If we were to ask you where your family spends most of its time, you’d probably answer in the living room or family room. But if we were to ask you What do you all sit on, how would you answer? If your answer includes an old or worn out couch, you need to head to Walter E. Smithe to check out our amazing selection furniture. We have some great pieces of bedroom furniture as well, but when it comes to the living room, Smithe’s Signature living room furniture collection is a great place to start! Today your friends here at Walter E. Smithe would like to tell you a little more about the collection of which we’re so proud!

First up is the Westcott couch.

Next is the Stewart couch.

In addition to those, there are the Xavier, Vania, and Daphne couches, all pictured below.

Finally there is the Trevor couch.

To learn more or to try any of these couches for yourself, come in to one of our showrooms! Our friendly and knowledgeable sales staff can help you complete the look of your room. We also have some great Chicago furniture sales going on. We hope to see you soon!

Do you dream of April in Paris, or just wish you could dream in a room that looked like it should be in Paris? Decorating with a destination in mind can be affordable and fun when you borrow ideas from others who have tried it, take time to search for pieces you love from affordable sources, and are willing to go to Plan B when your first choice is too pricey or unavailable.

When shopping Chicago furniture sales, always keep in mind the piece and style you want. Don’t buy something just because it is on sale. If your goal is to transform your bedroom into a Parisian apartment then go for it!

Of course, you have to decide on your own interpretation that that Parisian feel, but some of the traditional or recognizable elements include striped walls (or at least one accent wall), an elegant chandelier, white-washed or pale wall colors, black or dark-finished furniture, and some bold textile pattern. Your Chicago furniture dealer can help you choose the perfect pieces to blend with this look.

Often the bold pattern involves a floral or toile. This textile print can be coordinated or echoed from quilt to rug to upholstery. Drapes, traditionally, are monotone or two-tone, opulent and full to the floor and of silk or satin. In finding the best furniture Chicago carries, you often find design services which will help you coordinate the entire look of your room.

In a Parisian bedroom, a sitting area is very common. A simple wooden frame, upholstered occasional chair paired with an elegant side table keeps things simple. A wall grouping with black and white photos or floral prints can dress up a corner and offer an oasis-within-the-oasis. Your favorite Chicago furniture dealer has pieces available in the French tradition.

Most importantly, remember to fill the room with things you love. Even if a piece isn’t particularly Parisian, if you appreciate the way it blends with the theme and it makes you smile, add it in. When it comes to Chicago furniture sales and buying the perfect piece, this is your creation and your idea of Paris.

With green being the watchword of the day we have all become conscious of how things are made and disposed of, especially in our own households. When shopping furniture retailers Chicago, buyers want to find easy and affordable ways to decorate and furnish their homes in an eco-friendly way. The options are increasing daily and these are just a few tips to help you know where to start.

Green Chicago furniture sales begin with repurposing in mind. Look for retailers who carry or design products from recycled wood or who carry lines made from sustainable woods. This includes less exotic woods and those which grow faster and are easier to replenish.

Bamboo is another popular option. It grow quickly, is affordable and very durable. When buying flooring or the best furniture Chicago retailers offer, think about the type and amount of use your pieces will need to endure. Also consider how the furniture can be reused or repurposed when you are finished with it or seek materials that can be recycled.

Be careful to choose natural materials that won’t pollute your home with fumes from the materials or finish. Also, seek non-toxic finishes to protect young children and pets. Furniture retailers in Chicago also carry many vintage pieces and antiques which can add a touch of nostalgia to your decorating.

Be sure to seek out the best furniture Chicago has to offer – quality-wise. Pieces that are durable and are worth repairing will allow you to use them much longer. Furniture and other décor made from recycled plastic or metal has also become a large part of the market in recent years. These pieces not only allow you to do your part for the environment, but can often be unique or whimsical.

Buying locally is another way to be green, as you save on delivery miles, thus saving fuel emissions, and you are closer to the retailer should you need service. When it comes to Chicago furniture sales, local retailers have almost any style and material of furnishing on the market and will provide excellent customer service, and often, design services as well.

When it comes time to furnish a new house, condo or apartment, it’s always a big decision what furniture will be the most aesthetically appealing, practical, balanced and complimentary to the rooms’ size and shape- and it should be.

Choosing a dining room set may be the most difficult since you’re usually not drawn to a specific table and chairs, as you would be to a bedroom set or unique sofa set. To begin the selection process, there are a few odds and ends that need to be figured out. First, how many people are you looking to seat? If you only live with one roommate, a four-person table should suffice with room for guests; but if you’re married with four children, you’re going to want a larger set, with maybe 8 seats, giving room if expanding the family is in the future and for sporadic guests.

Next, you’re going to want to measure the dimensions of the space you’re trying to fill. Knowing the space you have to work with is crucial since you don’t want to overcrowd the area- bringing me to my next point. Leaving space around the dining set is very important. Diners need room to maneuver around the table, and walk behind others who are seated.

The shape of the table needs to compliment the shape and size of the room, giving it presence. For instance, if you have a square-shaped room, a round table would soften the space and compliment it nicely. If you’re looking to give your dining room a more modern look, a square -shaped set should accomplish that. A higher table with more stool-like seats can also give a more contemporary look to a standard dining space. You can find a great selection of Chicago contemporary furniture at Walter E. Smithe.

Lastly, if you choose to dine in your kitchen, you may want to opt for a hardwood kitchen set that can be multi-purpose for things like baking, wrapping Christmas presents, office work, or cutting/ chopping ingredients. If you like  to dine in your living space, choose something that blends nicely with your sofa set and coffee table.

To top off the look, chose the right lighting. Dimmer lights and neutral-colored lamps make for a more sophisticated, relaxing setting while bright lights and colorful lamps create a more fun, upbeat ambiance.

To find your perfect dining room set Chicago, visit Walter E. Smithe, best in Chicago furniture sales.

You say there’s no place in your décor or even your lifestyle for a recliner chair? I once thought the same, but then I saw the modern selection of recliners at Smithe’s Chicago furniture sales and I had to rethink my decision. So the question of whether or not to recline was once again brought to the forefront.

This is not your father’s recliner. These days a recliner can be disguised to look like, well, a regular chair. Erase those images of the burnt orange or tacky plaid overstuffed, oversized take-up-half-the-room chair covered in chip crumbs and beverage stains. Think sleek profile, classic library, any color or fabric you can dream up – that’s what today’s recliner can look like and it can blend into my favorite room just like it was tailor-made, because it was.

In the business of furniture retail Chicago area buyers are seeking something unique and new, even if it’s old-world it must be a fresh take. The selection of recliners and choices of custom styles here include the best furniture Chicago has to offer.

There’s also the second question: To rock or not to rock? Once the decision is made to recline, the question of adding a rocker into the mix comes into play. The rocker, or even a swivel feature, usually adds a bit of bulk to the chair, so those looking for a cleaner line or more traditional style may want to avoid it. I have to admit I prefer the recliner without any added feature. This allows me to disguise it as a regular occasional or overstuffed chair. Of all the furniture retail Chicago sources I have shopped, this is by far the best for a diverse selection of styles.

So, if you want to recline it won’t cramp your style. If the man of the house insists on a place to kick back and read the paper or watch the game – offer it with style! Go in and see the best furniture Chicago buyers can imagine for quality and personal service.

After much contemplation I have to come down on the side of “to recline”, if only to satisfy the rest of my family. But we will recline in style in a custom chair from a top furniture retail Chicago dealer.

Do you have one of those rooms that are just so dull, drab and boring? And now you want to put some life back in to it, and you don’t know where to start? Well, there’s a few things you can do to turn your living space from dark to dazzling.

First, you should completely empty the room as much as possible – whether that means throwing stuff out, or relocating the furniture down the hall for the meantime. Now it’s time to make the first step in brightening you room: paint. Choose a color for the walls that makes you happy, puts you in a good mood and is welcoming for guests. Colors like a magenta, celery green, cerulean, peach or daisy yellow create a happy aura and give vibrancy to the room. If it’s a more masculine setting, solid white or a deep blue would work.

Another cool paint option would be to chose one wall as the main focus and give it a very rich, bright color. Balance it out by painting the remaining walls a more neutral color with the same undertone.

After painting, you should already be able to notice a huge difference in the feel of the room.

If you decide to purchase new furniture, look for bright colors- like white or beige suede- or a Chicago leather couch that contrasts in color with the walls. Black always works. The severe contrast, or light color of the furniture will give the room a good energy. Also, try to choose coffee and end tables that match the furniture.

Here’s another chance again to brighten the room- wall and furniture decorations. Choose simple artwork that tie in the colors from another part of the room. White or lighter color matting can add significant brightness. Also, opt for uniquely shaped and colored pillows and blankets – more neutral if your walls a vibrant color or more vibrant if your walls are a more neutral color.

To finish turning your drab room into a bright space, add little decorations like picture frames and colorful vases with faux flowers. This will automatically give more color to the room and the flowers will brighten the mood. Find a stylish, modern lamp whose shade doesn’t trap the light. After all, you’re looking to brighten the room, so look for one that provides the most radiating lighting.

For all these furnishings and much more, visit one of the most popular furniture retailers Chicago, Walter E. Smithe, for the best Chicago furniture sales.

Everyone knows leather. Leather jackets, leather car interior, leather handbags, leather boots and of course, leather sofas. It’s frowned upon by groups like P.E.T.A while covers the runways, red carpets and nightlife scene across the world. And it’s occasionally viewed as a sign of wealth.

Microsuede on the other hand, not so much. We know suede- we know its soft and warm but can stain easily and we can’t really get it wet. But what exactly is microsuede and is it better than leather for your living space? Well, it depends.

Both suede and leather are made from the skin of animals like pigs, deer, lambs etc. There’s one difference, suede is made from the underskin of these animals while leather is made from the tough exterior skin. Therefore, suede is leather “with a napped finish”. Of the two, leather is much easier to protect and clean. But when it comes down to it, suede tends to be slightly more expensive due to its finer appearance and extra time spent creating it, versus raw leather.

Now, microsuede steps away from P.E.T.A.’s most-wanted list since it’s totally man-made. The cohesion of thousands of thousands extremely fine micro-fibers creates this very dense, high-quality fabric. Microsuede’s increased cost comes with quality benefits: it has increased stretch, wrinkle resistance, water resistance, a general dirt resistance, and its very easy to clean (but can be less durable than regular suede). This fabric has a very chic, clean finish, appearing like a “furry leather”.

So which to choose for your new living room set- a new Chicago leather couch or the newer microsuede? Like I said, it depends. It depends if you’re more concerned about comfort or appearance. It depends if you have little kids running around that have a tendency to spill. It depends if you’re an animal activist. It depends how often it’s going to be sat on. It lastly depends on how much you’re willing to spend.

While there’s no definite way to go, these facts should at least help make that decision easier. Visit one of the most popular in Chicago furniture sales, Walter E. Smithe, and check out their selection of leather and microsuede sofas among hundreds of other home furnishings. Smithe is renowned as one of the best furniture Chicago dealers and will be ready with a knowledge, personable staff to help you.

I think there’s a true difference between a house and a home. To get from one to the other, it takes a little creativity and a sense of space, design, color, accommodation and possibility. You can get some ideas at any Chicago furniture dealer.

What I like to call “furniture accessories”- such as pillows, tablecloths, blankets and rugs- are what really pull a room together, and usually give it that “home-y” feel. Pillows and blankets give any couch, chair, or love seat that inviting feel, while tablecloths make the presentation more thoughtful and rugs simply synergize the room while drastically increasing the aesthetic appeal.

Living rooms tend to be those untouched spaces that look pretty for show, but they’re never used to their full potential. Maybe Monday you sit and chat for a few minutes with a friend stopping by and Thursday you take a load off mid-pace during an hour-long phone conversation. And that’s all the visits it has for that week. Change that.

The cohesion from adding an area rug to any living space, specifically a living room or TV room (for lack of a universal definitive term), does wonders turning a house into a home and an average living space into a “sophisticated luxury”.  The room matures once a rug enters, and new life’s been given to an otherwise dull, modern set-up.

Famous rug designer James Tufenkian said: “A rug can anchor a room; it can define space, as a focal point or a subtle backdrop. Unlike most furniture, a good rug is one of the only things you can use for

decades and it will still have value.”  Rugs can be that one clutch piece of versatile furniture. They can be swapped room to room, stored in the back of the basement for 10 years, be pulled out and still be classic. It’s pretty safe to say that rugs are one of the most traditional pieces of furniture.

Give your family’s TV room, or that barely visited living room, a new inviting aura. Create a comfortable ambiance with the perfect rug for your home. There are plenty types to choose from: Persian, Oriental, Tibetan, Southwestern, Tribal, shag, Flokati, contemporary, braided, or animal print rug. Or customize your own area rug. Visit Walter E. Smithe, one of the great places for Chicago furniture sales, to view their selection.

Every room will feel complete with an area rug, no matter how big or how small. It will not only warm up the hardwood or tiled floor, it’ll warm up your living space and make you feel right at home, and love it.