The French Laundry style has hit Norwood Furniture! This is a more relaxed style that often incorporates lighter weight fabrics, like linens and cottons. The colors are subdued, light and bright. Often tans, ivorys and white are used with the occassional "pop" of black or red for accents. A large part of the fabrics used with this style incorporate text or script writing and stripes. It isn't unusual to see the occassional burlap sack (think potato sacks) thrown in.
When decorating with a French Laundry aesthetic, keep the following tips in mind:
- Bright and Breezy: think of the wind blowing through a field on a sunny day and keep your color palette light and natural.
- Texture: look for fabrics such as burlap and linen for a rustic country feel.
-
Pattern: common patterns associated with French Laundry are toiles, ticking stripes and vintage countryside images.
Several of our manufacturers have embraced this style. Stanley Furniture has introduced their new "European Farmhouse" collection that incorporates a lot of linen, exposed upholstery tacks for decoration, and reproductions based off styles from European flea markets. The detail with the upholstery tacks adds decoration that would normally be presented by nailheads. I think the upholstery tacks give a more casual and
Stanley describes this bed in the following way:
Inspired by the great manor furnishings conjured up by Austen and Bronte, our Hampton Hill Upholstered Bed accomplishes the job with little more than its own presence. Balanced with clean angles and rich wood, the elegant design is soft without being cloying. Crisp Oatmeal Linen upholstery lightens the mood, while a delicate row of hand-set upholstery tacks adds a bit of shine. Scrollwork molding on the head and foot board offer a wonderfully provocative hand-work detail. While the triple carved posts, knife-edge tufting and curved-corner joinery reinforce the inherent quality of this heirloom piece.
The dining room is just as impressive. It incorporates the oatmeal linen along with the exposed upholstery tacks. The blonde finish is exquisite in person. There's a hand-hewn feel to the top that gives a great look without making to the surface area so distressed that you have to worry about glasses tipping over on it. We're featuring both the dining set and bedroom on our showroom floor right now.
Eastern Accents, one of the companies we use for our bedding, has introduced some fantastic new collections that feature the "French Laundry" style. They've recently added a collection called "La Maison" that features wonderfully stylized accent pillows. Check it out at: http://www.studio773pillows.com/Scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=58&strSearch=
In addition they have this new bedding group which even has a bed skirt made of burlap!
These are just a few of the new items we've received that represent this style on our floor. I invite you to come take a look for yourself and see what this style is all about. It's relaxing and cozy. Easy living at it's best. I'd be happy to show you the French Laundry style at the store. I'm here Thursday to Monday every week.
Shasta
ShastaI@norwoodfurniture.com 480-892-0174
Comments