Decor And Restore

We’ll miss you Pam!!

chb — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 00:57:40 +0000

Time flies when your having fun, but what about when your not having fun? We are all feeling more than a little sad and melancholy around here lately. Pam, who has been here for over seven years, and been a huge part of our family, is leaving our nest this week. She will be flying the coop in Spokane to return to Vancouver, WA.
Seeing someone day in and day out, enjoying their company and experiencing each other’s highs and lows, makes them family. We’ve all been through numerous operations, marriages, deaths, blizzards, vacations, house moves, elections, parties, picnics and lunches, to name a few.

Pam earned her wings, retiring from United Airlines. We were so blessed she came to our office – with her level of customer service and her can-do attitude, I strive to be like her. Past retirement age, not only does she do beautiful quilting and needlepoint like you have never seen, she has a smart phone, I-pod, I-pad, and works out with a personal tweeter, I mean trainer, – this woman is fearless! I barely know how to text and she taught me how to send a picture on my antiquated phone – now what am I supposed to do? Sadly, we must now give Pam her wings, as we know that she must leave. Remember the famous saying from “It’s a Wonderful Life”… “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings” and that is certainly Pam – an angel!

Letters of intent!!

chb — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 23:38:45 +0000

Do people still send out Christmas cards? I do, and I find my list of recipients actually increasing, as I get older. I enjoy the whole process and in fact, find it rather relaxing. Setting aside a chunk of time as humans is a necessary vice and we should be able to do that without feeling guilty. I’m just not into instant messaging or tweeting, my heartfelt holiday tidings so I kind of get into it. I love stretching out on the green overstuffed sofa with a favorite pen, the type that is the perfect weight and it just feels right resting between your fingers. For some reason the ink just glides out effortlessly, and my handwriting seems to greatly improve with this better instrument. A nice glass of wine doesn’t seem to hurt either.

Reflecting on events of the past year with different people and their personalities and how we relate to each other, requires a little thinking, but I find it enjoyable, nonetheless. If I happen to run out of space, that just might require a telephone call, which, unfortunately, is turning out to be another lost art form too. Gads, what will life be like in fifty years? Whether you write cards or not, you probably still get mail delivered. If your house just happens to need a little sprucing up on the outside, be sure to check out our collection of beautiful mailboxes -

Fun with napkin rings

chb — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 00:11:36 +0000

Perfect for a High Tea!
These napkin rings are the perfect complement to your formal tea party! Bring out the finest silver and your little plates, put on your most delicate chapeau and silken gloves, and serve fresh fruit with homemade delicious finger sandwiches. While we know everyone can’t do this, it’s fun to pretend. And while these gorgeous napkin rings are true works of art and out of reach for most, it is still a pleasure to take a gander at some truly extraordinary pieces of work and how they came to be created from photographs from old catalogs.

Opera grilles provide for high style air flow

chb — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 00:27:36 +0000

GRAB YOUR BRUSH! Elegant and ornate, these sand cast metal registers recreate the ambiance of yesteryear. They look wonderful the way you receive them in the natural aluminum, (check them out), but that’s not the whole story. The versatile possibilities are endless – paint them crème, black, red, turquoise, whatever your heart or decor desires, or do as one of our customers did and try a gorgeous faux finish. They used a gold metallic acrylic (by Sophisticated Finishes) and verdigris treatment. You can see very light verdigris highlights, which helps bring out the grille pattern. Remember, differences can and will occur depending on your unique conditions, but most importantly – have fun!

Time for a new T-Phone!!

chb — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 00:46:40 +0000

Ok, I know I’m blogging, and that might be ok. But, what isn’t ok is how people don’t talk to each other anymore. We’re talking about picking up a vintage telephone (a T-phone) and dialing the numbers and actually “hearing” someone say the words “hi”

I’m not going to start ranting here, but things could be improved in the way people interact with each other. Imagine, sitting in a comfy chair with one of our refurbished antique telephone receivers next to your ear and telling someone how your day was, or perhaps a funny joke? Each of these telephones has been lovingly restored with attention to detail. Another benefit – the graceful curves are very attractive and lend more interest to your surroundings than a flat little rectangle. The ultimate in recycling.

Back by popular demand!

chb — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 23:25:42 +0000

It’s hard to believe we’ve been in business for so long, where the heck does time go? During our reign, one of our most popular light switch plate collections The Frank, Gingko, and Classico, which were etched in copper and brass, took a long hiatus. We thought they were gone forever, but guess what – they’re back! If we’ve been off your radar for awhile, we hope you stumble back on us and get those switchplates you were wanting so long ago. The beautiful design is a classic and never goes out of style and we’re happy to finally be able to offer them again.

Tudor doorbell buttons

chb — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 02:18:40 +0000

Doorbell Buttons Extraordinaire!!

Did you ever read the book Wuthering Heights? How about Jane Eyre? These doorbells look like they could be directly out of one of those books, only they didn’t have doorbells at the time. The charm of the Tudor style home, or Storybook style is becoming more popular than ever. Perhaps it is because of the romantic in all of us. The fact that not a whole lot of this style of home was around in this country in the early part of the Century isn’t stopping anyone from getting their fix of them. They are becoming more and more common in new construction and with the advent of good ole ingenuity more and more things are becoming available to outfit this style of home.

Bloody good movie!!

chb — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 23:27:51 +0000

Aside from keeping our eyes peeled to see our products in the movie, we had a romping good time at the show last night!! This is a really entertaining summer movie, which was surprisingly historically accurate. The feel of the era, the acting, and the action packed computer graphics were all excellent. Albeit, we have a whole new breed of vampires to defeat in today’s world.

Only a day away!!

chb — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 00:26:42 +0000

Thats right – in about a day and a half the movie “Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter” comes out…. less – if you go to the midnight showing!

: These are the ones!

We’re excited because we just happen to have some major products in the movie. We cutom made five Victorian Chandeliers for the movie and have a slew of antique looking pictures frames throughout the film. The lights were modified them with a different finish and the globes were changed out, but they all started out like the one pictured. It’s funny that they picked out that particular chandelier, because we were told it is the same one that just happens to be in the Lincoln Museum. See the movie, it’s supposed to be great and check out the lights and picture frames featured….. and if your a real fan – we can do some for you….. just like in the movie!

Steampunk Defined

chb — Mon, 07 May 2012 01:47:21 +0000

Last week we touched a little on Steampunk style; a new twist on traditional Victorian decorating. I wanted to look a little more in depth at this style and explore some of the elements you would want to incorporate in using it as a design theme. According to this article, there are three main elemental textures important in Steampunk: wood, metal, and leather. Brass is the primary metal used in Steampunk, but iron and copper are also appropriate. When selecting furniture you should choose pieces that are dark, with heavy, industrial lines. Add the Victorian touch through the use of fabrics such as damask or lace.

No matter how you choose to express it, Steampunk really boils down to the juxtaposition of ideas and materials in your space. One example of this would be the straight lines of industrial styled furniture next to the curve of an oval picture frame. Accessorize your room with unique objects you create yourself or with juxtaposition of traditional Victorian accents set on an industrial styled end table. While reading up on Steampunk I came across this style test to find out what kind of Steampunk best suits you. If you have a minute, check it out. I’m a Gadeteer…which one are you?