The “WOW” of Wallpaper

Wallpapers come and go, but few continue to capture the “wow” of a wall like the designs of Ronald Redding.  Redding is one of the most celebrated designers in the industry and is the lead designer of York Wallcoverings headquartered in York, PA.  Redding, is also the creator of the Antonina Vella collection distributed by the Seabrook Company.  These designs are manufactured in the U.S.A.

The Ronald Redding Designs and Antonina Vella collections stand alone.  Of the collections of wallpapers in the Rochester area, these two are certainly my favorite.  My home boasts of his designs because they are beautiful.  He has developed collections for every décor style, this makes it is easy to find your style because each book is dedicated to a certain look.

The newest in wallpaper designs by Redding include:

• Sculpted surfaces- heavy amounts of ink on the paper creating dimension to the design

• Flock- updated Damask  that look luxurious

• Recycled Glass and Sand- The patterns have actual glass and sand glued to the surface area. You would  think they were tiny diamonds

• Embellishments-the use of  Swarovski  crystals, mother of pearl, or distressed metal  within the pattern

• Metallic-Creating a shine in the pattern by incorporating metallic’s such as bronze, copper, and silver

Wallpaper is certainly making a comeback in the Rochester area.  Our customers are seeing the benefit of wallpaper: its longevity, washability and new designs add décor that compliments any style.  I can honestly say that just about every other project of ours now has wallpaper going up.  Because wallpapers are not as trendy as paint colors, changing them often is not an issue.  It actually is quite cost effective.

If you are steering away from wallpaper because you are dreading the thought of having to take it down   some day, the problem only lies in the manner in which it was installed. Having our team install the paper properly makes for an easy take down.  Let us walk you through some of Ronald Redding’s designs to enhance your home’s beauty.

These photos are from Ronald Redding Designs.

Mom’s Cardoons

Frank’s favorite for this month definitely centers on family and food.  For years his mother would lay out the tables with the Italian dishes he had grown to love.  The tradition of mom’s cardoon on Thanksgiving and Christmas was something we all would look forward to.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with cardoon, they are the stems of the Burdock plant that grow wild in fields.  After years of begging for the recipe and hearing from mom “oh, it’s really nothing, I don’t have a recipe,” we surprised her, brought her to our home the day before the holidays and told her that her granddaughter wanted to be able to carry on the tradition for the years to come, she would have to share the recipe.  We had laid everything out in the kitchen that we thought went into them and proceeded with laughter as we video tapped her directing us as if she was Julia Childs.  For the past several years, this has become our new tradition – enjoying the time with mom in our kitchen as we all make cardoons and try to fight off Frank from sampling them J

Who knew that something so simple would bring a family together and create so many memories?

Enjoy the holiday and feel free to share with us some of your traditions for the season.

Frank’s Favorite White Chair

Clift Accent Chair in Eggshell

Relaxation time is almost unheard of for me.  Ironically, one of the way I unwind is by visiting home decor sites and viewing the latest in accessories and furniture.  I drive my wife crazy constantly calling her into my office, “Honey, come look at this one”.

I like a chair that makes a bold statement and reflects my own personal style.  This contemporary
rendition of the classical wing backed chair is an example of some of my favorite pieces.  To me, it’s a masculine
chair, the back is very high, it sits firm and the chrome upholstery nails give it that added touch of classic elegance that sets it apart from other chairs.

I also love the versatility that it provides, move it to a different room when you want a simplistic change.

This chair was found at my favorite home decor site. You can find it and many other contemporary home accessories at www.zgallerie.com. Have Fun!

A Summer Favorite of Mine

Hummingbirds!

We had been noticing a few of them in our flower garden for the past few years so my wife added more of their favorite plants and a single feeder to draw them.  I became enamored with them!  Last year for Christmas my team gave me a hummingbird feeder with all the fixings to go with it.

This year our new “family additions” multiplied from 2 to 11.  We now have eleven birds that sound like a huge bumble bee as they zoom past your face.  These little creatures I have grown to admire and love. How can such a tiny body have so much energy?  From the early morning hours until sunset our yard is non-stop with hummingbird activity.  Be careful stepping outside the door, they’ll fly right past your face!

Steph and I decided to put in a small patio this July 4^th (well, next time we will think that out better.  One of the few days off and we choose to set a patio that took 14 hours and neither of us could move when we were done).  There is a reason for that story  .. ..  We did it for the hummingbirds. We wanted a place to sit and watch them.  How close can we get to them?   We can now hold the feeder at arm’s length and have them come eat.  Amazing!!!  More often than not, while I am on the phone with my customers, sitting on that patio, they will hover eye level in front of my face, only 6 inches away!  The female hummers are the social ones at our house.  Always inquisitive and it seems as though they are saying, “thank you for all the great food here”.   Our dining table overlooks the feeder and mealtime is noisy again, though it’s not from my daughter Bre!  These little ones make noises to scare each other away from the feeder while they dive bomb one another too. Very territorial!  Once a parent always a parent, I think as I talk out the window to them “Stop being so selfish and share, there is plenty to go around”.  My daughter thinks I’ve lost my mind and so do her friends that visit during mealtime.  Bre says, “Don’t mind my dad, these are his new babies”.

My goal for next year is to be able to feed them from the palm of my hand.  For now, I will continue to praise the Lord for those little hummers.  His creations never cease to amaze me!

Recipe for Hummingbird Nectar

4 cups of boiled water

1 cup of sugar

While water is still hot add the sugar and stir until dissolved.Let set at room temp until cooled. Pour into clean feeder. Refrigerate any unused portion for up to one week.Please don’t add food coloring.  Nectar can ferment during summer heat, so please change it weekly or bi-weekly. Make sure the feeder is free of mold by taking

Walmart's Mainstay Hummingbird Feeder

it all apart and brushing it with a clean toothbrush.

The feeder that the hummers feed from most was a $10.99 glass feeder from Walmart.  It is fairly large and has red plastic flowers at the base.  Each piece is removable for easy cleaning.  Click here to find this same feeder.