I have 'L.S. Downsized' as well as 'Blue Haired Lady' (originally sold to me as 'Old Coot'). I love BHL, but LSD is a mini that you can easily overlook. If I have time I'll post a pic of BHL. The leaves are like the ears of a Lop eared rabbit. They're satiny and a cool shade of blue. I'm still looking for 'Old Coot', to keep my BHL company (poor thing). Yes Janice I can start a thread on secret gardens or grottos...that is if I ever get mine made. Right now its just a pic in my mind. Donna ;o)

I have a brocade, silk, and a designer (Donghia) fabrics that I am not sure of the fiber content. But it is fabulous in texture and color. With high quality natural fabrics you have to be careful. All natural fabrics will stain. As will natural cellulocis fabrics (rayon, acetate, lyocell) as there base is from a cellulose. Man-made fibers, such as nylon, polyester, acetate, will usually not stain, but they will melt. My dining room chairs are covered in a Zimmer & Rohdes beautiful cotton blend with some silk. They have had drips and spills, but seem to recover nicely. Always keep a large scrap of the fabric to test different cleaners on if the need arises for cleaning. This is the only way you will know whether a cleaner is safe and effective to use on that particular fabric. Always blot a spill-- never, never rub! Rubbing will only work the spill into the fibers. When you blot, blot gently. Heavy handed blotting can also work the spill into the fiber. Make sure that any fabric you select is made specifically for upholstery. Upholstery fabrics have a finish on them that help guard against staining and they are more durable. Don't believe anyone that tries to tell you otherwise. Most manufacture will list the uses for the fabric in the back of the swatch book. If it is not listed, contact them by phone or email. I find most manufactures are responsive to such inquires. Before you buy, check with the upholstery shop on the yardage needed. Like wallpaper, pattern repeat must be calculated, in addition to any self-welting. You want each chair to have the exact placement of the pattern. Silk must be backed with a lining before it can be used for upholstery. There is go way of getting around it. Without the backing the fabric will not hold its shape. No reputable furniture maker or upholstery shop will put un-backed silk on a piece. If the upholstery shop does not do the backing in their shop, they will be able to give you the name of a place that will back the silk for you. The upholstery fabric store might also offer this service. Other lightweight or loosely woven fabrics may require a lining as well. If you are unsure if a backing is needed, take a sample to the upholstery shop for evaluation before you buy.

Its great to hear that the project is moving forward! Just a few thoughts.......... I think putting the retail shelf by the workstation crowds things too much and does not give the client time to browse. Put the display in the seating area. I would not put a shelf up by the seating area to display retail items. They might get pilfered by clients who think they are "samples". Plus they could get knocked over all the time with clients bumping the shelves. They would get dusty on a shelf too. You want the products to looks fresh. I would put them in a small curio cabinet. One that is wide and not too deep, and has lots of glass, preferably on three sides, with minimal framing so as not to block the view of products. You can pick them up for a song on CL. Paint it black or a color to go with your wall color. Get it in a moderate size so as not to crowd the space with the two chairs. Angle chairs. I would use floating shelves by the work station. The brackets crowd the area. The chandy you chose looks great but maybe a bit heavy for the space being wrought iron or what ever metal it is. Maybe add a few more crystals? You can buy them at craft stores. If you Google 'mini chandelier' or 'kids room chandelier' you can see inexpensive ones that are lightweight in feel and a bit more sparkley. Maybe there is something else out there? Target? I would not do a mirror on the wall behind the workstation next to the bathroom door. Having two mirrors reflect into each other would give it that 'Cream of Wheat' effect. It would be too cluttery and give a tunnel look to the area. I know that mirrors are important to a salon but I have never seen a salon where this is done with mirrors. I would not use wicker baskets. Too Country. Metal would be noisy and plastic looks cheap. How about faux leather baskets? They come in many colors. Or ones covered in fabric that they sell? I've picked them up real cheap for my use at both Ikea and Homegoods. You can use them with or without the lids. Picture it without the newspaper. It comes in white, pink, other colors: I know I had said upholstery is probably out due to hair and dust and you agreed but what about slipcovered chairs? Upholstered chairs would be more comfortable and wouldn't be noisy like metal ones. You can get those dining room parsons chairs for a song on CL and a slipcover for $14.99. They even have 'shortie' ones that show some of the chair leg. You could change them out with the seasons and they can be washed anytime for freshening. Here is a link that might be useful: Slipcovers for Chairs

Nicole, the apartment we lived in before our current house was in a huge Victorian, divided up into 4 differently sized apartments. Our kitchen was tiny, and our fridge was in the pantry. I didn't mind too much because it was kind of cute. Also, when we first started looking around at houses, we fell in love with one immediately. This was bad, as we hadn't been approved for a mortgage yet, and we were going to open houses "just to see what's out there" (like going to the pet store to play with the puppies). The house was a Queen Anne, and the second floor had been turned into a huge master suite. The first floor was nice enough, and it had a finished basement. We were thinking we'd better get on the horn to the bank b/c we thought we'd like to make an offer. We asked the real estate agent why the price was kind of low, and she said, "well, umm, I guess because there isn't really a kitchen?" Ha! It was true. There were a couple of kitchen-like rooms, but appliances were separated from each other and it was a weird arrangement with weird passageways. We loved the 2nd floor so much that we hadn't even noticed the kitchen (we were young and clueless). Thankfully, someone made an offer on the house the same day, so we were spared what would have been a big and costly remodel.