Furniture Sofa

Neutral certainly doesnt mean boring. Especially when it comes to sofas./ppIn fact, most designers say a neutral sofa is your best bet. As seasons change and your home dcor evolves, you can update a room simply through throw pillows. /ppWe thought wed put that theory to the test with one white sofa, six designers and their pillow selections and styling. The results: A sofa can be a blank canvas and easily evoke your personality. /pphr class=”infobox-hr-separator” /
div class=”infobox”/ppstrongspan class=”infobox-head”SEW INSPIRED /span/strongbr //ppCostume designer Hilary Brown of Kansas City discovered a multicolored placemat she loved (Andre, $9.99, Crate Barrel), so she turned it into a pillow that informed the rest of her design scheme. Its so easy to turn a cloth placemat into a pillow, says Brown, whos also an interior design student at Park University. You rip a side seam, stuff it and sew it together./pp She added two 22-inch charcoal Belgian linen squares ($60 each, Restoration Hardware) and a two-pack of plum Wesley pillows ($19.99, Bed, Bath and Beyond). /ppBrown sewed the white pillows herself from a Calvin Klein apparel fabric (half a yard, $16, Kaplans Fabrics) and appliqud black stripes on them, using silver thread./ppInstead of hanging a piece of art behind a sofa, the art can be one pillow. /ppp align=”right”Hilary Brown, Kansas City costume designer and Park University interior design student/p
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div class=”infobox”/ppstrongspan class=”infobox-head”ORGANICALLY CHIC /span/strongbr //ppp align=”right”Pillows usher in new seasons, says interior designer Mark Sudermann, based at the Country Club Plaza. No matter the time of year, he admires the pillows of Aviva Stanoff. /p/ppThe Brooklyn textile artist lays real flowers, leaves, stalks of wheat, fish nets, sea fans, as well as custom pieces on fabric, and then etches forms into the surfaces of silks and velvets, hand dyeing them around silhouettes. No two handcrafted pillows, backed in silk dupioni, are alike (starting at $185 for the orange-red rectangle, M. Sudermann Interior Design)./pp Tempo velvet pillows in pumice and ivory are $39.95 each at Crate Barrel./pp Pillows are an easy way to change the look of a room, adding a pop of color. They finish a room as well. /ppp align=”right”Mark Sudermann, interior designer of M. Sudermann Interior Design in Kansas City/p
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div class=”infobox”/ppstrongspan class=”infobox-head”SUMMER FETE /span/strongbr //ppp align=”right”Alejandro Lopez is a Spanish-born designer who recently located to Kansas City from Miami. He chose a neutral-on-neutral look he finds reminiscent of 1940s garden parties. You see photos of people dressed in whites and tans, he says. Its very chic. This is a contemporary version of that classic look./p/ppDransfield Ross Herringbone Linen pillows ($245 each, Black Bamboo) build the backdrop for Japanese head-rest pillows made of 100 percent cane, the skin of a rattan plant ($25 for small, $30 for large, Shop at Studio Dan Meiners)./pp The cane pillows arent just head rests. You could use them to relax your arms./pp Dont just think of pillows as beauty and decoration. Consider their comfort level and how they feel. /ppp align=”right”Alejandro Lopez, designer/owner of Runway Interior Dcor in Kansas City/p
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div class=”infobox”/ppstrongspan class=”infobox-head”TO A T /span/strongbr //ppp align=”right”Julie Comer Granstaff, owner of the Monogram Shop in downtown Overland Park, believes in personalizing pillows. She created a preppy, nautical-inspired look by mixing traditional and modern monogram styles./p/pp The single initials with periods are on the contemporary side, she says. A similar design costs $30 each for already-made pillows (these coral ones made from outdoor fabrics were two for $34, Costco). The coral design costs about $30. The large traditional monogram strong/strong Granstaffs initials combined with her husband, Mikes, would cost about $90. Granstaff sewed the navy-striped pillows herself (Nautica indoor-outdoor fabric, Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores)./pp Indoor-outdoor fabrics are a great way to go with pillows, especially when youve got kids and pets. /ppp align=”right”Julie Comer Granstaff, owner of the Monogram Shop in Overland Park/p
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strongspan class=”infobox-head”WESTERN COMFORT /span/strongbr //ppp align=”right”Fancy Smith owns Cactus Creek, a bohemian Western store in Weston. She blogs about her discoveries at antique shows, like Round Top in her home state of Texas. Pillows allow you to change a whole look without spending much money, Smith says./p/pp She loves a rustic mix that makes you want to put on your boots as you kick back on the sofa: cowhide pillows ($52 to $98) and a pair of Turkish-rug pillows ($54). The pillows in front of the groupings are remnants from crazy quilts, holes and all ($48 and $78; all pillows from Cactus Creek). /pp Buy the pillows that define your style. Dont be afraid. Theyre just pillows. /ppp align=”right”Fancy Smith, owner of Cactus Creek in Weston/p
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div class=”infobox”/ppstrongspan class=”infobox-head”AN INVITATION /span/strongbr //ppp align=”right”Adrienne Molstad of Twigs Interiors in downtown Overland Park thinks pillows are an easy way to infuse trends. We saw lots of smokes, mustards and purples at market (High Point, N.C.) this year, Molstad says. They are refined, luxurious and feminine, which were also seeing./p/pp The lingerie pillow is by Aviva Stanoff (starting at $240), mustard pillows by Asia Minor (starting at $225), and the rest are by Bliss Studio ($398 each); fabric throw ($210, all from the Design Boutique)./pp To give the pillows a relaxed look, Molstad and lots of designers chop the tops of pillows with their hands./pp I keep a stack of pillows on the floor near my sofa or on top of it. Its laid-back and inviting. /ppp align=”right”Adrienne Molstad, designer at Twigs Interiors in Overland Park/p
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div class=”infobox”/ppstrongspan class=”infobox-head”RESOURCES /span/strongbr //ppstrongBed, Bath Beyond:/stronga
href=”http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com”www.bedbathandbeyond.com/a/p/ppstrongBlack Bamboo:/strong 114 Southwest Blvd., 816-283-3000, a href=”http://www.black-bamboo.com”www.black-bamboo.com/a/ppstrongCactus Creek: /strong365A Main St., Weston, 816-386-4013, a href=”http://www.cactuscreekdaily.com”www.cactuscreekdaily.com/a/ppstrongCostco:/stronga href=”http://www.costco.com”www.costco.com/a/ppstrongCrate Barrel: /strong4601 W. 119th St., Leawood, 913-469-5100, a href=”http://www.crateandbarrel.com”www.crateandbarrel.com/a/ppstrongDesign Boutique:/strong 8010 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park, 913-232-9430, a href=”http://www.thedesignboutiquekc.net”www.thedesignboutiquekc.net/a/ppstrongJo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores: /stronga href=”http://www.joann.com”www.joann.com/a/ppstrongKaplans Fabrics: /strong430 Ward Parkway, 816-531-4818, a href=”http://www.kaplansfabrics.com”www.kaplansfabrics.com/a/ppstrongM. Sudermann Interior Design:/strong By appointment, 913-636-0338, a href=”http://www.msudermann.com”www.msudermann.com/a/ppstrongMonogram Shop:/strong 7323 W. 79th St., Overland Park, 913-967-5701/ppstrongRestoration Hardware: /strong4701 Wyandotte, 816-931-6592; 4853 W. 117th St., Leawood, 913-327-7121; a href=”http://www.restorationhardware.com”www.restorationhardware.com/a/ppstrongRunway Interior Design: /strong2500 West Pennway, 816-349-4765, a href=”http://www.runwayinteriordecor.com”www.runwayinteriordecor.com/a/ppstrongShop at Studio Dan Meiners:/strong 2500 West Pennway, 816-842-7244, a href=”http://www.danmeiners.com”www.danmeiners.com/a/ppstrongTwigs Interiors:/strong By appointment, 913-341-3011, a href=”http://www.twigsinteriors.net”www.twigsinteriors.net/a/pp/div/pphr class=”infobox-hr-separator” /
div class=”infobox”/ppstrongspan class=”infobox-head”Is a white sofa right for you? /span/strongbr //ppWhite upholstery is popular this year, as evidenced in stores this spring and at the recent High Point Home Furnishings Market in North Carolina./ppThe absence of color makes a good backdrop for bright hues, and youre also seeing lots of white on white for a calming, serene look. /ppWhite is timeless and clean, says Erin Strowig, a furniture saleswoman at Crate Barrel in Leawood. Lots of snow-colored sofas are on the stores showroom floor. /ppWhite is also good for making small spaces seem bigger and has a crisp appearance when paired with wood and metal. But keeping white and its vanilla counterparts clean can be trickier./ppbConsider slipcovers/b/ppBrush or vacuum slipcovers once a month. /ppFor machine-washable ones, use a triple-load washer or divide slipcovers into manageable wash loads. Always wash the entire slipcover for uniform results. Close all zippers and fabric tab fasteners prior to washing. Use cold water and mild detergent. Tumble dry on low until slightly damp; remove promptly to reduce wrinkling. Do not line-dry slipcovers because it might stretch the fabric./ppHemp is becoming a more popular slipcover material. It should be dry-cleaned because machine washing can stretch out fibers and cause wrinkling./ppbClean regularly/b/ppRotate cushions and pillows weekly to distribute wear. Vacuum upholstery on a regular basis with the upholstery attachment and crevice tool of your vacuum to remove loose particles./ppAnnual cleaning by a professional upholstery cleaning service is recommended, including the furniture base beneath slipcovers./ppDont apply fabric fresheners or fabric protectors./ppbSpills and spot cleaning/b/ppAlways blot (dont rub) spills immediately with a clean, absorbent white cloth. Blot from the outside of the affected area to prevent rings./ppPile fabrics may require brushing with a nonmetallic, stiff bristle brush to restore appearance./ppFollow industry-standard cleaning codes (they say what types of detergents if any can be used)./pp/div

WHAT: One company has a monopoly on selling office furniture to the county

COST TO US: Unknown. Competitive bidding is considered a must for governments that want the best deal. Broward spent about $14 million on one brand of furniture without seeking bids.

WHO’S RESPONSIBLE: Broward County Commission from 1993 to 2010

The office furniture in Broward County‘s court and government offices matches. Cubicle walls are mirror images of each other. And to keep it that way, taxpayers may have paid extra.

Since 1993, the county has allowed one company to hold a monopoly on its office furniture business in the county courthouse and county hall, never seeking better deals from anyone else.

Broward County commissioners were indignant at a recent meeting when Commissioner Kristin Jacobs brought it up.

“If one office needs a desk and there’s a spare desk somewhere else, we can start having some differences in the offices,” Broward Mayor Sue Gunzburger agreed. “There is no reason that every office has to look alike.”

Starting in 2005, even more county business went to Workplace Resource without bids. Almost all the furniture bought for any county office, or for the libraries, the airport and Port Everglades, was bought from that company.

That’s $14 million in furniture, $11 million of it since 2005, county Purchasing Director Brenda Billingsley said. All of it from Workplace Resource.

Even if the county went out for a bid, commissioners had voted in 1987 only to use one brand, Herman Miller, and there’s only one company that sells that in South Florida to government: Workplace Resource.

Billingsley, in her job for four years, said she’d already identified this as a problem and is reviewing all longtime contracts.

It’s a “safe assumption” the county can save money by going out to bid every five years or so, she said.

This isn’t the only longstanding, uncompetitive contract Billingsley is reviewing. The county has been using the same brands or providers of things such as iced tea in concession stands, mosquito spray and paddle boats, some of them for decades, purchasing records show.

Angel Vargas, who manages the account for Workplace Resource in Weston, defended the contract, saying he has deeply discounted the items the county buys the most of, like connected seats in the airport. He said the county’s Herman Miller furniture carries a 12-year warranty even if it’s used 24 hours a day, every day.

Example: The county’s desk chairs cost $600, he said. Another company might say its cheaper chair can only be sat on for one eight-hour shift a day, he said, unlike the warranty he gives.

“It’s no different from you buying a product from China with a one-year warranty,” said Vargas. “How can you put that chair next to our chair and say your chair is cheaper?”

The Herman Miller furniture contract was originally intended just for the modular walls and a few other “accessories,” Billingsley said, and only in the courthouse and the Governmental Center downtown.

The modular walls connect to create offices. Those had to be standardized because another brand wouldn’t connect to them.

But at some point, she said, the contract “just sort of morphed,” with other county offices using it instead of seeking the most competitive deal.

“We don’t want that anymore,” Gunzburger told Billingsley when it came up recently.

“It’s over,” agreed Commissioner John Rodstrom.

A competitive process will be used to furnish the planned $328 million county courthouse, everyone agreed. Vargas said Workplace Resource will put in a bid.

bwallman@tribune.com or 954-356-4541

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Green decking company Trex recently expanded its line of deck and railing products with outdoor furniture made from around 90 percent recycled content.

The new collection includes tables, chairs, porch swings and sofas made from materials like recycled milk jugs and laundry detergent bottles.

“At Trex, we’re not just trying to sell boards and balusters, it’s about outdoor living,” said vice president of marketing Adam Zambanini. “We now have the complete package to offer consumers when they’re putting together a deck project.”

The outdoor furniture line features four collections. The Cape Cod aims to capture the New England experience with a stylishly-curved Adirondack chair, ottoman, round side table and two sizes of conversation tables.

The Yacht Club includes a three-position high back chair that folds flat for easy storage, a stackable chaise with adjustable back and coordinating dining tables, while the Rockport brings the luxury of indoor living outside with a sofa, settee, club chair and ottoman.

In addition, the Monterey Bay is said to deliver a comfortable and elegant dining experience and includes arm chairs and tables in bar, counter and dining heights.

For more information, or to purchase the furniture, visit www.TrexFurniture.com.