Outsourced out of a job "Made in America"-Courtney Jeffcott

This is a very different topic than my usual design advice and furniture quandaries. I feel it is necessary to touch upon this subject because of how deeply it effects myself and many of the talented people I work with. Today many households number one worries is money. Yep, money, it is what shelters us, puts food in our mouths and sometimes allows us the little luxuries we desire. The furniture industry began saving money and in turn began saving buyers money about 7 years ago. They did so by outsourcing much of the labor it requires to create furniture. There has always been concerns about American made furniture vs Asian manufactured furniture. Sadly this will often effect the outcome of a purchase. When a client asks is it made in America, my heart sinks. "What is made in America anymore?" Truly, not a lot. Many of the companies are still American owned and ran but with labors laws in America the price of furniture began to get to high for the average consumer. So the industry took action to lower the price that a buyer pays. This resulted in outsourced labor. On a daily basis I am faced with clients asking for a lower price on the item or items they want. I want all future buyers to understand that if the furniture they were considering was made in America the price would be considerable higher. You want to keep our jobs in America? Then pay the price it takes to pay our workers. You can not take without a little give.

Courtney Jeffcott Designing for two

Designing for two.
   They say that in life we must give and take. So when designing for two the same rules apply. I have often come to find that a lot of my clients who are couples rarely make furniture buying a priority mainly due to the shear fustration that both parties experience when their personal taste conflict. So where is the happy medium? Women, more then men tend to have quite a voice when it come to what they like and dislike. Leading to what is often discribed as a "very feminine houshold". Just as we ladies do not want to live in a leather clad, lava lamp man cave; men do not want to sleep in a frilly pink comforter surrounded by floral wall paper and out grandmothers doilies. But we have come a long way in designing more tansitional furniture that both sexes can appreciate. Cleaner lines and simple patterns with a touch of sophistication and whimsy can be the "this is it" for both parties. Remember if you dont say what you want you'll never get it.
Courtney Jeffcott

Courtney Jeffcott

Color has often been an indicating factor on how to identify someones status. Purple since the early ages declared the presence of royalty. Red, the color of attraction and allure was used to seek out someones attention. White, the color of the innocents.
So when choosing your color palette does this long tradition still stand? In today's world it sometimes still does. The more modern and reaction seekers will use primary colors such as red, blues and yellows to direct you eye to where they want it while the less showy will lean more towards subtle tomes of creams, browns and taupes. But should you let the outside worlds view of you determine how you decorate your own personal one? NO! Your home, apartment or even just your room is your opportunity to be royalty, to be the attention seeker to bring out your most inner persona and bring it to life. BE BOLD!

Courtney Jeffcott

For all of the color advocates out there I may need to remind you that while your openness is appreciate the occasional over use of color is not. A crucial part of any good design is the balance of complimentary hues. when choosing a color palette one must be mindful that even though you may love a wide array of colors they are not always to be used in proximity with one another.

Courtney Jeffcott

Color is the spice of the food world. It can bring out the true natural beauty of a space when used correctly. But over doing can call for a bad review. Try grounding a large room with more saturated wall color or lifting a room with a color that will reflect light rather than absorb it.

Courtney Jeffcott

Your taste in food may not always be the same as your design taste but they can be compared in close relation. Color is like spice. We all want to pretend we love it but in the end to much can scare the best of us away. A good meal as well as good design is about balance. Balance of textures, colors and scale. To much or to little of one item can be the down fall of the entire dish. Same goes for design.