Furniture Placement 102: Odd Shaped and Unusual Rooms

(cc) image by Christopher Barson/flickr In Furniture Placement 101 I gave some basics about placing furniture that will help you greatly in arranging a room. The rules are simple enough to follow in a normal rectangular room with only one traffic pattern, but what do you do in rooms that are oblong, filled with windows, or L or other oddly shaped rooms? Long Rectangular rooms: Create multiple furniture arrangements in a long room. Have each portion of the room serve a different purpose. You should however avoid splitting the room evenly in two. For example, you can have music or … Continue reading →

Furniture Placement 101

(cc) image by Christopher Barson/flickr I grew up in a home with one basic furniture placement rule. Line up the furniture against the walls, and place a chair by the window. That was it. My parents were much more interested in function that style. Besides with 9 kids in the house, we needed as much floor space as possible, and mom and dad needed a chair to sit in when they were taking turns watching us play outside. As I only have two kids of my own, and am a visual person by nature, I am much more interested in … Continue reading →

When to get furniture from the furniture rental store

(cc) image from flickr As the economy went south, sales at Aarons, went north. The 15% increase in sales can be attributed directly to this being a business that caters to the working poor. As the economy got worse, the customer base at Aarons grew. Aarons, Rent-a-center, Color Tyme and similar rent-to-own companies rent furniture to people who don’t have the money or credit to purchase it outright. The way it works is that they rent a $1000.00 TV for $100.00 a month for a term of 24 months. Along with monthly processing fees, profit on this TV is more … Continue reading →

A New Trend in Dining Room Tables

My husband and I have been looking at dining room tables lately. We have a round table from IKEA that is really meant to be a game table but is currently being used as our dining room table. It is serviceable, and I don’t have to worry too much about the kids scratching it or causing any damage to the table, since it is sturdy and inexpensive. The main problem with our current table is that it is too small to be used much longer for dining. There are now five of us in t he family, and things get … Continue reading →

I Dream of Bookcases

I’ve always had a special relationship with books, for at least as long as I can remember. My very first books, The Poky Little Puppy and a set of children’s encyclopedias were treasured as no other toys were. Through the years, I also dreamed of having my own built-in bookcases. Through the years, I have had many substitutes for these imagined bookcases. First there was the headboard on my twin bed at home which held library books and a row of paperbacks I got for free through the library’s Reading is Fundamental program. Later, in college, there were a series … Continue reading →

How to Find New Inexpensive Furniture

With the economy in crisis, and everyone struggling to pay for the basics of daily life, such as food, gas and housing, it is hard to justify spending money on furniture. But, whether you are just starting out or are more established, you may find yourself needing to furnish a room or replace furniture items that no longer function in your home. You can often get low cost or free furniture used, but with the recent news about bedbug outbreaks, you just might want to think twice. Bedbugs are hard to eradicate. They can hide in the floor boards, clothing … Continue reading →

Shopping for Your Home Online

Shopping for home furnishings, appliances and more is now becoming more popular than ever. Shoppers no longer feel a need to touch and examine items first hand, preferring the ease of picking out their purchases from the comfort of their homes. New, easier policies, such as being able to order online and pick the item up from the store, or being able to return an unwanted item to the store instead of shipping it back, has made shopping for large items appealing. Still, there are some things you should know when shopping online for furniture, fabrics and more. Here are … Continue reading →

Choosing Your Mattress Type: Part 2

In Choosing Your Mattress Type: Part 1, I introduced the four different types of modern mattresses. They are: Traditional Inner Spring Mattress Air Mattress Foam Mattress Waterbed In the previous article, we tackled the first two types. Now it is on to the remaining two types of mattresses; that is, foam mattresses and waterbed mattresses. Foam Mattress A foam mattress operates differently from either an inner spring mattress or an air mattress is that it generally forms one solid surface instead of having an inner support system. There are two type of foam used, regular latex foam or memory foam … Continue reading →

Choosing Your Mattress Type: Part 1

I remember when choosing a mattress was a matter of making a choice between hard and soft. Nowadays, there are so many great choices, and choices within choices, that it is enough to give you bed spins. When it comes time to choose a new mattress, you first want to narrow it down to which type of mattress you need. There are four general types of mattresses today: Traditional Inner Spring Mattress Air Mattress Foam Mattress Waterbed In this series, I’ll share some information on all of them to help you make the right decision. For this first part, we’ll … Continue reading →

Bedding with Storage for Small Spaces

My kids share rooms. The oldest two girls have the larger room, but there simply isn’t enough space when two teenage girls are involved. Clothes, purses, and accessories –not to mention shoes, shoes, and more shoes- seem to have taken over. I guess sharing a room is good practice for someday having a roommate. I have been looking for ways to make my girls’ room more organized, with thoughts of dorm rooms (*sniffle!) in the back of my mind, as my oldest will be a senior in high school this year. I want to start purchasing furniture now that will … Continue reading →