one in fire-engine red.

Accessories

Check out http://www.roostery.com for whimsical '70s-style fruit and vegetable prints, geometrics and paisleys in soft goods like napery and throw pillows.

Sometimes it's the little things that bring the look home. Atomic starburst knobs, for example; and http://www.zazzle.com has several patterns. Cabinet and doorknob backplates come in starry shapes at http://www.rejuvenation.com.

At http://www.dusendusen.com, find soft furnishings printed with bold check, dot, stripe, cutout and squiggle patterns. There are patterned pet beds, pillows and shower curtains, too.

Furniture

In a collaboration with London-based Soho Home, Anthropologie offers the Adriana chair; in a deep terracotta velvet, the chubby, channel-seamed silhouette echoes Italian postmodern design. Kardiel's curvy Miranda gold-velvet two-seater has an Austin Powers flair.

At Beam, you'll find simple yet stylish chairs and tables made of powder-coated steel, hardwood and performance fabrics, part of a collaboration between Gus*Modern and LUUM inspired by the Memphis Group's color palette.

ModShop has a treasure trove of options, including the Chubby 2 lounge chair that swivels on a brass-clad base, and the St. Germain side table and credenza, with an abstract, patterned front in poppy colors, perched on chunky acrylic legs.

Ball-shaped and half-dome lighting in matte and polished metallics reference the '70s, as do embossed ceramic bases and cane and rattan fixtures. Look for combinations of pyramids, squares and balls, as well as thick glass circle shapes in '80s-style fixtures. CB2, Urban Outfitters and All Modern have well-priced designs, while Chairish and 1stDibs are good places to hunt for vintage pieces.

See more here:
RIGHT AT HOME: Its that 70s (and 80s) show in home decor - Worcester Telegram

In 30 some years of writing up weddings, it takes a lot to make me pull out my handkerchief. For years, I kept a scrapbook of badly worded headlines. My favorite came from the newspaper in Laurel, Mississippi, now the subject of HGTVs hit show Home Town. Neighboring towns included Hot Coffee, Errata, Soso, and Tuckers Crossing. The headline read, Boy from Hot Coffee Marries Soso Girl.

So it was wildly out of character for me to tear up when church friends had their wedding reception at the Carousel Pavilion, the new attraction at the Childrens Museum of Memphis, in November. Our staff affectionately called it My Big Fat Gay Wedding in the days leading up to it. Our choirs gift to them was an arrangement of Theres a Place For Us from West Side Story. Well, I took to blubberin and didnt stop until somebody stuffed a piece of cake in my face.

Location is the most important decision one makes, says Warner Moore, wedding designer and interior decorator. Everything else radiates from that decision. People know their venue when they see it. Once it feels right to them, everything can proceed from there.

The more the couple can hone in on their preferences, the more accurate a map he can draw for them, Moore says. Even the cleverest wedding planner cannot turn a casual space into a formal one, or vice versa. You also have to match the space to the number of guests. Theres nothing worse than having a small wedding in a big place because it looks like no one came.

Myriad elements go into creating a sense of place: lighting, color, season, formality, and the personalities of the couple. The variables are endless. The paper save the date card is the first hint at the weddings personality.

Kat Gordon, owner of Muddys Bake Shop, sees a consistent effort to match food choices to the mood of the venue. At a barn or vineyard wedding, for example, the couple may want a pie bar for dessert. That feels very Southern and authentic, she says.

The multi-tiered formal confection with the obligatory cake-cutting moment is rarely the centerpiece of the reception anymore. People are thinking about the experience they want their guests to have more than a photo opportunity, Gordon says. They want food thats not just edible but really tasty and represents who we are in our city.

With a seated dinner, a cake per table has become a Muddys signature. An 8-inch layer cake at each table in chocolate, lemon, or strawberry adds color and variety.

Whats trending in flowers in 2020 is a little tweak on the traditional, says Eric Lee Milner of E.L.M. Designs. Couples are wanting traditional flowers, but in unique colors. Calla lilies are a basic, but I had an October bride who chose them in dark purple and deep maroon and added a pheasant feather.

Milner predicts more saturated color in bouquets, centerpieces, and altar flowers. Youre going to see more strong orange, lime-green, and fuschia, and less white, pink, and peach, he says.

Short of having Oprahs money, Milner recommends brides concentrate their budget on one statement piece in a high visibility spot. You can get more impact with one singular wow arrangement at the entry or in the middle of your reception area than you can with an abundance of flowers all over the place, he says. Whether its a big raised arrangement on a table right when you arrive or one big arrangement in the middle of the buffet, that gives you more impact and its more affordable than trying to address the whole room.

In the world of wedding gifts, the charcuterie board (methinks) may be to the 2020s what the fondue set was to the 1970s. Charcuterie boards are big, both in terms of size and in popularity, says Brooks Terry, owner of Babcock Gifts.

Since couples are marrying later in their 20s and most have lived together, many already have the household basics. With their registries, theyre trying to equip themselves for entertaining, also a regional phenomenon.

Our vendors love the South because we still register brides, Terry says. In California and on the East Coast, wedding gifts are usually cash or Venmo.

Sorry I fainted there for a second from shock and dismay. Okay, Im back.

Another change is in the split between formal and informal dinnerware. The completion of a set of fine china was once the primary goal of every brides registry. Now the everyday set is the priority. Couples have gotten a little more casual, but they still like nice stuff, Terry says.

Going into 2020, Terry sees brides choosing a fine china as the dinner plate, but for the salad plate, theyll mix it up with some hand-thrown, artistic pottery. Three of the most popular lines are made nearby: Millers Mud comes from Dumas, Arkansas; McCarty Pottery is Merigold, Mississippis most famous export; and Potsalot is made on Magazine Street in New Orleans.

Judaica pieces like Seder plates, Shabbat candles, and menorahs sell well year-round, regardless of the couples wedding date, Terry says.

If you want to go rogue and choose a gift not on the registry, you can never go wrong with crystal, Terry says. No ones sending back a Baccarat vase or a Waterford salad bowl.

What do you get when you mix newlyweds, a popular fantasy series, and Downtowns newest ballroom?

Why, the Game of Thrones wedding reception at Central Station Hotel, of course. The first couple to marry at the new hotel wed there December 29th. They chose the venue in July when it was still under construction. Everyone was still in hard hats, but this couple saw the vision, says Helen Nelson, director of sales and marketing for Central Station Hotel.

The same could be said for McLean Wilson, the principal in the redevelopment of Central Station. Hes the grandson of Kemmons Wilson, founder of Holiday Inns, known to generations of travelers as the nations innkeeper. According to Nelson, Henry Turley first saw the potential of bringing a hotel to the South Main Arts District, and invited McLean to develop the concept.

Built in 1914, Central Station still serves rail passengers boarding Amtraks City of New Orleans, the historic 19-hour route from New Orleans to Chicago. Wilson reimagined the former offices of the Illinois Central Railroad, Amtraks predecessor, as hotel rooms.

But its the lobby and bar that bear the stamp of South Main. A tower of record albums overlooks the double turntable built into an antique organ housing. One wall holds speakers of all different shapes. Memphis music plays in the lobby and bar, and guests hear Isaac Hayes or Sam and Dave in the guest rooms.

At 6,600 square feet, the Grand Hall is 33 feet high. It was the original passenger waiting room for trains for 80 years (Some of the stations original benches can still be seen on a lower level). In the Grand Hall, Central Stations original arrival and departure board is outlined in neon lights. Hidden uplighting can be adjusted to customize the brides chosen colors.

Entering the hotel grounds requires driving a little south of the station on South Main and doubling back up the platform to the hotel entrance. Brides may have a challenge keeping people in the Grand Hall, because the lobby and bar have so many things to explore. Weve had inquiries about using the hotel lobby for receptions, Nelson says, but so far the answers been a hard no. We want that area to be for the neighborhood, not cordoned off for private events. We want it to feel like South Mains living room.

Marrying at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church puts you squarely in the 25 percent of couples who marry in church, down from 40 percent just ten years ago, according to weddingwire.com.

The foremost reason to marry at a church would be to honor your faith tradition, says the Rev. J. Lawrence Turner, senior pastor at The Blvd., as the church is known. My view of the Christian wedding ceremony is that it is more than a celebration of two people joining their lives together. Its of the God who joins them together. So a Christian wedding is ultimately a worship experience.

Turner officiates at 12 or 15 weddings a year, but there are other pastors on staff who solemnize vows. The Blvd. also has a full-time event planner on staff.

Marrying in the church matters less than the church being in the marriage. It is not so much where the wedding takes place or whether the church recognizes it, says Turner. Rather, I have found success in marriage depends on whether that couple honors Christian principles in their marriage such as unconditional love, mutual respect, honesty, fidelity, and grace.

When Bellevue Baptist vacated the sprawling campus at Jefferson and N. Bellevue in 1992, Mississippi Boulevard brought its ministries to the heart of Midtown. The Blvd. is home to dozens of ministries including meal distribution, wellness initiatives, Room In the Inn overnight housing for the unsheltered, pastoral care to shut-ins, and a college tour for high school seniors. Facility rental generates 11.5 percent of The Blvd.s $6.5 million annual budget.

We are certainly open to the public to be rented out for weddings, says Turner. Our space is memorable for not only being the place for many weddings for our congregation for the past 26 years weve owned this space, but also for the previous congregation that owned the building, Bellevue Baptist.

Soaring limestone columns support the broad portico leading to Mississippi Blvd.s two-story vestibule. Accommodating up to 3,000 guests, the sanctuary has seating on two levels. Contemporary stained-glass windows, including one depicting the Pyramid and the Hernando DeSoto Bridge, cast rose and blue highlights over the balcony.

Our chapel, which is where our smaller weddings take place, has beautiful natural light too, Turner says.

With 30 receptions already booked for the Carousel Pavilion in 2020, the bride who wants a merry-go-round wedding had best break out ahead of the pack. Like a jewel-under-glass on permanent exhibit, the historic carousel at the Childrens Museum of Memphis, located at Central and Hollywood, is the same one that thousands of us rode as children at the Mid-South Fairgrounds, later Libertyland.

Couples that are attracted to this degree of spectacle bring a lot of vision, says Melissa Latil, carousel events and operations manager. Theres not a lot of middle ground for this venue. People either say, Im in or rule it out quickly.

Brides may choose to make their entrance around the Carousel or through the sliding double doors. At a Disney-themed reception last month, a Tinkerbell pulled open the doors for the first look at the couple. The staff created a Mickey Mouse dance area with a round floor and two round tables to shape the ears. Guests watched a projection of the Happily Ever After fireworks spectacular from the Magic Kingdom.

While the Pavilion can accommodate up to 500 guests, Latil says the Carousel is ideal for weddings of about 150, which is slightly above average. According to weddingwire.com, the average guest list in 2019 included 126. Adjacent to the Carousel are a ballroom, lobby, catering kitchen, and separate dressing suites for brides and grooms. The Carousel Pavilion connects to the Childrens Museum of Memphis, formerly the National Guard Armory from 1943 until 1983.

With a four-hour wedding rental, the Carousel runs for 2 hours. Restoration of the 100-year-old merry-go-round carved by Gustav Dentzel began in 2015, and a team of woodworkers, painters, and machinists returned it to the museum in pristine condition for its debut in December 2017.

Of its 48 ponies, those on the two inner rings go up and down. The chariots were the first wheelchair accessible carousel seats installed in the U.S. In a three-minute ride, the guest makes 12 revolutions past scenes that evoke a Memphis of yesteryear: a paddlewheeler on the river, frontiersmen in canoes, mules plowing a farm, and deer pausing to drink from a stream. Cherubs keep watch over each rider while hundreds of Edison bulbs create a festive and photogenic vibe.

It doesnt get much more Memphis than marrying on the Mississippi. Two vessels, the Memphis Queen III and the Island Queen, have launched hundreds of couples into matrimony.

I have not had a single bridezilla, says Jodie Taube, director of marketing and events for Memphis Riverboats, Inc. Couples who book the riverboat for their rehearsal dinners or wedding receptions generally have a high sense of adventure and fun.

And just like in the movies, the captain of the boat can perform the ceremony. Captain James Gilmer is an ordained minister in the Church of God in Christ. He has officiated at 16 shipboard weddings. To his knowledge, hes the only African-American riverboat captain on the Mississippi.

With friends from all over the country in town for their October 12th wedding, Ginger and Josh Huckaby wanted their guests to have a quintessential Memphis experience. Josh owns the Green Beetle, the oldest tavern in Memphis, and Ginger moved here from Nashville to work as a nurse practitioner at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital. Ginger says, The weather was perfect, the moon was full, it was Memphis to the T.

Of the two boats, the Memphis Queen III is the classic Victorian riverboat with gingerbread trim and twinkling lights. The Island Queen has a more nautical look, with an open section in the center for dancing. Both boats are 100 feet long, accommodate up to 300 guests, and are heated and air-conditioned as the season dictates.

The most popular wedding package allows a half-hour for guests to board; a half-hour for the ceremony; and then two hours for cruising. The vessel departs from Beale Street Landing and heads south under the light show on the Harahan Bridge. Turning back upriver, guests can then enjoy the Memphis skyline. Then Capt. Gilmer takes the party under the light shows on the I-40 bridge, cruises past Harbortown, and returns to the landing.

Riverboat weddings are available all year, but March, April, June, September, and October are the most sought-after months. Taube steers brides away from the weekends during Memphis in May because the closing of Riverside Drive limits access to parking and raises the level of difficulty in bringing decorations aboard. The temperate months also afford nicer views of each bank.

Capt. Gilmer has been on the river 36 years. One of his favorite pranks is to tell Tennessee couples that its not too late to change their minds about matrimony. He says, I can just carry them across the river to the Arkansas side and it wont count.

Just a plain and simple chapel where humble people go to pray may have been okay in 1960, but couples in 2020 want something a little more photogenic and upscale.

When Elvis recorded Crying in the Chapel, most couples married in church. The etiquette-bound formal wedding performed in a religious setting was the bread and butter of the wedding industry, explains Vicki Howard in her book Brides, Inc: American Weddings and the Business of Tradition.

In September, British actress Michelle Hardwick married soap producer Kate Brooks at Graceland in Memphis, according to the Daily Mail.

Youve got to be progressive in 2020, says Christian Ross, Gracelands marketing specialist.

More than 2,000 couples have married or renewed their vows at Graceland. The original chapel was tucked behind the mansion for 18 years, but in 2018, Graceland unveiled the Chapel in the Woods, which seats about 100.

And not all the couples are Elvis fans. Many just want an intimate venue in a woodsy, but still accessible, setting. A bride might choose to have a family ceremony in the Chapel, but she can still invite more guests to a reception in the ballroom.

Most recently, the chapel was featured in the Hallmark Channels Wedding at Graceland, released last year. That movie was the follow-up to 2018s Christmas at Graceland, which was Hallmarks fourth highest rated and most watched original movie in network history. Priscilla Presley had a cameo role in Wedding.

Elvis and Priscilla Presley married on May 1, 1967, at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. Ten days later, they came home to Memphis and put on their wedding attire for a belated reception at Graceland.

Weddings in barns, meadows, and vineyards have been all the rage in the magazines for the last decade, but people dont realize that rustic simplicity comes at a price.

Sure, you have a beautiful spot, but every piece of that party must be brought in so you can look out over a meadow, says Warner Moore, Memphis decorator and wedding designer. When you have to import virtually everything lighting, chairs, tables it gets expensive.

Unless you want people standing up the whole time, youre basically building an infrastructure, Moore explains.

A viable country in the city alternative is the FedEx Event Center at Shelby Farms Park. More than 60 couples have tied the knot there since it opened three years ago, says Kate Phillips, account executive with the Park.

You feel youre immersed in nature, but youre connected to the city, she says. We get the benefit of beautiful views, and we still have air-conditioning.

The event center faces west with floor-to-ceiling windows affording views of sunsets over the 80-acre lake. Natural cedar planks adorn the ceiling and look as if they might have been milled on-site. Stacked stone walls further connect the event center to the natural surroundings.

A grassy berm hides the view of Walnut Grove Road just a few hundred feet away. At night, the only reminder of the city is the light from Clark Tower to the southwest. A tree-lined field next to the center can be set for an outdoor ceremony in fair weather.

Since 2007, the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy has managed the county-owned land that is five times the size of New Yorks Central Park. The group needed a revenue generator like the event center, Phillips says, because the conservancy has 4,500 acres, a dozen lakes, a herd of buffalo, and the Greenline to maintain. Early this month, Starry Nights just completed its tenth year as the parks primary fund-raiser.

Long-time Memphians remember the property as the penal farm from the decades (1930s to early 60s) when inmates of the Shelby Count Corrections Center worked the acreage to provide food for inmates and staff. Situated at the geographic center of Shelby County, the Heart of the Park is just one exit away from the interstate, making it an easy drive for out-of-town wedding guests cooped up in hotels.

Original post:
There's a Place for Us: Six Extraordinary Bluff City Wedding Venues - Memphis Magazine

IKEA is excited about Classic Blue releasing a full line of new products including the STOCKHOLM sofa.

Pantone Colour of the Year reflects on the past while looking ahead

Uncertain times call for stable measures. Thats the message from the Pantone Colour Institute in selecting Classic Blue as 2020 Colour of the Year, a colour that can do no wrong, says interior decorator Liz Ditomaso, owner of Elegant Living Decorating based in the Niagara region.Classic blue is a grounding colour, says Ditomaso, who likens the shade to the classic blue business suit or navy pump often associated with wealth. Its a very sophisticated colour, a very powerful colour and it speaks to everyone, she says.According to the Institute, Classic Blue offers reassurance, confidence and connection that people might be searching for in an uncertain global milieu. It brings the colour forecast world full circle as a reminder of Cerulean, the blue hue chosen as the first Color of the Year in 1999 when uneasiness about Y2K was widespread.The versatile colour is both regal and edgy, conservative and unusual. How it manifests in your home dcor ultimately depends on you, says Ditomaso.I dont think theres any colour that doesnt go with it, she said, noting that clients have paired deep blue with yellow, black, chocolate brown, rose gold pink, black and even other shades of blue, like aqua. Classic Blue pairs well with modern greys and whites, she adds, and is an ideal complement to gold fixtures and hardware, or any wood grain.It can go warm against creams, brown or beige and then it can go on the other side against your cooler whites and cooler greys, she added.Early adopters of the 2020 colour gravitated towards a blue Christmas this season. Ditomaso adorned several white flocked trees with rich, glistening gold and blue balls, and hints of silver, and NOMA actually released a flocked blue tinsel tree. Heading into the new year, she expects to see the deep shade show up in kitchens and baths where it is a top contender for islands and backsplashes, home accents such as throws, cushions and chairs, and even as the backdrop for a stunning feature wall for those who really want to be out there and live it up a bit, she says.As the year progresses, expect Classic Blue to continue to show up in fashion, food, scents and cars. The team at IKEA is excited about Classic Blue, releasing its trend report in December to inspire home dcor enthusiasts, with items ranging from chairs, throws and lamps to the BILLY Bookcase with glass doors or the STOCKHOLM sofa.Paint guru and colour expert Annie Sloan says the Classic Blue shade perfectly matches her Napoleonic Blue paint colour, which is reminiscent of the ultramarine and cobalt blue pigments used in neoclassical interiors, yet still looks fresh and modern. Sloan adds that blue is one of her personal favourites because of its calming qualities.My bedroom at home is Aubusson Blue and it sends me into a dreamy sleep every night, she says.

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Tis the season for Classic Blue - The London Free Press

Elizabeth Sellars, the stage and screen actress, who has died aged 98, made her name on the postwar West End stage in Tea and Sympathy. Set in a New England boys boarding school, Robert Andersons drama created something of a sensation in an era still subject to official stage censorship: it showed the wife of a housemaster seducing a pupil branded as homosexual.

For such a subject to form the theme of a West End play in 1957, without mutilation from the censor, the theatre itself had to be turned into a club. For the run of the play, and of others in a season including Arthur Millers A View from the Bridge, the Comedy Theatre in Panton Street became the New Watergate Theatre Club. As a place of private entertainment with a nominal subscription for members, it escaped the need for the Lord Chamberlains licence.

Not that the seduction of the boy by the housemasters wife was undertaken without the greatest theatrical tact. Nor did the rumour of the adolescents homosexuality prove other than unfounded.

To explain the impropriety of the wifes conduct, she was shown to have been not only a former actress, but also unhappily married to a negligent and insensitive husband, while the persecuted young object of her sympathy strikingly resembled her first, dead husband.

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Elizabeth Sellars, Glasgow-born actress who shot to stardom on the London stage in the scandalous Tea and Sympathy obituary - Telegraph.co.uk