Inexpensive Decorating Tips

The holiday season takes a toll on most people’s new year budgets whether we like to admit it or not. But you don’t always need to spend a lot of money to improve your living space. Small adjustments to things you currently have can go a long way to guests who occasionally visit, and give a noticeable difference to those who are constantly there. To help you change up your space, but not break the bank, we’ve come up with a few ways you can update your space in a quick, inexpensive way.

Power of 3s - When decorating, whether it’s art, candles or just about anything else you are getting more than one of, instead of getting an even number try getting sets of threes. So much of our lives are made up of even numbers and things being perfect that this unique change tends to draw the eyes to it.

High Curtains - To make any room feel instantly larger move up your curtains. Attach the rod near the ceiling and hang the curtains the full length of the wall. You may need to purchase longer curtains to do this, but will make a huge difference in the room.

Change Pillows - Throw pillows are relatively cheaper than most decor. Whether you need to purchase new ones, or just mix up the ones you currently have, it will give the room a new feel to anyone who frequents the room.

Runners - Do you have a table that’s just too small to decorate but hate constantly looking at an empty table when it’s not in use? Try adding a decorative runner down the center. Runners can also be a great addition to any chair that just seems to bland in color!

Common Colors - Mantels can be hard to decorate when there isn’t a holiday. Try using a single color and add art, vases or anything else that revolves around the single color. This will draw the attention to your guests’ eyes, and not because it seems like a barren waste of space.

Dress Up Curtains - Want to give your curtains a new look? Tie them up with matching belts or scarves. Although this may seem unconventional, it will certainly become a conversation starter when a guest notices them!

Pots and Pans - Kitchens can be tight, especially if you live in an apartment. Instead of wasting all of your valuable cupboard space, try hanging your kitchenware on the wall. You can lay it out in a specific design or just randomly. It can become an art project all in itself!

Have any other inexpensive design tips that you use around your house when the budget is low? Let us know in the comments section below! To find more decor to help update your space, visit us online or at a store nearest you!

4 Winter Home Improvement Projects

The winter months can be long, cold, and dark, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t stop improving your house! Although you may need to move all your work inside, you can still make great headway on many projects. To help give you ideas on ways to beat your winter renovating blues, we’ve come up with a small list to help out!

1. Liven Up the Walls - Whether it be with a couple fresh coats of paint, or new art from a local gallery, give your walls the makeover they deserve! Although you may need to turn the heat down to avoid running up a bill from open windows to ventilate, your paint will actually dry faster during the winter months because of the drier air.
   
2. Light It Up - With one less hour of light, you’re sure to be using a lot of lamps or overhead lights. With so many different styles of lighting and shades, changing the way any room looks can be done in a day with lighting. And if you want to go all out, replace old ceiling fans with modern styles to give any room a proper face-lift!
   
3. Door to Door - Sometimes the things we use the most often get overlooked for their quality. If you don’t want to splurge on a whole new set, simply repaint your interior doors and purchase new door knobs to give them a brand new look!
   
4. Bathroom Blues - Bathrooms in the winter can be the worst. Warm showers are ruined by cold tile floors and the brisk air. Improve your bathroom with new rugs and towels. And if you want to go all out, try replacing the faucet to give the bathroom a shiny new feeling!
   

Have any other home remodeling projects that you like to get done during the winter months? Let us know in the comment section below! And for all your decor needs to help freshen up any room in your house, visit us online or at a store near you!

New Year, New Bedroom Life

You might not realize it, but you’ll spend nearly one third of your life sleeping, so why not make the most of the time you spend in the room where it will take place. We take our bedrooms for granted, mainly because most of our friends and family will never spend more than a couple minutes in there at a time. Help yourself out with these tips on how to make the time you spend in your room more enjoyable, and more efficient!

Clean Bedside Table

If you use an alarm clock, like any normal human being, then this may be the first thing you see when you wake up. Eliminate any clutter that will create bad vibes as soon as you wake up. If you use a traditional alarm clock, then don’t make this the place you charge your devices, as it will immediately pressure you into checking your phone as soon as you get up. This will be especially helpful if you are someone who likes a drink of water bedside, as you won't be stressing about spilling it on your phone as soon as you wake up!

Choose Art Carefully

While most people think the color of the walls will affect your room the most, don’t forget that what you put on the wall will too. If your walls are filled with busy, jarring art, it will have a reflection onto your life. Choose art that shows the world who you are, but also doesn’t conflict with the paint scheme of your room.

Seating Zone

Do you spend more time in your bedroom than most? Invest in a chair or two, so that you or your guests will have some place other than the bed to relax. The seat will also be a great place to put on your shoes, or prepare your bag in the morning when you really don’t want to stand anyways!

Double Window Treatment

If you live in the city, or work a late job and don’t wake up early, then you know the pains of trying to sleep with light coming in. Double up your curtains with shades to ensure that your rest won’t be disturbed. This will also keep the heat trapped inside as your windows can lose up to ten times more heat than your walls.

Control Your Tech

If the last thing you do before you fall asleep and the first thing you do in the morning aren’t the same, then congratulations you’re not obsessed with your phone like the rest of us! Create a space where you can store your phone and other electronics before you lay down to sleep. This will ensure they are charged and ready to go for the next day’s use. We all know our phones are killing our sleeping habits, so why not start off the year on a new foot?

Have any other New Year decor tips that you’ve found useful? Let us know in the comments section below! And for all you home decor needs, visit us at a location nearest you!

Ten Decor Tips Everyone Should Follow

So you didn’t go to college to become a professional interior designer? No problem, we’ve got some tips for you! Just because you don’t have the proper training doesn’t mean your living spaces need to only consist of the essential couches, tables, chairs and beds! We’ve put together a list of 10 essential decorating tips that everyone should know and follow as they go about building rooms. Enjoy!

1. Invest Where it Matters - Quit spending money on all of the little things. When designing a room, don’t buy a bunch of little trinkets because you think it will fill your space. Take that money and use it towards larger couches, better rugs, and end tables!
   
2. Buy Rugs in Person - We understand that Amazon is your spirit animal, and why would you go to the store when you could just get it online? But for something that you’re going to walk on daily, you need to be able to feel the texture before it feels its way into your wallet.
   
3. Do Your Homework - No, there’s no formal assignment, but you should do some looking and comparing before making any decision on home decor. Purchasing furniture isn’t a yearly thing, so why are you spending more time on choosing a restaurant to go to on night three of your vacation than the couch you’ll sit on for the next three years?
   
4. Mix and Match - This isn’t kindergarten any more, everything doesn’t have to match. In fact, mixing metals is actually a great way to make any room stand out!
   
5. Maximize Light with Mirrors - If you have very few windows, or just prefer natural light, use more mirrors. Larger mirrors help reflect the lighting into the room and will even save you money on electric since you won’t need to use lamps as much!
   
6. Rule of Three - Remember the rule of three when it comes to small decorations like vases, candles and plants. Don’t let that candle burn all lonely by itself!
   
7. Don’t Chase Trends - By the time you catch up with decorating trends, a new one has already arrived. Plus, changing your whole decor every year can add up quickly! A general rule of thumb is two new (or vintage) pieces of furniture per year.
   
8. Add Greenery - You don’t have to deck out your space similar to the rain forest, but bringing in plants will help your house feel more like a home. Plants bring in color and texture to any room.
   
9. Curtains - High and Simple - To make any room feel larger, install curtains at the tops of the ceilings rather than the window. Also remember that they are to designed to block light, not distract your guests from the rest of the room!
   
10. Don’t Forget Art  - Your walls shouldn’t be a cluttered mess, but bring some culture into your rooms with pieces that fit well with your decor. Local art is also a great way to help spruce up your room and the community!
    

Have any essentials that you think we missed? Let us know in the comments below! And if you’re starting a room renovation, follow tips two and three and come visit us in stores to help you make the right, informed decision before purchasing!

Reupholster or Buy New?

There comes a time in every piece of furniture’s life where its owner must decide if it’s time to move on or fix the mistakes that have been made against it. Whether it's been stained, ripped, or just simply worn out, you must decide if you’ll reupholster your favorite piece or simply move on and buy a new one. Although reupholstery may seem expensive, there are reasons for or against it.

Sentimental Value

Possibly the best reason to reupholster any piece, regardless of the price, is because of the value it brings to you. If a certain chair or couch has been passed down to you through multiple generations, then there should be no reason you don’t at least get a quote for the price it will cost. Although many new memories can be made on new furniture, those memories you have made will slowly fade away just like the old piece your grandparents had when you were a child.

Breaking Sets  

Having to get rid of one piece of furniture won’t break your bank, but when it matches every other piece it can become expensive. Consider reupholstering a dining room chair, or the couch that everyone sat on instead of the love seat.

Quality  

The most important factor when considering reupholstering is the current condition of your furniture or piece. Older furniture tend to be more sturdy and heavy compared to today’s. If your older furniture is still holding strong this may be your best reason for holding on to it!

Price

Reupholstering can be pricey, and always make sure you can at least get a price or quote before making the decision. Although it may seem like a no brainer to get one chair out of the set done, if the fabric is no longer being made you may end up having to redo every piece.

When comparing prices, stop into one of our stores closest to you and see if we have a piece that will fit your needs! You can find all of our locations and more online.

Last Minute Decorating Ideas for Thanksgiving

The forgotten holiday is nearing, and if you haven’t given into the winter holiday spirit yet then your fall decor is most likely still in full swing. If you have relatives coming in to stuff their faces full of mashed potatoes and turkey, wait to break out the snowflakes until after the last pumpkin pies are devoured. To help ease the stress of your in-laws coming in, we’ve put together a list of simple ideas for showing how thankful and pro-thanksgiving you are this holiday season.

1. Acorn Candle Holder - We’ll start off simple. Go out into your yard and grab a few handfuls of acorns off the ground. Make sure to wash and dry them off, then throw them into a large glass container and simply set your candles on top or partially buried in them.
   
2. Gourd Holders - Have any over-sized candle holders that never get used? Simply replace the candles with small pumpkins or gourds. Be sure that your new decorations are secured, as one table bump could send a pumpkin rolling over a guest’s plate.
   
3. Cornucopia - This is one of the most traditional Thanksgiving decorations. Fill yours with fall flowers or small gourds. And if you’re looking to involve any young kids, let them paint their own gourd to be included in the display.
   
4. Corn Husk Wreath - If you read our Halloween post, we discussed an easy DIY wreath. This time, use corn husks, and even dried corn, to bring your Thanksgiving wreath to life.
   
5. Thankful Tree - As the leaves fall from the tree, so may have a couple of large twigs. Grab one that resembles a tree and find a vase or styrofoam block that will stabilize it to stand straight up. Cut out small paper squares and add string to them to hang as ornaments. As your guests come in let them write what they are thankful for and use the tree as your table’s centerpiece.  
   

Have any other last minute ideas that you love to do for Thanksgiving? Let us know in the comments section below! And if you’re looking for more furniture to seat all of your guests this coming holiday season, visit us at a store near you or find us online!

5 Things Every Living Room Needs

Whether you use your living room for family time, watching the game, or a place to just hang out, it requires a few things to bring it together. The obvious things include couches, a TV, and if you’re lucky, a fireplace. But to make any living room feel like home there are a few things that you must include. These aren’t the most unique pieces, but more often the pieces that most don’t put enough thought into.

1. Wall Decor - Too often do we focus on the color of the paint on the walls rather than the actual art or decorations that could be hung upon them. Invest in local art or a piece you really enjoy rather than a cliche print from another chain furniture store. It will not only make your room stand out, but can create a talking point for your guests.
   
2. Window Treatments - Your windows are the portals to the outside world from inside your living room. Create a larger looking room by investing in curtains that reach floor levels. Try dressing your windows with multiple layers using sheer curtains to add a new dimension to the space.
   
3. Proper Lighting - The key to every living room is the lighting. Too much lighting can make it feel like a dentist’s office, but not enough will have you turning on your phone’s light to find the remote. Figure out a proper level, and remember the different styles of lighting that will give the room distinct feels.
   
4. Tables - Your living room needs two styles, a coffee and end table. Your coffee table can help you bring out your own style, whether you choose a glass or wooden version. Show off your creativity with what you keep on the coffee table, but don’t get too cluttered! Depending on the size your end tables can also serve as homes for lighting or only small enough to hold the remote and a drink. You don’t need to design a room around these tables, but when done right, they can bring flair to a simple room.
   
5. Personal Touches - Although this includes family photos, they should not be the only unique touches to your living room. Find some art or decorations that are sure to bring memories every time you see them. Whether it be a decorative book, or memorable sports souvenir, try and bring something that gives guests a better understanding of your life beyond chairs and couches.

Have any other essentials that weren’t mentioned but you think should have been? Let us know in the comments section! To find some of the items mentioned above, visit us online or find a store nearest you!