If you’re like me, you “like calling North Carolina home.” We have something to offer everyone, which is why people continue to relocate here. Some people come here for work, some to retire – others to raise a family.

The task of turning a house into a “home” doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to personalize a home. How does one go about identifying quality home professionals from across a state like North Carolina? 13 years ago, my sister, Suzanne Sullivan, and I decided to answer that question. We began to publish an award winning magazine – North Carolina Design.

North Carolina Design Magazine in 1999-2001

For ten years we printed our annual resource guide. We showcased talented showrooms and manufacturers; interior designers and art galleries; rug dealers and artisans; builders and architects. Our pages were [...]

More >
Leave a comment
Tags: design ideas, design trends, furniture design, holiday decorating, Hooker Furniture, North Carolina Design Online

This time of year, memories of growing up come to mind ––  visits to Santa, annual parades, the one Christmas when we actually had snow on the ground. Unlike Ralphie from the movie, A Christmas Story, I can’t recall anything I had to have. Thinking back, one of my fondest seasonal recollections is of the homemade Christmas ornaments my mother, sister and I created.

Photography By Ellen M. Reed

Suzanne and I worked on the lovely but less complex ornaments. Equal lengths of ribbon (and sometimes ric-rac) were glued to colored or clear glass ornaments. We also cut out doilies that had been sprayed silver or gold and glued them to red, silver, gold and blue glass ball ornaments.  A few rhinestones and beads were also added. Who knew that this personal touch to our family’s holiday décor [...]

More >
Leave a comment
Tags: Christmas decorating, Christmas decorating ideas, design ideas, design trends, Do-it-yourself Christmas decorating, Do-it-yourself holiday decorations, holiday decorating

Even the most seasoned of hosts can experience heart flutters when several holidays seem to merge into one extended party.  It’s the time of year where we not only welcome family and friends; we also have the consideration of the many traditions attached to our gatherings.  Adding in for the possibility of overnight guests . . . well, those flutters might turn into full-fledged palpitations!   I’ll share some of my key ingredients for creating a delicious dining room experience for you and your guests.

Layers of texture and candlelight warm the center of my holiday dining table. One of my go-to sources for table settings is “A Passion for Flowers” by Carolyne Roehm

Whether this is your first event or you have the makings of a celebrity event planner, it’s always a great idea to have a checklist of ‘go-to’ sources [...]

More >
Leave a comment
Tags: budget decorating, design ideas, design trends, dining room collections, dining room furniture, holiday decorating, interior design, kitchen dining furniture

After several years of a minimalist, clean and serene approach to home décor, a counter trend is on the horizon.

Patterns ranging from Macintosh-inspired fretwork to Art Nouveau-inspired headboards to accents with lacework and needlework motifs to fabrics with ogee and Greek key designs abound in the Hooker Furniture and Sam Moore showrooms. The architectural and geometric patterns “represent a much-needed counter trend to the recent super-clean looks,” said Michelle Lamb, director of The Trend Curve “Patterns draw the eye and draw you in. They won’t eliminate the need for a minimalist approach, but will create a better balance between plain and pattern in the two years ahead,” she said.

Mélange Curlacue Chest

Colorful, vivacious and extravagant patterns are particularly prevalent in Hooker’s Mélange accent collection. These patterns are as classic as repeated damasks and scrolls and ogees and as whimsical as bright florals [...]

More >
3 Comments
Tags: accent furniture, accents, design ideas, design trends, furniture design, Hooker Furniture, interior design, living room accent furniture, living room furniture

Is your heart rate picking up? Do you feel a rush of adrenaline? A sudden burst of confidence?

The color red just may be responsible.

Sexy, dramatic and alluring, the color red is unique in its ability to elicit a physical response, say color experts. Certain shades of red actually impact heart rates, stimulate adrenaline glands and instill courage and confidence.

Since most of us could use some courage and confidence to meet the abundant challenges of today, it should come as good news that red will be one of the top colors in furniture at the High Point Market October 22- 27.  From bombe chests at Hooker Furniture to red leather sofas at Bradington-Young, furniture is red hot this fall. Furniture is right in step with fashion, with red a clear favorite in apparel these days. In fact, red was the color of the night at the recent 2011 Emmy Awards gala, [...]

More >
Leave a comment
Tags: accent furniture, accents, design ideas, design trends, furniture design, Hooker Furniture, interior design

It seems everywhere we turn in October, there’s a delightful pink twist. NFL players are running down the gridiron wearing bright pink shoes. Runners are racing for the cure clad in pink t-shirts. Pink ribbons adorn lapels across the world.

At Hooker Furniture, we are thrilled to be getting in on all the “pink energy” surrounding Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Our Sam Moore division in Bedford, Virginia custom created and lovingly crafted this Pink Chair for the Cure featuring a woven fuchsia cover with flecks of green called “Preppy,” set off by a white and pink ikat-patterned accent pillow. Isn’t she adorable, sexy and chic? We have named her “Hope.”

Pink Chair for the Cure named Hope

In a Pink Partnership for the Cure, we have joined with our retail friends Furnitureland South to offer this chair in a contest to raise money for [...]

More >
3 Comments
Tags: accent furniture, design ideas, design trends, Hooker Furniture, interior design, Sam Moore

It’s  that time of year again! Yes, fall is in the air, but what I am referring to is the semi-annual premarket, held in High Point, North Carolina.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Premarket is an event held twice a year, about a month before the April and October High Point Furniture Markets.  While the actual Furniture Market draws up to 85,000 attendees twice a year, Premarket is a much smaller, more casual event.  Some of the world’s largest retailers attend Premarket to enjoy a more relaxed setting in which to view the season’s hottest upcoming products.  If dealers find products that they love, they often place an order at this time, to get a head start on products getting to their showrooms.

Primrose Hill Lattice Sleigh Bed

As a North Carolina native and a recent graduate of High Point University’s Home [...]

More >
Leave a comment
Tags: affordable furniture, bedroom furniture, design ideas, design trends, furniture design, Hooker Furniture, interior design, whimsical furniture

You’ve likely seen the trend to “mix, rather than match” furniture in your home for a more casual, personal ambiance.

A great way to do this is to vary the style or color of chairs around your dining room table.  Mixing upholstered chairs with wood dining chairs, same-styled chairs in different colors, or differently-styled chairs in the same color creates a conversation-worthy look that’s perfect for the place we converse!

Harbour Pointe Dining Coveside and Bungalow Finishes

When it comes to eclectic decor, a little experience or know-how will avoid a disjoint or too-staged look. These 10 guidelines will help create an unexpected, but compatible mix of chairs around your dining room table.

Choose chairs with something in common, whether their shape, age, historical era or color.
Keep chairs at about the same height. If some chairs are slightly taller, keep them lighter-looking [...]

More >
1 Comment
Tags: design ideas, design trends, dining room collections, dining room furniture, furniture design, interior design, kitchen dining furniture

Shopping for a new addition to your home that brings the mood and hue of fall? Here are several living room accent furniture items that will move in as effortlessly as a leaf drifts down from a tree. Each adds a focal point that will inspire you to bring more of the outdoors in. And with each, a few suggestions on how to make it feel at home during the delightful autumn days.

Retro Stiped Accent Chest

A CHEST OF MANY COLORS: Any room or entryway will become as dramatic as the hillsides of a Vermont autumn with the retro striped hand-painted chest.  In keeping with its earth tones, top with a beautiful piece of pottery, perhaps a jug in a wonderful honey [...]

More >
Leave a comment
Tags: accent furniture, accents, chests, design ideas, design trends, furniture design, gaming furniture, holiday decorating, interior design, living room furniture

You might call them the “Oscars of Furniture.”

They are the Pinnacle Design Awards, awarded annually by the American Society of Furniture Designers to recognize achievement in furniture design and to promote design excellence and originality. Awards are given in 15 categories ranging from casual dining to bedroom to leather upholstery to juvenile furniture to major collections.

Rafferty Console

We think the Pinnacle Awards, established in 1995, are a terrific idea to recognize the often unsung heroes behind the scenes who design and birth furniture. These designers are vital to making furniture an exciting fashion industry. They create cherished and beautiful pieces that transform our houses into homes.

This year, Hooker Furniture is very excited to have four furniture items or collections as finalists for the 2011 Pinnacle Awards! Drum roll please, our finalists are:

Rafferty Console, nominated in the occasional table [...]

More >
1 Comment
Tags: accent furniture, accents, bedroom furniture, design ideas, design trends, furniture design, interior design, living room accent furniture, living room furniture, whimsical furniture, youth furniture