Q: I've inherited my grandmother's jewelry, including several valuable necklaces and earrings. It seems wasteful to have good stuff and not wear it, but my husband is nervous and thinks it should stay in a safe deposit box. I'd rather find a dresser or wardrobe I can lock, something that would go with our traditional mahogany bedroom furniture. Any recommendations?
A: If you've got it, flaunt it! And I bet your grandmother would have agreed.
It's well worth an investment on your part to keep your heirloom jewelry both safe and accessible. A piece of furniture you can lock is a logical beginning, but then again, it's so logical any thinking thief might right away hone in on it.
A better option would be an unexpected hiding place, which must have inspired the clever designers at Hooker Furniture who came up with the handsome hardwood doorway-to-nowhere we show here. What looks like an architectural element, with its mirrored front, carved frame, and pediment top, is actually a vertical jewelry box that makes a grand impression yet takes up only inches of floor space.
Open the mirrored door and you've got 20 hooks and 48 pouches to fill with jewelry. And no one will guess it's there ... unless, of course, some sneaky thief reads this column.
Check it out at hookerfurniture.com.
Q: More than 50 shades of gray?
A: Yes, indeed, according to fashion-forward manufacturers of home fashions, who are thrilled by grays of all intensities.
Chella Textiles, Pearson Furnishings and York Wallcoverings are among design industry leaders championing the color gray all through the house — and in more than just 50 shades!
"Chameleon-like ... more livable than black and more elegant than taupe," designers say of gray, a color that can range from charcoal to silver and even dove, and look smashing paired with extroverts like red, orange and apple green. Learn more at chellatextiles.com; pearsonco.com, and yorkwall.com.
On the same color note, Restoration Hardware has made its name in furniture with generous helpings of silvery metallic pieces and dry, grayed finishes on wood that looks recycled. If so, its time has certainly come again in great style.
Even French Heritage, the ne plus ultra of Gallic chic, introduced a "vieux bois," or "old wood" finish at the fall High Point furniture market in North Carolina. Available with or sans sheen, the lighter vieux bois pieces would stand out in a room full of darker woods.
In fact, the other new look at French Heritage — digitally printed fabrics in oh-la-la colorways — would stand out in just about any room. The new digital technology offers breakthrough design innovations, according to the company's co-founder Henessy Wayser. She describes the prints as "modern baroque."
Rose Bennett Gilbert is the co-author of "Manhattan Style," and six other books on interior design. To find out more about Rose Bennett Gilbert and read features by Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.CREATORS.com. COPYRIGHT 2013 CREATORS.COM.
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