Sue2004, I am happy to hear that you learned something. Learning is not only satisfying, but it gives you the confidence to more forward! My knowledge is from years of interest in art, coupled by a need to furnish my home. While in Europe in 1984, I was exposed to a tremendous amount of art and a tremendous number of people that knew something about art. Subsequent to my return home, I enrolled in art history classes. It happened that one of my professors was very interested in architecture and furniture, so she incorporated these elements into her classes. Many of these classes required field trips to local museums and stores to see styles. A great deal of my knowledge comes from reading. I buy books on the subjectsor not. Sometimes I just sit at Barnes and Nobles and read parts of books that I think are interesting, but way overpriced. Your computer is a great tool. I am the research Queen. I am not sure I explain fully how I do it, but I manage to find a tremendous amount of info on just about any subject by using google. Try this method. You over-hear someone mention a pair of mahogany Chippendale chairs sold at auction for $150,000. So your interest is piquedÂwhy would someone pay that much money for Chippendale chairs? And by the way, what or who is Chippendale? To learn something about Chippendale, google: "define Chippendale" or "about Chippendale furniture." One source often leads to many other sources of information. You will find resources from art institutes, universities, auction houses, and just plain old fans of Chippendale furniture. When you see terms that you do not know, open a second Explorer window and google them. In an hourÂs time, you can read enough about Chippendale to learn who he was; learn which three styles influenced his style; and learn what impact his style had on the furniture world. You will then understand why someone paid $150k for two Chippendale chairs. And after viewing a number of photos of Chippendale furniture, you will be able to recognize the style when you walk into a showroom. Read magazines-good magazines: Architectural Digest, Veranda, Metropolitan Home. DonÂt just look at the pictures, read the articles. Read the little by-lines next to the photo montage of new productsÂsome of those little snippets have a lot of info. They will also pique your interest: they introduce new products, mention companies that you may never of heard of before, and cue you into design stylesÂ"Aaah, so thatÂs what Italian Deruta pottery looks like." steve o I guess I look at enduring style differently. I do not consider contemporary design as stuck in mid-century work. Applying definitive elements of a style keeps that style alive. The masterÂs work defines the style; those that follow keep the style alive. Use my example of Chippendale above. Initially, he carved in the traditional styles. Over time, he blended three other styles and his blend became a style in its own right. Now, if no one came along to continue making furniture using the defining elements of Chippendale style, it may very well have died off. Once the master defines the style, I do not think you can really take it much beyond that point. Its defining elements are established. When you move beyond the defining elements, you hybrid a style and it is no longer authentic. The new elements become style detractions that purest refuse to accept. The only logical step is to make additional changes to create a totally new style. Much like what Chippendale didÂto the delight of those of us that cannot stand Rococo anything. Okay, maybe the paintings of Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun; but her painting was strongly influenced by the Neo-Classical style. That said, I agree, steve o, there are few designers capable of creating a new style.

Astute summation, palimpsest. I would also call my decor choices transitional, bee. A bit rustic, a bit modern. I an obsessed with Restoration Hardware and their weathered neutrals with layered textures and architectural elements. I do, however, strongly dislike the term "transitional." It sounds like an accusation. Like I haven't quite decided what it is I like yet. Liek I have comittment issues, (which I may, but I still don't like it.) Eclectic sounds to flakey. Shabby chic, nope, def. not. I would like to change the term to "Encompassing" design. Or "Harmonic". Any thoughts? LOL

I have Ceasarstone Organic White in my kitchen and two bathrooms. I loved it when we installed it (January 2014) and I love it now. Seeing crumbs and spills is a good thing - we're more likely to clean up what we can see (I had a very swirly granite in my previous home, so I know whereof I speak). No stains, no yellowing, no chips.

Overall, the current design shift is towards Modern design principals, which is why it can be confusing. And there are a lot of good interpretations of Modern classic designs being redone to be placed in Contemporary spaces. But, overall, good design isn’t going to be WalMartable. Sure, with the right discernment and design sensibility, you can pluck out a few cheepchinesecrapola piec s to mix in with good quality. That’s true of any design style. But if you buy 100% of your room from mass market sources, you are not investing in things that will be considered classic or valuable in 50 years time. You’re buying Contemporary, which generally has an element of kitsch creeping into it rather than being a faithful copy of a more expensive quality piece. And some people don’t care about design to that level one single bit. But they usualky don’t post here. They buy the $30 gallon of blue paint and black blobby leather sofa and a 60” TV and call the room done.