Year End Clearance

It's that time of year again, folks. Christmas is over, and people are starting to think about how empty and old their room is looking without the beauty of a Christmas tree. Here at Blackledge Furniture, we're celebrating the old by giving some great discounts on all of our discontinued merchandise, and gearing up for our New Year's weekend sale. Come on in before Friday to get and additional 10-20% off already marked down inventory, or come by this weekend (I'll be here from Friday till Monday) and get some great extra savings on new inventory if you pay with cash, check, or debit! I hope to see you!

Christmas is right around the....

Corner! How many of you are ready? I've finished all my shopping, creating, and decorating, and now it's time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor. But for those of us that are still struggling with the questions "who am I buying a gift for" and "what am I going to get them"...why not consider something timeless? A new dining set for the woman that's been lamenting that old family-heirloom set she's been forced to keep for the past 20 years? Or a new recliner to replace that old eye-sore that has finally stopped keeping your legs elevated.

Anyway, whoever your gift-recipient is, if you need some help thinking up creative, personal ideas for a Christmas gift, let me know - I just might have a clever idea or two!

Rules Schmules

Who of you out there have ever said to yourself "if it's online, it must be true." Or, at the very least, who thought it subconsciously? Did you? I think that perhaps this thinking affects my responses to some online content, but recently, when I was debating what I'd like to write to you about this time, and landed on one of my favorites - mirrors - what I found online kept prompting me to utter an audible "what?!?!" So, here is a sample of the kind of advice you can find online, and how wrong it can be.

http://www.invitinghome.com/, in their article on Positioning Mirrors, states, "Mirrors should always be hung strictly vertically." Well *huff* what about the rectangular gold-leafed mirror that my grandmother gave me? Every time I've ever hung that on the horizontal, it was wrong? Well, why then did it look so right? Take a look at this fabulous "Darwin" mirror from Uttermost (a fantastic resource for accents) - personally, I think it's even a bit more interesting placed on the horizontal.

I'm a firm believer that aesthetic rules in design can be fun to break. And, furthermore, anyone who relies on "rules" is struggling with a lack of creativity. I'm not trying to step on toes here, and certainly not referring to functional rules, affecting ergonomics and the like. But even pinpointing color forecasts for the year ahead? Well, that's a shot in the dark, in my opinion.

Favorite Things #2

When new catalogs arrive at the store, and they're filled with promise of "fun" new things to add to a design project, I get so giddy. My co-workers think I'm a little silly, but who can fault me when pictures of these delectable items pass through my fingers??? Take the silver leafed pedestal occasional table - what an incredible accent to liven up a room? I'm a goner for anything that is silver-leafed, mercurized, or, for lack of a better way of saying it- anything silver that's not too fussy or bright. I think all things "transitional" and "hollywood glam" reek of sophistication and style. Also check out this photo of the floral-vine overturned drum table. What this photo shows us is that adding a color that's somewhat unexpected, and close to obnoxious (the acidic green of the door), brings a vibrancy to a space that almost all of us could use in our spaces, particularly now when the sun isn't gracing us with it's presence every morning.

Anniversary Celebration

Well, Blackledge Furniture has been serving the Corvallis area for the past 109 years! Can you believe it? The only store older than ours in town is Robnetts Hardware, and they only beat us by a few months.

To celebrate, we're offering all kinds of great deals this month. From Dining Servers and Chairside Tables marked down to $109, to Mattresses with an additional $109 off...the savings are pretty diverse. Come in and see me, or call me at (541) 753-4851, and I'll tell you more!

Stay tuned for more "Favorite Things" coming your way!

Fall Has Come!

We're wrapping up the Flexsteel sale here at Blackledge Furniture, and let me say, it has been a busy one! The sale won't be coming around again until Winter (February or March, most likely.) But we're coming up on our 109th anniversary, this October, and I'll be filling you in on how we'll be celebrating! Check back with me to find out about new items, sales, and anything else noteworthy. I'm sure you'll be holding your breath to find out about more of my "Favorite Things!"

"What's New?"

I am often asked questions along these lines: "What's new with accessories?" and "What colors are in right now?" I'm always, somewhat suprisingly, taken aback. I live in and around design, with its styles ebbing and flowing around me and have a hard time pin pointing new trends, since they seem to evolve, rather than just showing up like, "Hey, it's September first, so it's time to bring out the oxidized autumn leaves."


Anyway, to belabor a relatively simple question, my answer is this: New trends are always evolving, but one way to discover new additions you should make to your homescape is this; take a look at the world around you, noticing colors and textures that you're drawn to, then use them in your decor. Neutrals, mixed with rough metals, natural greens, and a bit of sparkle really draw my eye, but then again, my style is considered Transitional, and I tend to be drawn towards things that are from nature, but also with a little twist of Traditional and Contemporary.


So how can you incorporate your personal style, and things that you love, into your home? While you're clothes shopping, or getting drawn into a shoe store while window shopping, pay attention to the details and colors in the clothing and accessories that you like the most, and find ways to bring them into your home! You'll feel happier, and more content, when you're surrounded by colors, textures, and objects that you find beautiful. Changing simple details like throw pillows, silk plants, or the layout of your artwork, can refresh your room just enough to bring you into a new season in your home.