Mitchell Gold, who is one half of Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, will be in Baltimore next week to announce his new book, The Comfortable Home: How to Invest in Your Nest and Live Well for Less (Clarkson Potter/Melcher Media, 2009, $35.00). 
This new book is a reflection on the current economic state, where we have less money to spend, but still want a warm, comfortable and beautiful place to live. 
In the book, Mitchell and Bob suggest that the key to smart investing in your home is planning. In this vein, they introduce readers to their simple yet effective approaches to color, furniture arrangement, and accessorizing, while also providing tips on how to get in touch with what you like and need before making any big decisions.
I stopped by The House Downtown, where the book event will be held next week, today at lunch. 
It’s one of my favourite places to get presents for friends and family, and also to browse. 
The House Downtown is the only independent retailer in Maryland authorized to carry Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams furniture.
To celebrate this event and the new book, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams have offered me a signed copy of the new book for one of my readers.
I am going to make this easy for you to enter: Just leave me a comment and tell me your favourite way to have a comfortable home. As usual, the wicked Connor will be the judge and it will be completely subjective. The deadline to enter is Wednesday, March 10, at 6:00 p.m. We will ship the book to the winner, along with something from the Pigtown collection!
My favorite way to have a comfortable home is to keep it from being "fussy". You can curl up on the couch, there's warm throws to wrap up in, BIG coasters for drinks and open areas to move about easily in.
ReplyDeleteYou must have rooms that are usable! Meaning comfortable, beautiful furniture that is not for show. Plump down pretty pillows for movie watching and good lighting to curl up with a book anywhere.
ReplyDeleteTo have a comfortable home, you must have lots of natural light during the day and cozy lit lamps at night. Topped off with a great smelling candle, and that is comfort to me!
ReplyDeleteComfortable seating, good lamps to read by, plenty of books, art that reflects you and something good cooking in the kitchen. I love it when people come into my home and exclaim, "My god, it smells good in here!"
ReplyDeletep.s. I've had workers in and out of my house since mid-December (bath remodel). I bake during the days they've been here and send them home with treats. I hoping good karma shows up in their work. So for only one really, really bad experience!
I LOVE the new picture that replaces the snowman. Spring is just around the corner.
ReplyDeleteComfortable seating really does make a room warm and inviting. And Michael and Bob know just how to make it.
Best wishes
I don't know what the key is to having a comfortable home. I just use what I love and that makes me happy which in turn makes me comfortable, and I think if the owners are comfortable than so are the guests. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!
ReplyDeleteLove your new banner pic! And thanks for the chance to win the book, I love their furniture!
Kat :)
I wanted to share this comment from my friend Ricki... She has lots of great ideas!
ReplyDeleteHi Meg,
Having a comfortable home that's kid-friendly and dog-friendly has always been our focus and sometimes a challenge. When we have guests, we want them to make themselves at home, to feel at ease and relaxed.
These are the rules we've tried to keep:
1. Make sofas and chairs comfortable enough to curl up in, but durable enough to withstand spills, etc. I don'[t want to have to worry if someone puts their feet up, or is juggling wine and drippy food.
2. Choose floor coverings that are forgiving, i.e. glazed Mexican tile in the kitchen---nothing shows on it! Hardwood if possible with, preferably old, Oriental or Oriental-style rugs. Ditto, nothing shows!
3. Slipcover chairs and sofas if possible. I actually have a Mitchell Gold sofa in our house in Canada from Pottery Barn (one of the only benefits to living in Memphis is that they have a Pottery Barn Outlet and used to have warehouse sales with unbelievable discounts!). It and the chairs are covered in an off white twill. The slipcovers have survived everything from chocolate, mud, red wine spills--and we're talking about an entire glass! The savior was soaking for 4 days in Oxyclean and washing in the machine and drying in the sun.
4. If you don't like slipcovers, we have ultra-suede type on our sofas in Memphis. I actually took samples of the fabric, allowed Winston and Georgia, our Shar Peis to drool on it (Winston especially drools like a bulldog), let it dry and wiped it with a damp cloth. Voila, no stains! The damp cloth really takes out the worry.
5. Give people things to look at in your home: stacks of books, gatherings of found objects, a grouping of photos or small painting, manageable groups of something you collect. etc. Make it warm with little vignettes that draw the eye and make people want to pick it up and look at it or touch it. It doesn't need to be fine art, just something interesting or feels good in a tactile way.
6. Think about which colors give you a sense of completeness: beach tones, warm and cozy, neutrals so you have a free palette.
7. Always have plenty of food and drink. It doesn't have to be the best wine or the fanciest food, just let friends and family feel welcome. Don't be absent in the kitchen, choose things that can be prepared ahead of time or things that your friends can make themselves: fondue, spring rolls, tacos. Or have a big pot of soup, gumbo, stew, or chili.
8. Let music set the mood, but don't overpower conversation.
9. Have furniture close enough so people can really talk to each other.
10. Enjoy!
Ricki
I like to have lots of big, soft blankets to curl up with and I surround myself with photos of family, friends and special places I've visited. Memories of happy times are always comfortable and comforting! :o)
ReplyDeleteGreat looking store, for sure! Tell Mitch I said hi!
ReplyDeleteHope to see you soon!
Eddie
I love the all white room. I just want to come home and lay down in a bed without having clutter around me!
ReplyDeleteI love to have good food for all, nice music and a just right sofa or chair to chat the night away!
ReplyDeletehave always loved the Moroccan poufs- an aunt brought one back from Morocco years ago - now they are in vogue - and pricey
ReplyDeleteI need a new sofa, but am too lazy to shop for one. Someday, I will make myself go to Mitchell Gold. I'll bet they have just the right sofa for me. Love their look.
ReplyDeleteThe best way to have a comfortable home is to surround yourself with people and things you love.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite way to have a comfortable home is all about color. While it's a personal preference, I'm most at home when there are bright, bold colors all around me, accenting my knick-knacks from all my travels.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite way to have a comfortable home is to be surrounded by books. I love to have books visible in every room. I enjoy the convenience of reading books on my iphone, but it will never replace the pleasure of sitting in a comfortable chair, preferable in the sun, reading my latest hardcover.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, thank you so much for providing the download of the Turgot Plan de Paris. I used it in my dining room and it totally completes the space!!
Hey...
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting!!! I'll look forward to seeing you at the event.
Besting Nesting
I think showing who you are in your home makes it comfortable: your colors, your likes, your collections, your quirkiness. If it is you, then you will be comfortable in it, and so will your friends and family.
ReplyDeleteAll of the comments have been really great. They encompass many of the things that make a home comfortable.
ReplyDeleteI like to take it one step further. I like to call it making a welcoming/welcome home. It is my personal philosophy that the reason for creating all of the comfort is so that you can invite people to share it with you. I have done many of the things mentioned by others.
I use durable yet stylish furntiure, I tell people to put their feet up by not filling the coffee table with vignettes, I always have a roaring fire on chilly days, we eat food that we prepared with care, we have a "help yourself" attitude in the kitchen, we always include children in our gatherings.
My home is decorated with layers of things that reflect our personality. You look around and you know that we love books, enjoy travel, treasure our family and honor the past.
Wow..I didn;t mean to be so long-winded. This topic really strikes a chord with me.
The best way to have a comfortable home is to surround yourself with things you love, select fabrics that have a nice "hand" and are comfortable and cozy. Choose colors that make you relaxed. I often find that the colors I choose clothing in are colors that I feel comfortable in, use that to help you select colors for your house. Last but not least, even when doing all the above, make a space that inspires you each and everyday. If you are inspired by the beach, have a great painting of the sea over your fireplace. If you are inspired by the orient, have a few, well chosen oriental artifacts displayed on a shelf etc...
ReplyDeleteCan you provide any info on the butterfly print -- 2nd photo from bottom???
ReplyDeleteMany thanks!
Rebecca R. Dyer
rebecca.r.dyer@gmail.com
Even though our home needs lots of work and has many outdated/unfinished aspects, it is comfortable because it is full of natural elements from terrariums to insect prints, the color palate is complimentary in each of the main rooms and there are many treasures found at thrift shops and estate sales. Some days it is very frustrating to be on a tight budget with lots of design ideas that can't be done but I think I'd rather build a family story a piece at a time than do it all at once. It makes our house feel really lived in and always in motion. If that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteP.S.- I adore the butterfly print!
a comfortable home is one where you look forward to at the end of long day at work, in the company of loved ones. please enter me for giveaway
ReplyDeleteWhen there's a cat curled up on my doormat and a dog stretched out across the kitchen floor, I think how lucky I am that THEY are so comfortable here. (shameless appeal to Connor... pick me!)
ReplyDeleteThe best way to achieve a comfortable home is to have what you love, but more importantly, to love what you have. I may adore clean lines and sharp contrasts, but my hubby and kids crave comfort. I love them and give them what they want in our home, but I always reserve a place for me - in my own space. A room of one's own is essential, no matter how many people you live with!
ReplyDeleteI don't allow my dogs on the furniture - I provide them with several soft beds throughout the house. Drool spots and dog hair where I'm supposed to be able to relax I find disgusting. I do love warm colors, even in the whites, with soft cushions which look as though you could actually rest your head upon them and not be poked by some faux jewel. Comfortable chairs and couches are more important than beautiful, contemporary pieces because one must make a choice. I detest tiny picture frames everywhere. Instead, I devote certain tucked away narrow walls to the display of photos which I have blown-up to a larger size, all with similar matting and frames. It gives a surprise and makes more of a statement, and leaves the tabletops free of clutter. Fresh greenery thoughtfully placed. Just the necessary furniture - no unnecessary pieces to crowd, confuse, and tire the eyes. Leave expansive walls empty, and beautifully colored - unadorned by too much art. That, and open windows for fresh air or some natural scent. The heavily perfumed candles seem cheesy. A wall of books, if one is so fortunate. These things make my house a joy to enter.
ReplyDeleteTo me, a comfortable home is a happy home, coming home to wagging tails, a place where our children love to be with us and with their friends, a warm refuge where our friends feel like no one's standing on ceremony. And of course, with all our animals, we have down dog beds (we call them duvets) all over the place and dog hair is just something we've gotten used to! I would love to know what makes your home comfortable, Meg?
ReplyDeleteA comfortable house has warm colors, unique and meaningful pieces, and a cat sleeping in the window!
ReplyDelete