Browsing Tag

Decor

How To Maximize Your Home Office Space

Bree here, from Home Zone Furniture.

No matter the industry, working from home can be a challenge. The days are long, the distractions are plentiful, and it can be difficult to draw the line between work and life at the end of the day.

Don’t get me wrong, working from home is a luxury, but you need the right elements to make the most out of your workspace and stay productive. From nice lighting to sufficient surface space, Home Zone Furniture has all the essentials you need to create your ultimate home office.

Surface space

Whether you work in your office for eight hours a day or just drop in occasionally, a utilitarian surface to work on is a non-negotiable. Opt for a table with a durable surface, a comfortable height and an aesthetically pleasing appearance. If you have a large room, you can afford to put in a big desk that you can spread out on. For those who have a smaller home office, pick a proportionately sized desk.

Perhaps you repurposed your desk and still need a bit more space. In that case, don’t be afraid to place a side table at the end of your desk. This can be a great way to add a touch more organization and make more room on your desk for big projects. Turn to this side table to hold a pesky stack of files or a table lamp.

Seating

The right chair is crucial to a well-appointed home office. It has to be comfortable enough to stay seated in for long hours, yet structured enough to ward off an accidental post-lunch snooze. Small spaces (and small desks) are best accompanied by a slender, structural chair such as the Elliot Metal Chair. Not only is this chair simple and contemporary with a fun pop of color, but it hardly takes up any space!

If you have more room and need something with a little more cushion and a lot of personality, try the Hilton Orange Chair. Before you go shopping for a chair, however, make sure to measure accordingly. With the right chair, you’ll be low enough to sit at your desk without your knees knocking, yet high enough to easily write or type without straining.

Lighting

One of the best things about not working in an office building is avoiding those awful, headache-inducing fluorescent lights. Luckily for you, when you work from home, you can choose the lighting that best works for you. Go with soft overhead lighting, a desk lamp with an extendable head and strong lighting, or a table lamp with warm glow to make long nights in the office a little less dark. For my home office, I like the Samone Table Lamp. It has the silhouette of a traditional lamp, but its structural, outlined base doesn’t take up much room on my desk.

Organization

Organization can take all shapes and forms in a home office. It all depends on your system and what you need to organize. In many cases, an organized home office will maximize your productivity because you won’t have to spend as much time on the hunt for missing papers and spare paper clips.

For files, nix the traditional filing cabinet in favor of a vertical filing system you can attach to the wall. This change will create some additional floor space and keep all important files immediately on hand. Instead of a clunky bookshelf, try floating shelves for your books — you’ll be amazed at how much bigger it makes the room feel!

Lastly, try affixing a white board affixed to the wall to organize your ideas. Whether you use it to write your to-do list or some thoughts on an upcoming project, it’s an easy point of reference to come back to throughout the day.

Inspiration

A home office — or any workspace for that matter — isn’t successful without a dose of inspiration to keep you going throughout the day. Maybe for you it’s a few framed family photos, or perhaps a hanging or potted plant to help make the space just a little more inviting. A pop of color in the decor here and there is certainly invigorating, as well.

For me, an inspiration board is a must-have. On the board I’ll pin little momentos, magazine clippings, invitations, art from my kids and so on. Just glancing up at these things helps propel me through my day and maximizes my productivity.

What’s essential to productivity in your home office?

Bree

Seasonal, Summer

Create An Airy Summer Oasis In Your Bedroom

Bree here, from Home Zone Furniture.

At the end of a long summer day, nothing beats kicking off your sandals and crashing in a cool, inviting bed. Even if you aren’t out of town on vacation, a bedroom that incorporates summer style will immediately transport you to a relaxed state of mind.

From lightweight linens to a soft color palette, how will you craft the summer oasis of your dreams?

Textiles

The first step to creating a summer bedroom is swapping out your bed linens. Pull any heavy down comforters, quilts or rich fabrics out of the mix in favor of all things lightweight and breathable. If you tend to get hot easily, go with 100 percent cotton sheets, and choose percale over sateen. Percale has a simple matte weave and a cool, crisp feel. Over the sheets, choose a lightweight down comforter or thin quilt.

Light

Natural lighting is an essential component of summer style. Block out harsh rays but maintain the room’s brightness with light, gauzy curtains. They won’t completely block out light, but they’ll put a nice filter on your bedroom and keep your space somewhat cool.

Speaking of light, a well-lit room is a great environment for plants to thrive. Consider adding a potted plant that’s happy indoors, or place a pretty floral arrangement on your bedside table.

Color

Summer is a time to lighten up! For your summer bedroom, choose a color palette ruled by shades of white and add pastel touches such as baby blue, mint green and peach pink. A neutral palette like this lends itself to change, so you can easily transition out of it when fall rolls around. Don’t forget that the nautical theme is always in style! Experiment with incorporating touches of navy and white stripes into your bedroom.

Space

To create an airy room that undeniably feels like summer, it’s important to make space by eliminating any clunky or unused furniture and clearing off surfaces. Is your bedside table cluttered? Rearrange! Has the arm chair in the corner gone unused for months? Relocate!

One of my favorite summer decor to-dos is to leave hardwood floors bare. Roll up your rugs, take them to the cleaners and let your floors breathe. Now is the time to go minimal and prioritize air, light and space.

Texture

Summer textures can be found in furniture as well as textiles. Dark woods, heavy metals and furry textures carry the warm, cozy connotations of fall and winter. Wherever possible, swap these rich, opulent textures for tropical, natural fibers such as rattan, wicker and bamboo. While it may not be possible to spring for large-scale piece of furniture in one of these materials, keep in mind that even the smallest addition, like a wicker side table, can make the biggest difference.

If you’re unsure whether your current furniture creates a summer or winter vibe, ask yourself whether or not you’d see that texture incorporated into the decor of your favorite beach locale.

From seashells to nautical stripes and weather-beaten bottles filled with sand, what home accessories put you in a summery state of mind?

Bree

Decor, Living Room Ideas

Sensational Sectional Sofas from Home Zone

Bree here, from Home Zone Furniture.

Decorating the family room can be a surprisingly difficult task. Of course you want the room to be stylish and well-composed, but the pieces you choose to fill this high-traffic room must be functional and comfortable. If you’re just beginning to put together your family room or simply looking to upgrade, I suggest starting with the room’s focal point: the couch. From size to shape and color, you have endless options when it comes to choosing the perfect couch for your home and lifestyle.

For a bustling family that loves to gather at home, my suggestion is a tried and true sectional couch. The Home Zone Furniture collection has many sectionals to choose from, but these four are my absolute favorites.

Zoey

The Zoey sectional is the ideal choice for the ultra-stylish, contemporary home. It’s a stand-out in terms of both aesthetics and comfort. Notice its clean lines, cushion depth and rolled arms for maximum comfort. Its microfiber covering is velvety and soft, inviting you to sit (or nap) for hours. No matter what the existing color palette of your family room might be, this neutral gray tone is sure to fit in. Throw pillows are a must on any substantial couch, and with the Zoey, a handful come included!

Jillian

Create a soft, welcoming environment in your home with the Jillian sectional. Made with a soft chenille fabric, the Jillian is a cozy oasis for the family to relax together. While sectionals tend to dominate both physical and visual space, the Jillian’s light, neutral color allows it to gently blend in with your family room environment. Aside from its unassuming presence, we also love its clean, structured design and reversible throw pillows. The reversible feature ensures you’ll be able to switch up the look of your couch at a moment’s notice.

Waverly

For ultra-comfortable, oversized seating, look no further than our Waverly sectional. The seating cushions are deep and wide, promising that you’ll always be comfy no matter where you sit! This chenille sectional is best suited to a room with larger proportions. Take advantage of the reversible throw pillows and mix them up whenever you please. The structured, linear arms are not only a great place to lean an elbow, but you could use them to balance a coaster and drink, too!

Santa Barbara

Fashionable, luxurious and cozy, the Santa Barbara has everything you could possibly want in a sectional. This light gray couch complements a variety of styles, from traditional to contemporary, and fills every space it encounters nicely. For those with a family prone to messes, the Santa Barbara protects against disaster with its easy-to-clean, 100-percent polyester surface. The cushions feature extra coils, and the backs and sides are padded for comfort. With cushions that hold their shape and arm rests that are nicely rolled, the Santa Barbara is sure to add a dose of elegance to your home.

Which of these sensational sectionals will you be relaxing on this summer?

Bree

Decor, Interior Design Ideas

Arranging the Perfect Vignette

Bree here, from Home Zone Furniture.

When it comes to decorating your home, furniture is only part of the equation. To bring your interior design to life, it’s important to add personal touches here and there. One of the best ways to incorporate some personality into your home is to craft a charming vignette on an empty shelf or tabletop.

Vignettes take all kinds of forms and utilize a variety of objects, but the goal is to add character and tell a story about you and your family. Vignette-arranging is a freeform art, but there are certain styling tips to stick to in order to make your vignette aesthetically pleasing.

Items needed

Objects commonly used in vignettes include lamps, stacked books and picture frames. These are all safe choices, but don’t stop there! As you plan your vignette, consider the room in which your vignette will go and the mood you hope to create. Vignettes are self-contained displays that should tell a story that complements the room. My favorite vignettes are ones that effectively combine old and new: the coffee table book du jour paired with a great-grandmother’s knick-knack, for instance.

As you gather your objects, try to choose items of different shapes, sizes and textures. Make sure your selection of items is diverse, yet complementary. The items should have a sense of commonality and work well together, yet be different enough to create dimension and interest. Whether you favor a succulent in a vase, a jar of shells or a timeworn trinket, there are no wrong answers!

Placement

Vignettes can be placed in any room on any empty surface, such as a mantle, shelf or table. Experiment with arranging a vignette in both a formal and informal space. Vignettes in formal spaces might feature more delicate, decorative items such as porcelain vases, while informal spaces might tell a casual story about family or lifestyle.

As you select the place where your vignette will go, try to avoid busy wallpaper backgrounds. No matter how masterfully your vignette is arranged, a bold wallpaper pattern will make the vignette look like clutter as opposed to a thoughtful cluster. Mirrors, on the other hand, serve as a great background to a vignette. A mirror will reflect the vignette, giving it dimension.

Arranging

Once you choose your items and your setting, there are a few things to keep in mind as you arrange your vignette. Think about balance and proportion in terms of your space and the vignette itself. Start with a “hero item,” or your biggest, most visually heavy piece. Next, form an A-shape, with your hero item as the peak. This strategy will help direct the eye when looking at the vignette and create a visually pleasing hierarchy.

While this is a tried-and-true way to arrange a hierarchy of different objects, remember that differently shaped vignettes will work for different rooms. A formal room mantle, for instance, looks best with two symmetrical groupings on either end. A family room bookshelf, on the other hand, will easily house an asymmetrical vignette.

Spacing

A key styling tip for arranging a vignette is to pay careful attention to spacing. If items within a single cluster are too separated, the vignette will look like clutter as opposed to an organic grouping. As you work your vignette, remember that odd numbers and varying heights work best. For instance, if you have three smaller items combined with several stacks of books, put two of the small items on top of the books and leave one on the surface. It takes practice, but the perfect vignette walks the line between looking styled and natural. The goal is an organic arrangement of your favorite items.

While furniture is difficult to move, it’s easy to change up your vignettes whenever you want! Rearrange your vignette if it needs tweaking, or mix and match objects to create new arrangements. Remember: there is no right or wrong when it comes to a vignette. It’s about what pleases your eye and encapsulates the personality of your home.

Which objects will you be using for your vignette?

Bree

Accents, Chairs

5 new accent chairs we love

Bree here, from Home Zone Furniture.

Now that you’ve finished spring cleaning, it’s time to reward yourself with a beautiful new addition to your home. We’ve added a variety of new accent chairs to our collection just in time for spring. From the family room to the den and everywhere in between, each room of the house can be enhanced with the perfect seating. Choosing the ideal accent piece can be a little daunting, but we’ll help you narrow it down with these five standout chairs.

To dress up your family room, choose the Harper Accent Chair. This piece is one of our most durable chairs, made from a sturdy hardwood frame that’s sure to stand the test of time — and kids. Due to the extra padding and the placement of the springs, the Harper Chair is an enviable place to relax in style. Its bold pattern and reversible seat cushions also make it a safe choice for kid-friendly environments. If the majority of your room has a neutral color palette, add in the Harper Accent Chair for a pretty pop!

For a formal living room, the Grant Accent Chair is an excellent choice. The timeless shape and finish of this chair ensures you’ll have it in your home for years to come. We love the spacious seat cushion, luxurious linen texture and beautiful hand-tufted detail. For a traditional look, place two Grant Chairs on either side of a complementary couch. For a more eclectic look, try pairing one Grant chair with another chair that has a similar proportion, style or color.

Everyone has that awkward corner in their home that’s too big to ignore and too small to actually do anything with. If possible, I’d suggest turning the space into a seating area or reading nook. These chameleon spaces can be found on second floor landings, in hallways — you name it! The Truman Accent Chair is particularly well-suited to these kinds of small spaces. The neutral material, charming tufting and small proportions allow the Truman to anchor a space without overpowering it.

Up the coziness factor of your bedroom with an accent chair! Add the Wilson Accent Chair to your bedroom and you’ll be surprised at how much you can get out of a previously unused corner. The Wilson is linear and compact, yet loaded with eye-catching silver studs. I like this chair for a bedroom setting because it’s comfy enough to spend time in during the evening, yet sharp enough for a composed daytime look.

Lastly, if you’re looking to make a statement — as accent chairs tend to do — consider the Regency Wildrose Accent Chair. With its dramatic winged back, rolled armrests and vibrant pattern, it’s hard not to notice the Regency. I’d suggest placing this chair alone, perhaps in a spacious entryway or library, to call attention to the chair’s design and surroundings.

To see more accent chairs from the Home Zone Furniture collection, click here. Regardless of the chair you pick, you’re sure to find something eye-catching that will give your family comfort for years to come!

Bree

Older Posts

Newer Posts