The Humble Ottoman


Ottomans are so often overlooked when a room's interior is being designed. Ottomans are a lot more than an item to sit in from of a chair. If you always looked at ottomans as a fairly useless item taking up space in a room - here are some other uses you may not have thought of.

If you're putting together a new look for your room, be sure and add an ottoman or two. They can do double duty as a table top in front of a sofa or they can also fill the need of extra seating at your next gathering. Best of all, an ottoman will sit quietly out of the way until you need it.

There are a good number of choices when you're looking at ottomans. The Rectangular Tufted Ottoman makes a great choice for anyone that wants a larger ottoman that can serve as a table top as well. Paired with a wooden serving tray, you can serve snacks and drinks on the ottoman and it will lend a cozy touch to the room.

You can also get some extra storage in your room by using an ottoman. The Rectangular Storage Ottoman has a top that lifts up for storage of throws, pillows, quilts or other items you might need on a "now and then" basis.

So there you have it, you can get extra storage, a comfy place to put your feet, an impromptu table when needed and even extra seating when you have a large gathering at your home - if you don't have an ottoman as part of your interior furniture plan, add one soon - you'll definitely use it!

Labels: accents, interior-decor, ottoman, seating, small-space

 posted by Allure Furniture Designs   

Design a Study Friendly Room For Your Teen


You know your teen is smart, they just don't always apply themselves like he or she should. If you have a teen that is having trouble putting down the video games and hitting the books, use this summer break time to make some positive changes in his or her living space that will help your teen get their priorities straight.

Work Before Pleasure
Make your child a schedule that homework must be done before any extracurricular activities are enjoyed. Be diligent and check, if your child knows that you'll be verifying the work is being done, they won't tend to try and fool you into thinking the homework is done.

Communicate
It's easy to lose touch with your teen. Ask if he or she is having any problems in a subject. Sometimes the lack of studying is because they feel lost in the subject. Go over the work yourself with your teen or if he or she needs ongoing help, consider hiring a tutor for your child.

Make the Room Study Friendly
Another reason teens don't study like they should is that they don't have a good place to do so. A Monster Loft Study Twin Bed that has a bed above and a study desk complete with a handy computer stand and drawers below will make a wonderful addition to your child's room.

A little input from you and make some positive changes to your child's routine and you should see those grades go up once again. The most important thing is along with giving your child a place to study, is that you are involved in their school life. Make sure that you're there for your child, whether or not they will admit now that they are teens, they still need their parents in their lives cheering them on.

Labels: accents, bedroom, boys, girls, interior-decor, kids-room, teens

 posted by Allure Furniture Designs   

Update Your Patio for Summer Fun


Summer may have seemed far away when you looked outside a few months ago and saw only dead plants and snow on the ground; but now Summertime is in full swing and if you haven't had a chance to update your patio, there's still time to get a great area together for both entertaining and relaxing.

If you haven't in the past, consider doing a little more entertaining outside this spring and summer. You only need a gathering spot and seating for starters. Consider the "usual" amount of people you have over; if it is just a few friends, seating for six or eight will be more than enough. Invest in a set of fold up stairs that will stay out of the way until needed if you have a few extra people over.

For some mood lighting, citronella tiki torches can do double duty for warding off pesky flying, biting insects as well as add a festive mood to your gathering. Additionally, you can add soft lighting touches such as round metal lanterns that hold a candle within and emit a soft gentle glow. Tall candles in hurricane glasses will also look wonderful placed at various places around you patio. Pineapples are traditionally the symbol for welcome and pineapple lanterns will extend your warm wishes along with a soft glow of light. Tall plants will lend an air of relaxation. Easy to grow plants that do well in containers include palms and yuccas. Even if you feel you have the brownest of thumbs when it comes to plants, if you can handle pouring water on the dirt the plant is potted in occasionally, you can keep either of those alive.

If you find that you have so much fun planning backyard parties throughout the spring and summer and you're not quite ready to call it a day to the entertaining season when the cooler nights of fall come calling, add a fire pit to your backyard. These are table-sized and have a concave place in the middle where you can put coals or wood and burn them. A protective screen goes over the top and it's a wonderful place to gather around with good friends and enjoy a cool night under the stars.

Labels: accents, lighting, patio, summer-decor

 posted by Allure Furniture Designs   

Nervous About Buying From An Online Furniture Store? Don't Be!


Even if you're a confirmed lover of shopping online, you may have limited yourself to buying small and lightweight items as sometimes the shipping amounts that some companies charge will make it financially not worthwhile to shop online.If this line of thinking has kept you from looking at furniture, look again as you'll find it is more than worth your while!

Buying your furniture and home decor products online is convenient, secure and in most cases you will find even getting heavy items such as an armoire shipped to your home won't be nearly as expensive as you think it might be. If you're curious about how much the shipping will be at any time, just put the item in your cart and then press check out - you'll be given the option to calculate shipping directly to your door at the time. Another perk to ordering your furniture online is that unless your furniture item is being sent to the State of California, there is no sales tax.

Shopping online is a great way to get to look at an entire collection offered by a furniture company. Often great lines of furniture are limited to the availability of space to show it in a retail setting, online shopping will allow you to have absolute access to everything. If you want a new dinette set and you want to see what matching items are available for your decor scheme, you'll have access to the full line instead whatever your local store had room to display.

If you have a room that needs "something", take a look around and add an impact piece, ottoman or upgrade your fireplace mantle and screen. One little change can make a huge improvement in the feel of your room and shopping online makes it oh so convenient.

Labels: dining-room, interior-decor, small-space

 posted by Allure Furniture Designs   

Want The Antique Look (Without Breaking the Bank)?


It's easy to get an antique look for your room by incorporating classically styled items with an antique look and feel. Real antique pieces can be quite a financial investment and not at all practical if you have young children, the cost from removing a ring left by a child placing a simple glass of grape juice on a table can run into many hundreds of dollars. A great option if you still want the look it to use modern made furniture items with an antique look.

Cherry is a great wood to choose as a basis for your antique look. Just start off and add one item at a time to your room. Very few people go out and purchase an entire room of antiques and you can add to your collection in the same manner. It is the easiest way to incorporate every piece into your interior design as well as easy on the pocketbook!

A Heirloom Cherry Mirror will add a sense of elegance along with the illusion of more space. A good placement arrangement would be to use the standing mirror at the point that is located as far away from the entrance to the room as possible. This will trick the mind's eye in to thinking the room goes on a lot further than it actually does and the illusion of more space will be created.

Add an antique look cherry wood curio table and accent it with a small sculpture or little vase of flowers. Curio tables are wonderful for using up wasted corner space and they help the whole vibe of the room flow by keeping the line of design going around the room.

Labels: accents, antique-look, bedroom, foyer, living-room, small-space

 posted by Allure Furniture Designs