FURNITURE & DESIGN BRIEFS
Robb & Stucky offers free design seminars
Robb & Stucky Interiors at Town Square Las Vegas is offering residents a chance to enhance their design skills with several in-store seminars throughout September. The Thursday afternoon seminars will focus on a variety of topics including fall fabrics, artistic accessories and how to conquer design dilemmas.
The first session of the month, set for Thursday, will feature Bill Hughes of Robert Allen/Beacon Hill, who will introduce fabrics from his fall line. Those attending are invited to touch and see the fabrics and learn about their multiple applications.
Artist Michael Weems and a representative from Juliska will join Ellie Stanisci, design director, and Francine Goldenberg, boutique manager, for a special event in the store’s boutique on Sept. 18. During the event, Juliska’s collections for entertaining from tabletop to artistic accessories will be showcased. Weems will present his new tableware, sculptures and jewelry made of reclaimed metal.
A designer workshop is planned for Sept. 25. During the session, participants are invited to bring their floor plans, blueprints, fabrics, color swatches, photos and questions to meet with members of the store’s design team.
All the seminars are set to begin at 2 p.m. They are free and open to the public.
Reservations are requested and can be made by calling 531-0539.
Robb & Stucky Interiors is located at 6521 Las Vegas Blvd. South.
La-Z-Boy to furnish McDonald houses
La-Z-Boy has been named the new official furniture provider for Ronald McDonald House Charities and will help provide the comforts of home for the facilities that serve the families of ill and injured children.
La-Z-Boy and Ronald McDonald House Charities have entered into a multiyear sponsorship agreement to bring the company’s world-famous comfort to Ronald McDonald House programs and Ronald McDonald Family Room programs throughout the U.S. and Canada.
“Whether it’s the home-cooked meals that give parents more time with children or the warm, welcoming environment that helps families relax, Ronald McDonald Houses provide families with comfort in every sense of the word,” said Kurt Darrow, president and chief executive officer of La-Z-Boy. “La-Z-Boy furniture has been synonymous with comfort for North American families for decades, and we hope that it can bring a small sense of serenity to the families of RMHC, too.”
The Monroe, Mich.-based manufacturer’s contribution will include annual furniture donations, as well as a cash contribution. During the next few years, this will add up to thousands of pieces of furniture, including sofas, love seats and sectionals, occasional tables and other wood furniture, as well as ottomans, accent chairs and, of course, recliners. In addition, a corps of volunteers made up of the employees of La-Z-Boy Inc., together with the company’s retail partners across North America, will contribute comfort to RMHC in other ways.
“Comfort is more than a tagline at La-Z-Boy, it’s a commitment. The true value of this partnership goes beyond the furniture we will provide and extends into the local support, fundraising and volunteerism we will offer the individual Ronald McDonald Houses and their participating families, who are so in need of compassionate care,” Darrow said.
Contest searches for nation’s ugliest couch
Sure Fit Inc., a leading provider of ready-made furniture covers, announced the launch of its 2008 Ugly Couch Contest, the search for the ugliest couch in America. Photo entries for the contest will be accepted until Sept. 30 for a chance to win a $5,000 living room makeover by designer and host of HGTV’s “Myles of Style” Kim Myles.
As a leading creator of stylish, easy and affordable decorating solutions to quickly transform a home, Sure Fit created the contest to illustrate that its slipcovers can turn any couch into a stylish sofa.
“Every year we look forward to sorting through the hundreds of hideous entries, searching for the ugliest of the ugly,” said Laura Hilburt of Sure Fit Inc.
This year’s judging panel features Myles; Natalie Warady, style director for O at Home; Jacqueline Gifford, features editor for OK! Magazine; and comedian Sean Kent, seen on “E! Entertainment” and NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.”
The panel will select 20 semifinalists from around the nation before opening up voting to America at www.surefit.com on Oct. 13. Each semifinalist will receive a slipcover of his or her choice, ensuring that no ugly couch goes uncovered. The grand-prize winner of the $5,000 living room makeover will be announced Nov. 15.
The ugliest couch will be chosen based on the ugliness of overall design and fabric pattern, offensiveness of color, inappropriateness of fabric and inappropriateness of the combination of fabric, color and design as it relates to any period in the recent history of furniture. The uniqueness of the couch as it relates to the above-mentioned criteria also will be taken into account.
Contestants must send a good quality color photo of their ugly couch to: Sure Fit Inc., c/o “Ugly Couch Contest,” 6575 Snowdrift Road, Allentown, PA 18106. On a separate piece of paper, include full name, address, phone number and e-mail address.
Entries also can be submitted online at www.surefit.com.
Sure Fit products are available via mail-order catalog, at select major retailers, online at www.surefit.com, and by phone (800) 305-5857.
