Determine your personal style, research pieces and prices, seek advice from professionals if needed and know your budget. Even designers have to work within a budget and a time frame. Take your time in preparing for the project and it will go much more smoothly and quickly when you actually begin.

Look through your favorite home magazines. Visit model homes and even furniture store displays – just don’t buy anything yet. Note details in the rooms such as wall color, ceiling height, window treatments, and furniture placement. Picture how they would transfer into your own home and recognize what you love and what you don’t care for. Your local Walter E. Smithe Chicago furniture dealer will listen to your ideas and help you transform them in to a room worthy of a magazine shoot.

Watch the home makeover shows on T.V. There are entire networks devoted to this and they have many original and fun ideas. Make notes of the things you like. You can mix and match ideas from different show and designers. Whether you need Chicago office furniture for a peaceful office or a romantic bedroom, there will be an episode to cover it.

Bring home color swatches and paint samples, and cut pictures out of magazines of pieces and colors you love.  Make a list of favorite accessories in your home that you want to incorporate into a room then assess whether you will want to purchase additional pieces.

This is one area, though, where you may want to stray from the gloss and perfection of the magazine look.  Magazines need to appeal to everyone and so they offer a sterile design look. Since it’s your home and your personal style, don’t shy away from personal touches such as photographs and favorite heirloom pieces like textiles or collectibles. Just don’t overdo. These touches, along with fresh flowers or a live plant here and there can really warm up your room and make your guests feel welcome.

Become familiar with the materials available for furnishings and carpet. Know what fabrics wear well and meet your lifestyle needs. Once you have done your homework you can compile an idea of what your finished room might look like. Ask your friends for their opinions, but don’t be swayed into something that fits their taste and not your own.

When you get ready to buy, take your lists, swatches and pictures with you and seek advice from people who do this for a living.  Furniture store staff members are often the experts in putting together a fashionable room and many stores even have in-house designers who can work with you.  If you already have a productive work area with your Chicago office furniture from Walter E. Smithe, sit down at that stylish desk and map out the other rooms of your home.

Chicago, Illinois furniture retailers like Walter E. Smithe will tell you that a sturdy, comfortable bed is one of the first investments you should make. After all, you will spend about one-third of your life there. If you can’t afford one right off, purchase a good quality air bed and it can be used for guests when you buy a real bed. Think about what size will be comfortable for you and remember that not every space can accommodate a king-size mattress. Test the firmness of the mattress before you buy it.

While you’re still in the bedroom, think about a dresser or chest of drawers that will coordinate with the bed and provide the storage you need. Remember bed linens will need a place, as well as seasonal clothing and accessories. You might consider one for the main living space as well to store CDs or games, candles, and throw pillows and blankets.

You probably have a T.V., so you will need somewhere to sit and watch it besides your old beanbag chair. Somewhere for your guests would be nice too. Sofas come in all shapes, sizes, colors and price ranges. Choose one that will stand up to time. A solid hardwood frame is a must for durability, as are hand-tied springs and quality fabric. Above all, be sure it’s actually comfortable to sit on. Otherwise, what’s the point? Don’t forget to measure whether it will fit not only in your living space, but on the elevator or stairs and through the doorway to get there.

A nice accessory piece to consider is an ottoman or upholstered footstool. Walter E. Smithe’s Chicago furniture collection will have many choices. Depending on its size, it can perform in other roles such as coffee table.

Interesting side tables in various materials and shapes can help create a unique look in your living room and they can be picked up affordably at secondhand stores or tag sales. They also can be rearranged depending on your entertainment plans to hold snacks or drinks or even for board games.

Tempting as it may be to eat on the ottoman and watch T.V., you should shop at your Chicago Walter E. Smithe furniture store for a quality table for your eating area. If you don’t have a lot of room, consider one with fold-down sides or extra leaves that can expand for guests (or when you get a bigger place). Don’t forget chairs. You can mix and match, especially if you want to buy secondhand. Even adding some upholstered chairs is fine as long as they fit comfortably at the table. They can double as guest seating in the living room.

Don’t forget your lighting. Even if you have overhead fixtures in your rooms, table lamps and floor lamps add warmth and often run on less power than a ceiling light with multiple bulbs. If you don’t own your living space, you will probably want to stay away from actually installing lights. Invest in something you can take with you to you next home. If you shop at Chicago furniture and modern lighting stores you can find fun colors and materials in lighting.

Even if you don’t have a designated guest room, it’s nice to have an air bed on hand for guests. (Or you can be the ultimate host and offer them your bed while you take the inflatable.) Buy some quality bedding for it as well. Look for white sales at big department stores and you can get great quality on a budget.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens may not make it into your décor but you might bring in a bright copper kettle while working your favorite things into a room design.  It just makes sense to design our homes around things we love. That makes us comfortable, and if we feel comfortable in our homes we will enjoy them more and our guests will too. Dealers of the best furniture Chicago offers can help you achieve this goal.

One place to start is by getting rid of clutter. That means not only piles of mail and old magazine that have accumulated on the end table or kitchen counter, but anything that we don’t use, need or want. One home makeover show used to have a designer that asked: Do you love it? Do you need it? (If you haven’t used it in six months to a year the answer is NO!) Can it make you money? If the homeowner could not answer yes to one of these questions the item was out. This process of eliminating clutter can be emotional and may take some time, but work at it steadily and it will happen.

Find a wall color you like. This is an easy and inexpensive way to give a room that “wow” factor. You can do the entire room or just an accent wall, but don’t be afraid of color. Think about how different colored rooms make you feel and go from there. Continue that color in accent pieces throughout the room.

Be sure that your furniture is comfortable. How many of us have been to a home with that one formal-looking room that no one ever uses. The atmosphere is cold and the furniture is stiff, so no one wants to use it. This is why kitchens so often become the gathering place. They are warm and inviting and we feel comfortable being ourselves there. If your furniture is not comfortable and you don’t love it, get rid of it! Buy the best quality you can and upgrade when you can afford to do so. Even in a room like a home office, your Chicago office furniture retailer can help you combine comfort and function.

Put things where they are accessible. I can’t count the number of times I have gone to my storage closet to get a fan and found it is hidden behind boxes of Christmas decorations and piles of camping equipment. Pack things away seasonally so the fans are at the front of the closet in the summer and the Christmas decorations are there in December. Keep other things close at hand, like some throws or blankets in a basket or drawer near your favorite place to curl up at read or watch a movie. Keep your most-used cooking pieces close-at-hand. This goes for reading material and lighting as well.

Speaking of good lighting – get some! Don’t count on a ceiling fixture to illuminate your entire room. Place lamps strategically where you can use them to save energy or to highlight reading and handwork. Recessed lighting in kitchens and bathrooms and spotlighting on artwork can be convenient as well as warm and welcoming. Consider dimmer switches wherever possible to allow mood lighting and save on energy costs.

Don’t forget the personal touches. Heirloom pieces and family photos not only give you a sense of ownership and recall fond memories, but they warm up your home and guests often enjoy then as a conversation piece. Photos should be displayed in groupings if they are small. Change some of them out seasonally to keep your room fresh.

When you shop for the best furniture Chicago has to offer, think about what you want in your home, not what a decorator uses in the displays. Most of all, keep your personality in your decorating – that will assure a comfortable home.

So you want a bit of workspace that doesn’t remind you of work?  A comfortable, efficient spot where you can focus for an hour or two at a time that won’t require sacrificing personal style? Not a problem when you visit the store with the best furniture Chicago has to offer.

When it comes to the home office, the newest trend is to keep your space from looking like a home office. Your work space should transition smoothly into the rest of your home while serving your work and organizational needs. Chicago Illinois furniture retailers also want to provide you with seating to fit your home office needs.

Because you spend much of your work time in one chair and may not use the proper posture during that time, an ergonomically correct chair is a must. This can help prevent or eliminate back and neck problems and even headaches.

While shopping for the best furniture Chicago retailers offer, consider a piece like an executive secretary, which unlike a desk, can be closed up to hide all your work when you don’t want to think about it anymore. It also is a beautiful, decorative piece which hides its function inside and won’t take up as much room as the traditional desk. This is a good option if you plan to designate one corner or portion of a room as your work area rather than an entire room.

Chicago Illinois furniture dealers have many ideas and plans to offer for your home office. The most important thing is to make it work with your lifestyle and interior space. If you have pets or small children, keep safety in mind as well. Use cord minders to prevent tangling or shocking and keep important work and sharp office tools put away safely in a designated spot. A desk or secretary with a lock is a good investment.

Brown and green are the new black. Pink is the new white and yellow is the new orange – at least in today’s home décor. The environmental movement has heavily influenced not only fashion but home decorating trends as well.

Bold, natural colors are dominating home decorating even down to bright-colored sofas and spunky Bohemian prints. Chicago IL furniture shoppers should be thrilled with the vast selection of color choices. Rather than neutral colors in furniture upholstery, designers are opting for bright colors and accenting with neutral throw pillows and gray walls, a bit of a flip from recent trends.

Metallics are gaining in popularity with designers and consumers, which along with animal prints are used for an edgy feel. Any shade of blue is in vogue, as it represents water and nature and feels calm – a page from the “green” movement.

Furniture stores in Chicago also know that customers want to connect with a color – it must fit their personalities in order to be welcome in their homes. Fabrics are also friendlier; many that look cold or sterile are actually being created to be warm and comfortable.

Many companies are looking to the past to inspire furniture design. Familiar styles are being given a twist to update the look yet retain the essence of the past. Chicago IL furniture buyers can find the pieces they desire for their homes in this tradition as well as “high profile” pieces characterized by contemporary lines and mixing juxtaposing styles.

Other trends dubbed “Agrestic” for its use of country gone contemporary and “Ethnic Chic” with its blend of deep, bright colors will be an inspiration for shoppers of furniture stores in Chicago. Regardless of style preference, there’s a place for bold color in your home – right at the center.

When you are a guest you want to feel welcomed and pampered, so why would you want any less for guests in your own home? You don’t of course! You want to provide a haven where they will feel like they are visiting a five-star hotel, regardless of the purpose of their visit.

Your Chicago furniture dealer can help you achieve a guest oasis in the midst of your home, no matter how chaotic is seems to be most of the time. If you truly have a dedicated guest room it is set aside for guests and ready at all times. It is not a catch-all for items you can’t decide what to do with or a repository for all your old furniture.

Your guest room must be clean, smell fresh (not like cleaning solution) and look inviting. It should be somewhere you would love to stay if you were away from home. When shopping at your best furniture Chicago retailer bring in your chosen color palette and some style ideas and let the designers assist you in preparing your guest paradise.

You don’t have to spend a lot. Some basic yet comfortable bedroom pieces, including a comfortable chair for reading or watching television mixed with some interesting pieces you already own can create the effect of being in an upscale hotel. Chicago furniture dealers will help you decide the scale and number of pieces to best meet the needs of your guests.

After shopping for the best furniture in Chicago for the key pieces, be sure to clean out the closets and buy some quality linens for your guests. Then don’t forget the posh and thoughtful touches: a basket of towels and soaps on the bed, some chocolates or mints on the pillow, and reading material, including some literature on local sites or events.

Attention-getting colors, large blocks of color and bold, bold, bold are the bedding trends we are seeing this year and they are the perfect compliment to the sleek, understated bedroom furniture that has become the rage.

Silks, cottons, or even fabrics with more texture like wool and organza find their way into bed coverings for the savvy sleeper. Whether you want something to wow the eyes or prefer bedding that is all snuggle and comfort, there is a bold pattern and a perfect color waiting for you.

Although trends come and go, as bold stripes in bedding will someday, your Chicago furniture dealer is here to stay with a custom design for any style of home and the perfect bed to match that gorgeous ensemble you saw in the downtown window and plan to build the entire bedroom around.

Whether it’s a soft, natural layered look that requires graceful lines in the accent pieces and a feminine headboard or bold, geometric stripes that call for contemporary lines and metallic accents, the dealers of the best furniture Chicago offers will have exactly what you need.

Leathers and plastics are even showing up as bedding accents – and what better way to bring in some texture and connect to your western Victorian or ultra-modern bedroom pieces. Chicago furniture dealers are happy to help you select any portion of your room décor and will gladly help you choose the perfect bed to cover with your ideal bedding set.

So when shopping for the best furniture Chicago has to pamper yourself in a bedroom oasis, keep in mind that custom means the professional staff will work to find exactly your style and to coordinate with any existing pieces or ideas you have.

We’ve downsized a lot since the Big 80s – cars, hair and many other things have been minimized. In the last decade furniture has begun to follow that trend as well. With the baby boomers retiring to smaller quarters, young professionals gravitating to smaller urban apartments and some of us just trying to save money by downsizing out homes, the need for slimmer furniture is at its peak.

Chicago, Illinois furniture retailers have noted and met this demand for smaller profiles in chairs and shorter sofas. Small-scale furnishings may not be in the majority but they certainly have their place in the decorating market.

Manufacturers and designers don’t limit their selections to seating; tables, beds and other functional pieces are being scaled down to fit into consumers’ homes. Your Chicago furniture dealer will likely have a slimmer version of what you now own if you need to save on space. Just don’t expect the price to be scaled down as well. Most pieces run about the same cost-wise as their larger siblings.

Rooms are getting smaller as well. The high ceilings and open spaces – such as the “great room” – so popular in the last decade are slowly giving way to smaller “purposed” rooms. Media rooms, offices, even crafting or scrapbooking rooms are showing up in today’s homes. Chicago, Illinois furniture buyers are looking for smaller pieces to be in synch with their smaller spaces.

So for those who have noticed their floor plans being a bit crowded, visit the designers at your custom furniture store in Chicago, Walter E. Smithe, for assistance finding pieces to perfect scale for your lifestyle. Whether you need to swap out the high-backed dining chairs for something lower or trade your eight-foot sofa for one a half foot shorter, they have the resources and ideas to make your floor plan work.

With many of us on tight budgets in this economic climate, major redecorating may seem beyond our means. Some professional designers offered tips on how we can spruce up with a few small changes and give our homes a spring makeover.

Framing or reframing favorite photos or artwork in coordinating frames can lend a gallery look to your home and be a focal point in a room. Your Chicago Illinois furniture store staff can offer ideas on making your decorating dollar stretch further as well.

If you want to accent current pieces such as a dining room set Chicago decorators can help you find the perfect table accents or echo the color of wood in your wall décor. Condensing your wall hangings mainly to one wall can provide a nice backdrop for a gorgeous piece of furniture.

If you’re feeling brave and in the do-it-yourself mode try changing out the backsplash in your kitchen. Rather than outdated tile or a bare wall, update the tile with bright colors or a mosaic look or try copper or stainless steel. In a bathroom setting leather is even an interesting choice.

While you’re in the bathroom with the tools out, consider changing the vanity or sink. This change could be a bit more expensive but can really alter the look of the room. A vessel sink which sits on top of a washstand or dresser is sharp. Even a funky new faucet will add interest to a bathroom with the blahs. Chicago Illinois furniture dealers have storage pieces and chairs designed for the bathroom. A nice option if you have the space.

If you like the look of your room, but just want a subtle change you might shop for new light fixtures or a chandelier. Lighting can be a design or focal point all its own. Think about combining styles or just going with something over-the-top with colors or textures that enhance the room. Customized shades or a wrap of material around a chandelier can achieve this effect.

In the bedroom try spicing up the headboard. If you have a wooden one drape something colorful over it like beads. If you don’t even have a headboard consider creating one from decorator panels found at discount stores, or staple some textured fabric over plywood and foam in a whimsical shape. Your imagination is the limit!

When I was in grade school I read a book called “The Velvet Room” where a girl who loved to read would sneak into an abandoned mansion near her own shack home, which came with her father’s job during the Depression. She finds a magical velvet room in the house, filled with books.

I always pictured her (or myself) curled up on the velvet-covered window seat on the plush velvet sofa, reading one book after another. Velvet does make me think of a bygone era; one more elegant and gentle than today, but velvet is also a very modern fabric. Dealers of the best furniture Chicago offers offer many choices in velvet. The colors and combinations can fit into any décor.

Today I am looking for a couch that will accommodate my entire family, guests, a black feline and, of course, some snuggle time with a good book. Chicago leather couch retailers also are offering great selections of velvet sofas. The color choices and rich texture make them irresistible to professional designers as well as those of us who reply on our personal style and the assistance of the in-store designer.

Velvet is now showing up in the most upscale rooms and works well with traditional, retro or even ultra-modern styles. When I peruse the best furniture Chicago showrooms, I notice that velvet has become much more prevalent recently.

Although I haven’t re-created the velvet room in my own home, a piece or two of velvet gives me that magical, carefree feeling of childhood. I always take note of the velvet accents when shopping Chicago leather couch showrooms. There might just be a velvet couch out there that needs the company of a good book.