Monthly Archives

October 2016

Smart trick-or-treating safety tips

Bree here, from Home Zone Furniture.

The pumpkins have been carved, the costumes have been chosen, and Halloween is only a few days away. If your family is preparing for a big night of trick-or-treating, don’t forget to review a few crucial safety tips with your kids before heading out. Putting these simple precautions in place will put your mind at ease and help your kids score as much candy as possible — safely!

Plan your route

Whether you’re accompanying your child or allowing them to go it alone, plan a route so no one gets lost. Walking in familiar neighborhoods on streets you know like the back of your hand is the best option. If you’re allowing your child to go without you, insist that they go with a group of kids and that they return home at an agreed-upon time.

Tailor the costume

Since your child will be walking in the dark, tailor their costume so that it fits well. If the costume is too long and skims the ground, it could very easily pose a tripping hazard. On that note, make sure your child wears comfortable walking shoes, and that any costume accessories they want to carry are small, lightweight and easy to hold.

Apply reflective tape

Make your child visible to passing motorists by simply applying a few strips of reflective tape to their costume. Your child might try to resist this addition, but remind them that it’s for the sake of their safety.

Hold hands

If you’re accompanying your small children as they go trick-or-treating, be sure to hold their hands when crossing the street. It will be much easier for cars to see you than your kids.

Carry a flashlight

All groups of trick-or-treaters, whether they are chaperoned by an adult or not, should carry a flashlight. A flashlight will help you find your children in the dark as they run from house to house, and will illuminate the path so no one is caught off guard by something underfoot.

Have adults open doors

Receiving trick-or-treaters at your house? Don’t allow your kids to open the door — you never know who might be on the other side. If the kids want to participate in handing out candy, you should man the door, then let the kids can give candy to each visitor.

Check your children’s candy

After trick-or-treating is over, do a quick check of your children’s candy. Make sure that every piece of candy is in its original wrapper and doesn’t look previously opened. If you come across anything homemade, throw it out just in case.

Ration treats

Protect against that classic Halloween stomachache by rationing the candy throughout the entire month. Look on the bright side — the candy will last longer!

Happy Halloween!

Bree

Finding the right furniture to fit your home’s size

Bree here, from Home Zone Furniture.

When you’re decorating a home, there are a number of things to keep in mind. What style will your home be? Which color scheme will you choose? Which pieces of furniture will fit your lifestyle?

To me, one of the most essential things to consider is whether or not your furniture is proportional to the spaces you’re decorating. So whether you’re cozy in a studio apartment or living large in a multi-bedroom home, employ the right combination of size, color and style to get the most our of your living spaces.

For a large space…

In a living space with large proportions, you’re dealing with plentiful square footage, high ceilings and big windows. To fill the space and complement the grandiose quality of your room, you’ll need equally large furniture with presence.

For rooms like this, I suggest decorating with a living room collection like the Delta Collection, which features multiple pieces that go together seamlessly. Once you’ve chosen the right collection for you, add a coffee table, end tables and maybe even an entertainment center. If you’re faced with decorating a large space, go with darker colors to help visually fill the space, and choose warm textures like leather to make a drafty space feel cozy.

For a small space…

If your space is limited, on the other hand, you’ll want to maximize the room you have with small furniture. Choose furniture that’s not only small in stature, but also delicate in style and light in color. These three variables together will create the illusion of lightness, making your room appear larger.

For a small space, I like pieces from the Ben Collection. A couch might overpower the dimensions of the space, but with a cream-colored loveseat and matching chairs, you can easily construct a proportional arrangement. If the Ben Collection isn’t your style, look for other neutral, light-colored pieces with visible legs. Whether you’re dealing with a couch or a chair, visible legs on a piece of furniture creates the illusion that the room is larger.

For a studio apartment…

In a studio apartment, you’re faced with the challenge of creating several different living spaces from one large room. Sculpt a living room out of the studio by using long, linear couches to your advantage. Define your living room with a bold, structured couch, then add a rug, a coffee table and a few additional chairs to really set the scene.

As you choose your couch, be mindful of the other colors you’re using in your studio. I like the Grant Sofa for a studio apartment because it makes a statement and has a low, tufted back. Since a studio apartment doesn’t have the luxury of doors, make sure that the colors are consistent throughout so it looks well-coordinated at a glance.

For a strange configuration…

Everyone has had that oddly shaped apartment or living room that’s nearly impossible to decorate. In these instances, the best thing you can do is measure the room then play around with different combinations of couches, chairs, ottomans and the like. What might seem like a plausible arrangement in your head may turn out to be awkward in person.

My advice for these situations is to stick with smaller-scale furniture so it’s easier to adjust if you change your mind. The Toronto Sea Loveseat is a stylish, versatile addition to any living space. The pop of color is the perfect accent in a room that needs a clear visual anchor.

Bree

Accents

5 Areas to Accent When Boosting Home Value

If you’re considering putting your home on the market, the first thing you want to know is how much you can ask. When your realtor gives you an estimate, your next thought is likely going to be “How can I increase that number?” Fortunately, boosting your home’s value does not have to mean renovating the bathroom or adding a home theater.

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Fall, Seasonal

The Perfect Spots To Incorporate Pumpkins Into Your Home

Bree here, from Home Zone Furniture.

Treat your home to some fall flair this October with the perfect array of pumpkins! These decorative gourds are an inspired addition to any room, not just the front porch. The possibilities are endless, but these are my personal favorite ways to display pumpkins in my home this autumn.

On the porch

The traditional way to incorporate pumpkins into your home is with a beautiful porch display. Whether you go for classic orange pumpkins or prefer the trendy white or striped varieties, pumpkins are an easy way to decorate because they fit everyone’s style and budget.

Carving a few pumpkins is certainly an October tradition, but leave a few untouched so they’ll last you until Thanksgiving. Instead of carving, you could also try painting the pumpkins with autumn motifs. It’s a kid-friendly craft that will also lengthen the lifespan of your pumpkins.

In the kitchen

Nothing says autumn like the scent of pumpkin spice wafting from the kitchen. If you carve your pumpkins, save the seeds, wash them off, sprinkle them with salt and stick them in the oven for a salty snack. For delicious baked goods, try pumpkin bread, or treat your family to pumpkin waffles. When cooking up your pumpkin favorites, don’t forget to add in cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. These three spices will immediately remind you of autumns past and make you long for fuzzy socks and a crackling fire!

Centerpieces

Whether you’re entertaining or not this season, an autumn centerpiece with pumpkins is a rustic addition to any central surface. Creating a pumpkin centerpiece for your table is largely a freeform art and works best with easy-to-maneuver mini pumpkins. Start the centerpiece with some thick greenery, then add in the pumpkins and other seasonal blooms until the arrangement seems complete and complements the room it’s situated in.

Serving dish

Hosting a Halloween party? Try using a pumpkin as a serving platter. To do this, cut open a pumpkin just as you would if you were carving it, and scoop out the insides. Once the pumpkin is cleared, fit a plastic serving bowl into the pumpkin — you might have to adjust top cutout of the pumpkin accordingly. This little entertainment trick will keep your food from tasting like pumpkin and create a festive serving dish!

Accent colors

Show your seasonal spirit by incorporating pumpkin accent colors throughout your home, from the living room to the bedroom. Traditional colors inspired by the pumpkin patch, like burnt orange, golden yellow and hunter green, will automatically bring a sense of warmth to your space and will last you all the way until the holiday season. In order to make these colors easy to swap out, use them sparingly. Try accent pillows on the couch in the den, a throw blanket at the foot of the bed, or a tablecloth on the dining room table.

How do you bring the beauty of the autumn landscape into your home?

Bree