Welcome to Inspirations

For some Halloween fun, we gave some of our staff a little challenge: Each was given a "Haunted House" to design an interior for.  Here are their idea boards...

We love autumn in New England and enjoy taking time to appreciate the majestic rolling hills of color that surround our location.  The scenery is fresh and everchanging just like our selections of beautifully custom-made upholstery, dining rooms, bedrooms and fine accessories. Take a leisurely drive down Dresser Hill Road to visit our gorgeous showrooms during the month of October: it will provide you with nothing but treats for your senses!   You don’t get tricks when you walk through our doors, but you will have fun with our creative staff, designing exceptional American-made furniture especially for your home!

As the kids go off to school and our beloved New England Fall returns, you may find yourself spending more time at the family dining table helping with homework, preparing meals, or even doing some early gift wrapping!  The most hardworking piece of furniture in your home can be equally as stunning!  Our unique dining sets will summon the legacy of our country’s master craftsmen.  We represent artisans who “Still make em’ like they used to” producing heirloom quality American works of art that you can pass down through your family’s generations!

Here in New England, early spring can be a bit gloomy.  Our “April Showers” can feel cold and dank until later in the month when the warmer weather sets in.  As much as we love grey as a modern neutral, we crave color! Now is a great season to liven up your décor with a big splash (or small accent) of fresh color.  Here are some of our favorite examples…

Greenery is a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring when nature’s greens revive, restore and renew. Illustrative of flourishing foliage and the lushness of the great outdoors, the fortifying attributes of Greenery signals consumers to take a deep breath, oxygenate and reinvigorate.

Greenery is nature’s neutral. The more submerged people are in modern life, the greater their innate craving to immerse themselves in the physical beauty and inherent unity of the natural world. This shift is reflected by the proliferation of all things expressive of Greenery in daily lives through urban planning, architecture, lifestyle and design choices globally. A constant on the periphery, Greenery is now being pulled to the forefront - it is an omnipresent hue around the world.

A life-affirming shade, Greenery is also emblematic of the pursuit of personal passions and vitality.

– from www.pantone.com

See their beautiful video here:

https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2017

And come and see it here at Charlton Furniture...

 

 

Everyone loves a great Christmas movie and “Home Alone” is one of our favorites!  As adorable as the story is, we can’t stop thinking about that beautiful house!  Learn more about it on our blog today!

Learn more here:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/ct-biz-home-alone-house-may5-photogallery.html

"It took almost a year, but a new owner paid $1.585 million in 2012 for the right to slide down the foyer stairs of the red-brick Winnetka Georgian immortalized in 'Home Alone.' Here are some images of the house as it was seen in 'Home Alone' and "Home Alone 2," as well as what the house looks like today."

First, a few statistics…

 American Business is Overwhelmingly Small Business

In 2012, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, there were 5.73 million employer firms in the U.S. Firms with fewer than 500 workers accounted for 99.7 percent of those businesses, and businesses with less than 20 workers made up 89.6 percent. Add in the number of nonemployer businesses – there were 23.0 million in 2013 – then the share of U.S. businesses with less than 20 workers increases to 97.9 percent.

Among employer C Corporations in 2012, 99.2 percent had less than 500 workers, and 86.2 percent had fewer than 20 employees.

-from http://sbecouncil.org/about-us/facts-and-data/

So what does that mean to the employees of Charlton Furniture?

Karen (19 years): Unlike “big-box” stores, we know what our local customers like and therefore are better equipped to fulfill their needs. I get great satisfaction knowing that we are helping our neighbors create the home of their dreams.

Lisa (about 1 year): My favorite part of working in a small business is the relationships I’ve created with the customers in the community. We really have their best interest at heart when selecting furniture for their home.

Valerie (12 years): As an employee of a small business, we “wear many hats.” I enjoy the diversity of my job but I really love knowing that what I do here matters (both to my fellow employees and our customers) At big companies, it’s easy to feel like just another cog in the machine.

Joe (2 ½ years): I like seeing our customers back in the store after they already had a delivery.  It’s nice to know that they are happy enough with their purchase to come back for more.  I think it’s reassuring for them to see me too, to be familiar with who is coming into their home.

Melissa (16 years): Family owned businesses are important in their strong commitment to quality and relation to their own family name. Their humanity in the workplace shows the care and concern for employees and customers as extended family.

Susan (since birth!): My father opened this store with a commitment to customer service.  We continue this tradition and I recognize its value every time a customer comes in and tells me that their parents, friends, or neighbors recommended us! We have a unique atmosphere at our store and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

“If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with!” – Dorothy, in The Wizard of Oz

Our designers, Deborah and Lisa found inspiration right here in our beautiful landscaping.  Drawing from the colors and textures of this colorful planting, they came up with a design plan that would complement any home. Come in and talk with them about how to bring top-quality furniture at great prices into your vision of a perfect home.

*Follow us on Instagram for more design inspiration! @charltonfurniture!