The Rural Voice, 1998-03, Page 45BY PATTI ROBERTSON
It's that time of year to attend the
many home fashion, lighting and
accessory extravaganzas for the 1998
decor scene.
The first showcase was the Toronto
International Home Furnishings
Market, and what a show it was!
Laid-back elegance was the overall
theme as "details" made the largest
fashion statement — details on
everything: from diminutive accent
cushions, fringes, braiding, tassels, and
skirts, all added pizzazz to colour
schemes based on soft natural hues
incorporating colour names such as
fawn brown, clay, dove, forrest dew,
incense, ash madder etc.
When colour hues become neutral,
textures come into play. There was
every texture imaginable, from thick,
rough, chunky — giving one a primi-
tive look and feel, to the sleekness of
chrome and high -gloss wood finishes.
Leather was very predominant in both
buttery texture and the weathered
range look.
To work with the busy '90s
household, furnishings are versatile,
multi-purpose and space -saving.
Unique innovation is definitely a key
towards what is desired for many
family needs. As an example: Sofas
International (a division of Shermag)
has designed a Chameleon Concept
Sofa. The Chameleon features four
detachable arms and back rests, this
feature transforms the piece from sofa
to a chaise lounge or face-to-face
seating, a bed, or a room divider,
making it ideal for condo living.
Concordian Chesterfield introduced an
ottoman called the "Ergo Center".
This can be transformed into a coffee
table, a pull-out bed, a storage unit,
desktop, gaming surface for card or
chess playing or is ideal as a children's
play surface. The Ergo Centre is ideal
for space limited areas as in condos,
students' dorms, etc. The Ergo Centre
is offered in two sizes – a square 33" x
33" or an oblong 33" by 42"; both are
19" in height.
Another item suited to today's
scaled-down living spaces was the
Recliner Condo Sofa and Chair. The
sofa is 78" long, a full six inches
shorter than a standard 84" sofa. A
minimal requirement of three inches
positioning from a wall allows the
Home Decorating
Details, details, details
pieces to fully recline! For ease of
transportation and moving, the backs
of these pieces are fully removeable.
There is also a new and notable
trend in a Retro '50s, '60s look in
furnishing and
colouration. For
example, yellow
is one of this
year's trendiest
bright hues.
Yellow sofas
were featured in
many manufac-
turers' displays.
Leatrice Eiseman
of the Eiseman
Centre for
Colour Informa-
tion Training in
New York,
explains yellow
is a great hue
Little extras
make a
difference
with which to welcome guests at the
front entrance or in a north room.
In conjunction with the primaries of
yellow, red and aqua, chrome is vogue
in full force. (At this point I offer a
word of caution: These colourations
and chrome themes are very trendy.
Be wary of cost effectiveness with
your decoration budget.) These pieces
mix and match in a fun and funky style
most suitable to the Generation-Xers.
The style evokes memories of '50s
diners and classic automobiles of the
era – as the Americans have dubbed it
"the Elvis look".
All in all the 1998 Toronto Furni-
ture Showcase featured a multitude of
interesting and uniquely innovative
furnishing styles in conjunction with a
wonderful combo of colouration and
textures. All these styles with their
numerous '90s features will be at your
local furnishing dealers any day now!
I encourage you to take a stroll
through your favourite store. Ask
questions, take your coat off and try
out the different styles. You should be
able to discover the exact piece to suit
your personal needs!O
Patti Robertson operates Classic
Interiors in Wingham.
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MARCH 1998 41