Just a little French lingo to announce a spectacular opportunity for one lucky and talented design professional!
Jay and Mark are offering a trip to the City of Lights, PARIS! As in France!The winner will join Industry Experts Deb Barrett and Susan Schultz as one of a select group of 12 at the Maison et Objet show January 19-27, 2010. The trip includes a Cruise on the Seine and a visit to the Louvre among many other delights. It is truly the trip of a lifetime. There are a few qualifications, a passport, an engaging personality, and the ability to share the journey as you blog for us through 7 days of non-stop Francophile fun. You will get to be our eyes and ears on this trip, submitting daily posts about the products you see and your ongoing adventure.See the fine print below for details on just what is included in this offer and apply today! The trip is coming fast so we need to choose a winner on November 30th. Just send an e-mail to sendmetoparis@helserbrothers.com explaining why you are the perfect person for the job, then keep an eye on www.whyhelser.com for the big announcement. Ooh la la! (Wow in French – start practicing!)
The Fine Print:
Paris 2010 includes:
- 7 days /7 nights, January 19 – January 27, 2010, in the City of Lights
- Airfare to/from JFK or Chicago. (Winner is responsible for getting to JFK or Chicago.)
- Hotel d’ Aubusson, Four-star, double-occupancy Superior room in the heart of St. Germain (Super-convenient location and we’ve stayed in this hotel and love it!) Five minute walk to the subway, direct line to the show. Walking distance of the Louvre, Orsay, Notre Dame, Sorbonne; surrounded by art galleries, restaurants and shops.
- Daily Breakfast at the hotel. Value of $140.00
- Airport transfers Value of $80.00
- All zone metro passes/carnets for 7 days. Value of $85.00
- Admission to Maison&Objet and Planet Mueble trade shows. Value of $78.00
- Welcome reception at M&O from show management
- Exclusive M&O trend presentation with Q&A opportunity Priceless!
- As-you-wish meet-ups for cocktails or dinner to review the day, compare notes, share stories, etc.
- Pre-travel web session(s) with Deb and Susan to preview locations, M&O planning, travel details, our Paris faves and more
- Cruise on the river Seine. Value of $80.00
- Free entrance to the Louvre or Orsay. Value of $26.00
- High Tea one afternoon in the Aubusson’s Grand Salon. Value of $25.00
- All taxes and service included.
One of the best things about living in Arizona is the vibrant colors of southwest style. This beautiful hacienda in North Scottsdale is a perfect example of bold saturated colors that lift the spirits and promise a vacation life style every day. I adore the bright bedding with the soft sheers that frame the courtyard view. Picture an afternoon siesta or a good book on a lazy afternoon. The owners of this home have named it Casa de la Felicidad, which translates to House of Happiness. It makes me happy just looking at it!
Jamie Odle of Odle Interiors in Matthews, North Carolina blew us away with her solution for a very tall bland wall above a fireplace. First she wall-papered the area in a slightly deeper tone that the surrounding walls. Since this area is actually inset from the fireplace molding, she used small pieces of our 7/8” drapery rod as spacers to mount the custom Tableaux piece away from the wall. Not only did she create interest with the shadows, she incorporated backlighting to make the area glow softly at night. And the adage that every room needs a touch of black is certainly proved true.
Tryvertising? Translucent concrete? Rapid prototyping? Deb Barrett blew the minds of a packed house with industry insight and progressive ideas during her seminar at yesterdays WCAA event in Richmond. Where on earth she finds the content for her presentations is beyond me. Let me put it to ya this way…. If you ever start thinking that you’ve got a good handle on approaching trends and that you are on the cutting edge of window coverings industry, attend Debs seminar, and you just might discover that you aren’t Case in point; our clientelle is strictly “trade only” and we know that wholesale clientelle VERY well, but Deb just took us on a wild ride through the mind of todays end-use-consumer….Um…..lets just say….they are not your fathers window covering consumers! Among other things, they are far more savvy and may actually understand a thing or two about draperies. This served as a powerful reminder that even though we do not deal directly with end-users it is very important to get to know them well.
The door prizes that we brought were a hit with Jackie Von Tobels Design Directory Of Bedding recieving the loudest cheers.
It was great to see old friends and make so many new ones. Thank you WCAA!
Adversity of any type can serve as a kick in the pants and can launch us beyond the boundaries of our original path. For a case in point look a the story of Angela Logan, the Teaneck actress, who began baking apples cakes for friends in an effort to stave off foreclosure — and then was overwhelmed with orders for the $40 confection after a Record article ignited a media storm — is now partnering with an online seller of special-occasion cakes…more
I had a similar experience 20 plus(ish) years ago when I (along with about 80 of my colleagues) got the news that we were being layed off, I was shocked. I never saw it coming. Our custom drapery workroom division was going to be absorbed by a California drapery workroom….This was a job which I had fought very hard for. Every monday at 8 am I dumped a handful of quarters into the pay phone outside my Indianapolis apartment to pester George the installation manager for a spot on his team. Part of my motivation was to get out to Arizona where most of the Helser family had already settled, but most of it was to get what I thought I wanted….A toe-hold in a large company where I could enjoy a steady paycheck, benefits, and rapid advancement to a prestigious postition. I stood in the unemployment line thinking “maybe I should make a pricelist and give independent installation a shot” and “who can I borrow a typewriter from.” Next thing I knew I was bolting for the door with a head full of ambitious steam. The very next day I had installations on my schedule and I have never looked back….check that…I look back once a year….. to celebrate that layoff like a birthday! I wonder where I would be today if that diguised blessing had never taken place. We can safely assume that Helser Brothers would not exist and that I would not have a fraction of the freedom that I enjoy today!
At family dinner the other night it occured to me that you guys might find our lazy susan interesting. Our table is a very social 108″ square which seats our seven and an additional 5 very comfortably. The problem was that we literally had to stand up to reach things and were constantly passing things around (risky with little kids.)
We found a nice round Tableaux in our warehouse that had reached the end of it’s life as a showroom display and touched it up in a few spots….
This super-duper, heavy duty, quiet, and smooth turntable at Rockler woodworking supplies looked perfect, so we ordered one and screwed it to the bottom of the Tableaux….
We then slapped a 48″ tabletop from Pier 1 Imports on it, and voila! Even with a large and uneven load this baby performs like a dream!
There was a question on the Custom Home Furnishings forum regarding the mounting of a reverse-mounted RBS roman shade on the wall. This video illustrates the solution that we recommend.
As aficionados of the high end shelter magazines, we have been intrigued with the small, sleek return-to-wall rods we see partnered with extra small rings. Very understated and elegant, the look is appropriate for any décor.
Ever striving to better our product offering, Helser Brothers recently purchased the equipment to make this type of rod a part of our line. We’re calling it a French Pole assembly because it is “tres petite!”
The French Pole is available in our 7/8” and in an even smaller diameter, 5/8”. Both rods look great paired with the extra small rings. And don’t forget we offer 4 lengths of wands already welded to the extra small ring so your treatment can be operational. The new line is available with a pared down version of our horizontal support bracket with a 3” X 1-1/2” back plate, you just specify your choice of clearance.
“Compositions” is the name of one of our patent pending drapery hardware concepts and now the trademark is official! This is a revolutionary new concept that provides creative design flexibility by allowing the mixing and matching of finial components. It has been very well received in our industry and appears to have a very bright future.
Can someone explain to me how this video gets viewed over one half million times in 2 years? This video is an ultra simple slide show with a variety of transitions and a nice piano soundtrack. Hey, don’t get me wrong, they are nice shots but any person vaguely familiar with computers should be able to whip out a video like this in a couple of hours or less. THIS VIDEO WAS VIEWED 558,248 TIMES!!!!! Are the designs that good or are consumers just that nutty about interior design? I have a hunch that YouTube is just THAT powerful.
“Super talented fabric wiz, Liz Ware of Details Pattern Company has produced a pattern for this truly innovative layered roman shade. Each scalloped layer is pulled up behind one another as the shade is raised creating a a great stacked effect at the bottom.” read more…
It’s stuff like this that has made such huge fans of the Jackie Blue Home blog. Go check it out for yourself.
One of our top clients and good friend Karen Barnes of “The Elegant Window” did very well at the WOW awards this year. Karen was the recipient of Workroom of the Year, 1st place for Specialty Windows, and 2nd place for Top Treatments within the Ingenuity Workroom Competition for the interpretation and fabrication of window fashion designs created by designer Alisha Newman of IBD Studio! What a haul!
We move tons of Tableaux and so naturally over time end up with an “island of misfits”. These build up for a variety of reasons including mis-measures and shipping damage and are available with dramatic discounts. Chances are that you will not find one that is a perfect inside-mount fit, but a surface mounted tableaux may be just what that space above the fireplace needs.
We maintain a PDF form (see screenshot to the left) which has all available traceries and is available via email by request.
Quelle Opportunité Fantastique!
The trip includes a Cruise on the Seine and a visit to the Louvre among many other delights. It is truly the trip of a lifetime. There are a few qualifications, a passport, an engaging personality, and the ability to share the journey as you blog for us through 7 days of non-stop Francophile fun. You will get to be our eyes and ears on this trip, submitting daily posts about the products you see and your ongoing adventure.See the fine print below for details on just what is included in this offer and apply today! The trip is coming fast so we need to choose a winner on November 30th. Just send an e-mail to sendmetoparis@helserbrothers.com explaining why you are the perfect person for the job, then keep an eye on www.whyhelser.com for the big announcement. Ooh la la! (Wow in French – start practicing!)
Let me put it to ya this way…. If you ever start thinking that you’ve got a good handle on approaching trends and that you are on the cutting edge of window coverings industry, attend Debs seminar, and you just might discover that you aren’t 
Case in point; our clientelle is strictly “trade only” and we know that wholesale clientelle VERY well, but Deb just took us on a wild ride through the mind of todays end-use-consumer….Um…..lets just say….they are not your fathers window covering consumers! Among other things, they are far more savvy and may actually understand a thing or two about draperies. This served as a powerful reminder that even though we do not deal 
“Compositions” is the name of one of our patent pending drapery hardware concepts and now the trademark is official! This is a revolutionary new concept that provides creative design flexibility by allowing the mixing and matching of finial components. It has been very well received in our industry and appears to have a very bright future.
