Rattan Furniture – Furnishing
So you’re all excited about getting new outside furniture for your patio area! Depending on the climate in your area and your budget, there are many styles and materials from which you can choose.
Rattan furniture is readily available and comes in a wide variety of styles and colors. One luxurious set in chocolate brown or a banana shade includes four beautiful chairs with cushions and a matching round table. Some sets include foot stools that can also be used for storing a blanket for a cool evening on the patio.
Sets are also available that include loveseats and sofas. Any furniture pieces that you can buy in other materials are also made in rattan. Whether you are in the market for a hall tree, filing cabinet, or a futon for your college student, you will be thrilled to know you can buy your special item made of rattan.
Obviously, rattan furniture will require more maintenance than furniture made out of metal or wood. If your patio area is not enclosed, there could be some concern about damage from the outside elements. Some rattan furniture is made of resin and will withstand the outdoors better than handmade natural rattan.
There are special products that are used to keep your rattan furniture looking as good as new throughout the years. Although good quality rattan furniture is very strong, some natural rattan furniture may not be able to handle the weight of two large adults.
When considering purchasing rattan furniture for your patio, you will want to have a place to store it during cold months. It probably wouldn’t stand up to extremely cold temperatures or snowy weather. Humidity is very hard on rattan furniture as well as rainy climates.
If you have dogs that have access to your patio, rattan furniture might not be your best choice. Obviously, it could easily be damaged by a pup who decided to chew on it. It would be a shame to have your beautiful rattan furniture ruined after you made the financial investment. Unfortunately, even cats can scratch up rattan furniture which would spoil its appearance.
Some specialty furniture stores that carry rattan items can special order your choices but their furniture could cost you well into the thousands of dollars. On the other end of the financial spectrum, there are discount furniture stores that sell rattan furniture at relatively low prices. You will want to check out the furniture for differences in quality.
Whether you are buying this furniture for your living room, bedroom, dining room, or patio, your family and friends will be impressed with your choice. Whatever color scheme you have in your home, there is a shade of rattan furniture that will complement your preferences.
Rattan furniture is available in traditional shades similar to colors used to stain wooden floors and patio decks. You can find this furniture in a rich dark brown to black color or as light as beige to white. Some companies even carry rattan in shades of pink, blue, or red.
Nothing can compare with the island atmosphere you can create with your exquisite rattan furniture. You and your loved ones will have many hours of enjoyment while relaxing on your rattan furniture whether it is in your home or out in your backyard patio.
Keep Your China Cabinet in Beautiful Condition
Do you appreciate your china cabinet? If not, perhaps you should. This item of furniture holds some of a family’s greatest possessions, like china dishes that may have been passed down from one generation to another, perhaps even through several families over time. Other special mementos, like framed photos, prized silverware, or even collections of some type typically fill a china cabinet. If you have one in your dining room, it may well be the center of attraction there, drawing everyone’s eyes to behold its beauty when they gather for holiday, celebratory, or routine meals. That’s why you want to take good care of this beautiful item to ensure it continues to hold valuable keepsakes and remain the focus of attention in your dining area.
Begin accentuating this beautiful wooden piece by clearing the clutter from its shelves and interior. Move books, mail, or other non-essential things to another part of the house. Clean out the inside, too, moving equipment manuals, insurance policies, or children’s toys from the interior and clearing the area for more relevant items. Then clean the cabinet from top to bottom, including the bottom and back. Dust it carefully, and then look for stains or spills that require special attention. Use a furniture crayon to cover scratches, and consider the application of furniture polish to keep it gleaming and protected from future spills.
Save the shelves for something of special significance, like a framed picture of your great-grandparents, especially if they were the original owners of the cabinet. Or you can feature a collector’s ensemble of tins, plates, or other memorabilia that will catch guests’ eyes. Of course, on the inside shelves you can settle your favorite china pieces, along with a drawer for the silverware. Arrange these in a sensible way so they won’t tip or fall. If you have glass doors on the top half of the cupboard, make sure the glass is secure, clean it if necessary, and stack visible items so they appear attractive and yet are secure. If all the china won’t fit, feature the most often used pieces or those that are most attractive.
Depending on the cabinet’s style, you may be able to nestle a corner cupboard into a perfectly fitting nook of the dining room. A freestanding cabinet can go against any wall where it won’t interfere with windows or vents. You may want to place a suitable dried flower arrangement, vase, or decorator accent on top of the cabinet, if it goes with your room’s décor. A matching sideboard, if you have one, can go into the same room against a different wall, perhaps one that faces the cabinet. You could get a matching dining room table and chairs, as well, for a complete ensemble.
Your china cabinet, or hutch, as some people call it, makes a great focal piece for any dining room or eating area. Give yours considerate attention to keep it looking and functioning its best for years to come.
Unique Picture Frame Design and Decor Tips
Most of us like to keep photographs of family, friends, and fun sitting around to remember those we love and the great times we’ve had. Although photo albums make a convenient place for storing the most special pictures that we want to preserve, our homes offer many alternative ways of displaying drawings, poems, decorations, and photos in attractive frame settings.
Determining where to place your framed pictures is one of the challenges involved with home decorating. On one hand, you don’t want to put up so many family pictures that guests get bored or feel that the host is self-centered. But on the other hand, family photos in individual or group shots can add a warm feeling to any room. The key is to strike a balance. Some families make a “wall of fame” display of loved ones’ photos in the family room, staircase wall, or another living space. Framed photos remind viewers that loved ones are special, and if they won’t be with us always, their images will remain for many years to come.
Another type of framed art that adds to a home’s beauty comes in a range of artistic wall hangings that are framed by coordinating frames of wood, acrylic, or metal. Typically, the frames will match household fixtures or furniture, or provide interest accent points for the rooms in which they appear. Delicate dried flowers, a child’s handprint, someone’s personal poem, or a favorite Bible verse make wonderful framed feature pieces for your home’s walls.
However, you need not restrict all your framed art for the walls only. You can set table framed pieces on the bedroom dresser, atop corner shelves, and even on the bathroom vanity. Coffee tables or end tables invite these special objects of interest, as do bookshelves, plant stands, and window sills. Kitchen counter space and dining room tables, when not in use, also provide great spots for cute curios. If you have collected several items over the years, you can get a lighted collector’s cabinet to keep the most attractive or recent on display for guests and family members alike.
If you are an arts-and-crafts kind of person, you can take a class on framing and learn to do it yourself. Then you can buy the materials on sale and put up any special wall piece that you want to preserve, whether it is a diploma, a watercolor, or a collage. You may even be able to sell your work at craft fairs. But if this isn’t your cup of tea, you can always pay to have certain pieces framed by professionals who work with these materials all the time. You can get a simple picture frame, with backing, of course, for wall or table use. Or you can request a matte finish to add dimension and perspective to your art piece.
Don’t overlook this exciting way of putting your family’s heirlooms to work as home decorator pieces. Start shopping for attractive, functional frames.
Rattan and Wicker Furniture – What’s The Difference?
Have you ever wondered what the difference between rattan furniture and wicker furniture is? If you have, I can explain the differences and some of the common misconceptions about these wonderful natural furnishings.
Many people incorrectly believe that rattan and wicker are one in the same. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, they aren’t even in the same category. Let’s take a look at how these two popular, yet very different, arts come together to provide a unique, elegant atmosphere in the home.
First let’s get some facts about rattan. Rattan is a vine that grows in the tropical forests of the Far East. Usually, it grows in a pole shape with a diameter of about 1-3 inches. Rattan can grow up to hundreds of feet in length. It is also one of nature’s strongest woods. Rattan cane has a solid core, unlike bamboo pole, making it much more durable and harder to break. Rattan will not warp and is ideal for making furniture. After being cut into smaller sections, the canes are then molded into shape to form the frames for various furniture items. Peel, the outer skin of the rattan pole, is traditionally used to wrap the furniture joints.
Wicker, on the other hand, refers to items made from any number of natural materials, including rattan core, reed, rush, and willow. When wet, these natural materials are pliable enough to be woven, creating the unique wicker-weaved designs we see in wicker furniture. In fact, most rattan furniture is created with wicker weaved on top of the rattan core frame. Rattan and wicker are wonderful natural products, each piece having its own unique set of qualities. No two pieces are ever completely the same.
Many people love the aesthetic qualities of this furniture. A great room in your home furnished with rattan can feel like a retreat to a secluded island resort after a long day at the office. Who wouldn’t want to come home to that? Another common misconception is that wicker and rattan furniture is strictly for outdoor or patio use. Definitely not so. Rattan furniture comes in living room sets, dining room sets, bedrooms, office furniture and much more.
Many times it is hard to find these types of furnishings locally. And, often, even if you can find them, it is usually a pretty limited selection of items. It’s easy to find these great natural furnishings online. Just search the web and you will find great websites that offer authentic rattan and wicker furniture. Happy hunting!
5 Inexpensive Ways to Add Storage to the Kitchen
Sure, we all want to remodel and build the kitchen of our dreams (the one with granite countertops, $10,000 internet-connected appliances, built-in islands with tons and tons of storage space, and don’t forget that huge bay window that lets the sun stream in…
The problem is that most of us don’t have that kind of money, especially today!
Fortunately, you don’t need to take on a huge kitchen remodeling job to improve this room. Just adding a bit of extra storage space to the kitchen can really make it a much nicer place to work. Some items are fairly inexpensive too, and in many cases you can find them used on Craiglist!
5 Simple Ways to Increase Kitchen Storage
1. Get a microwave cart
If you’re hurting for counter space but you do have an unused corner of the kitchen (or even the dining room or kitchen nook), a microwave cart can be an easy way to get that large appliance off the counter and out of the way.
Not only does a cart give your microwave a dedicated spot to loiter, but carts usually have plenty of storage space underneath. You can find models with cabinets, drawers, shelves, or a mix of all of these (if you’re a clutter bug, it makes sense to get a cart with “hidden” storage, AKA doors you can close!).
2. Install under-cabinet stemware racks
It’s pretty common for folks to install a paper towel holder under upper cabinets, but why stop there? That’s just dead space anyway.
There are a lot of stemware racks you can pick up that are specifically designed to hold sets of wine or martini glasses (any glass with a stem, really). If you have a DIY person in the family, these racks could even be handmade from scraps of wood or metal. All you need is a little spot to slide upside down glasses into.
As a bonus, hanging those wine glasses upside down keeps the dust out!
3. Add shelves
Shelves are inexpensive and a great use of otherwise empty wall space. Chances are you can find some used wall-mounted units for sale on Craigslist, but really all it takes are some brackets and boards to make basic shelves. With a little bit of paint, you can make them fit into your kitchen decor.
4. Create between-the-studs cabinets or nooks
There isn’t a lot of space between the studs in your walls, but there’s enough for a cabinet that holds a fire extinguisher or a little nook to house some knickknacks.
This is a project for a do-it-yourselfer, but if you’ve got a stud finder in your toolbox, it’s not too big of a job to cut a hole in the wall and finish it nicely. If you shop around, you can even find inexpensive shelves and cabinets designed to fit this space.
5. Install cabinet racks to make dead space accessible
If you’ve got a kitchen with cabinets built around corners, there’s probably some dead space back there that is hard to get to.
Instead of just shoving things you don’t use often way in the back, make that space easily accessible with Lazy Susans or pull-out racks.
You can also get racks to create tiers under your sink, which can double the space you have for storing cleaners, garbage bags, etc.
There you go: five inexpensive ways to increase kitchen storage!
