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About Avant-Garde



Avant-Garde is an online retailer of modern contemporary home furniture & decor items feraturing household furniture for every room in your home, outdoor patio furniture and featured product collections.​​

We offer home furnishings and decor for every area of your home, both inside and out, always striving to bring you the most current design elements being used by today's top designers, at a fraction of their retail cost. Whether you are completely redecorating an area of your home, looking for the perfect accent piece to finish off an existing room, shopping for a unique gift, or simply "window shopping" to get design ideas, Avant-Garde is the place to go for everything for your modern & contemporary home. ​​

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Friday, July 27, 2012

Perfect Ara Rug Placement, Patio furniture,transparent TV Screens

Avant-Garde Home Furnishings, LLC présents

Perfect Ara Rug Placement, Patio furniture,transparent TV Screens

While looking for some things a friend of mine asked me for, I found these posts omn the next two items I want to share with you. The first is how to accent your room with the perfect area rug, and the second talks about ideal patio furniture and Decor.. There are a few other things ..

Enjoy the pics and post.. 

Picking the perfect area rug...

Believe it or not, flooring is one of the most important features when decorating a room. The floor is a major focal point and it sets the tone as to whether or not the room’s overall appearance will be chic or shabby. That is why the rug that you choose for a room is crucial. Matching the appropriate rug with the theme of the room it is in will tie everything together and complete the look that you want.

Understanding the Different Types of Rugs


Image Source: Girl Meets Glamour

When you are shopping for a new rug, it helps to have a basic knowledge of the different types, sizes, and shapes that you will encounter. Some of the most popular types of rugs include Oriental rugs, rag rugs, hooking rugs, and braided rugs. These often come as either area rugs or runners. Area rugs come in all shapes and sizes and are fit just as their name suggests, in the area of a room. A runner is a long, rectangular rug and typically fits down the length of a hallway.

Rug Fabrics

There are several types of fabrics of rugs and some are sturdier than others. Every rug that you see will either be handmade or machine made. You can expect handmade rugs to be durable and be made with natural fibers such as cotton or wool. Machine made rugs are often made with synthetic fibers, and while the quality isn’t as good, they are often less expensive than their counterparts. When you understand the options you can decide which type of rug you need to buy

When to Use an Area Rug 


Area rugs work great in any room with a lot of space. A large, square area rug works well if you have an open hardwood floor without anything on it. Try to pick a rug that is large enough so that all the furniture can fit on top of it.


Image Source:
Luxury Furniture Design

If you have a smaller space that needs an accent, a circular area rug might be a good choice. Braided rugs are very popular in the circular style.


Image Source: apartmenttherapy.com

Finally, if you are looking to fill a void or bring a touch of coziness to a long hallway, a runner will do the trick. Just be sure to find one that fits the length of the entire hallway. Runners also work well in rooms as a complement to a larger rug or in a small, rectangular space.


Image Source: Modern-Rugs

Once you understand the type of rug you want to buy, you are ready to shop! To find the best rug for your intended space, you want something that will complement the furniture and walls rather than overpower them. Matching the accent colors is very important when it comes to this. It may be helpful to even bring paint chips or your throw pillows with you when you shop, so you can be sure to get a rug that will work nicely in your room. If the color is off even a little bit, it can distract from the look you are trying to convey.

If you are looking for a new rug and aren’t quite sure where to begin your search, check out iCustomRug. They have a large variety of rugs in all shapes, sizes, and colors, giving you the best chance of finding something that will complement any room in your house.


Truly Stylish Outdoor Living – Garden Tables & Chairs


 


 









There are many different types of outdoor furniture ranges available, from traditional wicker patio sets to modern and functional garden tables and chairs. If you’re looking for stylish sofa sets to transform your garden into a comfortable and luxurious outdoor space, a contemporary rattan furniture range will be the best one to choose.

Modern outdoor sofa sets, especially those belonging to contemporary rattan furniture ranges, are no longer made from fragile materials that simply don’t last outdoors. Thanks to the many improvements made in outdoor furniture design and construction, such as the widespread use of synthetic PU rattan, these contemporary rattan furniture ranges are truly innovative in terms of both the way that they are made and they way that they can be used. Those outdoor sofa sets combine contemporary design and style with real functionality, which more than meet the demands that can be placed on them in a typical home.

Outdoor sofa sets are very often the main feature of luxury garden furniture ranges, particularly those that are made from PU rattan. Today’s outdoor sofa sets are just as spacious and luxurious as the ones that are intended for indoor use, and can range from indulgent corner sofas and coffee tables through to more functional small sofa sets that are perfect for entertaining outdoors. With designs that feature clean, minimalistic lines and warm colors that work well in a variety of outdoor (and even indoor!) settings, the outdoor sofa sets that are available in a contemporary rattan furniture range are equally as perfect when placed in landscaped gardens as they are in more modern, decking areas or even roof terraces and patios.
 
In addition to the aesthetic appeal offered by these contemporary rattan furniture ranges, outdoor sofa sets that are made from PU rattan are so easy to care for. No longer will you have to spend hours varnishing and sealing your outdoor furniture before you can use it. By choosing a sofa set from the right range of furniture you can begin to enjoy its comfort as soon as you received it. All you have to do is find the perfect spot for it in your garden or patio area. And once you’ve placed it there, you won’t have to worry about moving it indoors as soon as it starts to rain, or if the heat gets intense. The outdoor sofa sets are completely weather proof, and aside from covering it if the weather gets too bad you won’t need to do anything else to protect it.

Overall, a modern garden sofa set will set your garden apart and make it the ultimate in style and relaxing living.

Transparent TV Screens For Your Living Room




The television industry has undergone a lot of changes in recent years, and TV’s are becoming more advanced than ever before. Many consumers have purchased big-screen televisions and receipt years as prices have gone down substantially. Television manufacturers are looking for new ways to boost sales and keep people coming back for more. Sometimes this includes partnerships between prominent gadget manufacturers and bank lenders with the best credit cards. Other times it requires innovations that border on gimmicks. One of the new technologies that has made a splash in recent months is the transparent LCD television. What exactly is this type of TV, and should you buy one for your living room?


What is a Transparent TV?

This type of television is a device that you can see through. When it’s sitting there, it basically looks like a piece of glass going up from a base. When the TV is off, you can see right through the middle of it as if you were looking through a window. Then when the TV powers on, the image appears on the screen, and it looks just like a regular TV screen. The glass has lighting built in that lights the screen when you turn it on.

How They Can Be Used


Many people are buying transparent televisions as a way to create a focal point in a room. Having a transparent television can be a good conversation starter, and help create something interesting in the room that gets people’s attention.

Some television manufacturers are actually working on a transparent TV that doubles as a window. You have the television installed just like a window, and you can see out of it when you want. The sunlight works to provide the back light for the TV. When you’re watching television at night, the TV has built-in lights that provide lighting. This provides you with a more energy-efficient television, and something that is really interesting for your home.

Other Uses

The window TV can also double as a computer monitor, and connect to the Internet. This way, you can check in on social networks, shop, read personal finance articles, and play music. The TV also works like blinds so that you can block out the light coming in the window if you want.

Whether you think transparent televisions are cool or tacky, they are definitely something that will become more common in the future. The decision to buy one will be up to you and your personal budget, but you have to admit that the idea is unlike anything else out there.

AG Home Goods




Monday, July 16, 2012

Changes almost finished at AG Home Goods...

Avant-Garde Home Furnishings, LLC présents


Changes almost finished at AG Home Goods... 





TODAY I want to share with all of you that most of the new branding and logos are up throughout our sites. The store, interior design site, and info site are all up and running. We also have a new site aghomegoods.net which will become aghomegoods.info that is a brief intro page that links to all our sites. Please check out the new and improved AG Home Goods..



We have redone or user interface, created new categories, and made navigation through the various sites as easy as eating a piece of cake.. Check them out for yourself and please send in any comments or suggestions that your might have to better improve our sites..





We have gone a long way to make the store cleaner, more user friendly, and much more food for the eyes.. In other we think you will be impressed by all our changes..Please let us know and send any and all comments on our store.. The input will be greatly appreciated..

Thanks for your continued support..

Its simply amazing..


Saturday, July 7, 2012

PLEASE HELP MALI

Avant-Garde Home Furnishings, LLC présents

AN ELEPHANTS SAD STORY.. 
ONE WE CAN CHANGE 

Mali the elephant at the Manila Zoo



PLEASE TODAY I ASK FOR YOUR HELP..


A heartfelt story.. Please everyone who reads this blog must help us change this..

The Story:


Imagine, if you can, a youngster, shipped to a strange and frightening place, never to see her family or home ever again. But no alert is ever issued, no reward for her safe return offered. This is because the victim is an elephant, Mali, the lone elephant at the Manila Zoo.
This nursing baby was taken from Sri Lanka in 1974 and has spent the last 35 years in a small, concrete pen.

Try to imagine living your whole life in a room the size of a bedroom, seeing the same four walls every day. You'd have no friends or companionship and nothing whatsoever to pass the time or provide you with comfort. You'd never get to leave. That's exactly what life is like for Mali.
Mali is a mere shell of the magnificent being she's meant to be. She is the only captive elephant in the Philippines, and she needs to be retired without delay.

The Office of the President has issued a directive stating that Mali should be transferred to a sanctuary after an evaluation of her health. A sanctuary can offer her thousands of acres to roam, ponds to bathe in, fresh vegetation to eat, foraging opportunities and, most importantly, the company of many other elephants. But despite the fact that PETA has offered to cover the entire cost of the transfer, authorities are stalling PETA's efforts to faciliate Mali's move to a sanctuary. Take action now to free Mali!

PS Want to do even more to help us help Mali? Please "like" the Free Mali page on Facebook and share this video with friends and family.

THE FULL STORY

World-Renowned Elephant Veterinarian: Mali Is Suffering


Mali the elephant at the Manila Zoo


Following a directive from President Benigno Aquino III to evaluate Mali, the 38-year-old solitary elephant at the Manila Zoo, and move her to a sanctuary, a new medical report on her condition reveals that she is suffering from potentially fatal foot problems and profound loneliness and that the only way to ensure her physical and psychological well-being is to relocate her to an elephant sanctuary, where she can be cared for by experts. Paid for by PETA, internationally recognized elephant expert Dr. Mel Richardson has just published his report from a visual medical examination of Mali. View the report here.

No Veterinary Care

In the report, Richardson cites chronic pressure sores open to contamination as well as foot ailments, including cracked nails, overgrown cuticles, and cracked pads—all three of which can harbor bacteria and become infected. Such foot problems are the leading cause of death in captive elephants. The zoo’s veterinarians admitted to Richardson that they lack the means to trim Mali’s cuticles, and they have not yet accepted PETA’s offer of assistance. Richardson’s examination is the most complete physical evaluation that Mali has ever received, but she has still not had a blood workup.

Mali's feet, Manila Zoo


Suffering and Alone

While Richardson is concerned about Mali’s lack of veterinary care, he is particularly troubled by her loneliness and the extreme psychological stress that it causes:
“My major concern is that Mali is alone,” writes Richardson in the report. “Female elephants in their natural habitat never leave the herd. They are in constant communication with the other members of their family. Mali’s social and psychological needs are being neglected at the Manila Zoo. Even the best intentions … cannot replace these needs, which can only be met by the companionship of other elephants.” He concludes, “In my experience, even elephants who have been alone for more than 20 years integrate well with other elephants when moved to a sanctuary.”

All elephants who are confined alone and denied everything that is natural and important to them suffer psychologically. The frustrations of captivity and lack of companionship often lead to abnormal, neurotic, and even self-destructive behavior called “zoochosis” or “stereotypy”—in Mali’s case, incessant pacing. A growing number of progressive zoos—including several in the U.S. and the U.K.—have realized that they cannot possibly fulfill the complex needs of elephants and have closed their elephant exhibits. The government of India has ordered that all elephants in zoos be transferred to government-run sanctuaries and reserves.

What You Can Do to Help

Please support PETA’s campaign to transfer Mali to a sanctuary. Click here for a list of ideas on how to help Mali get the retirement that she deserves.

Petition Letter:

Please expedite Mali's transfer to a sanctuary in Thailand
Dear Secretary Alcala,
As I'm sure you're aware, in her current environment, Mali is denied socialization, stimulation, room to explore, and everything else that is natural and important to her. Mali endures intense confinement, loneliness, boredom, and isolation in an area a fraction of the size of her natural habitat.

But you have a chance to change that. Will you immediately work with PETA in facilitating Mali's transfer to a sanctuary, as ordered by a directive from the office of the president?

The Manila Zoo has a chance to join a growing number of progressive zoos—including several in the U.S. and the U.K.—who have realized that they cannot possibly fulfill the complex needs of elephants and have closed their elephant exhibits. The government of India has ordered that all elephants in zoos be transferred to government-run sanctuaries.

PLEASE SIGN THE FOLLOWING PETITION...




Please help give Mali the life she truly deserves.

Sincerely, 

AG HOME GOODS



Modern contemporary ideas...

Avant-Garde Home Furnishings, LLC présents

Modern contemporary ideas... 

Today I am just sharing a little bit of everything with all of you.. Modern contemporary items, homes, things in general and probably just about anything I saw thatr caught my attention.. I love just staying home, watching TV, looking throiugh magazines and catalogs to see all the new items available in the world of modern contemporary style and design.. 

Enjoy the pics and posts..


Architects Collective’s 

Spaceship-like L-House

We never really pass up on a chance to post about a home that has a distinct, spaceship-like feel. Why? Because we love the future and we love spaceships, duh. This home in Burgenland, Austria by the Architects Collective definitely has a futuristic feel with lots of angles, but it also has a lot of fun interactions with the surrounding nature and a lot of thoughtful design elements that makes it feel very warm and inviting.


“The new home for a young family is located on the outskirts of a small settlement in the South of Austria’s Burgenland region and is harmoniously placed into the hilly landscape. The traditional and typical L-shaped floor plan of the region was developed further in an imaginative and thoughtful way advancing modern home, energy and living concepts.”


Love the way this interior space interacts with the exterior outdoor space. “The client wished for a contemporary living experience that is blended into the surrounding landscape. The result is a surprising habitat that reflects the way the family lives incorporating design quality, sustainability and functionality in everyday life.”

Glass House by The Manser Practice


The Glass House on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom is an adaptation to an existing house that was added on to provide a new open-plan living and dining area. You know what they say about glass houses…just don’t throw any rocks at this one and we should be okay.


Love the “secret garden” feeling to many of the angles of this home, which was partly existing, so had a distinct look from the new glass part but still looks like one cohesive home.



What a stunning kitchen! I’d cook in that everyday!

Varaluz’s Electrifying New Lighting Fixtures!



Ready to zap some zing into your lighting selection at home? Wanna add some electrifying details to your home in time for the 4th of July and the summer heat? Varaluz’s new “Alternating Current” line of fixtures might be perfect. We’ve got a couple of hanging pendant lights and some wall sconces, all with the signature high quality and high style of Varaluz, and with some awesome material choices and even a pop of bold, bright color.

Varaluz’s Declearative Pendant is energetic and frenetic! The Balderdash Pendant glows with a red hot fury of awesomeness. The Chromeo and Juliet Mini Pendant proves that even lighting companies can be witty and punny.

DWR’s Live/Work Contest Winner


Amanda Ip had the winning design (out of over 500 entries) for the recent Dwell and Design Within Reach Live/Work Design Contest, which aimed to challenge the world’s most creative up-and-coming designers to design a workspace “classic of tomorrow” – a new home-office solution that Design Within Reach could potentially manufacture and sell.

Judges were looking for a product and or furniture design in the home-office space that employed materials of integrity and solved productivity challenges while mixing business with pleasure — and by these drawings it looks like industrial designer Amanda did just that. We’re crossing our fingers this is a design that might actually get manufacturered! Here’s Amanda’s description of her design:



“A clear desk, a clear mind. The Innermix Desk incorporates playful hanging metal storage compartments into a wood desktop supported by steel tube legs to keep the workspace organized. Open storage is sized for files, pens/pencils, small office items and books/small computer. Concealed storage lifts from the side and hides all the things you don’t want in sight. Concealed gas hinge allows for soft close. High back crossbar lets you work while having your feet up. ”

Modern contemporary things

Ag Home Goods 

 


 

 

 


Monday, July 2, 2012

My trip to Inglis Florida and new pics of Avant-Garde

Avant-Garde Home Furnishings, LLC présents

My trip to Inglis Florida and new pics of Avant-Garde

This past week I went up to northern Florida to take a friend of mine home and I tend to forget how nice it is to visit this state which is full of wild natural preserves, the everglades, and vast expanses of forest and lakes as we travel north past Orlando and into Inglis Florida, a small town that is perfect for relaxation and to simply unwind and let go...

Enjoy the pics of the serene countryside of Florida...

Northern Florida

Our trip to norther Florida was full of excitement even getting a flat tire on the way which we had to get fixed at one of the local repair shops.. It worked out great and we had a great time up there ... 

As we traveled north, we got a flat tire which we had fixed right before we traveled back down..

The dollar general store up in Inglis Florida

The small town's downtown section of the city

The roads leading out of this scenic town..






This is the lively downtown area..

Churches as we approach main street


Main Street WHOSE NAME IS MAIN STREET

MAIN STREET








Beautiful and Tranquil..

Heading home.. back to Miami






Back at Avant-Garde in Miami...

Now back in Miami, here are some pictures of the revamped gardens at Avant-Garde.. We are very proud of our offices and the peaceful setting in which they now sit.. Its relaxing and ideal working space.. 

Please enjoy the pics...

Side Connecting Gardens that connect the front and back gardens at Avant-Garde

Front Gardens- Avant-Garde

Front Gardens- Avant-Garde

Front Gardens- Avant-Garde

Secret Gardens - Avant-Garde


Front Gardens- Avant-Garde

Front Gardens- Avant-Garde


Front Gardens- Avant-Garde

Side connecting walkway..


Front Gardens- Avant-Garde

Side connecting garden

Our Beautiful Lily


Front Sitting area bamboo gardens - Avant-Garde

Our Buddha Statue

Our outside sitting Area




Our Beautiful Bamboo Gardens



Entrance to our offices...




Back Gardens right beneath our offices - Avant-Garde

Back Gardens right beneath our offices - Avant-Garde

Our Offices on the second floor

Our Offices on the second floor

Back Sitting Area - Avant-Garde


Back Sitting Area - Avant-Garde




As you can see we work in a very nicely decorated serene area that we enjoy very much so.. I hope all of you enjoyed the pictures... Here are some pictures of the gardens at night.. 










Our gardens at night are spectacular.. Please stop by for a visit sometime..

AG Home Goods 



Miami Beach

AG Interior Ideas Concepts

A House that transforms

Modern, contemporary sites in Miami