Looking good, isn’t it?  Again, our new address will be the following:

236 North Main St.
Plymouth, MI 48170

We hope to get some more photos to share with you soon!

Construction at the new space started last Monday.  We stopped by mid-week to touch base with our team and got a few pictures too.  We will try to keep the blog updated with new images and details as our new showroom comes together!

Before Construction started - just a big space!

Offices in the works

Invites

While it may be a little too late to send paper invitations, its not to late to send a digital invite.  After all, receiving an invitation to an event is always welcome and sets the tone of the event for your guests. There are many ways to send digital invitations.  A couple of our favorites are online services: Paperless Post and Punchbowl.  Both sites are free to use and offer a variety of services: from tracking responses, party planning and more.

Table Settings

Many of us do not set formal dinner tables on a daily basis, so a little refresher may be helpful.  Martha Stewart provides a step by step setting here. You may not use every setting depending on the meal you are serving.  But as she says, “if you learn the essentials of a well-set table, you can apply them or break them with confidence.” (MS)

Image Credit: Martha Stewart

The Final Touches

In addition to invites and setting the table, the other details that go into a hostessing a special event is the decor.  Centerpieces on the table, a welcoming wreath at the door, lit candles can all add to the celebratory atmosphere.  We gathered some ideas to help make your Thanksgiving celebration a beautiful one.  Find links, how to’s  and even more ideas in our Fall Collection on Pinterest.

A well set table {and home} not only looks beautiful, but conveys a warm welcome to your guests and makes them feel special.  It is well worth the effort.

Brining! Williams Sonoma has a great information on brining here.

Photo Credit: Williams Sonoma

Brining is just soaking your turkey in a solution of water, salt, sugar and spices for a period of time.  This allows the water to enter deep into the meat which gives you the end result of a turkey so moist it juices as you cut it!

You can buy brine or make your own.  I prefer to make my own!  The secret family recipe is below! Shared only with you our dear readers!

Voila!  A beautiful Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Get the Look

Find These Pieces

Woodstock Table |  Herrington Chairs

Stains: Natural Maple for the chair with Blume – Alabaster upholstery

Nutmeg stain on Hard Maple for the table

This customer had relocated and moved into a new home.  Instead of moving with their old dining set, they chose to order a new set from us.  While they awaited the new furniture, they used a folding table.  Needless to say, once the new furniture arrived it brought the room to life.  Don’t you think it is a beautiful transformation?

We are a consumer nation.  Our economy thrives when business and consumers spend more.  What that means over time, is that our homes end up cluttered, disorganized and generally overflowing with too much stuff.  You only have to watch the current slew of television shows about hording, to know that there’s a national pandemic!  You can get organized and move some items to  cheap self storage in order to take back control of your home!

So what can you do to get organized?  Here are some helpful tips:

Elfa Storage System

Clean your closets out at least every 2 years.  Pull everything out and only put back clothes, shoes and toys (both kid and adult) if you have used them or worn them within the last 24 months.  Be disciplined.  You will be surprised at how many things have dust on them from 2 years without use.  Let your unused items make someone happy – donate to Goodwill or the Thrift shop or your local shelter.  This can provide both the joy of giving and provide a tax write off!  There are also things you can do with closets to make the space more useable – closet organizer services like California Closets can come in and provide extra hanging space, drawers, shoe selves etc. designed just for you to optimize space.  This is particularly important when you have small closets.  Or you can DIY and purchase systems like Elfa that allow you to organize closet space in the same way, and offer the added benefit of being able to reconfigure as necessary.

Tackle the Garage/ Attic Space/ Garden Shed. How long has it been since your car has been inside the garage?  In the northern part of the country, this can make for a long winter of shoveling the car out from under the snow every morning!  Each spring, clean out the garage, the attic and the shed.  Donate or throw away anything that you no longer use – old bikes, old golf clubs, that chain saw that no longer works etc.  The same closet organizer services often will design systems for garages.  There are also specific systems for the garage for example the Gladiator line by GarageWorks.  This includes a full size fridge that matches too!  Simple ideas like shelving and racking systems can create a ton of extra space in all your storage nooks.  There are also some cool ceiling mounted racks for overhead storage in the garage.  Don’t forget that even a couple of hooks can help get those garden tools up off the floor.  Make sure to dispose of all the old paint, oil and chemicals in the proper way.  Most Municipalities have household waste disposal facilities.  Motor oil can be taken to a local Auto Parts store.

Organize and eliminate art, craft and other hobby materials as well as old books, CDs and

Clear storage bins

Videos.  Clear containers from places like the Container Store, Target or Walmart allow you to store things, but see exactly what’s inside each container.  They are usually stackable and some come with wheels for easily moving them around.  You can label the front and top of each box (give it a number too) and even make yourself an inventory list of what is in every container.   This information can be entered into a spreadsheet to make it an electronic list that’s searchable.  That’s particularly helpful if you need to find 1995 tax returns in a hurry!  How many CDs do you own?  A drawer full?  Perhaps you can consider ripping them all to MP3.  This will make them much easier to listen to and save a bunch of space.  You can copy all the music into iTunes and then donate the CDs.  Same with your old books now that there’s Amazon.  And are you really going to watch those old videos?  Consider getting rid of both the videos and the VCR!  With services like Netflix and Hulu – there’s really no need to hang onto them.  Just think of how much space you will free up!

Once you have organized your belongings, there may still not be enough space in your home or you may want a secure location for some items like antiques or documents – renting a storage unit may be your final step in getting organized.

Now a little about these pieces and how they can help.

1) An Extendable Bench: Instead of having to store chairs for your dining or kitchen table, this unique bench has leaves that can be added as the number of guests increase.  Each leaf is 12″ and these benches can expand up to 96″!  That’s 8 feet of seating space!

2) Sierra Coffee Table:  This piece could be great in a compact living room or den.  It combines the function of a coffee table, with 4 built in seats to provide extra seating for guests!

3) Vertical Wall Bed – Though it may look like your standard entertainment unit, this piece is actually a bed.  It also offers the added storage space of 2 cabinets and bookcases.  Though it takes up wall space, it has the wonderful benefit of a full or queen bed just a pull away.

4) Expandable Buffet: Much like the extendable bench, this piece expands by adding leaves to the buffet top.  Perfect for parties and gatherings, it can expand up to an additional 3 feet.  So a 48″ buffet would expand to 7 feet of serving space.   That’s enough space for 6 chafing dishes!

Check back later for more space saving furniture & ideas to help make your space a beautiful & functional one!