5 Tips To Using Decorative Pillows In Your Home

~ Naomi Pederson

One trick that the expert designers are sure to use when trying to update and freshen up a room is to switch around throw pillows. Often put down by men, throw pillows are a great way of changing the look and feel of a room without a lot of effort. We know this trick well because at Showhome Furniture our designers are always coming up with new creative designs to show off our amazing collection of high-quality furniture. As we are constantly bringing in new items, we are also constantly accessorizing our furniture with our amazing collection of awesome pillows.

We admit, we have an overwhelming selection of throw pillows and today we are going to discuss different ways you can use pillows in your decorating. If you would like your own free one-hour consultation from our expert design team, please contact Showhome Furniture.

First, choose a color scheme and stick with it. As you choose colors of pillows in the same scheme you will find that their impact will be the most noticeable. Try to find pillows in the shades of the same color or complementary to the scheme you choose.

Layer your pillows with simple patterns, then busy then solid. This helps keep our eye interested when looking at a room and is pleasing to the soul! The busiest print should be the largest and will get the most attention. The other prints should not compete with the busy print.

Use different texture of pillows together. Our long sheep fur pillows are some of our favorite. We love adding that soft texture to our designs because they are unique and so soft to touch.

Use the largest pillows on the outside and get smaller as they move to the middle of the couch or bed. You can just put pillows on one side of a piece of furniture if it isn’t that large. You want the pillows to complement, not distract you.

Lastly, don’t use too many pillows. You don’t want your guests to sit down on your couch and feel like they are getting lost in a pile of pillows. You want the pillows to add beauty and comfort to your experiences and not be uncomfortable.

Pillows can be an awesome way of updating your spaces. Be creative, try different pillows and most of all, have fun!

Picking The Perfect Rug

~ Naomi Pederson ~ 1 Comment

A carefully chosen area rug is one of those items that really can pull a room together in the perfect way. It is also a great way of changing the style and feel of a room without a lot of expense. With so many different options you are sure to have fun with rug shopping as long as you keep a few important design tips in mind.

If you are at all uncertain or would like help in choosing a rug, or any design need that you might have, feel free to contact us at Showhome Furniture. At Showhome Furniture we specialize in helping our clients pick the perfect product for their home. We also offer a free one hour consultation for our clients where we help you deal with whatever design issue you might have. Please call us if you would like our help.

First, consider your budget. It is important to choose a rug that is the best quality that your money can buy. It is worth going rugless for a short time to save for a rug that will withstand the traffic that you will definitely put it through.

Next, in choosing a rug consider the size of the room that you are putting the rug in. Choose a rug that is about 2 feet smaller than the shortest wall. In hallways you should see about six inches of the floor.

Rugs are fun because they do not have to be a certain shape or size. Our cow rugs are very popular to under coffee tables and at the foot of a lounge. Our larger rugs are great to go under beds, dining room tables and pretty much anywhere you can think.

You can choose a more neutral rug to soften the look of your room, or a rug that has pops of color that adds interest to your design.

Rugs are so important to a room design. They add an extra layer of texture that draws your eye in more and excites your brain. Rugs are comfortable. They add cushion to your feel and are great to sit on. The warmth of a rug is great for offsetting hardwood, cement or tile floors. The add an artistic flair to whatever room they are incorporated into.

Decorating Your Entryway With Style

~ Naomi Pederson

The first thing that someone sees when they enter your home is your entry way. Unfortunately, this often small space is regularly over looked and understated! This is why your entryway needs to reflect the experience that you want your guests to have when they come to visit. Showhome Furniture wants to help you create the most amazing entryway possible! Even though the entryway is often a smaller room than regular, there are tons of things that we can do to help you create the most beautiful stay possible.

Today, we are going to give you some tips on picking the perfect furniture and accessories for whatever space you are working with.  If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to call us and ask our amazing design team for suggestions.  You can also book a free design consultation from Showhome Furniture anytime. Our amazing designers love to help our clients create a space that will bring you and your guests great enjoyment.

The first thing that you need to consider when starting a new project is to look at the space you are working with.  Is your entryway large or is it smaller? The size of your entryway will in part dictate the size of furniture that you want to use.

One of the most important pieces of furniture in your entryway should be something to sit on. This makes getting your shoes on and off easy and comfortable. A sleek chair, or bench is a great way of inviting guests to sit down. Adding a pillow or throw will make your entryway even more inviting leave your guests with the feeling of being cared for.

Because we are often tracking through our entry way and it acts a point part for hello’s and good-byes, having an appropriate storage shelf, or can be extremely helpful.

Welcome your guests with tasteful art pieces on the wall or other decor items. A mirror is always a nice touch and give your guests and you a chance to touch up.

Make sure the lighting in your entryway is bright. A bright entryway is a must and really allows people to feel comfortable. At Showhome Furniture we have a ton of different styles of light perfect for your entryway.

Lastly, think of the floor. Entryways look great with modern or classic tiles, or a beautiful rug.

As you can see, there are tons that you can do to your entryway that will create a beautiful space for you and your guests to enjoy.

4 Tips To Picking The Perfect Lighting Solution For Every Room

~ Naomi Pederson

One of the most overlooked feature in a room tends to be the lighting source. Proper lighting makes all the difference and makes every room more inviting and easier to work and live in. I didn’t realize how important lighting was to a home until I owned Showhome Furniture and started designing daily.

If you are unsure how to pick the right light for your house, don’t hesitate to call Showhome Furniture and book a free design consultation with one of our talented designers.

In order to pick the perfect light for your room first look to see what size of light your room will fit. If you pick a chandelier that is too big for the room it is in, it will not enhance your living space, instead it will just overtake it.

Next think of the how the room is decorated and match the lighting fixtures to the furniture and accessories. This is really important in helping pull your whole look together.

Layering light sources is a beautiful way of adding interest in your rooms.

Using matching side lamps with your main light is an awesome way of increasing the light in a room and tying your whole look together. A well lit room is way more enjoyable to work in than a poorly lit one.

In addition to side lamps, living room floor lamps are an excellent way of laying the light sources adding a subtle texture to your room.

Using your light as a focal point for your room is a brilliant way of illuminating the room in a functional and beautiful way.

When it comes to lighting, adding more is often a well thought out strategy and one of the secrets of an experienced designer.

If you are interested in how to create the perfect mood with different lighting options. Call our talented consultants today to have them help you out. At Showhome Furniture we delight in helping our customers create a beautiful space to live, work and play in!

4 Design Tips On Choosing A Dazzling Dining Room Tables

~ Naomi Pederson

The heart of every dining room is its table! With the right table you can make every dining experience amazing!

While the principle in picking the right dining room table is fairly simple, you might find, like many of Showhome, Furniture customers do, that they would like the help of a professional in deciding the right dining room table for your family.

That is why Showhome Furniture has it’s own design consulting team that is here to help you in this and every other home decorating problem. Just give us a call and book your consultation today.

First look at your dining needs. How many people do you ideally want it to seat?

Now look at your dining room. Will your dining room table that you ideally want fit in your dining room table? You will need at least 30 inches from the table to the walls in order to exit and enter comfortably. It is also good to make sure that your table corner is at least 48 inches away from the door, if it is an open dining room then you don’t have to worry about this space.

If your dining room table won’t fit the dining needs that you want, consider getting a dining room table that will expand and shrink as needed. This is an excellent option for smaller rooms.

Now decide what type of table that you want. Do you want a more elegant table, or a simpler streamlined table.

At Showhome Furniture we have so many choices and our solid wood furniture is by far our best selling table because they fit into so many different styles of decorating seamlessly.

Lastly, pick your dishes and accessories. Even a gorgeous table looks better with a few accessories to help accent your table.

Remember, if you have any questions or would like to book a free consultation, Showhome Furniture is waiting for your call 🙂 !

7 Ways Of Turning Your Bedroom Into A Retreat!

~ Naomi Pederson

Sleep is so important to us. We need a certain amount of sleep each day in order to become optimally healthy. One of the most important things that you can do to help you sleep better is to turn your room into a place that is uncluttered, and encourages rest and relaxation.

Showhome Furniture LOVES our bedroom suites and anything to do with creating a space that you look forward to spending time in! If you are struggling on how to create this with your bedroom give Showhome Furnitures a call and book your free design consultation. We love helping our clients out.

Here are seven ways that you can help turn your own bedroom into a wonderful place of relaxation.

First declutter your room. Go through your closets and get rid of the clothing that you never use. Get rid of old make-up, socks, and accessories. If you have anything else hanging out in your room that you don’t need, just clear it out. We have a great motto that we use all the time, “When in doubt, throw it out”. If you don’t know what to get rid of, call a friend and ask them to help. Sometimes an impartial person helping you choose what to keep and what to get rid of helps out a lot.

Next paint your walls a light color. Lavender, light blue, soft grey and green are all great choices to work with. If you have a fabulous bedding set, or gorgeous bed, try to match the wall colors to them, this will save you time and money in the long run.

When you paint, if you can completely empty out your bedroom that is a bonus. With an empty bedroom you will be able to choose what goes back in your bedroom and what is forever left out.

Your bed is the most important piece of furniture you need to consider. Getting a great bed, and mattress will change a rough night into a blissful experience. At Showhome furniture we have a ton of choices for beds, and we carry Serta’s high end mattresses.

Another thing that we carry, and that I absolutely love, is a movable vibrating bed. This is great for those who have bad backs because you can adjust the height to fit your needs and make you most comfortable.

Once you have picked your bed, choose appropriate sized end tables. If you have chosen a larger bed, it makes sense to pick a bulkier set of end tables. Not only do they look great, but they are great for storage.

If you have room, this is the time to choose your dressers, or armouir if you need one. The less furniture that you need the better because it will give you room to accessories and add extra touches to make your room more useable.

In a larger bedroom, adding a chair, or a desk and lamp are great options to making your bedroom fit your different activities.

A rug will make your room feel cozy. You don’t have to have huge rug, just a smaller one at the end of the bed or on each side of the bed works great.

Can you fit in a small bench at the end of your bed? If you can we highly suggest you do. Depending on what one you get it can be used for dressing as well as storage.

Lastly (or firstly if you already had one) the bedding in your room and the pillows can change a humdrum room into a retreat immediately. Even if that is all you did to your room after decluttering, you would see an instant affect.

If you have any questions or would like to book a free consultation with our amazing designers don’t hesitate to call us.

5 Tips On Picking The Perfect Coffee Table!

~ Naomi Pederson

Have you ever been to a friend’s house and noticed their coffee table? Chances are that you haven’t unless it happens to be an amazingly unique piece of furniture. The humble coffee table is used in most living rooms and yet it is often overlooked. Today, we are going to give you some tips on picking the perfect coffee table for whatever space you are working with. If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to call us and ask our amazing design team for suggestions. You can also book a free design consultation from Showhome Furniture anytime.

First, consider your space. Once your sofa’s have been picked and end tables arranged, how much space do you have to work with? Designers usually feel that the ideal distance from the edge of the sofa to the edge of the table is 18 inches because that is far enough for you to stretch out your legs and yet still within reach of your drink or magazine. If you need some costume couches made to make having the coffee table work better, Showhome Furniture has a ton of custom Canadian made furniture available.

Make sure you leave enough room for the main passage way. We usually try to leave 30 inches from the table to the TV stand or media cabinet. If you are short on room, 24 inches will be fine.

Next you need to consider the height of the coffee table. You want people to be comfortable when they are setting down their dessert or reaching for the candy bowl. The normal table height is 16-18 inches.

Now look at the style in your living room and match your coffee table to it. It is fine to mix styles for variety sake. For instance, if you have slimmer more streamline couches, a sturdier wood table works great!

If you have kids, make sure you consider this when buying a coffee table. Super fragile tables might not be something you want to invest in if you think your kids are like mine and like roughhousing a bit. Glass tops are also not our favorite for being kid-friendly, but they can be if you choose the right one. Also, you might consider a coffee table that is more rounded and have less sharp edges.

Lastly, get creative. There are a ton of ways of finding or creating a unique focal point in your living room! Coffee tables are not usually well-noticed pieces of furniture, and that is all the more reason to change that in your home!

5 Rental-Friendly Decorating Tips For Everyone!

~ Naomi Pederson

I have had some pretty interesting rentals in my lifetime. From dingy basement suites, to townhouses, to old heritage homes and everything in between.

I remember the pain of trying to making my rental a home, without spending too much money and worrying about things I could not change. This could be overwhelming for me because my budget was low and my skill in designing at that stage of my life was very limited.

If you are in this situation don’t feel like you have to do this alone. Showhome Furniture wants to help everyone create a beautiful home to be in. Just call us and book a free design consultation with our expert designers. They are amazing and love to work with our customers. They are creative and will be able to help you no matter what your budget is.

One trick I learned was to ask the landlord if I could paint the house. I would offer to do the labor if they provided the paint. This was an awesome deal for us both and almost all my landlords my landlords took me up on it. Just painting your walls can turn a drab rental into a lovely space.

Next check out the thrift stores and second hand shops. Kijiji is an awesome resource as well as your community buy and sells on facebook. Ask around to friends. Lots of times people are switching out perfectly good accessories and furniture just because they are bored of them. This is a great way of scoring some awesome deals.

Lastly, once you have painted, scored as many cheap and free deals as you can, invest in a few good quality pieces of furniture that can help you complete your look. Cheaply made furniture is easy to come by, and is fine temporarily, but investing in good furniture is important to start doing early on and can save you thousands of dollars in the end.

My sister for instance has a table that is over 15 years old and looks almost as great as it did when it was first purchased. It has withstood a ton of moves, 11 kids, and countless of parties. The same goes for some of the quality leather couches she acquired many years ago.

At Showhome Furniture we have gorgeous Canadian made, high-quality furniture that can be custom made and will be well worth your investment. We also have a design team that would be thrilled to help you pick out some furniture that will be perfect for your rental!

Branching Out! Including Greenery In Your Home Decor!

~ Naomi Pederson

Summer is bursting full of flowers and trees just delighted to be alive again and feeling the warm summer sun — not only do our spirits burst open and invite growth, so does the outside world create in abundance natural beauty. At Showhome Furniture, we believe that creating a beautiful space is an art, and we love to learn from all master artists, especially nature.  With Lilacs growing in an abundance, and roses starting to open, we would be remiss if we didn’t use some of this beauty in our decorating style.

If you would like to learn how to incorporate more of nature in your decorating style, feel free to call our expert Showhome Furniture designers. They are experts in their field and spend hundreds of hours decorating out of all types of material. Our designers are here for you. We offer free design consultations for all our customers.

Here are some of our designer’s favorite tips on including nature in your decor.

First plants. You can buy silk plants if you are like my mom and always forget to water real ones. High quality plants can help bring greenery into your room and gives the occupants the illusion that the inside is part of the outside. Our souls really love nature and so do our eyes.

Next, use high-quality wood furniture whenever you can. Wood furniture has softer lines and hints of walks in the forest and fresh air. At Showhome Furniture we have a variety of solid wood furniture that is perfect for any home. We also do custom Canadian made orders, so call and let us help you.

You can use nature in a vase or container. This is perfect for alive plants, flowers and fresh cut branches.

Another way of bringing outside indoor is to use shells, driftwood, and rocks in your accessories. Bookcases and coffee tables are the perfect place to exhibit your treasures and gifts from the earth. Just make sure you remember that less is often more and that there is an art to accessorizing so that it looks gorgeous and not cluttered!!!

5 Steps For Creating A Bright Basement

~ Naomi Pederson

One of the most underused spaces in most homes is the basement. Often dark, and harder to get to, the basement is usually overlooked and under appreciated. With real estate being expensive and renovations costly, it is well worth your time to invest in making your basement more inviting.

Showhome Furniture realizes that learning to design a space properly is hard to do and takes hundreds of hours of practice. With our huge furniture store having to redesigned constantly as our inventory is constantly changing, our designers are experts in what they do and want to help you. Showhome Furniture provides a free design consultation with all our customers. Call today to book yours!

Today Showhome Furniture is going to help you change your basement into beautiful space that everyone wants to spend more time in.

First look at the wall color. Is it dark? A dark wall color will make the whole room look and feel smaller. A light paint color on the wall will help make your basement feel more open and spacious. This typically is one of the easiest, cost efficient ways of making your basement more inviting to your family members. As humans we tend to appreciate brightly lit places.

Second, see if there is a way to open up your basement more. Often just being able to knock out a wall (make sure you check with a contractor to make sure it is not a load bearing wall) or two will make a world of a difference. My sister has a pretty open basement but recently she took out a wall that separated her basement kitchen to the living room. The difference was immediate and amazing! Everyone comments on how bright and spacious just that one little change made it feel.

Next, declutter. Nothing wrecks the look of a room than tons of nick nacks and clutter. When you declutter, you free up emotional and mental space as well. This automatically makes your room more enjoyable and relaxing to be in.

Add mirrors! Mirrors are a great way to make any room brighter, especially your basement. At Showhome Furniture we have a ton of different types of mirrors that you can use to reflect the light that is already in your basement and make it brighter.

Another thing you can do to make your basement brighter is to add more lighting to it. You can do this by getting an electrician in to actually add more lights in the ceiling or you can just buy a bunch of beautiful floor and table lamps. This extra light will create a space that feels big and spacious.

The last thing that you can do to turn your basement into a well-used and loved space is to get properly sized furniture. Having furniture that is too big or too small in your basement will throw people off and will make your basement feel less inviting. At Showhome Furniture we do custom Canadian made furniture for every room of the house. If you are worried about what size or type of furniture that would look great in your basement, give us a call. We do do free design consultations for our customers so that their dollars are spent in the most efficient way possible.

If you follow these simple tips, you will be able to have your basement working for you!