‘Furniture’ Category

Apr 3

Pairing Rustic Kitchen Cabinets With Granite Countertops For Simple Elegance

Granite Transformations Cabin Kitchen Island

Today’s decorating trends are quite eclectic. There is no specific formula or any proper method to “put things together”. The only rule is that there are no rules except one: Follow your instincts.

If you are comfortable with your ideas, go for it.

An example that comes to mind is the use of log furniture in a modern decorating scheme. Depending on the approach you take, you can take on a rustic log cabin theme and pull it all together with accessories and appointments that add color as well as unique touches of style while taking away the heavy impression that log furniture can leave with you.

A good balance of styles can make your home comfy and truly enjoyable. Picture a kitchen/dining space with a beautiful natural pine log table and chairs set in a space decorated with contemporary rustic cabinetry and an attractive granite countertop.

 

Granite Transformations Cabin Kitchen Counter

 

The natural look of log furniture can be dramatic when set against the right background. This rustic feel can be carried out throughout the home and mixed and matched throughout. Rustic tables with legs that have been whitewashed can make a visual impression when the tabletops are topped with a style of granite similar to that used for the kitchen cabinets.

Because granite is a natural material, it will work well when used in combination with any number of materials. Rustic cabinets are an ideal base from which a theme can be fully developed. The great thing about granite is the many colors that nature has endowed it with. Most often, you will find a highlight color within the granite that can be used as the basis for color schemes throughout the home.

About the company:
JHE’s Log Furniture Place is a leading manufacturer and retailer of rustic log furniture. This company has a huge online store offering indoor and outdoor log furniture, as well as rustic décor and accessories. Its furniture is proudly made in the USA and the company has excellent customer service.

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Categories Architecture, decorating, Design, Furniture, home improvement, interior design, kitchen remodeling
Feb 27

Welcome Spring to the Neighborhood With Your Front Porch

porch

Once February hits, most of us are sick of winter and are suffering under the weight of cabin fever. Dreams of sunshine, singing birds and buds on the trees start to fill our heads. It’s when we start to feel like this that our thoughts turn to spring decorating. What better way to welcome spring than with a beautiful front porch? Here are five great ways that you can welcome spring to the neighborhood, right on your front porch, and if you’re decorating your porch on a budget, check out this great article on All You.

Paint

Look in the shed; chances are you’ve got a few gallons of paint. Paint the front door or just the trim. Adding a coat of bright white or even a pale yellow can lend a feeling of spring to even the dullest porch! If painting the front door is a bit too bold, consider painting the porch floor or even your furniture. Remember: it’s just paint! You can always change it back to the way it was if you don’t like it.

Wicker Furniture

Nothing screams spring like beautiful whicker furniture and colorful cushions. Look at garage and tag sales, flea markets, or even second-hand shops for new-to-you pieces that you can add to your porch. You don’t have to spend a lot to achieve a great look. Just remember to bring your furniture in for the winter or give it a good coating of weather protector; doing so will ensure that you can enjoy your furniture for years to come.

Planters

A few planters scattered strategically around your porch will lend a tremendous amount of curb appeal this season. When choosing plants, think mums, daisies and hydrangeas. Springtime colors like pink, yellow, white and lilac will look perfect! You can easily find planters at garage sales and flea markets, but you might find things lying around your home that you can use. Buckets, barrels and even large stockpots make great planters. To give your plants a chance to drain, drill holes in the bottom of your container or put a few pieces of Styrofoam in the bottom.

Greenery

Along with planters, various types of greenery will liven up your porch. Add a beautiful wreath to your front door, hung with a wide ribbon. Construct window boxes and plant shade-loving plants; ivy looks particularly lovely flowing out of a window box. Your greenery doesn’t have to be real; it just has to look real! Look around your local craft store and see what they have in the way of “fake” greenery. A few ivy vines will look fantastic hung over your front door.

Accessories

Since you can do all of the above on a budget, pull out your low interest credit card and use it to purchase new accessories. Porch lights, wind chimes, cushions and welcome mats are all easy ways to add a bit of spring to your home. Look at the front of your house from the sidewalk and look for any accessories that are outdated. Refinishing or replacing these accessories will make you feel like you’ve bought a new house!

You don’t have to go broke to welcome spring to the neighborhood; you just have to be creative. Take a drive around the block and see how others are welcoming the sunshine! You might just bring some inspiration home with you.

Andrew Bennett is a writer for granite credit card — check them out if your credit history is less than ideal.

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Categories decorating, Design, diy, Furniture, home improvement
Jan 9

Guest Post: Does your paint cause tears of joy?

The gallery customer picked up the jewelry box, turning it in her hands.

“So, you’ll inlay any Lapis Lazuli initials in the oak?”

“Well”, I said, ”I’ll paint it in faux Lapis.”

She had bit of a distant look on her face.

“So the price is for faux Lapis?” –running her fingers over the design on the box– “How much to do it like this?”

“I’ll be doing it just like that, in any initials you choose.”

The distance turned to confusion. Fostering my own confused look, it started to dawn on me that we had a communication problem.

Oak-Laps Box X2

“But I want real Lapis, like this.”

This is the ultimate compliment for the Trompe L’Oeil (French for ‘to fool the eye’) artist. Absolute conviction that your work is “real,” not painted.

Long story short, I managed to clarify that the entire surface was faux paint: The Lapis Lazuli and the Oak.

Thankfully, I never really get used to this. It’s always a thrill.

Like the guy at the antique car show who kept finding ways to ask me how the “wood” dash board was finished.

“So…you painted the wood? Don’t you mean stained it? Did you carve it or did you have someone else do it?”

“It’s not carved? How did you shape the wood…?”

After a few minutes of this back and forth, I took a key out of my pocket and tapped it on the dash. It rang out like the early American Detroit steel that it is.

He turned a little red, grinned and yelled: “How the hell did you do that!?” He claimed to be an experienced woodworker.

48 Dogde Interior

It’s fascinating to me that people often react more strongly to convincing Trompe L’Oeil work than they do to the real thing. Like the jewelry box customer whose attitude went from a blasé “this lapis” to “Oh my God! It’s paint!”

It’s a kind of magic and (sappy or not) the power of magic is enduring because it gives people a wonderful combination of hope and surprise.

My interior projects typically go through a similar process. The customer comes home from work to freshly installed faux crown molding, flooring inlay or wood grained cabinet doors. The reactions vary, but not much.

One lady started crying. I don’t mean damp eyes; I’m saying she was sobbing. And smiling. I assured her everything would be okay and should we proceed with that fireplace mantel she’d mentioned.

But that’s only the jumping off point. The real fun begins when they get to mess with friends and family: “Well, yes Walnut is very expensive but I just had to have it for these French doors (giggle).”

Eventually they share the truth (or not) and in this way, for as long as they’re in the home, own the car…, they get to be the magician.

Thanks to advancements in painting techniques and materials, you can make amazing painted wood grain part of your interior design project and no one will be the wiser. But please, after they’re sufficiently impressed, let them in on the secret.

Does your painter know how to apply perfect wood grain? Would you like to learn breathtakingly realistic faux wood grain for your home, business and craft projects?

Either of those questions can be answered by clicking here for Perfect Wood Grain Mastery, a quick to start and easy to learn step-by-step home study course. It gives painters and crafters the skills to duplicate any wood using easy to find tools and materials.

As a decorative painting professional, Norman Petersen has been making things look like other things since 1994. Today he’s on a mission to teach wood grain super-powers to homeowners, faux finishers, craftspeople, fine artists and custom car painters. Learn more about (you guessed it!) faux wood grain at his blog, perfectwoodgrain.com/blog

For information on buying and selling jewelry and other valuables, check out our friends at:

+ DuMouchelle Silver & Gold Exchange

+ DuMouchelle Diamond Exchange

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Categories decorating, Design, diy, Environmentally Friendly, Fun Ideas, Furniture, home improvement, interior design, kitchen remodeling, remodeling, Services
Nov 18

Top Tips To Save Space Around The Home

corner sofa

Most people would agree that they’d like more space in their homes, but making space can often be a difficult and daunting task.

Families in particular struggle to find the space they need to relax whilst still keeping all the things that they love around them. However, making extra space in your home could be as simple as adding clever storage, rearranging your furniture, having a good clear out or changing your sofa.

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Categories Furniture
Nov 7

Back Yard Fun: Creating a Space to Entertain

backyard gazeebo

Every homeowner wants to utilize all the space in their home. If you are planning to entertain, consider where you want to entertain and how. The back yard of a home is a great space for everything from weddings to parties and even just Sunday barbecues. When planning to build your back yard space, there are many different designs you can choose from or create. If you are unsure where to start, take these tips into consideration.

Surfaces:

One of the many mistakes made by homeowners is their choice in outside surfaces. With all of the furniture exposed to the elements, choosing the wrong surfaces can prove expensive as you are constantly replacing them. Choose surfaces that are design and built for outside enjoyment. Stone, brick, granite, and plastic are great choices for outside building materials. This will make it easy to clean and maintain so you can enjoy this space for years.

Choose the Purpose:

Deciding on what you want to use your back yard for is as important as the design itself. If you are planning to host parties, barbecues or weddings, you want to setup your space accordingly. Get the essentials for your plans. If your planning on Sunday grilling, don’t be afraid to spend a bit more than the usual propane grill. Extravagantly built barbecue pits and grills can give the space purpose and a focal point. If you are planning a space for your children to play while you relax and enjoy the weather, large playgrounds and chaise loungers may be what you need.

Choose Low Maintenance Landscaping:

Between work and family, many homeowners are limited on time. Choosing low maintenance gardening can provide the ambience you seek without all the maintenance conventional gardening requires. Artificial grass, drought resistant plants, and simple lush bushes can offer year round enjoyment without the year round maintenance. This will also assure your yard always looks its best regardless of the occasion.

Choose Appropriate Lighting:

You don’t want the party to end as soon as the sun goes down. Choosing lighting that will keep your yard safe and well lit is very important for night time fun. With many designs to choose from, you can match the style of lighting with the theme of your backyard. Tiki torches, paper lanterns and bamboo fixtures are a great fit for tropical themes. Sleek lamps, track lighting, and stylish flood lights can give it more of a modern feel.

Add Privacy:

Many hosts appreciate privacy for their guests. If you have the average suburban home with close neighbors, you may want to think about providing privacy for your guests. There are many ways to provide cover for any event you host. Some choose tall wooden fences, some choose large stone walls, and others choose lines of tall trees that surround the yard. Choose the method that closely resembles your design and blends with the décor. Having your privacy option blend into the surrounding design will eliminate the prison walls feel and still offer your guests the ambience you are aiming for.

Utilizing all the space in your home is a great way to offer entertainment and memories. When you choose to include your yard in your dream home design, take into consideration all the aspects of outdoor needs. Great materials, lighting and privacy are pertinent to creating a space to enjoy for years to come.

As a landscape authority Jonathan Williams writes for Gorilla Grass, a popular Australian supplier of quality artificial grass for your home or business.

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Categories Design, Furniture
Nov 4

Furniture Arrangement for Beginners

Without a doubt, the arrangement of your home’s furniture can be a make or break portion of the overall look and feel you are aiming for. Even if you have found the perfect pieces of furniture, catchy accessories, and gorgeous wall colors, a poorly organized furniture scheme can ruin an entire room. Whether you are a new home owner or are simply hoping to rearrange your existing furniture, there are several guidelines to follow which should help you in creating the most effective and pleasing arrangement.

Although it seems obvious, it bears mentioning that you must first and foremost consider the physical properties of your room. Where are the doors? Do they open inward or outward? Are the windows high enough that furniture can be placed under them? Which walls have the most space to accommodate furniture? These are just a few of the questions you should ask yourself before you start arranging your furniture.

Living Room with Sofa

Image courtesy of Wonderlane (CC by 2.0)

Arranging your Living Room Furniture

More often than not, it is a good idea to consider your largest piece of furniture as the focal point of your arrangement. Therefore, in the living room, it is recommended that you start with the sofa and work off of that. It’s best to place the sofa against the wall with the most surface area, for two reasons. First, the largest wall obviously has the most space to accommodate the sofa. Second, placing the sofa on a large wall can help make the wall look smaller and add continuity to the room.

Once you have found the best place for your sofa, you can move on to other seating items. At this point, it is important to consider the traffic patterns of the room. If the room connects to two others, consider the path which you would walk in order to pass through. You want to keep traffic lanes open and as natural as possible. For a point of reference, most doorways are approximately three feet wide. This is a good standard for the width of your traffic lanes, but you can make them a bit wider if you like.

bedroom

Image courtesy of roblisameehan (CC by 2.0)

Arranging your Bedroom Furniture

In the bedroom, your bed is the major point of focus and requires careful consideration. The most visually appealing place for a bed is in a centralized part of the room. Again, if this can be done by placing it against the largest wall, then you should certainly consider it. Many people adhere to a rule of thumb that the bed should not be in the path of the doorway. For some, this creates a somewhat cumbersome look. Of course, there is also the possibility that you may want to be in bed (and out of sight) with the door open.

As you are considering your furniture arrangement, always think about the purpose of the room and what the object of focus is. Family rooms typically revolve around fireplaces or the television, so keep these aspects in mind when planning your design. The best arrangement is the one that makes you and your family feel most comfortable and doesn’t interfere with the natural flow of traffic in your home.

This is a guest article by Jürgen Heidenreich. He owns a German website with information on different types of sofas, which include corner sofas (praktische Polsterecke) and XXL sofas (riesige Megasofa).

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Categories Furniture, interior design, remodeling, Tips/Advice
Oct 24

How to achieve the French look in your home on a shoestring budget

French Interior Design

Are you tired of searching for the French look for your home on a shoestring budget? The clean, classic, and crisp look that defines this country is something that adds elegance to the home. Getting the style you want is not a huge hassle if you have the right information.

What Are the Elements of the French Look?

When it comes to achieving the interior design elements of France, certain items should be included. Among the list of items defining this style are:

• Soft pastel colored walls
• Hand-crafted laces and soft cream coloured fabrics
• Hand-carved wooden furniture
• Baseboards and fluted mouldings
• Ornate jacquard and brocade upholstery
• Artwork and antiques

However, there are other points that are typically over-looked. For example, many people focus on the cool white-blue colours of the country French look and forget about the warm gold’s and yellows. Others will forget about the ornate toile and only highlight pinstripes and floral patterns. In the end, getting the balance right means focusing on centrepiece items.

French Look Centrepiece Items

In French interior design philosophy, when a person walks into a room, their eyes should focus on the most beautiful thing that room owns. For example, a crystal vase may be the only finery. For this reason, it will likely be in the centre of the room. Instead of putting fresh cut flowers in it everyday, a bundle of pussy willows or other decorative dried plant may be used. Other ideas include artwork, a chandelier, a handcrafted wooden table, or an ornate antique.

Deviation in French Interior Design

When it comes to making the final decisions on what direction the interior design should go in a French look, the next obstacle is an important one to face front on. That decision is whether you are going for a country French or a palatial look. With so many of the castles and chateaus in France, there is a distinct pattern. Unlike the French country look, the chateau style is the opposite of simple. This means that the ceilings and floors may be as highly decorated as the floral pattern on the walls.

French Painted Furniture

What distinguishes the look France loves compared to other countries is their penchant for painted furniture. Instead of tossing something out when it is getting dull or boring, the French will opt to see how it looks with a fresh coat of paint. With the simplified country look, this means choosing soft pastels in bold colours like marigold, olive, or colonial blue. On the other hand, with the elegant look, painted furniture means pairing up bright white with gold paint.

Distinct Fabrics Finalize the French Look

Fabric selection is everything in your interior design scheme geared to reflect the homes of Paris. If you want the most extreme country look, your fabrics will be cotton and cream coloured. However, the elegant designs of a French chateau are reliant on shiny jacquards, organza, and satin. Whether you choose the luxury or everyday look of France, the main point of all interior design in that country is for the owner of the home to have a space that reflects how they feel. For this reason, be sure to expand your inner desires and dreams to there fullest as you decorate your home with the French look.

Sarah writes for Out There Interiors is an exciting interiors company committed to delivering gorgeous, quality furniture and furnishings such as mirrors, French furniture and chandeliers. They boast a bright team of capable, animated employees who are all eager to see and knowledgeable in the upcoming trends in modern furniture and interior design.

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Categories Design, Furniture, Tips/Advice
Oct 21

Top Tips for Apartment Hunting

apartment hunting

Looking for a new apartment can be an exciting process. Seeing a wide range of properties and picturing yourself in them can be a fun experience, as can the prospect of finding a good deal or something that you may not have even considered. It is however important to be thorough and attentive when seeking out a new home in order to be truly happy. When you start apartment hunting, keep in mind a few pointers, such as:

Use Your Time Wisely
In order to use your time in a productive manner, make sure that you set up a number of showings on the same day. If you are working with only one letting agent, have him or her arrange things so that you can see the flats in quick succession. Not only will this speed up the process by ensuring that you don’t have to wait for days between showings, but it will help you compare the flats more effectively since the last ones will be fresh in your mind.

Measure Your Furniture
Before you go flat hunting, take some time to measure the big pieces of furniture that you already own. This could include items such as beds, chairs and tables. You want to know how big these are so that you can accurately imagine them in the new flat. If the agent tells you how long the wall is in the bedroom, or how large the room is overall, you will not know what this really means unless you know the size of the objects you want to place inside the room.

Look For Problems
When viewing a flat, you will be shown the positives first. This is natural, and shouldn’t cause any concern, but make sure not to let the good aspects prevent you from seeing the potential problems. Look for any hidden signs. Darkened patches of wallpaper, for example, could indicate a water leak, or a rattling noise in the heating vents could mean that they do not work. Make sure you are aware of any problems with the flat before deciding on its value.

Ask The Right Questions
Above all, you must ask the right questions when you are talking to the letting agent. Ask when repair work was last done on the flat to figure out if you will need to make any repairs in the near future. Ask how many people have lived there; the more people who have used the space, the more issues there could be. Be sure to ask if there are any special rules and regulations that you should be made aware of so that you are not taken by surprise. Lastly, ask if the price is firm or if you can negotiate.

Dane Cross writes on behalf of One UK, a UK based estate agents who specialise in apartments and flats in Leeds.

Check out MSN for more tips on apartment hunting.


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Categories Furniture, home improvement
Mar 17

Breaking Out of the Winter Funk

April showers are just around the corner now, but in most places it is still feeling like winter has a firm hold on the weather. What better way to break out of a winter funk than by getting together plans for an updated patio or outdoor space? Nothing says spring has arrived like a classic barbecue with neighbors and friends. Make sure your backyard is looking up to par now so you will be free to enjoy it all summer long.

Could use a little more pruning, but the idea is there.

Could use a little more pruning, but the idea is there.

If your patio has seen better days, spruce it up with new granite surfacing or mosaic tile work. Sleek stone tiles provide a modern utilitarian look to outdoor spaces whether they’re used as flooring or on countertops. There’s nothing like flipping burgers on a new grill built into a tiled outdoor kitchen to make you the talk of the town. For a more natural look, flank your barbecue with granite counters that provide durable and lasting work space to prep everything from hotdogs to kebabs. Because of granite’s natural hardness, it will resist deterioration in outdoor spaces, ensuring a beautiful surface for years to come.
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Categories Design, Fun Facts, Fun Ideas, Furniture, Tips/Advice
Sep 1

A Little Bit of Alice in Wonderland

Sometimes we have to sit back and remember that when people remodel they want the finished product to reflect their own interests, their own personality. The design, or re-design, of a home is something that takes creativity and imagination. Building a kitchen or bathroom should be something that is enjoyable, something that brings the owner great joy beyond the functional benefit. This is why when we see something of creative integrity, rife with originality, we want to commend it. In this case the design is less than functional, so to speak, but eye catching regardless.

Surreal.

Surreal.

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Categories Design, Fun Facts, Furniture
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