Complimenting Your Home Theater

You are finally going to do it. You have gotten all of the necessary electronics and you are ready to set up the home theater you have always dreamed about owning. Along with the electronics, entertainment centers or plasma TV stands; there is another very important consideration. Your seating arrangement needs to be both functional and comfortable. Take a look at the area you are going to be using and try to figure how much room you will need for the equipment and how much you will have left for seating. There are some great ways that you can make the most of the space you have available.

Home Theater Seating and Reclining Sofas are very popular items. Most of them are modular in design so you can configure your set up according to the space in your home. Some even have built in recliners and cup holders. They come in a 2, 3 or 4 seat style. Or if you prefer try one of the sectionals. They have a recliner on each end and a love seat in the center (just in case you want to cuddle while watching a movie), and two storage wedges in between. They are very stylish and with their leather surfaces you will be in the lap of luxury.

However you decide to set up your home theater, just make sure it will be functional as well as comfortable. Then, make some popcorn fill a glass with your favorite beverage, sit back, relax and watch a movie in your new home theater.
 posted by Allure Furniture Designs   

Garden Party Gala

If you are looking for a great idea for a party, consider a garden party. One of the best things about a garden party is that it can be a grandiose affair or a more casual and laid-back gathering.

If you have a great yard that you would like to show off, then by all means have the
party at your home. An alternative would be to check out public parks and gardens in
your area. Some of these may require you to reserve an area so be sure you plan it long enough in advance or have an alternate date. If you are planning to have it at your yard or the yard of a friend or relative here are a few ideas to help your party be a memorable event.

If you plan on having a large tent, (it is advisable to make sure you have shade or cover) have them set it up 2 days before your party. That way if it rains a day or two before, the ground under the tent has a much better chance of remaining dry. You can also use the extra time to figure out how you want to decorate and getting a head start on doing so.

Now for the seating and mingling areas. Many places rent tables and chairs, if you rent a tent check with them, they will point you in the right direction. If you plan on having a buffet style meal you will need something to hold the food and accessories. If it is a smaller gathering consider the English Garden Table and Chairs. You can use just one, maybe set off to the side for holding your goodies or place several of them around to give people a little more intimate type setting if they desire. Whatever you decide, have fun and your guests will too.
 posted by Allure Furniture Designs   

Create the Perfect Mood with Lighting

If you want to create a certain mood for your room, you don't have to completely redecorate; you can do it all by just changing your lighting scheme.

Going for a cozy, conversational feel for a gathering in your living room? Try switching out your table lamps with some fun accent lamps with soft bulbs to create a warm feeling in your room.

Another option if you have a small space but need extra lighting is to use floor lamps. They are usually tall and slender on a base that will fit nicely in a corner. You can further extend the light put out by a floor lamp by placing a mirror at an angle on each side in a corner and it will catch the light and project it outward in addition, the mirrors will create an illusion of a larger room.

Sconce and wall lamps look fantastic when paired alongside of a favorite artwork or over a sculpture piece. Wall lamps used to highlight room accents normally have brighter bulbs to draw attention to the piece they are highlighting.

If you're ready for a real change in your room, add a hanging lamp. They take up zero floor or wall space and make use of your 5th wall (your ceiling). You can get a cool hanging crocodile lamp that will add an exotic air to any room. Depending on the mood you wish to create - keep it soft or brighten it up - depends on the wattage of bulb you use.
 posted by Allure Furniture Designs   

Create a Country, Cozy Living Room

Normally your living room is the first room seen when entering your home. It will be a place for family or friends to sit and visit and you want to create a comfortable, inviting environment.

There are ways to create this feeling using color. Green is an excellent choice for the living room. Try painting just one wall in a subtle green or even a hunter green to achieve a warm inviting space.

Placement of the furniture should have a purpose. A small room should have at least one conversational area, while larger rooms may incorporate additional furniture groupings. To enhance the cozy feeling you should group your furniture around a focal point, perhaps a large window or fireplace. If your room does not have a fireplace consider purchasing a freestanding one. There are several types and styles to choose from. They are available with bookshelves built in with them, or a more elegant hand painted type might suit your needs.

If you really want to portray a warm, cozy feeling check out the Americana Stove style
fireplace. With its simulated black cast iron finish and the brushed nickel door pull it really exudes warmth and comfort. Try adding a great area rug to the fireplace focal point area to bring the entire look together and achieve that country cozy feeling.
 posted by Allure Furniture Designs   

Tips for Ending Clutter

Lets face it, you can have the nicest house that has been decorated by an amazing interior designer with the best furniture, but if your home looks cluttered it can ruin the entire look. Here are some tips for ending the clutter:

Majority of the clutter in your home results from things that have just simply not been put away. Try filling a laundry basket with the items and deliver them to the proper room. Once this is done try enforcing a family "use it and put it away" rule, making sure to follow the rule yourself.

About half of the remaining clutter is actually trash that you thought you might need or would throw away later. Take the time to throw it away. Donate the items. If you don’t use it, it's not a treasured memento or an important piece of paper, get rid of it. Donate it to someone that can use it.

Clutter also comes in the form of broken items. Fix them, or take them to be fixed whether it is clothing items, toys or jewelry get them repaired or get rid of them.

If you are like many people with children, no matter what you try to do to reduce clutter, it just never seems to stay that way. Especially in the child's room or playroom. Consider using storage containers like Maxwell's 4-drawer with baskets or one of Bahamas Multi-Storage Towers. They are a stylish and practical way to store the kids' toys and belongings. And you might even be able to get them to put their own stuff away.
 posted by Allure Furniture Designs   

Tips for a Fun Fourth of July Cookout

If you are looking for a reason to host a cookout (though a reason is not really necessary), how about celebrating the Fourth of July? It combines some of the best elements for a cookout. First of all it's a summer celebration and it usually combines both family and friends. It can be started during the day so everyone can enjoy all kinds of activities together and then, later after the sun goes down, you can enjoy some awesome fireworks.

If you know your neighbors, or even want to get to know the neighbors, consider having a block party/cookout for the Fourth. Everyone can pitch in by bringing a dish, or supplying some games for the kids and getting together to decorate can provide quite a bit of fun and laughs on its own. Maybe everyone can even get together and plan the fireworks for later.

If you prefer a smaller celebration with just family or friends, there are still some great things you can do turn your cookout into a very gala event. Consider stringing up red, white and blue lights, you can buy them or make your own out of your christmas lights. If you would like to have something like one major focal point in the yard or a great place to put the cake and homemade ice cream, check out some of the arbors, pavilions or even a gazebo. These can be decorated quite beautifully for the Fourth of July and you can always use them for other celebrations or holidays.

Whatever you do, make sure you follow safety tips so you can have a worry-free
cookout. Relax, sit back and get ready to "oohh" and "aahh" over those dazzling
fireworks.
 posted by Allure Furniture Designs   

Tips For Brightening Your Kitchen

When it comes to one of the spaces in your home that is used the most, does your kitchen happen to be the first room that pops into your mind? Many families across the globe would answer the same way. Although they say that the family dinner is a thing of the past, many people still like to use their kitchen as a great gathering place during several points throughout a regular day. If you end up finding that your kitchen area is a little more drab than you want it to be, you can always look into brightening it up a bit to make it more inviting for your family and friends.

While dark colors are still very popular to be used in kitchen decor, you can always look to the help of some incredible kitchen accents to set off the space. Take a look at home accents that are made with warm and inviting colors or on the flip side, you could even enlist the help of items that have a cool color base, including ocean blue, lime green or even orange spice. You would be amazed at just how much a splash of color here and there can totally transform the look of your kitchen.

One item in particular that can help both the look as well as the function of your kitchen is the Serving Station with Removable Tray in yellow. This is a beautiful piece that you can use in your kitchen as a permanent station for water and glasses or even a fresh floral bouquet. With the inviting yellow color along with the incredible design, you may even find that this piece both brightens up your kitchen as well as each and every day that you look at it.
 posted by Allure Furniture Designs   

Make It Family Night

In case you are a parent who sits back from time to time and wonders where all of your time goes, then the chances are that you wish that you had more family moments. When everyone in your family is always on the go, perhaps for meetings, school functions, visiting with friends, and of course work, it is only natural that you will begin to grow apart. However, if you catch such a problem before it goes too far, you may just be able to salvage your family bond.

Something as simple as one family meal during the week could just be enough to bring all of you closer together again. Certainly, it is very difficult for many families to be able to stick to a certain day each week, but you can always be flexible. Make plans for everyone to be home so that you can enjoy a meal and then even watch movies or play board games after you finish eating. You can make it so that everyone can be involved in the preparation of the meal and be sure to start up plenty of conversations while you are all gathered together.

Do you have a great dining area in your home that you can use for such meals? If not, you may just want to spend the extra money to bring in a fabulous dining table that can accommodate everyone in your family. While you are all sitting down and enjoying each other's company, you are sure to be grateful that you made such a furniture purchase.
 posted by Allure Furniture Designs