Commercial builders, interior designers, building project management and developers are invariably faced with one basic design issue when it comes to commercial buildings- commercial flooring. Whatever the building, and whatever the type of occupiers, these extremely large spaces have to be functional and cost effective for building managers. Office buildings need people-friendly flooring in offices for a good workplace environment and health reasons. Retailers and hospitality industry buildings need top quality presentation and décor as well as these factors.

Core business issues- Functionality

The new best practice flooring option for these spaces is carpet. Not just any carpet, but modular carpeting. This is a new type of commercial flooring, designed to provide a range of cost benefits for building operators, and it’s also actually a new type of carpet. It’s far superior to hard surface flooring, which can be an extremely expensive option in terms of maintenance and it’s also the low-maintenance option for budget purposes.

These carpets are very heavy duty flooring. They’re tough, long-life products. They’re also easily customizable, with a huge selection of designs and textures to choose from. Unlike broadloom carpet, the new carpets don’t use underlay. This carpet is actually made of carpet tiles, each with their own backing and glued, not stitched to be seamless, increasing the strength of the carpeting and eliminating weak structural points.

Design issues- Finding the right combinations

The other big issue is design. In any commercial building, there will be as many designs as there are occupants and types of business. It’s not uncommon to find that interior design is a primary selling point to tenants. Restaurant interior design, for example, is a primary issue for restaurant managers. Office design can be an issue for high value corporate tenants. Leases may or may not allow tenants to create their own interiors, but best practice for building managers is to set and enforce standards.

For property development purposes, the issues are much more straightforward- Top quality flooring isn’t an “optional extra” in commercial buildings. It’s best practice. Good quality flooring reduces costs for the developer, as well as improving presentation values. The new modular carpets have become popular in commercial building and design simply because they’re so cost-efficient.

Cost effectiveness

There’s another factor in selecting the modular carpets for commercial buildings.  Unlike most top of the range flooring products, they’re comparatively cheap.  Relative to their long product life, they’re significantly cheaper than other types of flooring. This is “value for money” on a measurable basis. Taken in context with large square metre areas in commercial properties, the cost of modular carpets is a fraction of conventional carpets and other types of flooring.

Add to this the facts that:

• The modular carpets can be easily repaired in minutes without the “major production” issues involved in broadloom maintenance and repair.
• The modular carpets don’t have underlay. This fact alone represents a major saving.

You can see why these new carpets are reinventing the whole idea of commercial flooring. Contact a supplier and ask a few questions about these modular carpets. You’ll be amazed. 

Once you have your commercial flooring down don't forget a few accent rugs to brighten your company's entry and welcome space. After all, you only get one time to make a great first impression with your visitors and clients, why not make it a stylish one!

If You Can't Go to the Beach, Bring the Beach to You

During these times of economic uncertainty, more and more people are choosing to take time off and discover the virtues of their own town. Stacations, as these are now called, offer you time to invite family and friends to your home to gather together and save some money in the process. To make this more enjoyable you should consider bringing the beach to your backyard and/or home. There are many different types of indoor and outdoor furniture and garden items that are available but you do not have to purchase these products at one of those big box home improvement stores. After all, why should your backyard look like your neighbors?

If you like the beach and can't make it there this summer then turn your backyard into a beach paradise by purchasing products with some bright colors, not just your standard teak brown. Uwharrie Chair is a great manufacturer of outdoor products that are extremely high quality and built to last. They design and build products anywhere from the classic adirondack chair, to rockers, swings and tables and even complete outdoor groupings. Their products are crafted from thick, kiln-dried southern pine and are available as Natural or finished in 27 lively different colors. These finishes are also available in a "wash" finish, if you prefer to start with a look that appears more translucent and "weathered".

When transforming your home into a coastal retreat, the inside of your home is often overlooked. Many people don't realize there are many high quality indoor furniture options for every room in the house. These furniture styles will offer you sophisticated casual living featuring natural materials such as bamboo, rattan, leather wrapped corners, pineapple carvings and bright cheerful colors. These pieces are definitely not your typical patio styles that tend wear out in a few years.

No manufacturer captures the essence of refined coastal living with effortless style any better than Tommy Bahama by Lexington Home Brands. With collections named Beach House, Ocean Club, Royal Kahala, Island Estate and Kingstown, you'll be certain to fall in love with one of these five uniquely designed coastal styles that will keep you in an island state of mind year round.

Bernhardt Furniture - Crafting Quality Furniture for Over One Hundred and Twenty Years

Carolina Rustica is proud to have recently become an authorized dealer for Bernhardt Furniture. You can find the new product introductions shown below on our website, as well as their entire line of Casegood and Upholstery offerings. Visit us today on the web, at www.carolinarustica.com, or call us to learn more. 800-205-7819.

The Bernhardt Furniture Company was founded in 1889 in the small town of Lenoir, located in the foothills of Western North Carolina by John Mathias Bernhardt. It is one of the largest family owned and operated marketers of fine wood and upholstered furniture in the United States. Committed to high business standards and the principles of fine craftsmanship, the Bernhardt family has led this American enterprise to its current ranking among the top U.S. furniture companies in annual sales worldwide.

John was destined for adventures and left Lenoir as a young man and landed in territory that would later become the state of Oregon. There, he found a job as a government surveyor assisting settlers in the wild frontier. After three years he returned to Lenoir and found work as a logger and timber cutter, though a hard way to make a living his diligence paid off, as he became supervisor at the Caldwell Land & Lumber Company. John’s vision was apparent then as he was able to convince his company to build the first railroad into the mountains, so that it would be easier to harvest and transport the abundant timber in the area.

His entrepreneurial spirit took hold and he began starting his own companies. First, he started his own sawmill and began buying timber. Then in 1889 he organized a company to manufacture furniture out of the native white oak. Bernhardt's vision ultimately led him to connect with distributors and merchants in large cities such as Chicago and New York City in order to supply sturdy oak bedroom furniture to people who lived as far away as the Rocky Mountains. This eager North Carolina entrepreneur began making an impression on the urban businessmen who would ultimately come to know his reliability and integrity.

Bernhardt’s grasp of possibilities outside his locality and his willingness to work hard enabled his young company to survive and grow. As Bernhardt honed the skills of its craftsmen, the company earned a reputation for making high-quality furniture that was both durable and beautiful. Known for intricate oak-grain finishes, Bernhardt sold thousands of sturdy chests and tables costing less than $4 each. Cabinets and cases were stacked like bricks and loaded into freight cars for transport to cities across America.

Bernhardt Today

The Bernhardt Furniture Company remains a strong presence in the furniture sector and still places high value on old-fashioned intangibles such as perseverance, loyalty, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship. Known for its design excellence, Bernhardt has garnered a host of prestigious design awards from industry experts and the media. Among the more notable achievements, the American Society of Furniture Designers (ASFD) has recognized the excellence of Bernhard's designs with multiple Pinnacle Design Achievement Awards. Continuing in its tradition of associating itself with quality partners, Bernhardt was selected by Martha Stewart in 2001 to produce a line of licensed furniture, “Martha Stewart Furniture with Bernhardt”, a selection Martha based on Bernhardt’s sound reputation in the trade, and its long history of integrity and quality.

New Product Introductions for 2011

 

Never one to rest on its name or laurels, Bernhardt Furniture continues to design and craft new and exciting collections of beautiful quality furniture. For 2011, there are two new collections.

Artisan Estate is a sophisticated approach to classic Tuscan design. It has hand-planed and distressed plantation grown mahogany veneers in a Burnished Sage finish of warm earth tones. A timeless blend of rich, patinated iron and leather lends a refined air.

Somerset Hill captures the refined charm of 19th century design. A highly distressed French wax lends an antiqued look to the plantation grown mahogany veneers in a Clove finish. Natural rattan, leather and bronzed metal adds an air of authenticity.

Five Things to Look For in a New Home

When buying a new home there are certain things that you should look for, depending on your situation. Singles or career minded couples would be looking for different things than a family would, for example, but there are a few general things that everybody should look out for. When buying a home to start with it is easier to enlist the help of a conveyancing company who will handle all the legal issues. You will have to pay conveyancing fees but it is well worth it and saves you handling complicated legal matters yourself.

Location

Probably one of the most important things is the location of your potential new home. The first thing to consider is whether it is convenient to your workplace. If it is some distance from where you work then how easy is it to get there. Make sure that the house is close to either public transport or the travel time by car is not unachievable. If you have children you will have to consider the proximity of the house to schools and you will also need to be able to access supermarkets, healthcare centers, sporting facilities and community centers. Singles or couples may also be interested in the location of the home in regards to entertainment and restaurants.

Floor Plan

Have a good look at the floor plan of the home and make sure it is a good fit your family or other members of the household and that it will offer enough space for your belongings. The other thing to check is whether the home will suit your lifestyle. If you entertain a lot you would be looking for a home that has a great entertaining area outdoors and a large open plan living area inside. A big kitchen works well for both families and those that enjoy entertaining. Finding great quality dining room furniture for your entertainment and family needs is easy when you can browse hundreds of options using an online retailer. Check out the many options that you can find at Carolina Rustica. If you have children, having more bedrooms would be important and perhaps having the master suite at the other end of the house away from the kids.


Neighborhood

Check out the neighborhood and make sure it is safe and that you would be happy living there. You might want to find out what your neighbors are like. For a family, it would be appealing to live in a quieter neighborhood and one that has other families living in it. Singles might prefer a more busy and lively area, close to a city center.

Up Keep

Look at how much work you will need to do to up keep the look of the home. If it has a large garden then you will either need to be prepared to maintain the garden, which can take a lot of work, or have the money to pay a gardener. If you spend most of your time at work and out with friends then you could prefer to live somewhere that requires little maintenance, such as an apartment, condo or town house.


Storage

Something to consider when looking for a new home is how much storage space it has. Having plenty of storage is a valuable asset and as most people accumulate a lot of possessions it can mean a tidier home if you have somewhere to put things away.

New Collections From Linwood Furniture

The Linwood Furniture Story - Real American Beauty

When everyone was moving manufacturing to China for the cheap labor, they said no, we're staying in North Carolina. At Linwood Furniture in Lexington, North Carolina, bench-made furniture is still the standard and not the exception. All of their solid wood bedroom and dining room suites are made the way they’ve been made in the USA for years-with pride and durability in every piece.

Their quality story starts with the solid wood they use and ends with some of the most beautiful finishes in the industry. When you purchase Linwood, you are getting furniture built the way they think it’s supposed to be built.

With a completely vertically integrated production facility that allows for unprecedented product quality and with a commitment to promoting sustainable timber practices, Linwood’s furniture uses only locally selected American hardwoods sourced within a short distance of Lexington, North Carolina, by Kepley-Frank Hardwoods.

At Linwood Furniture, they are very proud to say that they are an American made furniture manufacturer.

Common Features

• Mortise and Tenon Joint construction
• Corner Blocked for strength
• Fitted back panels framed by the top, sides and bottom
• English dovetail drawer construction on front and back
• Smooth drawer interiors are sanded and each drawer features 7/16’’ sides and back with a 3-ply wood bottom
• Headboards on all sleigh beds have finished backs
• Each piece reflects a multi-step-finish process that includes a final method of hand rubbing and waxing that achieves a rich finish
• Hardware is designed and selected to enhance the attitude and style of each collection
• Wood bed rails are shipped with all beds as well as hardwood bed slats

Key Attributes

• Fully framed dust proofing
• Solid wood-on-wood treated drawer guides
• Touch hinge lighting on select pieces
• Finished tops on all Armoires
• Case levelers on select pieces
• Drawer stops on all drawers
• Cedar lined bottom drawers in select pieces
• Felt lined jewelry drawers in certain pieces
• Solid wood mirror supports
• included with all mirrors
• Hidden storage is featured in several pieces
• Felt lined silver tray on select pieces

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Introducing the New Collections

The Baisley Park Collection

The Baisley Park collection is influenced by the Arts & Crafts design movement a hundred years ago that was a backlash to the mass production of the Industrial Revolution. This design era was a celebration of true craftsmanship and reflected simple, elegant lines without heavy ornamentation. It’s crafted in solid cherry, from locally grown Appalachian hardwoods and updated for a new generation. It's finished with a hand rubbed, not sprayed on like most imported furniture, warm brown finish and style changes now include dramatic angles, subtle curves and bold straight lines.

The Keswick Manor Collection

Inspired by the graceful lines from a 19th century English dressing chest, the Keswick Manor collection is simple elegance brought to life. These bedroom pieces have been designed with a timeless simplicity and easy styling from European architectural moulding. Smooth corners and moldings, doors and drawers all give Keswick Manor its relaxed, yet classic feel.

Crafted of solid American Maple hardwoods by the expert craftsman at Linwood, the collection is available in two distinct hand rubbed finishes – Aged Lined, which is a painted cream with brown distressing and English Tea, a warm soft brown finish and includes antique European brass styling hardware.

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Sustainable Forestry

Linwood Furniture, Inc is proud to be a certified Appalachian Hardwood Consumer by the Appalachian Hardwood manufacturers, Inc (AHMI). Linwood Furniture, Inc manufactures its products from a hardwood forest that is verified as meeting present needs without compromising those of future generations, as defined by AHMI.

A Good Nights Sleep is Hard To Find

As a terrible sleeper, I can appreciate (with a dollop of irony) articles promoting a good night's sleep.  Although this condition has long eluded me, it is essential to your emotional, mental, and physical well-being.   Fortunately you can compensate with exercise, a good diet, and loads of caffeine.

Experts say that most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep each night, but I would argue you can train yourself to live on 6 1/2 hours comfortably. While your ability to sleep can be affected by a number of factors, one of the most important components of a good night's rest is to create a sleep environment that promotes sound sleeping.  Always start with the bed itself, and then work your way around the entire sleep space.

How to Create the Perfect Sleep Environment (from Fashion Bed Group)

• Evaluate your bedroom environment including lighting, color, and accessories. Is it an oasis - a soothing space conducive to relaxation and indulgent comfort?
• Create a calming and personal environment in which you can begin and end each day.
• Comfort is the key to getting a good night's sleep. Select a mattress that gives you enough room to move easily - especially if you're sharing your bed.
• If your mattress is more than five to seven years old, it may not provide the proper comfort and support needed and you should look at a new purchase
• Protect your mattress from unwanted invaders – encase your mattress in a mattress protector to keep dust mites and other microorganisms from invading. This is particularly important with the recent bedbug outbreak.
• Choose top-quality pillows to keep your spine properly aligned and to cradle you in comfort. Pillows are designed for different sleeping positions – remember that how a pillow feels when you touch it in the store display is different than how it feels when you rest your head on it.
• Make your bed extra inviting and uniquely yours with high-thread-count sheets and a plush bedding ensemble.
• Keep your sleep environment dark, quiet, and cool, between 60 degrees and 70 degrees.
• Schedule time for sleep. When the quality of your sleep improves, so does your mood and the quality of your life. Tonight's rest helps determine how your tomorrow will be, so it should be at the top of any daily agenda.
• Wind down before bed to ease your anxious mind. Take a bath, meditate, or do whatever it takes to relax and wipe away the day's stress.
• Is your mind racing while trying to go to sleep? Keep a pad of paper next to your bed and jot down what's on your mind. If you still can't sleep after 20 minutes, get up, go into another room and engage in a calming activity until you feel ready to sleep.
• It's one day at a time. Changing your schedule and attitude about sleep requires lifestyle changes, dedication, and practice. Remember that the return on the investment will be a happier, healthier life.

Redesigning our Showroom

We have been discussing our expansion for several months now, and while we fully intend to expand our current location, we've had a great opportunity arise at a High Point furniture venue, Gates on Ward, in the very heart of furnitureland.   It going to be exciting, as we are looking at expanding into 7,000 s.f. of space, more than doubling our total square footage!   This is in response to both our customers, and our manufacturers, who continually request that we place more product on the floor.  With 80+ manufacturers, we can only do so much, so this is a great opportunity to satisfy those demands.   So many of our customers want to touch and feel the product, which is completely understandable, but quite a challenge with almost 50,000 products online.

Yesterday, Gary Pigg, one of the owners of Gates on Ward, and Debby C., who helps him manage the place, came by our showroom to start moving inventory over to the new location.  We filled up a truck and still barely made a dent on our own floor!   Here are some shots of how the floor looks now.

We intend to have complete showrooms at Gates on Ward for Lexington Home Brands, Century Furniture, Bernhardt Furniture, and Hickory White.   There will be other pieces there, of course, but we are trying to keep our manufacturers grouped together for customer convenience.

In our Concord, NC location, we will (of course) also have representative samples from those groups, but we will also be focusing on Hooker Furniture, Bradington-Young, Universal (which includes Paula Deen, Better Homes and Gardens, and Pennsylvania House), Schnadig, AICO, and whew!  The list goes on.

It is a delicate balancing act when the business is growing.   On the one hand, you want to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves.   On the other hand, we just went through a gut-wrenching recession and its going to be a bumpy ride for the next few years.  The reason we are still here is because we are very very careful about our overhead (I never used to admit to being cheap, but these days, its okay to come out of the closet).

We will post pictures of our new High Point showroom as soon as it is filled.  Meantime, take a look at our somewhat-chaotic Concord showroom as it looks this morning.  I did not take pictures of any staff members because they all run away when I am stalking them with my camera.   Just because I post them on our blog, Facebook, and anywhere else for the entire world to see!

Nothing About Furniture

Those of you who follow us through this blog, or Twitter, or Facebook...know that on many of my posts I talk about personal events of great significance ("I ran this morning"..."My parrot bit me"...etc).  While I am always happy to talk about Furniture and Carolina Rustica, since I think it is such a topic, I realize this can be repetitive sometimes.   So I won't expostulate about the new, great furniture lines we have brought in recently, or how we are busier than we ever have been in June.  What I would like to announce is that we will soon be expanding our retail footprint, doubling it to over 10,000 square feet.   This is the first part of a three-part expansion that will make Carolina Rustica one of the largest high-end furniture retailers in the region.  

Expanding in an uncertain economy can be scary.  We have not truly emerged from the recession, and homeowners are all feeling the pinch.  Where the market goes from here is anyone's guess (and don't let them tell you otherwise!).  So we feel particularly honored that so many of our great customers have placed their trust in us by continuing to order, again and again, resulting in over a 25% sales increase over last year to date.

We will continue to strive to bring you the best value for our high-end furniture lines that are available today.   More importantly (and since I said I wasn't going to talk about furniture) we will continue to work our hardest to exceed your expectations in every way, and live up to the trust you have placed in us.  This is the most competitive environment I have ever seen in my 16 years in the business, so earning your business is something we are proud of, and take extremely seriously.

Now, have I ever told you about our new bunny......?

Lexington Furniture Clearance

Lexington Home Brands is one of our largest and most valued suppliers.  We buy into every collection they introduce, and sell this inventory from our website and retail store.   Of course,  being an 11-year old business, we do build up inventory over time, and now is a great time to be buying some of these closeouts and floor samples at unbelievable prices.    Most of these items are free shipping as well.   Please call us at 800-205-7819 if you would like more details on any of these great items!

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Lexington Harrison Collection Drummond Single China on Clearance

Lexington Harrison Collection on Clearance. ONLY 1 AVAILABLE, SOLD AS IS.

Was: $1299.00  NOW: $799.00

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Tommy Bahama Rumba del Sol Console Table on Clearance

Discontinued Item Free Shipping

$1500.00

NOW: $499.00

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Lexington Cimarron Collection Coldwater Cocktail Table On Clearance

Discontinued Lexington Item on Clearance. Free Shipping. Floor sample sold as is.

$1775.00

$850.00

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Lexington Long Cove Midnight Series Montauk Side Chair on Clearance

Discontinued item now on Clearance. Free Shipping.

$600.00

NOW: $375.00

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Lexington Zacara Crescent Lamp Table on Clearance

Lexington Zacara Crescent Lamp Table on Clearance

$499.00

NOW: $300.00

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Lexington Long Cove Midnight Series South Bay Armoire on Clearance

Lexington Long Cove Collection Closeout Item

$2550.00

NOW: $1699.00

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Lexington Black Ice Jasper File Chest on Clearance

Floor Sample on Clearance, Only 1 Available. Sold As-Is. Free Shipping.

$1299.00

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Lexington Black Ice Mercury Double Etagere on Clearance

Floor Sample on Clearance, Only 1 Available. Sold As-Is. Free Shipping.

NOW: $1799.00

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Lexington St. Tropez Ritz Sideboard on Clearance

Shown in Corsica Finish. Discontinued item now on Clearance. Free Shipping.

$3480.00

NOW: $1625.00

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Lexington St. Tropez Chantilly Writing Desk on Clearance

Shown in Monaco Finish. Discontinued item now on Clearance. Free Shipping.

$2385.00

NOW: $1110.00

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Lexington Long Cove Meridian Lamp Table on Clearance

Floor Sample, sold as is. Free Shipping, Only 2 Available.

$589.00

NOW: $275.00

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Lexington Barclay Square St. Regis Bed, King Complete on Clearance

Customer Return Perfect Condition

For Price & to Order, Please Call 800-205-7819

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Tommy Bahama Original Collection Sunset Rectangular Dining Table on Clearance

Tommy Bahama Home by Lexington. Discontinued Item on Clearance, Free Shipping

$3150.00

NOW: $1275.00

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Tommy Bahama Curacao Reef Armoire on Clearance

Tommy Bahama Discontinued Item On Clearance. VERY FEW LEFT. Free Shipping.

$5040.00

NOW: $1500.00

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Trump Mar-a-Lago Allegra Round Dining Table on Clearance

Trump Mar-a-Lago Collection by Lexington Free Shipping. Floor display, sold as shown.

$5389.00

NOW: $2500.00

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Trump Mar-a-Lago Imperia Cocktail Table on Clearance

Trump Mar-a-Lago Collection by Lexington. Free Shipping. Floor display, sold as shown.

$2529.00

NOW: $1500.00

AF Lighting & The Awards for Design Excellence Winners

They are not the largest lighting company, but they are one of our favorites for their cool sense of style, great prices, and focus on upscale transitional design.  We are talking about AF Lighting, of course, who feature lighting fixtures, lamps, and home accents in a wonderful variety of materials and  finishes.   One of their best-selling lighting collections is by Candice Olsen, who has really come into her own as a home fashion guru.

Recently, AF Lighting received another distinction from ADEX. The Awards for Design Excellence (ADEX) is one of the largest and most prestigious awards program for product design of furniture, fixtures and finishes marketed to the design trade. The anonymous panel of professionals representing a cross section of the design industry recognize new superior product designed in the last year. The 2011 ADEX Awards attracted upwards of 500 companies that submitted approximately two thousand innovative new products.

Gleaned from the thousands of entries, 4 AFLighting designs were bestowed an award based on force-ranking of form, function and fitness for a particular purpose. AFLighting is proud of each designer and their creative and innovative execution that gives the AFLighting brand the ability to be on-trend and inventive.  Click on the links below to go to AF Lighting's website for the most recent product introductions, then give us a call and we will be happy to order it for you!

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Casby - 2011 ADEX Silver Winner - 7908-3H $498.00

Kinston - 2011 ADEX Platinum Winner - 7929-TL $398.00

The Delicate Glass Beads with Silver Accents Give an Awe-Inspiring Illusion of Floating Shade - Chocolate Poly Silk Hard-Back Shade.

The Kinston Lamp combines the transitional with rustic. An oil rubbed bronze metal pattern overlays on 2" thick clear crystal.

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Aerial - 2011 ADEX Silver Winner - 7921-TL $238.00

Sahara - 2011 ADEX Silver Winner - 8020-2WC $278.00

The aerial view of Americas farmlands as seen from an airplane window provides a unique interpretation in the aerial lamp, whose base of mixed metallic finishes celebrates the textures, colors & symmetry that is the beauty of this lamp.

A Candice Olson original. This Sahara lamp is made of quality yellow Abalone Shell and ant brass. Due to hand-crafting no two are like.

Click Here to Shop AF Lighting at Carolina Rustica