Pantone 2016 Colour of the Year and How to Add It to Your Home

December 11, 2015 by Stoney Creek Furniture

Pantone, the world’s leading experts for all colour-related matters, has announced the Colour of the Year for 2016 – and for the first time, it’s a two shades! Warm, nurturing Rose Quartz is brought together with cool, tranquil Serenity, combining soft pink and blue beautifully while challenging our traditional perceptions of colour perception. It’s about embracing connection, commonality and our yearning for harmony.

Photo Courtesy of the Pantone Color Institute

Photo Courtesy of the Pantone Color Institute

As Pantone states, “In many parts of the world we are experiencing a gender blur as it relates to fashion, which has in turn impacted colour trends throughout all other areas of design. This more unilateral approach to colour is coinciding with societal movements toward gender equality and fluidity, the consumer’s increased comfort with using color as a form of expression, a generation that has less concern about being typecast or judged and an open exchange of digital information that has opened our eyes to different approaches to color usage.”

Rose Quartz and Serenity blend like the shades of a perfect sunset, reassuring us of another day’s opportunity and reflecting the beauty of simply ‘being’ in a world fraught with upheaval. Rose Quartz is compassionate and caring while Serenity reflects order and peace. Together they speak to our craving for stability, balance and understanding.

Rose Quartz and Serenity Colour Combinations  

This calming, relaxing combo works easily with other mid-tones including greens and purples and all shades of yellow and pink. Ground the colours with a neutral rich brown or join them with silver or hot brights for more impact. For more info on colour pairings, visit www.pantone.com.

Rose Quartz and Serenity in Your Home

The feeling of Rose Quartz and Serenity is decidedly subtle. If your home is light and airy, it’s a natural fit; if your look is more dark and rich, combine the colours with some of the more dramatic shade suggestions above. Here are a few ways to welcome the combo into to your home:

Impressionism. Rose Quartz and Serenity have watercolour softness and set the stage for wall hangings and fabric/upholstery with impressionist styling and gentle pastel blends, an ethereal sort of beauty. Choose linens, draperies, chair slip covers or large wall canvasses with a watercolour effect, focused on pinks and blues.

Stack the colours. Alternate Rose Quartz and Serenity in any number of accessories – cushions, flower pots, plates, towels, etc. Very fresh and fun.

Accent pieces. As the colours become entrenched in the marketplace, you’ll see more and more in furnishings. If you love the combination, invest in an accent chair, ottoman or loveseat in the combination.

Look to nature. A wonderful way to bring Rose Quartz and Serenity into your home is to find inspiration in nature. Photos abound of pink and blue sunsets, pink flowers against a blue sky, pink toned sand awash in a blue ocean – and much more.

Just a touch. If you’re shy to embrace the look wholeheartedly, a touch is all it takes to be on trend – a bed throw, a bench recovered, pink and blue candles or table placemats, for example.

Unexpected places.  Just as this combination challenges our perceptions, opt to use it where it’s least expected. Consider gorgeous translucent sheers in both colours, layered on your windows. Reupholster your worn dining room chairs in Serenity, reserving Rose Quartz for the ‘head’ and ‘foot’ chairs. Welcome your guests with soft wide stripes of painted Rose Quartz and Serenity on your foyer walls.  Use your imagination!

This is an interesting pairing for Pantone Colour of the Year. It’s soft and gentle, yet together makes a strong statement about our cultural shift toward gender equality.

No Comments / Tags: , / Posted in Decor, Design tips, News, Trends

Give from the Heart this Holiday Season

December 4, 2015 by Stoney Creek Furniture

On November 18th, we hosted Wrap It Up, a fabulous evening with one-of-a-kind gift shopping, a designer-decorated Christmas tree auction, raffles, treats and much more. It was a huge success in every way. Best of all, proceeds from the event went to Hamilton Food Share – for a grand total of $8,900! With Hamilton Food Share’s buying power of every $1 generating $5 worth of food, this equated to $44,500 of food for the Hamilton community.

hamilton food share

Jim Fee, Vice President of Stoney Creek Furniture presents an $8,900 cheque to Hamilton Food Share’s Executive Director, Joanne Santucci to assist families in need this Christmas.

All of us at Stoney Creek Furniture are pleased to contribute to such a worthwhile cause and grateful to all the sponsors, businesses and individuals who helped make it happen. We’re very proud to give back to our community and privileged to be able to do so. It truly is a good feeling to give from heart…

With that thought in mind, what are some gifts from the heart that you can give this season? Here are just a few suggestions:

Share Your Talent. Whatever you do well – either in your career or as a hobby – can make a wonderful present.  Give the gift of your skills. Write a resume, give a haircut, take family photos, decorate a room – the list is endless! Create a gift card and share your expertise with someone you care about.

Fill a Need. Look around you and give a gift that’s truly needed. Shovel snow for your elderly neighbours, dog sit for friends going on holiday, help a friend pack and move house. These gifts are practical yet heartfelt and will be cherished.

Host a Book Exchange. Do you and your friends exchange gifts every year? Why not make it an event instead? Bring together a group for a book exchange, drinks and camaraderie. You’ll enjoy the time spent together discussing and sharing books you love.

Donate to Charity. People like teachers, hair stylists, business owners and many others receive many, many gifts of appreciation. This year make them feel even more special by researching and then donating to their favourite cause/charity.

Write a Letter. Perhaps the most beautiful gift you can give is to write a genuine letter expressing what the recipient means to you and the difference they have made in your life.

Create a Craft or Bake with Love. It can be as simply as a box of cookies or a hand knit scarf –anything made with care is always appropriate.

Pass the Treasure. If you have an item that a friend or family member has long admired – give it to them. It could be a piece of jewellery, clothing or china, for example. If they love it and you want them to enjoy it, pass it on.

Volunteer Your Time. Consider a hospital, animal shelter, church or any other organization that needs your help. Donating your time is a precious gift. Get the whole family involved!

Hamilton Food Share. Don’t forget they still need more help, especially during this time of year! Find out more at hamiltonfoodshare.org

No Comments / Tags: , / Posted in Events, News

Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas … and Festive Furnishings!

November 26, 2015 by Stoney Creek Furniture
Christmas Tree Inspiration from our Wrap it Up Event

Christmas Tree Inspiration from our Wrap it Up Event

Your Christmas tree is without a doubt the centre piece of your holiday decorating. Many of us do the same tree every year with the same decorations and of course that’s a wonderful tradition. But this year, why not experiment with something creative? Here are some of our favourite on-trend Christmas Tree decorating ideas to make your tree a show stopper. The trees and furnishings you see featured here were from the recent Wrap It Up event at our Stoney Creek location and at the 2015 Junior League’s Holiday House Tour of Distinctive Homes – I hope they inspire you!

  1. Fresh Colour Scheme. Try something totally different! Consider purple or aqua or pink for your decorations. Choose a colour that matches your room for a designer look.
  2. Ombre Effect. Divide your tree into several horizontal sections, creating bands of colour. Use only ornaments and ribbons of that colour within that band.
  3. Wonderful White. Whether all white (and cream) on a green tree or a white tree, it’s a serene and wintry effect and always elegant. Be sure to add sparkle with gold, silver and crystal accents.
  4. Metallic Magic. Skip colour altogether and choose ornaments, garlands, beads, etc. just in metallic – so trendy and so sparkly when you add fairy lights. Choose gold, silver, copper and bronze; there are lots of options available.
  5. Skirt the Issue. The tree skirt is often an afterthought, but why not make it special? Choose a bold graphic fabric and make your own or buy a basic skirt and dress it up with peppermint stripes, gold fabric, flowers or lettering.
  6. Innovative Containers. One of the hottest trends is to anchor your tree in or on something other than a traditional stand. Consider a small antique sled, a galvanized bucket or wood box painted white.
  7. A Star is Born. No reason why the star on top of your tree has to be a star! Create a wreath to sit at the top or paint a monogram of your family initial. How about a large bow, wooden snowflake or colourful fabric flower (perhaps a poinsettia bloom?)?
  8. Nature-Inspired. Beautifully rustic and simple, a nature theme is always appropriate. Create garland with popcorn, adorn the tree with pine cones, cranberries, feathers, bird ornaments and even tiny apples. It will smell as good as it looks!
  9. Theme Time. What inspires you? You could choose a toy theme, floral theme or even a nautical theme! Reflect your interests in your tree design.
  10. Simply Monochromatic. A classic look is to choose one colour and multiple shades within it – it can be red or green in keeping with the season or even non-traditional blues or pinks!

    Christmas Tree Inspiration from our Wrap it Up Event

    Christmas Tree Inspiration from our Wrap it Up Event

Beyond the Tree. With the tree decorated, doesn’t your living room deserve a special piece of furniture to welcome the holiday season? One of the best furniture investments you can make is an accent table. Especially with extra guests, it provides another space to rest a plate or showcase a special piece. Go unique with a one-of-a-kind item like the crank table or play the socialite with a cocktail table in glamourous gold. Prefer rugged? The octagonal table featured is truly distinctive in distressed oak – or embrace rustic styling (and more storage!) with a trunk cocktail table. Welcome your guests at the front door with a holiday display on a stunning console table with gold geometric accents.

Holiday Inspiration from our Wrap it Up Event and the Junior League Holiday House Tour

Holiday Inspiration from our Wrap it Up Event and the Junior League Holiday House Tour

No Comments / Tags: , , / Posted in Decor, Entertaining, Holidays, Trends

The Latest Trends in Dining Room Décor…Plus Tips for a Stunning Holiday Table

November 20, 2015 by Stoney Creek Furniture

With the holidays right around the corner, if your dining room has become a little dated, now is a great time to refresh! Read on for the latest trends in dining room décor – and some tabletop ideas to make your place settings shine.

Sutton Place Collection

Sutton Place Collection

Blended Styles. For some time now, we’ve seen a more eclectic approach to decorating, including the dining room. While suites are still very popular, it’s no longer requisite that everything matches. Consider different colours, upholsteries, chairs – it’s a bit of anything goes – but we recommend you find commonality across at least one key element, whether finish, style, fabric, etc. You want the look to be deliberately mismatched.

Bench Seats. Perhaps the hottest of all trends, bench seats are a great option! Not only do they add fabulous visual appeal and interest, but they’re also practical. There’s always room for one more person, a bonus during the holidays.

Stockton Collection

Stockton Collection

Rustic. There’s a definite movement toward rustic styling in home décor, but it still exudes elegance. Nowhere is this more apparent than in dining room furnishings. Whether greys, browns or whites, the finish is rugged, but the lines of the pieces remain sleek and clean, some even with tufting or other formal touches.

Materials. Wood is no longer the only material used for tables. Today we see glass, metal, marble and even mirror, often in combination or used in conjunction with wood. The effect can be cool and contemporary or warm and traditional.

Tribeca Collection

Tribeca Collection

On the Walls. Many dining rooms have lots of open wall space. Capitalize on it by adding bold wallpaper, a saturated wall of colour or a huge piece of abstract art. If you have the real estate, and it won’t look overwhelming, right now bold is preferred over subtle.

Lighting. You can’t go wrong with a classic chandelier, but this season, the focus is on industrial lighting. Like the fixtures featured here, the designs are distinctive and fabulous, even a little funky, and largely in nickel and chrome. It’s a wonderful touch of contrast in a traditional space.

Lighting options available at Stoney Creek Furniture

Lighting options available at Stoney Creek Furniture

Table Top Suggestions. Simplicity is trendy – a ‘less is more’ look is so sophisticated, yet still extravagant enough for the holidays! Here are some quick ideas:

  • The latest in silverware. Choose to impress with the very latest gold finished flatware or silver edged in gold. Even mixing and matching your vintage silverware is very on trend.
  • Easy napkin ring. Wrap white linen napkins in a simple red ribbon anchoring a small fir branch. Place centre plate. (It looks lovely on while plates!)
  • Choose a plaid tablecloth. Red and green don’t look kitschy when they’re in found in plaid – very on trend this season.
  • Classic candles. Red candles in silver candlesticks are classically beautiful – or in keeping with the latest trends – choose brass or gold toned holders.
  • Mason jars as candle holders. For an informal look, use mason jars as candle holders, or fill them with small, sparkly Christmas tree balls.
  • Natural is always in style. Adorn your table with simple fir branches decorated with pine cones and holly berries. Treat it as a runner of sorts, up the middle with candles interwoven. Or even think outside traditional holiday decor with a centrepiece made of lemons. In addition to looking very fresh, it will also be very fragrant.
  • All white is fresh and festive! Choose white linens and tableware, adding bling with gold and silver accents. Mix and match your dishes using modern and vintage, adding touches of cream/ivory.

PS. Check out Rachelle Mesley, our Head of Design, on CHCH Morning Live with some additional holiday dining decor tips and how to build those gorgeous lemon centrepieces (she’s on at the 5:50 mark)

No Comments / Tags: , , , , , , / Posted in Decor, Design tips, Entertaining, Furniture, Holidays, Trends

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →