Recently CORT Furniture put out the call on Twitter to HuffPost Home (@huffposthome) and Behr Paint (@BehrPaint) for tips on decorating rooms with dark walls. This week in our furniture blog we bring you tips from these and other decorating gurus, plus our own take on ways to make dark walls work in your home. Why choose a darker shade when painting your walls? Dark colors have the ability to create a feeling of Gothic glamour and drama. However, with the wrong décor, darker hues can feel oppressive, especially in a small space like an apartment. Decorating appropriately can quickly turn this from a bane to a boon. Read on for some advice from the best in our furniture blog. HuffPost Home If you are looking for that dash of debonair decadence, HuffPost Home has the simple solution: “If you want to add to the drama try lots of texture. Or you can go with slip covers and treatments to brighten the space.” Behr Paint Erika Woelfel, Behr Paint’s Director of Color, shared with the CORT furniture blog some of the tricks for decorating dark interiors: “The key to using dark wall colors is to balance them with contrasting, lighter …
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Somewhere deep down inside, we would all love a home with a huge kitchen, three different pantries and an endless kitchen island. Who wouldn’t love a living room that can fit as many couches as it could beds? The reality is that we don’t all live in the same universe as the characters of Friends, especially today–more and more people are vying for apartments, and rent is increasing as a result. Space is limited–and valuable. Don’t think, however, that living in a small space means you have to suffer. There are some valuable things you can do to ensure that your home lacks none of the personality, comfort and enjoyment that you could similarly get with a larger space. No space? Make space! It’s been said thousands of times, but I’m going to reiterate it again: declutter, declutter, declutter. Have you ever heard of Andrew Hyde, the guy who reduced his possessions down to 15 items? Not only did he realize that he could live with a lot less, but he also learned that letting go of unnecessary physical possessions also relieved him of the emotional baggage he associated with them. You obviously don’t have to get that drastic, but …
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If the new year is the time for a new look in your home, you’ve come to the right place. This week on the furniture blog, we will be covering three steps to achieving a more stylish look in your home in 2013. Declutter Your Space Before you do anything else, declutter that space. You don’t want to have to work around piles of DVDs and old mail to get to your furniture. Plus it’s hard to see your home’s full potential if it is buried and out of sight. While you’re cleaning, think of ways that you can avoid collecting all of this clutter again in the future. Having a place for everything, like stashing those DVDs in the TV stand and filing important mail in the home office, can make all the difference. Check out one of our most popular posts on the furniture blog for more tips on decluttering every room in your house. Find Your Style Ahhhh! Breathe a sigh of relief as you look around at your cleaned up home. Then get to work deciding what you want it to look like. Browsing around a furniture blog or on Pinterest is a great way to …
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Establishing curb appeal is an important part of the home staging process. After all, if a potential homebuyer isn’t impressed with the outside, it’s unlikely that they’re going to bother exploring the inside. Remove Clutter If your neighborhood is filled with kids, a bike in the yard may not be a deal breaker; however, generally speaking, you do not want your front yard and porch area filled with personal belongings. Moving can be a great opportunity to downsize, but if you don’t want to part with your bulky items; an online self-storage finder can help you locate an offsite storage locker. The Front Door A fresh coat of paint on the exterior can really go a long way, but if you don’t have the time or resources to paint the entire house, you should still apply a fresh layer to the front door. In many ways, the front door is the focal point of the home, so it’s important that it looks as inviting as possible. Consider replacing that old doorknob with a new door handle – perhaps something a bit more aesthetically appealing than a basic knob. Also, a wreath on the door looks great, especially in winter, …
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Please indicate below the emails to which you want to send this article: Tips for Home Sellers: How to Generate Curb Appeal
Moving can be stressful, especially for students. Conflicts with new roommates over student furniture rental, house rules, and more are not uncommon. In the past, students had to rely fully on their college to match them with a roommate. These days, many students are taking the process into their own hands, using Internet services such as easyroommate.com or roomsurf.com to find their own roommate. Before you use the Internet to find your own college roommate, you may want to find out more about how your college or university handles the process. Some are very good at making successful matches. If you do decide to find your own roommate, be sure to meet your potential roommate on the phone or in person prior to making an agreement. Whether you select your own roommate or the college selects one for you, get to know your roommate ahead of time. Ask questions that will allow you to identify and work out potential conflicts ahead of time. Talk about your sleep schedule, your study habits, and your needs for privacy. Also, talk about your needs for storage and student furniture rental. Most universities provide basic student furniture. Rental may not be necessary. However, you …
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Your home staging efforts are almost complete. You’ve de-cluttered your main living areas. The front yard has that illustrious curb appeal. All of those extras are stored neatly out of sight–until a buyer wants to see the garage. The natural pit-stop for all things clutter-related, the garage is perhaps the most challenging room for home staging, because here, there’s nowhere left to hide. So how exactly do you stage a garage when it is being used for storage? In recent weeks the furniture blog has focused on home staging, so here are some tips for doing just that. First, get rid of anything you know won’t be kept. Go ahead and sell, donate, recycle or give away anything not being kept. Home staging will be much easier if you first reduce the volume of stored items by 50%. For those items left over, use the walls of the garage for storage. A large set of furniture rental shelves placed flush against the wall will house boxes while looking orderly. One secret of home staging is that anything that is well organized tends to blend in with the background. By that logic, find stacking boxes that are all the same shape, …
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Last week on our furniture blog, we shared tips about how young women can can use student furniture rental and other creative solutions to make the best use of their apartment space. This week, we’re focusing on the men! In general, men have different needs for organization, but the principles are the same. With a strategic approach, you can create a high-class, low-maintenance, and efficient space. Planning Ahead Works When planning your space, think simple and easy. Storing things where they are most frequently used means fewer trips back and forth to find something. When selecting your pieces for your furniture rental, you may want to consider a storage ottoman or a coffee table with a drawer for the remote control devices. While you may not need to inventory everything, taking an inventory of your electronics equipment and noting their sizes will assist you greatly in choosing a shelf or entertainment center that fits your needs the best. A small container placed near the door is a great way to make sure that you can always find your cell phone, sunglasses, and keys when you are leaving the house. Small Containers Have Big Advantages Small and medium storage containers (especially stacking …
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Please indicate below the emails to which you want to send this article: Student Furniture Rental Solutions for the College Lads
Fitting all of your belongings into your first student apartment can be challenging. This week we will focus on how young women can use student furniture rental and other creative solutions to economize their space while maintaining a sense of order, functionality and style. Planning ahead can make all the difference. Before you move into your new space, take an inventory of the items you will be bringing, and think about how often and where you will be using them. Having a place to put everything is a key to organization, but its also important to make sure that whatever systems you use make things easier, not harder. Store items in the location where you will use them most, with the most frequently used items in the most accessible locations. For example, underbed storage is a great solution for items that you will not need to access very often (like out-of-season clothing), but not a good location for something you will use every day. Large, frequently-used containers should be placed on lower shelves to avoid back strain or accidents. Find an easily accessible and reliable location for items, like a purse or keys, that you will use virtually every time you …
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Please indicate below the emails to which you want to send this article: Preparing for Your First Student Apartment, Part 1
From time to time on our furniture blog, we like to share the tips we’ve learned in the furniture rental business for keeping your furniture looking great. Last week we discussed how to clean fabric furniture. As promised, this week we will focus on how to maintain and clean your wood furniture. Keeping your wood furniture looking beautiful starts with making sure the environmental conditions don’t damage the wood. Keep wood furniture away from bright sunlight and locations near sources of excessive heat that may dry out, shrink and crack the wood. Keep temperatures and humidity levels somewhat moderate and consistent. In general 40% to 45% humidity works well for wood. High humidity can cause warping or the growth of mildew. Furniture in storage should likewise be kept in controlled conditions, and should also be kept covered. From time to time, wood furniture needs cleaning. Proper cleaning techniques depends on the surface of the wood. Most well-sealed clear-finished furniture (shellacked, varnished or lacquered furniture) can be cleaned effectively using the following steps: Remove any metal hardware before polishing them, as these solvents can damage a finish. Use a clean, dry cloth to remove any dust or dirt from the surface …
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Whether you have purchased that gorgeous piece of furniture for your own home, for a home staging project or for interior decorating, keeping your fabric furniture looking great is a high priority. As a furniture rental company, we understand how important this is. But you may be surprised to know that expensive upholstery cleaning services are not necessarily required to accomplish this goal. With a little care, you can keep your rental furniture looking fabulous for as long as you have it. While opinions on the subject vary, most experts agree that vacuuming your furniture is advised about once a month to once every three months, depending on the fabric. When you vacuum, be sure to use the upholstery or brush attachment, or cover the vacuum with a soft cloth to prevent accidental ripping or snagging. Regular vacuuming should keep the surfaces looking and smelling fresh and new. However, even with regular vacuuming, the fabric can sometimes accumulate dirt or stains. Of course, stains should be spot cleaned as soon as they are noticed. It’s also important to occasionally clean the fabric to prevent permanent discoloration. While this may not qualify as breaking furniture news, it’s important to note that …
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