Month: May 2010

Join HM Oliver Interiors and Marvin Gardens From June 1-6 for Their Moving and Consolidation Sale in Wilton

The week-long sales event will feature all regular retail at 20%-50% off and will take place at 632 Danbury Road. As part of the consolidation of HM Oliver Interiors and Marvin Gardens, we will incorporate furniture from different sources, warehouse and industrial furniture and bulk sales. All sales are final.

“If the warehouse/over stock sale works, we’ll create an urban market monthly (or biweekly) and invite other dealers to participate (Eleven Shades of Grey),” said HM Oliver Principal Amabel Chan. “It’s been done in Houston and Atlanta — maybe we can reinvent that type of retailing here on the East Coast.”

Doors will only be open from 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Amabel at
(203) 856-0309

Please note that Marvin Gardens’ location at 713 Danbury Road, Wilton remains the flagship location.

What Types of Risks Do You Take When it Comes to Your Home’s Design?

“At HM Oliver, style is created and there are forcible efforts to move away from trends,” says Principle Amabel Chan. “Our design philosophy encourages risk-taking on the homeowner’s part and the willingness to incorporate unusual and unexpected elements.”

We’d like to hear from you and find out what types of risks you take when planning out design ideas for your own home? Do you like to experiment with combining different fabrics? Perhaps you incorporate bold color schemes into your home’s overall look? However you distinguish yourself from the pack, we’d like to know!

Below are some of our favorite examples of work from homeowners around the web that have decided to incorporate some of those more unusual and unexpected elements.

Emily LaMarque Design Studio, courtesy of Berta Art
From Metropolitan Home, courtesy of Nest Egg
From Metropolitan Home, courtesty of Nest Egg

Something Fun for the Little Ones

There are few things that children enjoy more than getting their hands on some nice sharp crayons and a blank canvas. Unfortunately and all too often, the nice clean walls in our homes are mistaken for that “blank canvas”.  And as we all know, once a crayon even so much as touches the surface of a wall — especially a white one — the chances of completely removing every trace of the waxy substance is virtually hopeless. That’s why we’ve fallen completely in love with the idea of chalkboard paint. It’s not the newest of interior trends, mind you, but it is one of the most useful and practical ones around.

This is how it works:

  • Choose a wall (or section of a wall) in your home that you’d like to paint. While many people choose a child’s  room, keep in mind that kitchens, patios, play rooms and garages are great rooms for chalkboard paint, too.
  • Once you’ve chosen the wall, take a damp cloth and dust it off to remove and loose dirt and debris.
  • Then, begin painting! That’s right, walls that will be painted with this type of paint don’t need to be primed because the paint it self is so dark.

Once it had dried, kiddies can grab all the chalk they want and go to town on this very appropriate blank canvas!

Photo Credit: Bloesem Kids

A Bit of Whimsy for Your Walls From Graham & Brown

Wallpaper guru Graham & Brown exhibited their new modern wallpaper collections at this year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair. The showcasing of their new items was a great success with all of the collections well-received, according to the company’s blog.

This year’s ICFF was the official launch of our latest designer wallpaper collection with Amy Butler, as well as a sneak preview of another designer collection with Kelly Hoppen. Designer wallpaper collections which were also exhibited were, Barbara Hulanicki’s Flock Collection and new modern wallpaper designs from Laurence Llwewlyn-Bowen.

Graham & Brown also showed a few collections from our own design studio. Among these were, the Spirit collection, a romantic bohemian collection full of beautiful florals and striking damasks and stripes.

Click here to view more collections from Graham & Brown.

Green UP with Fresh Wall Planters

Photo Credit: FreshHome

If you’ve been looking for a way to incorporate foliage into your interior design but just don’t have the floor space for planters, check out this idea from FreshHome. These unique wall-mounted planters grow flowers, succulents, ferns and ivies indoors right on your living room wall so you can maximize your home’s space. FreshHome notes that the plants grow in a planting grid, while a white cedar wood frame houses a watering tray on top that trickles water down to each pocket in the grid. All excess water is collected in a tray on the bottom. If you love nature and plants these wall-mounted planters and freestanding models are an easy way to add a breathtaking plant display to your home.

For more information from HM Oliver Interiors on wall planters, click here.

The Unfortunate Celebrity of the Painted Ladies

The Victorian-style and architecture of San Fransisco’s Painted Ladies is getting an unusual amount of attention this week as its size is being used as a measure of volume in relation to the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Architect’s Newspaper Blog created an image by Hulett Jones of the San Francisco firm Jones | Haydu. Basically, 10,000 barrels of oil spillage (approximately 2 days) would roughly fill up the size of a Victorian row house in San Francisco meaning that at this point, we’ve filled up almost 12 houses worth!

Enchant Mom With The Majesty of an Orchid This Mother’s Day

What better way to commemorate mom’s special day than with a beautiful orchid?! For centuries, these enchanting plants have captivated the attention of both flower enthusiasts and laypeople alike. HM Oliver and Marvin Gardens encourages you to consider dazzling the wonderful mothers in your lives this Mother’s Day with one of these striking blossoms. Take a peek below at some of our favorite types from Orchidaceous.

Odcdm. Catante Pacific Sun Spot

Cymbidium Kenny "Best"

Colm. Wildcat Yellow Cat

Dtps. Taida Salu "Alisan"