Accent tables may not be the first thing you shop for to furnish a room, but they can certainly be the finishing touch and provide a hint of your personal style or even a touch of whimsy.

Your Chicago furniture dealer can offer you styles of accent table in a variety of styles and materials. If you prefer a classic or traditional style, wooden and detailed may fit in your décor. Those with a more modern or even a retro preference might look to metal or even acrylic in flowing shapes or transparent designs.

The fun part about the accent table it that it is what the name implies – an accent. This does not have to be a functional piece, but it might as well be. Why not perch a lamp or basket on top or fan your favorite decorating magazines across the surface? Buyers of Chicago furniture modern styles will appreciate the freedom in decorating that accent tables provide.

The accent should be on your personal style. If you are eclectic or eccentric you may want to mix in a few existing pieces or flea market finds with your purchased tables. A stack of antique hat boxes, an old steamer trunk, a brightly-painted milk can or any other fun items that can stand on their own can be pressed into service as an accent table. Chicago furniture dealers have many choices and ideas on how to best use accent tables to maximize your room space and personal style.

Retailers with Chicago furniture modern pieces also carry items made from repurposed and recycled materials which add a point of interest to a room. Many of these pieces are unique and unusual, so can become a conversation focal point in your décor.

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.

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.

Have you ever had a room that was so cluttered with furniture you felt like Dorothy in Oz when she and her friends reach the enchanted apple orchard? Perhaps you feel the drawers are ready to fly open and bombard you with T-shirts and stray socks just like the tree pelted Dorothy and friends with apples.

Choosing bedroom furniture is important for just that reason and many times dressers are where we go wrong.  Deciding what, if any, dressers to purchase requires evaluation in several areas. The first area is the amount of clothing and accessories to be stored. The second is the available floor space in the room. Once these two factors have been determined, the questioning can move to size and style. When shopping furniture retail Chicago buyers want a variety to choose from and Smithe offers buyers of Chicago furniture modern and tradition beautiful custom pieces.

First, look at the amount of closet space you have. If there is sufficient hanging and shelf space in your closets to accommodate most of your clothing, dressers may not be necessary, or you may be able to get by with one smaller piece. Depending on the size of your closet, you might even want to consider placing a dresser in the closet for easy access and added floor space in the bedroom. Let’s face it, as buyers we want the best furniture Chicago retailers carry and we want it to fit perfectly in our room and our lifestyle.

If closet space is at a premium, you must decide on the style of furniture you prefer and evaluate whether one larger piece or multiple smaller pieces would better fit the size and style of the room. Several tall, dark pieces can be quite overwhelming in a small room (like Dorothy in and the apple trees). On the flip side, a large room with one or two small, low pieces may appear stark and under furnished. Sometimes the best furniture Chicago buyers find is when they seek help from an experienced decorating team at their Chicago furniture modern/traditional retailer.

Estimate the number of drawers needed, choose the furniture style you prefer and begin comparing pieces and sizes. Sketching out a scale model of your room with the pieces you like will give you a good idea of whether your dream pieces will fit in your available space. (Often they won’t except in your imagination!)

Take advantage of the decorating services offered at your furniture retail Chicago dealer.

They say that having a pet can reduce your stress measurably. But that’s only if you don’t have to worry about that cute, furry creature will do to your furniture.  If you saw “Marley and Me” then you know exactly what I mean. I know from my own experience that pets, and little boys, are the enemy of a sofa with pale fabric or a silk-covered wing chair. I’m thrilled that I found a place that makes the best furniture Chicago has to offer, and if I need my furniture tailored to be pet-proof, they can accommodate. Continue Reading