Kims Upholstery

Kim’s Upholstery Helps With Extreme Makeover Home Edition In Springfield MA

kimsupholstery — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:54:48 +0000

Once again Kim’s Upholstery has pleasure of being a part of the Extreme Makeover Home Edition team.

Ready for action.

A few years ago I worked on a home in Maynard MA, but this time it was in my own back yard. The Walker family in Springfield MA were the deserving family this time around. Having been severely bullied by his peers, 11 year old Carl Walker took his own life in 2009.

I received an email from Margie Nance who is an educator in the window treatments industry asking for volunteers to work with Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Of course being a gluten for punishment and wanting to do my part in helping others, I said yes. Next I was contacted by Ann Cummings and Elaine Glynn of the EMHE team to find out who my contact designer would be and when I was needed. Myself, Becky Rose, Gail Maciorowski and several members of the WCAA (Window Coverings Association of America) headed to Springfield MA to meet with the design team and find out what their needs for the build were. In past projects I have done with EMHE, I made drapes. This time it was to be different. When they looked at our company name, ‘Kim’s Upholstery‘ they asked us to do a few upholstery and bedding projects.

When you approach the site of one of these makeovers it is an overwhelming feeling of compassion and team spirit. The first thing you see is rows and rows of trailers and RV’s. These are the sleeping quarters and offices of the EMHE team for the duration of the project. It can be quite a challenge to find a place to park near the site.

Lucky enough to get a parking space across the street from the build.

Volunteers are plentiful in number. A check point is set up for volunteers to register and get their T-shirts and hard hats. From there you go to the predetermined meeting point with your contact person, in my case the design team. At this point the house has been torn down and a foundation is in its place ready for the structure to begin.

Meeting and working with the design team was really a great experience. It is nothing like working with your traditional client. The designs are somewhat determined as well as potential fabrics, which have not been obtained at this point. Once the details have been laid for the designs the design team is off and running to get the fabrics necessary for fabrication to begin. Local vendors are one source, but the team also has other vendors that will ship fabrics in a speedy manner in order to get us all working. This may take a few trips back and forth until you have everything you need to complete the project.

We met with the design team on Monday, we were given our fabrics on Thursday and now its time for me and my team, Becky Rose and Gail Maciorowski to begin the fabrication and upholstering. Our task was the bedding for Gloria’s room. Other members of my WCAA chapter were doing window treatments and other accessories. The bedroom we helped with had an upholstered twin size bed which included a headboard, foot board and side rails. These were to be tufted in a candy pink colored fabric. There were also multiple pillows, a duvet cover and geometric gymnastic cubes which were to be slip covered in a fun purple fabric. Having only two days to complete our task, along with our normal work days, it was a mad rush. We put in two very long nights and much of the day Saturday.

Now it is Saturday evening, the night before the reveal. We were asked to arrive with our finished items at around 5:00pm. As we approach our designated location all we see is hundreds of volunteers busily working at their assigned tasks. After hours with no sleep they are all still smiling and in very happy spirits. It is an awesome feeling to be part of something that is so rewarding. As is typical with any project of this size, it is now 9:30pm and we are still not able to install our completed items due to other projects still happening in our room. So we help with painting frames for family photo’s to be hung in the Walker home. Anything to help!

There are round the clock coffee trucks and food stations to keep all the busy workers well nourished and fueled with energy.

Thanks for the coffee.

Today is Sunday and the family is due to return to their new home. Would I do this again you ask? YES without a doubt!

Work in progress

The show aired on Friday December 3rd almost 3 months after the project was completed. This one was a 2 hour special. So with a box of tissues and a feeling of pride knowing that I helped one family move forward and hopefully begin to heal from the pain they have had to endure, I watched EMHE and the Walker family.

The website “Stand Together” was formed in support of Sirdeaner Walker’s efforts to end bullying! Please join today and help spread the word that we will not tolerate bullying.

Kimberley Completes Color Certification Training “Color With No Regrets”

kimsupholstery — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:45:03 +0000

“Color With No Regrets”

Kimberley Chagnon

Kim’s Upholstery

162 Federal St.

Greenfield MA 01301

Email: kimberley@kimsupholstery.com

Web site: www.kimsupholstery.com

Would you like to know how to hone into the perfect color in minutes instead of hours? Instead of agonizing over the 1000+ choices in a paint deck, you could narrow it down quickly and correctly every time with the patented Color with No Regrets System. Kimberley Chagnon of Kim’s Upholstery located in Greenfield Massachusetts learned just that in a recently completed color certification training, “Color with No Regrets” a patented selection process. Completion of this intensive class earned Chagnon the distinction of becoming a CCNRC. (Certified Color with No Regrets Consultant) This designation is held by less than 1000 people in the world.

The two-day class and patented system was created by JoAnne Lenart-Weary, industry expert and founder of the Decorating and Staging Academy, along with Cyndie Stefanik, a 20-year decorative painting veteran and color guru. They have been featured in magazines, HGTV and on a weekly segment on local ABC affiliate, WJET-TV. The patented Color with NO Regrets System is based on the science of the color Kim’s Upholstery and combining levels of color intensity to create perfect harmonies for a client quickly and effectively. The process begins with a quick color test that helps the client to hone in on the palette appealing to the client. “Most people begin the color selection process by asking the question, “What is your favorite color?” says Lenart-Weary.” We have found this question does not truly communicate the client’s preferences. For example, if a client states blue, each of us would visualize a different blue. The color test helps the color consultant hone into the perfect blue. The end result is the CNR Perfect palette. This is the color selection all about the client and not the decorator.”

“Color is a significant element of the decorating process and also the most intimidating,” said Chagnon. “I have a responsibility to my clients to be the best I can be to help them create the space of their dreams. This training has helped me offer mistake-proof color selection to my clients with complete confidence.” Kim’s Upholstery specializes in creating beautiful homes on any budget. Some of the services we offer are custom window treatments, slip covers and bedding but each of them begins with fail-proof color selection, resulting in a room people love with a price tag they can afford,” explained Chagnon.

Kim’s Upholstery

162 Federal St.

Greenfield, MA 01301

413-772-0013

Kimberley@kimsupholstery.com

www.kimsupholstery.com

Window Treatments or Curtains ?

kimsupholstery — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 14:54:50 +0000

What do you call them, Window Treatments or Curtains?

Kim and I have this discussion often, What do we want to say in our advertising? If we say we make custom curtains, a less desirable term in Kim’s eyes, instead of custom window treatments, people will think we make a cheap product. Kim seems to think that our clients would be more apt to search window treatments. I checked with Google Ad Words and curtains gets 3,350,000 local monthly searches as opposed to window treatments that only get 450,000 local monthly searches. What do you have hanging in the windows of your house? What would you search for, window treatments or curtains?

What ever you call them I’ve discovered a new inexpensive way of hanging them.

According to Wikipedia a window treatment is:

Window treatment

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A window treatment is an interior decorating element placed on, in, around, or over a window.

It may more specifically refer to:

Cornice board
Curtains
Drapery
Molding (decorative)
Pelmet
Sheer fabrics
Window blinds
- Venetian blinds
- Shutters
Window valance

Treatments applied directly to the glass, including:

Frosted glass
Stained glass
glass

According to Wikipedia a curtain is:

Curtain

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A curtain (sometimes known as a drape, mainly in the United States) is a piece of cloth intended to block or obscure light, or drafts, or water in the case of a shower curtain. Curtains hung over a doorway are known as portières. Curtains are often hung on the inside of a building’s window to block the passage of light, for instance at night to aid sleeping, or to stop light from escaping outside the building (stopping people outside from being able to see inside, often for privacy reasons). In this application they are also known as “draperies.” Curtains come in a variety of shapes, materials, sizes, colors and patterns, and they often have their own sections within department stores, while some shops are completely dedicated to selling curtains.

Curtains vary according to cleanability, ultraviolet light deterioration, oil and dust retention, noise absorption, fire resistance, and life span. Curtains may be moved by hand, with cords, by press-button pads or remote-controlled computers. Measuring the curtain size needed for each window varies greatly according to the type of curtain needed, window size, and type and weight of curtain.

An adaptation of the curtain may be a blind or, in warmer countries, a wooden Window shutter that is fixed to the outside of the building to provide privacy and still keep the building cool inside. Curtains are a form of window treatment, and complete the overall appearance of the house. Window treatment helps control the ambiance and flow of natural light into the room. The effect of drapery or curtains, is best seen in daylight, and with proper indoor light positioning, can look attractive even at night.^[1]

What happened to September?

kimsupholstery — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:44:26 +0000

The month of September started out with a bang for us here at Kim’s Upholstery. Kim attended the Window Covering Association of America conference, Inspire 2011. Kim and Jenna Abbott were co-chairs for planning the conference . Kim and Jenna quickly enlisted the help of many other WCAA members to help organize and put on the conference. Inspire 2011 was held at the Galt House in Louisville Ky. It was a huge success.

Kim and I were fortunate enough to attend a presentation by Vitalia Vygovska at a local WCAA event In Westford Ma.. Vitalia, the owner of Vitalia inc. is a Window Treatment and Productivity Expert. Her presentation was about getting things done quickly and efficiently. We discussed short and long term goals for our business and how to free up time to reach those goals. One of the big things that stuck in my mind was Vitas suggestion to hire a personal assistant for Kim. Kim and I thought about it and decided that it would be a good idea. It didn’t take long to find someone with the skills we needed. We hired her and so far things are going great.
About a week later we got a call from a young man looking for work as an upholsterer. We have been searching for someone to work as a second upholsterer for quite some time. This young man ,Juan, came with a very good recomendation from his former boss of 14 years. After two weeks Juan is doing great. He does know how to upholster and he has also taught me a few tricks when it comes to spring tiying.Looking forward to working with Juan for a long time.

One of the many signs at the work site.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition set up shop in Springfield Ma., a city about 30 miles south of us. We received a call for help to which Becky, Kim and Gail jumped at the opportunity to volunteer. After about 3 days of work in our studio all items were ready for instalation at the Makeover site. What an experience.

We have been working on several ‘How To Upholster’ videos to be posted here on Kim’s blog. We shot video of the entire process of re-covering a sofa and are in the process of editing it down to a half dozen or so shorter videos showing each step of the upholstery process. All videos will be here on the blog and also on our Kim’s Upholstery YouTube channel.

Don’t forget you can see us work on upholstery and window treatments live in our studio. Just go to, http://www.ustream.tv/channel/kim-s-upholstery-live , most week days between 8 am and 4 pm EST.

Kimberley Chagnon hard at work.

Projects vary and sometimes we get caught up in our work and forget to re-position the camera. Give us a yell and let us know that you are watching and that we need to move the camera. You can also call us and ask for a close up of some of the things you see, or email us and request that we go over a specific step with close up shots. We will do this as time permits. If you haven’t been watching you probably missed Juan making stuffed cubescovered in leather and Becky and Kim making window treatments.

Did you know that Kim's Upholstey makes window treatments?

Note: We don’t normally use sound in the workroom live broadcast. We never know what someone is going to say. Bleeeeeeep!

Kim’s Upholstery Live “Upholstering a Parsons Chair”

kimsupholstery — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 22:21:43 +0000

At 6 PM EST on 8/9/2011 Kim’s Upholstery and TickeoVideo
will present ‘Upholstering A Parsons Chair’ live on Ustream.tv. The first in a series of broadcasts from ‘Kim’s Upholstery Live’. The class will run for aproximately 1 1/2 hours. We will do our best to explain upholstery tools and technique for the beginner interested in upholstery. Wether you are contimplating entering the upholstery business or you are a DIY person , this class will be a good primer for you. Please join in during the broadcast using Ustreams chat option. We will answer your questions as promptly as we can. We will also take requests for close up shots of the process when asked. If you miss anything in the broadcast, don’t worry, it will be recorded for future viewing on the “Kim’s Upholstery Live Ustream Channel”. If you are not familiar with Ustream.tv you can catch the class by logging in to your Facebook account and clicking Ustream under the Got Drapes picture on the Kim’s Upholstery page. This is also available on an iPhone, although you may need to install the app. Part of the cost of doing business is that Ustream will put up a couple of 30 second commercials during the broadcast.

Please join us.

Hope to hear your feed back.

Kim’s Upholstery “Live”

kimsupholstery — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:12:44 +0000

Kim’s Upholstery will be streaming “LIVE” video from our workroom and studio on a more regular basis from now on. We have the place pretty well wired and we are getting more comfortable with the software that allows us to stream live video. In the workroom you will see what goes on daily around here. We will switch shots as often as we can so you will see a variety of work. Many times it may look like nothing is happening but we may be doing things out of sight of the camera. Our workroom is small and crammed with furniture and supplies that you may see from time to time. This is not Hollywood so please don’t expect special effects or a dramatic story. It’s just us working between phone calls, deliveries, client appointments and so on. We will usually not have the sound on in the work room, I never know what’s going to come out of my mouth. When I was younger my mother had me on a pretty regular diet of Ivory soap.
At times, usually in the evening, we will schedule shows “live” in the studio to get in to the “how to” of what we do here at Kim’s Upholstery. We will have sound, and chat will be set up so you can ask questions or direct the camera to get a close up or better view of what you are interested in.
If there is anything specific you would like to see or have demonstrated, email us at bchaggy2@yahoo.com, kimberley@kimsupholstery.com or tickeo@gmail.com. I am very interested in your feed back so please comment or email me. We can slso be reached by phone at 413-772-0013.

To view the live stream use the following link. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/kim-s-upholstery-live

All video for Kim’s Upholstery is done by me, Bill Chagnon, through my company TickeoVideo.

Kim's Upholstery Live Ustream Channel

We Are Back

kimsupholstery — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:40:28 +0000

We are back from a wonderful vacation in Utah. That is if you can call riding in a jeep or on a 4 wheel atv a vacation. It was more like a 7 day adrenaline rush. We got up at 7:30 am every morning, had breakfast and headed off in to the desert.

Our idea of fun.

Kim is fearless on an atv. She flew through the desert at 50 mph whenever the trail would permit it. I tried to leave her in my dust a few times but every time I rurned around there she was right on my butt. I had to laugh. She always tells me that I will never get away from her, I guess she means it! At times we climbed to just over 11000 feet. It was chilly, hard to breathe and there was still snow on the ground but the views were fantastic. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich at 11000 feet is the best!

Kim doing business in the desert.

Live Streaming Video From The Workroom.

kimsupholstery — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 10:56:35 +0000

I have finally figured out how to live stream video from the workroom. For those of you that have never heard of live streamed video, it’s kind of like live TV. There are still a few glitches and I’m sure we will experience more but for now we will be broadcasting live from the workroom as often as we can. During our regular work day we will probably have the sound turned off so don’t worry about missing any important information. You will have the ability to chat online . Type in your question, your comment or your request and we will get back to you. If it’s a regular work day our response may be a little slow. Sorry! This week you will mostly see the sewing of cushions and possibly the pinning and sewing of a slip cover.Please bear with us as I said there are and will be glitches along the way.

I have this stream set up on Facebook. If you are interested in watching and participating in chat, just sign in to your Facebook account and go to the Kim’s Upholstery fan page. If you are not already a fan you will need to hit the “Like” button to gain access. Once you are there look for the “Ustream Live” icon under the Got Drapes picture on the left side of the screen. You will be taken to the Kim’s Upholstery Live page. If we are broadcasting you will be able to click on what looks like a video with a start button to see us live.

All video production and broadcasting is done by me, Bill Chagnon, at TickeoVideo, www.TickeoVideo.com In the future we hope to have a schedule of live shows and to offer classes on Upholstery, Slipcovering, Window Treatments and much more. If you have any requests please sends us an email at tickeo@gmail.com

Stay Tuned and please leave a comment.

Slip Covering A Slipper Chair

kimsupholstery — Fri, 27 May 2011 12:39:25 +0000

Kim’s video, ‘Slip Covering A Slipper Chair’, is finally ready for viewing on the Kim’s Upholstery YouTube channel. www.youtube.com/user/KimsUpholstery is my first try at using two video cameras and a wireless mike all at the same time. The two cameras produced about 7 hours of tape ,to be edited into 15 minutes of finished video. A nearly 30 http://www.youtube.com/user/KimsUpholstery task for me. Hope you enjoy it and learn something new about slipcovering.

Please leave a comment and feel free to contact us with any questions.

Video

kimsupholstery — Fri, 20 May 2011 10:33:55 +0000

Kim has just finished slipcovering a slipper chair. We had two video cameras running during the cutting and pinning. Hopefully my, beginner, editing skills will allow me to put the two tapes together in a way that makes sence of the slipcovering process, without being long and boring. So far it has taken me 9 hrs. to get the video from the 2 cameras to the iMovie program in my Mac. All I have to show for it so far is about 4 minutes of video. What a slow process. I’m sure I will get faster with experience.
Kim is a bit more comfortable on camera now which made the video taping go much smoother. Hope to be able to post the full video in a week or so. In the mean time take a look at one of our blooper vids , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuBhIl4bg9U