The uncertainties of the world outside our front doors give all the more meaning to the sanctuaries we create within our homes. As the holidays approach, a space for family has become more important than ever before. Now is the time to prepare living areas to settle in during colder weather. That includes updating a cozy family room with tables for games and puzzles or a comfortable chair for watching movies, and making sure your Thanksgiving table is ready for a gathering of any size, from a single seat to a large table for more socially-distanced place settings. Michael Schwartz, president of the M. Jacobs collection of seven furniture stores across Oregon understands the meaning of family as he heads the 83-year-old company. Founded by his wife Sheila’s parents, Maurie and Sylvia Jacobs in 1938, the stores not only provide the region with high-quality furniture options but create a family-like atmosphere to shop. Family tradition is important to the Schwartz family (see sidebar), especially when it comes to Thanksgiving. Create your own backdrop for tradition with an update to your dining space. MJacobsFineFurniture.com
Get the Look
The lessons of change from 2020 can apply to restyling living space. Staying home is an invitation when a room is welcoming and reflects your personal style. There are many options for customizing furniture today that allow expression of individualization: choose from a variety of wood finishes or fabrics, whether the luxury of velvet or the durability of bonded leather. Comfort is also a priority which has made a recliner, such as the Ekornes Stressless Recliner, a “hot commodity,” during these times, according to Michael Schwartz, president of M. Jacobs Fine Furniture. Whatever your goals, simple changes can help create a custom space for the holidays and winter season.
1.) Oversized blue glass vase, $150. WestElm.com
2.) A neutral palette is the blank canvas for a pop of a favorite color with an accent pillow that expresses your personality. Chair, with custom covering, by Canadel. MJacobsFineFurniture.com
3.) Modernize your Thanksgiving table with cutlery in a metal other than silver. Luna Flatware, 5-piece set, $89. BorrowedBlu.com
4.) There’s no place like home, especially when we live in Central Oregon. Accent pillows, from $29.95. MJacobsFineFurniture.com
5.) Wood Top Pedestal Table. The Canadel line of hard goods allows buyers to choose each design element: from size, to structure and finish. Canadel.com
6.) Dining room chairs are available in a rainbow of colors.
Family Traditions at M. Jacobs Fine Furniture
When Maurie and Sylvie Jacobs left Chicago for Oregon, it was in the 1930s and like many people going west they were following dreams. Maurie’s dream was to open a retail store, and in 1938 he opened what was then called Sterling Furniture in Eugene. Fast forward 83 years, and today a family of seven stores known as the M. Jacobs Fine Furniture “family of stores” has grown from that first business to include M. Jacobs in Bend, stores in Eugene as well as Michael’s Leather and Oak, Michael’s Home Store and M. Jacobs Mattress Gallery. The family legacy continues under the leadership of Maurie and Sylvie’s daughter, Sheila and their son-in-law Michael Schwartz. The M. Jacobs Fine Furniture store in Bend has been open since 1980 and has evolved to provide Central Oregon buyers with not only full line and top brand name home furnishings, but contemporary lines that provide customization options to consumers. Family traditions are central to the M. Jacobs business and to the personal life of the extended Schwartz family. Michael and Sheila have been married 54 years, have three daughters, three sons-in-law, eight grandchildren, and four dogs, all of whom return to Eugene each year for the holidays. While creating comfortable home environments is part of the M. Jacobs business, at the Schwartz’s own home they have created an important gathering place, especially at the holidays. As their family has grown, Michael has invited family to stay in alternate accommodations for more room, but that hasn’t worked. “Everyone wants to be ‘in’ the house,” where they can all be together, he says. “They all find a way to be at home for Thanksgiving.”