5 Alternative Uses For Your Dining Room

By Mike's Furniture

You bought a home with a formal dining room. Nothing wrong with that. Problem is, you can count on one hand how many times you’ve actually enjoyed it. So you haven’t turned into the gracious dinner host you thought you’d be. Why reserve that valuable space for “someday” when it can serve you so much better today.

5 Alternative Uses For Your Dining Room: 

Homey Home Office. Already have a rectangular dining room table? Take away all but one seat, or remove them all and replace with a sumptuous accent chair. Boom, the perfect desk arrangement loaded with surface space. A desk and underlying rug at an angle might be even more dynamic. And that chandelier? Looks just as good over your desk as it did over the table. If you do invite dinner guests, return the chairs for a quick fix.

Homework Area/Playroom/Craft Room. Dining rooms easily make the grade as homework areas, playrooms and craft rooms, too. Very on trend, tables with heavy distressing make it easier to hide the occasional slip of a crayon or marker. You can bring in couple of stylish bookshelves for cubby space or use your existing buffet or server for storing supplies. They’re not just for plates and silverware anymore!

Breakfast Bistro/Cafe/Sitting Room. Imagine your dining room as your favorite neighborhood cafe, complete with a bistro table and chairs (in lieu of a dining room table) and a lounge seating area, maybe with a wall-mounted TV. What a perfect place to sip your morning coffee, check your email and get yourself perked up for the day. When it’s time to unwind, your cafe serves as your wine bar.

Pool Hall/Bar Lounge/Party Central. Love the thought of having people over but dread having to cook and serve? Break from the ordinary. Turn your dining room into a cool hangout space, complete with a bar, pool or ping pong table and wall-mounted TV. A few swivels chairs will really keep the conversation flowing.

Music Room/In-Tune Space. Maybe you play the piano or guitar, or perhaps your little ones are budding musicians? Turn your dining room into a music room with instruments on display, fun seating, music-themed artwork and your music collection. Or, stretch the possibilities by turning the space into a yoga or dance studio, if that’s what really moves you.

Have better ideas for an underused dining room?

Content provided by: +Tailbase & Ashley Furniture

www.tailbase.com

Add Throw Pillows To Your Living Room

by Mike's Furniture

Tips on Decorating with Throw Pillows

Choose pillows that match the mood. 

For an elegant look, you might opt for satiny or faux-fur fabrics. For a sense of worldliness, you can go with earthy or exotic fabrics.  Bright and bold colors and geometric fabrics, on the other hand, convey a modern sense of style.

Choose pillows with related colors. 

Don’t worry about fancy color theories. Simply choose pillow colors with something in common, such as hues all inspired by an autumnal country landscape or a springy bouquet of flowers.

Don’t choose pillows too big (or too small) for the sofa. 

Large throw pillows on a small sofa will make it look even smaller. Small pillows (or too few of them) on a large sofa will look dwarfed.

Don’t feel compelled to use the decorative pillows that came with your sofa. 

Factory pillow choices are intended to appeal to as many people as possible rather than to personal tastes. Be creative.

Don’t use throw pillows that are too dull or too light for the sofa. 

There’s an exception to every rule, but decorators agree that pillows look best when they’re darker, brighter or bolder than the sofa.

Content provided by: @Tailbase & @Ashley Furniture HomeStore

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www.blog.ashleyfurniturehomestore.com

Brighten It Up With Color!

by Mike's Furniture

Colors have the power to influence a room’s atmosphere.  They should be your ever-present ally when trying to lighten, make a room look bigger, or simply giving a unique touch to your home. Discover how to use colors to your satisfaction!

No more dark and dull (I would use dull – most people won’t know that word) tones. With summer’s arrival, it’s time to brighten up your interior with a touch of fresh and dynamic color.

From the living room to restrooms, including the bedroom, transform your walls with green, yellow or blue… colors that will always give you a hint of summer.

Change any room:

Energize your living room with a blue-colored wall.

It will bring an exotic touch. In addition, your accent decorations will be highlighted.

Separate the living room from the kitchen.

Use an open red partition with circled gaps: Its bright red color will give a clean touch.  Using wall art will enhance this look and serve as a finishing touch.

A navy-blue ambiance for the best comfort!

Favor a holiday oceanfront atmosphere by incorporating a Mediterranean blue color. Always enhance your room color with accent pillows to bring balance to your bedroom decor.

Beveled glass color: A zen bathroom

Beveled glass gives a relaxing feeling thanks to its enveloping and fresh sensation feel. Favor a white bath and hardwood flooring to bring harmony to your décor.

Remember that a pleasant-colored style promotes vivid colors, circle shapes and several patterns. So let your imagination run wild and let the colors do the talking!

Keep this short summary in mind:

1. Personality: unusual, colored, energetic, creative, seventies, original, optimist, lighten.
2. Main colors: vivid red, purple red, orange, yellow, lighten blue, green.
3. Materials: PVC, wood, plastic, textiles.
4. Furniture and accessories: adjustable storages, paintings, pictures, high stools, carpets, poufs.
5. Decoration elements: Painted walls in vivid colors, lighting tiles, tiling, vivid colored paintings.

Content provided by: +Tailbase 

www.tailbase.com