ABC's of Valuing an Antique

Irwin Weiner ASID - My clients often ask me if something they've inherited is of any value. That triggers a series of questions from me: Is it an item you love? Does it hold wonderful childhood memories for you? Has it been passed down in your family for generations? Do you personally find it useful and/or beautiful? You can see where this is going. I'm not trying to get at monetary value at all. I think it's a great fringe benefit to own something of strong value, but the personal connection is an oftentimes overlooked consideration of the value of an antique, piece of furniture, or collectible. If there's a personal connection to a piece of furniture - "This is the dining room table we always used for family gatherings. Oh the Thanksgiving dinners we used to have!" - then I'll try to incorporate it into their decorating scheme.

An antique's value, apart from its meaning to the owner, is another matter ... and I think a secondary consideration unless the owner is thinking of selling the object. The following video from AntiqueJars.net covers very well the basics of defining and valuing an antique.

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Weekday DIY Project: Make a Fabric Chandelier

Irwin Weiner ASID - We've been featuring weekend do-it-yourself projects lately on Design2Share, but we wanted to throw everyone a curve ball and feature an easy project to tackle during the week. A fabric chandelier makes a great DIY wedding decoration, or a fun accessory for a deck, patio, breakfast room, or children's bedroom. The project requires some scrap fabric; and you should let the eventual occasion and/or hanging location of the chandelier dictate the color and pattern of the fabric(s) you choose. Other tools are a good pair of sewing scissors, some embroidery thread and a needle, a ruler, and an embroidery hoop. 

The project also calls for some fresh greenery, but if you're going to use the chandelier as a more permanent indoor or outdoor accessory, choose dried herbs or decorative floral leaves to wrap the embroidery hoop - or simply wrap the hoop with the same fabric you're using to hang the chandelier. You can make several chandeliers for a more dramatic decorating impact at a wedding or outdoor party. Imagine several hanging down from a pergola or wafting in the breeze from the underside of tree branches! All the steps for making this chandelier are demonstrated in the following video, and you can go to the premiere

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Quick-and-Easy Entertaining Basics

Irwin Weiner ASID - You can never have too many accessories on hand to pull off last-minute home entertaining stunts. A spur-of-the-moment dinner for 10? Unexpected call from the new neighbors? Don't be caught with your hospitality pants down! This fun video from Curbly/Get Nested's host Meg Allan Cole and her article on Quick Tips for Easy Entertaining should help you pull it all together - when an entertainment emergency arises - and come across like the gracious host I know you are. Like the Boy Scouts, homeowners need to Be Prepared ... and it's time to bring gracious, generous, good-spirited home entertainment back into vogue.

FOR MORE ADVICE: Design2Share also has some quick entertaining and tabletop decor tips. Watch the video that Nicola and I put together called How Do I Set a Great Table?

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Today's Endangered Governor's Mansions

Irwin Weiner ASID - It's thrilling for me to see history preserved when significant architecture is restored. I was fascinated by the number of first ladies and other dignitaries who have conducted video tours of their state's governor's mansions, and then I realized that these mansions represent "the people's home away from home," a lovely democratic principle that probably doesn't work quite the way it sounds: "I want to stay overnight in my home away from home." Right. Not likely to happen.

There's controversy surrounding many governor's mansions - 43 states have them, and some governors no longer want to live in a tax-free, expensive home with costs footed by taxpayers. Watch the Wall Street Journal's video on For Sale or Rent: The Governor's Mansion. 

Here's a video of the first lady of West Virginia showing off her state's governor's mansion (see top photo) - and following the video are

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