What the 'experts' are saying...

Who doesn't like to be right? Or, at least, have their opinion validated by some experts in print.

My chest was all puffed up yesterday morning, as we greeted the New Year and read an article in the Richmond Times Dispatch about Home Trends to watch for in 2010. First off, the puffed up chest went well with my puffy eyes and face from actually seeing midnight for the first time in a few years (I really needed to say goodbye to 2009 in person, and watch it leave... for good.) ... but that's a different story.

While Mr. President of LaDiff was none to pleased that design blogger Patricia Shackelford "thinks we'll see more patchwork quilts, hooked rugs, needlepoint and chintz" in the year to come, you have to read between those words to see the meaning of her message.

Remember... when times are 'tough', comfort is KING, and what is more comforting than the familiar? and, little does he know, we've just added a beautiful very antique quilt, hand-sewn by my great grandmother Carrie Ferguson and great great aunt Bess, to our homestead.

My belief has been that if you surround yourself with items you love, that are beautiful to you, they will 'work together' to become something harmonious. In the same story, Keith Johnson, buyer at large for Anthropologie (one of my FAVORITE stores to visit in NYC... and now a 5 minute walk from my Richmond home) talks about selecting items on the Sundance Channel program "Man Shops Globe." Johnson says "recycled items will be purchased only if they are beautiful." Beauty+function+recycled=a great combo.

So, how would you expect a 'modern' furniture store to react to this infusion of the 'comforts of traditional fare'?

For those who know our store, you also know we've always been a bit 'eclectic'. (Richmond Magazine even described us that way in one of their annual 'Best of...' issues). When LaDiff first opened, a whopping 30 years ago in Charlottesville, VA, the store sold Haitian handcrafts. Furniture didn't even come into the mix for about 2 years.

Having the name "LaDifference" means you are not locked into ONE style. We have ventured down all of avenues of design: Shaker, arts & crafts, minimal, glamour, whimsical, stark, rustic, high gloss, over the top, shabby chic, recycled, old world, mid-century modern, ... you name it, we've seen it, done it, sold it... because this is how people (YOU) truly live. Last year, we added Vive as an expansion of our love for the eclectic and exotic.

In October, the blog about purposeful eclecticism showed our thoughts in how these designs are now merging and mixing together more beautifully and in a more accepted fashion.

Reading the 'expert opinions' on Saturday morning was quite interesting. Not that we 'need' the validation (okay, yes, ... yes, sometimes I do), but it was nice to wake up on the first day of the new year and 'read' that our look is on the right track.

Here's to 2010 - twenty-ten - MMX - look for more celebration and fun and walks down our 30 year memory lane as the year goes by. We hope to see YOU more often, inside our wonderful 'recycled' building, enjoying our historic downtown, and loving our eclectic yet modern home furnishings. ... Our goal is to inspire you to take a few pieces back to YOUR home too.

Happy New Year!