Tag Archives: furniture

Home Decor: Christmas in July

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Believe it or not, it is not too early to start thinking about the holidays, especially when it comes to decorating.  Now, I am not recommending that you pull out the tree and start stringing the lights.  But if you are planning on hosting out of town guests or a large holiday party and the house needs a bit of sprucing up (no pun intended) now is the time to start making plans.

A decorating plan

Before you order new furniture, paint the walls or replace the carpet you need to have an overall decorating plan.  This will save you time and money and help you avoid costly mistakes.  It is fairly easy to create a plan:

  • Decide which room(s) you want to redecorate
  • Choose a color scheme.  You can use a piece of artwork, fabric or a picture from a magazine as inspiration.  If you are redoing just one room be sure that the room “flows” with the rest of your home’s decor when it comes to color.
  • Determine just what you need when it comes to furniture, artwork, floor coverings and accessories.
  • Find fabric and paint for your project.

Being organized will make it easy for you to shop for your new items.

Furniture

If your decorating plans include new furniture now is the time to start looking and place an order.  Most upholstered pieces can take anywhere from 8-12 weeks for delivery.  Fabric for reupholstery may be backordered which will result in a delivery delay.  How disappointed will you be when Thanksgiving is right around the corner and you have a beautiful table but no chairs?  How uncomfortable will your out of town guests be when they have to sleep on an aero bed because the new sofa sleeper did not arrive in time? 

Paint, upholstery and installation

You are not the only one looking to redecorate for the holidays.  This means your paint contractor, upholsterer, plumber and handyman may be very busy and unavailable to work on your project.  Starting early will insure that you get the job done. 

  • Paint the walls while you are waiting for new furniture to arrive.
  • Schedule your reupholstery projects and have the upholsterer pick up the pieces while you are waiting for fabric to arrive.
  • Use this time to have your handyman make small repairs, hang new lighting fixtures etc.

Shop, shop, shop

While you are in the malls, antique stores and discount stores you can begin to look for those small items that will complete the room.  Stores are trying to make room for new inventory for the upcoming season and there are sales on accessories, bedding, carpet and furniture.  Now that you have a decorating plan you know exactly what you are looking for and you will not have to “settle” for something that is less than perfect.

We all know how stressful the holidays are in the best of circumstances.  If you are organized and prepared you can avoid the last minute panic that so often accompanies holiday plans.  Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!

 

 

Eight great dorm room decorating ideas

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How exciting!  The time has come for you to move in to your own space even if it is an 8×10 dorm room that will be shared with one, two, maybe even three other girls.  The trick to dorm room decorating is to find storage in every little nook and cranny available and to use items that are multi-purpose.  And while you want the room to be pretty and reflect your personality, it must be functional first.  Here are eight easy ideas that may help when it comes time to create your own space.

  1. Most dorms do not allow you to paint the walls.  Besides, how difficult would it be to get all you girls to decide on a color?  To hide those ugly dorm room walls (or at least your section) create a custom message board that is half cork to post notes  and pictures and half white board to write reminders etc.  In place of all those posters that serve no functional purpose, this can hang right above your bed.  Paint the molding a color that coordinates with your bedding and it will act as a headboard.
  2. Under bed storage is a must; as are units with drawers and wheels.  Shops like The Container Store have items made specifically for a dorm room and there are cool colors and patterns available. 
  3. Space bags make it possible to store out of season clothing and bedding in small spaces, allowing you to be comfortable all year long.
  4. If you know your roommates, you can coordinate your bedding for a real pulled together look.  But chances are you will meet her on the first day of check-in.  Result—each girl will have different colors and patterns.  So choose what makes you happy and comfortable.  Buy the best sheets you can afford so insure a good night’s sleep because you are going to need it! 
  5. To help ease the pangs of homesickness, be sure to have plenty of pictures of your family and friends around.  To save space, have these pictures transferred on to a lap quilt, pillow case, wall hanging or tote bag.
  6. Even something as simple as clothes hangers can make a decorative statement.  For an uncluttered look, choose hangers in one color that, again, coordinates with your bedding.  For a wild and crazy look, buy hangers in all available colors for a rainbow effect.  You can assign a color to each type of clothing i.e. red for jeans, blue for blouses etc. 
  7.  Hanging purses on the wall can act as a functional piece of artwork and add color and texture at the same time.
  8. Most dorms provide each student with a small desk and chair.  Create a cute slipcover or seat cushion for your chair and turn that utilitarian piece of furniture into something pretty.

Moving into a dorm room is both exciting and scary.  Surrounding yourself with your favorite items and your favorite colors will make it possible to create a little home away from home

Decorating Style: Mission, Craftsman or Arts and Crafts Design

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If you like masculine furniture with a clean and simple form, beautiful wood and nature inspired colors then this may be the style for you.  Mission, Craftsman and Arts and Crafts all refer to a style of furniture and architecture born in the early 20th century as a rebuttal to the mass produced and heavily ornate items from the Victorian period.  These pieces feature simple, straight lines, craftsman details like mortise and tenon joinery, are often made of dark wood and their primary function is to be functional.  Stickley is a name that often comes to mind when one thinks of mission or craftsman style.  Along with the identifiable furniture styles, this period also focuses on specific colors, fabrics and patterns that tie the whole look together.

Colors

The colors found in nature are most often used when decorating in a mission, craftsman or arts and crafts style.  These include deep shades of green, blue, deep russet reds, muddy golds, purples and all shades of beige, tan and brown.

Fabric and pattern

Common patterns used to decorate a craftsman style home feature nature motifs such as leaves, trees, birds and stylized flowers like tulips and ginko leaves.  These patterns can be used in fabrics but are more commonly found in rugs and wallpaper borders.  Furniture is upholstered in durable and functional fabrics like suede, leather and chenille.

Furniture

Along with the simple furniture designs a home decorated in this manner may include pottery lamps with mica shades, lots of hand thrown pottery, colorful blown glass items, stained glass inserts in furniture pieces and lots of built in bookcases and hutches.

This is a warm and inviting design style that works well with other styles.  For example, a brightly colored piece of modern art would be a nice contrast to all the wood pieces.  Plaid fabrics coordinate beautifully with the floral patterns used.  A collection of colorful glass bottles will brighten up the dark wood.

Whether you stay true to the style or mix it up a bit, you are sure to create a home that people will feel welcome in.

Lee Industries goes Green with their Natural Lee line

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By now most of you are familiar with “green” decorating, living a green life, how to make eco-friendly choices etc.  In fact, so much has been written about green living over the past few years that the phrase “green noise” has been coined to point out that much of what we read and hear becomes background noise, similar to white noise.  But every once in a while something new pops up on the green horizon that is worth paying attention to.

Lee Industries, a familiar name in the furniture industry, recently introduced their new line of furniture under the name Natural Lee.  All of the pieces in this collection have been created in an environmentally friendly manner.  Seating features soy based cushions; filling material is made from recycled fibers; all wood frames use wood that comes from forests certified by the FSC  (forest stewardship council) and finishes on fabric and wood are water based.  Not only do these measures protect the environment but they also insure that fewer toxins are released into your home from products like oil based varnishes and fabric finishes.  For more information on this line and Lee Industries’ commitment to the environment visit their website at www.leeindustries.com/aboutenvironmentfaq.asp.

Lee offers many different styles of furniture to complement any decor from a sleek armed sofa to a comfy and cozy slipcovered loveseat.  You can choose from their selection of fabrics or have the items made using a fabric of your own choice.  This allows you to truly customize every piece you order for a one-of-a-kind look in your home. Check out the designer fabrics offered at www.onlinefabricstore.net that include names like Robert Allen, Covington and Waverly.  Isn’t it nice to know that your beautiful sofa is allowing you to make a contribution to the “green” movement and still have a beautiful and comfortable home?