What a summer it has been so far! We have all been very busy trying to keep up with the rapidly-changing markets, with new product intros, new manufacturers, and lots of promotions to keep your interest. As a side-note, this issue features pictures taken entirely at customers' homes, so you can really get an idea of how great these products look in "real life"
We are sure you have been very busy too, with vacation planning or perhaps regrouping after the July 4 holiday. As always, we try to keep our newsletters as informative as possible, without pushing products on our valued customers. We know there are lots of choices out there, both online and in other retail stores. We also know you are probably getting inundated with tons of promotions and offers as retailers try to salvage their year. Our prices and customer service speak for themselves...the result is that we are actually experiencing modest growth this year. So this newsletter will focus on some easy summer decorating ideas that you can use for your inside and outside living space. We all lead hectic lives, even with the "slower" summer season upon us. We hope these ideas and great deals allow you to take advantage of long sunny days and get in some much-needed relaxation time.
Outdoor Furniture
We recently discovered an outstanding line of outdoor furniture from a company called
Casual Decor by Kaven. Its a relatively small company that specializes in high-quality specialty furniture for deck, patio, or porch. The product i
s designed to endure prolonged exposure to the direct sun, and is available with Sunbrella cushions to make the seating comfortable and long-lasting. The hand-woven UV-resistant synthetic wicker is both comfortable and great-looking, with extra longevity provided by the powder-coated aluminum frames. There are more than a dozen groups within their outdoor collection, each with its own distinct style. From the
contemporary Soho to the traditional
Sahara, you should be able to find a Casual Decor group that fits your decorating need. One of their most popular collections is the
Milan Collection, shown at right on a customer's back deck here in Concord, NC. This set shows the popular Redwood-pattern Sunbrella cushions. We are sure this group is going to be one of our best-selling outdoor lines as we begin to get the word out.
To help get the word out right now, use coupon code CASDECOR15 to get 15% off all Casual Decor items for a limited time. 
Of course
, there is always our favorite outdoor wood furniture line,
Uwharrie Chair. Made right here in North Carolina, Uwharrie Chair Company is nationally-recognized for the incredible quality and durability of their chairs, loungers, loveseats and tables. With a palette of over 25 finishes available across 15 collections,
Uwharrie Chair has got your outdoor relaxation needs covered. While they are on the higher-end of the price scale, the fact that these comfortable all-wood furnishings last for years and years means you are making a wise investment. Who can say that these days? Shown at right is one of their earliest, and most popular collections, the
Bridgehampton Series Arm Chair. The Bridgehampton Series exemplifies Outdoor Comfort and Class from the Uwharrie Chair Company. This extraordinary series of all weather seating features qualities with a fresh twist to the Original Uwharrie Chair. Hand crafted from premium, kiln-dried pine, the Bridgehampton Collection will offer comfort and class for years to come. Our prices on Uwharrie chair are guaranteed to be the most competative, and as always, you get free shipping with any Uwharrie Chair order!
Also for a limited time use coupon code UCHAIR5 to get 5% off all Uwharrie Chair items for a limited time. Another great idea for outdoor furnishings is the occasional use of wrought-iron. Iron is a great medium for two reasons. First, it will last forever (maybe not forever, but a very long time). Second, its a great way to break up an outdoor furniture collection with a little variety. Youcan find a similiar style iron bench and maybe change the finish, or match the finish and use a completely different style of iron seating or iron tables. We have two long-time outdoor iron occasional furniture suppliers,
Stone County Ironworks and
Bago Luma.
Stone County is known for their rustic appeal and hand-forged design, ranging from sculpted ivy leaves to realistic branches. They make everything in Mountain View, Arkansas and are a uniquely artisinal manufacturer.
Bago Luma also hand-crafts all of their outdoor furniture, with a flair for architectural design and striking juxtapositions. They also offer some lovely outdoor crackle finishes.
For extra savings, use coupon code CR10coupon to get 10% off ALL Stone County Ironworks and Bago Luma furnishings for a limited time.Outdoor Lighting
Pages and pages could be written about outdoor lighting, both its importance in staging the design of your home, and the incredible variety of style, quality, and technical specifications. Suffice to say, people see the outside of your home first and outdoor lighting makes a huge impression. Hinkley Lighting has some outstanding recommendations for how to begin designing your outdoor lighting palette
which you can find by clicking here. Its not as confusing as you might think! Here at Carolina Rustica, we carry over 25 lines of lighting and most of these fine manufacturers have outdoor lighting collections. It is worth it to invest in higher-end outdoor lighting because the brands you may find at big-box retailers are just not going to hold up over time or over harsher weather conditions. The pictures below show lanterns from the
Hinkley Lighting Pueblo Collection, which is one of our favorite groups with its fusion of Art & Crafts design with a southwestern palette. Hinkley also has a
Mission Collection that is almost a fusion of obvious Mission elements with a slight Asian influence. We love how they subtley blend these diverse design elements in all of their collections.
Ceiling Fans
Ceiling Fans continue to be recognized as one of the single greatest energy-savers a homeowner can install these days. Although ceiling fans do use electricity to operate, experts say the amount of money homeowners can save on air conditioning with a fan greatly outweighs the cost of running the fan itself. The cost of operating a ceiling fan varies based on how often they're turned on and how much the electric company charges, but on average, a standard ceiling fan costs less to operate than an incandescent light bulb. Ceiling fan savings are generated year-round but are most obvious in the summer, when they are working hard to prevent hot air from accumulating at the ceiling.
Ceiling fans helps equalize the temperature throughout the room, and a fan can cut air conditioning bills by as much as 40%. This is because most fans make it feel like it's about 6 degrees cooler in the home than it actually is. Homeowners can save 7 to 10 percent of their cooling costs for each degree above 78. So its an easy way to "go green", reduce your electricity bill, AND best of all, add a stylish element to your great room, covered porch, bedroom or kitchen. One of the most popular fans EVER is the
Fanimation Palisade Indoor/Outdoor fan. There are as many possible configurations of this fan as you can possibly imagine, with some outstanding choices in natural-material blades to complete your "green" effect. The fan pictured here show the Palisade in Antique Brass Finish with Natural Palm Blades.
We have lots of information on our site on how to select a ceiling fan for your particular application, which you can find by clicking this link (a new window will open) Two of our other most popular fans right now are the
Emerson Loft Fan and the
Casablanca Panama Ceiling Fan with Inteli-Touch or Advan-Touch controls.
Casablanca Panama Ceiling Fan, starts at $366The Panama is an American classic by Casablanca, and the traditional styling works with virtually any setting. Custom design your Panama by adding your choice of blades, light fixture, and glass. The Panama is also one of the best values in the Casablanca line.
Emerson Loft Ceiling Fan, $199Shown in Brushed Steel finish with matching blades. Fluid fan blades balance the curves of the cylindrical housing to create a simple yet stunning aesthetic. Perfect for any modern decor, the three finish options allow you to match it perfectly. Free Shipping.
Lastly, we cannot let the summer go by without mentioning our always-popular
Iron Artistica product line. Based on our own designs, this group of home accent items can be used for both indoors and out. The hand-painted Bronze Rust finish has a rich patina that is weather-durable, so you can use some of the accent items like our
Serving Tray year 'round. Imagine how great this would look on your outside furniture, with wine, cheese and other goodies artfully arranged for your visiting friends. Other hugely popular items that would work outside are our
Robe Hook (which is perfect for holding your watering cans, gardening tools, and your big floppy hat), and our
Phoebe Demi-Lune Shelf, which can be used as an interior or exterior plant shelf.
Better yet, you can get an additional 10% off ALL Iron Artistica items by applying coupon code TJOOS-CR!
