Ballantyne Magazine covers news, events, real estate, restaurants, shopping, health, schools and business in the upscale Ballantyne Area of Charlotte, NC.
BALLANTYNE | feature
are looking for things they will like for a long time and have lasting value," says Tompkins. That includes furniture
that can have a dual purpose. Tompkins points to a cabinet with louvered doors that could be placed in a bedroom, beach house, great room or porch. The ability to customize furniture is also in demand, so she offers 60 different finishes for a variety of cabinets, hutches, tables and other pieces. Each can be individually tailored, such as a sideboard with white distressed legs and driftwood top. The desire for individuality
is being reflected even in table settings. The wedding and gift registry at Brock Moran Home has seen a boom in brides and grooms choosing monogrammed fine china from Pickard's Signature line. "Monogramming is a big trend that will continue for some time," McLendon observes.
Color Pop The "it" fashion color for 2012
is Tangerine Tango, a saucy, bright red-orange that experts say can be introduced into rooms featuring a neutral palette through a small accent piece, such as a vase, pillow, throw, table linens or chair seat cover. At the same time, a desire for blues and grays is emerging. "The gray blues are coming in, as is the purple family, including aubergine (dark purple)," says Southern, who is featuring a transitional gray-blue iron bed with headboard upholstered in textured slate gray leather, outfitted in sheets dappled like a modernist painting in subtle tones of blue and sterling. "I'm selling six different shades of gray in bedding this spring, including platinum and silver," she notes.
38 BALLANTYNE MAGAZINE
The "it" fashion color for 2012 is Tangerine Tango.
Homeowners are spicing up neutral tones with splashes of tangerine.
Emerging home-furniiture designs showcase natural colors such as zinc, cappuccino and ebony.
Mixing clear crystal with pewter- footed goblets is new for tabletops.
Brides and grooms are selecting monogrammed china. RUN YOUR HOME VIA IPAD APP
Home electronics used to mean big-screen TVs and audio systems. Today, it also means total control of your home via an iPad or other device. Ron Jones, president of Infinite Audio and Theater in Rea Village, says the hottest trend in his business is the amazing home automation app created by Savant Systems. The app transforms an Apple
iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch or HDTV into a personalized control portal — becoming your virtual light switch, thermostat, personal media player, security camera, as well as your on/off, open/close, up/ down button from just about anywhere in the world. Jones says one of his customers was concerned his son wasn't turning off the TV at
Savant's home-automation app will run on a variety of devices.
9 p.m. Now, with one touch from afar, he can flick the set off. So much for being home alone.
SPRING 2012
Photo courtesy of Savant Systems.