Heller Furniture Showroom Makeover

We wanted to share our showroom makeover project that we tackled just before the holidays. Everyone can use a makeover and we were no exception! Our business has expanded to include The Classic Collection our new line of fine casegood furniture and we needed to make room!

Our large selection of fabric hanging samples and books needed to be moved and while we were at it, we stripped the walls of the dark maroon fabric and painted them a much lighter and brighter cream color.

before

After

before

After

We also re-arranged one of our back rooms and we now have this wonderful new fabric room with a large tabletop workspace for our residential and designer clients use as they make fabric selections.

Our new fabric room - all set up for our recent Holiday Open House!

If you are in the neighborhood, please stop by for a visit - we'd love to show off our new space and more importantly, our beautiful new furniture line.

Heller on the Big Screen!

Last year, we blogged about the move "The Women" that was then filming here in Boston. The set decorators had ordered a custom headboard for the movie from Heller Furniture. This remake of the 1939 classic stars Eva Mendes and Meg Ryan reprising the Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer roles, respectively.

It's been a long year waiting to see how this satin, fullsize, headboard would be used.




And here it is! Complete with Meg Ryan, a little girl, and a dog! What do they say about never playing a scene with children or animals??



A big thanks to the production design and decoration team for selecting Heller Furniture to make this piece!

Production Designe: Jane Musky
Art Direction: Mario Ventenilla
Set Decoration: Debbie Cutler and Mimi Watstein

With the movie industry heating up here in Massachusetts - Plymouth Rock Studios is just down the highway - we are looking forward to "playing out parts" in movie sets to come!

Happy Holidays

~ Walter, Cathy, Nancy, Linda, Jim and Carlos ~

Image from the Shirley Eustis House Restoration Project. Click here for details.

Heller Holiday Open House

Casegoods shown are from The Classic Collection - NEW at Heller Furniture!

Take a break from the mayhem of holiday shopping and stop by for some holiday cheer at our newly redecorated showroom!

Come in and pick up your complimentary copy of our holiday how-to guide "Holidays By Design" where you'll find cost saving decorating tips, recipes and other goodies to make your holidays merry and bright!
Fridays and Saturdays in December.

The Classic Collection: Inlaid Sidetable views

We are very excited about our new line of casegood furniture - The Classic Collection. We have a beautiful assortment of side tables, bureaus and occasional pieces that are made by hand using traditional methods and environmentally friendly finishes.

One of the most interesting aspects about all of these pieces is their design flexibility. Whether your style is traditional, transitional or modern - these pieces can work in many interiors. I thought it would be fun to create room vignettes around a few of the pieces to showcase their flexibility.

This snazzy inlaid marquetry side table has a strong geometric pattern that is softened by the cabriole legs.

Transitional Style

Modern Style

This beautiful demilune sideboard has a lovely inlay pattern and strong textural graining.

Glossary: Antimacassar

An antimacassar is a small cloth placed over the backs or arms of chairs, or the head or cushions of a sofa, to prevent soiling of the permanent fabric.

Macassar oil was a very popular grooming product for men in the early 19th century (much like Jheri Curl in the 1970's and '80's) but was not popular among housewives who had to deal with the resulting soiled seat backs and arm covers. To combat the problem, doilies and fabric covers were fashioned to protect the permanent upholstery from permanent damage.

Antimacassars are still used today on upholstered furniture and commercial vehicles such as plane and train seats.

And there's your word of the day!

Extreme Makeover - Sofa Edition

Green products are all the rage today and it's all good for the environment. One of the best things we can do is to stop filling up the landfill with old furniture that's perhaps faded or no longer in style. If the general shape and size still work, then reupholstery is an option to consider.

One of our clients brought in this beaten up looking old sofa. While many would have discarded this piece, she had the foresight to see that this little love seat was a good candidate for an extreme makeover, especially as the size was right for their needs.

before

Sketches of different configurations were made to update the look. The biggest structural change was to the arms from thin to a nice rolled style with pleats. The back cushions on the original love seat were attached and we re-designed them to be taller and loose. The two seat cushions would be replaced with a single bench cushion for a cleaner look. And finally, the skirt was changed to a waterfall style - also adding to the fresher, cleaner look. Of course, we also rehabbed the frame and tightened up the seat springs for maximum comfort and longevity.




And here we have the finished piece! Fresh, clean and like-new!

After

While the price was ultimately comparable to buying something new, there is one less old sofa making its way into the landfill.

The mantra of the day is "Reduce, Reuse & Recyle", to which we can add "Reupholster"!