Discover The Incomparable Hal Taylor Rocking Chairs

Hal Taylor graduated with a degree in Biology but instead of pursuing a career related to his major, he followed his heart and went after his first love: woodworking. As a result, Hal Taylor became one of the most famous creators of a series of top-of-the-line rocking chairs that acclaimed international fame. He took pride in making customized rocking chairs that are often referred to as "the most comfortable wooden chairs in the world".

Hal Taylor really showered every single rocking chair he made with lots of tender loving care. He carefully picked the high-quality hard woods that he turns into his masterpiece. Some hardwoods used by Hal Taylor include walnut, maple and cherry. First off, he band-sew the modifications in the rocker.

These are pieces that provided the curve. For the leg tops to fit smoothly into the headrest, the back legs are trimmed down at around 20 degrees. After the cutting, the legs are glued back to the seat. Th seat is then flattened, glued and cut to the desired size and shape. The edge of the front leg is then squared. He also insisted that rocking chairs are like shoes: they have to fit a person perfectly and there is no such thing as one size fits all.

Every part of the rocking chair made by Hal Taylor fits perfectly with the other pieces. The grains of the arms are matching in appearance and the legs are equal in size. The Hal Taylor rocking chair also presents a very balanced and a really symmetrical exterior.

Every single rocking chair made by Taylor has a personal touch to it. Every underside of the seats are engraved with the date it was finished, the name it was given, and the number it was assigned. A quote saying, "This chair has been made especially for (the name of the chair's new owner) by Hal Taylor' together with a favorite poem or a memorable quote are also inscribed in the chair.

Hal Taylor said that he made the customized inscriptions in the rocking chair to record the love and the history that comes with the rocking chair. He hoped that the succeeding generations will remember their ancestors who once owned the chairs. Hal Taylor's rocking chairs can be found in Hong Kong, Israel, Singapore, England, the Virgin Islands, Canada and the United States.

Jerry Brecken is a freelance writer who is currently writing for My Rocking Chairs, a guide to selecting and buying plastic rocking chairs, personalized rocking chairs and outdoor rocking chairs

By Jerry Brecken

The History Of Patio Furniture

The style of the average home has changed over the years. Large old farmhouses had huge front porches, which were an extension of the family living room. The porches were extremely large.

Therefore, a lot of outdoor furniture was required. However, most of the furniture used was merely brought from inside. One piece of furniture was a fixture of most families outdoor furniture, that piece of furniture was a rocking chair. In the 18th century, the rocking chair was known as the American chair. The wooden rocker was also a lot more comfortable than the wrought iron furniture of the day.

You do not see nearly as many rocking chairs now as you did back then.

Another very popular piece of outdoor furniture was the porch swing. The porch swing was a relaxing piece of outdoor furniture on a hot summer evening. Remember, there were no air conditioners back in the 1800's.

Wicker outdoor furniture was the next style of furniture that became popular in Victorian times. It was popular because it was fancier than the existing outdoor furniture. Plant stands and many different types of tables were added to the porches of American families. The Victorian style was the more the better. Many families had porches full of outdoor furniture.

In the South, many large homes had Verandas. The porch was larger to support the Veranda. These porches had a lot of large over sized furniture such as wicker or cotton upholstered outdoor furniture. Unfortunately, the weather in the South was not indicative to keeping cotton, upholstered furniture outside. Wrought iron furniture was a popular choice in this era as well. To alleviate the uncomfortable iron, cushions were used on chairs.

In the 1930's, casual outdoor furniture began to appear. Handcrafted wrought iron, cast and tubular aluminum became popular years later. However, comfortable outdoor furniture was desirable to consumers. Lawn chairs became the rage along with straight back chairs as the urban centers became more populated and places to sit outdoors were much smaller in the city.

As the suburbs became a popular place for families, more outdoor furniture was required. This was where the real need for outdoor patio furniture began. People wanted to extend their entertaining outdoors and the need for outdoor furniture grew tremendously. This trend continues to grow today.

More high-tech materials are developed for the construction of outdoor patio furniture, as people want durability, ease of care and strength from their patio furniture. People are spending more and more time outdoors and extending their homes through the concept of outdoor kitchens and rooms.

Entertaining at home has made it necessary to have a variety of types of outdoor furniture available. People own hot tubs, swimming pools and many more outdoor toys, which require specific outdoor furniture. As the people demand it, outdoor patio furniture will continue to evolve into stylish pieces they can use everyday.

Author: Tom Houser

Teak Chairs - Fabulous Seating For Your Outdoor Space

When it comes to your deck, porch, or patio area, you want to have comfortable seating options so you can easily relax and unwind. If you do not, then you cannot really enjoy the space and the outdoor weather like you want to. So, to ensure that you will have a nice place to take it easy every time you go outside, invest in some fabulous teak chairs for your outdoor space.

Now, you might not know it, but you actually have a lot of options when it comes to the different styles that you can choose from when it comes to teak chairs. You can get single dining chairs, chairs that fold up for easy storage, rocking chairs, ones made for two people, Adirondack chairs, and even those of the deep seated variety that come with comfy cushions.

There are many different options, which means that you can create any kind of outdoor space that you want. Like, maybe you want a fantastic outdoor area where you can not only dine, but lounge around and talk after the meal is over. Well, then a lovely option for you would be some dining chairs, do not forget to pair them up with a lovely patio table, for that space to eat.

Then, just add some Adirondack chairs or some deep seated lounge chairs a place to talk afterwards and your space is ready to go. Or, you might want an area where you and the one you love can just get away from it all. A nice choice for you then would be a loveseat, bench, or loveseat rocking chair, which would be a fantastic way to enjoy the sights and sounds of the gorgeous outdoors.

One of the best features about teak chairs, along with their high level of comfort, is the fact that they are crafted from teak wood. Teak is a durable hardwood harvested in Southeast Asia and is hailed as one of the best woods in the entire world for building purposes. It is not easily damaged, plus, it has natural oils that makes it extremely resilient to all the outdoor elements.

So, if you have to leave your furniture made from it outdoors during the winter months, you do not have to worry about breaking down. Really, rain, sleet, hail, even snow and ice will not cause it to rot or decay, making it a top notch selection. Plus, not only is teak wood durable, but it also has a lovely, golden tone that is extremely appealing to the eye that overtime will fade to a beautiful, sophisticated gray color.

So, if you want a nice spot to just rest and relax on a beautiful summer day, invest in some beautiful teak chairs for you outdoor space. They are a comfortable seating option perfect for any deck, porch, or patio area. Get some today, when you are sitting on them many, many years from now, you will be happy that you did.

Author: Jesse Akre

An American Original: The Beauty And Comfort Of Adirondack Chairs

An Adirondack chair is the combination of form and function in outdoor relaxation. Also known as a Cape Cod chair or Muskoka chair in different areas of the world, Adirondack chairs are usually made from durable, insect resistant woods like cedar and redwood, although other materials are also used. Well made Adirondack chairs are quality pieces of outdoor furniture that can last for generations.

Design

The ancestor of today's Adirondack chair was designed by Thomas Lee in 1903. After arriving at a final design for the "Westport plank chair," Lee offered it to Harry Bunnell, a carpenter friend in Westport, New York , who built the chairs during winter for sale in the springtime. Harry Bunnel eventually patented the robust design, which combined a slanted back and wide armrests.

While the original Adirondack chair was thought to have a straight back, contemporary designs often include more curves. Adirondack chairs are comfortable because the chair back usually has an incline of 30 degrees and excellent lower back support. These chairs also feature wide, level arms that double as tables for drinks and books.

The basic design of the Adirondack chair has been expanded over the last 100 years to include chaise lounges, loveseats, rockers and other outdoor furniture that follow the lines of the traditional Adirondack chair. Other variations of the chair's design feature a curved back and rolled seat made to wrap around the body and cushion the legs, something you just do not get with any other type chair. And no matter what style you choose, these robust All-American chairs will offer years of pleasure and comfort.

Wood Types

Nothing is quite as relaxing as sitting in a wooden Adirondack chair with your hands on the large, smooth armrests. This is one reason for their enduring appeal; another is the fine looking wood of which many of these chairs are made. Other than the most popular (red or white cedar,) woods used in the manufacturing of Adirondack furniture include teak, cypress, mahogany, alder, eucalyptus, and southern yellow or white pine. The wood can be stained to preserve its natural color, painted in any shade you desire, or left to weather naturally. Certain woods, like pine, most definitely need to be treated regularly with a protectant.

There are those who prefer resin rocking chairs to wooden ones because they are easier to maintain and are more durable. Plastic Adirondack chairs are not considered to be as beautiful as wooden ones, but are less expensive and can last for a very long time. Winning the longevity award for a natural material, however, is teak. With an average lifespan of 75 years, teak wood has long been commended as the ideal choice for outdoor furniture. Teak is exceptionally expensive, however, and is out of reach for many on a budget.

Author: Jayson Gerth

7 Tips For Choosing A Rocking Chair

Do you sometimes find yourself wishing that your favorite TV chair can also be a rocking chair? Is there a new baby in the family that you wish you can sing to sleep in your arms while sitting comfortably yourself? Does your idea of unwinding after a long day's work include reading a book by the fire in the winter or just contemplating the outside scenery in the summer?

American fondness for rocking chairs

If you answer yes to any one of these questions, then you are not alone. A growing number of Americans either own a rocking chair which has become a member of the family or think of buying one.

Rocking chairs began to appear in the late 1700s when someone ingeniously thought of adding skates or rockers to the bottoms of adult furniture, similar to a child's rocking cradle or rocking horse.

Since then, owning a rocking chair has become a distinctly American proccupation, with most Americans, including some of America's famous presidents, showing great fondness for their rocking chairs - whether they be the elegant American designer Sam Maloof creations with the elongated curved runners or the homely white wicker rocking chair that usually has been with the family for more than 30 years.

But how do you choose a good rocking chair. Below are some tips on how to choose a rocking chair that is right for you.

Tips on how to choose a rocking chair

1. The first thing to ask yourself is where are you going to put your rocking chair? If indoors by the fireplace or the family room, you can choose a cushioned or timber rocking chair made of light maple or yellowish oak. Or if outdoors in your garden or front porch, you can choose a sweetly-scented cedar, a painted brazilian cherry wood or teakwood durable enough to withstand the elements.

2. A very important priority in rocking chairs is comfort. Rocking chairs have been used for therapeutic purposes - John F Kennedy's rocking chair being a famous example. It is said that President Kennedy found hours and hours of relief for his bad back from this Appalachian oak rocker which has a steam-bent curved backrest and woven seat made of Malaysian rattan.
Answering the following questions may help you to judge whether the rocking chair you are choosing will give you the level of comfort that you need.

- Does the rocking chair provide seating comfort and support? - Is the chair set low enough for comfortable elbow support? - Are the armrests wide enough to rest your arms and provide the right balance? - Do the seat and back offer both firmness and flexibility? - Do the seats slant downward to fit the whole back while supporting the lower back?

3. Is the rocker pitched correctly? In layman's terms, does the rocking chair provide a smooth and even rocking motion without tipping, even when you are in the reclining position? Or does it feel like you are about to flip backwards when you are rocking? Does a single push keep the rocking chair rocking for a few minutes or does it stop after onlya few seconds?

4. Was the rocking chair constucted using techniques that have been proven to result in stronger and more durable rocking chairs that can withstand everyday use? Some of these techniques include construction without glue, interlocking joinery and the famous Maloof technique of using seven laminated strips of wood to strengthen each of the long, elegant skis that are used in his rocking chair designs.

5. What style of rocking chair will fit your decor? Do you want an upholstered rocking chair or do you want to see the timber's natural woodgrain enlivened by an oil finish? Do you want charming white wicker chair or casual rattan? How do you want your the back of your rocking chair - traditional ladder back horizontal slats, vertical slats or woven cane? Do you want it stained, oiled, varnished or painted?

6. How much do you want to spend for your rocking chair? Whatever your budget, there seems to be a rocking chair for everyone's fancy - whether its the $20,000 Sam Maloof with a two-year waitng list for the ultimate in rocking chair experience or the vintage white wicker rocking chair you've just bid successfully on ebay for $20, or somewhere in between.

7. And last but not least, do you want your rocking chair shipped to you assembled or are you handy with tools and don't mind assembling it yourself if you can save some money?

I hope these tips will make it easier to find the rocking chair that's just right for you - whether you're the couch potato looking for a more comfortable seat in front of your favorite TV sitcom, the delighted parent of a newly-born baby or the urban worker trying to relax in the evening after dinner with a book or the quietness of the night by the front porch.

By Flor Buenaventura

Flor Buenaventura is a writer who has a great interest in furnishings for the home and garden. To see a fantastic collection of resources related to rocking chairs, please visit her Rocking Chairs website.

Adding Interest With Cross Stitch

Contrary to popular belief, cross stitching can be interesting. Cross stitching can also add interest to a room in several ways. One way is to repeat elements that are found in a detailed cross stitch pattern and place these elements throughout the room. Another way is to set up part of a room to look exactly like a pattern. Finally, a third way is to have a picture converted to a cross stitch pattern and then display both the picture and the finished cross stitched piece.

One way you can add interest to a room is by building upon a pattern that you like. Once you find a cross stitch pattern you like, take several smaller images found within the pattern and cross stitch each image as a separate piece. You have two options of how to treat these separate pieces.

One option is to frame each piece and hang the frames around the original cross stitched pattern. For example, in a pattern that has several different flowers, each flower could be cross stitched and framed individually. The second option is use the separate pieces as accent pieces, such as pillow cushions, drawstring bags, or miniature wall hangings.

For example, if the pattern has several phrases or sentences in it, each phrase or sentence could be cross stitched on its own pillow cushion and placed on chairs in the same room as the original design. Both options will make the room more interesting because people will want to look around to find where the smaller images have been placed. Make it a game and see who can correctly guess how many smaller images there are in the room!

A second way to add interest is to take your favourite design and repeat it in real life. For example, if the design has a white blanket draped over a wooden rocking chair, then choose a room and place a white blanket over a wooden rocking chair. Next, cross stitch this design, frame it and place it in the same room as the rocking chair and blanket.

The design doesn't have to be complicated; it can be something as simple as a flower. When the design is simple, or small, just remember to place the finished cross stitch design beside the real life object. To add even more interest, repeat this idea for several small designs in the same room, or throughout the house. Have fun decorating!

A third way to add interest is to have a picture converted to a cross stitch pattern. There are several businesses that offer this service or you can buy software and create your own pattern. When you are finished cross stitching, frame the finished piece and hang it beside the actual picture. A good quality pattern will make the cross stitching look exactly like your picture. Plus, it's a simple way to get people talking!

I hope you have found these ideas interesting and helpful. Not only will they help to make a room more interesting, but they are also conversation starters.

Visit http://www.beautifulcreations.ca to see unique and interesting patterns, plus check out our free newsletter, project ideas and cross stitch tips!

By Joanne Jones

Princess Room Makeover for Little Girls

There comes a time in every little girl's life when dreams of princesses, castles, and knights in shining armor fill the imagination. Every charming daughter wants to be the beautiful princess, imaging Cinderella dreams of princes and horses.

When your little girl gets old enough to fall in love with fairy tales, a room set up in a princess style might be the perfect gift for your little queen. A princess room can be a wonderful birthday present for your little girl, and setting up the surprise of a princess room makeover is easy. Here's how.

Advance planning is a must. You're going to have to do all of your shopping for furniture and accessories without your child noticing shipments and boxes. One of the best ways to do shopping these days is online, and you can have stores ship your purchases to a friend's house until the day of the princess room makeover.

Make sure to check on shipping costs for the items you buy, and try to find a store that has everything you need rather than shopping around.

When shopping, choose items that are sturdy, with durable construction as well as long-lasting appeal. Avoid cheap plastic or cartoon-character items – those models will pass from your child's favor quickly when fads change and the next cartoon character comes along. Sturdy wood with a classic appeal is the better choice.

Make sure to select furniture that is sized to your child's little stature. Safety first above all. Provide children with furniture they don't have to climb or stretch to use. Chairs and tables should be to their size, not adult size, and smaller beds are safer than adult-sized single beds. The Magical Rocking Horse offers scaled down children's furniture that is solid and durable.

Look for themed furniture such as four-poster beds and small vanity sets with a table, mirror, and chair. This type of princess furniture will set the theme of your room, and you can add accessories that fit right in. Four-poster beds are great, because you can add a dowel and hang voile curtains for a true princess-style sleeping areas.

Canopies of see-through sheer material or netting are easy to make and hang. Here are some instructions for princess-themed bed canopies. Add a small rocking chair near a bookcase, and you're ready to accessorize.

Choose bedding that reflects a fairy princess theme. Flowers and leaves are good choices, as are pale pinks or blues for colored bedding. Avoid white bedding, as children will get whites dirty very quickly. Dust ruffles and ruffled pillowcases are a must, and choose curtains over blinds. Avoid bright primary colors or thick, heavy materials for all bedding, as lighter materials leave more of a fairy princess impression. Make sure that the bedding pattern or color is not the primary focal point of the room, and let the smaller accessories add touches of brightness instead.

Pay attention to lamps that offer soft lighting or those that have patterned shades that allow stamped-out stars or moons shine on the walls. Figurines of fairies are a nice touch; place these out of reach and somewhere the child won't climb to touch them.

Purchase a mirror with an ornate frame to hang in the room or, alternatively, choose a picture frame and have a mirror fitted inside. Drape garlands of flowers and ribbons over dressers or hang a wreathe of vines and flower buds on the wall. These are easy to make using fake flowers and vine wire purchased from discount craft stores.

The furniture will create the base theme of the room, and all the little things you add will help create an aura of fairy tale princess. Using your creativity and imagination with small items you can purchase at discount stores is the best. Larger items that cost more won't carry off the theme as well as an assortment of tiny items with a delicate (and budget conscious) appeal.

Carry out the room makeover when your daughter will be away from home. Have her go on a sleepover night at a friend's house or at her grandparents, and then start decorating!

Find helpful and creative ideas for parents and grandparents while you shop our great selection of stylish kids furniture and classic toys. Visit http://www.TheMagicalRockingHorse.com today!

By Lily Morgan