ASK GORE DEAN

The best kept secret of people who deal in and care for silver is: that its really not hard to do.  The natural color of silver is white. It"s the tarnish that, if highly polished, gives something that "silver shine" that we value.  This is why products like TarnX and other chemical reactives do not work. They will never allow you to get the shine that we covet. But we don't want too much tarnish either. So keeping silver clean is the first step to keeping it polished as well.

Silver does not need to be polished every time. A warm water,  soapy cleaning will usually last with a polish every year.

We recommend using Town Talk anti-tarnish silver polishing cloths or NeverDull, both available through www.goredean.com.  Goddard's makes a good silver polish available in most grocery and hardware stores, though the polishing part will be a bit harder to do. Always use a smooth cloth, not a terry towel.

NeverDull is used by the military for brass buttons and it really shines up well. It works on heavily tarnished silver as well.

Town Talk is the easiest to use for everyday maintenance. It is made of high quality cotton impregnated with a sliver cleaner and antitarnish agent.  These cloths also work well on silver plate.

For very dirty silver, soak in warm soapy water.  Then either apply NeverDull and let sit or use ultrafine OOOO steel wool.  Please do not use any other steel wool or scrubber as it will destroy the silver.  If streaks or scratches are a problem, a professional metal polisher will be able to buff them out.

Candlesticks and tazzas require extra care when polishing. Anything with a stem must be polished very carefully, especially if it has been weighted in the base. During polishing, many people twist the stem and it collapses or bends irretrievably. Always polish the stem up and down and not with a twisting motion. Delicate arms on candlesticks are the same.

If, like me, you have the occassional silver spoon in the dishwaher - take it to a professional metal art person who can usually restore it for you in short order.

You can e-mail me with any further questions Deborah@goredean.com

http://www.dailycandy.com/article.jsp?ArticleId=25659&city=11

http://washingtonlife.com/issues/2005-09/deborah_gore/index.php

http://www.washingtontimes.com/entertainment/20050522-110119-8418r.htm

Washington's best Home shopping can be found in DC's historic Georgetown. For decades Georgetown has ebbed and flowed between the most chic and most distressed. You can find a 99 dollar suit behind one door and a world reknown kitchen behind another. But the tide is turning with the help of uber developers and a seemingling endless onslaught of national chain stores willing to do battle with locals for a slice of retail space. Where else in Washington DC is there such a concentration of restaurants, reatil and high end real estate. Whether you come for the day, attend school, or make a home here: there's a lot to keep you busy,

Probably no location has seen the investment that has been placed in Cady's Alley. A dubiously marketable name, Cady's Alley is the enclave of stores between 33rd and 34th streets and M street to the canal. The buildings are historic from the outside and modern inside where the mix of home furnishings spans from the 17th to the 21st century.

The companies represented in this enclave are the best in their fields, professional, and full of style! You take no chances when you shop here.

ADLON

1028 33 rd street, NW /202-337-0810 - www.adlondesign.com

This store is located in a strikingly beautiful building of stone and hewn rock against the clarity and simplicity of the most modern furniture. They have an expandable bookcase that is one the most beautiful I have ever seen. They represent B&B Italia, Maxalto, Interlubke, Katshall, Gervasomi, Sawaya & Moroni, Flos and Venini.

ANN SACKS

3328 M street, NW / 202-339-0840 - www.annsacks.com

This tile and bath fixture showroom took California by storm several years ago and their influence has only spread. The two best companies in the bathroom business are located here in the alley - so there is the whole world of beautiful tile and mosaics to choose from.  Known for their beautiful and subdued color combinations, Ann sacks is a popular destination for interior designers.

BAKER FURNITURE

3330 M Street, NW / 202-342-7080 - www.bakerfurniture.com

A great American furniture store. It's hard to know which is more appealing; the fabulous furniture by world famous designers like Thomas Pheasant or the wholesome and talented personnel that make everyone feel at home and comfortable. This is a flagship store for Baker which traditionally is found only in design centers and to the trade.  The store is very large and includes all the many faceted Baker lines. It is open to the public and is a great way to see the kind of furniture displayed in a way that only professionals get to see. My favorite buy in this store are the bronze accessories by Thomas Pheasant, also his wonderful Castle bowl and his lamps, etc etc etc.

BO CONCEPT - www.boconcept.com

Modern and contemporary furniture from Denmark and Italy.

BULTHAUP

3324 Cady's Alley, NW /202-338-2220 

Kitchen architecture, furniture and accessories.

CONTEMPORARIA

3303 Cady's Alley, NW / 202-338-0193 - www.contemporaria.com

This showroom has long been the trend-setter for people collecting modern furniture in Washington. The owner travels to Italy's most prestigious venues to bring back the latest in ultra modern chic.  The best modern architecture in DC has been outfitted by this showroom. Among the lines they represent: Album, Pieratonio Banacina, Cappelini, Casa Milano, Kristalia, MDF, Minotti, Moblieffe and more. On top of the great lines carried here is a reputation for great party giving and terrific customer service.

DESIGN WITHIN REACH

3307 Cady's Alley, NW / 202-339-9480 - www.dwr.com/georgetown.cfm

A fabulous store and a great place to see how the catalog translates to real life. the store carries the famous designs of Eames, Vander Rohe, Nelson, Stark, and Noguchi.

ILLUMINATIONS

3323 Cady's Alley, NW / 202-965-4888 - www.illuminc.com

Fabulous modern lighting- plain and simple. Truly unique clean and simple lighting from the world's most contemporary lighting designers. You have to spend time there to really see it all and there is a 1000 times more available in catalogs with excellent sales people to help you navigate them all. If you are out to make a statement, visit this showroom before you buy anything else.

LIGNE ROSET

3306 M street, NW /202-333-6390 - www.ligne-roset-usa.com

This store stands out because of the personal style and professionalism of its manager. This showroom is full of personality and some surprisingly good deals. Established in 1868, the Company is world reknown for its style. The designs are French and very chic. They seem committed to bold color and bold design. It's the perfect place to find that one exceptionally unusual chair or the uplit dining table. Personally, I have found their pottery accessories to be an unusually irresistable bargain.

POGGEN POHL

3324 M Street, NW /202-342-9111 - www.poggenpohl-usa.com

Their advertising seems to say - "too cool" but upon close examination, their showroom exudes, "we do it all". They are a FULL SERVICE kitchen design service. They do everything from the design to the millwork and are another favorite of the DC interior design community.

THOMAS MOSER

3300 M street, NW /202-338-4292 - www.thosmoser.com

This is one of the most unique showplaces in all of Washington. Thomas Moser is well known in Maine among collectors of truly unique contemporay furniture. Is it Shaker? Oriental? or just original? You need to experience it to decide for yourself. Unquestionably, the furniture is of heirloom quality and the store has "devotees" of both the style and comfort. The sales staff is superb and congenial. It is a pleasant opportunity to visit a showroom with such an unusual array of handcrafted pieces.

WATERWORKS

3314 M Street, NW / 202-333-7180 - www.waterworks.com

If you have never been to a Waterworks, please rush right down. Anything you could ever wish for in tile and bathroom fixtures and accessories - they have it. Plus, they have great towels, toothpaste that you will never do without, even bathmats. It's clean and beautiful and everything we want our bathrooms to be. If you are going to re-do a bath; their sales staff can do most everything for you. I like to visit just to be a part of the beauty of the place. I buy a designer toothbrush and a washcloth and they treat me like a bought a solid gold bathtub.

GORE DEAN

3338 m Street, NW /202-625-9199 - www.goredean.com

Eclectic, wonderful and serviced by the best team in DC. If we don't have it- we'll find it for you. Service is everything and we are happy to see you every time. And we love our neighbors!

WHERE TO EAT

Kafe Leopold, in the Alley. Fabulous coffee and pasteries.Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Clyde's Restaurant, on M street, great American food. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

www.cadysalley.com

Thank you Washingtonian  Magazine for a nice write up!

http://www.washingtonian.com/homes/greathomedesign/2006/ghd_antique.html

Pewter has been used since 3000 BC for useful and decorative objects and utensils for the table. Pewter gives an old world feel to a table. To me, nothing is so perfect for Autumnal gatherings or summer dinners al fresco in the garden.  Most pewter comes from Italy now and there is a casual Tuscan feeling to a lovely dinner on pewter, ending with a simple bowl of fruit and European style fruit knives placed on thick napkins and followed by a long after dinner conversation.

At Gore Dean we carry three pewter lines that are known for their durability and quality. Match Pewter, Vagabond Pewter and a great double wine bucket from Abbiame Tutto. 

A common complaint about pewter from other sources is that it tarnishes quickly in the dishwaher. And truthfully, no pewter should go in a dishwasher set on high. Lower temperature settings  are better for almost all table articles. If handwashing can be done, it is always safer but Match and vagabond CAN go in the dishwasher.

Pewter tarnishes very slowly and it requires virtually no maintenance. To clean flatware, place in a low temperature dishwasher and use a liquid soap to avoid the spots and pitting that can form when powder soaps are used. Plates with a pewter rim or glassware with a pewter rim should always be hand washed. The metal and the pottery/glass heat at different levels and there will be higher breakage.

TO POLISH:

If you want to polish your pewter, almost any metal polish will do. Check the box to make certain that it is appropriate for pewter and rub in a circular pattern with a cloth or 0000 steel wool.

PLEASE DO NOT POLISH ANTIQUE PEWTER, especially pewter of a collectable nature. Use 0000 steel wool to remove old stains and to put it in usable condition. remember that antique pewter has some lead and should not be used for food consumption. Today's pewter is made with a lead free alloy of tin, copper and antimony that is FDA approved and food safe.

Of Note:  We reproduced a wonderful pair of bulbous pewter candlesticks in Italy for the new Clyde's Restaurant in Broadlands, Virginia. They are now available from us at www.goredean.com along with  a great selection of pewter from the companies that I consider the best!

 There has been a lot written in the last few years about "thread count" in sheets and the quality that it represents. You seldom read that thread counts differ country to country or that the type of thread used is more important than the number. So we will dispense with the subject and concentrate on how to care for linens that are an " investment". Everyone's pocket book is defferent, but everyone knows the difference between linens that are worth taking care of and the ones you know will not be in your closet two years from now.

Good linens can last for thirty years with the proper handling. Thay can withstand childern, dogs and champagne in bed if they are cared for. However it is important to realize first how they are constructed and to know the difference between what should be expected to withstand wear and what will never be able to last beyond summer camp or a year in a college dorm.

Linens are constructed on a grid; horizontal threads and vertical threads. If the threads are pure cotton and not cotton peices, they should be able to withstand a great deal of wear.  If however, you cut into the grid to make a fitted bottom sheet, you cut dramatically the strength of the weave and the sheet will tear. So the first rule of sheeting: ALWAYS USE A FLAT BOTTOM SHEET.  And because stains and wear are usually sustained by the bottom sheet, I always recommend purchasing a second bottom sheet.  In a set that can cost into the hundreds and thousands of dollars, this is a good investment. If you can use sheets nicely for 30 years or pass them on to your children as an heirloom; you have actually saved yourself money.

The care of sheeting, however, is a bigger challenge than the expense. Though lesser quality sheets give us the freedom to go from dryer to bed, beautiful sheets from Leron, Anichini, Frette, and Gayle Warwick look their best when ironed. I have been called in to replace lovely sheets that the owner thought were dowdy, when all that was required was an iron for them to look as they did the day they came home.  Ironing sheets is a chore,  but for this excercise, let's say it's worth it.

TO LAUNDER SHEETING:

1.  Machine was in warm water, not hot.

2.  Wash in the gentle cycle.

3.  Use a mild detergent Do not use bleach, stain removers or detergents with a "bluing" agent or lightener. Always dilute your detergent or pour it into the automatic dispenser, never directly on the sheets.

4.   Fabric softeners are not necessary. Save the money.

5.  If you cannot air dry ( does anybody do that anymore?). Put your sheets on the lowest possible setting of the dryer. It is the dryer that causes the most damage to good linens. Remove the linens while they are still slightly damp and place them on a bed or rod. It is very damaging to repeatedly dry them in a dryer.  It breaks down the cotton and the fabric becomes dull and brittle.

6.  Try and leave the linens somewhere flat before pressing. It makes it so much easier to iron. Try and iron when the linens are slightly damp, if possible. And pressing from the underside of a pattern is better, just like clothing.

7. Store your linens in an airy place. Don't place in plastic. Fold them simply and store.

8. If your sheeting has a monogram, iron it from the underside onto a terry cloth towel so that the monogram stays three dimensional and doesn't flatten out over time.

Good luck! And remember that a cup of white vinegar in the rinse water will remove all soapy residue and leave your fabrics smelling better than any product on the market.

If you own expensive sheets and don't want to launder them yourself, Anichini Fine Linens recommends BlancPlume 1-800-307-0229 for a professional water cleaning.  If you use a professional laundry service, copy these instructions and ask them to follow these guidelines. For any further help, feel free to comment on this site or contact us through www.goredean.com