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8LF | THURSDAY , NOVEMBER 5 , 2020 | THE RECORD HOMESCAPE / ADVERTISING SECTION
Art & Objects : artfully displayed
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Winter Readiness : now , not later
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Cleaning involves sweeping the flue from top to bottom with special brushes . ( The inside of masonry chimneys is usually lined with clay flue tiles .) Then the sweep will vacuum out the smoke chamberand the smoke shelf , the areas just above the fire box .
“ Many people don ’ t realize that it is not only important to clean the fireplace chimney , it is also important to inspect and clean the chimneys that vent boilers and gas-fired water heaters and furnaces ,” said Theron Allen of Allen Chimneys in Cedar Grove .
The NationalFire Protection Agency recommends chimneys that service gas-and oil-fired appliances be inspected andcleaned annually . The cleaning processissimilartoafireplace chimney cleaning . Oftentimes , the same chimney services both the fireplaceand the heating equipment but they have separate flueswithin the chimneys .
At Allen Chimneys , all cleanings include a video inspection of the chimney . The camera can detect interior problems that the sweep may not be
for a client . “ And it makes a statement . We framed it as amuseum would do , in acontemporary Lucite box . The Metropolitan Museum has one , as does the Smithsonian . When you can find one of these dresses , it can go for anywhere from $ 3,000 to $ 5,000 and upward .”
CELEBRITYMEMORABILIA AND EPHEMERA
Authenticated celebrity collectibles can be fun and often valuable , so preserving them properly is important . “ Recently , we framed a suit that belonged to Anthony Bourdain . And we found a picture of Bourdain wearing that suit , which makes it more valuable . Let ’ s just say both the suit and the picture now have pride of place hanging over the sofa of a young fan ’ s apartment .”
Then there ’ s the Bruce Springsteen “ gig poster ” framed at the gallery . “ Someone found it tacked to a telephone pole in Seaside Heights in 1970 , when the rocker ’ s star was just starting to rise . When we saw that , we said , ‘ This is amazing .’“
Sometimes people want to frame documents that preserve family history , such as land or house deeds . Fitzsimmons recalls owners of a local historic property . Like each of the property ’ s owners before them , they received the original indentures , or deeds , to the land , going back centuries to the original Dutch families who settled in the area , the Demarests and the Bogerts .
“ So , we made two-sided framing for the document ; the front holds all the legal information , such as the names of those who were getting the land ; the back basically shows all the mortgage payments as far back to the early 1800s , written in such beautiful script . It ’ s now hanging in the home , and the current owners will hand it on when they leave as it was handed on to them .”
PLACEMENT ’ S THE THING
Framing art , traditional or nontraditional , is just step one . To complete a visually pleasing wall display , you have to know where and how to hang it .
Short Hills interior designer , Jennifer B . Meyer says people have a tendency to hang wall art too high . “ That seems to be amore obvious problem than when you see something that has been hung too low . The correct
able to see from the top or bottom of the chimney . “ Some common problems with masonry chimneys include cracked flue tiles and open cement joints between the tiles ,” said Allen .
Damaged clay liners are replaced with stainless-steel liners . And fireplace inserts , which are wood-burning stoves placed in the fireplace opening , must also have stainless-steel liners .
Many people wait until this time of year to have their chimney serviced . “ But it is agood idea to have the chimney maintained right after the heating system ,” said Allen . “ That way creosote is not sitting in the chimney becauseitiscorrosive .”
SNOWBLOWER TUNE-UP
While heating contractors and chimney sweeps recommend making annual service appointmentsearly inthe year , Kevin Nye of Wyckoff Power Equipment wants you to wait .“ We tell people not to start up their snowblowers to see if they work in August or September . The beginning of November is plenty of time to make sure it works .”
The reason ? Today ’ s gasoline contains ethanol and other additives position is on center with the average person ’ s height , or about 54 inches on center .”
Meyer goes on to say you may have to make some adjustments , however , if the piece will hang over furniture . And she points out other variables , such as the size of the art . “ If something is too small for the wall , it will look lonely . Find a wall that ’ s not as large to hang the piece . Also , consider the height of the ceiling .”
If it ’ s large or an investment piece , Meyer will do an elevation . “ I will draw the installation [ to scale as it will look on the wall ], and make sure everyone is comfortable before we ’ ve gotten to actually hanging it .”
Another trick Meyer suggests is using blue painter ’ s tape to create a mock-up of the size and shape of your pieceonthe wall . If it ’ s large , tape together multiple copies to fill the blue-tape framework . “ Then live with it for awhile and see how you feel about it .”
that shorten its shelf life . Gas gets stale . And if you fill your snowblower in Augusttotest it , it may not work when you need it in December or January . Snowblowers should be run dry at the end of the snow season .
“ And when they do add gas to only use premium 93-octane fuel ,” Nye said . “ And also add afuel additive to prolongthe life of the fuel . The additive should be used all season long .”
An annual snowblower tune-up involves changing the oil and spark plugs , checking the belts , lubricating moving parts , checking the tire pressure , making sure the engine runs smoothly , and checking the shear pin . Shear pins break off and prevent further damage to the machine if you hit a solid object like a large rock or frozen newspaper while removingthe snow .
If you are tired of shoveling and want to buy a snowblower , talk with a qualified dealer to settle on the machine that best suits your needs . “ And one that you can get serviced locally ,” said Nye . “ You don ’ t want a snowblower that breaks down in the middle of astorm that you can ’ t get parts for .”
CUSTOM BLINDS , SHADES , SHUTTERS & DRAPERY
A suit worn by Anthony Bourdain was framed for a client by Westwood Gallery . The display includes an image of the chef and TV personality wearing the suit .
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CREATINGANATTRACTIVE WALL GROUPING
This requires planning , says Meyer . “ When you have multiple pieces to group together on awall , first lay them all out on the floor until you find a pleasing arrangement , and then take it from there .”
She also says think about weight . “ Put the smallerpiece on top of the larger one . And it ’ s more interesting to put the larger piece to leftortothe right , not in the center of the grouping . This asymmetrical arrangement is unexpected and modern .”
Suburban Essex
2019
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