What with QVC, Selfridges and Universal Studios store in Orlando urging us to part with money a full five months before the festive period, Christmas in July really has come early this year! However the great 1940 film "Christmas in July" written and directed by Preston Sturges shows a darker side to Christmas when a home town American boy enters contests in the hope of someday winning a fortune. And to cap it all he is secretly contemplating marrying the girl he loves.
Our hero, Jimmy MacDonald, played by Dick Powell, attempts to win the Maxford House Coffee Slogan Contest. As a joke, some of his co-workers put together a fake telegram which says that he won the $25,000 grand prize. As a result, he gets a promotion, buys presents for all of his family and friends, and proposes to his girl. When the truth comes out, he's not prepared for the consequences!
Some consider this to be one of Preston Sturges's most profound comedies. In "Christmas in July" Sturges was possibly trying to teach the great director Frank Capra how to handle sentiment without falling into sentimentality. The scene where Dick Powell is handing out presents to his neighbours, and he gives a doll to a crippled girl in a wheelchair is a remarkably tender moment in the midst of a hectic scene. The director captures just the right touch with a classic line where bug-eyed Raymond Walburn sarcastically tells contest-winner Powell, "I can't wait to give you my money!" Sturges also shows that you can have plot complications without resorting to villains. There is no Capraesque class warfare in this film. Here rich and poor are equally lovable, even gruff William Demarest as Mr Bildocker.
None of this is to say that spending money on gifts in July is a bad thing. Any number of Internet retailers are offering Christmas in July incentives with items such as footstools and ottomans among the best sellers. Selfridges in London say many of their foreign customers head specifically for the Christmas Gift Shop when they arrive from abroad. QVC, the television shopping channel are reported to turnover £1 million on their "Christmas in July Shopping Weekend" which finished yesterday. Many visitors attend Universal Studios Islands of Adventure theme park in Florida with the sole intention of stocking up with gifts from the Christmas Store. I can vouch for it having recently spent over $12 on a Christmas decoration - in July!
The author has over 20 years experience running companies involved in furnishing fabrics and furniture manufacturing in the UK and writes extensively about footstools and contemporary furniture. He particularly enjoys shopping for Christmas gifts in July.
Monday 26 July 2010
Sunday 25 July 2010
Upholstered Footstool Ottomans
An upholstered footstool with storage capacity, sometimes known as an ottoman may be a great way to add softness, texture, or colour to your design plan yet for the originators of the Ottoman these were but some of the features required.
When early nomadic tradesmen formed their caravans to cross vast swathes of desert they had to account for every single item. As their camels were required to carry not only their wares but also their homes, portability and storage were important features to consider.
After long hot days under the desert sun the evenings for these traders were for a time of relation and sustenance. This was when the ottomans were unpacked – some had been used to store silks, cloths and linens for bedding, some others contained spices, dates and figs. They now had use as a leisure item and were decorated in bright intense coloured fabric piled with cushions. The simple decoration of the nomads tents were enhanced by some home” decor” and the ottomans performed great purpose by being bright, covered as they were in colourful textiles and acting as useful storage vessels.
Firstly it was the nomadic traders and latterly the Ottomans who more than anyone needed a lightweight device that was portable enough to carry from place to place. As the Ottoman Empire stretched across most of Central Asia and Persia and over the deserts of North Africa they popularised the Ottoman, with what we would today understand as an upholstered footstool with a central storage area. The design, developed over time was a deeply upholstered seat of any shape, with or without a back, where, it was to become the central piece of domestic seating. An early version was designed to go entirely around three walls of a room, and from this evolved a smaller version, designed to fit into corners.
The first of these “ottomans” was introduced into Europe in the late 18th century from Turkey. Then with Napoleon Bonaparte's adventures in Egypt and British efforts to halt his advances at the Battle of the Nile in 1798, Western Europe saw the what the locals were using to store their wares and footstool ottomans soon became a popular adornment to grand Georgian and latterly Victorian homes.
As incomes grew throughout the Twentieth Century, ottomans became an essential fashion statement in UK households. The ottoman became the place to store bedding or to dispose of dirty linen. Today the ottoman is a central feature of many British homes and can be found not only in the bedroom but in living rooms and offices for storing many of the cherished and important household items.
The author has over 20 years experience running companies involved in furnishing fabrics and furniture manufacturing in the UK and writes extensively about history, footstools and contemporary furniture.
When early nomadic tradesmen formed their caravans to cross vast swathes of desert they had to account for every single item. As their camels were required to carry not only their wares but also their homes, portability and storage were important features to consider.
After long hot days under the desert sun the evenings for these traders were for a time of relation and sustenance. This was when the ottomans were unpacked – some had been used to store silks, cloths and linens for bedding, some others contained spices, dates and figs. They now had use as a leisure item and were decorated in bright intense coloured fabric piled with cushions. The simple decoration of the nomads tents were enhanced by some home” decor” and the ottomans performed great purpose by being bright, covered as they were in colourful textiles and acting as useful storage vessels.
Firstly it was the nomadic traders and latterly the Ottomans who more than anyone needed a lightweight device that was portable enough to carry from place to place. As the Ottoman Empire stretched across most of Central Asia and Persia and over the deserts of North Africa they popularised the Ottoman, with what we would today understand as an upholstered footstool with a central storage area. The design, developed over time was a deeply upholstered seat of any shape, with or without a back, where, it was to become the central piece of domestic seating. An early version was designed to go entirely around three walls of a room, and from this evolved a smaller version, designed to fit into corners.
The first of these “ottomans” was introduced into Europe in the late 18th century from Turkey. Then with Napoleon Bonaparte's adventures in Egypt and British efforts to halt his advances at the Battle of the Nile in 1798, Western Europe saw the what the locals were using to store their wares and footstool ottomans soon became a popular adornment to grand Georgian and latterly Victorian homes.
As incomes grew throughout the Twentieth Century, ottomans became an essential fashion statement in UK households. The ottoman became the place to store bedding or to dispose of dirty linen. Today the ottoman is a central feature of many British homes and can be found not only in the bedroom but in living rooms and offices for storing many of the cherished and important household items.
The author has over 20 years experience running companies involved in furnishing fabrics and furniture manufacturing in the UK and writes extensively about history, footstools and contemporary furniture.
Thursday 22 July 2010
Which Footstool?
A footstool has a dual purpose as a piece of furniture. It has a primary function of being a support to the feet and can also be used for seating. The styles of footstool available on the Internet vary widely and only the most reputable retailers with solid trading performance should be considered. They should also be able to exhibit testimonial evidence from customers who have bought footstools and would recommend them to others.
A footstool as a "foot rest" should be used to compliment existing furniture. For example a potential customer should select a footstool to match his or her sofa or a favourite chair. Thus shade, texture, size and performance are key considerations when making that all important purchase. A typical piece should be slightly lower in height than the seat of the chair or sofa. In this way the legs rest below the seating position, outstretched for beneficial circulation and muscle relaxation. This type of stool is usually a short, wide, four-legged piece with a rigid foam upholstered top pad either buttoned or plain. Most footstools are either supplied in fabric or leather with a wood frame surrounding base and four legs.
As a vehicle for seating, footstools need to be well constructed to withstand the various pressures of human weight loads and gravity. Seating footstools are not chairs or sofas as such and are designed without a backrest so they can be approached from virtually any direction. A cube, ideally about eighteen inches tall from the ground, provides an acceptable height for seating whilst fitting into the
smallest household space. Similarly a drum stool affords about seventeen inches of height and is popular as a seating solution in bars, pubs and restaurants. Both cubes and drum stools are fitted with small glide feet to enable smooth transfer whilst protecting the edges from "scuffing" through direct contact with hard stone or wood floor surfaces.
Choosing a footstool on the Internet either for seating or as a foot rest is made easier via a well developed website. With so much to choose from customers need quick answers to their questions so a contact through email or a land line telephone is most important. Secure in the knowledge that the stool would be appropriate for either seating or resting feet the customer can go ahead with confidence and make his or her purchase decision.
The author has over 20 years experience running companies involved in furnishing fabrics and furniture manufacturing in the UK and writes extensively about footstools and contemporary furniture.
A footstool as a "foot rest" should be used to compliment existing furniture. For example a potential customer should select a footstool to match his or her sofa or a favourite chair. Thus shade, texture, size and performance are key considerations when making that all important purchase. A typical piece should be slightly lower in height than the seat of the chair or sofa. In this way the legs rest below the seating position, outstretched for beneficial circulation and muscle relaxation. This type of stool is usually a short, wide, four-legged piece with a rigid foam upholstered top pad either buttoned or plain. Most footstools are either supplied in fabric or leather with a wood frame surrounding base and four legs.
As a vehicle for seating, footstools need to be well constructed to withstand the various pressures of human weight loads and gravity. Seating footstools are not chairs or sofas as such and are designed without a backrest so they can be approached from virtually any direction. A cube, ideally about eighteen inches tall from the ground, provides an acceptable height for seating whilst fitting into the
smallest household space. Similarly a drum stool affords about seventeen inches of height and is popular as a seating solution in bars, pubs and restaurants. Both cubes and drum stools are fitted with small glide feet to enable smooth transfer whilst protecting the edges from "scuffing" through direct contact with hard stone or wood floor surfaces.
Choosing a footstool on the Internet either for seating or as a foot rest is made easier via a well developed website. With so much to choose from customers need quick answers to their questions so a contact through email or a land line telephone is most important. Secure in the knowledge that the stool would be appropriate for either seating or resting feet the customer can go ahead with confidence and make his or her purchase decision.
The author has over 20 years experience running companies involved in furnishing fabrics and furniture manufacturing in the UK and writes extensively about footstools and contemporary furniture.
Sunday 18 July 2010
Faux Suede Footstools
The “must have” fabric of the moment is “faux suede”. It has made a huge impact to the upholstery industry over recent years and its popularity seems to be growing by the day. Its usefulness as a hard wearing versatile fabric is well documented and for use on footstools its flexibility in unsurpassed.
Created by Japanese textile technologists in the 1980s, faux suede was developed as a micro fibre to readily accept colouration. The fabric has useful performance applications in both clothing and the field of furnishings. The base of faux suede is polyester, a man made fibre extracted as a derivative from petroleum. Polyester can be blended with any other textile fibre however to maintain performance and
satisfactory texture a faux suede fabric should ideally be woven from 100% core polyester.
In its application for footstools potential customers are urged to resist cheaper alternatives particularly as footstool abrasion requirements are necessarily onerous and footstools are designed and built to last for many years.
As a fabric for footstools faux suede ticks all the boxes. With a brushed “napp” faux suedes exhibit a velvet appearance similar to the effect found on snooker or pool tables. The lustrous feel reflects light in the direction of the false pile, created during the fabric’s finishing process. The wide colouration of faux suedes is made easier by the receptive nature of the fabric to complex dyestuffs.
Polyester is most receptive to deep and rich colouration allowing the dyer to employ deep reds, bright pinks, oranges and various pastel shades that are more problematic to natural fibres. Contemporary shades for faux suedes tend to be centred around “earth tone” pallets whereby natural colours predominate. Reputable footstools manufacturers are well represented within these tonal areas having many colours to offer on their footstools range. The most popular shades include, coffee, ivory, chocolate, black and hazelnut. Among several new shades offered for the first time are red, muscat and white with another set of favourites from which stone, natural camel and beige are prominent.
The real versatility of a faux suede fabric when upholstered to a footstool is this very breadth of shade. Interior designers can go over board with the colour variations on offer and the footstool purchaser can really compliment his or her own surroundings by making an appropriate and relevant colour selection.
The author has over 20 years experience running companies involved in furnishing fabrics and furniture manufacturing in the UK and writes extensively about footstools and contemporary furniture.
Created by Japanese textile technologists in the 1980s, faux suede was developed as a micro fibre to readily accept colouration. The fabric has useful performance applications in both clothing and the field of furnishings. The base of faux suede is polyester, a man made fibre extracted as a derivative from petroleum. Polyester can be blended with any other textile fibre however to maintain performance and
satisfactory texture a faux suede fabric should ideally be woven from 100% core polyester.
In its application for footstools potential customers are urged to resist cheaper alternatives particularly as footstool abrasion requirements are necessarily onerous and footstools are designed and built to last for many years.
As a fabric for footstools faux suede ticks all the boxes. With a brushed “napp” faux suedes exhibit a velvet appearance similar to the effect found on snooker or pool tables. The lustrous feel reflects light in the direction of the false pile, created during the fabric’s finishing process. The wide colouration of faux suedes is made easier by the receptive nature of the fabric to complex dyestuffs.
Polyester is most receptive to deep and rich colouration allowing the dyer to employ deep reds, bright pinks, oranges and various pastel shades that are more problematic to natural fibres. Contemporary shades for faux suedes tend to be centred around “earth tone” pallets whereby natural colours predominate. Reputable footstools manufacturers are well represented within these tonal areas having many colours to offer on their footstools range. The most popular shades include, coffee, ivory, chocolate, black and hazelnut. Among several new shades offered for the first time are red, muscat and white with another set of favourites from which stone, natural camel and beige are prominent.
The real versatility of a faux suede fabric when upholstered to a footstool is this very breadth of shade. Interior designers can go over board with the colour variations on offer and the footstool purchaser can really compliment his or her own surroundings by making an appropriate and relevant colour selection.
The author has over 20 years experience running companies involved in furnishing fabrics and furniture manufacturing in the UK and writes extensively about footstools and contemporary furniture.
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