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PAGE A2, WHITY FREE PRES, Interiom ,FERUARY i4, 199 INTERIORS *INTERIORS INTERIORS e INTERIORS e INTERIORS Humour First came the smart home; now it's funny furaiture. In fact, humor in one's choice of home furriishings is, the designer say, one of the seasons's hottest trends. . But how can that be possiàble? Recause let's face it, there is usually nothing inherently amusing about a piece of furniture. Armohairs are flot stand-up comics. Coff'ee tables don't know any good jokes. ýýAnd whenwas the Iast time a-leather-sectionial starred in a Saturday Night Live sketch? No, wfo expect a lot from our furniture but we seldom expect it to entertain us. Yet the leading magazines are always talking about furniture that makes witty statements and creates huxnorous efl'ects. What can they be talldng about? The most obvious examples, of course, are in children's furniture where one popular item this year continues to be the bed shaped like a race car, speeding its owner off to dreamland. Humor in adult furniture is more subtie --" whimsical, mischievous, playful, perhaps a touch eccentric and, as we move toward the '90s, increasingly based on myth. lIn fact, one of this year's big design trendis is the otherworldly attempt to tie ancient myths of the gode and goddesses to eveiything from a chair with clawed feet- to a dlock with wirîgs. You might fancy something like a bleached pine coffee table set on cat feet of oidized brass or perhaps a bench which looks vaguely like a horse with a head on both ends.' And then there- is the revival of Muskoka cottage furniture, the kind you might have found in the Fore verFntends Gifts & Canadiana Reproduction Furmiture CHECK -OUT THE GREAT NEWS TO HELP RID THE FEBR UAR y 20L0F INSTOCK î 20Yo OFGIFTITEMS Plus Greatly Reduced Prices On Solid Oak ~ & Pine Custom Ordered Furniture & Floor Samples Deacon's Bench Rteg. $495.00 $436,00 Sale Starts Feb. 15, Ends Feb. 28. 1990................... 66&4668 ... ... PRINGLE CREEK PLAZA, MANNING & ANDERSON STS., WHITBY .l8th Century Mahogany Reprodluctions PION EER jINTERIORS Making ýthe leacy f .. our past part of your future. 'IRssissauga, Home & Design Centre, just E. of Winston Churchill BIvd. on Dundas St. 828-1212 Mon.-%r. 10-9, Sat. 10-6 1920s. ThatVs for the truly serious seekers of humor in furniture. Those with more ordinary budgets and whose sense of humor can only be pushed so far are making statements with wit of another sort. Thus, the trend is to shapely new chairs decked out in tassels, bows, and even Victorian leg skirts as wellas, upbeat and unexpectedcor combinations; awning stripes for upholstery, bring back the sun and fun of,a good old fashioned summer; tapestiy fabrics evoking medieval kights and ladies. T'rompe l'oeil -- literally, trick. of the eye -- iW also highly popular. There's a subtle sort ofhumor too in the. continued popularity of faux finishes -- for mica niasquerading as granite; cleverly disguised' wooden pillars you'd swear were marble. Adding to the lighthearted air of today's trends is the return of glass bricks, used traditionallY in walls'and not so traitonalyas room dividers and bars. And then there .is furniture that is just plain fun -- lanxps With goldfish-shaped bases; a glass coffee table top balanced on what appears tg be a bowling bal and a miniature pyramid. As well, this season's bold bright' colors -- red and greens and fuchsias -- are guaranteed te pick up the spirits. Try a. little; try a lot -- Bed-buying -tips (NC)-Somcîirncs il pays to lic down on lhejob. especialîy% whenit conics to choosing:Ihe right mattrcss and foun- dation (boxspring). Now is a good lime to improvethe ilights of' your life. If your bed is 8 10 lyejirs oid, i I's time to replace it. A new bcd may lhclp_ you steep better and wake Lip feeling more refreshed and encrgized. Wlials more, today's bedding lcchnlology has provided the consumer with I uxurious new cushioningrmateriais and extra sofl surface treatments of top-quality mat- trcss/ foundat ion ensembles that corn- bine comfort anid support. What are the ABZzzz of buying a new bed? Here arc lips from the Better Sleep Council, a nonprofit organiza- lion devoted 10 educatiîig the public about sleep and sieep products. " Look for a matîress and foundlaiion that gently supports your body ai al points. If there's 100 little support, you can develop back pain. How- ever, if the mattress is 100 rigid2,you can experience uncom fortable près- sure. " Dontî rely on product labels t0 tell you whicli malîress t0 choose. One manufacîurer's "irmn" may be an- othcr's "extra firmi.- Lic down and try lhcm out! "T'le mattress anci foundat ion shouid !a look well-nade, îhick and soiid. Beware of those that arc Iess (han : six iîiches îlrick. Matîrcss corners should have weigh ' tand substance; e(lges should bc solid but resilient. Wlien you r*oIi around, the mattress shouldn't creak', crunch or wobble.' " Inside an innerspring matîress, there shouid be over 300 couls for a fuli- slze modei and over375 fora qucen. " If you're looking for a foam mat- lress, be sure the foani h4s a tlensity of aI ieast 2.0 pounids percubic foot -- generaliy the higher the number, rie better the foamn. " To lieip ensure maximum durabil- ity, buy the founldation thal goes wiîh the maltress. " Wlien your new sleep set arrives, îhrow the oid one out. Don't pass. aiong uncomforîabîc nights tochil- dren or guesîs! For a free 20-page bookiet, "A ta Zzzz Guide to Better Sleep," write ta the Better Sleep Council, P.O. Box 1277, Station B, Downsvlew, Ontario M3H,. MV. Sleep experts recommend replacing your mattress and founidation evry 8 to 10 years. NC Cover Photos <Triffium Awardf <Winners TOP Modem Upholstered Suit. category '168' contemporary sectional Sklar-Pepplar Imc., Whtby iddle 'Traditional Bedrooeu Furnituro category '882' Newport suite Kroehler Furniture, Strtford Bottom Traditional Dining Rooen oetegoiy Strathroy Furniture *1 in frniture. Wmitoy, 507 Brock St. N. (3 blocks N. of Hwy #2) 668-4231 Mon.-Wed. 10-6, Thurs. & Fr1. 10-9 Sat. 10-5:30