Furniture for Your Baby's Room

Having a new baby is exciting. Many people spend so much time picking out the perfect crib and bassinette, the matching quilts and bumper pads and other items, it is easy to forget about storage.

However once the baby is here you realize very quickly that you need someplace to put all his little sleepers, shirts, buntings and other items. A really handy item for a nursery is the Maxwell Dressing Station. This is a gorgeous white sturdy designed wooden base with six large wicker baskets within. The baskets have small dips in the front so you can tell at a glance which basket you need an item out of.

When your baby is small, the top of this piece is a changing and dressing area. As your baby grows, the top is removable and it becomes a storage unit that no longer holds baby items but toys, socks or whatever you and your child decide would be best. The baskets themselves are reversible and you can choose to have the "dip" in the basket towards the front or the back and a higher edge on the basket will be shown.

You can teach your children early on to be organized and neat if you give them a place to put their things. A basket storage unit is a great way to get a piece of furniture that will be functional from the moment you bring your baby home to the time they grow into a young child.
 posted by Allure Furniture Designs   

Lighting Up Your Life

There are so many different ways that you can use lighting to your advantage within your home. Actually, there are so many different types of lighting combinations that you may even find yourself getting a bit overwhelmed. One thing that you should remember is that choosing the best lighting should never get you to feel intimidated. As long as you choose lighting that is perfect for the room in question you should do quite an amazing job.

A really nice way to add subtle lighting to your room with style is with a hanging lamp. There is always the beautiful option of a Balloon Hanging Lamp. This stunning hanging lamp design comes with all of the accessories that you need to place it within the room of your choice. You may find that this lamp will work wonderfully inside of a children's room or nursery and maybe even in your living room.

Depending on what kind of a style you are looking for, you may actually find yourself wanting to put up some sort of a wall lamp. The Curly Wall Lamp is a lovely way to add light to absolutely any room within your home. You can get this nice lamp with either two or three lights with either blue or red lampshades. With a choice like this, you should be able to match whatever you have for your existing decor. Some people like to use this style of a wall lamp in their dining room or maybe even in their hallway. This is the perfect way to shed some light on your lifestyle.
 posted by Allure Furniture Designs   

Make Your Crib a Family Heirloom

When it comes time to purchase a crib for your baby's room, consider adding a crib that can be used for each one of your children and can be passed down through future generations as a family heirloom.

A great example of a piece of nursery furniture that is destined to become a family heirloom is the Paris Canopy Crib. This crib is custom made for you when it is ordered. The crib is made out of iron and each piece is cut and bent by hand. The pieces are connected by the addition of molten metal into a mold, making this a very sturdy and well-built piece that will last for generations in your family.

The crib can be customized to over 50 different finishes that will fit into your décor. And another great feature, it has the handy drop down side so anyone who has problems leaning over the crib rail to put their baby down can do so quite easily with just a quick lowering of the side rail.

This crib also meets all safety standards and has closer designed bars on the railings to prevent the baby's head from becoming trapped by the bars. It is easy to buy a mattress for it as it just uses a standard size crib mattress and the overhead canopy can be draped in fabrics to accent or match your nursery. You can also set the mattress to one of 6 different heights and as your child grows you can lower the mattress to prevent your little one from trying out her new climbing skills and taking a spill.

If you're ready to add a crib to your nursery, make your choice in baby beds a real investment and get an heirloom crib.
 posted by Allure Furniture Designs   

Buy Your Baby Furniture Wisely With a Convertible Crib

If you're looking to purchase a crib and you also want to be sure that you're not going to have a piece of furniture that is looking for a new home when your child is big enough to leave their crib and have their own bed, consider the wisdom of purchasing a convertible crib.

If you're not familiar with convertible cribs, they "convert" from a crib to a child's bed. Their design is ingenious. The crib has the convenient one-handed drop system of lowering the side so you can lower the side of your crib and lay your baby down with just one hand. It works by pushing forward with your hand and then pushing up with your foot on the bottom of the side rail. The side rail can be quietly put back in place after you lay your baby down. There are no pieces that stick out and you can adjust the mattress to the lowest position on the bed if you have a baby who is a climber.

Later, when your child is older, you just remove the side rail and attach the two small rails to the head and the foot of the bed and then you have a daybed or a bed for your growing child who is now too much of a big kid for a crib but not so big he is ready for a regular sized bed. The rails that are attached to the head and foot area leave an open space in the middle of the bed that allows your child to get in and out of bed on his own and yet the rails will protect him from falling out of bed. A convertible crib will grow with your child and with either the crib or the bed there is a storage drawer that will hold extra blankets or other items you need to keep within reach.
 posted by Allure Furniture Designs   

The Clever Illusion of Mirrors

If you have a small room you want to decorate to appear larger, there are some tricks of the eye you can play using easy to obtain items.

One of the easiest ways to create an illusion of space is to place a mirror on the wall that is the farthest from the entrance to the room. When someone enters the room, the mirror will be far enough away it will trick the eye in to thinking there is a continuance of the room. Using two or three mirrors in a room can really open up a small space as a mirror visually doubles the size of any room.

Another good trick you can use to make a small room appear larger is to keep taller items away from walls. Place your furniture up against the walls and when you place a tall item such as a column with a plant or a tall hat rack up against a wall space, you are drawing attention to the ending of the room so pull those items slightly away or make use of your corners. Using a decorative mirror with scrollwork, open areas that let the wall behind show through or even hand painted decorations will all add space and a hint of elegance to your room.

Other good ways to give the illusion of a larger room are to use lighter colors. Dark colors will bring the walls in, lighter colors will give the impression you have more room. Avoid busy patterns and dark woods as well as they can also give the impression of an even smaller space.

Use these tips to liven up and expand your living space, even if it is only in your mind's eye.
 posted by Allure Furniture Designs