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Denim is a champion of American ingenuity. Created in 1873 by Jacob Davis in response to local farmers’ wives demands for a more durable work pant. Orders began to flood in, and Davis partnered with the Levi Strauss company and began mass producing bolts of denim fabric. You know the rest of the story - Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Brett Favre commercials, Rosie the Riveter - denim has played a major role in establishing a uniquely American culture. But as common as denim is in the United States, most people do not have a clue how their trusty pair...

I am willing to take a bet that almost every American home has a window, somewhere. So why is it so commonplace to spend thousands of dollars furnishing your home, but opt for the ‘White #2’ curtains on sale at the local big box store? This situation can apply to all types of window treatments - curtains, drapes, sheers and valances. These often overlooked room accents can be exclamation points, a splash of color in an otherwise neutral space. Or, they can simply complement and blend with other pieces of furniture in the room. Fabric window treatments will usually be...

Designing for an outdoor space can seem daunting at first. With so many different brands, colors and designs, it is reasonable to feel intimidated and rationalize buying a cheap set of outdoor furniture from Target. The paradox here is that choosing to ‘buy cheap’ when selecting a fabric will ultimately cost you more money down the road. Store-bought outdoor furniture is typically made of 100% spun polyester. It’s cheap, easy to wash and generally will not shrink. But, spun poly will fade after 500 hours in the sun, which is about 4 times as quick as solution-dyed acrylics. The fabric...

When planning a custom upholstery job, it is crucial that the correct fabric is used in order to ensure the longevity of the furniture. Personally, I like to ask customers three questions to determine the perfect fabric for the occasion. First, ‘What is the application of the fabric?’ I would never dream of recommending a spun polyester fabric to a customer looking to decorate their sun porch. Spun polyester is a one to two season fabric at the most, and would quickly deteriorate after a year or two if left outside year-round. Instead, I would suggest a rugged, but stylish...

One of my children showed me a video on Facebook about how people only have 3 to 4 minutes to exit a burning house compared to 17 in 1980. Back then almost all household materials contained real wood and natural materials, which are significantly less flammable than their synthetic lookalikes. What changed? Well, after the fall of American manufacturing, at the turn of the millennium furniture companies based in the United States started looking overseas for cheap labor and materials and furniture quickly became a low-cost commodity. Fast forward to today, and in an average home, you can find synthetic carpet,...