Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Essential Elements of Coastal Décor

If you love rooms bathed in sunshine and painted in soft, watery colors with lightweight gauzy sheers or bare windows, coastal décor may be the style for you. Adding a few essential elements of this style will create casual ocean attitude and seaside energy, even if a house on the beach is only in your mind’s eye.

Sea and Sky

Decorating with the colors of the sea and sky is the best way to bring the vibe of the seashore into your home. The turquoise of a Caribbean cove, the deep green of a lake, or the gray of a stormy sea are all coastal-inspired hues that will give you a cottage-y feel. Painting your woodwork a crisp white, another element of coastal style, will amplify the color on your wall, so keep it light to keep it airy. If you prefer white walls, use the coastal hues on your upholstery or linens. Whether you’ve chosen blue, green or gray, layer the shades in coordinating patterns to add depth, texture, and detail to the room. Take inspiration from nature, if you’ve used blue, sunshine yellow is its natural complement, so it is an excellent choice as an accent color. If yellow is a little too bright for you, seaweed green and sandy beige also work well.

coastal decor baer's furniture


Bright Ideas

Coastal decorating emphasizes light – so avoid dark wood tones in flooring and furnishing, since they can make the space feel heavy. Instead, use light woods such as maple, oak, or cork with a clear varnish and blue toned rugs. Keep the window treatments sheer and minimal, or keep the windows bare, to bring as much bright, natural light as possible into the space. White in upholstery, kitchen cabinets, and window treatments will add breeziness to the space.

Ocean Artifacts

Since you are going for an ocean feel, incorporate elements that you could find on a walk on the beach. A piece of driftwood as a lamp base or a jar full of sea glass are perfect decorative accessories. However, be careful not to go overboard, having a theme is nice, but if used too much it will give you a one-note, heavy-handed look.

coastal style bedroom furniture

Embrace the Elements

Since coastal living is often casual, barefoot living, what’s on the outside of the house is just as important as what is inside it. You can link the inside and the outside by furnishing the deck, patio, or garden in the same style. Think of your outside space as another “room” that can extend your look and your living space. Set up some comfortable spaces for lounging with a book or an afternoon nap. If you like to entertain, be sure to have plenty of dining surface to host a crowd. Then, bring some outside indoors by creating a terrarium, hang artwork that portrays an outdoor activity, or a lobster crate repurposed as a side table.

Practical Tips

If you’ve vacationed at a seaside cabin or lived in a house by the coast, you understand that there are some practicalities of this life that must be handled – sand tracked across the floor, harsh sun that faces upholstery, and damp swimsuits that can ruin the finish on kitchen chairs. This can be mitigated by making smart decorating choices. Choose wooden flooring that can be easily swept clean, slipcovers that protect upholstery, and painted finishes instead of stained wood on tables and chairs in the kitchen. These choices are all essential elements of coastal décor, so will enhance your coastal theme.

To find out more about the Seabrook Collection by Broyhill, visit the Baer's Furniture showroom near you. Read about Baer's Furniture leadership changes.

Friday, August 19, 2016

Stylish and Unique Accent Tables to Revive Any Style

End table, side table, sofa table, lamp table — call them what you like, accent tables can revive any style. Small and stylish, they balance the look of your living room, while also functioning as a place to hold beverages, remote controls, reading lights, and more.

When considering adding an end table to your living room, think about both its form and function. How will you use it the most? What style will complement your room’s overall décor? Do you want it to stand out or subtly enhance the room? Keeping these questions in mind will help you determine the best size and shape of your accent table.

tommy bahama drum accent table


Look for the Right Shape, Size, and Weight for Your Room

If you are thinking about a little extra storage, look for end tables with drawers or shelves. The Beach House Round Drum-Style Pompano accent table from Tommy Bahama provides warm sophistication to any space. It gives you hidden storage that keep items neatly tucked away. The shape adds visual interest, and the exotic mango veneer and reeded bamboo panels provide rich texture.

Size — how tall and how wide — is another detail to consider when choosing accent tables. A general rule is that the height be even with or up to several inches lower than the arm of the sofa or chair it accompanies. Think about its usage, if it is too high or too low it will be uncomfortable, too wide and it will weigh down the furniture surrounding it. And if you plan to put a land or other heavy decorative objects on it, you’ll want to be sure the table can support the weight or these items.

tommy bahama sofa accent table


Pick Quality Materials That Will Stand the Test of Time

If you are looking for a sofa or console table, consider the size, shape, and proportions of your room when making your decision. This piece of living room furniture can section off and define parts of a large living room, so length, height, and depth is important. The intricate leather-bound detailing of Beach House Two-Drawer Palm Coast Sofa Table, also from Tommy Bahama, gives the piece an airy and sophisticated look. Two drawers add extra storage the finished back of the sofa table makes it a versatile piece. A quality solid wood accent table will be strong and durable, and compliment almost any style. Lush finishes and textural details will enhance the room’s appeal and only get better with age.

Baer’s Furniture is inspired by Florida living. Visit the nearest Baer’s Furniture showroom to find more pieces in the Tommy Bahama Beach House collection. Contact us for more information.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Pillow Toss: Add Flair to Your Living Room with Subtle Colors and Textures

Does your living room seem to be missing something? Could it be color or texture? Accent pillows can liven up any space, adding flair with color, texture, shape, and design contrast. They add that little something extra, that spark that your room seems to lack without them.

Accent pillows come in many different shapes and sizes and are the perfect accessory for almost any sofa, couch, bed, chair or bench. These days they are even used in porches and patios to make these spaces seem more like indoor rooms. Pillows can liven up a space with color or neutralize a space that may already have too much color in it.

sofa with pillows

When choosing the perfect pillow, consider its purpose. Does it need to be a particular shape, size, or color? Will have a function or be merely decorative? The neutral tones of the Bali Hai Quickship Shoreline Sofa shown above balances out a room dominated by the dark wood floor and the fern carved arms add needed texture. The subtly colored and patterned pillows keep the room from being too neutral.

The right pillows can accentuate your color scheme, but be wary of using too much color. If you already have some key colors in your room, you can use pillows to create contrast and interest, but be careful. Too many colors can make your room look like a carnival—and not the good kind. They will vie for the eye’s attention and detract not add to the style.

Also consider your theme and work to complement the any existing color scheme. Choose prints and designs that go with the rug and highlight the colors in the rest of the furniture. In our example room you can see how the pattern on the pillows goes with the pattern on the rug as well as the color on the Bali Hai Diamond Cove Swivel Chair. Both are subtle enough so as not to be overpowering. The additional pillows complement the colors of the room in a smaller pattern.

tommy bahama sofa pilliws

In addition, the right type and amount of pillows can add warmth and softness to your room. If your furniture is leather, you can mix and match fabrics and textures with your pillows and sofa to create an eclectic, unique style. Pillows are one of the details that can show your personality in the décor. Little touches in the accessories — such as the cool blue tones in the glass bottle shown above — tie the room together.

Are you in the Central Florida area? Our Baer’s Furniture Casselberry location opened in 2013 has the best prices on name brands such as Tommy Bahama, Lexington, Hooker Furniture, and more.

Friday, August 12, 2016

Create a European Farmhouse Dining Room

Europe is a large continent, and European Farmhouse style can be just a varied as the continent itself. European Farmhouse décor is still popular, and there are many ways you can add some European flair to your home. Elegant and classic, this style of décor keeps things simple and highlights your personal touches to your home. You can easily add a little European Farmhouse style to your home by following the basic style guidelines below.

farmhouse dining room stanley furniture

Welcoming Kitchen and Dining Room

The kitchen is the heart of almost any home, and in a farmhouse style home, it is also the soul. The kitchen and dining room are traditional gathering spaces, so the décor in these rooms sets the tone for the entire home. The style is vibrant, yet uncomplicated, still neutral, but also often where you’ll find an eclectic mix of furniture. These principles are at play in the Farmers Market Table and Million Stars Chairs, part of the European Farmhouse Collection from Stanley Furniture. By using pieces that look as if they were collected over time, you create a welcoming, lived in feel in your kitchen and dining room.

Light and Relaxed

While the European Farmhouse palette is neutral, it is not one-dimensional. Different hues of white, cream, and beige create a complex colorway. Keep in mind that frugality is one of the basic elements of European Farmhouse style. Since the early owners of most farmhouses had a limited paint budget, they used a simple, white paint, so stick to white as much as possible. Polished wood floors, subtly patterned, slightly faded-looking area rugs, and textured walls add depth and authenticity to the space.

farmhouse open storage stanley furniture

Open Shelving

Plenty of shelves for open storage and glass doors on cabinets dominate farmhouse kitchens and dining rooms. Open shelves add character and allow you to easily switch out decorations. The Champaign Cabinet and L’Acrobat Open Air Shelf, also a part of the European Farmhouse Collection by Stanley, pairs beautifully to store special occasion serving pieces and fine silver as well as electronic components and media. It comes equipped with a surge protector, marrying modern functionality with farmhouse styling.

Wood Shines

Wooden accents are the main component that makes European farmhouse décor so special and unique. It flavors the whole house without being overbearing. Hardwood floors, ceilings, and wall paneling accentuates and emphasizes the cottage appeal that is a hallmark of this style. And because wooden surfaces age so well, your home will get better as time goes by. If you are not a fan of wood, you can still achieve a farmhouse feel by ensuring that any stone or concrete you use has a rustic, unfinished look. With the exception of traditional French doors and windows, keep glass out of the décor as much as possible, they can mute the rustic vibe of the design.

Vintage Yet Modern

There are quite a few tricks and tips you can do to achieve the European Farmhouse style without doing a major revamp. Beautiful but simple wood cabinets and side tables give you the woodsy appeal without requiring that you redo the floors. Always remember the origin of this look, it’s an effective and simple way to embrace this style and gives you a backdrop against which to add your personal touches that reflect your personality and enhance the style. And European Farmhouse interiors become more charming and graceful with time.

Visit the Baer’s Furniture showroom near you to talk to a design professional about achieving the farmhouse look you desire. Check out Baer's Furniture reviews of our Ft. Myers showroom.