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Tuesday, November 15th, 2016
This FFDM Hyde Park piece has a small yet significant silver element that makes this drawer a beauty to behold.
It can be tricky decorating tiny spaces – even interior designers know this – but with maximized storage and correct usage of square footage come effective ambience presentation. So, are you ready to not make the same mistakes that many apartment owners ahead of you have made?
Never Underestimate Natural Light
Any small space must make good use of natural light. Maximize natural lighting in your home by properly placing mirrors on walls that are opposite windows. Doing so will help spread and reflect light in your home.
Choose woven blinds or sheer curtains if you want to filter the amount of sunlight that comes in. Limited light means you dramatize the paint hues as well as the furnishings that you have chosen. Overall, you get to brighten the mood indoors without spending a single dollar.
Let There Be Visual Movement
You can visually connect spaces in your home by using a unified color palette, this is if you have a home with many adjacent rooms. This creates a visual and overall story that will make the rooms appear seamlessly fused rather than having small, disconnected areas.
Use All Available Space
Bring out your creative side especially when to making good use of square footage. Find storage areas such as floor-to-ceiling shelves or a shelf above the window frame.
Kitchen = Clever Storage
Regular kitchen cupboards should be things of the past. While they may be visually appealing, they tend to crowd out space. Add bins under the kitchen sink, also some shelving units where they are unseen. If you have porcelain pieces to display, then that’s the time you invest in an awesome china cabinet.
To make the kitchen space airier, you might want to divide it from the dining area using a small divider.
The Office Nook
Make sure to use every extra space that you see when you have to deal with a small bedroom. You can create a small nook between two closets and turn that into a cozy home office. This is a workstation that requires low maintenance. Just add some shelves and a desk to complete the space. Display some books also.
Don’t forget that you’re still inside the bedroom so the bed should be the anchor piece in that space. Invest in one that won’t eat up the rest of the space.
Storage Space for Bathrooms
Use narrow, water-resistant shelves inside this room. Buy some canisters also which will hold cotton balls, cotton swabs, your favorite moisturizer, and other toiletries. Put the canisters under a lovely vanity table.
Find some wicker baskets which you can place on shelves for additional storage space.
Make Use of Multipurpose Space
This is unavoidable as was discussed in the fusion of an office nook and the bedroom. This same nook can also be situated inside the guest bedroom. Make the best of such situation by utilizing the surrounding walls.
A simple collection of shelves can make ample storage for all your stuff. You can then connect these pieces to the reading or home office nook that you have created.
That space beneath the stairs doesn’t have to go to waste. This can, in fact, be enhanced to become a stylish storage space. Add a shelving unit there so you can take advantage of this awkward space. You can also use this as a mini bar or a space for your book collection.
Light Paint Only Please
If you want to make any space appear bigger, make sure that you veer away from dark hues. Say no to black walls or any punch of dark color. Keep the rest of your space open and bright. Use light-colored furniture and accessories.
Tags: McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, natural light, natural lighting, office space layout, storage, storage advice, storage planning
Posted in Home Maintenance, Interior Design 101 | No Comments »
Thursday, August 18th, 2016
Thomasville Bedroom Manyara Media Hutch 46211-365
If you are planning a closet makeover, you should always begin with measurements. You need to measure your current closet. Find out the hanging requirements as well as your storage needs.
Clear out the closet if you want to have the new system installed. This is a great moment for you to look through your items and find those that you no longer use. Once you find those, you can decide if you would want to donate to charity or to hand them down.
Planning the Closet System
A closet system can be the perfect solution to maximizing storage space. You can make use of hanging bars, drawers and a cubby storage. These are tools that can help you organize clothes and accessories.
More Shelves Isn’t Always Better
There is the common notion that more shelves are better. There are instances when this isn’t the case. Shelves can also take up a lot of space especially if you didn’t take the time to plan the ones that you’d use in your home.
Use shelves and stack them in an orderly manner. If you don’t, you would end up using up precious storage space. Invest in shelves that were designed to carry most of the items that you need to be concealed from your line of vision.
Get a Closet Armoire
If you don’t have a lot of closet space, you can invest in an additional storage unit. A freestanding armoire is just the right piece. This can take the place of the usual cabinet. Use wire shelving inside the armoire to maximize storage. You can also achieve a clutter-free room if you learn to classify your clothing pieces. Foldable garments should go inside drawers while those that you can be hung should be, well, hung.
Tiered shelves should house the sweaters and other seasonal stuff at their highest layer. Others that are used more often should be placed in those easy-to-reach drawers.
Universal Furniture Bedroom Tall Cabinet 071160
Manage Your Space
Having a small bedroom means you should consider putting the dresser in the closet. Maximize the space by having shelving units above it; doing this will allow you to maximize the vertical space that closets can offer.
You need to measure every inch of space if you have a limited area to work on. There is also the choice to install an over-the-door storage for accessories such as belts and shoes. These items may be small but these are the ones that usually hog your closet space. Have underclothes and socks folded and placed inside neatly-stacked bins or baskets.
Uniform hangers will also provide a tidy and neat look for your closet.
What About a Kid’s Closet?
Planning a kid’s closet should be no different. There should be fabric storage bins that can make the closet look neat, presentable and organized. You can make use of dual rods on both sides of storage tower. This can be used as an extra hanging space for pants and shirts.
Apply picture labels in front of these bins so that the kid(s) will be able to stick to the set up organization system.
Organizing through Folding
Folding may take a tad longer to accomplish than merely hanging clothes but it can also be a tidy way to organize your clothes. Here are some tips on how you can fold your favorite dresses, blouses and pants –
Tags: armoire, cabinet, cabinet organization, closet, closet organization, how to organize a cabinet, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, organizing the closet, space planning, storage, storage advice, storage planning, storage systems, storage techniques, tips
Posted in Furniture, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | No Comments »
Friday, August 5th, 2016
FFDM’s Summer Home Collection features these wicker chairs and hardwood pieces which lovingly frame the freshly-picked fruits on the glass top table.
It is always nice to come home to an inspiring, fresh entry with summer décor on display. Just imagine walking into this lovely, summery concoction as you come home from a busy day at the office. Just embrace that warm feeling as you step into your home each day. But do you know how to create the summer-themed entryway?
Set a Beachy Tone
Okay, now that you’ve imagined how the summer look is going to be, what elements would you actually like to see? Pick one that represents summer through and through. This should be prominently displayed in your entryway. This can be that unused surfboard or colorful sand complete with seashells right by the entryway corner. A beautiful seaside painting or a stack of beach books and magazines would also be nice.
Other beachcombing finds could also be included such as sea glass, driftwood, and smooth stones. Welcome summer with a display of these beach finds.
Summer Essentials Out in the Open
Apart from the things just mentioned, you can also bring out your straw hats and display them on hooks. Even simple items such as colorful beach towels can also be a soothing, welcoming sight to look at. With your new summer look being staged, it’s wise to leave your beach gears out in the open.
You may also leave a beach bag filled with beach essentials such as sunscreen, swimsuits, and sunglasses. These can be packed and placed right by the door. After every trip that you take to the beach, wash your beach stuff then repack them so that you would always be on the go in terms of enjoying in the beach.
A Relaxing Atmosphere
Summer is a season when you should relax and take it easy. Have a small, woven tray set up by the entryway where your mails could be placed. You could also have a hidden storage and some carefully chosen accessories. The secret is to streamline. Remember that keeping the design simple is the secret to achieving a more relaxing atmosphere.
It would also help if you imagine that a magazine photographer is coming over to shoot a few pictures of your entryway so go ahead and throw all the junk-like stuff that you are still keeping. Get rid of your old mails, ratty shoes and clutter. This way, you get to bring out your creativity.
Smart Storage Solutions
There might be things in your home that are not photograph-worthy. This does not mean that you’d leave them sprawled all over the living room floor. Just so you get to keep the streamlined look, make sure you have ample storage units in your home. The clutter-free look gets covered when you have ample cabinets or shelves to house the unused items.
Still from FFDM’s Summer Home Collection: The decorative jars, green plant and hardwood pieces create a brown-inspired summer vibe.
Go All White
Who says white isn’t fit for a summer theme? You can go for an airy feel even in a small entryway. It would help to put things away, as usual, and then have a whitewashed mirror bracketed onto the wall. Add some baskets on the floor to balance the white mirror. Add shoes and other summer essentials into the baskets.
Dress Up the Stairs
An entryway that opens to the stairwell might look a bit boring. Add bold color strokes then delegate one wall as a photo gallery. You can try painting the runner on the stairs. Do this by taping off the mid-section then coating it with the summery color that you choose. Match the frame color to the runner for a fresher look.
Placing a woven rug at the foot of the stairs can also literally flood the room with a summer vibe. Just make sure that the rug material is sisal, sea glass or jute.
Tags: beach design, beach-inspired interior design, entryway, entryway design, entryway designs, entryway style, entryway styles, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, storage, storage advice, storage planning, storage systems, summer color, summer color scheme, summer hues, tips
Posted in Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements, Special Rooms In Your Home | No Comments »
Sunday, March 20th, 2016
A home office such as this is a neat freak’s haven. Furniture set comes from the Brookhaven Collection of Hooker Furniture.
Has someone ever noticed that you arrange your books by color inside your shelves? They laugh at how organized you are but you have a deeper secret – they’re also arranged according to genre. You belong to the type of people who want to run their homes as they would a military – everything has to be in order or your day just wouldn’t be the same. Yet there is just so much clutter that can make even the tidiest homes, well, untidy. If you want to make a sense out of the messy world that the rest of the population lives in, here are some storage tips for all you neat freaks –
Every Little Thing Can Be Cleaned Up
To have a sense of fulfillment at the beginning of your day, you can start by making your bed. This simple act of plumping the pillows, putting them back near the headboard and carefully folding the blanket and bed sheet, can make a huge difference in jump starting your day.
Now take a look at the bottles and jars inside the cupboard and see if some of them have long been empty.
While for some it is true that out of sight is out of mind, in your case, it may not necessarily be true. A true blue neat freak knows that there is always something to clean up. This philosophy simply won’t apply to you at all. Even that cupboard door that keeps the clutter from spilling over is simply not tidy till it’s been emptied.
Imagine all the stuff that you can store in this wooden drawer. Featured furniture is from FFDM’s Vintage Classics.
Organizing Your Stuff
If some people are happy collecting stamps, the neat freak is happiest when she sees that her home neat and well-organized. Check the drawers in her home and you would immediately notice how stuff are color-coded and folded neatly.
A tidy wardrobe is also a stress reducer for neat freaks but this can also be a positive thing that others should follow. You can decrease the amount of time that you dress up if you have a well-organized closet to begin with. You get to save time because you also know where to look for a specific outfit.
The neat freak does not automatically classify stuff as clutter. In fact, she can also share her collections by displaying them. What matters to her is that they are all organized.
A Neat Freak’s Best Friend
If there are girls that collect bottles of different perfumes and you see them arranged on their vanity tables, then the neat freak also has her own products to stack. While she also knows the value of beauty, to her, it is a lot more than looking and smelling great. Cleaning products are a lot more important – especially disinfectants – as they can make homes free from dirt.
Another best friend?
Any storage unit such as a shelf, closet or drawer.
The Neat Freak’s Enemy
That family member who is a perennial bringer of chaos need not become your enemy. These minds, though they have wallowed in mess for so many years can still be educated. Tidying can be instilled especially among youngsters. Tell them that you will feel most comfortable in a place that is organized.
Be open; try to make every family member understand.
What If They Don’t Understand?
Untidy minds can be a bit difficult to educate and, sometimes, even your best efforts might not pay off. What you can do so far is just to lead by example. It could get upsetting if your tidy world is suddenly turned upside down by both human and animal activity. When this happens, just shrug it off, chant your little mantra, and just show everyone that you are tidying up.
Even the most committed neat freaks can become weak at some point. Let these inconsistencies remind you that it’s okay to break the rules of tidiness at times. After all, little Ms. Neat Freak, you’re still human.
Tags: decluttering, decluttering advice, decluttering system, decluttering techniques, drawers, home organization, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, spring cleaning, spring duties, storage, storage advice, storage planning, storage systems, storage techniques
Posted in Home Maintenance, Interior Design 101, Spring Season | No Comments »
Saturday, March 5th, 2016
Hooker Furniture Bedroom Windward Media Chest offers the maximum amount of drawer storage.
Just like all appliances and furniture, closets nowadays come with more than one purpose. A smart closet is one piece of furniture that is known to hold clothes which can also be the sitting room or dressing room itself. Closets these days are more durable, adaptable and more convenient to use. You can improve the functions of your closet whether it is big or small.
Walk-In Closet Needs
If you are in need of a dressing room, then you need to place a closet that is huge enough to store your clothes. You can also consider having some shelves where shoes and bags can be placed.
Another piece of furniture that you must have there is a chair. This is needful during those moments when you need to wear your stockings, socks or shoes.
No walk-in closet is considered complete till a mirror has been installed there. The place where the mirror will be hung has to be free from blockage. To test whether you have ample space, get three feet away from the wall where you plan to install the mirror. There should be nothing that could hamper your view of the mirror. The back of a door is a great place to install one.
Every walk-in closet needs one of these Protege chairs from FFDM.
Dressing Room Needs
Apart from the furniture requirements for a walk-in closet, you would also need an ironing board and an iron inside the dressing room. It would also be nice to have a vanity table on one corner. This will hold all of your cosmetics and toiletries.
Adding a television inside the walk-in closet or dressing room is also becoming more common. Make sure that you have it installed at eye level so that you would maximize your viewing enjoyment.
The Smart Closet General Requirements
It is wise to take advantage of every possible space in your dressing room or walk-in closet. Have some bins on your high shelves or roll out boxes on the floor. An additional closet pole would also make a huge difference on the amount of clothing stored in that room.
Consider also your lighting. Closets work when you are able to see what items are inside it. Windows offer natural lighting during the day but it is important to use only sheer curtains rather than thick drapes. Should you be tempted to use drapes, then make sure that you install proper lighting whether it is pendant lighting, recessed lights or the classy chandelier.
Artificial light also has to be provided between you and the closet’s contents. Remember that incandescent bulbs tend to heat up so they become a fire hazard in the long run. Fluorescent lighting is best because it is also code-compliant.
Universal Furniture Bedroom Vintners Closet 313165
You also need to know what your smart closet will hold. Are you fond of wearing dresses more than shirts and pants? Then you’d need a taller closet to hold your dresses. Many closets have ample hanging storage but not enough drawer or shelves.
Do you stack or hang clothes? When you are the former, then seek out a smart closet that also offers enough shelves or drawers where you can place your shirts, blouses, socks and hankies.
Think of the clothes that you regularly wear and how you get dressed. The design of your walk-in closet, dressing room or even the closet that you buy all depends on these factors. It pays to have your clothes and accessories visible at all times. This sort of arrangement will give you real choices once you are getting dressed.
Use wire bins, belt and tie racks, shelves, and other adjustable storage items to maximize your dressing room or walk-in closet.
Tags: cabinet, cabinet organization, cabinets, closet, designing the dressing room, dresser, dressing room, dressing room design, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, smart closet, storage, storage planning, walk-in closet, walk-in closet design
Posted in Furniture, Special Rooms In Your Home | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2016
Apartment living doesn’t have to be a drab. The Hancock and Moore Living Room Member Apartment Size Sofa 4106 will make your cozy place an elegant one.
There are a lot of benefits to living in an apartment. If you are still undecided on whether to choose an apartment or that spacious, single family home, consider this list –
Amazing Benefits of Living in an Apartment
First, just think of the amenities such as tennis court, pet sitting services, gyms, and swimming pools – these are all available when you live in an apartment complex.
Apartment living also means flexibility. If you are not in for the long run, then this short-term sort of arrangement is just the thing for you and your family. Regular houses require at least a year for leasing; apartments have options ranging from three to nine months.
Homeowners can be in constant worry of house repairs. If you live in an apartment, this is one less thing that you would worry about. Minor repairs will be your landlord’s concern from now on.
You might think that having limited storage is more of a disadvantage than a benefit, but think again. Over the years, how much stuff have you accumulated that are not really needful? Living in a place with limited storage will make you more conscientious regarding the acquisition of new items. You will also learn to value the furniture and decor that you have used for a long time.
Living in a cozy setting will also make heating or cooling a lot easier. Say hello to lower utility bills! You will also say hello more often to your family members since there are only a few places where you can bump into each other. Also, get ready to meet new neighbors.
There are also some apartments that already include the utilities as part of the rent. This means you will have pooled bills. Add to these benefits the increased security in your home and you would surely consider living in a smaller complex.
FFDM’s Boulevard Collection features this streamlined bench, a great piece to add to your new apartment.
Interior Design for Small Spaces
Begin your apartment interior design by choosing your color palette. Make sure that you stick with a solid array of hues that balance and complement the rest of the decor and furnishings. Color cohesiveness is your goal and since you have a smaller space to work on, make sure that you do not cram all the colors that you want in one room. Spread the different shades of blue, for instance, in different rooms.
Make use of lighter colors such as shades of white, pastels, or just about any pale shade. If you really have to use a darker shade of paint, then just use it on your accent wall.
Next, find furniture items that are suitable to apartment living. Bookshelves can double as dividers and can even create an illusion of having two rooms when you actually just have one. Speaking of optical illusion, you can also create more space if you install mirrors all over your place. A large mirror that is installed horizontally on one wall will make a huge difference.
Another way to divide the place and also to have some privacy is to use a screen panel. This is an effective way to close off the bedroom area. This is not just a functional addition to your home – it is also aesthetically pleasing.
Taller shelves are also ideal for this kind of dwelling. They take up just a portion of the floor and make good use of the apartment’s height. Going vertically is the way to go now that you have chosen to live in a smaller place.
Apartment living is not a bed of roses, of course. You will have to learn how to deal with that neighbor who will do her laundry at 2:00 A.M. or those party animals who live next door. Depending on your circumstance, apartment living can still be ideal for you and your family as long as you make a home out of it.
Tags: decorating a small home, designing a small space, furnishing small apartments, furniture for small apartments, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, small space design, small space organization, small space solutions, storage, storage advice, storage planning
Posted in Apartment Living, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements, Tiny Homes | No Comments »
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