For fall 2012, furniture seating is all about these five hot design trends:

1. Glamour

The economic slump in the U.S. and Canada has brought us a fresh optimistic glamour with rich materials, sophisticated colours and stunning curves.

2.Metallic Leather

This new glimmering leather treatment puts a shine on classic furniture shapes and accessories.

In upholstery, we see tailored looks and fashion details everywhere.

4.Small Space Solutions

For the condo and apartment dwellers, there’s a whole new niche being carved out of designers specifically manufacturing savvy pieces for small spaces.

5. Green and Gorgeous

Green is finally making it to the trade shows, and
suppliers are detailing their
new green designs and green manufacturing techniques.

By: Christina Wallaert

(From the blog: Not A Shopaholic)

Once upon a time there was a lovely girl who grew up in the suburbs and dreamed that one day she would be able to afford a condo in the city somewhat bigger than the size of a shoebox. When that day eventually came, she packed up her fantastic wardrobe, IKEA bedroom set and moved into said condo with its hardwood floors, spacious bedroom and gigantic balcony. Having lived with her parents her entire life, she had no furniture to speak of. The bigger than a shoebox condo remained relatively empty for over a year. A leather club chair, ottoman and barstools were the only furniture pieces to keep her company. After a year and a half of owning one piece of furniture and scouring the city and suburbs far and wide for a sofa that would fit in her beloved condo, the girl decided to buy a sofa and a slipper chair from a reputable retail chain. After many visits to the store, many searches online, measuring her living room and furniture selections, she came to terms with the price and took the plunge. The girl filled out the proper papers, picked out fabric for her furniture that would have made it magazine worthy and handed over a deposit. Now she was tortured with waiting 8-10 weeks for her magazine worthy furniture to arrive.

She waited patiently for the day her furniture would finally arrive, well maybe not that patient but she did the best she could. At the 8 week mark she called the store to check on the date of arrival, after all this was the most important day of her life. To move the story along quickly, it turns out the magazine worthy furniture was never ordered by the reputable retail chain. Hmmm, what? Yes, you read right. The order was never submitted. She wasn’t going to be getting furniture anytime soon. They offered to rush the order, but this girl had had enough. She demanded her deposit back from the big bad retail chain, much to the horror of her family and friends who thought she should have stuck with the original order. But lovely girls in the city don’t believe in rewarding bad behaviour so this girl set out to take her business elsewhere.Now, the situation wasn’t as bad as you might think, for this girl already knew where she was going to go. Having visited a friend’s condo a few months before, she was smart enough to inquire as to where the friend had purchased her furniture. When the friend replied “The Chesterfield Shop”, the girl had no idea what she was talking about. After the big bad retail company screwed up her order, she knew she had to look up The Chesterfield Shop and check it out. The salesperson was very sympathetic to her predicament. He was a great help in pointing out their condo sized sofas, provided her with pricing and matching fabric to her sample. Within an hour of entering the store, she had a sofa and fabric picked out and signed on the dotted line. This purchase ended up costing less than the previous so some good came out of it. She settled in to wait another 6 weeks for her sofa. Luck was on her side this time because at 4 weeks she got a call and her sofa was delivered on a beautiful Saturday morning in September. It was so pretty and nice she didn’t even want to sit on it for risk of getting it dirty. It has become the centrepiece of the living room and this girl couldn’t be happier. Now her condo resembles an actual home thanks to The Chesterfield Shop and many other stores. The Chesterfield Shop will always have a special place in her heart. It is now the store she recommends to anyone who needs furniture. As it turns out, the lovely girl’s best friend and husband ended up buying furniture for their house there too. And they saved money compared to the place they had originally been looking at. See a trend here?

So now that the lovely girl has her beautiful sofa in her beautiful condo, what is she to do with her time? Why search for her Prince of course!

Authors Note: While I was working on this piece, I came home one day and there was a delivery truck from The Chesterfield Shop parked in front of the condo building next to mine. Its was pretty funny timing.

My sofa and I are very happy together.

What is a Chesterfield? The first Chesterfield Shop was opened in Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood in 1948. It is said that the first Chesterfield – an elegant sofa with deep buttoned, quilted leather upholstery and low seat base – was made in honour of Philip Stanhope, the Fourth Earl of Chesterfield (1694-1773).

How the times have changed for all of us. In 64 years of selling furniture in Toronto, our name may have century-old origins, but our contemporary products say otherwise!

On that note, got back recently from The 25 ^th International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York with lots of new and inspiring ideas to share with you.

The ICFF was exactly what you would think it would be…eclectic, colourful and sometimes pretty out there. (See BRC Designs’ intricate American Pipe Dream Chair below.)

On the trend front, tufting and nail heads were front and centre. Tufting was not just on the front and seats of sofas and chairs, but on the back and sides, as well. Nail heads came in all shapes, sizes and materials, including copper, bronze and silver. Tangerine is still making a splash, but mostly as an add-on cushion accessory to bring you into the summer season. Great colours for fall are navy and the ever-present shades of white. Bring on the stain-guard!

It’s a cool show; New Yorkers are always at the forefront of fashion. And then there’s the fabulous Aqua line of clothing at Bloomingdales… and the incredible Meatball Shop…but I digress.

Buying a new piece of furniture can be both enjoyable, stressful and also a conundrum! Depending on your room space and budget, what is the best item to purchase? A pair of chairs? A sofa or loveseat? A sectional with a chaise? A sofabed? And then there’s the cover treatment dilemma: fabric or leather? And what about kids and pets? Both awesome…but they can change the whole story with regards to wear and tear! So….what to do?

First of all, take a good look at your room and don’t forget to measure. Elevators and doorways can be narrower than you think. Make a drawing, even on a napkin! Decide on a budget. What else needs to go with your new furniture and what can be reused? The table and lamps? Sometimes all you need is a fresh coat of paint on the walls, a new sofa and you’re done. Pick a colour that makes you happy. There are some gorgeous earth and sky palettes that will completely and easily transform your room.

Now for the fun part- shop around! Make notes in each place and decide what is worth a re-visit. Where are you in your life? Will spilled beer get absorbed or come out easily? Dog hair? Baby spit? A durable leather or a soft one? A muted fabric with texture or a lovely soft micro-fibre? Does it have great legs? (Everyone loves great legs! They can be fabulous in wood or metal or can present a hazard to your zooming vacuum cleaner or errant baby toys.)

Ask about special custom orders, leather and fabric cleaners and delivery. Will the retailer provide a warranty for their products and do they have a good reputation? Will they be around in a year or two if you have a cleaning or service issue?

Make sure you sit, lie, lounge and pull out your TV remote control (just kidding…but people have brought them to the store, honestly!)

Comfort, style, quality and value are the keys to a great piece of contemporary furniture.

Are you starting to see all the sunny shades of ORANGE and CORAL around? Winter is starting to make way for the stunning colours of spring, with clothing stores rushing to bring out their bright new goods. The Fashion Colour Report for Spring 2012 is touting gorgeous hues with names like Tangerine Tango, Sodalite Blue, Bellflower and Driftwood. You can easily brighten up your room by painting a wall a gorgeous new colour, add some fresh new sofa cushions and your space is suddenly new again! But if it’s really time for a change, there are some fantastic new furniture pieces you won’t want to be without. And the GREY is the new brown when it comes to sofa colours! Nothing says “contemporary” better than a gorgeous grey sofa with a neat square arm, some buttoning or tufting and a textured or microfibre fabric or supple leather application.  Your room will be gorgeous!   

Wow, there is so much to talk about! First off, welcome to The Chesterfield Shop Blog, a brand new outlet for us to connect with you, our valued customers. The Chesterfield Shop has been in business for more than 63 years and with five stores in Toronto and the surrounding area (Mississauga, Kennedy Rd, Newmarket, Yonge and Eg and Thornhill), we’ve got all your furniture needs covered.

So, you might be wondering, why do people come to us? That’s a good question! Simply put, The Chesterfield Shop has an amazing selection. We do things other retailers don’t do – like special order sofas with a particular leg style, arm style, back style, fabric, leather or micro-fibre. Our stock isn’t from overseas, so you never have to wait long for your furniture, or be limited to a certain style and colour. We keep a large selection of items right in our warehouse so if we have exactly what you want, and our drivers are available, you can usually have it the very next day. Best of all, we have terrific warranties backed by 63 years of customer service! How great is that?

Don’t forget to listen to us on 680News, check out our website and Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, keep your eyes peeled for our many billboards, and read about us in The Toronto Star and The National Post.  And of course, drop in anytime, we’d love to meet you and help you find the piece of furniture that is perfect for you!