Year: 2021

Bean Bag Chairs – The Revolution of Comfort

Bean bag chairs have been popular since the late sixties and were first discovered by three Italians. Someone told me that the origin of these chairs was actually accidental. Someone just put all the polystyrene in a bag and someone sat on the bag and found it very comfortable, and the rest, as they say, is history.

A few decades ago, bean bag chairs lost their popularity. But now, they are gaining their popularity back thanks to the innovations and improvements that have been made.

Now, bean bag chairs can be described in three words- fun, stylish, and comfortable.

You will probably remember that bean bag chairs are always kept in the closet. It will only be out of the closet once no visitors are expected and you want to play PlayStation in the living room. But you don’t actually want to be caught in it because it is unfashionable and dull. It is comfortable, no doubt about that but the color and style, sorry to say, is boring.

But that is not necessarily true anymore. Foam bag are now made of different types of cloth like microfiber, suede, khaki, leather and some are even washable which makes it easy for cleaning. Efforts have also been made to make the sofa bags more eco-friendly. And even some companies offer making foam bag chairs to be custom made so that it will just blend in the interiors of your living room. This also means that you do not need to keep it in the closet.

Foam bags have definitely come a long way from where it had been. Innovations in style and designs have been made but the comfort that it provides is still the same as before. Nowadays, you need not be surprised when you go to your boss’ office and see that the usual sofa is gone and the new chair is a sofa bag chair.…

The Planning and Purchasing of Modular Office Furniture

The process of purchasing new office furniture can be a daunting task. When the people in your office learn that you are about to convert to modular office furniture each one of them will have an idea of how it should look when complete. And in most cases the ideas will not be complementary. This is why it is best to enlist the services of a professional office designer to assist you in the layout and planning for the modular office furniture conversion.

Once the professional office planner is on-board, this is the time to start gathering the employees’ ideas, as well as your own ideas, about how the finished office should look. This is a very important step in your purchasing process since the employees will be the ones using the furniture day-in and day-out.

Part of the design process will be to establish what each person needs in both perceived and actual layouts. Modular office furniture needs to support the work flow and the communications flow in an office. This will definitely save a lot of time and money down the road.

How is each employee’s own work structured and how much space will be reasonably needed to accomplish it? A person that routinely reviews blueprints of building projects will need more layout or work surface room than a person whose primary job is to do data entry.

The modular office furniture layout will take into consideration the professional relationships of one job description to another. Do they need to confer on a regular basis or is there an orderly flow that goes from one space to the next? Do they need to have other people in for conferences or is it normal for them to work alone? Will a group conference room work better than individuals having their own conference area in their cubicle? Will there be a need for private conversations that others in the office should not be privy too?

Once the data has been collected it is simply a matter of matching the modular office furniture with the tasks that need to be accomplished. If you can furnish the professional planner with an architect’s drawings for you building it will be best.

Be prepared for several reviews of the modular office furniture layout. The preliminary review should involve the staff as a whole. Then as the design is refined everyone will be knowledgeable about the process.

With a thorough plan in place, the modular office furniture can be ordered and installed. The people using the spaces created will have the best chance of satisfaction because they were all instrumental in the plan development.…

Wire Book Display Racks Can Organize Your Classroom and Interest Your Students

Finding ways to fill a classroom with functional yet attractive furniture can be challenging at times. One of the most common types of classroom furniture is meant for storage. You probably have plenty of items that need to be either put away neatly or proudly displayed. Either way, you need ways to organize items while making them accessible to children, especially when it comes to books. Fortunately, there are several types of wire book display racks to do the job.

If you have lots of books and want to allow several children to access them at once, a rack that spins would be convenient. These wire book display racks are usually the perfect height for most children to reach even the books at the top, and you can usually fit up to about fifty books. If you need to store several books but need to place the rack in the corner, this kind may be perfect because books on all sides will be easily accessible. If you have ample space in your classroom, you may also place it in an area where all sides are available so that a few children at once can select a book.

If you have larger books, such as in classrooms full of younger children, you may need wire book display racks that have book pockets that are bigger than average. This way, you can place several oversized books in the rack. Some are plain wire book display racks, while others are more interesting, such as in the shape of a person or dog. These are perfect for getting the attention of younger children, which can help attract them to books. Most such wire book display racks are single-sided, but some also feature two sides so that you can fit more books.

If you need space for kids to read after selecting a book, consider obtaining an easel that also stores books. These are usually best for oversized books, and allow children to keep their hands free while reading. They can simply select a book, open it on the easel, and take their time reading each page. Some such wire book display racks come with two sides, as well as a unique design. Just some of your neat options include a circus tent and a gingerbread house, sure to excite kids of any age.

Keeping kids interested in reading is crucial, but organizing the books in your classroom is also quite essential. Getting one or more wire book display racks for your classroom is a great way to fill up the area with functional furniture while attracting children to books. Rather than having an unorganized pile of books, or even a crammed bookshelf where most of the book covers are hidden, consider displaying them proudly in wire book display racks.…

The History Of French Furniture

Middle Ages 900 – 1500

Furniture of the middle ages was designed to be practical. It was often very large, simple and heavy.

This early furniture followed the lines of architecture. Very few pieces of furniture from this era were carved, just those crafted to show off wealth.

Renaissance 1500-1610

During the renaissance era, French craftsmen started to create furniture with deeply carved and ornate designs. Many Buffets and cabinets were made to look like small buildings with influence from Roman or Greek architecture.

Louise XIII 1610-1640

French furniture during the Louise XIII era was heavily influenced by Italian design. The common theme was massive, and solid with geometric carvings.

In this era furniture was expected to be both beautiful and comfortable. Fixed upholstery became one of the era’s great inventions with furniture becoming padded.

Louis XIV 1640-1715

During this era there was an increasing fascination with the Far East and all things Asian. French craftsmen copied the style and added their own “French” influence.

The most prominent furniture of this era was extravagant and extremely detailed drawers.

Regence 1715-1730

Regence style furniture was influenced by an architect and cabinetmaker hired by the acting regent to Louis XIV who decorated his apartment.

Regence was the era that apartments came into being. The smaller scale of these homes introduced lighter, more graceful furniture. Asymmetrical curved lines replaced symmetrical straight lines and simple wood veneer instead of extravagant wood inlay.

Louis XV 1730-1770

Louis XV reigned over the “Golden Age” of French decorative style. Louis French style furniture was influenced by the increasing influence by women of the court, introducing exquisite furniture with graceful, feminine lines.

Predominant features in this era of furniture included squared corners on tables and cabinets instead of rounded, legs were straight and seat frames with ribbon twist mouldings were introduces.

Directoire 1790-1805

This style of French furniture represented a break away from lavish royal styles of the past. Designs were more subdued and themes of antiquity and nature featured less.

The furniture of this era moved away from geometric patterns and began to incorporate Grecian urns and sculpted female figures. Notable characteristics of the era were the Etruscan motifs such as animals and stylised palm leaves. Other motives were influenced by the French revolution and included wreaths, torches and other warlike emblems.

Empire 1805-1815

Empire furniture is generally large and decorated with brass and gold coloured alloy such as copper, zinc and tin. Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign saw the introduction of furniture being decorated with Egyptian motives such as sphinxes.

The furniture of this era featured bold symmetrical designs replacing ornate carvings and rounded romantic shapes. Empire artists were also inspired by the ancient Greco-Roman period with decorative elements including wreaths, swans griffins and urns. Motifs were cast in bronze and applied to symmetrical shapes.

The Restoration 1815-1830

The restoration coincided with the industrial revolution where the process in furniture making changed. At the same time middle class was on the rise, increasing the demand for furniture.

The styling of the empire furniture remained however, the rigid contours became softer and a playful touch was added. Common motifs of the era included musical instruments, rosettes, swans and cornucopia. The restoration era also saw the return of wood inlay being used to decorate the furniture.

Louise Philippe 1830-1850

Until now furniture had been sold piece by piece. The industrial revolution brought new production processes, craftsmen began to make furniture sets for the bedroom and dining room.

Furniture of this era maintained the simple, rounded lines of the restoration era, but with less ornamentation. A defining characteristic of the Louis Philippe style was the soft curve at the top of buffets, chests and wardrobes.

Napoleon III 1850-1880

The napoleon III style was described as broad, diverse and ostentatious. Furniture from this era took influence from the past 500 years of French style. It was not uncommon to see several furniture styles mixed into a single piece of furniture.

Furniture of this era saw the introduction of coffee tables, ottomans and comfortable chaise chairs. Furniture incorporated whimsical shapes, mother of pearl and often included cast iron, paper mache or ivory inlay.

Art Nouveau 1880-1920

This style …

Buying the Right Corner Sofa for Your Living Room

There are many choices to be made when buying a corner sofa. Corner sofa designs are plentiful, and considerations of upholstery material, size, and other factors are taken into account along with the overall look of the sofa as a single corner unit. Then, there is the option to get a sofa bed. Here, corner or sectional sofas often have the advantage of offering both more and deeper seating space, which can translate into the sofa being used as a bed without having to do anything besides remove the pillows and put a sheet over the sofa. While they aren’t as versatile as a separate sofa and loveseat in terms of arrangement possibilities, corner sofa furniture do offer more sitting and sleeping possibilities.

One of the first things to decide is size- should I get a small sofa, or a large one? That will depend mostly on the size of one’s living room, of course. The smallest models are the two-piece, L-shaped ones. These are about the size of a traditional sofa and loveseat combined and can be quite compact compared to some of the behemoths which can consist of five separate pieces- yikes! The contemporary corner sofa was designed with television viewing in mind, and the really large sectionals may really be set up to facilitate staring at the boob tube. Cup holders, remote control storage, and reclining seats come standard on many such models.

Another thing to decide, just as with normal sofas, is whether to get a leather corner sofa or a fabric one. A sofa made of full grain leather will be stronger than a fabric corner sofa and therefore last longer (assuming the frames are of equal strength- which they often are not!). And here, the effect of the leather can be even more impressive as you have a long, unbroken surface of leather to look at- just imagine all the leather on a large black leather sofa bed. If the sofa will get heavy use, leather can be a very good investment, but again, make sure it’s full grain leather if you want to get the most use out of it.

It’s not recommended to buy a really cheap corner sofa, as you usually get what you pay for and here you might be getting something that won’t stand up to even regular use for a very long period of time.…

Why Rattan Makes The Best Garden Furniture

What do you think of when you think of the term or phrase “garden furniture”? Do you think of something green and plastic? Something lightweight that gets blown around in a storm? Something that splits and cracks in a few months and will need to be replaced before next season? Unfortunately, that is what many of the “big box” retailers out there think of garden furniture as. The reality is that furnishings for this part of your home should be just as high quality and just as durable as any other interior piece would be. For years, homeowners “in the know” have preferred rattan in place of that mentioned above. It makes for the best garden furniture for the following reasons:

1. It handles the weather great.

Rattan doesn’t need to be babysat in a storm. When the winds blow or the snow falls, it typically handles just fine because it is used to the temper tantrums of Mother Nature. After all, before it was furniture, it was part of the tree scape. With plastic, it does not take much of a storm or a weather diversion to leave you needing a replacement. Since the storm seasons can last for several months of the year, it pays to pick quality first instead of something that may need to be replaced once or even twice per year.

2. It requires little upkeep.

You don’t have to take in your furniture at the first sign of trouble. You don’t have to worry about what the sun may do to the color scheme either. Some materials may fade to gray in the sunlight, but often that leaves behind nothing more than an even more spectacular shade for showing off to your guests at the next outdoor barbecue that you have planned. There are no special treatments that you have to put your furniture through, unlike your deck, though you can if you wish to preserve the original shade of the material.

3. It looks as good in as it does out.

Why would you care how garden furniture looks inside the house? Because part of your outdoor living area may consist of a sun room that you keep close to the pool or the back patio. This mix of indoor and outdoor quality is something that is hard to get right for rattan furniture manufacturers, but there are nevertheless many who have been able to get it right.

Whatever the reason that you have for needing garden furniture, no type of chair or furniture set makes a better buying decision than rattan. Be prepared to pay a little more upfront, but on the back end, get ready to reap a consumer benefit greater than any you’ve ever known.…

Which Kitchen Furniture Should You Replace?

In today’s very tough economy, more and more people are choosing to stay in their home and redecorate instead of doing wide-scale renovating or moving to a nicer home. The room that most of us spend our time in, and that gets constant action throughout every day is the kitchen, and buying new kitchen furniture is a great way to really live up this room.

Most of us have several items of kitchen furniture that can and probably should be replaced. Of course there is the table and chairs, but you may also have an island, a moveable rack, a baker’s rack, or even an enclosed trash bin. All of these items are easily replaceable and extremely affordable.

Of course most people start by replacing their old kitchen table and chairs, and that is probably a good idea. This is the most used item of furniture in the average home, and after year and years’ worth of food, drinks, cleaning, and germs, the idea of getting something that is new and clean and stylish probably sounds good to you.

The internet is a great resource for all kitchen furniture items, and you will find that even when it comes to smaller items like trash bins and baker’s racks, you will find more choices than you could possibly imagine.

If you are thinking that the cost of shipping (because of the weight) would be too high, that is not always the case. Many online furniture shippers will ship free of charge as well as give you a discounted price because of their low overhead. Although you may end up doing a little bit of the construction yourself when it gets to your home, you will find out that the entire family truly appreciates a brand new and stylish kitchen to enjoy every day.…

Babies Furniture – What You Need to Buy

When you’re expecting a new child into your family, one of the most important things you need to think about is about the babies’ room. You need to decide on what style and d?�cor you want in their as well as what babies’ furniture you will need for the new child.

The Crib

No matter what style and colors you choose every baby needs two essential pieces of furniture in their bedroom. The first is a crib. That is where your child will sleep and maybe even play when you need a moment to yourself. You will find a lot of manufacturers that make this extremely essential baby item. Plus you will find many different styles and designs as well as many different colors to match almost any type of d?�cor or color you choose for the room.

The Changing Table

The second most important piece of furniture is the changing table. With this item you will find many different designs and styles from the simple model to one that also has storage room for clothes. The first thing you should decide on is where you want to place it so you can measure the room you have and get the right one in the right size.

Then you should decide on the color so that it matches whatever d?�cor you have in the room as well as the color of the crib. Sometimes you can even buy a changing table along with the crib for baby so they match perfectly.

Then you should decide on whether you just want a changing table that is open and has storage space underneath or you’d like more of a dresser and combo changing table all in one. That is the more popular option as it is very convenient for parents to store essentials and use them when they change the baby.…

How to Choose Indian Rosewood Furniture

There can’t be any iota of doubt that Indian wooden furniture is held in high reverence all across the world. The quality of Indian wooden furniture is something that has made the product a popular name.

Rosewood is abundantly used in making Indian furniture. The strength offered to a furniture piece by rosewood has made it a widely used ingredient in making Indian furniture.

But how do we choose the best rosewood furniture? Following are some of the points that you need to consider.

Quality of the wood

While choosing rosewood furniture, or for that matter any type of Indian furniture, you must evaluate the quality of the wood. Rosewood is usually categorized as rare and high quality timber and these kinds of wooden furniture comprise solid and high quality grains. They are both smooth and shiny and can’t be easily scratched or corroded. This is a key characteristic of Indian rosewood furniture. Some kinds of Indian furniture made from banyan and pinewood are soft and can be easily scratched. They’ll rot down after some time. Hence it’s important that you evaluate the furniture by its grain, color, smell and density.

Wood grain

High quality Indian furniture made from rosewood have clear and nice grains and sports beautiful patterns. The cutting surface of such wooden furniture is loose and rough. While choosing rosewood furniture you must check the nature of the grains besides checking the wood at the bottom. This is very important in choosing good rosewood furniture.

Handicrafts

In general, rosewood furniture must appear harmonious. The craft of the wooden furniture must also be exquisite. When used in carpentry, the furniture must sport a firm structure and regular appearance. The wooden pieces must be joined tightly sans any flaw and the surface must be flat and smooth. The doors and drawers of the furniture should work freely and smoothly. For carvings, the design must be nice and have a clear arrangement. The carved lines must be exquisite and the contours must be symmetrical and have a smooth surface. For paintings, the surface of the wood must be smooth and even sans any spots. The joins must be smoothly painted or else they can split easily.

Water content

All types of solid wood are known to contract and expand with changes in temperature and rosewood is no different. The water content of the wood is a major factor to consider while choosing rosewood furniture. If the wood hasn’t been treated with a drying process or didn’t reach the stipulated water content standard, the furniture won’t be able to adapt itself to variations in temperature. This will cause the furniture to split, shrink or become loose easily. Besides, if the wood has been used to mount a painting, the same may fall off. The color of the painting would fade as well. The acceptable standard for water content in wood is 15 per cent, though is some dry areas, it’s higher.

Keep the above points in mind and you won’t bet duped while buying Indian rosewood furniture.…