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Montvale, NJ – Benjamin Moore, one of North America’s most respected paint and coatings brands, announced today the launch of Design By What Matters, an innovative, interactive online tool that utilizes social data, lifestyle information and style preferences to help consumers design rooms inspired by what matters to them.

Benjamin Moore developed Design by What Matters to help consumers discover their design personalities and create unique color palettes just for them. In a few minutes, by answering a few fun and simple questions, users generate a customized room featuring a palette inspired by a favorite image or color. Questions like, “What’s on your bucket list?” or “What does your dream view look like?” among others, lead to a personalized bedroom, living room, kitchen or dining room. Consumers can further explore Benjamin Moore palettes to create a space that feels like home. From there, users can also buy paint samples and get design tips to help turn that ideal look into a reality.

“Designing a space is a very personal process inspired by what matters in an your life,” said David Melançon, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “Whether you’re a design enthusiast or a novice choosing colors for your first home, Design By What Matters is a tool you can use to create living spaces that bring your personality, lifestyle and preferences to life virtually before you take the leap of committing to them in real life.”

Participants are encouraged to share their design creations on social media using #BenjaminMoore #DBWM. The platform also allows users to purchase paint samples and get design tips to help make your ideal look a reality. To get started and design a customized room and color palette, visit www.DesignByWhatMatters.com.

About Benjamin Moore & Co.
Benjamin Moore & Co., a Berkshire Hathaway company, was founded in 1883. One of North America’s leading manufacturers of premium quality residential, commercial and industrial maintenance coatings, Benjamin Moore maintains a relentless commitment to sustainable manufacturing practices and continues to develop the most eco-responsible formulations possible. In 2012, the company’s Natura® paint received the Green Good Housekeeping Seal, acknowledging its high degree of sustainability plus rigorously tested performance. Other superior products in the Benjamin Moore Green Promise® portfolio include Aura®, Regal® Select, ben® and Ultra Spec® 500 paint for commercial interiors — all built upon our patented Gennex® platform that has changed the industry and earned the passion and loyalty of homeowners and professional painters by delivering extremely low-VOC and peerless beauty and performance. J.D. Power and Associates 2014 Interior Paint Satisfaction Study ranked Benjamin Moore highest in consumer satisfaction, marking the fourth consecutive year and fifth time the company has earned this rating. Benjamin Moore paints deliver authentic Benjamin Moore colors and are available exclusively from Benjamin Moore’s network of paint and decorating dealers.
This news is courtesy of www.benjaminmoore.com

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio -Lighting does much more than just illuminate a store, office or street. Increasingly, it thinks and communicates to those who can now make quicker, more intelligent decisions. From a shopper in a store to a street lighting maintenance manager, LED lighting has become the gateway to smarter buildings and cities.
“Lighting is no longer just something you turn on and off; it has become an entryway and valuable resource to more efficient operations,” said Jaime Irick, general manager of North America Professional Solutions, GE Lighting. “Not only are energy-efficient LED lighting fixtures meeting more vigorous efficiency standards, they are helping to capture critical data, offering much more robust functionality for such users as retailers and municipalities.”
GE Lighting highlights advancements in lighting at LIGHTFAIR International 2014:

Enhanced experience for shoppers
Want to stay in step with shoppers as they browse your retail aisles for electronics, health care items or clothing? LED lighting fixtures can communicate with customers’ smart phones as they peruse store shelves, enabling retailers to provide location-based services using GE’s LED infrastructure.
The next generation of GE’s LED lighting fixtures will be enabled with indoor location technology. Through an opt-in application on smartphones and tablets, retailers can identify the location of shoppers and provide messages relevant to each store visit—from a welcome while they’re in the parking lot, a coupon when they pass the shoe aisle or a pasta recipe as they browse sauce in the Italian food section. GE is collaborating with ByteLight to demonstrate this innovative technology at the show.
“GE Lighting’s next generation of LEDs not only will save energy and maintenance costs, they will be a strategic enabler to combining big data with location to deliver a more engaging shopping experience that increases customer loyalty and revenue,” Irick said.

Improved controls for indoor and outdoor lighting
To combat lighting’s position as one of the biggest energy hogs in commercial facilities, incorporating controls is becoming the new industry standard. In conjunction with the latest technology of energy-efficient LED lighting fixtures, energy use can be significantly reduced through sensors and controls, which also increase the ability to implement a demand-response system.

Controls for outdoor lighting are equally dynamic. For example, the city of San Diego is the first in the United States to adopt GE’s LightGrid™ technology, which incorporates innovative outdoor wireless controls and LED street lighting. The new system self-commissions to the LightGrid network and provides accurate energy metering per light pole, allowing municipalities to pay for the energy they actually use. With GPS location features, it also provides real-time data and identifies individual street lights that are malfunctioning or not working at all. With the new lighting system, the city will save more than a quarter-million dollars in energy costs each year.
Learn more about these and other lighting solutions at LIGHTFAIR® International 2014 (LFI®) in Las Vegas, June 3-5, in GE Lighting’s booth #4208, or visit www.gelighting.com.
About GE Lighting
GE Lighting invents with the vigor of its founder Thomas Edison to develop energy-efficient solutions that change the way people light their world in commercial, industrial, municipal and residential settings. The business employs about 13,000 people in more than 100 countries, and sells products under the reveal® and Energy Smart® consumer brands, and Evolve ™, GTx™, Immersion ™, Infusion ™, Lumination™, Albeo™ and Tetra® commercial brands, all trademarks of GE. General Electric (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter to build a world that works better. For more information, visit www.gelighting.com.

Conshohocken, PA. Today, President Obama announced more than 300 private and public sector commitments to create jobs and cut carbon pollution by advancing solar deployment and energy efficiency. IKEA US was listed with this commitment:

IKEA commits to use renewable energy generation at their new U.S. IKEA store locations, when feasible, with a focus on evaluating the viability of using solar and geothermal generation. IKEA is also announcing that their Miami, Florida store, which will open in summer 2014, will be their 40th US location with solar PV.

IKEA is committed to renewable energy and to running its business in a way that minimizes carbon emissions, not only because of the environmental impact but also for good business practices. IKEA invests in its own renewable energy sources so that it can control exposure to fluctuating electricity costs and to also continue to provide great value to its customers.

IKEA US is currently the 2nd largest private commercial solar US owner/user and is in the midst of investing $150 million in Photovoltaic systems. On April 10, 2014, IKEA US announced that it is making its first wind farm investment in the United States with the purchase of Hoopeston Wind in Hoopeston, Illinois. The 98 megawatt wind farm is the largest single IKEA Group renewable energy investment globally to date and will make a significant contribution to the company’s goal to generate as much renewable energy as the total energy it consumes by 2020. The project is currently being constructed by Apex Clean Energy and is expected to be fully operational by the first half of 2015. Hoopeston Wind is expected to generate up to 380 GWh of renewable energy each year.

During FY13, IKEA installed solar panels atop 8 more US locations. Today these solar installations completed are 90% of IKEA locations across 20 states, resulting in 165,000 solar panels providing 38 MW installed capacity. For FY14, IKEA US will expand the solar installations atop 3 locations as well as install an array atop its future Miami-Dade store set to open in Summer 2014. In addition, IKEA integrated a geothermal component into the heating and cooling system of the IKEA store in Centennial, CO, with another geothermal project underway as part of a new Kansas City-area store slated to open in Fall 2014.

The IKEA Group has also installed 550,000 solar panels on IKEA buildings in nine countries. In 2013, the IKEA Group produced 1,425 GWh of energy from renewable sources, including wind and solar, equivalent to 37% of the company’s total energy needs. As part of its People & Planet Positive sustainability strategy, the company has allocated $2 billion to invest in wind and solar until 2015 to get closer to its goal of producing 100% as much renewable energy as the total energy it consumes by 2020. The IKEA Group is also leading in making its operations more energy efficient, and since 2010 has saved nearly $55 million through energy efficiency efforts in IKEA stores and warehouses.

The commitments in this statement from President Obama administration represent more than 850 megawatts of solar deployed – enough to power nearly 130,000 homes – as well as energy efficiency investments that will lower bills for more than 1 billion square feet of buildings. Additionally, the President announced new executive actions that will lead to $2 billion in energy efficiency investments in Federal buildings; smarter appliances that will cut carbon pollution by more than 380 million metric tons – equivalent to taking 80 million cars off the road for one year – and will save businesses nearly $26 billion on their energy bills; and training programs at community colleges across the country that will assist 50,000 workers to enter the solar industry by 2020.

About IKEA
The IKEA vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. Our business idea supports this vision by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. There are currently 305 IKEA Group stores in 26 countries. There are 38 IKEA stores in the US. In FY 13, the IKEA Group had 135,000 co-workers, 684 million visitors to the stores and 1.3 billion visitors to IKEA.com. IKEA incorporates sustainability into day-to-day business and supports initiatives that benefit children and the environment.

This news is courtesy of www.ikea.com

CLEVELAND — Specifying paint and color is being simplified for architects and designers, thanks to a new agreement making Sherwin-Williams the first and only paint company to offer seamless integration with the Autodesk Revit software program. Professionals using the software now have instant access to Sherwin-Williams paint products and colors, enabling them to create color-accurate renderings of rooms, quickly and more efficiently.

Autodesk Revit is the leading Building Information Modeling (BIM) software used by architects and designers to design buildings, specify products and render photo-realistic images. Now, Autodesk Material Library files have been created in the software, enabling Revit users to integrate Sherwin-Williams paint products and colors directly from the catalog into their drawings, eliminating extra tasks in the design process.

“As architects and designers seek to streamline the workflow process, the integration of Sherwin-Williams products and colors into the software will make specification faster and easier,” said Joe Kujawski, director, wholesale marketing, Sherwin-Williams.

With the advancement, Revit users can save Autodesk Material Library Files locally on a computer or to a centralized network for access by multiple people. They can easily navigate the Revit file to access information needed from the full Sherwin-Williams catalog, including the paint series, color number and name, and the appearance properties of the paint sheen. They can then instantly apply the colors, with photo-realistic accuracy, throughout their model.

“In the past, paint and coatings manufacturers didn’t have a great way to become an integral part of the BIM workflow; this new approach achieves just that,” said Benjamin Glunz, president, Anguleris Technologies, the Autodesk Content Services Provider on this project. “We are always seeking ways to improve the design and specification process for architects and designers, and the incorporation of Sherwin-Williams reduces steps in the process significantly.”

The libraries are available for download on Autodesk Seek, the leading repository for BIM Content. To learn more about Sherwin-Williams integration with Autodesk Revit, visit http://seek.autodesk.com/SherwinWilliams.

ASK SHERWIN-WILLIAMS™
Through its more than 3,900 stores and 2,200 sales representatives, Sherwin-Williams provides fast, flexible, responsive service and personalized, expert advice to meet the coating and color needs of builders, designers, specifiers, property managers and contractors. As North America’s largest single-source supplier of high-quality paints, stains, masonry coatings and brand-name wall and floor coverings, Sherwin-Williams is proud to have earned the EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award for its innovative acrylic alkyd technology. Visit sherwin-williams.com

[National] Wood is one of our most important materials and it is used in many of our products. For us it is important to offer home furnishing products of good quality to low prices. However, a low price must never be at the expense of quality of production conditions.

Our FSC certificate for Karelia has been suspended. We see the suspension of the certificate as highly temporary. The deviations mainly cover issues related to facilities and equipment for our co-workers, forestry management as well as training of our forestry co-workers. A majority of the deviations have already been corrected and our full focus is now on correcting the remaining deviations and reinstating the FSC certificate urgently. And whilst disappointed we also believe that the certificate suspension shows that the FSC system working. We take our responsibility for the forests and the people who work there very seriously and we appreciate that correcting the deviations will improve the way we manage the forest in Karelia.

While operating in Karelia, we have worked together with NGOs and authorities to improve forestry management in the region, for example set aside forest land and to leave trees standing on the logging sites.

IKEA is committed to responsible forest management and to the principles of the FSC. Our lease in Karelia has been FSC certified since 2006 and we believe that a reinstated FSC certificate will continue to be the best protection for natural values in the logging areas. Once we have transitioned our operations, we will continue to support the development of responsible forest management in Russia, which will also have positive impact on the Karelia region. We will do this through organizations such as the FSC.

What is our comment to the claim that IKEA is harvesting 600 year old trees?

This claim is misleading. The temporary suspension of the FSC certificate is not related to old growth forest. It is related to deviations within forest management, manuals and co-worker equipment. We do not use 600 year old trees in our products. The average age of the trees we are cutting in the lease is 160 years.

Karelia is an area with high natural values. 22% of the lease is identified as High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF as per definition of FSC) and we do not log from these areas.

Background

The IKEA Industry forestry operations in Karelia, Russia have been FSC-certified since 2006 and are controlled annually by external independent audits carried out by accredited FSC certification bodies.

The latest audit was carried out in October 2013 and the preliminary results where good with only minor deviations. However, in the final audit report, of January 31, deviations resulted in a temporary suspension of the FSC certificate of the Karelia leases. A majority of the deviations have already been closed and we are now working full force to close the remaining deviations and to get the certificate reinstated as soon as possible.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.ikea.com

KOHLER, Wis. — When it comes to color, Kohler Co. and Benjamin Moore know the impact it can have on enhancing a space—as well as the process homeowners undergo to pick the perfect palette. To aid homeowners and members of the trade through the selection process, designers from both companies collaborated to create Collaboration in Full Color, an array of inspiring tools and content that help customers visualize and choose their styles, and then empower them to create it by providing a list of materials to transform that vision into reality.

These are the first three of a future series of creative environments, each including a kitchen and a bathroom, launched in this collaboration between Kohler Co. and Benjamin Moore:

Southern Charm
Inspired by the rich and distinctive architecture of historic southern town, this elegant design palette pulls together soft pinks, saturated blues, cloudy grays and shining details for a look that’s worthy of any home.

Eastern Mist
Inspired by the swirling blend of misty colors that blur the lines of sea and sky on the eastern seaboard, this palette features the beautiful, pale shades of green and blue. Light woods and earthy tones add to the fresh and tranquil spirit of this palette.

Northern Roots
Even the well-worn, wind-beaten farmhouse has a uniquely wondrous beauty to it. Years of weathering reveal the varying hues of grays and taupes that inspired this palette of deep and complex neutrals, creating a beautifully mature feel.
For the two industry pioneers with a combined 216-year history in cultivating color, this collaboration is a natural fit. “Color isn’t only a part of our history, it’s a part of our heritage dating back to 1927 when we were the very first to apply color to plumbing products,” says Tristan Butterfield, Kohler’s creative director. “Bold design with color happens a number of ways in the home—some bright and vibrant, others subtle and calming. Teaming up with fellow color leader Benjamin Moore will help us deliver livable color solutions to homeowners in innovative ways.”
Benjamin Moore’s creative director Ellen O’Neill concurs: “Collaboration in Full Color will produce the kinds of inspiring, yet easy-to-use tools and color palettes that designers and consumers have come to expect from Benjamin Moore and Kohler.”

The content and tools created through this collaboration are available now online as well as in Kohler showrooms and select Benjamin Moore retailers across North America. Additionally, the color collaboration will be rolled out at trade shows, in-market events, and as featured content across several social media channels.

About Kohler Co.
Founded in 1873 and headquartered in Kohler, Wisconsin, Kohler Co. one of America’s oldest and largest privately held companies comprised of more than 30,000 associates. With more than 50 manufacturing locations worldwide, Kohler is a global leader in the manufacture of kitchen and bath products; engines and power systems; premier furniture, cabinetry and tile; and owner/operator of two of the world’s finest five-star hospitality and golf resort destinations in Kohler, and St Andrews, Scotland.

About Benjamin Moore & Co.
Benjamin Moore & Co., a Berkshire Hathaway company, was founded in 1883. One of North America’s leading manufacturers of premium quality residential, commercial and industrial maintenance coatings, Benjamin Moore maintains a relentless commitment to sustainable manufacturing practices and continues to develop the most eco-responsible formulations possible. In 2012, the company’s Natura® paint received the Green Good Housekeeping Seal, acknowledging its high degree of sustainability plus rigorously tested performance. Other superior products in the Benjamin Moore Green Promise® portfolio include Aura®, Regal® Select, ben® and Ultra Spec® 500 paint for commercial interiors — all built upon our patented Gennex® platform that has changed the industry and earned the passion and loyalty of homeowners and professional painters by delivering extremely low-VOC and peerless beauty and performance. J.D. Power and Associates 2013 Interior Paint Satisfaction Study ranked Benjamin Moore highest in consumer satisfaction, marking the third consecutive year and fourth time the company has earned this rating. Benjamin Moore paints deliver authentic Benjamin Moore colors and are available exclusively from Benjamin Moore’s network of paint and decorating dealers.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.benjaminmoore.com

LAS VEGAS – Sherwin-Williams enhanced Harmony Interior Acrylic Latex Paint, features industry-leading innovations that help promote better indoor air quality and reduce common indoor odors. Combined with its zero-VOC formula and washable finish, enhanced Harmony Paint delivers advanced performance for residential and commercial professionals alike.

“Enhanced Harmony Paint is a groundbreaking coating that offers innovative performance features not expected from a paint,” said Karl Schmitt, vice president of marketing research and design, Sherwin-Williams.

Once the paint has dried, enhanced Harmony’s Formaldehyde Reducing Technology reduces airborne concentrations of formaldehyde and other aldehydes – volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from possible sources like insulation, carpet, cabinets and fabrics. A recent school demonstration study by the UL-GREENGUARD Environmental Institute and Sherwin-Williams found that Harmony’s Formaldehyde Reducing Technology can reduce these airborne VOCs by up to 45 percent, and separate laboratory studies validated these findingsi.

Harmony Paint’s Odor Eliminating Technology reduces ambient odors of organic origin, such as those from cooking, smoke and pets. The result is beautiful rooms that stay fresher, longer. In addition, Harmony Paint also contains anti-microbial agents to inhibit the growth of mold and mildew on the paint film and inhibits related bacterial odors. Harmony Paint also delivers great hide and a durable finish that can withstand frequent washings.

Like all Sherwin-Williams latex and water-based paints, Harmony is tinted with ColorCast Ecotoner® colorants that do not add VOCs to the tinted paint. Harmony Paint meets the most stringent VOC regulations, and has achieved GREENGUARD® GOLD certification. (GREENGUARD Certified Products are certified to GREENGUARD standards for low chemical emissions into indoor air during product usage. For more information, visit ul.com/gg.)

The Formaldehyde Reducing Technology is now available in all the sheens of enhanced Harmony Paint – flat, eg-shel and semi-gloss.

This Press Release is courtesy of sherwin-williams.com

MONTVALE, NJ — Benjamin Moore, a unit of Berkshire Hathaway and one of North America’s most respected paint and coatings manufacturers, unveiled today its highly anticipated Color of the Year for 2014 to be “Breath of Fresh Air” (color number 806) as part of its Color Trends 2014 palette. Announced by newly appointed Benjamin Moore Creative Director Ellen O’Neill at the opening of the company’s New York City showroom during Fall Market 2013 for architects and designers, Breath of Fresh Air is a gorgeous, ethereal blue serving as a “new neutral” that is livable and functional.

“We chose Breath of Fresh Air because we were seeing it across several different environments—it’s our new neutral,” said O’Neill. “Our Color of the Year and Color Trends 2014 palette is a direct result of the fresh color cues and pastel trends we’ve seen throughout the home furnishing, fashion and even pop culture landscape.”

For the 2014 Color Trends collection, Benjamin Moore decided to break away from the pack with a collection that is not only rich and enduring, but livable for today’s homeowner or designer as each hue resonates with many different styles. As color rarely exists in isolation, Benjamin Moore designed a palette of 23 colors that not only stand each on their own but also work well in harmony allowing the transitions of spaces and colors to flow seamlessly.

O’Neill added: “We know that color is the ultimate form of personal expression, so we curated this collection to help consumers create beautiful spaces with confidence.”

The Benjamin Moore Color Trends for 2014 palette includes 23 carefully selected Benjamin Moore paint hues that harmonize with one another to create that perfect envelope for any interior design style:
Breath Of Fresh Air 806
Distant Gray 2124-70
White Dove OC-17
Peach Parfait 2175-70
Fruit Shake 2088-60
Coral Essence 2007-40
Clay Beige OC-11
Sparrow AF-720
Castleton Mist HC-1
Elemental AF-400
Van Alen Green HC-120
Palladian Blue HC-144
Caribbean Teal 2123-20
Wickham Gray HC-171
Normandy 2129-40
Van Deusen Blue HC-156
Mt. Rainier Gray 2129-60
Flint AF-560
Lavender Mist 2070-60
Iced Mauve 2115-50
Super Nova 1414
Nightingale AF-670
Black Satin 2131-10

Benjamin Moore Color Trends for 2014 curated palette cards and Benjamin Moore products are exclusively found at Benjamin Moore’s network of 5000 independent paint and decorating dealers across the US and Canada. Visit www.benjaminmoore.com to find the closest dealer.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.benjaminmoore.com

ATLANTA, The Home Depot®, the world’s largest home improvement retailer, has begun filling more than 80,000 positions as it prepares for spring, the company’s busiest selling season.

“Spring is our peak hiring season, giving us the opportunity to find some of the best associates who are passionate about customer service,” said Tim Crow, executive vice president—Human Resources.

Job seekers can research openings and begin applying now at www.careers.homedepot.com. All applicants must apply online.
Job opportunities are available on a market-by-market basis, based on individual store needs and geographical variance in climate. College students, retirees, veterans and reservists are encouraged to apply.

The Home Depot is the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,263 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico. In fiscal 2012, The Home Depot had sales of $74.8 billion and earnings of $4.5 billion. The Company employs more than 300,000 associates. The Home Depot’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HD) and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor’s 500 index.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.homedepot.com

Conshohocken, It’s a bright idea for a good cause with the introduction of the new IKEA Foundation campaign, ‘Brighter Lives for Refugees.’ Running February 3 – March 29, 2014, the global IKEA store initiative includes a donation of one euro ($1.35)* to the UN refugee agency UNHCR for every IKEA LEDARE – LED light bulb sold. Raised campaign funds will help to provide solar street lights, indoor solar lanterns, and other renewable energy technologies such as fuel efficient cooking stoves in UNHCR refugee camps in countries including Ethiopia, Chad, Bangladesh and Jordan.In addition the campaign will also fund improved primary education.

Today, there are nearly 10.5 million refugees globally, around half of which are children. Some refugees have no choice but to live in refugee camps where an absence or lack of light after sunset can have a devastating effect on safety and security. Simple activities such as visiting the toilet, collecting water or returning to the shelter from elsewhere can become difficult and dangerous, particularly for women and girls. The improvements funded by the campaign will make each refugee camp a safer and more suitable home for refugee children and their families.

“In 2013, over 2 million people became refugees – a near twenty-year record. With each new humanitarian emergency the support of the private sector becomes more vital and more urgent. This campaign represents a new, unique chapter in our relationship with the IKEA Foundation, UNHCR’s largest private sector partner. Together, we hope to be able to transform the lives of many refugees,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres.

The IKEA Foundation believes that every child deserves a safe place to call home. Since 2010 the IKEA Foundation has partnered with UNHCR, helping to provide shelter, care and education to families and children within refugee camps and surrounding communities.

“Life in a refugee camp can be very hard, particularly for children. The absence of powered light limits everyday activities we take for granted such as sharing a meal or doing your homework. It impacts safety and security and the ability for families to generate an income. The ‘Brighter Lives for Refugees’ campaign will help bring lights and renewable energy into the streets and homes of refugees camps, so UNHCR can help build a better everyday life for refugee children and families,” explains Per Heggenes, CEO, IKEA Foundation.

IKEA continues to lead in sustainable business practices. In October 2012, IKEA US announced it would make a bold move to sell only LED lights in all its US stores by 2016. Already well on its way, the IKEA sale of only LED lights and lamps will and has enabled millions of people to live a more sustainable life at home, and save on their energy bills. IKEA also phased out all plastic bags in its stores in 2007 and incandescent bulbs in 2010.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.ikea.com

(IRVING, Texas) – The New Year brings new do-it-yourself inspiration, and Michaels, North America’s largest arts and crafts specialty retailer, has identified the top trends that will influence DIY projects from home decor and paper crafts to entertaining and gifting in 2014.

“Our trend team travels the globe and takes cues from the worlds of fashion, home decor and art to find new themes that will excite and inspire our customers,” said Michaels Vice President, Trend and Design Idalia Farrajota. “For 2014, we see both a nostalgic look back and bold individuality among our top trends.”

The Michaels trend team has identified these top three craft trends for 2014:

Handwriting: The art of handwriting reappears in DIY projects as crafters turn off the electronic devices and put pen to paper for handmade notes, invitations and greeting cards. Calligraphy adds an elegant touch for more formal occasions. Handwritten pages also can embellish lamp shades, furniture, decoupage boxes and frames or other projects to add a touch of old-world charm.

Patterns: What’s old is new when it comes to patterns, including stripes, polka dots and floral prints. Polka dots are modernized with colorful pops of metallic against organic or neutral surfaces, while the iconic sweet romance of floral remains nostalgic with cabbage roses, delicate pinks and white, full blooms and natural arrangements. Bold stripes rule in 2014 with a twist – white on color. Tools like stencils, decoupage and paint daubers make it easy to create the patterns on any home decor or other craft project.

Raw: Blank, unfinished surfaces and materials such as birch wood, cork, burlap, canvas and wood are becoming a project staple. Crafters are toning down the embellishments to create simple and sophisticated projects incorporating materials in their natural state. The raw trend is as limitless as the imagination and appears in home decor, gifting, entertaining, celebrations and more.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.michaels.com

HIGH POINT, N.C. – U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum told furniture manufacturers this week to “aim for the highest level of safety” in their designs to minimize health and safety risks to consumers.

Tenenbaum addressed members of the American Home Furnishings Alliance Board of Directors during the group’s May meeting in Arlington, Va. The annual event includes visits with key legislators on Capitol Hill.

Tenenbaum recalled visiting several furniture factories and showrooms at AHFA’s invitation in 2011. “To see the manufacturing process from start to finish provided me with valuable insights,” she remarked.

Those insights are helping to inform the CPSC’s work toward a mandatory flammability standard for upholstered furniture. “Throughout my tenure as chairman, I have made it clear that we are committed to developing an upholstered furniture standard that does not require the use of harmful chemicals,” she said.

“I want to see progress on this rule this year and want all stakeholders, including all of you, to stay engaged with CPSC as we move forward,” she told the AHFA directors.

Tenenbaum thanked AHFA’s Vice President Bill Perdue for his leadership of the ASTM subcommittee on furniture safety and commended the committee for its work on updating the furniture tip-over standard.

“I hope that each of you – whether you make adult furniture, children’s furniture, or both – will use all of the communication tools at your disposal to encourage your customers to anchor their furniture and televisions,” she added.

Tenenbaum concluded her remarks by explaining the CPSC’s concept of “safety by design.”

“As I have travelled around the United States and the world, I have shared with companies that it is vital to design out potential health and safety risks in each and every model – before manufacturing and assembly even starts,” she said. In the residential furniture industry, that means ensuring that products are made without lead, cadmium, antimony, chromium and other toxic metals.

“I believe that safety by design – which includes meeting current standards and anticipating and preventing new hazards – can be a winning approach for all industries to incorporate.”

In addition to the CPSC Chairman, the AHFA Board was addressed by Senators Ron Johnson (R-WI), Mark Warner (D-VA), Richard Burr (R-NC) and Kay Hagan (D-NC), as well as Representatives Lee Terry (R-NE) and Alan Nunnelee (R-MS).
Courtesy of American Home Furnishings Alliance

Many homeowners who saw an appreciation of home values in the last quarter have began improvements to their properties. The increase in home values, increases their leverage to borrow and spend on home improvement.