September brought a new season, and at the same time we celebrated the Queen of Hearts 20th anniversary. Seasons change in the blink of an eye, and years go by so fast. It seems like yesterday, Jim and I were negotiating with Ingles to take the Alpharetta location and turn it into a 33,000 square foot antique and interior mall!
From the beginning, we allowed the merchandise mix to include not only antiques, but newer merchandise as well. This has helped us survive and grow into the brand that we are - adding the Buford Queen of Hearts in 2004 and the Marietta Queen of Hearts in 2006. We put a lot of sweat and tears into this business but could not have done it without the amazing staff we’ve had along the way, the most awesome dealer-merchants ever and of course our very supportive customers that continue to return over and over to find their one of a kind unique piece(s) for their homes. We thank everyone for the continued support and dedication these last 20 years.
Now onto what is important — fall trends! Did you ever think that painted furniture would still be in the picture? Neither did we. All three locations have painting technique demonstrations each month showing the capabilities of each paint line. The trends in painted furniture tend to lean towards the grays, off whites and lighter tones. The total decorating look still seems to be in the monochromatic theme with some pops of color. Our dealer-merchants have gotten really creative in how they paint and repurpose furniture, to make sure this trend never gets stale.
The magazines are showing that “brown” furniture is still popular and can be mixed in with the painted pieces. They recommend each room have at least one very nice “antique” to ground that space. Many painted pieces leave the tops as finished wood showing the grain, therefore allowing one to appreciate the patina as well as the painted area.
On the horizon, it seems that some muted shades of blue are returning to the decorating scene. Who doesn’t love blue? Blue is such a soothing color and can be mixed in with other colors to give everyone the peace they deserve. Navy is a great color for these cooler seasons, gentle on the eye yet moody enough to be perfect for the winter months – you’re going to see it everywhere.
Right now the Queen is seeing lots of sideboards/servers go out the door — the holidays are right around the corner and the dining room better look GOOD. As always the Queen of Hearts is known for her furniture — farm tables, desks, chest of drawers, coffee tables and side tables are selling right now. Another hot item, and way to freshen up a room very easily, is oversized original artwork. All three Queen locations have great artwork from original, local artists.
Even though the south tends to stay a little warmer the first couple of months of fall, we see that Queen customers are ready and purchasing very pretty fall decor — velvet pumpkins, fall colored serving pieces, dough bowls and painted pumpkins in colors other than orange. How fun!
We hope to see you soon at the Queen of Hearts as we get ready to head into the holiday season, and hope you'll join us for our Holiday Open House in November. Happy fall, y’all!
Stacey Anderson is the owner of the Queen of Hearts Antiques & Interiors in Alpharetta, Buford & Marietta with her husband, Jim.
