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Our Jan. White Sale is over…but these tips can make any bed or bath fabulous!

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:12:21 +0100

Whoever said nothing in life is free, they were wrong. People are always willing to give free advice, for example, whether we want it or not! But I hope these free tips on ways to spruce up your bathroom, bedroom and dining room are the kind of advice you will value.

Our January White Sale just ended, but great value and ideas are still flowing here at Provençal Home. I hope these fun tips get your creative juices flowing and please stop in to see our bedding, bath and linen selections as well as new spring arrivals.

1) My wife loves to use a crystal bowl or decorative plates as a catch all for jewelry or a place to hold her pearls as opposed to putting them away. This way she gets to enjoy them even when not wearing them and it dresses up any bedside table or vanity.

2) She also loves to rearrange furniture and you’ll be amazed at how something can look new just by moving it to another room. We just moved our game table into our bedroom as a small sitting area and the boys love to sit and play chess as an escape from their 2-year-old baby brother.

3) At Provencal Home, we love baskets. They add rich texture and warmth to any room plus lots of great storage for throws, toys, towels and more.

With our kids, they always want to be where we are so we use a large basket in our master bedroom to store toys so you aren’t always carting them back to the kids’ room or playroom. Great for magazines or books as well!

4) In the winter months, keep plenty of luxurious throws around to fold and drape across the corner of a bed for added interest (or an afternoon nap) or as a pop of color on the back of your sofa.

5) Do you have an old fur or faux fur coat that doesn't quite fit, is out of date or damaged? Rather than toss it, you can remake it into throw pillows for an unexpected touch of texture and luxury making any bed more inviting.

6) With flat screen TVs, it opens up all kinds of options for furniture pieces in the bedroom to hold your TV. You could hang the TV on the wall over a desk or use a dining buffet you’ve been trying to find a home for; great storage for remotes, DVDs and books.

If you have tips of your own or needs ideas, we’d love to hear them. Comment here; find us on www.facebook.com/provencalhome, or on Twitter at @David_Provencal.

Happy New Year

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:10:37 +0100

Our best wishes for a very happy 2012! I'm excited to share two new things with you to kick off the new year.

First, our annual Winter White Sale has launched and will run through Jan. 31. You can save 20% off bedding, down products, tabel linens and more. And, save 10% off the purchase of any bed with the purchase of bed linens. Stop in today for some fantastic deals on our high-quality, well-designed selection of linens.

Also, we're thrilled to bring back some pieces from a favorite manufacturer, Classic Leather from Hickory, N.C. Classic Leather is the oldest manufacturer of leather-upholstered furniture in the United States - the quality and value speak for themselves. You can see a picture of their popular Coolidge Sofa on our home page, and several other pieces in the store today.

Hope to see you soon.

Just Two Days

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:56:58 +0100

We're getting close - but there's still plenty of time to find the perfect Christmas gift if you haven't finished shopping yet. Today's idea is an elegant desk set - it adds a touch of comfort and class to anyone's home office. Sophisticated and practical, it's a great gift for anyone on your list.

Perfect Year Round

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:18:55 +0100

Some of the items we're most proud to carry, and about which the fresh appearance will surprise you, are our silk and dried floral arrangements - you won't find better quality anywhere. Who doesn't want a perfect centerpiece out for Christmas? It's perfect for anyone on your list or a great hostess gift for Christmas Eve gatherings -- and no need to water or replace. Just a few of our selections are below. With three shopping days left we still can help you find the perfect gift - hope to see you before Sunday.

Perfect for a Book Lover

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:07:43 +0100

Time for our next gift idea -- perfect for the book lover in your life, or anyone who wants to display some favorite books, bookends. We have a number of styles, just two of which are pictured here. They are a classic gift and easy to pick something completely personal for someone on your list.

We're open through Christmas Eve for even the most last minute shoppers, hope we can help you find the perfect gift.

Jan Barboglio Accessories

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 03:18:55 +0100

Just five days til the big day and we still have plenty of gift ideas. One of my favorite things we carry, year round, is a line of accessories from Jan Barboglio. Jan is an extremely talented and well-known and well-followed designer. Each of her iron accessories is hand made and the quality and style are immediately recognizeable. A photo of just a few of the pieces we carry is below. Anyone on your gift list who receives one of these is sure to be delighted!

Christmas in Italy

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 19:55:34 +0100

Okay, not exactly, but for our next great Christmas gift idea (only eight days to go) - we couldn't resist recommending this collection of Arte Italica dinnerware. Arte Italica is made in Hicksville, New York, using centuries-old Italian designs and traditions. We carry all of their lines but this set especially transports us to the old world. From serving pieces to sets, we can help you put the perfect gift together for anyone on your list. Happy shopping!

Nine Days To Go

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:15:39 +0100

Yes, hard to believe but there are only nine days til Christmas. And if you are like me, you probably still need some great gift ideas. Not to worry, we've collected some great ideas to make shopping a breeze, and we'll be in the store through Christmas Eve to help even the most last minute of shoppers.

On the ninth day before Christmas, the gift idea that came to me is.... a wall clock. (maybe it was the idea that time is ticking that brought this to the top of the list :-) ). We have a great selection of clocks (just a few shown here), that look great in any room and are reasonably priced. Clocks make great gifts, they are attractive, practical and classic (timeless?).

Hope to see you in the store soon, and stay tuned for tomorrow's idea.

How to Choose a Rug

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:34:34 +0100

One of the things we enjoy helping customers with the most is finding a rug for their home. Rugs can transform the look of a room instantly and the intricate designs and rich colors can often become a focal point for a room.

We carry a very large selection of rugs ranging from extremely durable to handmade works of art, from a wide variety of manufacturers. Some of our favorites come from Kalaty Rug Corp, based in New York City. This family-owned company was originally started in the early 1900’s in Iran and today is led by Mirza Kalaty and his sons -- third and fourth generation artisans. They bring old-world patterns and quality together with modern colors and design. We just added a new page to our site to show just a small selection of the rugs we carry.

In addition to helping customers navigate the colors and patterns as they select a rug, we often also answer questions about manufacturing techniques. Don, our resident “rug guru” recently filmed a short video about the how rugs are made and considerations in selecting one which you can see on our YouTube channel .

Come visit us and we’ll be happy to give you a tour of our rug selection, we know we have one you will fall in love with!

P.S. Thanks to our visitors from Small Business Saturday! Are you on Twitter? Be sure to follow us, @david_provencal -- we will be offering more specials through Twitter soon!

We're Part of Small Business Saturday

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:05:34 +0100

We’re excited to take part in Small Business Saturday this year! This is a national movement, kicked off by American Express, to support small businesses with holiday shopping. Amex customers who register their card with Amex and support a participating small business on this Saturday (Nov. 26) and spend at least $25 will receive a $25 statement credit.

We’ve been a small, family-owned business for 17 years so we know how hard, yet how rewarding it can be to run a small business. We know a number of other Austin companies are participating as well so if you are holiday shopping this weekend be sure to come see us and be sure to give other Austin small businesses your support as well.

We have some great holiday shopping gift ideas and specials and our whole team will be here through the weekend to help you out. I hope we see you!

Are you on Twitter? Log in today, follow me @david_provencal, and share your favorite story about shopping over Thanksgiving weekend for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate. Just be sure to tag your tweet with #ProvencalHome so we see it. We'll pick a winner on Friday.

Happy Thanksgiving!