Decorating with Plants

I have never considered myself to have a green thumb. Although I love flowers and plants, I have avoided gardening at all costs. However, I have recently come to appreciate the art and beauty of plants inside the home. Since Fun House opened in 2010, we always try to keep at least one planter or terrarium in the store. Whether it is a centerpiece planter with orchids or a terrarium with succulents and minerals, they always seem to sell out quickly. 

Plants can add a great burst of color and liveliness to any room. For those of you who don't have either the time or ability to plant beautiful gardens outside, indoor gardening, I have come to learn, is relatively simple. Orchids make wonderful indoor plants, and if cared for properly, can last for a long period of time. Succulents are also great, and require almost no care at all. Take a look at some of the ways Fun House uses planting indoors to add a boost to a variety of rooms. 

One of our favorite bowls planted with some bright pink flowers on a foyer table. Crystal Bowl available through Fun House. 

Simple white flowers in a glass vase look beautiful and elegant on this coffee table. 

Believe it or not, these flowers are faux! 

Terrarium planted with succulents and ferns. 

The orchids on the fireplace add a great shot of purple to this chic dining room.

Great black vase with some bright pink roses.

Succulents!

Floating flowers in these funky bowls!

Our favorite Kindel planter. Available at Fun House. 

Beautiful orchids help welcome anyone into this stunning foyer.

Great pop of color on this gold and glass coffee table.

Cachepots with purple kalanchoe. 

Bird cages planted with succulents and moss! Great to hang or on a table!

Our newest terrarium.

Beautiful faux-flowers in this great Jonathan Adler vase.

Unique planted grow lights! Available at Fun House. 

The Buzz on Bone Inlay

As I was flipping through the June Issue of Elle Decor and admiring all of the beautiful pictures, something made me stop in my tracks: a beautiful bone inlay chair. Designers Jon Call and Alexa Hampton talked about the perks of incorporating bone inlay into projects and Elle Decor listed their "Top 10 Bone Inlay Pieces," all of which were stunning. Because I think any kind of inlay is so great, I was inspired to dig a little deeper. 

Although some may think bone inlay is a relatively new trend, in reality it has been an art practiced for centuries by artisans in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Bone inlay is also known as intarsia, which is derived from the latin word "interserere," which means "to insert." Intarsia involves inlaying sections of wood with either bone, ivory, or shell. An illusion of depth is created between the wood and the bone. In the past, due to the painstaking process, bone inlay was only something that people who belonged to an elite class were able to have in their homes. Nowadays, sometimes plastic or resins are substituted, making the pieces less expensive. It is important when buying pieces of inlay to make sure they are from a reputable source, because bone, shell, and ivory hold up a lot better than plastic or resin. 

My sister, and fellow co-worker, Margaux, recently graduated from High Point University (the furniture capital) with a degree in interior design. When I showed her the piece in Elle Decor, she told me that bone inlay is also similar to a practice called marquetry. Marquetry is the art of applying pieces of veneer in order to create patterns, deigns, or pictures on a solid surface. Wood is the primary veneer used in marquetry, however bone, ivory, tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, pewter, brass, or fine metals can also be used. 

Examples of Marquetry: 

When Jane and Jennifer attended the New York Gift Fair in August of 2011 they ordered a spectacular hot pink inlay chest of drawers from Manglam Arts, a company known for their unique designs, creativity, and innovations in the furniture field. This chest took us a full year to get, and let me tell you, it was worth the wait. When it finally arrived in the Fall of 2012, we couldn't resist putting it in the very front of our store next to a fabulous pair of white and hot pink Century Hoop Back Arm Chairs.  It was impossible not to notice that chest when you walked through the doors of Fun House. Because this is such a special piece, it takes a specific customer whose home has just the right space for it. I have fantasized about putting this chest in a white foyer, or even a bedroom to add a great pop of color. Wherever it ends up, it will most certainly be a conversation piece, and an heirloom that will be treasured for years to come. 

This piece is available in our store for $4,080.00.

Some other must see inlay pieces: 

Lola Table

Rajasthan bone inlay is crafted in a simple drum shape, perfect for use as a side table or stool.

16"d x 16"h

Made Goods

Twilite Side Table

 Black faceted resin with mother of pearl inlay.

17"w x 17"d x 20.5"h

Oly

Antonia Bone Inlay Chest of Drawers in Emerald 

Graham & Green 

Versailles Cabinet

Pure white lacquer with mother of pearl inlay. 

Shine by S.h.o.

By: Chelsea Caldwell 

More Than Meets The Eye...

Behind the staircase of the newly titled, Cecil Diaz Hair, (previously the Mendham Spa) you will find a hidden treasure: Fun House Furnishings & Design. Although we have been here for two-and-a-half years, many people are still walking through our doors for the very first time, and others have yet to even discover us. Lots of people who walk in often ask if what we have on the floor is even for sale. Not only are we a full interior design studio, but we also carry a variety of items ranging from hostess gifts to dining room tables. We just finished building a second interior design studio, now located in the back of the store, due to our booming design client business. 

Walking through our doors and browsing through the store can often be overwhelming for some people. There are so many beautiful things packed tightly, yet methodically, into an 1,800 square foot space. When we are merchandising the store, sometimes it is difficult for us to remember that we are a store, and our vignettes do not have to be exactly what we would do in someone's actual home. We try to set up our store in a way that customers walking in can picture the set up in their home. Fun House carries products that vary in pricing and quality. Although we would love to have the fantastic custom acrylic $20,000 coffee table on the floor for people to see, it is just not practical. It is also important to remember that when you are searching for an item, whether it be a sofa or kitchen chairs, that we have easy access to so much more than what you see on the floor. A big part of my job as the store manager is to not only strive to offer a well-kept and fully stocked store, but also to personally search for products that meet individual needs (price range, color, size, durability, etc). For example, a client recently came in looking for two living room sofas. The chic slip-covered Lee sofa we have on the floor was exactly the color palette and style she were looking for, however she had two dogs and three children, and a husband; all of whom would be using the sofa on a daily basis. The fabric on our sofa is Lee Luxe Linen, which although beautiful and of the highest quality, also happens not to be washable. This  particular sofa was also a few inches too large. Well, with some thorough research on my part, I was able to discover that this Lee sofa is also available in an apartment size, and that 3" less turned out to be the perfect size for the customer. We also keep all the Lee fabric samples in the back of our store, conveniently located on built-in racks, which makes flipping through very easy. I was able to help the customer narrow down her fabric selection to two linens, both of which were washable and well priced. The customer took home the fabric samples to see them in the room, and made her choice. This just goes to show that sometimes it is worth asking if there are other options available! Many of the pieces we carry are customizable, and come in variety of finishes and styles. 

Another well kept secret of Fun House is that we carry an array of different bedding lines! Unfortunately we don't have the space to always have a bed on the floor, but we do hope that you will ask about our bedding. We have a ton of samples and easy access to pricing. The lines we carry include Legacy Linens, Dransfield and Ross House, John Robshaw, Nancy Koltes, Wildcat Territory, and Missoni Home. We are happy to help you select the bedding that is right for your room based on paint colors, photos, fabric samples, etc. Take a look at some examples below: 

Dransfield & Ross House

Dransfield & Ross House

Wildcat Territory "Amanda" 

Legacy Linens "Saint Barts" 

Legacy Linens "Bailey Cove Indigo" 

John Robshaw "Madura Neela"

John Robshaw "Tula" 

Nancy Koltes "Valley Forge"

Nancy Koltes "Monet"

Missoni Home "Norah" 

In the back of our store you will find shelves filled with wallpaper books. These books are open to the public and anyone can come look through them anytime. We can always order samples and get pricing. 

We are also happy to help with finding the perfect rug. We carry a few Capel Rugs here at the store that are for sale, but we also have samples of well-priced sisal rugs, and access to tons of other rugs from various vendors. In fact, our rep from Patterson, Flynn & Martin in New York City brought us some samples this morning of stunning Mary McDonald carpets, among others. All of these rugs are completely customizable! These are the type of rugs that you keep forever and hand down to your children because they are so special. Take a look at some our favorites that we saw this morning: 

Mary McDonald "Parterre"

Mary McDonald "Brighton Lane"

David Kleinberg "Alanya Herringbone"

David Kleinberg "Strath Blane"

So, just remember, whether you are looking for the perfect host/hostess gift, or a new mirror for your bedroom, Fun House has got you covered. Searching and finding the perfect product is what I am best at, and whether you work with Jane, Jennifer, Gabby, Margaux, or myself,  we are all always willing to help!

Until next time, Fun House Fans!

Written By: Chelsea Caldwell

Basement Install

Today we had an install for a client who has been with us since the beginning. We have been working on this family's house since they first moved in and it has really come along beautifully! Today we delivered pieces for their basement as well as a fantastic Oomph bar cart and Oly dining table & chairs for their kitchen. 

Oly Trestle Dining Table with Oly Louis Side & Arm Chairs. This dining table is fabulous and comes with two extending leaves to make it 111.5" wide. The table has rollers on the inside so that opening and closing the table is easy for 1 person.

Oomph Bar Cart in "Knockout Orange" 

Lee Sectional Sofa in Ferris Onyx 

Bungalow 5 Parson Coffee Table

Shane Connell "John Bellucci" Original Art

Arteriors Grey Limed Oak Side Tables

 Robert Abbey White Gourd Lamps

Kravet Custom "Costello" and "Limitless" Pillows

 "Lil Cubies" Ottomans with Kravet "Bacio" Fabric

Jonathan Adler Peace Sign Tic Tac Toe Set 

We put this Hooker Furniture Entertainment Console in the Basement. It is fantastic and comes with air vents in the back and spots for your electric pieces. 

Houzz Awards

Fun House is proud to announce that we were selected by houzz.com as being among their "Best Of" Professionals for exceptional customer service as judged by their community of homeowners and design enthusiasts who are actively remodeling and decorating their homes. Sending a big thank you to Houzz and to all those who rated our site! You can read the full press release here: http://www.houzz.com/press/7/Houzz-Unveils-2013----Best-of-Remodeling----Winners?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRolv6vBZKXonjHpfsXx4uQvWrHr08Yy0EZ5VunJEUWy2oEJRdQhcOuuEwcWGog8yANNAPo%3D 

And don't forget to check out our Houzz page here-http://www.houzz.com/pro/funhousefurnishings

Congratulations to all the other winners! We are truly honored to have made the list. 

Holiday Hot List

With the holidays just around the corner, Fun House has all your gift needs. From Jonathan Adler tic tac toe sets, to a great selection of books, we have a little something for everyone, male or female, younger or older. Check out some of the great items we are carrying this year: 

Jonathan Adler Accessories

 Tic Tac Toe Sets

Animals 

Coaster Sets

Stacking Dishes

Holiday Decor