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Choosing the Right Size Couch for a Room
Sofas often look smaller in showrooms, so it's hard to tell how one might fit in a room at home. Here are three questions to ask yourself before buying.
One thing many furniture shoppers notice is that pieces tend to look much smaller in the showroom than they actually are. Couches are no different, so it's essential that a few considerations are made to make sure a new one will fit into a room before making a purchase and taking one home. Here are three important questions to ponder.
Will the Couch Fit Through the Door?
This may be one of the most obvious interior design tips, but it's important! No one wants to find the perfect sofa for a room, buy it, get it all the way home, and discover it can't even be moved inside.
Be sure to know the exact dimensions of the couch under consideration, and confirm that any doorway it will have to pass through can handle it. Also, check to see if any of the couch's legs, cushions, or other features can be temporarily removed—doing so may just provide the extra two or three inches of space needed to get it inside.
How Will the Sofa Be Used?
Will the couch primarily serve one homeowner and a cat, or a family of six that watches a lot of movie marathons? Does it need to be spacious enough to entertain a lot of guests? Will there be additional pieces like a love seat or recliners?
Make sure that any new couch is compact enough to physically fit in the room, while also being spacious enough to function as it should.
Where Will the Couch Go in the Room?
Even the best interior design tips can't save a room that simply doesn't have enough space for furniture—and people—to breathe. Take a good look around the room and consider how adding a new couch will affect the space. Make sure it won't block entrances and pathways or create any awkward angles.
Think vertically, too. Will the couch be the right height for watching television? Is there any chance it will block a nice window view, decorations, or light switches?
For more interior design tips or questions about new furniture, contact Studio J or visit our showroom in Dublin today.
Interior Design Tips for Holiday Decorations
When it comes to holiday decorations, the indoor decorations can easily complement the interior design. Here are some tips to start the season off right.
When it comes to the holiday season, interior decorations are a great way to make one's home feel more inviting and festive for friends and family. Here are some simple ways to use interior design and decorations to make a home holiday-ready.
Add Sparkle
To give the house a magical feel, try incorporating sparkling or flickering lights when possible. This can be as simple as a string of twinkling store-bought lights or a candle set inside a vase. These small elements can be color-matched to fit the interior design and furniture of a room, giving the room charm without detracting from the existing design.
Embrace Nostalgia
Although some people opt for sleeker, modernized holiday designs, there's nothing wrong with embracing a nostalgic design scheme. Feel free to incorporate mismatched or somewhat out-of-place decor, especially when the items are handmade or passed down through generations. These elements are what make a holiday special and personalized.
Incorporate Fresh Greens
There are many elements of nature throughout holiday motifs, and incorporating fresh greens throughout the home can add a seasonal look—and smell. Acorns, holly, pinecones, garlands, and berries rested on the mantle or as a centerpiece can provide an affordable and festive look.
Use Holiday Scents
Simple scents like gingerbread, mulling spices, and the scent of a freshly-cut Christmas tree can immediately make guests and family feel festive and at home. There are a number of ways to incorporate these scents, such as with potpourri, air fresheners, and scented candles, which serve the dual purpose of providing a seasonal scent and illuminating the room in an inviting way.
Color Coordinate the Tree
During the holidays, countless Americans will incorporate a Christmas tree into their home. Coordinate the colors of the tree's decorations with the living room furniture and design in order to unify the design elements of the home with the temporary seasonal decor.
It's nice to give holiday decorating and interior design a personalized touch so guests and family feel at home. For more information about interior design tips and furniture, contact Studio J at 614-389-2054 today.
Three Tips for Caring for Leather Furniture
People should keep in mind a few tips for keeping their leather furniture in good condition for as long as possible.
Though leather furniture is durable and relatively easy to clean, there are still a few things people should know about caring for it. Here are a few easy tips for maintaining leather items.
Know the Different Types of Leather
There are two common types of leather upholstery: protected and unprotected. Unprotected leather is softer to the touch and has little to no protective coating, making it more susceptible to stains. On the other hand, protected leather is more durable and stain-resistant because of its layer of protective pigment.
Get the Right Cleaning Materials
One of the most important tips is to avoid homemade cleaning solutions because they often may damage the leather. Instead, it's best to keep cleaning simple and follow the recommended care instructions on the label that comes with the furniture. Distilled water, microfiber cloths, and a leather cleaning solution are the only materials needed.
How to Clean Spills, Spots, and Stains
The ideal method for removing stains from leather furniture depends on whether it's protected or unprotected. Either way, stains should be cleaned immediately.
For unprotected leather, it's best to blot the stained area with a dry, white cloth. Because of how vulnerable unprotected leather is, it's best to contact the furniture's manufacturer or a professional leather cleaner before taking further action.
For protected leather, it's safe to remove water-based spills with a white cloth that's been lightly dipped in distilled water. According to American Leather, lukewarm water and mild, non-detergent soap may be used to remove more stubborn stains. For oil-based stains, blotting with a dry, white cloth is the preferred method because excess oil will eventually be absorbed by the leather.
Use Conditioner
Melissa Brown, American Leather's former Vice President of Marketing, recommends applying leather conditioner to furniture once or twice a year to help maintain its natural oils and keep the leather supple. However, conditioners that contain silicone or wax should be avoided because they can cause the surface of leather furniture to become permanently sticky.
Though it may require a bit of maintenance, leather furniture has a striking appearance that's unrivaled by other types of upholstery. Studio J has an extensive inventory of American Leather furniture. To see which pieces we currently have in stock, stop by our showroom in Dublin or contact us online.
How to Incorporate Lighting Into Your Home Design
Lighting is an often-overlooked resource that can drastically impact home design. Here's how to use it to one's advantage.
It’s a common belief that a home renovation requires changes to floor plans or time-consuming paint jobs. In reality, simple changes to lighting can have drastic effects on the way a home looks. During interior design planning, it’s important not to overlook these lighting tips.
Consider the Hue
Before considering things such as placement or light sources, it’s important to consider the desired hue of lighting. Different bulbs such as halogen, compact fluorescent, and LED all give off different hues, and each has a wide range of warm and cool tones of light. Selecting hues is a personal decision, but one may opt for warmer glows to complement a room with cool-toned walls, and vice versa.
Layer Light Sources
Although the hue or brightness of a light source can change the appearance or mood of a room, a single overhead light is often not enough to achieve a finished look. Consider layering multiple light sources at different height levels to create a unique and cohesive effect. Home designers can accomplish this with ceiling lights, wall-mounted lights of varying heights, lamps, or even light sources recessed in the floor.
Use Lighting With Focal Points
Many interior design plans involve using a focal point to unify the color schemes or motifs of the room. Although bright pops of color or interesting furniture is often used as a focal point, lighting is an effective way to add more emphasis to certain areas of a home. Eyes are naturally drawn to the brightest point in any room, so using top lighting, circuit lighting, or even spotlights on a focal point can give it extra emphasis.
Use Light to Shape a Room
After purchasing a home, it is costly or impossible to change the sizes of certain rooms. However, using different lighting techniques can make rooms appear to be larger or smaller. Directional recessed spotlighting can bounce off of walls and make some spaces appear to be larger. Rooms that feel overwhelmingly large can be simplified by breaking up the lighting to create smaller spaces.
When trying to create a cohesive, polished, and unique interior design plan, it’s impossible to overlook the importance of lighting. If you’re interested in getting started, call Studio J at 614-389-2054 today or contact us online. Don't miss our latest events and promotions for an affordable way to add style to your space.
Give Your New Home A Fresh Start With These Three Important Design Tips
Moving into a new home is exciting, but it's important not to rush. These three basic interior design tips can help new homeowners focus on what works best.
New homeowners are often faced with an entire houseful of empty space, possibilities, and needs—all of which they feel an urgency to fill right away. But take it from our interior design professionals: patience pays. When it comes to your new home, long-term success relies on foresighted plans and deliberate choices. Here are three fundamental interior design tips for how to successfully inhabit your new space.
1. Out With the Old!
Before buying new furniture for your new place, get rid of as much as possible from your old home. Carryovers from a previous residence, like legacy furniture or art objects, bring color and size constraints with them. Reducing the move to a bare minimum of furniture and appliances opens creative avenues for coordinating fresh pieces and color schemes. If there is any existing furniture you'd like to keep, try repurposing it by featuring it in a different room than where it was in your previous home. Reconfiguring old pieces can bring a welcomed sense of newness
2. Measurements Matter.
Don't rely on your eye alone. Before moving in anything, make sure you take measurements of any furniture you plan to bring. You'll want to be certain that items like your bedroom set, dining room tables, sofa, and every other large piece you are moving with you will fit the new floor plan. The doorways, hallways, and stairwells of the new home should also be measured before buying any appliances or accessories.
3. Patience Pays.
It's a good idea not to buy everything all at once. Although it's tempting to purchase all new furniture and appliances in one fell swoop, most interior professionals advise against this. Instead, patiently plan the whole house, and then focus on essential rooms first like the kitchen, living room, and bedroom(s) as these areas are the most lived-in in the house. From there, with these rooms as anchors in your design, it's easier to coordinate the rest of the home. Proportions are also critical. Be sure to account for an appropriate amount of open space when making decisions about furniture pieces and appliances. This will help your home feel inviting and accommodating rather than cartoonish or cluttered.
Likewise, interior designers say a home feels far more natural and personal when everything in it does not match. Here, too, patience is a virtue. Let your personal flair punctuate your new home’s style statement. Take the time to find complimentary objects that fit the space and are practical as well. Try integrating legacy pieces with new acquisitions in different settings. Having trouble finding exactly what you want? Sales events and promotions are another great way to find specials and unique focal pieces without breaking the bank.
Ask the Professionals
For expert assistance with creating beautiful and functional living spaces in your new home, consult with our experienced team at Studio J. Contact us to learn more about what we do.
Buying New Furniture to Match Your Current Pieces
Adding new pieces to the furniture already in a home has always been a tricky process. Among the things to consider are color, balance, scale—and more.
When buying furniture, blending new pieces with current furniture poses challenges in what to choose and how to coordinate. Read on to learn more about purchasing new pieces that match furniture already in the home.
Embrace Traditional Furniture
Creating a more modern design does not require throwing out everything to start fresh. Solid wood furniture and antiques can anchor a room, and a variety of quality pieces can help provide an enduring sense of character. To project a lighter mood, add a rug and throw pillows in contemporary colors or complement the dark wood finishes with a modern mirror and sleek lamps. In some cases, a coat of fresh paint can revive a worn out dresser or coffee table.
Find "Friends" for Each Piece in the Room
Warm, inviting, attractive rooms are usually those in which each piece of furniture has a friend in the room. From woods and finishes to colors, fabrics, and patterns, they have something in common. As a result, it is wise to avoid any single, solitary piece that looks all alone or left out of the room's decor.
Keep in Mind Color, Balance, & Scale
A shared color helps define and unify the decor of a room. For example, gray is a popular color in the living room for neutrality that works with almost any kind of furniture. Balance is achieved by using furniture items of equal visual height and weight. Scale deals with the proportions of a room and its furnishings. When working with scale, begin with the largest piece in the room and add furniture that fits proportionally.
Set the Mood
When an area such as the family room has acquired the mood of a place to kick back and relax, watch TV, read, or take a nap, don't disturb its carefree spirit. Even if they differ in style, any new choices of furniture should be just as informal, with casual lines and soft, comfortable materials.
For matching new with current furniture, owner June Sedlak Mooney and her staff at Studio J have the answers to your questions and a wide range of furniture to browse. After years of experience working with her family's business—Sedlak Interiors, one of Ohio's leading furniture stores—June founded Studio J. Please call us at (614) 389-2054 or message us online for all your furniture and interior design needs.
Interior Design Tips for Spaces With an Open Floor Plan
The open floor plan is a timeless design feature that offers unrivaled versatility. Here are three interior design tips for a great open floor plan.
Though interior design trends come and go, the open floor plan has yet to go out of style. That’s because it allows for boundless creativity. With no walls to break things up, you have to think outside of the box to clearly define different spaces. If you’re looking for some inspiration, you’re in the right place. Here are three design tips for an open floor plan that will get those creative juices flowing.
Design With Each Area's Purpose in Mind
It’s a good idea to develop a plan based on how you want to use each space. Where do you want people to mingle? Where are you going to eat meals? Which space do you want to use to relax? Asking yourself practical questions will make it easier to design your home in a way that makes sense. For example, placing a large rug underneath the coffee table and sofa in your living area can visually separate it from the dining area without losing that sense of overall cohesion.
Consider Colors, Textures, and Composition
When choosing colors, you can use a cohesive palette with subtle accents to tie things together or different colors to define separate areas. The same goes for the textures of walls, flooring, and furniture.
In terms of symmetry, you can play with the balance and weight of your open floor plan. For example, a large piece of furniture carries more visual weight than a chair or small table. You can place a sofa on one side of a room to create some asymmetry. If you prefer a more balanced look, you should use objects of similar sizes on opposite sides of the room.
Create a Sense of Direction
Above all else, you want your open space to be approachable because large rooms can be intimidating. Using bookshelves, TVs, rugs, and end tables to distinguish one area from another will help break the space down into visual compartments that have clearly defined purposes.
Open floor plans push you to make more deliberate design choices. At Studio J, we have years of interior design experience and a wide selection of fine furniture to help you create a home that reflects your personality. To learn more about how we can work together, reach out online or give us a call at (614) 389-2054.
A Shopper's Guide for Accent Chairs
Finding new accent chairs is easy when you follow this helpful shopping guide. Use this checklist to determine the best options for your room's design.
Accent chairs are a charming and delightful addition to any room that create a whole new focal point, an additional pop of color and texture, and a comfortable space for your family and guests to enjoy. When shopping for accent chairs, it's easy to get caught up in the many options—especially if you're just getting started! Use this guide to help you make a perfect choice to complement your interior design project.
Layout and Design Opportunities
Depending on your style and desired outcome, you may want an accent chair that commands attention or one that fits seamlessly with the aesthetic and flow of the rest of the room. Determine your goal and start working from there—you could even benefit from consulting interior design professionals to guide you through the process. As you survey the space you're shopping for, determine whether you need a single chair or if the room will benefit from adding two or more seating options. Start by measuring the space available for new chairs to ensure that the new additions will be functional.
Determine Your Budget
Outlining your budget is a great way to create a filter as you get started with your search for the perfect chairs for your home. Determining your budget will also introduce you to the best brands for your project as you continue your search.
Other Considerations
Do you have pets or children? You may need to steer away from fabrics or colors that will be susceptible to spills, stains, or the accumulation of pet hair. Fabrics and materials that are difficult to clean, like wool, may not be the best option for spaces that receive a lot of traffic or activity.
When decorating a space, you want to be confident that your choices will create a picture-perfect look and feel. At Studio J, our team of professionals will provide you with interior design expertise to transform your home and showcase your style. Contact our team today to bring your unique vision to life.