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.

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.

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.

Whether you’re red or blue or just plain red, white and blue, campaign furniture may be just the unique touch you need to complete a historic look or spark a conversation. Your Chicago furniture dealer, without getting too political, wants to offer you the opportunity to bring a piece of history, or at least a replica of it, into your home.

If you’re not familiar with campaign furniture, let me enlighten you a bit. It really has nothing to do with politics, except so far as war and politics go together. Campaign furniture is actually thousands of years old, possibly invented by the Romans. About three hundred years ago the English decided it would be elegant, if not practical, to use in some of their war campaigns as the British attempted to conquer the world.

Now campaign furniture is among the best furniture Chicago buyers can find with historical significance. These campaign pieces were designed for easy travel. They could fold up or be dismantled to pack into the hold of a ship or the back of a horse cart.  Tables, chairs, desks, beds – almost anything a master carpenter could dream up and assemble without nails or screws might find its way into the tent of a high-ranking officer or ambassador.

Sometimes known as “knockdown furniture”, campaign pieces were very portable and took little time to set up. You might visit a Chicago furniture dealer to add one of these pieces to your décor as a novelty, but they can be useful as well as being a showpiece.

If may be difficult to picture a fancy wooden piece in the tents of our modern warfare, but we have to remember that the British liked to do things in style and the Romans did everything on a grand scale. We can just thank them for providing us with a novel decorating idea.

Buyers of the best furniture Chicago retailers offer are fortunate to be using these pieces as décor and not small comforts as they trek far from home on dangerous missions. Of course, we can choose to furnish an entire room with campaign pieces and never have to worry about breaking them down before the enemy advances or packing them into a cart for transport.

Most of the pieces were made of stronger woods like teak of mahogany, which could survive various climates, harsh travel conditions and insects. For us, these are just beautiful woods reminiscent of a bygone era.

Some antique campaign furniture never made it to the campaign. Some was just designed for country homes which were not used year-round. One very eccentric Roman emperor even had parquet flooring constructed and laid out in his tent. Those were the days . . . .

I’m in the middle of a mini-bathroom makeover due to a leaky shower. My parents are getting ready to renovate two bathrooms. Let’s be honest: we all want more from our bathrooms today than strict functionality. We want them to be fashionable, comfortable retreats which reflect out personal style as much as the rest of our home. Although you might not think about actual furniture in the bathroom, your Chicago furniture dealer has many suitable pieces.

When you prepare for a bathroom makeover the first thing to do is pad your budget. That’s because Murphy’s Law always applies to home renovation and bathroom renovation in particular.

I lived through a major bathroom renovation in my last house and it cost about twice as much as we thought it would. But the addition of a large custom closet for my clothing, a laundry closet and a Jacuzzi tub were well worth the mess and the stress! You know where to find the best furniture Chicago has to offer. Now do yourself a favor and find out where the best deals in fixtures are as well.

A few dollars can be saved if you do your own demo work, and, of course, you can save a bundle doing the entire project yourself. But that takes some knowledge and experience. Consider the possibility that you may encounter mold or water damage when you begin the demolition. This can add to your rebuilding cost.

Ventures into plumbing and electric work are best left to professionals. If you happen to have some licensed friends who owe you a favor, by all means give them a call! Other tasks like tiling and drywall can been done by the homeowner, but for a finished look I recommend a lesson. Many home improvement stores offer free workshops on these types of renovations.

With a bathroom space, your layout may be pretty well set, so think about smaller changes you can make such as cabinet and sink styles or how best to use the wall space. Well-placed outlets and good lighting and ventilation also should be discussed at the outset. Designers of the best furniture in Chicago can give you advice on room layout.

If it’s storage space you need, look at how you can work it into wall cabinets, closets or a vanity. Your Chicago furniture dealer will have ideas and samples of furniture-style sink stands and vanities you might want to incorporate. Make a mini-mock-up of the space – or better yet, a life-sized model out of appliance boxes. A friend advised me to do this before our first renovation and I was surprised at the difference in the real space and what I had pictured in my mind.

Keep in mind that even a small bathroom space can easily cost $4,000-5,000 to renovate. You may want to do the basic necessities and add in the niceties a bit at a time as your budget allows. As with any home project, choose something you like and that fits with your lifestyle. A bathroom is not as easy to trade out as a sofa.

Home design these days requires more than function. Home design must be a blend of personal style, convenience, comfort, and practicality. When incorporating today’s design trends into your home best furniture Chicago buyers will appreciate these tips.

Small handmade touches throughout a home can reflect your personal style and make your friends wonder if you hired a decorator. Mosaic or hand-painted tiles can create that designer look in a kitchen or bathroom.

For a sleeker look, borrow a page from last year’s Hollywood Regency design catalog and add silver accents to basic black and white. Chicago furniture modern style lovers will appreciate this trend.

When it comes to color, it’s a simple way to finish off a room. Choose a colorful textile in eastern design, a bright-colored religious icon or some pop art that will pop off your wall. Transitioning to pattern, look to stripes of all sizes and retro bubble patterns or classic patterns like Hound’s-tooth or Greek key.

The home office is also becoming a center of style within the home. Most of us prefer comfort and a space that’s pleasant to look at over function, so find your personal style and build it into the function. Incorporate textures in usable pieces like filing baskets and calendar or bulletin board frames. Then consider some green like a plant or piece of artwork to help warm up the space. Buyers of the best furniture Chicago will have no problem making this space their own.

Other ways of adapting a room to today’s trends can include changing the room layouts, furniture and fixtures for an aging population, which is a growing need with the large population of aging Boomers in our country.

Outdoor living spaces have become a much bigger part of our homes in the past few years. This might be a simple arrangement of furniture at the fire pit or a complete gourmet kitchen customized for the outdoors with pizza oven, grilling station and wine refrigerator. Special lighting, rugs, or even an outdoor television can make a back yard an oasis. Your Chicago furniture modern retailer can offer ideas for you outdoor space.

Everyone likes a new look for spring and you can accomplish it even if your budget is stretched tighter than a drumhead at the moment. All you need is your imagination. But your Chicago furniture dealer would be glad to give some advice as well.

To freshen up a room without breaking the bank, try painting. For about $100, sometimes much less, you can change the entire look of a room and accent architectural features. Try a bold color on an accent wall or just a brighter white for the trim.

Consider reusing, repurposing or recycling older pieces, yard sale bargains or even odds and ends that look like junk.  A wooden palette can painted as modern art. An antique quilt can become a slip cover, wall hanging or tablecloth. Think outside the box and don’t be afraid to come up with an entirely new use for something. If you already own some of the best furniture Chicago retailers sell, mix in the old and new for a more eclectic look.

Slipcovers are the perfect way to freshen up furniture or change the color palette seasonally. Look for durable, washable fabrics and then have fun jazzing up you space with bright pillows or a graphic blanket tossed over the back of the sofa. Can’t find the exact color or pattern you want? Use dyes or tea to change them. You could even go a bit crazy and tie-dye your slipcovers. There’s nothing like a retro look for spring!

For big effect, cluster colors within your room. This could be a collection of colored glass, books or photos on a shelf or even dishes on a buffet or in open cabinets. A grouping of color provides visual impact and focus in a room. When shopping at your Chicago furniture dealer, take note of decorative accents and use of color.

Don’t forget textures. These can be layered in with fabrics and inexpensively and easily with natural elements. An odd-shaped rock, a framed leaf, shells, or a glass bottle filled with sand can all add a casual elegance and will cost little or nothing. Plants are also a healthy way to add texture and color – they help clean your air, after all.

To enhance your best furniture Chicago style, mix up your accessories.  Borrow a piece from the living room and showcase it in a bedroom or bathroom. Try placing items in unexpected places. Most importantly, keep your space comfortable and make sure it reflects your personality since you are the one who will look at it every day.

Ready to spruce up your living room for spring? It’s easy to do with style, if you can choose a style, that is. There are so many and each can reflect your personal lifestyle and design preference. Or you can base your decorating style on budget and current style.

Here are eight different styles to consider. Some may require a total makeover, and others may blend seamlessly with the style of your home’s architecture and your present furnishings. If you are on a tight budget, you may want to look at an eclectic or cottage style that could be achieved with pieces you already own or those you could buy secondhand. Buyers of Chicago furniture modern and contemporary will be glad to know their favorite furniture retailer offers design advice.

*Mid-century modern style take cues from nature and is rather minimalistic. If your home has large windows this might be a good look to try. Also, stick with an open floor plan and use elements of nature to bring the outdoors in. Finding a classic mid-century piece, one design site suggests an Eames chair, can be a starting point. Lots of woods pieces and organics will complete the room.

*A Contemporary look leans more toward rounded lines and neutral colors, using accent pieces to bring in color. To achieve this look you can begin with a neutral wall color in the gray or taupe range and sprinkle in bright-colored decorative pieces or textiles. Lamps or small furnishings should boast metallic finishes and clean lines. When shopping for the best furniture Chicago offers remember to check for accessories as well.

*If you already have a lot of pieces that you love, head for the eclectic side of decorating. You can comfortably mix time periods and styles if you connect your look with textures, colors or patterns. Keep the backdrop simple with a neutral color on the walls and look for commonality among your favorite pieces: similar wood trim; texture of upholstery; color; etc. Don’t be afraid to throw in your own unique touch.

*A look that’s easy to complete with attic cast-offs, grandma’s quilts and second-hand treasures is the Cottage look. Graceful curves and painted furnishings as well as old-fashioned striped, checked or floral textiles are the hallmark here.  Adding beadboard to the walls and painting in pastel colors will provide the backdrop you desire. Add in several frivolous or frilly pieces just for fun.

*Modern style also utilizes a base of neutrals, but incorporates asymmetrical elements and geometric shapes. Glass and metal surfaces or accessories will provide interest and graphic textiles or art a bold accent. When shopping for Chicago furniture modern style, remember that geometric shapes provide interest.

*If you prefer a bit more old-world, try on a Spanish flavor. Very colorful and flavored more rustic than contemporary, this style plays up architectural elements such as fireplaces and archways and blends a beautiful array of yellows, oranges, blues and greens – anything you would expect to see if you visited a Spanish village. Stucco walls make a powerful statement for not much money and distressed or dark woods bring in the old world flavor. Search out accessories that look like they came from the Spanish market – colorful dishes and pottery, wrought iron pieces and bright tapestries.

*Romantic style is very feminine and features light or sheer fabrics and pastel colors. Similar to the cottage style, but more polished and less busy, lace and ribbons on lampshades or curtains and overstuffed chairs and ottomans rule.
*Traditional style doesn’t have to look like your mother’s living room when you were growing up. If this is your taste, just update the basics. Stick with clean lines and symmetrical arrangements, more formal window treatments .  Also note your fabric choices – traditional covers tend toward damask and sometimes floral. Add a few favorite pieces to update and personalize your look. When shopping best furniture Chicago, look at the various showrooms to see what most closely fits the style you plan.