It’s been nutso lately.
My 3-year-old, homemade website is slowly breaking down, so I’ve been working with a web designer to create a new one (hopefully launching in the next 2 weeks). We just finished installing the dining room and lighting scheme for the ongoing Project #HGDclassiccolonialrevival (I haven’t talked about it on the blog, but you can head to Instagram for some pics).
Yesterday was Thing 1 and Thing 2’s last day of school, and I really don’t have a set plan for kid care for the summer. Next week, I’ll be installing the Yankee Barn Homes and Cottages & Bungalows Magazine 2019 Project House.
We’re also heading into our “Remodeling a Remuddle” kitchen/pantry/laundry/mudroom in just a few weeks …
… and we haven’t even finished ironing out the details, let alone prep for moving out of half of our house …
… let along start filling you all in on the historically-inspired goodies! I have so much to share, and only Saturdays (and my part-time working hours) to do it.
YIKES!
Anywho! All good stuff. But today, I wanted to give a shout-out to one of my vendors that was an absolute God-send for the 2019 Project House and may be less well known to you than some of the bigger North Carolina upholstery companies — the Charles Stewart Company.
The Charles Stewart Company & the 5-Day Program
I was first introduced to Charles Stewart by one of my mentors Dena Hamilburg, when we collaborated on my library more than 6 years ago. I’ve used Charles Stewart pieces time & time again since. The company has a beautiful collection of transitional and traditional frames, superb quality, and good value for the $.
One of the reasons they can offer such fabulous quality for the value is that they basically don’t spend any $ advertising. It’s all under the radar.
But under the radar doesn’t necessarily mean unknown … by those in the know … if you know what I mean. 😉
Their construction is to gold standard:
- double-doweled joints
- corner bracing
- kiln-dried maple frame
- 8-way hand-tied springs with soundproofing twine
Here’s the most amazing thing — Charles Stewart has a 5-Day Shipping Program.
Now, that doesn’t mean you’ll have your furniture in 5 days. It means that about 30 frames will ship 5 days after the company receives the fabric you want to upholster their frames in.
As a point of comparison, most companies (including Big Box companies) have lead times of at least 6-10 weeks following receipt of fabrics.
Man, oh man, I needed that Quick Ship option with the 2019 Project House.
The “Great Escape” Great Room
(A Family’s Forever Home-Away-from-Home in New Hampshire)
I’ve titled my room in the 2019 Project House “The ‘Great Escape’ Great Room.” The idea behind it is that Yankee Barn Homes’ Springfield Barn House is a home-away-from-home base for an active family from a suburban/Metro area who crave the quiet and rugged outdoors of New Hampshire for their getaway weekends, both winter and summer.
As a long-term backdrop for their family’s North Woods memories, I wanted to furnish it with the same well-crafted, American-made décor that would stand the test of time in any investment home and a fresh classic style that would reflect the fun vitality of their family. I immediately thought of Charles Stewart as the perfect source for the upholstery.
My clients in Project #HGDlakecamp also saw the value in quality furnishings for their vacation home and chose these gorgeous (and amazingly heavy!) Charles Stewart swivel chairs in a seersucker stripe to anchor their main room.
(You can read more about that project here.)
I’m not sure what industry standards are for show houses or magazine project houses, but this one felt like a whirlwind. I’ve never designed a room so quickly or needed to have things onsite so fast.
I chose two of Charles Stewart’s Boreal Chairs to cover in Schumacher’s Luberon Plaid in Indigo…
Nothing more New Hampshire than plaid! I LOVE the cute back pillow on these chairs and the wood frame base. Great details.
… and the Bromley Sofa covered in a super soft indoor/outdoor herringbone fabric to prevent fading.
I’ll be loading the sofa up with these pillows in fun Schumacher patterns.
Charles Stewart is a trade-only upholstery manufacturer, so you need to work through a designer or a furniture showroom to purchase their products. Obviously, it is a favorite here at Home Glow Design!
Or you can purchase these exact items directly from the 2019 Project House for super discounted prices!
So, if you live within a couple hours drive of Grantham, NH, make sure you’re on the mailing list so you know when the open houses are. I’ll be featuring a number of American-made pieces for fabulous prices. And you’ll get to see the “Great Escape Great Room” months before it’s published in the magazine!
And if you’re interested in exploring some fresh classic, architecturally-inspired design work for your own Forever Home, please get in touch. I’m currently accepting new clients for the fall.
Stay tuned, and see you next Saturday!
-Amy
