Television furniture safety.

With today's bigger and thinner TV's, there is a new wave of accidents where the televisions tip over. There have been many injuries and, sadly, two deaths reported in such cases. Currently there is legislation being considered that would require improved safety features for the way televisions are used with furniture. If you have a wall unit that provides the capability of mounting the TV on a back panel, this is a good option. If your TV rests on a console you may have a few options. One is to mount it to the wall. We sell television consoles manufactured by BDI, a company with a great reputation for producing excellent furniture for televisions and related equipment, and they make two products for mounting televisions. One is specifically designed to mount to some of their consoles and the other is a free standing unit that can be used with any TV bench of the appropriate size. Call us for details.

Furniture jokes, stories

Furniture is not an inherently funny subject. There are a thousand jokes that start out “A guy walks into a bar…” but how many have you heard that begin with “A guy walks into a furniture store”? Anyway, I thought I should try to scrounge up a little bit of furniture humor.

Several years ago in our store I marked the price of a Van Gogh print at $40,000,000 (this is a true story). Then I put a line through the price and the words “NOW ONLY $449.00”. A lady asked me why it had been marked down so much, and I told her it was because I found out that it was not an original. “Oh” she said, as if this made perfect sense, and never cracked a smile.

A couple was in a furniture store lamenting over the price of a bedroom set. The salesman told them “here’s what you do: you finance it, then you don’t make any payments for a year”. “Who told you about us?” the woman snapped back.

A Danish furniture sales-rep was in Paris and noticed a beautiful woman smiling at him. Unfortunately they discovered that they had no common language with which they could communicate. The woman drew a picture of a wine glass, so he nodded and they went to a restaurant and ordered a bottle of wine. Then, on a napkin, she sketched two plates of food. After a wonderful meal the beautiful lady, with a smile, handed the sales-rep a drawing of a bed. And, as he tells the story, “to this day, I don’t know how she knew I was in the furniture business”.

Know any furniture jokes? Send them to me!

Ergonomics and furniture

ERGONOMICS

Ergonomics is the science that coordinates the design of devices, systems, and physical working conditions with the capacities and requirements of the workers. I like a broader definition that includes how we interact with our environment wherever we are. The most important thing to realize is that we can prevent some health problems, and in some cases cure them by modifying our environment and/or our lifestyle.
The first consideration in ergonomics is the importance of varying the positions that we work in. One good example of this is the use of an “sit/stand” desk…a desk that has the capacity to have varying heights of the working surface. The benefits of these desks are so widely documented that some nations (such as Denmark, where the State is responsible for health care costs) mandate that they be used in certain working environments. Denmark Interiors carries the Jesper sit/stand desk which comes in three different sizes.
A comfortable desk chair is very important for someone who uses it a lot. The development of advanced mechanisms and their mass production has made good desk chairs more readily available.
Another example of an ergonomically correct piece of furniture would be the Norwegian-made Stressless® recliner by Ekornes. These recliners are endorsed by the American Chiropractic Association due to their ergonomic features. For example, the recliners have a mechanism that automatically adjusts the lumbar support according to the position of the chair: more when you are upright and less when fully reclined. Without this variation the lumbar support would be too intense in the fully reclined position. Another feature is the headrest that also adjusts automatically as you recline. The purpose of this is to keep your head in an upright position (better for reading or watching TV) regardless of the position of the chair. This mechanism can be easily disengaged if you choose to have your head in alignment with your torso. Denmark Interiors is proud to sell these Ekornes recliners, and to have been honored as Dealer of the Year by Ekornes. Our sales associates have all been trained to help you find the size chair that fits you best.
Considering that you spend a third of your life on a mattress (if you’re lucky) it is certainly worth having a good one. Of course any mattress is consistent with rule number one, in that it allows you to vary your position. Denmark Interiors sells several brands of mattresses, but we have been particularly impressed with stories from our customers about their satisfaction with the Tempur-Pedic brand. Tempur-pedic mattresses naturally allow the spine to remain in a non-stressed position, regardless of how you sleep. Tempur-Pedic also sells motorized “hospital-type” beds that have many advantages. Tempur-Pedic conducts a random, yearly survey of their customers and reports that 95% are satisfied with both the comfort and quality of their mattress. For more information on Tempur-pedic Mattresses see the article with that name in this blog.
While these products can certainly improve our quality of life, they cannot compensate for bad habits (like poor posture, lack of exercise, lack of a stretching routine, poor diet…it’s a long list). I try to remind myself daily that I can change the things I don’t like about myself.
Perhaps the most common and costly health problem that is related to ergonomics and/or lifestyle, is back pain and indeed, all of the products mentioned in this article are related to this issue. Most people with office jobs spend a lot of time bent over forwards working on a computer or doing other tasks. Taking little breaks for a (backwards) counter-stretch can be very helpful. There is a wealth of information (and probably some mis-information) available on the subject. For instance, I just googled “back pain relief” and got 85,500,000 results. The website ergonomics.org may be a good place to start looking.
Another work-related health issue is carpal tunnel syndrome. There is a website eatonhand.com that gives a simple and proven series of exercises designed to prevent, and sometimes cure this problem. I personally know people who have had outstanding success with this routine.There are many sources of stress (no names mentioned) in our daily lives, but there are things we can do to combat it: slow and deep breathing, stretching and exercise, to name a few. Again, there is no shortage of information relating to stress management. A Google search on “stress management” gave over 48,000,000 results. Are you stressed out? Do something about it!

Funiture and ecology

ECOLOGY AND THE FURNITURE INDUSTRY

You can feel good about buying wooden furniture because by doing this, you are actually sequestering carbon. Wood is roughly 50% carbon by weight (SampsonGroup.com). Trees take carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) out of the atmosphere to get the carbon needed for their structures. So if you have 1,000 pounds of wooden furniture in your house, you have taken 500 pounds of carbon “out of circulation”. (500 pounds of carbon translates to about 1830 pounds of carbon dioxide). This assumes that the trees that contributed this wood are replanted, and that sustainable forestry is practiced. Though this is often the case, progress still needs to made. The furniture industry is acutely aware of the importance of doing this. Sustainable forestry supports a sustainable wooden furniture industry, and as a fringe benefit, carbon is sequestered in the form of furniture.

Furniture Shopping Hints

FURNITURE SHOPPING HINTS

1. Visit a store’s website before you go there in order to see if your style and the store’s are compatible.
2. If you have a floor plan, take it! If not, it is very helpful to have measurements. There is no point taking time to find out about a piece if it won’t even fit.
3. Plan ahead time-wise as much as possible…it gives you more options. Lead times for special orders can take 4 to 6 months.
4. If a piece of furniture has drawers, examine the drawer glides. Metal glides are generally superior to wood. Does the drawer have full extension (pull out all the way)? Is it wobbly when pulled out? Does it close snugly? The latest and greatest drawer glides (and also the most expensive) are self-closing for the last inch or so.
5. With case goods (dressers, beds, bookcases, wall units) the prices vary greatly depending largely on the finish and the ease of production, especially the amount of hand labor involved. Finishes are sometimes hard to tell apart, but solid wood can usually be recognized by looking at the end of a plank to see if you see the end grain. Veneers generally have a more uniform look than solids, or perhaps a repeating pattern. Typically solid wood is more expensive than veneered, but not necessarily better. This is a matter of personal taste. A less expensive finish would be melamine, also referred to as “paper”. A photograph is taken (usually) of real wood. This photo is then impregnated with melamine resin combined with formaldehyde. Another finish is stained or lacquered MDF (medium density fiberboard). MDF edges, unlike other composite furniture boards, can be milled into different shapes. Because MDF is made with a lot of glue, it has a relatively high formaldehyde content.
6. A discussion about leather furniture must begin with an explanation of some of the terms used in the business: top grain, split, pure aniline, corrected, protected, bi-cast and reconstituted. Most leather used in furniture comes from the hides of cattle. These hides are much thicker than the leather that you see on the furniture, because the hides are literally sliced into thinner, more workable pieces. Thus top grain refers to the slice that was on the top, or outside of the hide, and splits are the inner slices. Top grain is structurally superior to, and more expensive than a split. Splits can be used on the backs and sides of some pieces to reduce the price, and if properly backed, this will not affect the quality. Bi-cast leather is made from a split by coating it with a type of polyurethane. These leathers are shiny and very uniform looking. Corrected leathers are usually top grains that have been processed, mechanically and/or chemically to remove scars and variation in grain. They generally have an artificial grain stamped or embossed on them. Protected leathers have some sort of surface protection to prevent staining. The great majority of leathers you will encounter while shopping for leather furniture in the United States are protected. What is given up with these leathers is some of the softness to the touch. Pure aniline hides are simply top grain hides that have been dyed all the way through. They have no “surface treatment” or protection and are thus more vulnerable to staining than the protected leathers. They have a great feel to them and darker colors are recommended. Some of the finest leathers in the world are sold under the brand name Elmo. These are pure aniline hides that come from Scandinavian cattle. They are fortunate to have an environment that is free of insect pests (like botflies) that damage the hides. Also, barbed wire is not used, so the hides are in excellent condition. Finally, on the low end of the spectrum is reconstituted leather, and, as the name implies, it is a composite material made from leather fibers (waste material) that are held together with latex binders. Improved binders have led to improvements in reconstituted leather, but they are still an inferior product. They tend to be thick and stiff and very uniform looking. When judging a piece of leather furniture, look at it, feel it and ask questions!
7. There are many types of fabrics on the market, but one indication of the quality of any fabric is given by Martindale or some other double-rub test. A machine literally rubs the fabric back and forth, counting the rubs, until there is a break. This information is on the back of the fabric samples. 6,000 would be a poor rating and 60,000 would be an excellent one. Microfibers are very popular because of the look, feel and their ability to resist staining. They are so named because they are made of very very tiny fibers.
8. If you are testing a chair or recliner for comfort, be aware that this may take some time. Bring a book if you like. There may be a difference between initial comfort and comfort after half an hour.
9. If you are looking for a sofa, think about how it will be used. If is for a “couch potato” you may want a lower arm that can serve as a pillow. 10. Don’t be shy! Ask your salesperson if you have questions.
10. Notice the smell of a store. Do you want your house to smell like the store?
11. Here's a warning about a potential problem with swivel bar stools and counter stools with metal backs: they can chip granite countertops! A good salesperson will be aware of this and will warn you if you are interested in buying such a product. On the subject of bar stools, there is a relatively new, higher version referred to as "spectator height". These are used at some of the higher pass-through windows between kitchens and other rooms.

furniture maintenance hints

FURNITURE MAINTENANCE HINTS

1. If you have purchased a warranty on a piece of damaged or stained furniture, call the warranty company as soon as the problem occurs. If you take action, other than mopping up a spill, it may void your warranty!
2. Whenever you clean leather you need to condition it as well. This can be done with a combination cleaner/conditioner, or with two separate products. Cleaning takes essential oils out of the leather and a conditioner replaces them. Leather care products are available at Denmark Interiors.
3. Teak oil should be applied whenever your furniture has a dry or dull look. It is especially important for table tops. For a more intense cleaning, a very fine (triple zero) steel wool can be used. Rub it gently with the grain. Since this process tends to “polish” the area done, it is generally necessary to treat the entire surface. Avoid oiling legs near carpet or fabric because oil can leach into these materials. Be aware that teak oil for indoor furniture is different from teak oil used on boat decks and some outdoor furniture. Use the proper product. Teak oil for indoor furniture is available at DenmarkInteriors. 4. For the care of slate, marble, stone and tile we recommend and sell Zinolin Slate Polish. It is an emulsified wax and protects these surfaces against the spillage of most liquids. Alcohol dissolves this wax, so any spillage of a liquid containing alcohol should be wiped off as soon as possible.
5. A dent in a piece of wood furniture can sometimes be fixed by placing a few drops of distilled water onto it. As the wood absorbs water it will swell. Keep an eye on this process so you can dry up any excess water when you get the desired result.
6. If you get an ink mark on a piece of upholstered furniture (and don't have a warranty that covers it) it is sometimes possible to remove it with hairspray as follows: first, spray some of the hairspray on a q-tip and test somewhere that does not show, in order to make sure this process doesn't destroy the finish. If things go well with this, then use the same procedure on the ink. Clean the entire area afterwards. Denmark Interiors sells an "ink removal stick" which is the best product we have found for removing ink.
7. A cloudy area on a natural wood table top can happen if a hot pizza box or a hot, steamy dish on a trivet is placed on the table. This cloudy appearance is caused by water that has been steamed into the wood. It can be removed by placing a dry soft cloth over the area (a (clean) cloth diaper works well) and going over it with a hot iron. Paper towels can be used instead of a cloth, but be careful not to get them too hot.
8. While I have seen this only rarely, I hear from some of my friends in the furniture business that apparently mold sometimes grows on leather. I don't know that this has been confirmed as mold. Perhaps it is mildew or something else. This has particularly been a problem with steel dining chairs from China that are covered in reconstituted leather (read elsewhere in this blog for definition). Anyway, there appears to be a product that solves this problem: Meguiar's "hot shine" tire spray. This comes in several different forms, but all tend to leave a glossier finish on the leather. If you want to try this product, use it in an inconspicuous place at first to make sure there is not a problem. You should plan on coating all of the chairs all over, in order to achieve a uniform finish.