A Bedroom that Looks and Feels Good

Is your bedroom an inviting oasis of relaxation? Or does it look more like a storage unit, a veritable wasteland of clutter, dirty clothes, dirty dishes and kid’s toys.

If your room is the latter and you’re finding it increasingly more difficult to find the bed when it’s time for bed, you may want to consider giving your bedroom a well-deserved makeover.

With just a few changes, some hard decision making and some tough love, you can transform you bedroom into everything you ever dreamed it should be. And it’s easier than you think.

Start with the basics

First, your bedroom is not a storage facility. If things in the room do not contribute to relaxation, enhance the beauty, add space or provide some entertainment, get rid of it. Pack it up, move it to another room or put it in the garage or trash. If you like to watch a little television before calling it a night, consider getting an armoire to hide it away when it’s not in use. If you’re an avid reader, make sure your nightstands have a drawer so you can put your book or magazine away, along with your glasses. If you love the latest fashions, add more dressers, wardrobes and a closet organizer to the room. Finally, get a hamper for the dirty clothes so you’re not tempted to leave them wherever they fall. As they say, “A place for everything, and everything in its place.”

Add furniture to the mix

Now that your room is clear of clutter, it’s time to add beauty and charm to the space. Start by looking at your furnishings. Do they have the same style or at least complement one another? Are there pieces that should be moved out to make way for others? Does the style of your furniture match your tastes? For example, if you have a love of modern or contemporary furnishings, why do you continue to hold on to that monster of an oak four-poster? Creating a cohesive or at least complementary look is essential to promoting relaxation and a sound sleep. As you review your bedroom’s needs, consider the space you have to work with as well. If you are in desperate need of another dresser, do you really need the California King or can you do with a platform bed instead? This is not the time to be in denial. Once a piece of furniture is purchased, it tends to stay with you for a long time, so you want to choose carefully and deliberately. Nothing is more maddening than creating a bedroom retreat where the furniture is so big you can’t make it to the bathroom without stubbing a toe or cracking an elbow.

Think of your future storage needs

The old adage; “stuff expands to fill the space available” is certainly true in the bedroom. Fashions change seasonally, and what’s hot now may not be next year. So clothing and footwear seems to multiply as the years pass, even though storage remains the same. Here’s a couple ways to gain space in your bedroom without knocking out a wall or doing a major remodel. First, choose bedroom furniture that offers maximum storage. A platform bed with space or drawers underneath provides a surprising amount of additional storage without adding to the overall furniture footprint. The same is true with dressers. A nightstand with drawers is a better choice than one with a single open shelf. Several highboys take up the same space as a low dresser, but offer two to three times the space. The same is true of a lingerie chest. A shoulder height lingerie chest offers more storage than a Queen Anne dresser for your unmentionables. When you’re evaluating the space you need to store your clothing, don’t ever think you have enough. It’s far better to have a few nearly empty drawers for a few years than to have drawers so tightly packed that you have to struggle to get them open in the morning. Nothing puts the damper on a day than getting a black eye from a bra strap that got caught on the back of an overstuffed drawer.

Don’t go it alone – ask an expert

A well-designed bedroom doesn’t happen by accident. If you’re not comfortable with doing it yourself, there are lots of good resources out there. The Internet has sites devoted entirely to the subject of interior and bedroom design. Another good source is a reputable furniture retailer. Because they deal with design, style and fashion at every turn, these experts can help you create a bedroom that meets your needs perfectly. They can also provide you with good advice about colors, materials and fabrics so you can mix and match with ease and confidence.

Solid wood furniture is always in style as it is versatile and easy to craft. But this does not mean that all woods are created equal.

There are different types of woods used to craft furniture such as bedroom furniture sets. Exotic woods such as teak and mahogany fall under this category. These woods are very beautiful and lend a classical look to furniture. A bedroom furnished with teak bedroom furniture set looks elegant and expensive. Usually, pieces of furniture made from hardwoods are expensive.

Domestic woods are reasonably priced and furniture made from these woods is usually less expensive. The domestic woods’ that are available and are used to make furniture includes softwoods such as pine and redwood as well as hardwoods such as poplar, cherry, ash, walnut, maple and oak.

Solid wood furniture is always in style because artisans can create beautiful pieces from it as the material is so versatile. It is available in a variety of colors and different grains. Wood that goes into making solid wood furniture us distinguished as either a hardwood or softwood. This classification is not made based on the strength of the wood but rather on the behavior of the wood in the forest. Hardwood trees lose their leaves seasonally, while softwood trees keep their leaves all year.

All pieces of furniture used in the home from dressers, to table, cabinets are chairs, can be fashioned from the different types of woods. In fact, in California, there are over 2,000 varieties of wood that are commonly used for creating furniture. The most common choice of woods are pine, redwood, poplar, walnut, maple, cherry, ash and oak.

Solid wood furniture made from teak and mahogany is usually more expensive that other hardwood furniture. However, even pieces of furniture made from these materials can be bought for less from a furniture outlet. The prices available at a furniture outlet are around 20 per cent less than what is available in retail stores.

Softwood furniture is an attractive and alternative solution. They are very pliable and therefore can be used to create several different pieces of furniture. However, a problem with softwood furniture is that it is not very long lasting. It needs to be replaced every few years.

Families who cannot afford solid wood furniture but like the appearance of wooden furniture can opt for inexpensive, mass-produced furniture made from composites such as plywood, particle board and pressed wood. Unlike solid wood, these woods won’t shrink and expand. However, they also don’t offer the durability and grainy texture that consumers are looking for when they buy solid wood furniture.

Homeowners, who want to have solid wood furniture for their outdoors, need to buy wooden furniture that can withstand moisture and heat as well as tolerate the sharp changes weather.

For more resources about Bedroom Furniture or even about Discount Furniture and especially about American Drew Furniture please review these links.

The French capital is a tried and trusted destination for meetings and events – but it is still able to surprise. John Keenan reports

Paris MICE hotels and services

Browse MICE and corporate hotels in Paris on the Great Hotels of the World website – including detailed meeting information, photos, reviews and more. 

next event please visit the Great Hotels of the World MICE page.

For more information on MICE events in Paris contact Corine Bernadou:  Tel: +33 (0) 1 49 52 53 96 / cbernadou@parisinfo.com

You must start with the Seine. The river is the reason the city exists and to this day provides a vital artery to commercial life in the French capital. The touristic Bateaux-Mouches are a familiar sight on the waterway, as inevitable as umbrellas in April, but ship-owner Didier Spade has taken a hackneyed concept and given it a postmodern twist. His Clipper Paris is decked out with sofas, banquettes and armchairs and looks more like a determinedly trendy club than a boring boat. The main and sun decks are 200 sqm each and can comfortably accommodate 100 people for a cocktail reception and 150 people for a seated dinner.

It is an example of how suppliers in Paris are bending traditional formats into decidedly up-to-date forms. Over two freezing days earlier this year, in the tutelary company of Helene Hubert from the Paris Convention Bureau, I was introduced to an array of refurbished, remodeled and restored venues which demonstrated that the French capital is capable of surprising the most proficient Paris planner. 

At Cite de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine, opposite the Trocadero, Zoe Macedo, head of events, threaded us expertly through examples of French architecture from the 12th century to the modern age, explaining how the 12 reception rooms and auditorium can be put to use by events and conference organisers. The largest area, the Galerie des Moulages at 3,420 sqm, is more appropriate for a reception rather than anything formal. The Cathédrale area is more manageable at 380 sq m, while the 250 sq m auditorium is a thoroughly contemporary meeting space with all the bells and whistles one would demand.

Across the road on Avenue George Mandel, 6 Mandel is a gorgeous 19th century Parisian townhouse adapted to the needs of the 21st century events planner. The rooms comprise 95 sqm of events space plus a 130 sq m garden within sight and shadow of the Eiffel Tower. I used my imagination and pictured a perfect soiree on a warm’s summer’s eve. The house at 6 Mandel once belonged to Jacques Homberg, Christian Dior’s close companion, and one can imagine the pair shopping for presents at Café Fauchon near the Madeleine. The shop pays homage to all things tasty, tempting and ever-so-slightly transgressive from coffee, condiments and spices to biscuits, patisseries and macaroons… you can practically feel your blood sugar levels heading upwards as you navigate the immaculate aisles. Upstairs a separate terrace is available for meetings of up to 250 people.

Following our visit, Hubert and I worked off the calories with a spirited stroll from the Place de la Madeleine across the Boulevard Haussmann to Rue La Fayette, to see a 120 sqm blank canvass in the heart of the city. Whether L’Appart Lafayette looks elegant, funky or formal is completely down the taste and imagination of the client. Well-suited for product launches and press conferences, this is not the place to bring your dancing shoes – the floor won’t take it. But dancing, playing air-guitar and just about any other form of adolescent exhibitionism is positively encouraged at the ‘rock ‘n’ luxe’ Murano in the Marais area. This is not a hotel, please note: it is an ‘urban resort.’ Meeting rooms are not the top item on the agenda at this property, and if you are the kind of client who balks at the idea of presenting your pitch in a bar-lounge to the accompaniment of a track last heard in Ibiza in the late 90s, then the Murano is not for you. You don’t have to be groovy to stay here, but it probably helps.

Another hip and happening meeting space can be found in the distinctly edgy north-east tip of the city. The Centquatre, a former funeral parlour, is a huge light-filled event space and home to the largest collection of in-house artists in Europe. My visit coincided with a residency by British trip-hop big-wig Tricky and equally as impressive is the 39,000 square metre function space. The publicity material includes much worthy comment about the ‘production of living thought’, but of more practical use are the studios, showrooms and workshops which provide modern meeting and events facilities.

If the artistic innovation at Centquatre is your thing, chances are you will also feel at home in the eccentric environment of the Mama Shelter hotel, close to the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. This property has literally got quirky designer Philippe Starck written all over it – from the ‘provocative’ graffiti in the lift to the comic-book masks and i-Macs in the rooms. Owner Serge Trigano promised me that traditional service values at the 172-room hotel have not been chucked away with the more conventional trappings of comfortable furniture and discreet decorations.

Back on more conventional ground, both literally and figuratively, the Académie Diplomatique Internationale (ADI) on Avenue Hoche, near the Arc de Triomphe and Parc Monceau, is a prestigious location, comprising five separate meeting rooms which can be privatised for up to a total 350 guests. But be warned: you must give plenty of notice as the building normally hosts diplomatic events but can be hired for a few days every month for meetings and special events.

If the accent at the ADI is on the formal, the ambiance at the Païva Restaurant at the foot of the Champs-Élysées is decidedly unceremonious. The former townhouse of a 20th-century courtesan, renovated by renowned interior decorator Jacques Garcia, is a riot of purple and red furnishings – check out the stars on the ceiling. It’s one more instance of how established venues in the French capital are discovering a contemporary twist.

Rooms for improvement

Nestled on the rue de Berri, just off the Champs-Elysees, the Hotel California has no connection with the famous Eagles tune. In fact, the atmosphere is far more Parisian chic than West Coast cool. The 18-room (plus 16 suites) property has nine meeting rooms ranging from the Pasedena 1, which at 25 sqm can hold up to 20 people to the San Francisco II, which has 120 sqm and can accommodate up to 200 people. As sales manager Sylvia Pietsch points out, the property was refurbished in 2004 preserving the comfortable ambience of the old property while installing the thoroughly modern gadgetry that today’s planners insist upon.

Contemporary equipment and spanking new rooms are the dominant themes at the Meridien Etoile. An established player in the Paris meetings market, and now part of the Starwood organisation, the hotel has added two new rooms to its meetings roster: offering 661 and 484 sqm the combined spaces can accommodate up to 1,200 people. The overall meetings offer comprises 25 conference rooms with more than 2,500 sqm of space. Bang opposite the Palais des Congrès, the hotel has 1,025 rooms – chic, it may be; boutique it definitely is not. At the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme, all is luxe, calme et volupté. It’s easy to be overawed by the magnificent public areas, festooned with fine art and gorgeous furnishings, but the gracious staff (epitomised during my visit by marketing communications manager Coralie Malazdra) mix a pleasing lack of formality with a practiced professionalism which puts you entirely at ease. The meeting rooms are similarly appealing – 12 all told, from 31 sqm to the beautiful 162 sqm ballroom.

And if you can tear yourself away from the hotel, the best shops in Paris are temptingly on the doorstep – as is the charming Hotel Lotti, tucked discreetly along Rue Castiglione. The property was the brainchild of the Duke of Westminster and the eponymous M. Lotti, one time maitre d’ at the Continental Hotel. Opened in 1910, it retains its old-school atmosphere. Five years ago, the hotel opened a new wing which added 44 bedrooms along with brand new conference facilities. Today the Lotti has eight meeting rooms which can hold up to 100 people. The restaurant – a tasty slice of Italy in the heart of Paris – is also available for group hire.

For my money, the most beautiful hotel ballroom in Paris is located within the InterContinental Paris Le Grand on Rue Scribe. It is one of 21 (count them) meeting rooms ranging from the smallest which can host 10 people for a banquet to the ballroom itself which can hold 600. The hotel is a Parisian landmark – it opened amid much excitement in 1862 and remains a byword for sumptuous events. The Café de la Paix is renowned in its own right.

The Crown Plaza on the Champs-Elysees can’t boast such an illustrious history but what it lacks in heritage it makes up for quirky ambience. This is not your standard Crown Plaza – designed by Bruno Borrione (who, almost inevitably, was a student of Philippe Starck) the property is an eclectic mix of natural timbers and modern furnishings. The 300 sqm meeting room can hold up to 260 people.

Last and far from least, the Westin Paris, overlooking the Tuileries gardens, is a gorgeous grand dame of a property. Rivaling the InterContinental for jaw-dropping opulence, this is an unashamedly upmarket place. The meeting rooms – festooned with frescos in the style of the second empire (that’s 1850-1870 for those whose French history is a little rusty) – the total of 1,982 sqm can hold up to 1,000 people. The Salons Castiglione, Feuillants, Mont-Thabor, Rivoli, and Saint-Honoré provide a variety of configurations for events while the Salons Tuileries and Vendome are best suited for lunch or dinners. The flamboyant is 19th-century Salon Impérial is ablaze with gilt chandeliers, red drapes and carpets while the Salon Concorde is a splendid grand ballroom. Style never goes out of fashion.

Feeding creativity

 

Any self respecting event planner has a couple of Paris-based caterers in the address book. If Butard Enescot is not one of them you really ought to do something about it. During a deeply impressive lunch, featuring (among other things) crispy scallops, crayfish mille feuille, lobster marinated in rum and a bitter chocolate truffle, Laetitia Gey outlined the company’s commitment to make each reception ‘a singular moment’. Fine words, but the genuine passion for superlative cuisine was evident in each memorable mouthful. Not exactly a new kid on the block – Butard Enescot was formed in 1997- the company is nevertheless challenging established caterers in the city with dynamism, know-how and supreme skill.

We dined at the beautiful Pavillon Royal in the Bois de Boulogne, and then took a post-prandial stroll to another magnificent events venue, the Pre Catalan. Long a favourite of aristocracy, politicians and high society, the venue is a fabulous choice even if fine dining is not on the menu – it offers 13 elegant rooms ranging from 32 sqm to 800 sqm, and can host from 20 to 1,400 guests for a reception.

In contrast to the formalism of the Pavillon Royal, the Boeuf sur le Toit is an unceremonious Art Deco gem in the heart of the city. Le Boeuf wears it brasserie heart on its sleeve and the tables crowded with local families are testament to its enduring appeal. The diners at the Chiberta are also local but likely to be more recognizable to anyone who keeps an eye on the French press. The restaurant’s Michelin-starred cuisine and seemingly bottomless wine list make it a favourite with the powerbrokers, media savvy, famous – and would-be famous.

 

A more traditional mainstay of typically French high cuisine, the Lassere is as French as foie gras – and how you react to that idea will tell you whether this establishment will strike you as inspired or insufferable – I plump for the former, won over by the polite and informative staff and the unexpected eccentricity of the sliding roof.

On my final evening in the capital Helene Hubert and I dined at La Grande Cascade on the Allee de Longchamp, once more in the Bois de Bologne. A Belle Epoque beauty, the restaurant has a number of private rooms which can be taken over exclusively for groups. We toured the rooms after a lengthy and very Gallic dinner involving game, truffles, and, bien sur, foie ras de canard poivre et sel. Paris has many different faces, but some things never change.

Case study

Toward the end of last year, Paris-based Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) was asked to produce an exceptional event for 80 of the best clients of a well-known financial institution. It was to be an all-inclusive tailormade event; assistance would be provided to each attendee; and the on-site co-ordination would take place in a sophisticated venue renowned for its cuisine.

CWT was charged with end-to-end event management, comprising venue sourcing, delegate welcome, on-site assistance, and around-the-clock service.

The chosen venue was Pavillon Ledoyen.  The Pavillon was built in 1791 by Pierre-Michel Doyen, scion child of a famous catering family. It was redesigned in 1842 and is located amid chestnut trees, beside a manicured lawn and peaceful fountains, within a graceful neo-classical facade.

CWT account director at CWT Meetings & Events in France, Christophe Colvin says: “Our objectives were to create a wonderful experience for these important clients and to introduce new products. The event had to be original and high-end. The delegates were French employees of a large US-headquartered company. For the French people, food is very important – and our presentation reflected this. The delegates were treated like stars; good food, good wine, good conversation.

“The budget was dedicated totally to the event – it was not spent on travel or accommodation. By focusing on the clients exact needs we were able to create a memorable event. For me the twin pillars of a successful event are re-invention and creativity.”

A brief word

We asked a leading Paris-based destination management company to respond to a hypothetical brief:  a pan-European company needs to retain staff and strengthen its upscale brand image internally. The programme comprises a two-day conference including break-out sessions, a keynote address by the CEO and a gala dinner on the final evening.

Michele Hensley, Allied France

The arrival and departure transfers can be arranged via different types of vehicles, from de luxe motor coach, van or private car to motorbike transfer. A two-day conference can be enhanced with activities during the morning and afternoon coffee breaks such as distribution of baby trees, massages, caricaturists, cooking activities or a Paris quiz. The activities will be selected according to the demographic of attendees. For the farewell evening dinner, depending on attendees demographic and budget we suggest one of the following: themed dinner in one of the Paris’ pavilions, or a dinner cruise with entertainment to allow the participants to discover the City while dining, or a fun and interactive dinner in the Funfair Museum or lastly the best in terms of classical dinner an evening in the Palace of Versailles, starting with the visit of the state apartments on a private basis for the participants, followed by a dinner in the gallery of battles along with music and period entertainment and costumes.

Vital indicators: Paris

Value for money – 3

Paris ranks with London and New York as a world-class capital – with world-class prices. You don’t have to have a behemoth budget to get the best out of the city – but it certainly wouldn’t hurt.

Infrastructure – 4

The French capital has been drawing crowds ever since Napoleon Bonaparte launched his first European tour. It knows how to cope with groups of all scale and size.

The X-factor -4

Some clients might claim to have seen it, done it and bought the Eiffel Tower t-shirt – but Paris has ways of reinventing itself which should not tax the imagination of the enthusiastic organiser.

Access – 4

Charles de Gaulle is the busiest airport in Europe bar Heathrow – with all that implies. Not the most centrally located hub, which means transfers demand plenty of aforethought. Brits-based in southern England have the option of the Eurostar – a convenient and speedy, if not cheap, alternative.

Luxury Investment – 3

It’s been two year since the Marriott Rive Gauche shook things up with its 60s-style revival. The five-star hotel sector has been pretty quiet since then.

Conclusion

Paris regularly tops the short-haul league tables for most European event planners. It remains well-placed to capitalise on its strengths when its neighbours, and its own, economic fortunes are revived.

There are a wide range of furniture consignment stores in the US that deal in quality, used furniture and home accessories.

The top furniture consignment stores offering quality, previously used furniture and furnishing are given below:

•Upscale Consignment

This 10,000 sq. ft shop is located in Gladstone. They sell quality, gently used furniture and furnishings. Furniture and home décor are available at 40% to 80% off trade. They also accept rugs, lamps, pottery, wall art and other distinctive home items. Items can be viewed in their online inventory for easier transactions.

They claim to provide great customer service and value to consignors and customers. New furniture arrives on a daily basis.

•Lido Consignment Gallery

This 5,000 foot showroom is located at Newport Beach California. This shop has been serving the public for more than 10 years. It is owned by designer Susan Landon. The shop specializes in unique furniture and home accessories. High quality furnishings come from design centers, importers, and name-brand manufacturers.

Most of its furniture is used in the finest homes in Newport.

•Brittany & Sondra’s Furniture Consignment

This shop offers high quality new and used furniture. It offers eclectic, classic, and contemporary furniture with top quality. They carry furniture for bedroom, dining room, kitchen, living room and others. They claim that furniture is gently used.

•Simonida

This shop has been in the business for 30 years. They also offer interior designing and home upstaging for their customers. All types of furniture like brass, pewter, and decorative metal objects are accepted. A full scale evaluation is given to help the customers.

•Traditions

This is a huge store of household items and furnishings in all conditions. Customers who love antiques will definitely like this place. Showroom is classified according to the styles of the furniture. A dedicated area is given to the bargain items.

•The Dancing Bear Quality Consignment Furniture and Home Accessories

This shop is located in Littleton, Colorado. They offer fine quality and gently used furniture. They also deal in used jewelry.

•Capital Consignment

This shop is set up as a series of actual rooms with wide areas of open space to encourage browsing. It is located in Washington D.C. and has existed for more than 2 years. It stages silver and china accessories reflecting a creative and inspirational feel.

•Southern Housepitality

This shop is owned by Erica Walajtys. It is a 7,500 square foot showroom to showcase upscale, gently used home furnishings. They offer antique and modern designs of furniture. They are located at Greenville, SC.

•Finer Consigner

This shop is located in Cottonwood Heights, UT. It is a 6,600 sq. ft. consignment store specializing in previously owned furniture and home accessories.

•Encore Décor

This shop is the largest upscale consignment store in Jacksonville Florida. They have an 18,000 ft showroom of wonderful furniture and home décor. They have friendly staff and computerized system. It is founded by Missi & Kelley Langford.

Basically furniture consignment business is recycling old but good items Profit is divided between the consignor and consignee. It benefits people who want to remodel or renovate the interiors of their homes. It also upstages and designs new homes.

It helps homemakers to save money with good buys. It allows interior designers to be more creative. It is ideal business for startup entrepreneurs because it doesn’t need a large startup cost. Furniture consignment and resale shops can be found in store or online.

To have a good furniture consignment shop, one must consider on the following factors

o clean and stylish atmosphere for the showroom

o good eye for quality and fashion

o knowledge of antiques and collectibles

o experienced staff