Friday, October 31, 2008

 

Member Spotlight: Bright Home Theater and Audio of New York

Home Theater by Bright Home Theater and Audio of NY

With the winter chill in the air, we're coming up on the season when New Yorkers tend to spend more time around the house watching television. We're also getting to that time of year where we do more home entertaining and of course, that glorious overlap of the NFL and NBA (The Knicks actually won the home opener this year!). There's no better time than now to install your home theater and we know just the guys to do it.

Bright Home Theater and Audio has been selling and installing high end audio and video systems for homeowners in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut since 2003. They are based on Avenue A in the East Village, are fully insured, and have certifications for this work from the HAA, ISF, and RTI.

Whether you have guests over on game day and want to mount and install a flat screen TV, company coming for the holidays and you'd like speakers throughout the house for the party, or you just want to watch your favorite shows in style, this would be a great time to get a consultation. Bright Home Theater and Audio do all the designing, building and installation work themselves and they are happy to answer any questions you may have; just call and ask for Kerry Bright or David DuPuy or send them an email through our site.

To visit their profile page on cityhammer.com, click here: NY Home Theater

Labels: , , , ,


Wednesday, October 29, 2008

 

NY Home Improvement Blog Patrol

Fall in Central Park Photo by Nate Steiner

One of the toughest styles to pull off in home decor is the eclectic look. Sometimes its more about what you don't throw into the mix as opposed to trying to cover several design genres at once by cluttering a room with modern, antique, pop art and country items. When its done correctly (think Frasier Crane's apartment minus Dad's duct-taped Lazy Boy), the results can be exciting. Rochester, New York's Democrat & Chronicle has a great example and explanation of how a local NY interior designer named Blynn Nelson pulled it off in her own 1898 colonial house.
Blynn Nelson Goes Eclectic

One of our favorite design blogs, An Aesthete's Lament, sheds light on some of the uglier historical movements in home design, including a misguided attempt by designers to use slavery-era plantations as architectural inspiration and some truly ugly adjectives which have been used to describe color shades of fabrics and furniture.
Racism in Interior Design

If your living room isn't large enough for a full-blown wall unit, or you are setting up your entertainment and music stuff in a basement, bedroom or den, you can mount the TV on the wall or go with a media stand. But alas, not all media stands are created equal. Before you bring in the NY home theater pro (who will usually recommend wall-mounting a flat screen), consider some of these media stands shown at Apartment Therapy.
Media Stands on AT

Labels: , , ,


Monday, October 27, 2008

 

Homemade Trend 2009: Recycled Shrimp Boat Sculptures from South Carolina

Gump's Shrimp Boat: "Trendy is as trendy does"

One of our big predictions for interior design and interior decoration trends for 2009 is called Homemade, and one of the key components to the look is having the right art and objects that call out "authentic" and "handcrafted". New York interior decorators are no strangers to using architectural salvage, with many stores selling columns, stained glass windows, and objects that were once a part of a grander building or home. Even factory fixtures have found new lives in private homes once they've been restored and polished.

Now from the coast of South Carolina comes an artist producing sculptures from salvaged shrimp boats and the Beaufort Gazzette has published the whole story. The artist's name is Ray Lynwood Polin and he has used the wood and materials from several famous shrimp trawlers, including boats from the films Forrest Gump and The Prince of Tides, to create nautical sculpture that would fit right in to the Homemade design style we've been discussing.

All of his projects are made of recycled materials -- from driftwood to cypress, cedar and juniper pieces of old shrimp boats, from tomato stakes from Dempsey Farms and string used to tie shrimp nets to tin from old Sea Island structures.

Polin is getting the authentic feel by making use of his knowledge of shrimp boats from his childhood and is inspired by the trawlers themselves and the nautical way of life he grew up with.

To read the rest of the story, click here: SC Artist Recycled Art

Labels: , ,


Friday, October 24, 2008

 

A Solution to Protect Your Granite Countertops


Those of you who have visited the mothership cityhammer site this month may have noticed banner ads from our new sponsor, The Granite Shield. We wanted to take a moment on the blog to discuss what Granite Shield Protection is and why you may be long overdue to check it out.

Protect Your Granite with the Granite Shield

The Granite Shield is essential for both aesthetic and health reasons. It is a lifetime sealing product that was invented in 2002 in California and it's recently been catching on in the New York and New Jersey area.

Unlike most of the commercial sealers on the market, which penetrate your granite countertops and are absorbed into the porous stone and away from the surface, the Granite Shield actually seals and protects the surface itself. Olive oil, acidic juices, water...all of the liquids that are regularly splashed onto the counter must be protected against. The Granite Shield forms a protective barrier to guard against these potential stains.

In addition, the health risks of allowing bacteria, mold, or other toxins to infiltrate the stone are reason enough to seal and protect a surface area where your families food is going to be in contact.

To Contact The Granite Shield, Click Here: Granite Shield Countertop Protection or Call Toll Free 1-800-594-8057

Labels: , , ,


Wednesday, October 22, 2008

 

NY Home Improvement Blog Patrol

Texting on Grand Street Photo by Moriza

Having termite issues? Some poor soul over on the Brownstoner Forum is trying to get to the bottom of a termite and/ or structural issue and doesn't know if his exterminator has done more harm that good. Brooklynites who know better find experienced Brooklyn Exterminators on cityhammer.com.
Forum: Termites

Remodelista has a new Steal This Look post up, this time, you get the components of a Rustic Kitchen, including Ikea's Norden Dining Table and a decorative vintage apple crate for storage. If a rustic kitchen is your style, take a look...and for a list of kitchen designers in New York to help you achieve this look, click here: NY Kitchen Design.
Steal This Look: Rustic Kitchen

As surely as night follows day, in times of economic stress, people want comfort and tend to cling to things that remind them of the good old days. We recently highlighted a design trend called homemade that captures this zeitgeist here, and now from Charles & Hudson comes a post about how new homeowners are deliberately seeking out houses that have period architectural details as opposed to the typical McMansions that have been thrown up nationwide over the last 10 years. The Normal Rockwell feel can definitely offer a respite from our technology-saturated lives, so we get it...makes sense.
Period Homes in Favor

Labels: , , ,


Monday, October 20, 2008

 

Back in the Day: When Men Were the Interior Decorators

Yes, a Victorian Man may have put this together!

From the other side of the pond comes a question with about whether or not there was ever a time when men were in charge of decorating the home as opposed to their wives? You may be surprised to learn that in the Victorian era of the mid- to late 1800s, the man of the household was also the decorator and in charge of furnishings, wallpaper patterns and more.

In an article from the Times Online of London, Harry Mount explains that before women were allowed to put forth their own credit or actually own any property, their husbands were picking out chintz patterns and designing "manly" rooms like the study or library with deep red velvets and other classically masculine aesthetic touches.

Not until the 1920's, after the decline of the servant class, who typically visited the stores on behalf of the family, did women get to a point where they were the "purchaser of at least 90% of the furnishings for the home."

The article is filled with examples of prominent Victorian-era men and their involvement with home design. It was written to coincide with an exhibit on this period's decor opening at the Geffrye Museum in London's East End.

Here in New York, one would like to think that both the male and female members of the household have always had equal input during the design process, and that, indeed, there were times when even the most masculine took the time to study chintz patterns!

New York Interior Decorators and Designers

Read the Full Article:
Times of London

Labels: , , ,


Friday, October 17, 2008

 

Hot Deals on Furniture and Decor in New York City


Somebody's got inventory to move!

After the 9th email we received in 2 weeks, we relented. Mitchell + Bob, you win. Uncle. Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams are extending their 20% Off Special Order Sale through November 2nd. We're talking sofas, chairs, ottomans, sectionals and chairs. You pick the frames, fabrics and leathers, they'll whack a fifth off the price. The New York store is downtown on Lafayette at Kenmare Square. Please go there and buy something to relieve the pressure on our inbox.

Jensen-Lewis, a modern funriture store in NYC, invites you to enjoy their in-store promotion event called Norwegian Days. From today, October 17th through October 19th, visit, the store for Norwegian delicacies and have a seat in a Stressless chair or sofa. They also offer up to $1000 in Stressless accessories when you buy two chairs. Not sure what Norwegian delicacies are, we'll check Wikipedia later. Jensen-Lewis is located on 7th Avenue between 15th and 16th in Manhattan.

Visit the Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams Website

Visit the Jensen-Lewis Website

Labels: , , , , ,


Wednesday, October 15, 2008

 

NY Home Improvement Blog Patrol: Furniture Edition

Custom Furniture by Sublime NY


Love it or hate it, Ikea has, for decades, been a go-to option for those looking for affordable and modern furniture that is as versatile as it is easy to put together. Regardless of what the trend of the day might be, Remodelista urges readers to consider an "Ikea Classic" with a great photo spread in their 10 Easy Pieces series. Find furniture designers in New York on cityhammer.com.
Remodelista on Ikea

Hang on to your hair, Newsday's Real LI is reporting that The Donald is about to launch a line of furniture, flooring and lighting. Donald Trump is launching the line in North Carolina, the Furniture Capital of America. So for those of you at home sipping on your Trump bottled water while your Trump steaks are sizzling on the grill, get ready to shop for Trump-inspired home decor in the near future. We wonder if everything will be gilded with faux-gold paint...
Trump Does Furniture

What are the pros and cons of hiring an interior decorator to help you shop for furniture? Zen Finance Advice poses the same question and gives us an idea of what the benefits are, including the ability to track down bargains. Find interior decorators in New York on cityhammer.com.
Save on Furniture with an Interior Decorator?

Labels: , , ,


Monday, October 13, 2008

 

Interior Designers Wage a "Title" Fight in CT

Interior Design "Title" Fight


20 years ago, Susan Roberts of Lyme, Connecticut was told by the state Department of Consumer Protection that she could no longer use the term "Interior Designer" when marketing her services. According to an article on TheDay.com, she's decided not to play along anymore and has filed suit with the aid of the libertarian legal organization Institute for Justice for the right to use the Interior Designer title.

This fight is happening all over the nation, as, according to the article, the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) seeks to "expand the beachhead" of their titling into a full-blown licensing program. Getting licensed as a designer in CT is not prohibitively expensive, under $1000 for registration and exams, but for Roberts, starting out as a single mother 25 years ago made the process too difficult. After 2 decades of interior design work, she now feels that she should be able to advertise her services under the exact title of what she does for a living.

We at cityhammer.com are agnostic as to who's right and wrong here, but we find it interesting that now more than ever, in the age of Google, the importance of being able to use a title that also doubles as a search term, has sparked interior designer lawsuits across the country.




The interior-design titling law hasn't impeded her work, but it has interfered with her ability to find work, Roberts says, half-kiddingly adding that she could have been famous without the state's restrictions. She refused to call herself an interior decorator, which didn't describe what she could do, would limit her income and has become a pejorative in the design world.


”I have to call myself Susan Roberts, designer, or Susan Roberts, commercial, residential interiors,” she says. “I had to go through torture. It was intimidating. It makes you feel not as validated.”




We'll be watching with interest to see how the battle unfolds, and we hope that the ASID and the non-credentialed interior designers who work hard for their customers can find some common ground.


Click here for a list of Interior Design Pro's in Connecticut: CT Interior Designers

To read the rest of the article on The Day, click here: What's In a Name?







Labels: , ,


Friday, October 10, 2008

 

Hiring a General Contractor in New York State


Dear cityhammer,
We've recently purchased an unfinished loft and are planning to do the renovations before we move in. That being said, we need to be in by year-end, and with the amount of work that needs to be done, my husband and I don't have that much time to choose a general contractor. What are the main things to be concerned with or check into before we hire the contracting company?

-LolaGirl56 in Manhattan

Dear LolaGirl56,
Even if your timing is tight, there are a few things that are crucial when hiring a general contractor in New York.

First, try to find a contractor with good feedback and customer reviews online, such as the contractors listed on our mothership site, cityhammer.com. Next, be sure to check the contractor's license and insurance out using resources like the local Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, or the New York Department of Consumer Affairs.

When you've got a short list of gc companies, be sure to have the contractor out to the site to put together an estimate and help you come up with some ideas. Getting estimates over the phone for an unfinished loft renovation is as useful as getting a physical over the internet, so having the contractor come out to the space is very important.

One other must is an itemized bid, rather than just one round figure for the entire project. Itemizing allows the homeowner to track progress, understand cost overruns, and make on-the-fly decisions about priorities once the project is in full swing. For example, if your move-in day starts coming up fast and there are 6 things for the contractor to finish, the itemized list will tell you which ones can be attended to post-move (window treatments, fixture replacement) versus what would have to be done beforehand (life wood flooring).

Good luck with the loft renovation, send us the pics when its finished!

Click for More: Tips for Hiring a General Contractor

Highly Rated Contractors in NY

Labels: , , ,


Wednesday, October 8, 2008

 

NY Home Improvement Blog Patrol

Bailout Protest down on Wall Street, photo by Ol Slambert

Westchester County and the Lower Hudson region in general boast some of the most beautiful private gardens this side of the English countryside. The Journal News and their companion site LoHud.com have interviews and pictures from some of the most spectacular gardens and their owners. Of the 5 gardeners profiled, we were most impressed with the thousands of bulbs planted by came the 92 year old "Grande Dame" of Westchester gardening Henriette Suhr of Chappaqua. Its never too early to start thinking about spring planting (they start advertising Christmas in August these days after all!)
LoHud Great Gardeners

Back for the 4th year, Apartment Therapy's Fall Colors Contest is in full swing with photos from every region of the country posted on their site. The rules are pretty loose, you must simply live in the residence and have images of your home that really show off your color choices and creativity. Work done by professional painters and designers is allowed as well, so let's see if New Yorkers can take some prizes. Up to $2500 in CB2 gift cards and AT Books are up for grabs.
Fall Color Contest 2008 on AT.

According to Red Dot Online, one of the hottest interior design trends in the world for 2008 and 2009 is the color White. Sleek and shiny whites are appearing everywhere from furniture to fabric. Red Dot discusses the continued influence on Apple's iPod launch of 2001 and cites the fact that in Germany, for example, 70% more white cars were sold this year compared to last year and the trend is still up. The only problem we can forsee with the white movement is our proclivity for Grey Goose and cranberry juice...it'll never come out!
Red Dot on the White Trend

Labels: , , , ,


Monday, October 6, 2008

 

Massive Tiffany Lamp and Decor Exhibit on Long Island

Grape Library Lamp from Tiffany Studios New York

Over the weekend, Ben Genocchio of the New York Times gave us some background on Louis Comfort Tiffany, scion of the famous Tiffany jewelry family who eschewed the family business in favor of being an artist. The article will be very helpful if you plan to visit the Nassau County Museum of Art to check out “Tiffany Lamps: Articles of Utility, Objects of Art”, a new exhibit that will run through January 4th 2009.

The museum has 45 Tiffany lamps on display courtesy of the Neustadt Collection, as well as lamp-making and glass manufacturing displays. There are also some examples of late 1800's Gilded Age art and furniture which clearly draw the connection between Tiffany and the aesthetic of his time.

The article mentions some interesting trivia, such as the fact that Tiffany and a group of friends started an interior design business in New York in 1881 that took on commissions from such high profile projects as Mark Twain's house in Hartford, Connecticut and the Chester A. Arthur White House in D.C.

The Nassau County Musuem of Art is located at 1 Museum Drive in Roslyn Harbor (use Northern BLVD) and they've got a website for more info at www.nassaumuseum.com.

For a List of Interior Decorators in Nassau County, Click Here: Nassau Decorators

Read the Full Article on NYT:
Times on Tiffany

Labels: , , ,


Friday, October 3, 2008

 

Hot Interior Design Trend for 2009: Homemade

Etsy Can Help You Decorate "Homemade" for 2009

We'll see if this one makes it to the luxury buildings of Manhattan, but one of our big predictions for interior design in 2009 is the emergence of the "Homemade" look.

Achieving the Homemade look will hinge on your color choices (think natural, earthy colors without any bright shades) and your texture proclivities; homemade items are neither minimalist nor are they slick, they are cluttered and mottled and shopworn and are thus all the better for these very flaws and imperfections. One great place where anyone can go to find a vast selection of homemade decor stuff would be Etsy.com, a site you can get lost for hours on.

We think the homemade trend may stem from the need for comfort in times of duress and hardship like these, which we can collectively thank California and Florida real estate speculators and reckless mortgage underwriting for. The layoff totals are piling up to astounding numbers, the high energy prices made our utility bills come in extra-thick envelopes all summer, and the tone on the evening news or the cover of our local newspapers is getting more election-ugly and recession-despairing each day.

After the 9/11 attacks, we saw a similar trend in this country, called nesting, which led to booming sales for home decor stores even as consumers pulled back from other spending. The explanation was that if people are going to travel, or even venture outside less, then they would at least "feather their nests" for the time being.

The same way a knitted sweater or a home-cooked meal can comfort you when you come in from the storm, so too can the homemade decor trend when you get back from a day of work in an economy like this one. Tune in next week to the cityhammer blog for more details on this design trend as well as others we expect to see in 2009.

For a New York interior decorator who can help you get this look for your house or apartment, click here:
New York Interior Designers

Visit Etsy.com

Labels: , ,


Wednesday, October 1, 2008

 

NY Home Improvement Blog Patrol

Photos from AT

Certain facets of Japanese culture freak us out, like talking shrimp cartoon characters, vending machine shopping and now, from Tokyo, comes a home design scheme that you have to see to believe. Apartment Therapy LA has the story and some eye-popping photos of something called the "Reversible Destiny Lofts". The architecture features outlets and switches in hard-to-reach places, uneven floors, strange entrance and exits, and colors straight out of your most recent nightmare about that time you got separated from your parents at a carnival. Good luck with all that, Tokyo residents.
Apartment Therapy on Tokyo Loft Craziness.

Discussions about real estate are so 2006, like watching Friday Night Lights or listening to Fergie. One day, however, the subject will become palatable again. Over at the Comitini Blog, they've posted the definitive explanation of the difference between Townhouses, Co-ops, Condos and Cond-ops. For those new to or interested in the Manhattan real estate world, check it out and break some of your misconceptions.
Cominiti on NYC Real Estate Terms

Last but not least, cityhammer.com member and closet organizing maven Clos-ette is looking for 2 interns. If you or someone you know is interested in luxury design, real estate and VIP sales, email your resume to Clos-ette here: Contact Clos-ette
Clos-ette Internships

Labels: , , ,


This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Subscribe to Posts [Atom]