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Thursday, January 14, 2010

Who Needs Arms Anyway?

The Chloey Sofa from Drexel.
Did you know that when you lose the arms on a sofa
you often gain between 14 and  24 inches in a room?
And that is huge!
This is 84W x 40D x 39H named Chloey Sofa from Drexel Heritage
This is just 'okay' in my opinion.

This is 'Juliet' from Lexington.
This is really sharp.
The back contours around on the sides, I like that.

This also the Juliet from Lexington. about 83" Long and it is high in back...about 38."


This is a Liz Clayborne Sofa from Lexington.

This is my pick, and it is from Century. I love love love a 'bench seat'.
A bench seat is one single cushion rather than 2 ( or sometimes 3).
Did you know why they ( the furniture industry ) came up the brilliant idea of 3 cushions on a sofa where there would normally would be 1 ( a bench seat cushion ) or 2?
The smaller the cushions, the smaller the fabric you need.
Now they can utilize all the fabric that would normally be scrap.
I explain that to people all they time... and do you know what people say in the defense of the 3 cushion sofa?
" If I don't get a 3 cushion sofa I will have less seating, and besides how will people know where to sit?"
" And no one wants to sit on the crack "
HUH??? How will they KNOW  WHERE TO SIT ?
I say to them with a straight face;
" Well, you sit on a crack everyday and it doesn't seem you bother you, 
does it ?"
hahahahahahahahahha:)
I do really.......I say that ( to some ).
They are caught off guard and 'crack' up.
Then I try again to emphasize how much more attractive and costly sofas look with only 1 or 2 cushions.
If they insist on a 3 cushion sofa.....I write it off to the fact that most furniture stores mainly buy and sell 3 cushion sofas. The masses tastes have been tainted by the propaganda put out and into furniture markets.

This is called the Apartment sofa. It is only 36" deep, and this piece is part of a sectional.
But the sectional has NO ARMS. It has a corner piece, but that is it.
Very do-able if you are working with a small space,
and you want to add seating.

This is actually part of a sectional, from Century *Elegance Collection
* I just don't get why people (average peeps) insist on arms.
You can get all the same effect by using the right kind of pillows
next to you and under your arms/elbows.
I promise. This is true.






Armless sofas come in all styles.
You just have to look and dig.
Most furniture sales people are unaware of the armless
pieces in collection. So, you have to ask them to research it.

I would love this sofa.
I think it is exquisitely upholstered.

The armless Leigh Made to Measure is available in lengths 
from 28 to 120 inches. 
The Leigh Ottoman is available from 18 to 60 inches in length





You can always find an armless sofa in a sectional.
Well, not always, but it is more common than not.
(8 out 10 sectionals will have an armless love seat or sofa)
You can order just the armless love seat
or the armless sofa once you have it.
You sometimes can specify how many cushions you want if it is a better upholstery house.
*the price of the sofa will be based on the fabric grade
This is what the armless sofa will look like on the diagram
( most likely it will have different dimensions )
of the pieces that you can order to make a sectional.
Ask your salesman, they can show you.
It is there in all the catalogs that offer sectional sofas..
That is how THEY order it.
You will be presented with something like this below.
(less the silly green dots)



Here is the critical part,
make sure that you order it as
 a ' FREE STANDING ' piece.
This means that the sides will not have
the metal male and female parts on the sides of the armless sofa
that are used to attach the pieces of the sectional together
so that they do not come apart.
You definitely do not want that.
And get it in writing on your order.
*It also means that where extra fabric is needed on the sides,
(which are now the ends of your armless sofa)
the factory will take extra care in the finishing process.

*Well, this is the 3rd attempt at this post
it absolutely evaporated twice while loading and typing the original.
I am sorry if this is not a FABULOUS post.
It was hard to 'get into it' again.
Do you know what I mean?

Would you, 
could you ...
use an armless sofa ?


Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....

Interior Design, Palm Beach, Boca Raton,Ft.Lauderdale,Design Service, Window Treatments, TurnKey Interior Design Service,Paint selection, Floor-Plans,Online Interior Design,
Design Center of The Americas, D.C.O.T.A,.armless sofas and armless love seats
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Monday, January 11, 2010

20 Secrets To Happiness

For A Happy & Successful
New Year 
Return everything you borrow.
"I do, actually I do not borrow at all."
Stop blaming other people.
"I try to take responsibility for all my actions, 
and let's face it....
even if it is someone else's fault, 
I should have known better."
Live within your means and within your seams.
"This is a  life long struggle for me. 
There are so many beautiful 'things', 
and such excellent fudge cake out there "
Be humble.
"Oh, I am humble alright.....who wouldn't be in this economy"
Listen more; talk less.
"I work on this constantly....
I have learned to be quiet and HEAR the other person.
You know, if you really listen, 
a person will really tell you WHO THEY ARE."
Every day, do something nice and try not to get caught.
"This is a hard one, 
and if you don't know why.....
try it"
Strive for excellence, not perfection.
"Uh Oh.....let's just say. 
I am working on this one too."
Be on time.
"I am always on time. 
It drives me crazy to sit and wait for someone.
We all know chronically late people.....
it is all about their 'CONTROL' issues you know.
Maybe this should say, 
' Be tolorant of the chronically late' people '. "
Don't criticize anyone for 24 hours.
"OMG, a hideous flaw of mine
I am always criticizing others and myself.
(even if it is only in my head most of the time)
I mean can you imagine me not?
I mean if no one is making me laugh, 
I have to humor myself."
Be kind to other people.
" I am. 
But would someone please pass this on 
to the rude and mean people. 
Please."
Be even kinder to unkind people.
"Boy oh boy, I try....
I take the high road. 
But I can never run fast enough 
down that road to get away."
Take time to be alone.
"This I do WAY TOO MUCH."
Admit it when you make a mistake.
"This I am good at. 
It ends the conversation. Right?"
Understand and accept that life isn't always fair.
" DUH !!!!"
Let someone cut ahead of you in line.
"It feels good, especially if they are old"
Don't argue.
"This girl HATES confrontation. 
But it is not a great idea to back me into a corner." 
Know when to say something.
"Again, This is the easy one."
Know when to keep your mouth shut.
"This is the hard one."
Don't make excuses.
" Again.....
it's probably my fault.
I should have known better."
Don't sweat the small stuff.
"I learned this little chant from a yogi (LOL) 
I say to myself 
'How important is it really?'
It has been pointed out to me that
the world will ' keep keepin' on ' 
no matter what the outcome.
And I have to believe ( to remain sane )
That if things don't turn out the way I want them to...
maybe, just maybe G-d is protecting me from something.


This sounds great in theory....
is this do-able for you?

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....
Interior Design, Palm Beach, Boca Raton,Ft.Lauderdale,Design Service, Window Treatments, 
TurnKey Interior Design Service,Paint selection, Floor-Plans,Online Interior Design,
Design Center of The Americas, D.C.O.T.A., 20 secrets to happiness, 20 secrets to happiness, renee finberg interiors
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Sunday, January 10, 2010

Seven Things About Me....


 That You May Not Know




1.  I am 5' 2" and shrinking daily.






2. I wear black when I am feeling unsure of myself or a situation.
It is practically a uniform.





3. The most fulfilling relationship I have ever had in my life
 has been with my horse Georgian Gentleman
(his barn name is ; Hershey) It is the closest I have ever felt to G-d.
I could speak at great length on this subject.








4. If I were on death row and was allowed anything for my last meal it would be this;a black and white milkshake
(made with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup),
and hand cut French fries with a lot of salt, vinegar, and Heinz 57 ketchup.





5. I am afraid of heights, and I have vertigo.
I am talking about tall buildings, and being near the edge without a solid barrier.





6.Betrayal is something I will not tolerate, and will almost never forgive.
I do not see the reason to forgive betrayal unless it is .......ummmm...well,
I can't think of a good reason to forgive it.
Come to think of it. I would only be setting myself up for it happening again.



7. I am honest to a fault.
...as you know from my brutally honest posts.
LOL :)








What I won't do for an award !!!! 








Do I discount this award......?
My Mommy gave it to me.
(yvonne @ La Petite Gallery)


I am tagging these blogs:
http://renaemoore.blogspot.com/
http://goldsnowdrops.blogspot.com/
http://thecountrypolitan.blogspot.com/
http://architectdesign.blogspot.com/
http://www.bellemaison23.com/
http://fromthehouseofedward.blogspot.com/
http://home-biba.blogspot.com/
**if you have been tagged....do the same thing I did.



Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....
Interior Design, Palm Beach, Boca Raton,Ft.Lauderdale,Design Service, Window Treatments, TurnKey Interior Design Service,Paint selection, Floor-Plans,Online Interior Design,
Design Center of The Americas, D.C.O.T.A.Awards, kreative award
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Friday, January 8, 2010

Just Looking At This Makes Me Nervous

I will never be this woman.

Can you keep a secret ?

I will never be this woman either.
Lord knows my mother tried to make an organized person.
I rebelled. 
The first thing I did in my 1st apartment 
was to leave my clothes on the floor. 
I didn't even want to leave them on the floor, 
but I did
because I could!!!

This is not my laundry room!
Ahhhh....if only this were my laundry room 
and was this ORGANIZED.

This is
NEAT AS A PIN.

You guessed it.....
...not my office.

All this extreme tidiness and organization makes me feel nervous,
stressed out, and feeling a bit ' less than.'
Because I really do, I want to be organized.

    If this were someone else's desk,

and I were temped to borrow something.....

I would not.
I would be too freaked that I would not put it back
in the same exact spot.
Like I said.....
this much organization makes me nervous.
(and I guess it should)
''The obsessive-compulsive is at the extreme end of a continuum that begins with the person who, for instance, is scrupulously neat about his desk,'' said Blanche Freund, a psychologist at the Program for the Clinical Study of Anxiety Disorders at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia." 


"Evidence from brain studies of people with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, done by teams led by Dr. Rapoport and by Lewis Baxter, a psychiatrist at U.C.L.A., suggest the involvement of a brain circuit that runs between the frontal lobes and the basal ganglia, a series of structures at the base of the brain.
Those brain areas are involved in coordinating what the senses register with how the body responds to it. Dr. Rapoport believes they may have a role, for instance, in patients who doubt the evidence of their senses.
''These patients will turn a knob to check that a door is locked, then start to doubt it as they are going down the steps, and go back again and again to recheck,'' Dr. Rapoport said."

The hardest lessen I have ever learned in life 
was that I need to TRUST MY GUT.
And isn't trusting your senses trusting your gut?

Don't get me wrong I am not a disorganized pig.
I am very CLEAN ( I promise ).
I just am someone who makes piles.
And when the pile is really old.......it gets tossed.
I mean how important can it be if I haven't  needed anything in the pile?
And trust me...........I know my piles!
And approximately what is in them.
I am very organized in that way. LOL

Can most of us agree
that most of us are not this neat?

Obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCPD
is a personality disorder which involves an obsession with perfection, rules, and organization. People with OCPD may feel anxious when they perceive that things are not right. This can lead to routines and rules for ways of doing things, whether for themselves or their families.

I was already working on this post
when one of my best friends came over to have coffee and return something.
We have both been busy so we were catching up.
Her boyfriend ( who she lives with)
was just taken to a mental health facility
  ( nut house, loony bin, funny farm ).
He is the most annoyingly rigid,
and organized person within a 5 mile radius of where I live (maybe).
He is about 56 or so............
he just started not sleeping at night....
and continued  to be his uptight controlling self.
Still he was constantly 'directing the show' and anybody else's 'show'
that would listen.
*Ever meet someone who always knew the RIGHT WAY
to do something or the RIGHT ANSWER to a question?
Always.
Everything and Anything.
You can't tell them anything.
They already know everything.....
and if they don't know.....they bullshit their way through.
( and I don't like that )

Well, that is him.
*Extreme control of your environment through organization
of things (or trying to control the people around you)
is usually because you feel out of control.

He's out of control alright.
He's on his way to a very controlled environment right now,
which should have him feeling out of control.
But I guess that's their plan ( at the 'facility').
What ever issues he has, that feeling of fear,
being out of control, just being controlled by others
should bring all his internal garbage right to the surface.
I feel so sorry for him,
and my dear friend.
We are all very fragile
I know you are wondering if my 'dear friend ' reads my blog,
she says she does....I know she doesn't.
And I guess this will confirm it.
It is okay either way. I have said all this to her before his psychic break.
I had a feeling ...and was worried about her being in the relationship.

Last but not least,
this picture was titled 
" command  center."
( Scary Stuff )


Do you know someone 
who is wound really tight? ( besides me)
Are you neat as a pin?

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....

credits: NYT  , and here


Interior Design, Palm Beach, Boca Raton,Ft.Lauderdale,Design Service, Window Treatments, TurnKey Interior Design Service,Paint selection, Floor-Plans,Online Interior Design,
Design Center of The Americas, D.C.O.T.A., Compulsive behavior, Neatness, Organization

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About Renée Finberg

I have been in this business since the age of 22.

I love what I do and cannot imagine my life without Design.

Design Challenges are great.

And because of those challenges

I have imported fine antique pieces from Paris,

Designed and Manufactured Furniture,

Created Fantastic Window Treatments,

And solved all kinds of spatial & architectural issues

With my unique style.

If I can't find it, I create it.

My rooms would make excellent movie sets.

I am a visual, tactile and audio sensitive individual.

Creating is what I live for, not math, not spelling, not science.

Just Great Design.

Just imagine how it would be if each of us,

If only for a few hours of everyday,We could be in a space that is our very own.A place that is exactly the way we want it to be

Surrounded by all the things we wanted to see,

The atmosphere we wanted feel, smell and the sound we wanted to listen to.

Private Paradise

AS FEATURED IN:

AS FEATURED IN:

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Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her Adventures in Design by Renee Finberg is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.reneefinberg.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at reneefinberg@gmail.ocm.

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