I just returned from a trip across the pond where I attended the Interiors UK show in Birmingham. The largest furniture show in the United Kingdom, this show offers a unique opportunity for retailers, interior designers, architects and contractors to experience an array of inspiring interiors products from more than 600 exhibitors, including new options for furniture, lighting, flooring, soft furnishings and accessories. One of the design trends I was most excited to see at the show was crushed velvets on upholstery pieces. The colors used were very tonal in nature and they added lots of layers of the same color on a piece of upholstery. Designers also incorporated shine into fabrics to add sparkle to a sofa, chair or accent pieces. Another way designers are adding some whimsy to living spaces is by using fur (real and faux), particularly on accent pillows. If you are looking to add the latest design trends to your home here in the states, CORT will be introducing the Kennedy sofa in a wonderful deep blue velvet ̶ soft and lush to the touch. Our designers have coordinated it with the same tone in a leather accent chair, rug and artwork. Additionally, a …
Send this article by email
What is your name?
Please indicate below the emails to which you want to send this article: Design Trends from Across the Pond
CORT is proud to be a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, headed by Warren Buffett. Mr. Buffett inspires many around the world with both his business savvy and his philanthropic spirit. Today we’d like to share a few of our favorite inspirational quotes from Warren Buffett that apply not just to business but also to everyday life.
Send this article by email
What is your name?
Please indicate below the emails to which you want to send this article: Inspiration from Warren Buffett
You can pull out all the stops to search for the best décor and artwork to don your walls or spend hours choosing the right rental furniture and deciding how to position it comfortably. But without the proper lighting it could all just go to waste. One of the most effective ways to freshen and influence the mood of a room is through lighting. Well-done layering of light helps to augment both the atmosphere and colors in the room, which means having to thoughtfully balance the three functions of task, accent, and ambient lighting. Here are some light layering tips for different rooms that will help turn your house into a home: Entryway, Foyer, and Hallway The entryway to your home is the first place to leave an impression on your house guests. For most entryways and foyers, overhead lighting such as a chandelier or simple ceiling lantern can serve as a great source of lighting while also being a decorative statement. Beyond the entryway, use wall sconces that match your hanging foyer lighting fixture to tie it all together. Adding a dimmer to your entryway lighting helps to set the mood as soon as you walk in the door, …
Send this article by email
What is your name?
Please indicate below the emails to which you want to send this article: Find the Perfect Lighting For Every Room
CORT Austin recently teamed up with Texas Rangers affiliate, Round Rock Express, to refresh a room in the Ronald McDonald House in Austin, Texas. The Ronald McDonald House provides a place for families to sleep, eat and relax while their children receive medical treatment at one of the area’s nearby hospitals. CORT donated all of the furniture to finish the room, while Round Rock Express provided a complete baseball themed decor. Ronald McDonald House employees have said the room is by far their favorite in the entire house and predict there will be strong competition among families to determine who will stay there! CORT Austin and the Round Rock Express have worked together for a number of years. Both CORT Austin and Round Rock Express are very active in the local community and frequently work together to support local efforts like the Ronald McDonald House.
Send this article by email
What is your name?
Please indicate below the emails to which you want to send this article: CORT Austin Teams Up With Round Rock Express to Furnish Ronald McDonald House
CORT Event Furnishings won Best Overall Booth Appearance at The Special Event Show in Nashville this month. The booth’s event design ‘Revolution’, reinforced by new product introductions and a social media promotion, caused quite a buzz among show attendees and clients. “The Special Event show marks the beginning of our 2014 ‘Revolution’ marketing campaign and we’re urging event planners to revolutionize their events. Throw out traditional event design rules and mix disparate styles to create something fresh and innovative,” said Kevin Dana, director of marketing and product development for CORT Events. “We showcased the Napoleon collection and launched the new Rustique and Elements collections, including rustic accessories and greenery. The reaction from clients was overwhelmingly positive and we anticipate strong demand for all the new products.” See the CORT Events Facebook page to view more pictures from the show, www.facebook.com/CORTevents. And since a picture is worth a thousand words, we’ll let these fabulous booth photos do the talking.
Send this article by email
What is your name?
Please indicate below the emails to which you want to send this article: CORT Event Furnishings Wins Big at The Special Event Show
Most people spend more time in the office than they do at home, so it is important that work environments are comfortable, yet functional for optimal productivity. Business owners today want their employees to work more collaboratively and encourage idea-sharing throughout the business day. CORT recently unveiled the 2014 office workspace trends that support this idea of the changing work environment and the impact it has on the way workspaces are designed and furnished. Offices designed in 2014 must reflect the needs of modern-day employees and invoke collaboration, flexibility, mobility and more. Collaborative workspaces are open, welcoming public spaces that encourage individuals to share and learn from each other by mixing and mingling. Lounge seating areas are a key furnishing feature that enables collaboration. Unassigned tables put between work spaces are also enabling employees to meet and collaborate spontaneously. To achieve flexibility in the office environment work surfaces are designed to fulfill a number of needs. It is not just a “desk” anymore. Examples of flexibility in offices include gathering areas for spontaneous meetings, a variety of seating and works surfaces designed to varying work styles and comfort levels. Unassigned workstations are also becoming commonplace for employees who telecommute and …
Send this article by email
What is your name?
Please indicate below the emails to which you want to send this article: 2014 Workspace Trends Reflect Modern-day Needs
As the old saying goes, “The early bird catches the worm.” Well, that certainly rang true recently for CORT as they were invited to present at Dreamforce 2013 because of their early adoption of Salesforce, a transformative technology for the industry. Tim Deagan, CORT’s executive director of Information Technology spoke alongside fellow IT celebrities such as Marissa Mayer, president and CEO of Yahoo! and Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook. Dreamforce is the world’s largest vendor technology conference, and hosted more than 145,000 people to share the power of social and mobile cloud computing. With more than 1,100 sessions and 350 cloud companies in the expo, attendees participated in interactive sessions, hands-on training with cutting-edge technology, thousands of live demos and unparalleled networking. “Dreamforce 2013 was an incredible experience with a lot of energy being generated by the record-breaking crowd! Salesforce continues to increase its potential as a transformative technology for CORT. Many of the new technologies on display like Salesforce1 and the advances in Heroku and Force.com will provide a powerful set of building blocks for CORT to continue to strengthen its brand and build a strong future.” CORT serves customers each year ranging from large companies and a great …
Send this article by email
What is your name?
Please indicate below the emails to which you want to send this article: CORT Takes Center Stage at Dreamforce 2013
CORT’s commitment to sustainability is getting notice! The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) recently honored CORT as one of the top 10 sustainable exhibitors at the 2013 World Workplace Conference and Expo in Philadelphia. IFMA’s World Workplace Conference is the largest, most longstanding and well-respected annual conference and exposition for the facility management industry. This year, more than 4,700 attendees participated in the conference, representing 49 countries across the globe! All exhibitors were invited to complete and submit the IFMA Exhibitor Sustainability scorecard, which was developed in partnership with and scored by the Leonardo Academy, a nonprofit organization that specializes in sustainability solutions. CORT was one of 10 exhibitors recognized for its best sustainable tradeshow solutions out of a pool of 31 submissions. Submissions were evaluated on the following categories: Sustainability policies Exhibit materials Travel, packing, shipping and freight Printed materials and giveaways Recycling and reuse of exhibit materials Sustainable products and services CORT’s theme for this year’s conference was “Workplace Solutions that Perform.” Our 20-by-20 foot island booth was in the first row of the exhibit hall, prime position for attendees to stop by and collect a ticket to our legendary IFMA party. CORT also participated in IFMA’s interactive …
Send this article by email
What is your name?
Please indicate below the emails to which you want to send this article: CORT’s Sustainability Initiatives Recognized by IFMA
As the holiday madness subsides and your house guests make their way back to their home cities, you may look around you and think, “It’s about time for something new.” With 2014 right around the corner, your New Year’s resolutions may include stepping up your interior design or just changing things up. Luckily, there are many ways to freshen up your home and furniture without breaking the bank immediately after the gift-giving season. From simply rearranging your rental furniture to adding some little new elements, here are some tips from CORT on how to rejuvenate your home just in time for the New Year: Simplify. After a long year of collecting new knick-knacks here and there, you may start to notice a tad more disorder and clutter lying around the house. Start off by sorting through your miscellaneous must-haves and throwing out the things you can’t use anymore – yes, that includes the chipped coffee pot and the broken lamp. You can also use pieces of accent furniture such as an ottoman or storage chest to hold the necessities you need to keep out of sight. You’ll be surprised by how much more space you have once you clear the …
Send this article by email
What is your name?
Please indicate below the emails to which you want to send this article: Freshen Up Your Style for 2014
Spending time with family doesn’t have to be just during the holiday season. Homes today are multi-functional and are designed to provide a less fussy, more relaxed lifestyle so families can all be in the same space doing different activities. For example, while Mom is in the kitchen fixing dinner, Dad can be sitting at the table reading the newspaper and the kids in the living room playing video games on the big screen TV. Just like the casual, functional layout of our homes, furnishings also need to appeal to today’s busy, co-mingled lifestyles. You’ll find multi-functional storage pieces such as ottomans that can hide toys and books but also serve as cocktail tables during your kid-free dinner parties. When it comes to fabric selections for your space, it is all about coordinating rather than matching upholstery pieces. Busy families also need to consider easy care microfiber fabrics that will endure the wear and tear from kids, but also provides a comfortable seating environment. Gone are the days of having a more formal living room. It is all about the casual, comfortable family spaces. But don’t let the word “casual” make you think “sloppy.” Casual in today’s design means “lived …
Send this article by email
What is your name?
Please indicate below the emails to which you want to send this article: Casual Spaces Result in More Family Time
