Interior Design and Decorating

Secrets of furniture shopping for the home

Shopping for furniture can be a very erratic process. It can also be expensive and time consuming. There are ways of getting around this messy method of finding the furniture you want, and keeping track of bargains and good quality furniture while you’re at it. Whether you’re looking for lounge room furniture or wardrobes, footlockers or display cabinets, some systematic shopping will go a long way and inevitably save you a lot of money in the process.

Furniture shopping basics

When shopping for furniture, there are some basic needs:

• Quality
• Price
• Color options
• Size and suitability
• Personal tastes
• Delivery, handling and/or installation

Each of these factors affects your decisions. Shopping randomly means you’re pretty much stuck with whatever’s in your line of sight when you need new furniture. That’s not really good enough, and it can be expensive, particularly if you’re buying for practical needs, like needing a new bed or sofa in a hurry.

The best way to approach furniture shopping is to “shop ahead”. If you’ve got furniture you know will have to go, you can do some research beforehand to make sure you’ve got all the options visible and most importantly priced, with all the color and taste issues factored in.

Online shopping is a very good way of checking out price ranges. A few bookmarks can find you everything you need without even getting out of your chair. It’s also the best way of finding suppliers who stock what you want, and keeping track of their sales and discounts. You can also check out their delivery options and save yourself lugging some huge piece of furniture up a few flights of stairs or battling for the use of an elevator.

As you can see, this is not only simpler, it’s a lot quicker. Trudging through furniture warehouses and retail outlets can be fun, but it’s also time consuming, and rather pointless when you’re only buying one sofa and going through seven stores to do it.

The easy way to shop

The online method also has another benefit- getting information is a lot easier. A single phone call to a supplier will tell you everything you need to know, and save you gas money as well. Becoming a good online customer has other advantages. You’re a “conspicuous consumer” to the extent of having a sales record with the supplier, so you’re literally a valued customer. Like traditional shopping, getting to know the suppliers means you can make informed decisions about service, as well. You can stick to the good suppliers, and creating an account with some suppliers also means you get regular updates on their new stock, sales, etc.

Furniture specialists are particularly good options, particularly if you’re looking for quality timber or designer furniture. This is a “niche market” with a difference, because the high quality suppliers are always top of the range, and their prices are good benchmarks for assessing other deals. Whether you’re buying outdoor bar stools or grandfather clocks, sofa beds or china hutches, systematic shopping pays for itself many times over.

Ornaments and bric a brac- Space management and style

If you’re an ornaments and bric a brac collector, you’ll be well aware of the issues with space management. The place seems to be overflowing with your wonderful pieces, and there’s nowhere to put them! You’ve even gone to the extent of getting top quality commercial carpet to make sure they won’t break if they fall or get bumped, but space is really becoming a major issue.

The home environment space issues

A major issue with ornaments and bric a brac is often the floor space issue, not necessarily the wall or shelf space. To create enough space you need to find areas in the home which can be rearranged to find cubic space for your displays.

Cubic space is a major factor in any form of organized display. If you’re a collector of antique plates, for example, you need space for either a display case or for a lot of good quality shelving. That means moving furniture or readjusting other items to create this space.

The process of creating space is relatively simple, but requires decisions.

For example, if you want a display case:

• What can be moved easily to make space for the display case?
• Where can you move it?
• Do you have other options for making extra space, like simply throwing out old furniture?
• Do you have options in terms of the size of the display case? Would two display cases be better?

Always make sure that you check out all space possibilities, before making a decision.

Ornaments- space management basics

It’s critically important to understand the real problems with this type of space management. To preserve and protect your priceless ornaments, you need:

• Display space: This needs to give each object enough room.
• Safe areas for fragile objects: It’s critical to ensure that none of your ornaments are at risk from direct impacts.
• Appearance values: The areas for display need to look good, too.

Before you choose your display option, shop around carefully.  There should be at least several possibilities for display of your treasures. Shopping online is always useful, and checking out the collector websites is often particularly helpful in finding the correct display materials.

Tips for ornaments and bric a brac

It’s important to note that you can be quite creative with your display space while managing it very well.

In fact, you can do both at once:

Flooring design: If you have a display room, commercial flooring is often better than conventional flooring and carpets. The commercial flooring includes heavy duty modular carpets which have much longer product lives and are also fully customizable to match your décor requirements. This flooring can also deal with display like sculptures, freestanding art, and other pieces.

Custom display materials: If you need a special form of display, local craftspeople can create dazzling display cases and stands, etc. Check out local joiners, wood turners, and even sculptors, because you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Think of your dream space, where all your beautiful things can look their best. That’s the space management scheme you need.

How To Brighten Up Your Bedroom, For Free!

The bedroom is the place we spend most of our time, yet also tends to be the most neglected when it comes to decorating. Nowadays, money may be a significant factor! Here are some great tips for brightening up your space with no money at all!

1.Rearrange! A new fresh arrangement always makes a room feel new. Don’t be afraid to try new angles for your furniture…place your bed on a diagonal, or even right in the middle of the room!

2. Search your drawers for scarves, tablecloths, or even pillowcases that compliment your color scheme. You can use things you already own to soften a dresser top or the edge of your nightstand, or perhaps lay a pretty shawl over the foot of the bed. If you already have throw pillows on your bed (if you don’t, it’s time to steal them from another room!) you can also wrap these fabrics around the pillows for a new look, and just safety pin it in back.

3. Add a plant to your room. Look around your house to see if one of your existing plants would be happier in your bedroom, then move it there! If you can’t find a plant ready for relocation, make one! Many plants can be grown from cuttings, either your existing houseplants, one a friend may let you cut, or even some outdoor plants. Ivy and many shade groundcovers are very good houseplants. You can even relive your childhood a bit and grow a cut potato, pineapple, or carrot tops in a pinch! For containers, look into your kitchen cupboards. Old teapots and cups, glass bowls, even baking dishes can make unique containers.

4. Add memorabilia to your room. I keep a photo of each one of my children when they were small next to my bedside, and it always makes me smile. How about hanging your wedding veil from the headboard, or framing your wedding invitation or old love letters?

5.Add scent. If you don’t have any potpourri or incense in the house, cut up some orange peels and allow to dry, then mix with whatever sweet spices you have in your cupboard. (It only takes a pinch, try cinnamon, ginger, or allspice.) Place your potpourri in an open bowl in your room to freshen and inspire! Later in the summer, make sure to include flowers in your room, if you don’t have roses or other scented flowers in your yard, roadside daisies can smell great too!

Just a few small changes, no money involved, and a better, more positive place for you to start and end each day!

How To Dress Up Your Bath, In A Flash, For Little Cash!

Often the bathroom is one of the most overlooked rooms in the home when it comes to decorating. We tend to see it as a utilitarian space, even though we spend quite a lot of time here. (More, if you have teenagers!) Take an afternoon to turn your bath into a relaxing and soothing retreat for yourself and your guests, without spending a lot of cash

1. Paint the whole room, including the ceiling a deep, rich color. Even though this is a small room, a deep color on the walls allows them to fade away, and at once makes the room cozy and seems more spacious.

2. Get rid of the clutter! If you can’t get most of the makeup and shaving cream under the sink, (and who can?) pick up a few baskets from the dollar shop and corral them in. Make sure there is a hamper. If you are short on space, use the kind that hangs on the back of the door. A large drawstring bag would work for this also. (He might actually even use it…ok, it’s a dream.)

3. Dress up that large frameless mirror. Hang swags of fabric from cup hooks to hide and soften the edges of the mirror, and to give it a “frame”. Or actually use cut lengths of 1×4 lumber, and attach them to the wall over the edges of the mirror to simulate a real wood frame. You can paint or stain them as well to coordinate with your cabinets.

4. Speaking of cabinets, how about giving them a quick redo? Paint them black for a sophisticated look, or white with sponge painting for a country theme. Try any of the hot faux finishes. You can even paint the Formica counters. Just clean well and use a special primer first such as BIN or KILZ. Then seal with 4-6 coats of polyurethane after the paint dries. Should last for years!

5. Lastly, add some detail to the room. Sew fabric edging to your towels, add a shell for a soap dish, and stitch up a pretty shower curtain to cover that vinyl one. Hang some calendar pictures on the wall in dollar store frames…perhaps of a faraway place you can dream about as you soak away your cares? If you have natural light in the room from a window, add a plant or two.

Now light up some candles, turn on some music, and fill the bath with sweet smelling bubbles. Your getaway awaits!

Do you need new cabinet hardware?

Choosing cabinet hardware can sometimes be difficult. This is because there are so many items to choose from that you rarely make the right decision. There are different aspects that need to be taken into consideration. We will take a look at them and give you some pointers in choosing the right cabinet hardware.

The first question you need to ask yourself is usually: “Do I need to buy new cabinet hardware?” Believe it or not, in most cases the real answer is “No”. People tend to change whenever they want something new or something becomes too old. If you can afford the expense then you should buy, if not maybe there is another solution. Based on what your current cabinet hardware is made out of you should call somebody that is really a specialist. He/she might just give you a solution that will make everything look better, even new, at a fraction of the cost new cabinet hardware might turn out to be. For instance, adding simple pieces of carved wood might make your current hardware look like antique cabinet hardware (this is not always possible and is based on different factors).

If you really need to change or simply want to buy new cabinet hardware do not go to the first shop that appears on your path. There are literally thousands of shops that are specialized on such parts. Why settle for a finger when you can have the hand? For those of you that do not like researching there is even another alternative: Internet shopping. You now have the possibility of purchasing thousands of parts right from the comfort of your chair. The package will arrive at home and will have all the documents done, including the warranty. EBay is also an alternative worth taking into consideration.

Based on the look and feel of your cabinet you could consider even more specialized shops. For instance, in some stores one may find only antique cabinet hardware. If your furniture needs that why not visit that shop instead of a general one? This principle is applied with different types of cabinet hardware so information is crucial for the buyer. Even by looking in the Yellow Pages you can see some special stores, which are specialized in unique cabinet hardware.

For individuals that can not afford special parts an alternative can be found in discount cabinet hardware or wholesale cabinet hardware. Look for sales! Just because an item is on sale does not mean that it is not popular or that it is not good. Many companies use this to promote new accessories or increase sales with already accomplished ones. Always be on the lookout and it will be quite impossible to miss a good offer when you see it. Either you are looking for decorative cabinet hardware, simple cabinet hardware or antique cabinet hardware, it is always more important to research before buying. Not only can this save money but it can also lead you to that special store that has everything you want and need.