Q. Hi, I’m wondering if a sectional can be ordered with two different fabrics? I’d like to have the seat cushions be a different color than the back cushions and the frame. Thanks!

A. Yes! Great question, Mary. Combining two fabrics on one sectional is a unique and coordinated look that you can create on any Home Reserve furniture item. Here are some examples of different ways fabrics have been combined on a sofa, ottoman, and sectional.

Orders like these are placed over the phone with Customer service: 1-800-482-2712, or e-mail support@homereserve.com

Q. I am moving to a new home next month and it has an amazing sun room with windows on all the walls, and a tan porcelain tile floor. I want a comfortable chair for reading. I was thinking about a Classic Chair and 1/2 in either Ranger Twill White, or Eureka Bleach, with an ottoman.  I would like to achieve something resembling a French Country style. Let me know how I can accent the chair and the room. Thanks!

A. Congratulations on your new home, Kellie, sounds lovely! Casey and I think that Eureka Bleach is a great fabric choice for you, because the delicate texture looks great in a French Country theme. We suggest that you go with a Modular ottoman, which will match the Classic Chair & 1/2 in size, and maximize the space of your reading nook.

The French Country style often makes use of a whole range of vivid colors and maximizes contrasts between white, black, and brown. The colors of French Country are those found nature: sun yellow, lavender (like lavender fields), grass green, and mud black.  Natural textures are also a must for achieving the French Country style, stone, wood, brick etc. The style also showcases worn, antique items.

Here are a few tips for your sunroom:

Add a throw pillow to the Classic Chair & 1/2 in one of the Belingrath fabrics. (These are toile patterns, a trademark of the French Country style.)

Stack some large stones on the floor (Reminiscent of the stone fireplaces of French Chateaus.)

Place an aged, rustic looking end table near your Chair & 1/2. (The table shown here is from Target’s French Country Table Collection.)  

Introduce more colors and textures with a plush green throw rug or throw blanket, and place other French country elements throughout the room, like a rustic watering can filled with lavender flowers, rustic black picture frames, and hardback books.

 To learn more about the French Country style, read Decorating in the French Country Style from about.com.

Q. I Just moved into a new apartment saturated with BROWN . . . dark brown carpet! What color combination could be used to liven the place up? I want to include, but not focus on, the brown. Any patterns and ideas will be greatly appreciated!

A. Congratulations on your new apartment, Yolanda! Brown has a nice moderating effect on decor schemes, and dark brown carpet can look classic and wear well.

We suggest that you match the color of your main pieces of furniture with your walls. Try a light white/ivory tone. This strategy, using similar colors for wall and furniture, will make your room feel bigger and keep your dark carpet from competing with other strong tones. Consider these fabrics:

Hyatt Linen, Altima Sand, or Eureka Natural

Bring in throw pillows in your favorite colors, and don’t limit yourself in mixing bright colors and patterns. Consider bringing in a bold-colored accent chair for more color.

Other tips: Put some artwork on the walls with dark brown/ black frames, keep accessory items like end-tables and bookshelves in dark tones, and add an area rug to match your main piece of furniture.

Q. I’m moving into a new apartment, and have decided to get all new furniture. I really like what I see on Home Reserve, especially the leather gallery! I am very interested in a Laney Sofa in the Lapaz Saddle color. I also am looking to get an accent Chair & 1/2, but do not know a good fabric to accent the sofa. The color scheme of the apartment is chocolate brown and sky blue. Can you recommend a good fabric or combination that will make this new apartment look great? I appreciate any help you can give me!

A. There’s nothing like a new place to live, Geoff, and the chance to redefine your style! We’re glad to hear that you like what you see in the leather gallery. The lapaz fabrics create a smooth classy atmosphere that can be complimented with traditional or modern accents. You’ve chosen a very popular color scheme. Brown and blue are beautiful together because they are the perfect combination of warm and cool as you can see in these photos.

There are so many different ways to do brown and blue, and you can make this scheme your own with the particular shades of blue you choose. Here are some options:

For a graphic, head-turning look, uyse Hyatt Blue on your chair & 1/2, and accent both your sofa and chair with throw pillows in Sanoma Seaspray.

For a modern, masculine look, use Pulse seaspray (a richly textured fabric) on your Chair & 1/2 and accent both sofa and chair with throw pillows in Grant Spa.

 For a traditional look, with strong solid tones, use Hyatt Denim on your Chair & 1/2 and accent both sofa and chair with throw pillows in Marcie Harbor.

Enjoy Decorating!

Hi there,

Casey and I are thrilled over the introduction of our new leather gallery a few weeks ago. It is enjoying a great reception, and we like watching the beautiful LaPaz fabrics being sent out to customers each week!  Many of them are choosing one leather item to accessorize or complete a decor scheme. My friend Anna, a  newlywed, is decorating her first living room and picked out a modular ottoman in LaPaz Coffee to complete the  look. She says it’s perfect with her khaki colored couch.

Modular ottoman in LaPaz Coffee

Leather is a great way to introduce sophistication and texture to any room no matter what your style.  Great design is about adding unexpected textures to please the eye, and leather is the perfect way to do that, because it can be modern or tradition depending on the surroundings.

A great way to do introduce leather into your own home is to add an 18″ LaPaz black leather ottoman or a laPaz black rectangle pillow.  Why black?  It’s a motto of mine: Every room should have at least one black item. This completes the range of colors and provides versatility, the trademarks of designer quality. Look through our new leather gallery and find your favorite leather looks.

Q. Hello!  When I found your website I was so excited to see what you have to offer and think this will be perfect for what we need. We are currently making our attic space into a teen area for our daughter and her friends to hang out. It’s a small space that is L shaped and 99″ by 48″. It needs to become a comfy lounging area with a fabric that can handle teenagers! Can you recommend a layout, or give us a few ideas to get started? Really appreciate your help and look forward to placing an order!

A. What a fun project, Janice! We’re sure your daughter is greatly anticipating her new space! Jen and I think a modular look will be perfect o make this attic space young and modern. We suggest you create an extra long couch with our sectional units and leave one end armless. We like the Brook style for you, with the modern curved arm and the clean modern lines of tight back cushions.

We suggest using this layout. It is composed of 1 Brook Left arm, and 3 Brook Armless units. The total length of this layout is 94″.

This look is similar to the Brook style sectional pictured here, minus one Right arm.

Next, add cozy corner ottomans in coordinating patterns. These fun, cube-shaped ottomans can be pushed up in a cluster to one side of the sectional to provide a big modular space for the girls to spread out.

Choose a fabric for the sectional, and 1 or 2 coordinating patterns for throw pillows and ottomans. Here are some fabrics that are modern, bold, young and, (eh hem) washable.

Hondo Sunset, Posy melody, Panache Melody, Hondo Aqua, Ella Cafe, and Hondo Apple

Q. I am looking for an outdoorsy look without using camo. we just bought a house, and the family room has blue carpet. I hate it, but it is in good condition, and we can’t change it right now. I have Smokey the Bear posters and pictures of mountians. What colors and styles would bring a cabin feel to this room?

A. Congratulations on your new home, Leslie. What fun it will be to begin decorating! Believe it or not, that blue carpet may end up working to your advantage. Blue is a natural outdoor color that causes spaces to feel open and larger. By adding some more naturally occurring colors, like greens, browns, and oranges, you can create a cabin themed room without covering everything in camouflage! See how these colors coordinate to create a rustic look in the photo below.

Consider choosing a light green for your main piece of furniture. This will be a long sectional or couch. Add accent furniture, loveseat or chair and ottoman, in an orange tone (Hondo Sunset) or a brown (Matador Faux Leather).

Now for the really fun part. Within a cabin theme, you have the freedom to sprinkle colors, patterns, and textures all over the room with a variety of throw pillows. choose an assortment of the following:

Add these pillows in all three shapes (box, square, and round) to hep create the eclectic look that is a signature of the cabin theme. See how throw pillows are used in this photo.

Adding texture is also essential to creating the cabin look. Add wood accents to the room, like this tree-stump side table from West Elm.

Place stones of different sizes and shapes on shelves and a mantle. Or, place a large stone on the floor as a door stop. Consider gathering your furniture around a woven chocolate brown area rug.

Enjoy creating that cozy cabin look.

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Tux Chair & 1/2 in Sanoma Seaspray

Casey and I have noticed that, at times, animal prints get a bad rap. This is unfortunate, because when used correctly, they can be bold, striking, lovely, fun, and altogether surprisingly sophisticated. Here are a few tips on how to enjoy our new % 100 nylon machine washable fabric, Giraffe Bitter. Ahh, the possibilities . . .

Tips:

1)  For a delicate touch and maximum “design wow,” Use only one animal print on one item in a room.

2)  For a balanced dynamic design, avoid using other Big Bold patterns, and opt for small subtle additions. Using other Bold solid colors will work nicely.

3) Make Giraffe Bitter an eye catching accent by using it on:

An 18″ ottoman,

A stack of oversize throw pillows,

2 16″ square pillows on a solid colored couch,

or a couch with solid bold colored throw pillows.