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Posts Tagged ‘designing for fall’

McCreery’s Special Order Sales Event: Preparing for the Most Colorful Season

Wednesday, October 4th, 2017

Enjoy the warm, fall colors in this bedroom. Featured here is the Bedford Pineapple Post King Bed. 

Fall is here. With it comes the holidays – from Halloween, to Thanksgiving, and eventually, Christmas. You need to prepare not only to warm up your home but also to stylize it so that it reflects the beauty of Mother Nature outdoors. Say hello to your fall interior design.

You can go classic with the usual decorative items – pumpkins, fallen leaves or candles. You could even decorate your porch with paper lanterns in warm colors (e.g. yellow or orange). But all these are on the so-called décor default.

There is so much more to fall decorating than putting pumpkins out front or installing door wreaths.

Summer to Fall

The transformation from summer to fall can be made easier. You can begin by updating your throw pillow colors. Since the weather is getting cooler, the family tends to spend more time indoors so cozy up.

The living room sofas as well as your plush chairs can be decorated with throw pillows in fall hues, patterns, and shapes. These comfy accessories will, no doubt, add visual interest in the living room. Shades of orange, red or gold will add that needed comfy glow.

If the throws and blankets were stored for an entire year, then it’s time to bring them out. Put them in use together with your hand-woven throws.

A bolder statement would be to use a bright throw that will contrast your neutral sofa. When you’re out to host a movie night, be sure to bring out some blankets and extra pillows.

Another way to prepare for fall is to layer your area rugs. Layering the rugs an add texture and colors to a usually bland floor. The extra layers will also ensure that your feet won’t feel cold.

Fall means you also have to prepare the fireplace for the cooler weather. This must have gotten dusty during spring and summer so it’s time to clean it up.

Have a contractor check the gas-related hazards such as smells or leaks. If you have a wood-burning stove, then be sure to have an expert inspect before you light the fire. Once the inspections and cleanups are done, then you’re ready to light that beautiful fireplace.

Fall is also the season to let go of your summer shades. You may have highlighted your bamboo shades or bright yellow curtains but now’s the time to settle down. Trade those sheer curtains for thicker and darker window treatments.

Use rich draperies with patterns that depict the colors of fall. Chocolate and gold colors can add vibrancy to the living spaces.

Fall means you will be having a shorter daytime. This means daylight needs to be replaced by another light source. When darkness falls, light up those scented candles all around the house. Your candlelit atmosphere should even help relieve stress after spending a long day at the office.

Fall also means prepping your patio. Do not forget that your outdoor spot should also reflect what’s happening indoors. The transition to fall design must also be seen as a go signal to cozy up your deck or patio.

Prop some comfy throws on dining chairs to make your outdoor meals more exciting. To complete the seasonal warmth, make sure to dress up the dining table with leaves, acorns, and a table runner that comes in a warm hue.

As to your bedroom, it’s also time to swap the summer bedding for thicker, heavy-duty thermal blankets and comforters. Save hundreds of dollars as you snuggle under these thick bedding.

Check out our Fall Special Order Sales Event to better prepare for fall. View the video here.

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Warm and Cozy Interiors for Fall

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016

FFDM's Sunset Canyon Collection shows the beautiful color of the fall season in this wood ensemble.

FFDM’s Sunset Canyon Collection shows the beautiful color of the fall season in this wood ensemble.

Fall is definitely here. This only means that it’s time to look into pumpkin décor, spice lattes and wonderfully warm meals. So bring out the crockpot and your designing skills (okay maybe not in that order) because it’s time to transition the look of your home.

Your home is the perfect spot to decorate using fall elements. Decorating for this season means you have to embrace warm, beautiful colors, coziness and all that these bring, without forgetting to have fun in the process.

Here are some ways that you can start fall design –

Say Goodbye to Summer Bedding

One of the quickest ways to say hello to fall is to say goodbye to the previous season. Find something warmer for your bed; look for warmer colors and warmer elements. Think of comforters, duvets, colorful pillows and blankets.

Add some rugs, romantic lighting and homey décor.

Don’t worry about making your room too dark. Use window treatments to offset the artwork, furniture and lamps that you bring in. This is also that perfect moment to paint your bedroom with a more subdued coat of paint. You will be spending more time indoors so consider painting your home with the colors that you are most comfortable with.

Beautify the Windows

It’s time to spruce up your windows especially if you want to achieve fall vibes. Use curtain walls, embellishments and drapes. Sheer can be used as an overlay. Hanging curtains crosswise can also add a different level of visual interest.

The market is filled with curtains and other window embellishments. See which ones would suit your fall design. Be mindful of the materials, color and their functions. Find warm hues like ones that mimic nature. Look for fabrics that will make the room feel homier.

Add Candles and Warm Lighting

This is the perfect season to use a lot of candles. These can become decorative elements that have the capacity to make any space look cozier. If you are a DIY enthusiast, then this is the chance to get your family together and create your own string lights and candles.

Candles are also effective mood lights. These can effortlessly improve the ambience in your home. They can also smell nice – which is like hitting two birds with one stone.

The Uttermost Dining Room Mara Fireplace Screen Candleholder 20179 is the perfect element that would cap your focal point for the living room this spring.

The Uttermost Dining Room Mara Fireplace Screen Candleholder 20179 is the perfect element that would cap your focal point for the living room this spring.

Extra Blankets, Pillows and Throws             

Since this is the perfect time to get cozy, it’s time to check out some local shops for pillows, throws and blankets. These are your best decorative elements for this season apart from the pumpkins, wreaths, dried fruits, and other festive crafts.

Sweet-Smelling All Around

What could be more wonderful than to come home in a place that’s sweet-smelling with breads, spices and crockpot meals. Add to the holiday euphoria by putting some essential oils inside the living room, bedroom, bathroom, and just about every room in your home. Lavender is one great option to begin with. It is not just a sweet-smelling scent, it is also antiseptic and has antibacterial properties.

Yes to Area Rugs

An area rug is also an essential décor that can be added to up the level of coziness this season. It does not have to be costly or fancy. Just invest in a few rugs that can add color and comfort where they’re needed.

An area rug can also effectively warm your feet during those extra cold mornings.

Alter the Landscape

This is also the season to cozy up your backyard and patio. It’s time to swap the bright lights and water elements with festive décor and candles. Add some lovely scents, potted plants, beautiful flowers, and shrubberies.

Clay artwork as well as bright pillows may also be used to improve the outdoors during fall.

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Metallics: Creating the High Voltage Look

Tuesday, September 13th, 2016

1586-50010-GLD2 Gold Bois Round Accent Table

1586-50010-GLD2 Gold Bois Round Accent Table

Fall is the best season to bring out the beauty of metals in your home. All metallic inspirations are welcome not only because they are a hot trend but also because the rich colors of brass, gold, chrome, nickel and copper all offer the perfect hues for the season.

Metals are definitely here to stay so it would be a waste if you won’t join many others who have finally embraced the beauty and glimmer that these materials offer. If you’re convinced that you could give metallic interiors a shot, here are some ideas –

The Details Count – A Lot

Metallic interiors are equal to beautiful, livable and posh interiors. Prepare to get a lot of attention as your home would be oozing with style. As you use metals, though, make sure that you don’t forget to add comfort and a homely appeal, still.

Metals offer timeless beauty especially if you know how to use them. Sure, they often go with modern themes but don’t be imprisoned by this thought. Even traditional homes would look great with the right kind of metal furnishings or accessories.

Metal is also industrial although it may also not mean this motif all the time. It can also be used in the creation of glamorous yet soft areas in your home.

Metal does not automatically mean cold or uncomfortable. This can also offer warmth and an inviting interior so long as you use correct juxtapositions. An example is the plush white cotton paired with the sturdiness of a metal bed frame.

Metal at the End of 2016

It has been forecasted that metals will be big this year and those who predicted this were correct. Metal has the power to tie a room altogether, even with the tiniest details. Brass handrails, copper taps, even metal door handles may be small additions yet they could feature the architectural part of your home or could make furnishings appear special.

It is, indeed, the end of the year 2016 so you can exit this year with a huge bang. Metals can bring in new style to your home so there is no reason not to embrace it. Don’t think that it’s meant to overpower since it can be softened with the use of some accessories.

Metal wall finishes like textured panels provide the perfect industrial look. Metal flooring, on the other hand, can be the welcome respite in any monochromatic space.

The hottest metals in the market these days are these three – copper, rose gold and bronze. The first and last metals have always been on top of the list. Rose gold is young, warm and glamorous just like its classic counterparts. Copper and bronze are edgy and current, two characteristics that are rarely offered by other metal types.

Hooker Furniture Bedroom Retropolitan Metal Mirror

Hooker Furniture Bedroom Retropolitan Metal Mirror is great in any contemporary setting.

And the Winner Is…Copper!

Rich copper is great during fall. This is that golden hue in your kitchen provided by the hammered countertops and backsplash tiles. Copper has always been a go-to metal in terms of warm aesthetics.

Copper is also perfect in the fireplace. Most fireplaces come with natural rocks, tiles or bricks but there is this growing trend where copper can also be used. Reclaimed copper sheets can be used as trimming for the interiors. Ask an artisan to assist you with the installation to ensure utmost safety in your home.

Copper is hotter than hot. Brass and gold may be the biggies during 1980s but copper is a trend that keeps coming back. Adding glam to your bedroom is as easy as having metallic wallpaper installed. Just have one wall with this color as it can overcome the senses if you use more than a statement wall.

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Getting to Know Rachael Ray (and Her New Furniture Line)

Saturday, September 10th, 2016

Featured photo was taken from www.rachaelrayshow.com http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/images/clubrr-button-800x450px.jpg

Featured photo taken from www.rachaelrayshow.com
http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/images/clubrr-button-800x450px.jpg

You have probably seen one of the Food Network shows that Rachael Ray hosted. She, too, is a celebrated author of cookbooks and a renowned TV talk show host. It is difficult not to be enthused by this energetic woman. Born under the Virgo sign, Rachael Ray came to the world on the 25th of August in 1968.

She’s a born New Yorker.

Rachael’s Life and Career

Rachael had various jobs – most in the food industry – before her classes (30 Minute Meals) were discovered by a local TV news station.  She practically grew up in the restaurant industry as her family was in the food business for the longest time. She was working in a gourmet food store in New York when the station got wind of her classes. Since then, she already hosted different Food Network shows and authored different cookbooks. As if these weren’t enough, she went on to achieve her own talk show – Rachael Ray – and her very own magazine.

She already won a Daytime Emmy Award on her talk show.

The first book deal for Rachael came when more and more people were raving about her cooking segments on her show. Compared to other hosts, Ray’s style was lively and sometimes goofy. Her recipes were simple, most offered shortcuts which any mom – or anyone – could do in their own home.

Three other programs debuted as spurred by the 30 Minute Meals show. Pretty soon, she launched her lifestyle magazine Every Day with Rachael Ray. This was made available to the buying public in 2005. She soon had a self-titled show as coaxed by Oprah Winfrey. This happened in 2006 as did the award that she received for her 30 Minute Meals show. She then received her Emmy Award for an Outstanding Service Show. More critics and fans saw the value of her work which was why in 2008, Rachael Ray, the show, won the Daytime Emmy Award this time for Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment. This ran till 2010.

Having achieved success through her programs, books and products, Rachael began giving to charity. She was the founder of Yum-O! which is a non-profit organization that educates young people as well as their families regarding good nutrition. Needy American children are also fed by her charitable institution.

Rachael is married to a lawyer, John Cusimano and they live in Lake Luzerne, NY. They also have a home in the Greenwich Village in Manhattan.

Rachael on Furniture This Fall

Okay, so we all know that Rachael is a star in so many aspects – from having her own show, cookbooks and magazine; so she has pretty much conquered what other people just dream of. Now, one can add the title furniture designer to her growing portfolio.

Rachael just exhibited the newest collection inside a cozy showroom in North Carolina. The home collection showed three parts – SoHo, Highline and Upstate. Every one of these offers inspired pieces based on different parts of New York.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to know that Rachael sketched some of the furniture pieces herself? The furnishings come in muted tones. You will also see a lot of silvery grays, with every collection coming with complete pieces. There are also multi-function kitchen islands, even a dog bed that coordinates beautifully to it! Being a dog lover, herself, she even has a line of dog food named Nutrish. Of course, Rachael Ray has offered a lot of lovely, functional pieces for pet lovers in the past but never in this matchy-matchy setup.

Legacy Classic Furniture produces the collection for her. This is Universal Furniture’s sister company, also responsible for the Paula Deen Home Collection.

‘Wanna live like Rachael Ray this fall? Then it’s time to check out her collection.

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Earthy With a Dose of Gorgeous

Saturday, September 3rd, 2016

Hooker Furniture Living Room Chest is beautifully earthy.

Hooker Furniture Living Room Chest is beautifully earthy.

Earth has its beautiful, signature colors to offer depending on what season the place is on. Fall, for instance, offers browns, golds, oranges, and reds, even yellows. Just find out which one of these colors define your personality and which one can lend a cue to your next interior design project in your home.

Fall’s color palette is always nature-inspired. Just take a look at the turning leaves or the rust-colored skies. These hues bring in warmth even when the weather is actually bringing about a chill to the autumn air.

Bold and Exciting

Many people view earth colors as calming. What they fail to realize is that bold colors are also seen in berries, leaves and wood accents. Nature puts on a great display on the trees, in the sky, and the ground with broad strokes of bright and muted colors.

Fall is also about plums, burgundy, umber orange, and rust. So go ahead and change your bland interiors to an exciting inspiration each time that you enter your home. Alter an accent wall with your favorite fall color. Look for paint shops that have fall-focused palettes and experiment with them during this season.

Simple and Traditional

The classics are difficult to replace. Inspirational colors include sage green, browns, golden yellows, fiery reds, and creamy beiges. Fall is a season that is telling you to slow down since you just came from a season of bright colors.

Traditional upholstered furniture pieces work even during fall. You can also use seasonal arrangements of the most beautiful orange, red or yellow flowers. Use an area rug that can help you pull the space all together.

Simple may be subtle but it is definitely not boring.

BLK1 Bloom Round Dining Table with 1-20in leaf offers a jet black earthiness that's difficult to ignore.

BLK1 Bloom Round Dining Table with 1-20in leaf offers a jet black earthiness that’s difficult to ignore.

More Nature Display

Whoever said that nature just has to happen outdoors? The playful colors outside may be truly inspiring which is why most fall designs can be comprised of sea grass, exposed timber, slate and boulders. Other than these usual smorgasbord of hues, why not take a bland wall this time and liven it up with corks, natural rocks or something green, say, green wallpaper.

If the colors are too neutral for you, then just add an eye-popping furniture piece. This should bring visual interest in an instant. Red or orange coffee table can provide just the right amount of excitement.

All-Year-Round Colors

What’s great about fall is that it offers natural, earthy colors that would never go out of style. Spas come in blues and greens as well as browns because these are calming hues. These allude to the skies, earth, water and the sun. They, all together, bring harmony and peace to most people whether talking about physical, mental or subconscious aspects.

Pick from gray tones or from the brightest colors that you could find on the autumnal display. What’s great about the fall palette, too, is that it works well with any style. So, whether you love modern, eclectic, rustic, modern or traditional; fall never disappoints.

If you’re still not ready to alter your entire room during the season, then just bring in some dried pine cones, potpourri, lemons and oranges. Put a vase of your favorite fall flowers and you’re done.

The Fall Furniture Line

Fear no color during this season. Use bright strokes if needs be for your furniture pieces. The simple wooden cabinets can become the focal points if you are willing to invest in sunny yellow ones. The shinier the finish, the more that it would pop out, hence, adding the needed character to the room; just make sure that they don’t look like they are candy-coated, though.

Experiment within bounds – this is your mission for this season.

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Summer to Fall Shift: Getting Ready for the Autumnal Look

Monday, August 29th, 2016

Winners Only Dining Room Dining Table DSB14296C offers the warm brown colors of fall.

Winners Only Dining Room Dining Table DSB14296C offers the warm brown colors of fall.

People use art to express themselves. These can be framed paintings or photos, it could be a bust, but all are aimed at making your home look more interesting. The art that you display tells a lot about your personality. Don’t be afraid, though, to add large pieces on those big, blank walls. If you are feeling more creative, then make your own art. There are many ways that you can hang some stylish art especially this fall.

Display Gorgeous Harvests

Now that summer is saying farewell, it’s time to embrace the gorgeous style that the fall season has to offer. There are many fall elements that you can use in designing your home. Think of pumpkins, falling leaves, spices and earthy hues. You can bring in these elements to the porch, right into the living room and all the way to the bedroom.

Impress with Metals

Metallics are quite in during fall. These are great accent pieces since they shimmer – they are practically begging for attention. Use anything from silver, bronze to gold on table lamps, candlesticks, or side tables. A great thing about metallics is that they can stylize without even trying.

It’s All About Geometry and Texture

Fall is also rich on geometric patterns. Beautiful shapes can amp the look in your home. Use diamond shapes, stripes, even chevrons. Your favorite shape should be the star of the design.

This season is also the perfect time to add a little texture to your design. Use rich velvet, chunky knits, rustic woods, etc.

Canadel Dining Room Side Chair CHA1261 has both green and brown; both colors of Mother Nature.

Canadel Dining Room Side Chair CHA1261 has both green and brown; both colors of Mother Nature.

Seasonal Colors

You can never go wrong with the autumn palette during fall. Check the colors that are trending such as jewel tones, spicy hues, classic neutrals, white, black and certain shades of blue.

Look all around you and see where you can add fall décor. Add a table to the foyer, put a tall vase of colorful flowers in the living room, hang a wreath right on the front door, and welcome all your guests with the orange pumpkins in your front yard.

Make the Fireplace Useful

With the weather turning cooler each month, you can now look at decorating your fireplace and mantel. Right before lighting up the fireplace, though, make sure that it has been inspected and properly cleaned. Once it’s okay to use, have it decorated with garlands made from fall leaves, pumpkin and other hearth décor.

That Room with the View

This is also the season to refresh the windows with some new window covering. This should complement the current season, palette-wise and pattern-wise. Keep the sheers but you may trade out the curtain panels with something that is more appropriate for fall. Look outside of your home for inspiration. Mother Nature has a lot to offer.

Change up the florals from the sunny summer look to the autumn flowers with richer colors. Redecorate with red, orange or brown area rugs in the living room, bedroom, or the kitchen. Bird feathers and leaves are huge design inspirations.

Garden Wagon Decorating

Your garden will serve more purpose this upcoming season so go ahead and lay down the straw at the bottom of a garden wagon. Place a few pumpkins in the wagon but make sure they show through the sides. Put two huge pumpkins in the middle then stack the little ones all around.

Have a pot of mums in the hay that are all around the pumpkins. Use LED lights to add sparkle during dark nights.

You can also add a fall table display for your upcoming dinner parties. An orange, yellow or red table runner should complete the autumn look.

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