Casey and I often get questions about wall colors and backdrops for Home Reserve Furniture, so I just wanted to share a note about a new favorite accessory . . .

Wallpaper used to be a thing of the past, when people buying a home couldn’t wait to rip the hideous designs off their walls! Well, good news. . . Wallpaper today has evolved and is the hottest new trend for modern home decor! I love these new graphic and bold designs. Check out places like nest-living.com 2modern.com, and designpublic.com to see a wide variety of modern wallpaper.

If you’re not ready for the commitment of wallpaper, wall stickers can achieve the same look. Using modern wallpaper or stickers as a backdrop for your Home Reserve furniture will give you a modern trendy look. It will liven your room, and accessorize your furniture like jewelry on a dress. Here are some modern wall designs right out of our studio at Home Reserve.

Tip: Use Solid colored furniture inf ront of interesting patterns.

While scrapbooking with my friend in her beautiful cottage home last week, Kristen asked me to help her design her family room space. She has bright sage green walls with white trim and a large built-in bookcase on the back wall which designates her office area.

Kristen’s requirements:

She wants a space that feels bright, in a cottage style, and has a small separation (made by a sofa or sectional) between the bookshelves and the entertainment set on the opposite wall. The seating space should be large enough for her family to stretch out and relax.

Home Reserve Solution:

Kristen and I decided on a Group 8 Monroe Style Sectional with a Cozy Corner Ottoman. Sectionals act as great room dividers because of their strong presence in a room and the 90 degree corner they create. Casey and I recommend ottomans as instant space enhancers. They make furniture bigger, and invite stretching out. The Cozy Corner Ottoman is perfect for sectionals.

Monroe Style Sectional, Group 8, with Cozy Corner Ottoman

 The Fabrics:

Kristen’s sectional will be in the beautiful bright Claiborne Poppy fabric, with an ottoman in the complimentary Cricket Berry. Throw pillows in Marcie Chive, Eureka Natural, and Cricket Berry will add variety and spontaneity to the design and help tie in the Sage Green Walls. A Monroe Chair & 1/2 with a Standard Ottoman in Marcie Chive will fill out the space and finish this Cottage Chic theme.

Claiborne Poppy, Cricket Berry, Marcie Chive, Eureka Natural

 We can’t wait to see the finished room!

Thanksgiving is here, and already people are looking ahead to the next holiday and putting out Christmas decor. As Jen and I look around at all the Christmas decorations that are out there, we’re delighted to see that’s is not all about traditional green and red anymore. Pretty much any color goes this year. The most popular colors are bright green, aqua, yellow, and orange . . . adding silver accents makes it all holiday appropriate!

We can’t help but notice how great the Home Reserve fabrics fit into this modern day holiday color theme.

Hondo Apple, Hondo Aqua, Hondo Sunburst, Mission Tangerine, and Fiorenza Alabaster.

Use these fabrics on big pieces of furniture, like our Tux Chair & 1/2 for maximum “wow” effect. Or, use them on accent pieces like ottomans, designer cubes and throw pillows to create your own unique Holiday decor.

Check out this inspirational pic I took at a friend’s house the other day. (That’s an 18″ cube in Holiday Red from Home Reserve!)

I’m working on creating a cozy reading corner in my home. It’s so peaceful to have a place to relax and enjoy spare time. Every house, no matter what size, can have this tranquil space. Here are some tips on creating your own cozy space:

1. Choose a favorite feature in your room to put your reading corner next to, window, fireplace etc.

(I have a fantastic bookcase that I love, so I want to have my reading space next to the bookcase.)

2. Make your reading space convenient with plenty of light and a place to prop up your feet.

(I’m adding an 18″ cube ottoman and a floor lamp.)

3. Provide a handy place to set coffee and books.

(I’ll use a Small Designer Cube to finish it off.)

Voila, A cozy space to pass the time! For fabulous reading chairs and perfect ottomans for your cozy reading corner, check out the Chair & 1/2 with Modular Ottoman (pictured below), or the Avenue Chair with a Standard Ottoman or an 18″ cube ottoman for smaller spaces.

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.