Hugh Acheson

Driving on the left?

Ever wondered why the British drive on the left side of the road?

Well, during the Middle Ages, everyone kept to the left in case they came across an unfriendly stranger on the right, and needed to draw their sword easily. Keeping to the left became official in 1300 A.D. and continued until the late 1700s, when the US and France used wagons carring farm products pulled by several pairs of horses. The driver had to sit on the left rear horse in order to keep his right arm free to lash the horses, and to make sure he could see to stay clear of other wagon wheels passing. The first known keep-right law was enacted in Pennsylvania in 1792.

In England, however, they didn't use horse drawn wagons with a driver riding one of the horses. The driver sat on the right side of a seat mounted on the wagon, so the whip wouldn't get caught in the load behind him when he lashed the horses. Keeping left became English law in 1756,with the enactment of an ordinance governing traffic on the London Bridge.

Orange Super Friends

Today we thought we would provide you with a bit of serious and a bit of not so serious.

We love the pop of color both Jean-Philippe Demeyer and Kathryn M. Ireland used with orange. Can you image each room without this color now?!

And, for the close of our orange celebration we thought we would have a bit of fun. We could not resist sharing some of our favorite characters who wear orange day after day. Enjoy and thank you for helping us celebrate this month's dynamic color. Behold our super characters!

Missoni

Looks like we are not the only ones who love Missoni. Just ask Target - in September they offered a low cost collection by Missoni. Most everything sold out within 24 hours, as long lines of people waited for items to be restocked, and Target's website crashed frequently due to interest in the collection.

Missoni was founded by Ottavio and Rosita Missoni in 1953 in Varese, Italy. The company is famous for its exclusive knitwear in a variety of colorful patterns including stripes, geometrics, and floral designs, and many different fabrics including wool, cotton, linen, rayon and silk.

Rhodia Orange Notepads

Need a stylist notepad?

We highly recommend anything from Rhodia, oui, oui! A bit of history for you . . . The paper company, Rhodia, was founded in 1932 in Lyon, France by two brothers, Henri and Robert Verlhac. In 1934, the company moved to the French Alps and the production of their notepads began. The name “Rhodia” comes from the Rhone, a river that flows by Lyon and divides the Alps from the Massif Central. It has been said that the two fir trees on the cover symbolize the two founding brothers. The orange cover dates back to the 1930s and the design has never changed. The notebooks and pads are popular among artists, designers, and writers who love the grids, smooth paper, and the iconic cover. Personally, we think these brothers had it going on!

Ikat Fabrics

Ikat fabrics are everywhere these days and we cannot get enough! Look at what we found - The styles below are the Kaltacha which is a tunic style top with a slim waist, and the Kurta style which is a tunic style dress. Both are made of silk and cotton, and were traditional clothing worn by Uzbek women during the 5th-20th centuries, for casual wear or for celebrations. We think these would make smashing holiday attire this season!

Angel Tree

Here are some pictures from the IFDA’s 26th Anniversary Angel Tree party we hosted Tuesday night here in our showroom. Angel Tree is a wonderful project that brings holiday cheer in the form of presents to DFACS children, who would otherwise have none. We still have several “angels” who need sponsoring. Please come by our showroom if you are interested in helping make a child’s Christmas a joyous occasion. Wrapped presents will need to be returned to our showroom by December 2.

John Derian

John Derian is America’s master of decoupage, which is the art of decorating an object by cutting and pasting paper images. In 1989, he opened his own studio in New York, where he began piecing color reprints of the 18th and 19th century under glass, thereby producing a product line of plates, vases, trays, paperweights, desk accessories, cachepots, wall hangings, and many other items. John Derian launched a environment friendly furniture line with Cisco in 2008, and created an accessories line for Target in 2008 and 2010.

Orange In Design

In our opinion, no one uses the color orange better than Charleston designer, Amelia Handegan and Atlanta designer, Kay Douglass. Here are a few images to feast your eyes upon. Enjoy our continued celebration of orange.

Guy Fawkes Night

Did you remember the 5th of November?

Guy Fawkes Night was held this past Saturday November 5th in the UK. Guy Fawkes was a good Catholic who fought for the Spanish and organized the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, which failed. They wanted to get rid of Protestant rule, due discrimination against English Catholics, and sought to blow up the Houses of Parliament, while King James I, the whole Protestant, and many of the Catholic, aristocracy and nobility were inside. Guy Fawkes night is a celebration of the failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Participants burn an effigy of Fawkes and fireworks are displayed to celebrate - sound like fun?

Orange

November means orange for us! We are kicking off with two images below of how stunning orange can look in any room. Enjoy.

Louis, Louis, and Louis

The furniture made during the reign of French kings Louis XIV, XV, and XVI is considered to be the royalty furniture of the world, but how can you tell the difference from one Louis to another?

Louis XIV's furniture was the Baroque era, rather grand and had rounded forms and curved lines, and included motifs like cornucopias, sphinxes, and architectural elements. Most of the woods used under his reign were ebony, walnut, and oak.

Louis XV's furniture was the Rococo era, much softer and feminine, and
included curves and chinoiserie, flowers, seashells, and gilt-bronze
ornaments. Many woods were used during this time and included beech,
walnut, and cherry.

Louis XVI furniture was the neoclassical era, light and simple, and included straight lines and fluted legs and was much less ornate. The furniture was typically finished in natural wood with mahogany.