Archive for November, 2009

Artistic Taste for Asian Furniture

With the feng shui movement now deeply engrained in the Western culture, amateur and professional decorators are turning to Asian-inspired décor to complement their new found respect for all things eastern.

This passion for the Far East goes beyond throwing a few silk pillows onto a bed or putting a bamboo wall hanging in the dining area; it extends into furniture, too. And it’s no wonder – traditionally Asian designs mix contemporary simplicity with a millennia-old love of the organic. The resulting designs are functional, but also warm and luxurious.

It’s not a surprise that Europeans and Americans are clambering for Asian elements. After all, it’s difficult to feel anything but introspective and serene when you’re surrounded by the soothing sound of a waterfall and the natural beauty of a reminiscently Japanese or Chinese house.

And it’s not just individuals and families who have swung so far to the east in their decorating tastes. Many business leaders are also starting to realize that a calm, relaxing environment de-stresses employees. Therefore, expect to find more flora- and fauna-motivated décor in office spaces as corporations try to “up” productivity by creating a pleasant working atmosphere.

Hotels, too, have joined the Asian décor bandwagon. Though you won’t find a feng shui suite at a basic Motel 6 or Hampton Inn, you’re likely to be offered an Asian-inspired room at some of the finer luxury hotels and spas and even some smaller, niche-market bed and breakfasts or inns. This translates to rooms filled with warm colors, gentle lines, restrained lighting, and soul-soothing auras. (Many may also offer Asian massages and meals, a definite treat for their guests.)

With the mingling of Asian functionality and artistry comes the ability to create a fabulous room where the necessary is also eye-catching. Painted screens lend an Asian tone to any area, while providing a service such as dividing one room into two or creating storage space behind their lovely designs. That’s the true beauty behind the functionality of Asian furniture and accent pieces; like simple-looking Haikus, they have a much deeper meaning.

Asian chairs and sofas are comfortable, but not oversized, thereby eschewing the recent “couch potato” alternatives to streamlined furniture. Instead, Asian lines are organic and smooth; gone are the flamboyant edges of Rococo stylings and whirling Art Deco scrolls of yesteryear. Celebrating the international 21st century are delicate fans, lanterns, and birds instead of gaudy baubles and strong lighting. But make no mistake – these aren’t boring pieces of furniture. In fact, they subtly call attention to themselves, as they are each rich with textures that come from a variety of coverings, from cool cotton to sophisticated silk.

Matte paints (which can be purchased at any home improvement store) color the walls of Asian motifed rooms in deep reds, oranges, and yellows, consequently adding a spicy flavor to any area of a house or office, and immediately setting the tone for an Asian-inspired, contemplative mood. Complimenting the deeply-hued Asian color palettes are rich woods and other materials typically found in Asian furniture.

One such material often used in furniture from countries such as China, Burma, and Laos is rosewood, incredibly beautiful and, from a practical standpoint, resistant to scratches and major damages. Thus, you can find rosewood jewelry boxes, end tables, and chaise lounges, among other items. Unfortunately, rosewood trees are disappearing from Asian forests; however, some very innovative furniture makers are salvaging rosewood planks from demolished structures.

Other exotic items manufacturers typically choose for Asian furniture include coconut shells, leather, and mulberry paper. Though some buyers might be fooled by imitations, more are becoming wise to rip-off pieces; thus, they want and expect the “real stuff.” Fortunately, there are plenty of unique Asian pieces out there, and they allow anyone to decorate a room, house, or office. Whether someone’s budget is modest or “skies the limit”, he or she can and will find something to fit his or her needs.

Some of the more prolific Asian furniture companies include Deco Siam and Lao Coco. For those persons searching for specific items, websites such as www.asiannouveau.com and www.orientalfurniture.com have plenty of options at many different price ranges. Occasionally, www.overstock.com also has items, though availability will vary. Whether you want to furnish a small extra bedroom or an entire hotel, there’s a supplier for you. However, there is a caveat – some manufacturers who create Asian furniture in the Far East and export to the west do not export their items fully assembled.

Whatever your needs, don’t hesitate to jump on the Asian furniture bandwagon today; you’ll only be grateful that you gave yourself and your loved ones the pleasure of an Asian-inspired living space. After all, when you walk into a room and are greeted by the elegance and balance of Balinese, Chinese, or Japanese design elements, you’ll be pleased you chose to follow the trend.

To find out more about Asian Furniture, log onto http://www.Furniture-Asian.com

Making a style statement with your clothes, shoes, watch or car is nothing new and power dressing has been around for decades now to show off your rising lifestyle. From Milan to the streets of New York, fashion stores selling all kinds of lifestyle products and fancy car showrooms have been around since ages now catering to anyone looking to add a little bit of zing to their lifestyle.

 

But more recently, apart from the usual suspects like clothes, cars etc, furniture has emerged as one of the hottest lifestyle products in the market today. More than dressing themselves, people now prefer the latest furniture to dress up their homes and add a lot of style and flavor to their ever increasing lifestyles.

 

It is even interesting to note that out of all the modern furniture available in lifestyle stores now, high quality wood furniture still remains the number one choice when it comes to buying lifestyle furniture to show off to your friends, relatives and business associates. Wood furniture has been around since the time man discovered how to build tables, chairs, beds etc for their homes. One would imagine that after so many centuries, wood furniture would go out of style but not only has it not gone out of style, many consider it to be at the pinnacle of style statement for furniture.

 

The fact is no material can match the class, elegance, quality and durability of high quality wood furniture. Also since wooden floorings have made a big comeback in interior design with most designers and home owners preferring to have wooden flooring in their bedrooms, if not the entire house, having wood furniture only adds to the décor and consistency of the house design.

 

The great thing about wood furniture is that apart from its old world charm, it can be molded into various modern shapes and styles, giving it a powerful combination which no other type of furniture can achieve. The best example here is the four poster bed. It is one of the oldest forms of beds used during colonial times by the British and was used mainly so that the four vertical columns of the bed could support the upper panel which was used to hold bed curtains. As time went by, the function of having four vertical columns to hold bed curtains became unnecessary by the advancement in technology and changes in how we build our houses.

 

But instead of slowly fading away, four posters beds have not only remained in our society, but are actually at the forefront when it comes to beds with luxurious appeal. The functional use of four poster beds have been replaced by high quality luxury and it is now seen as a more powerful, lavish and yet traditional form of furniture which can enhance the look of any room.

 

It is no wonder then that if you visit any lifestyle furniture showroom in any part of the world that it is dominated by furniture made out of wood. Most showrooms in fact have started to cater to only wood furniture as they see it as the only type of furniture that can compete with other lifestyle products which complement your improved way of life.

Some makers use both types of construction in building custom furniture and custom cabinets. Now lets look at these two options and their strong and weak points.

Solid wood furniture, this means all exposed parts are made of the same species of all natural wood, with no other materials included, such as plywood or particle board.

Advantages of Solid Wood:

Practical. The durability of solid wood furniture is high on the list. Scratches, dings, dents, water marks, stains can all be repaired. Obviously, the worse the damage the more expensive, but it is certainly easier and less expensive than veneer furniture.

Disadvantages of Solid Wood:

Split. When exposed to extreme atmospheric conditions, solid wood furniture will expand or contract, and may split along the grain of the wood. Some makers use a “floating case system” in which table and case-piece surfaces are attached using a bracket method or elongated holes for screws to slide. This enables furniture to respond to environmental changes without damage. As a rule, though, avoid exposing pieces to strong sunlight or direct heat sources.

Good quality veneer furniture will have a solid core and the legs, posts, doors or drawer fronts will be straight-grain solid wood.

Advantages of Veneer:

Beautiful. The best, most interesting logs are cut into veneer. This is largely an economic decision–sellers and veneer makers can make more money from a high quality log sliced into veneer than they can from sawing it into boards. And certain cuts, such as burls, are structurally unsound in ‘the solid’. These beautiful woods can rarely be utilized unless they’re sliced into veneer

Environmentally kind. Saw timber is typically sawn into 1″ thick boards. The saw cuts a kerf between boards 1/4″ thick that winds up as sawdust. Veneer is not cut from the log but sliced with a knife (like lunch meat) into 1/32″ leaves or sheets. That produces 32 veneer surfaces for every 1 that is gotten from a board and with no wood wasted as sawdust another 8 sheets where the saw blade would have gone. That’s 40 surfaces of wood veneer for every 1 of solid wood. 

Creates new design possibilities. Since veneer is so thin and is glued to a stable

Stable. Since veneer is glued to a stable substrate it produces surfaces not prone to warp or splitting or seasonal movement.

Substrates. Plywood and medium density fiberboard, the substrates used for some furniture, are made from low quality trees. This means a market is provided the landowner for these trees. This leads to better forests over time since the trees remaining grow better and faster with less competition for resources. Its like weeding your garden only a lot bigger.

Disadvantages Veneer:

Thin. This is more of a problem for the builder than the buyer. Sand-through in preparation for finishing is ‘touching the third rail’ of woodworking. Such pieces are almost impossible to repair and frequently involve ‘re-design’ (as in cutting off the sanded through area) or making a speculative, difficult repair which can be difficult to hide. Once the piece is completed thickness of the veneer is of no concern.

We at Berkshire Furniture believe that there are good in both kinds. It all depends on who is the manufacturer and how it is built. When buying your piece of furniture, always ask if it is real wood veneers or laminated imitation of wood. If the surface of table top or any wood case top looks Perfect and unreal, then it is most probably not a wood veneer. Pores, scuffs and wood knots can be easily found even on wood veneers if the veneer comes from wood. These pores, nicks and scuffs are the signature of nature and proves to the buyer that yes, this is a slice of real wood that is veneered over this top.

What is it about the whole “retro” style that’s so appealing today? Some say that it’s a comforting feeling of days gone by, when times were simpler and seemed to move at a slower pace than they do today. Others claim that it’s a generational lashing-out against the mass marketing of today. Still others just think that it looks cool. Whatever your particular view is, you’ll be pleased to know that the retro-style is alive and well, as everything that’s old is new again, due in part to the shopping ease of the World Wide Web.

The classic designs and styles of the 1930’s through the 1980’s are brought to life all over again with this decorating trend, adding nicely to already popular home décor styles of country, early American, contemporary, classic, antique, art deco, as well as the many combinations among them. Retro furniture and accessories can complement any just about any style that you currently have, or add a splash of excitement to a somewhat dull and dreary room.

For example, say that your home décor is primarily country with a few antiques added in for good measure. What if in the middle of the country quilts and braided rugs, a black and chrome, pay-phone-style, vintage-looking telephone is hung on the wall in your kitchen? You’re sure to hear “I haven’t see one of these in years”, by at least one your houseguests, and of course, the words will always be accompanied by a smile. Not only will it be quite the conversation piece, it will add a bit of nostalgia, fun and atmosphere to any style of home.

If you could only pick one room to add some trendy, retro-flair, which would you choose? Kitchens across the country are bringing in some extra charm with the 1950’s diner-styled dinette sets. Both booth and chair styles, plus a wide variety of bar and counter-height stools can make even the most boring center of a home pop with excitement!

Retro bathroom fixtures make any lavatory a place you’d love to hang your hat. Likewise, vintage bedroom sets can set the stage for quite a tale with grand bedposts and stunning details and workmanship on the bureaus, nightstands and headboard. Add an authentic, antique lamp, or a reproduction of one—you’ll be amazed at what you can find online!

Every little detail is important when you’re creating a retro style room, home, or just want to add a bit of fun and nostalgia to your abode. Don’t forget about clocks, knick-knacks and wall mirrors to reflect the days of yesteryear. Vintage style jukeboxes, record players and radios, with or without the added luxury of a CD player, will always have a story to tell, to those who want to listen.

Good news about the just born baby can be followed by the necessity of buying baby furniture and the last can create some panic. It is general knowledge that baby furniture is not a low price thing and it can indeed turn out to be very expensive. This can make the family budget suffer losses. The idea of getting baby furniture can be associated with credits and expenses, this can make you feel nervous but there are always two ways out.

The two ways out

We know that some baby furniture pieces are needed from the first moments of the baby’s life, especially such as a baby crib. You can purchase the necessary baby furniture gradually with the limits of the possible. Some of the other baby furniture you can buy later in order not to break your bank account.

You also can save money getting cheap baby furniture for your baby bedroom. Welcome news is that cheap baby furniture can be quiet attractive and safe for your little one.

Crib

Parents dream of buying a basketlike bed – bassinet for their baby but unfortunately it is very expensive and not every mom can afford to have it. In this case you can purchase a crib for your little one and it will be a nice place for your baby to sleep. Also there are cribs which can be changed from a crib into a bed safe for a toddler and then converted to a bed for a school child. This is a good way to save money in the long run. Buying a used crib shouldn’t make you worry, the only detail you have to be sure about the crib is that all the parts are working properly and this piece of furniture is not damaged.

Chest of drawers or a wardrobe

Chest of drawers is something which is not an emergency thing but it is very convenient for storing baby clothes and other things. Also you can get a whole wardrobe at once, children grow fast and soon a chest of drawers might not accommodate all the things your child owns. Do not be afraid to buy used furniture, especially if it looks quite new and fresh, some scratches can be easily painted. If all the parts are working it says that this piece of furniture is very dependable and reliable. It has stood the test and still is working properly. Moreover it is possible to afford hand-me-down furniture. It possesses three advantages: good looking, dependable and cheap.

Changing Table

The same thing you can do with a changing table if you really decided you have to have it for your baby. Having a changing table is very handy and convenient but it is usually used for a baby during the first two years. Later there is no much need of them so they might turn into rubbish or you can sell it at a reasonable price if it looks worthy the money you charge for it. There is alternative to it. You can be the one who will buy a used changing table.

Bedding plays a very significant role in anyone’s home. It has a huge affect on how well someone will sleep. This is why it is so important to opt for luxury bedding whenever possible if you want to ensure a good night’s sleep. Whether you are looking for bedding for yourself, a child or the guest room, you are probably looking to save money. Here are some tips on how to successfully find discount bedding online.

Look in the places that you would least expect to find discount items. While your first reaction may be to check out your local bedding store’s website, a lesser known online store is more likely to have affordable prices for what you need.

Luxury discount bedding, for example, is more rare to come by in department stores, as they like to put high prices on items which are known to be of better quality.

When searching for discount bedding online, be sure to do comparison shopping. Although one price may seem excellent to you, there is a good chance that another online store may offer another price. Luxury discount bedding is not that hard to come by, but you will want to make sure that websites do not try to pass off their overpriced items as cheap. 

If you are looking for discount bedding online, be sure to check out wholesale websites. You can often buy bedding individually and may be able to get a great deal. Since most offline furniture stores purchase discount bedding online and then put a larger price tag on it in their store, getting to the source will help save you a lot of money in the long run.

There is a world of choice for buying cheap bedding online. Why? Because online there are very few overheads. A retailer can store the bedding in a warehouse located on very cheap real estate. But if they want to sell their bedding offline they need a shop, and any good shop is located on expensive real estate.

Because it costs so much less to sell online there is lots of competition, and so prices are so much lower. You might not be able to pick up your sheets, for example, and rub them on your cheek, but you’ll get your sheets so much cheaper if you go online.

Finding discount bedding online does not necessarily need to be difficult. As long as you know what you are looking for, you should be able to find bedding and bedroom furniture for a price that you can afford through the use of the internet.

Decorating ones home totally depends upon ones taste and pocket. Buying quality furniture can not only maximize your re-investment but also saves your precious Dollars. But it requires some care and maintenance periodically.

Here through this article Plano Furniture Store suggests some tips on how to protect and care for your bedroom furniture, living room furniture which helps to retain a long lasting finish, providing years of enjoyment to you.

Always use coaster pads / cloth to protect your furniture surface from beverages, dishes, vases or flower pots

Recommended to rotate accessories placed on furniture periodically, so they do not sit in the same spot all the time and left mark on your home furniture.

Direct exposure to sunlight cause fading to your furniture, so it is suggested to avoid it

Similarly extreme changes in temperature may cause di-shape of furniture, hence suggested to avoid placing it near heat radiators or air conditioning units.

immediately clean your furniture with a blotting cloth if something has spills over it, otherwise liquid has the tendency to damage the finish of your furniture when left over a long period.

Avoid dragging the objects placed over furniture surface as it may leads to a roughness over it.

Frequently dusting is recommended that too with a clean and soft cotton cloth / duster.

Suggested to polish furniture every six monthly with clean and soft linen. And never polish it opposite to the direction of grain.

To conclude, with proper care you can keep your home furniture look beautiful and add life to your furniture. So just try these tips and see the difference.

When it comes time to obtain baby bedding for the new arrival in your family, you may have well meaning family or friends encourage you to borrow the things that you need. There is no doubt that hand-me-downs are less expensive than purchasing new items for a new baby, but there are some other factors that you should be aware of before letting the lower price tag affect your decision to borrow the baby bedding you need for your baby. Even if you choose to borrow rather than buy, take the necessary steps to ensure the safety and health of your baby.

Safety

The safety of your baby is the primary concern for any product that you use, but especially for baby bedding since a newborn spends up to 70% of his or her time in contact with the bedding. when you use baby bedding that is borrowed, it may be older products that have had safety defects associated with them. It may use chemicals for fire retardants or chemical dyes that are less than desirable to be in contact with your baby. The donor of the products may not even be aware of safety issues associated with a specific item.

Quality

The quality of borrowed baby bedding may be top notch, but it may also have defects that render it less than ideal. For example, a cheap mattress that is used extensively may have deterioration so that the firmness is compromised. These mattresses can create poor spinal alignment in infants. Less than adequate quality can cause breathing problems if the baby bedding contains dust, spores or other irritants that upset your baby’s skin and breathing passages. Even good quality bedding can be subject to stains and contaminants that you can scarcely see. Are you willing to take the chance with the health of your baby?

Designs

When you borrow baby bedding, some of the designs that may be used in the products are out dated enough to be the subject of recalls. An example might be a crib bumper that has tie cords to hold it in place. Decorative baby pillows is another baby bedding design feature that has changed over the years to become less likely to have features that can come loose or cause suffocation of the baby. Decals on cribs, mattresses or bumpers tend to deteriorate. Of less importance is the fact that certain designs look dated, so if appearance of the items is important to you. you might be better to purchase the bedding rather than borrow it.

Durability

No matter how good the quality is on a borrowed or hand me down item, it has been used to some extent in most instances. Each time the baby bedding is used, it is inevitable that there is some wear and tear on the item. In the case of baby bedding this may not make any difference, but it may also make a great deal of difference. Fabric tears happen more easily in products that have been weakened by wear or washing.

While it is unusual to conceive of leather for flooring, leather tiles are gaining popularity. Leather is not only gorgeous, it’s a durable flooring material. It could be just the thing to add unique elegance to your executive home. A wide selection of colors that leather can easily be stained and dyed, and the ability to have leather custom colored, assures a flooring that will blend in with any decorating style.

While leather floors have traditionally been hard to install, many companies are now adhering leather to wood, making leather tiles. These are very easy to install, as they are solid, and each piece retains its shape and can be tiled very tightly together. Waxing the surface after installation assures that any gaps are filled, and makes the leather surface easy to clean.

Taking care of your leather flooring is easy. Just vacuum or sweep as you would any other flooring. Spills can be wiped up with a damp cloth. It is recommended that wax be applied to floors annually, although they can go longer without this. The level of maintenance you will do on the floors depends on the aesthetic you are after. If you enjoy the natural patina of a well-used floor, then all the better. After all, wear and tear happens, and adds to the character of your floor, and any object in you home. If, however, you want the leather looking like it did the day you installed it, you will want to wax and buff on a regular basis, especially in high traffic areas.

The biggest detriment to leather flooring is high humidity and excessive direct sunlight. These factors can stress leather, causing it to warp and reducing its longevity. So avoid leather in bathrooms, kitchens and solarium’s.

However, leather is ideal for living rooms, bedrooms, offices, and dens. Its soft texture makes it a great choice for TV or listening rooms. Leather tiles on the floors, walls and even ceilings will compliment your entertainment system’s surround sound, buffering sound waves and reducing echo.

If you are installing the tile yourself, be sure to store the tiles out of their shipping container, in your chosen room for at least two weeks. This helps them acclimatize, assuring they will stay put as tightly as you install them. Assure that your installation surface is clean and free of all debris. Any flaws in the floor will be apparent on the finished surface. Be sure to read all of the manufacturers instructions carefully before beginning. This is a worthy investment, and should be done right.

Those of you with an environmental conscience will appreciate that recycled leather tile can be found, made from old leather furniture.

Because leather tile is attractive, unique and durable, it is an excellent choice for flooring that will add to the value to your home.

Have you counted the number of days you slept in your mattress? Is it time to change for a new mattress? This is a question that many people have given little thoughts about.

Considering the fact that we spend almost one third of our lifespan sleeping, our mattress is one of the most often make use furniture in our house. If you do the math, an average person spends between eight hours per day on bed. If you compute it over a year, that is three thousand hours, and it multiply to a staggering thirty thousand hours over ten years – all on the same old mattress.

So the question is, how long should a mattress last? Here are some question and answers to help you out.

Question: What’s the average lifespan of a mattress?

Most mattresses can last a good eight to ten years. Beyond that, the mattress support will be fewer firms and you will feel the bed losing its comfort dominance. As it’s pretty difficult to remember how many years you have use, it may be wise to keep the receipts when you buy the mattress or alternatively, paste a expiry date sticker yourself at the sideboard of the bed to remind yourself.

Question: My mattress looks worn and uneven and it’s not even the 4th year. Should I change them even though it’s barely hit the 5th year?

If you have bought a cheap mattress of low quality, it is not surprised to find problems after a few years of sleep on it. The mattress may be worn out and uneven, showing signs of sags and uneven.

Question: Are there any other telltale signs for me to change my mattress?

The short answer is yes. If you frequently feel tired, worn-out or dead beat after you have woken up, it is probably a sign that the mattress has lost its effectiveness. Once you feel any discomfort, it’s time for you to consider getting a new one. For more obvious signs, creaks and other groans from the mattress will alert you it’s time to shop for a new one.

Visit http://www.bestmattressreviews.com for more California King mattress reviews and other mattress buying tips.