Maitland-Smith

After While, Crocodile

The familiar lyrics of the song recorded by Bill Haley and the Comets say, "See you later, Alligator," with the response, "After while, crocodile."  But once you get these whimsical alligator-inspired pieces by Maitland-Smith in your home, you won't want to say goodbye or later to any of them. 

A cigar-smoking croc with attitude is ready to hold your beverage while you sit in your favorite chair enjoying a book or ballgame on TV.   His tray has beautiful inlaid marquetry and a brass gallery.   
Whimsy defines this accessory of a well-dressed turn-of-the-century lady strolling the avenue with her pet alligator.  It's sure to get a second look because of it's absurdity. 

A bat-swinging, baseball playing croc is a fun accessory that makes a statement on a desk or table.

This croc is using his tail to hold a favorite summertime wine. 

These are fun pieces that are sure to generate comments from your friends.  If you  happen to know a Florida Gator fan, these would make wonderful gifts.

Besides these items, Maitland-Smith has other alligator pieces for desk and tabletop.   Visit the website, to see more crocs as well as monkeys, turtles and other critters that will add a touch of whimsy to your home. 

Elegant and distinctive pieces for your home today, with quality and style to last a lifetime…..Do you have a Maitland-Smith treasure?

A Frog's Life

Kermit the Frog sings a song,  "It isn't easy being green...."  But the frog's life can't be all that bad.   By the time Kermit finishes the song, he says, "I am green, and it'll do fine, it's beautiful!  And I think it's what I want to be."  

We all love Kermit, and frogs, despite being amphibians, are sometimes kind of cute. 

At the recent April market, we introduced several accessories with the popular frog motif. 

First is a best-selling new lamp added to the Maitland-Smith collection of lighting.  The cast brass frog is flying his kite of tiger penshell, while standing on his lily pad.  A real conversaton starter, it is sure to be noticed because of its whimsy. 

Next we have a helpful frog who is happy to hold and display your favorite summertime wine.  He, too is cast brass and has dyed green penshell accents.   

In case you are wondering, penshell is a mollusk found in abundance in the tropical waters of the western Pacific.  Tiger Penshell is so named because of the coloration of gold and brown.  It can be used in a variety of ways, most notably as lamp shades because of the beautiful diffusion of light. 

This frog's umbrella got away with him on a windy day.  For this accessory, the umbrella forms a bowl that can be used to hold soaps in the powder room, or keys on an entry table. 

If you love frogs, be sure to check our website where we have other frog-inspired lamps and accessories.

Kermit the Frog is known for his quotes, so I leave you with this one: 

"Here's some simple advice: Always be yourself.  Never take yourself too seriously.  And beware of advice from experts, pigs and from members of Parliament."  Good advice. 

Elegant and distinctive pieces for your home today, with quality and style to last a lifetime..... Do you have a Maitland-Smith treasure?   www.maitland-smith.com

    

Proud to be An American

America's birthday came and went a couple of weeks ago as I and many others were out of town on the annual summer vacation.  Even though the Fourth of July with its picnics and fireworks has passed, it is never too late to take pride in being an American.

Recently one of our employees from the Philippines, Greg Tan (and his family), received their American citizenship, and we all joined together to commemorate this event.  

Many of us born here take our citizenship for granted.  But for those from other countries who find it a goal and choose to pursue it, the appreciation is far greater. 

  

As we celebrated with Greg, it reminded us of all the benefits we have here in the "greatest country in the world."  Here is a poem that was read to Greg at his party.  

Now you are one of us, American through and through.  Not born in the USA, But with a citizenship brand new.

Congratulations!  Hip, Hip Hooray, To each in the Greg Tan clan!  May you now enjoy the privileges, Of your new adopted land.

To vote, of course, is number one, Pay taxes to "Uncle Sam."  Nobody likes to do it, But we must or we're in a jam.

Liberty's statue with torch held high, Thanksgiving, July Four, Baseball, hot dogs and apple pie, With blessings more and more.

Red, white and blue our colors, The White House and Capitol, too -These you can now take pride in, As we celebrate with you.

Best wishes, friendship, peace... Today we sing your praise.  Congratulations once again, And to you our glass we raise. 

As we were enjoying the excitement and seeing a little of what it meant to Greg and his family to now be Americans, I was challenged to stop and take a moment to be thankful, and to remember the servicemen and women and their families who have sacrificed so much.  Happy Fourth of July everyone (even though it is two weeks late)!

Elegant and distinctive pieces for your home today, with quality and style to last a lifetime....Do you have a Maitland-Smith treasure?  www.maitland-smith.com

Home Furnishings Trivia

Are you one who enjoys adding trivia to your bank of knowledge?  Is Jeopardy your favorite TV show?  Then perhaps you are facinated by learning and love to expand your mind. 

Working in home furnishings has opened up a whole new vocabulary of terms, which constantly drives me to the dictionary. At Maitland-Smith, we were fortunate to have our own historian, Howard Shattuck, working with us for over 20 years.  Howard had a wealth of knowledge and could expound on the history of furnishings and entertain for hours on end.   He often held seminars in our various dealer locations where he was popular with sales personel and consumers as well.   Howard recently retired, but his legacy lives on here at Maitland-Smith.

It was from Howard that I first heard many new words including "rhyton, singerie, and borne."  If you are curious, please read on. 

A rhyton is any of various ornate drinking vessels of ancient times typically shaped in part like an animal or animal's head.    

This Maitland-Smith rhyton is a faux steer's horn with finely cast brass accents.  It can be used as a decorative accessory or vase.

Another word new to me is "singerie," which is a humorous picture of monkeys, fashionably attired, copying human behavior.  These anthropomorphic monkeys were painted by several French painters in the 18th century.  The Encyclopedia of Furniture defines singerie as "Rococo decoration of monkeys at play."  Maitland-Smith is known for the many monkeys in our line. See the blog dated, April 22, "I'll Be A Monkey's Uncle."  

 
Here we have a monkey artist at his easel, wearing a  top hat and coat.  This wall panel is hand-painted coromandel. 

Lastly, the definition of "borne" from The Encyclopedia of Furniture, is a "French type of sofa, oval or round with a pillar in the center." This Maitland-Smith borne has an antique mahogany finish and tufted leather.  It is customizable using our ONE, Singularly Crafted for You program and our Design Express upholstery program.   
My experience has been that as soon as I learn a new word, I see or hear it.  Who knows, one of these words may be an answer for a question on Jeopardy.  If so, you will amaze your family with your knowledge. 

Stay tuned for more home furnishings trivia.  There are lots more interesting words to explore, for example, coromandel, which is used to describe the singerie wall panel above and Rococo, part of the definition. 

Perhaps you can send me to the dictionary with one of your home furnishings trivia words.  Nevertheless, it's fun to learn, even if only for personal enjoyment.

Elegant and distinctive pieces for your home today, with quality and style to last a lifetime.... Do you have a Maitland-Smith treasure?  www.maitland-smith.com

 

Maitland for Men

Let's face it.  Men and women are different.  The book, "Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus" put into words what we already knew.

Men love to have a space that is just for them --  An escape for their sports viewing, game playing and just getting together with the guys.  The term, "man cave" was recently coined to describe a dedicated space for the man of the house.  The term, "cave," gives the idea that the space is definitely masculine and can be rudimentary, but it doesn't have to be. 

We know it's not fair to attempt to put all men into the same category.  Not all men are sports enthusiasts, but they still love their space. 

For the man who loves to read and enjoy a quiet space alone, a comfortable wing chair, side table and good lighting are just what the doctor ordered.  This cigar-smoking crocodile stands ready to assist in holding the favorite beverage. 

 For the card players, a well-suited "man cave" must have a great card table with comfortable chairs.  Our Texas holdem table was featured on a blog dated June 1.   

If pool is the game of choice, take a look at this gorgeous, extraordinary Maitland-Smith mahogany pool table.  Tournament size, it has extra heavy frame construction with best quality, three piece slate 1-1/8" thick, and wide rails inlaid with mother of pearl diamonds.  Black leather is inlaid over the mahogany and the table is finished with brass accents.  Pockets are leather and Simonis cloth on the playing surface gives accuracy and precison.   This table is made with the same attention to detail as our other fine furniture. 

If pool isn't the game of preference, and space is a consideration, perhaps a foosball table will be just the thing to stir up a little competition. This one is unique.  The players in Maitland-Smith whimisical fashion are lions and monkeys.  Who could resist a rousing game between these opponents?

These are just a few of the fine-quality gaming items from Maitland-Smith that are suitable for the "man cave" in your home.   Visit our website at www.maitland-smith.com to see the wide selection of game and card tables, barstools, flat screen TV cabinets and accessories that are certain to create the perfect hideaway.  

 Elegant and distinctive pieces for your home today with quality and style to last a lifetime.... Do you have a Maitland-Smith treasure?

Whimsy

I read an article in Home Accents Today that quotes buyers at the recent Las Vegas market who were looking for unusual, whimsical accessories.  What caught my attention was a reference to "frogs doing a conga line." 

Well, look no further if whimsy is on the mind.  Maitland-Smith has lots of whimsy from the animal kingdom to choose from -- from frogs and monkeys to turtles and foxes. 

Do you remember the big word from high school literature class, "anthropomorphism"?  Meaning to attribute human characteristics to animals, a great example is this fox and frog pair dressed in their overcoats out for a stroll.  This cast brass couple was introduced to our line during the April furniture market.  

Sure to liven up your powder room is this chubby frog with a toilet tissue tongue.  Also of cast brass, he has a verdigis and dark bronze finish and sits on a stone base.  He comes in a smaller version for a desk as a tape dispenser.

Following are a few more examples of our whimsical frog pieces.  These royal frogs are busy holding up books while sitting on their thrones. 

  
This resting frog under a penshell blossom is perhaps waiting for a beautiful maiden's kiss to turn him into a prince.

We can't forget the monkeys. This lamp showcases several of the Maitland-Smith hand-crafted processes.  The monkey is lost-wax cast brass, the shade is inlaid penshell and the base and ball are hand-tooled leather.  This lamp has been often copied, but never duplicated.  Imitation, they say, is the sincerest form of flattery. 

These are just a few selections of the Maitland-Smith whimsy.  If  you are looking for frogs doing yoga, monkey lamps, boxing frogs, frog bookends or frog-adorned clocks, look to Maitland-Smith.  We have a table with turtle feet and dancing turtles, and for the not-so-faint-in-heart, there is a brass dog looking for a fire hydrant with his hind leg lifted.
Okay . . . here he is. I wasn't going to show him, but couldn't resist.  He is a very popular item, believe it or not. 

Besides becoming conversation pieces, whimsy in home decor is unexpected and just plain fun.  Have some fun today and add a few whimsical pieces to your home. 

www.maitland-smith.com  

Your Design Style

Consistent Connoisseur... that's my decorating style according to the style quiz on the Furniture Brands website.  Taking the quiz takes a few minutes, but it is just plain fun and worth the time it takes!

Most of us know what we like and what we don't like and yet definition and confirmation seem to enhance our sense of who we are.  There probably won't be any surprises with the results, but then again, maybe there will be. 

Do you like clean, modern lines or are you one who loves the classics?  Do you like cozy, shabby chic, or must everyting be crisp, clean and neat?  Do you like to mix it up?  Do you shop often? Do you look for bargains? 

 This is what greets you which you go to the link:

Hey there, rockstar!

How you decorate says a lot about you.  Discover the skinny behind your unique approach to design with our interactive StyleFinder Quiz.  We should warn you, it's fast, fun, and wildly addictive!

This got my attention right away.  When you find a few minutes to spare, take the quiz at www.furniturebrands.com/Quiz/ to determine your decorating style.  You may be a "Consistent Connoisseur" like me, a "Distinctive Designer" or maybe a "Service Seeker." Whatever style describes you, your good taste always shines through.  After all -- you love Maitland-Smith, and we are all about good taste and style.

www.maitland-smith.com