free design help

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!

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!

Why Showhome Furniture Buys Canadian Made Furniture!

~ Naomi Pederson

Showhome Furniture is one of the top furniture stores in Calgary. It is family run and owned and as a family owned business, we appreciate our local customers incredibly!

This is why, as one of the top Furniture stores in Calgary we are passionate about supporting other quality local companies and getting as much of our furniture from Canada as possible.

Our Canadian furniture is made from the highest from the highest quality materials and built to last whatever your family throws at it.

With six rumbustious daughters, and all their friends, we know that it is important to have furniture that will last through the years. Sofa’s to cuddle on, beds to sleep on and chairs to visit in.

Our Canadian made furniture has definitely stood the test of kids, and throughout the years looks just as good as it did when we first brought ours home.

At Showhome, we also know that each family and their needs are different. There are no other family out there that looks like ours, and none that looks like yours! This is why we offer a free design consultation from our top designers to come in and help you discover the best options for your home and to understand what your needs are. Our designers will work with your existing furniture and accessories and help you find other items that will help complete your look and work in a way that is perfect for your family.

We also provide custom made furniture to meet the needs of our individual customers. Whether you need a smaller than normal couch or larger than average sectional, our team will work with you to help you create a home that you will love being in-even during pandemics!!

Call us today to book your free design consultation and ask about our Canadian made custom furniture!

3 Tips On Creating A Stunning Living Room

~ Naomi Pederson

Hello my lovely friends!!! Have you ever gone into someone’s house and been just wow’d by their living room? Some people think that in order to create a stunning space in their home, that they need a lot of expensive furniture. At Showhome Furniture, we know that this is not the case. Great design starts with just a few principles that will turn a hum-drum space into an unforgetable room.

If this seem intimdating don’t worry. Showhome Furniture has your covered. Did you know that we offered our clients a free design consultation by our top designers? We do it because we realize that with the help of professionals anyone can have a home they love being in.

Our designers are the same ones we use to create so many stunning spaces in our Showhome Store. Honestly, if you are struggling to figure out how to make your space awesome, please give us a call. We want to help.

Here are three of our top tips for creating an awesome living room space.

First pick a focal point for your living room. This could be your fireplace, an awesome coffee table, or stunning view.

Next use your focal point to create a place for intimate conversation. As pretty as a room is, the real magic in a living room is being able to talk and connect with those we love. Take into consideration of the traffic flow in your room. Also, a tip we have learned is that pulling the furniture away from the wall creates a more inviting space than if they they are pushed right up against the wall.

Lastly, using a rug is a great way of accessorizing the floor and creating a cozy defined without walls, leaving your space feeling open, spacious and intimate and cozy at the same time.

If you would like some more idea’s on how to use your existing furniture and accessories to create awesome spaces in your home give us a call for your free design consultation from Showhome Furnitures top designers.

Showhome Furniture specializes in Canadian made furniture and custom pieces created just for you!

7 Awesome Tips For Redecorating Your Kids Room On A Budget

~ Naomi Pederson

Sometimes it’s just so frustrating to redecorate your kids’ room because you just don’t know where to start. There are so many options that it can be overwhelming. That is why Showhome Furniture is here for you! We understand that pain and are delighted to share some of our favorite tips to redecorating your kids room on a budget.

Are you looking for a way to redecorate your kids’ room on a budget? If so we’ve got you covered!

These budget-friendly children’s room design ideas are simple tricks and tweaks that won’t cost you an arm or a leg – but they can have a serious style impact. 

The first thing you should do is book a free design consult from Showhome Furniture. This is a must-do step because it is absolutely free and you then are able to use your money in the most efficient way possible. We spend thousands of dollars hiring the top designers and offer this service to our customers for FREE!

When you come, go over budget and style with them, show the designer the pieces you want to work with, and what you can upcycle. Then decide on the pieces you need to purchase. Just looking around your home, you will be surprised at how many solid pieces of furniture you can repurpose to help make your child’s room fresh and new.

Painting is still one of the most affordable ways to decorate a room. Consider using citrus colors, such as yellow, green, and orange, which will help brighten the room and blend well with other colors. Or mix it up a bit with stripes, stencils, or accent walls. Also, use the paint to update some old furniture instead of just throwing them away.

If you enjoy crafts like this gorgeous macrame, then making some of your accessories can be a fun and rewarding exercise. Pillows, quilts, and wood furniture pieces are all projects you can try out to add a sense of creativity to your kid’s room.

We love these chunky blankets to add beauty and texture to your room without a lot of cost. Showhome Furniture has an array of colors to choose from and can be used almost everywhere.

These adorable kites that my daughter made for her room add a whimsical touch.

When selecting furniture for a child’s bedroom, always think storage, storage, storage. At Showhome furniture we have a ton of furniture that adds class to a bedroom but doubles up as storage.

Hanging artwork is a great way to brighten up a bedroom. There are so many different designs and pieces at Showhome Furniture that can fit anyone’s budget.

As you can see, there are a ton of little things that you can to make your kids room gorgeous, new and budget-friendly.

10 tips to make this year extra special. 

~ Showhome Furniture ~ 7 Comments
Merry Christmas to all you lovely people!

How many of you are so busy shuttling the kids, finishing projects and working the daily grind to decorate for Christmas?

Here at Showhome, we understand that struggle.

In the world we live in there is so much pressure to present the “perfect” image.

Chestnuts roasting by an open fire and all that bit.

So when you actually have time to spend on celebrating the season, instead of binge-watching the Crown in your bedroom, why don’t you try some of our tips?

Below we have a list of some of our favorite Christmas-time traditions of our families that we want to share with you!

And don’t forget to read until the end for a fun DIY!

10 Top Tips!

1. Get together with a group of your friends and do a cookie exchange.

Not only is it a ton of fun, but you will also have delicious cookies to share throughout the season!

2. Secret Santa a few neighbors (kids especially love this)

And it doesn’t need to be anything crazy, just visit the local Dollar Store for something to gift!

Identify a few homes you want to go to, bring your gift, ring the doorbell and RUN!

3.  Find the elderly or lonely in your community to go caroling to.

(Nursing homes are always welcoming)

While it seems nerve-wracking, the joy you bring to other’s lives is worth the fear.

Bring along a speaker with your favorite Christmas music, to help you sound fantastic. 😉

4. Make a hot cocoa bar in your kitchen and have some device-free time sipping cocoa with the family and reading Christmas books.

5.  Go ice-skating! Bowness Park is always fun if you are in Calgary, or hit up some skating wherever you live, plus it counts as exercise!

Bowness Park

6. Do a photo shoot with your friends.
When this winter weather makes you want to stay bundled and warm, cuddled up in your bedroom furniture, you have to put forth effort to actually get out of the house.
Text your friends and make a plan to do a winter photoshoot together!
It seems like everyone I know is an aspiring photographer.
If you have those “soon to be actual photographers” in your life why don’t you hire them for cheap to do a quick photoshoot for you?
It helps them build their repertoire and you get good quality photos out of it!
7. Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
There is no better way to keep the spirit of the season than by serving others.
8. Come visit us at Sunridge Mall.
 Browse our store, share some hot cocoa and cookies and remember we offer interest-free/no payment for one year plans.
PLUS all our accessories are currently 30% off!
9. Play board games!
While some games (like Uno) have the ability to tear a family apart, overall playing board or card games with your family or friends is a great bonding experience.
Sometimes we get so busy getting gifts for those we love we don’t actually spend time with them.
Change that by picking up a classic game and playing with your family.
10. Bake cookies.
I don’t know if you are aware of the Six Sisters, but their recipes are always spot-on!
My favorite is their Soft & Chewy Ginger Cookies that I’ll be sharing with you today.
When you have a minute check out their site: Six Sisters

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tablespoon water
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • Sugar, for rolling
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Sift flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and one cup sugar until light and fluffy.
  4. Beat in egg, then stir in water and molasses.
  5. Fold in flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt and mix until well combined. Shape dough into 1-inch balls, roll in sugar and place 2″ apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
  6. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
  7. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack.

CHRISTMAS WREATH DIY

How to make an adorable Christmas wreath in just a few easy steps!

1. Go to the dollar store and buy a plain wreath for cheap

2. Pick trimmings from your tree and add them to the wreath

3. Add snowflakes and a bow

4. Spray with fake snow or sparkles

Now that you have such a beautiful wreath, post a picture of it onto Showhome Furniture’s Facebook page before you give it away or hang it up to make your home more festive!

BONUS TIP:

Take your kids to a live nativity and remember the reason for the season.

Google “live nativities near me” and you will find some great ones!

Calgary Nativity Pageant

This time of year can be hectic and crazy, but we want you to know that Showhome loves you!

Have a very merry Christmas!

Thanks for reading and be sure to share with us your Christmas tips!

The Home Office!

~ Naomi Pederson

http://myamazingthings.com/small-home-office-ideas/2/

Recently, a staff member at Showhome Furniture in Calgary read that in 2010 there were about 3.6 million people in Canada were lucky enough to work from home.

https://www.facebook.com/ShowHomeFurniture/app/267091300008193/

From someone who has a family business, Showhome Furniture knows how important a space set aside specifically for work is to home workers.  I remember keenly the day my husband moved off the couch of our small rented house and into an old RV he bought to be his office.  The kids thought it was a hoot and I may have rolled my eyes a bit when my sweetheart gave me the tour.  It was small and there were none of the gorgeous desks or decor that we carry in our Calgary furniture store to brighten up the space.  My husband got it for a deal, and it was close to home so we were both happy.

https://www.facebook.com/ShowHomeFurniture/app/267091300008193/

I am sure this ‘new office’ had nothing to do with the fact we had 2 young kids at the time, and I was about 7 months pregnant with twins.  Or with the fact that my pregnant sister with her 2 young kids were sharing the house with us.  Well, I am actually pretty sure this was the main motivator to my husbands ‘move out’ but it probably was a wise move.

https://www.facebook.com/ShowHomeFurniture/app/267091300008193/

Now we are no longer renting, and as we renovated our new house we made sure there was lots of room for a home office.

As we designed our home office, and have helped countless of clients with designing theirs,  we came across 4 awesome tips for making your home office work for you!!

Location Matters:  First pick the best location you can think of.  Make it convenient so that it functions well.  We have our home office on the top floor right beside our bedroom.  Most our kids have their bedrooms on the main floor, and so the top floor is the most quiet part of the house.  My brother-in-law has his home office off his theatre room with an outside door for clients to use.  My younger brother has his home office outside on the beach!  So just look at what works for you and go for it.  Don’t worry if your office isn’t conventional it just needs to be convenient.

https://www.facebook.com/ShowHomeFurniture/app/267091300008193/

Find Beautiful and Functional Furniture:  Next think of the furniture!  At Showhome Furniture we are passionate about helping our clients find the perfect piece for their homes.  A home office deserves as much attention as the rest of the house.  What kind of furniture you need greatly depends on what kind of business you are running.   The most common pieces of furniture pieces are desks, bookcases, and chairs or sofa’s.  You might find that you need a large desk and a small bookcase, or if you are like my sister you will want wall-to-wall bookcases and a small desk.  Think of what you will be doing most in this space and shop accordingly.

Buy A Comfortable Chair:  Picking a good chair is so vital that it has a paragraph of it’s own!  Sometimes people scrimp on the functional furniture and splurge on the showy furniture.  At Showhome we believe that furniture can be both comfortable and functional and suggest that you are extra thoughtful when picking out what you are going to be spending most of your day sitting on.

Decorate:  Once you have a great location, beautiful furniture and a comfortable chair you are ready to paint your office and decorate it!

When my husband was in the RV, I admit, I did nothing to make it look nice.  I was just happy it was close enough for me to send the little ones over while I napped.  This should not be what you do.  Working is hard.  There are a lot of sacrifices you make staying indoors all day.  Treat yourself kindly and make your home office beautiful.

https://www.facebook.com/ShowHomeFurniture/app/267091300008193/

You might want to make it look more traditional, or modern.  There are a ton of different styles to choose from.  If you are not sure what style you are leaning towards, just pop by Showhome Furniture and our wonderful designers will be happy to help you out for free.

Bring Nature Inside: The last tip that our designers at Showhome Furniture have for you is to bring nature inside!  If possible, I would encourage you to make sure your office has a window.  The bigger the better.  Tons of science supports the notion that nature is a great de stressor.  If you are going to have to be in doors all day, you might as well make the most of it.

https://www.facebook.com/ShowHomeFurniture/app/267091300008193/

Opening the window, having some real plants in your office, hanging pictures of nature and having a great view are all ways that you can incorporate nature into your office space.

At Showhome Furniture, we know the value of a great home office.  Working from home, is not a luxury that most people enjoy.  If you happen to be one of lucky few, we hope that these tips will help you design a great place to do work at home.