5 Things You Need to Know About Interior Design

"A design isn't finished until somebody is using it." - Brenda Laurel

Home design has been a huge trend for some time now. The thing with home design is that a little inspiration can take you a long way! A lot of our customers come in to our store with great ideas but they have no idea how to execute them. That is where our design consultants come in. Whether it is your hobby, your wish or your profession, everyone has a little room for improvement when it comes to design. You must love what you are doing and LOVE what you are designing!

Do you need a little inspiration to get started on your design project? Check out the list below that outlines the five things you need to know about interior design!

1. Reaching out of your comfort zone can create surprising designs. Are you normally the type of person who follows the latest fashion trends or do you like to make up your own? Don’t just step out of your comfort zone, REACH out of it! The end result will surprise you.

2. Personalizing your space gives it life. People will recognize the beauty of your home with or without personalization. However, adding a personalized touch will make your home more “livable.” Add a few family pictures or antiques from your Grandparents. Your space is not a hotel room. We must remember that even though you want to make your room stylish, it still functions as a place where you relax and catch up with your family on a daily basis.

3. Don’t sacrifice comfort for style. Wow, that sofa is gorgeous AND stylish. But, is it comfortable? Buying an uncomfortable piece of furniture means that it is a waste of your money because no one is going to use it. It could be the most stylish piece of all time but if you can’t use it in your home, don’t go for it!

4. Less is more. Keep your room simple and don’t overcrowd your space! You can always add more if needed. Try to spread accents and accessories throughout the room.

5. There is always help, if needed. Don't be shy to ask for help. It might be just what you need to get back on track. Our design consultants are always here to help you if you need it. We also have an in-store stylist that will be able to guide you during your design project.

Do you have any tips you would like to give our hopeful interior designers? Comment below to join the conversation!

Throwback Thursday - 1970s Furniture

“I love the ‘70s.” – Elle Fanning

Happy Throwback Thursday everyone! Today we are celebrating the 1970s. Do you remember what the interior design style was like over 40 years ago?

Décor and designs change from decade to decade but we have to admit, the 70s had STYLE! Sofas were low to the ground, crazy in design and brightly colored. Lots of LARGE wood was used for dining room and bedroom furniture. Obviously the trends are different now but we still see a hint of the 70s in furniture design!

Accent pieces are still as bright as ever. Crazy fabric designs are still in demand. Designers in the 70s used a lot of plaid fabrics and shag type draping (just imagine the houses in the hit television show, That ‘70s Show). The colors of today have a more sophisticated look that brings them up to date.

Let’s travel back to the 70s and take a look at the furniture designs that were used during that decade.

Accent Chairs
1970s - Today

Dining Room Furniture
1970s - Today

End Table
1970s - Today

Loveseat
1970s - Today

Bedroom Furniture
1970s - Today

Interior Design
1970s - Today

What interior design styles do you miss from the 1970s? What styles do you wish we could bring back?

Designs for Derek Jeter (And Other Baseball Enthusiasts!)

“Never allow the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game!”  ― Babe Ruth

Today is the day! The official start of Spring Training! Today the Philadelphia Phillies take on the Toronto Blue Jays at their home spring training field in Clearwater, Florida. The last time we talked about a “man cave,” we designed it with golf in mind. Now it is time to focus on baseball season!

This year is a big year for baseball! Will the Red Sox be as dominant as they were last year? What will happen during Derek Jeter's last season? While we are rooting for the Phillies (or the Yankees, or the Red Sox), let’s take a look at some of the best baseball design pieces that we can find in our display room!

New York Yankees Wall Accent: This picture shows Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams in 1951. What better way to decorate a baseball man cave than with a New York Yankees accent picture!

Leather Sofa: Leather is perfect for the man cave. It is much easier to clean than a fabric upholstered sofa. Have no fear when you spill your popcorn or beer! Simply wipe it off as quickly as you can to clean your sofa. Leather also has a sportier, more masculine look to it.

Babe Ruth Wall Accent: This picture shows Babe Ruth up at bat. Not a Yankees fan? Any baseball fan should respect Babe Ruth and all that he accomplished during his career!

End Table: An end table is completely necessary while watching sports, especially baseball. Place your drinks, snacks and cell phone on an end table for easy access. It is going to be a long game and you need to eat, drink and text your friends if your team is winning!

Recliner: A recliner is important to have for your man cave because who wouldn't want to relax while watching the game on television! Baseball is exciting and you can easily get caught up in the game. Just don't forget about the seventh inning stretch! 

What accent pieces would you pick out for your baseball man cave?

The Ultimate Cheat Sheet on Purchasing the Perfect Recliner

"The time to relax is when you don't have time for it." - Jim Goodwin

Oh wow, you must be tired after your long work week, especially with all of this wintery weather! What better way to relax at home next to your fireplace than with a brand new recliner. You don’t have a fireplace? Recline in front of your television (if you really want a fireplace, there is one on Netflix that plays music.. you just won’t have the actual heat!).

There is simply nothing better than sinking into a comfortable chair after you get home. Recliners are known for comfort but there are health benefits, too! Putting your feet up and relaxing after a long day at work will relieve the pressure from your lower back. Finding the right recliner for you can be a tough decision. Let us help you during your buying process!

What type of recliner is best for you?

Two-Position: The name of this type of recliner describes its functions perfectly. It has two positions: up in a chair position or fully reclined. A lot of these recliners have a lever to release the footrest that allows you to recline. These recliners take up more space because the back of the chair falls back as the footrest comes forward. Positioning a two-position recliner can be tough in a small space. Just make sure you have enough space behind you before you recline!

Rocker: The rocker recliner usually has several reclining angles. The footrest will come out but you do not have to fully recline backwards. You can push back to adjust the angle that your back is reclining. This recliner is better for smaller spaces.

Push-Back: Push-back recliners don’t have a built in footrest. The back is the only part of the chair that moves and all you have to do is push back with your body to recline! This type of recliner will take up even less space than the rocker, since it does not have a footrest. If you prefer to recline while having your feet up, purchase an ottoman to pair with your push-back recliner.

Riser: The riser is a motorized reclining chair. This means that you do not have to push back or pull a lever to recline. You simply use a control that is connected to the recliner to adjust to your preferred position. The Riser recliner is ideal for someone with injuries or a physical disability that makes it hard for them to get up or sit down without assistance. 

Buying a recliner should be both an exciting and liberating experience. You can finally recline in your own home comfortably! What type of recliner do you prefer best?

Cocktails, Dinner and Furniture Design

I just like having fun.  - Katy Perry

It’s Monday night and you are trying to figure out your stellar plans for this weekend. Your husband will be out of town, your children will be with their grandparents and you are looking for something FANTASTIC to do. 

We have an idea: Throw a Cocktail Party! Invite all of your closest friends, relax in your eat-in kitchen and enjoy your company.

You had a stressful week at work? A cocktail party is just the right weekend activity for you! A small new study shows that during stressful times, being around your best friends decreases levels of the stress hormone cortisol. "These findings provide a better understanding as to how close relationships might serve as buffers against the adjustment difficulties that result from negative experiences," researchers wrote in the study.

We came up with 8 tips for throwing the most fantastic cocktail party. Check them out!

Step 1: Pick up any necessary furniture. Make sure you have all of the necessary furniture pieces for your party. Do you need bar stools for your eat-in kitchen? If you need to run out and grab something, go to a store like ours that offers same day design pieces so you can take it home the day you purchase it!

Step 2: Accessorize your home. Get any last minute accent pieces that you want to accessorize your home with! Brightly colored, stand out fashion pieces will be perfect for a flashy cocktail party!

Step 3:  Invite your friends. Pick a day and time that works for everyone! The traditional time frame for a cocktail party is around 2 or 3 hours.

Step 4: Buy Ice. This seems simple, but many people forget the ice! You aren't just using it for your drinks, but also to cool bottles and other foods that you can’t fit in your refrigerator.

Step 5: Have a lot of glasses on hand. Wine glasses, martini glasses, beer glasses. Make sure you have a glass for every type of drink you are offering to your guests!

Step 6: Stock your bar. Make sure you are prepared drink wise! Don’t forget mixers and lemons. Also, have a few wine and bottle openers handy.

Step 7: Prepare the menu. If you are having a sit down dinner, step 7 will obviously take more time than usual. For a more casual atmosphere, decide on a few appetizers that you will offer instead of a sit down dinner.

Step 8: Enjoy! Don’t forget that you are the hostess, but it is also a time for you to have fun too!

Have you ever thrown a successful cocktail party? What tips would you add?

The History of the Chaise Lounge

“If you don't know history, then you don't know anything. You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree. ” ― Michael Crichton

The chaise lounge is thought to be the first blend of a chair and daybed. It was originated in Egypt. The earliest known chaise lounge was made from palm sticks and pieces of cord or rawhide! Later, Egyptian bed-makers introduced a wooden framed chaise lounge.

18th Century Rococo Chaise Lounge

Ancient Greek art depicts gods and goddesses lounging in this type of chair. The Romans also used a chaise lounge for reclining in the daytime and to sleep at nighttime. The Roman daybed was designed with wooden legs and bronze! Unlike the Egyptians, the Romans did not use upholstery. The chaise lounge was made comfortable by lining it with pillows and loose covers.

Late 19th Century Chaise Lounge

In 2013, we saw a lot more interest in chaise lounges. Why? They are being made more and more modern. Many Americans purchase outdoor chaise lounges for their pool area or for sunbathing.

The great thing about history is that it things are always evolving. The chaise lounge has evolved even more and is being used in sectional designs! If you have the space, it really adds additional space and functionality your sectional. 

Today’s chaise lounge is modern, elegant and comfortable. It is the perfect living room piece if you have an area that is too big for a chair, but too small for a full sofa. The back support will allow you to relax while watching television while the long frame will provide a foot rest.

The chaise lounge is perfect for your living room but many customers place their chaise lounge at the foot of their bed in their bedroom. It gives you a place to rest while watching television, reading a book or just simply relaxing after a hard days work!

5 Uses for Ketchup That May Surprise You

"You know, you really can't beat a household commodity - the ketchup bottle on the kitchen table."

- Adlai E. Stevenson

Have you been in our store lately? Have you seen our commercials on your television? WE ARE HAVING A KETCHUP SALE! Not only have we slashed our prices up to 50% off, we are also giving you a FREE bottle of Heinz Ketchup just for coming in! How awesome is that?

Not a big ketchup fan? No worries! There are other uses for Heinz Ketchup other than using it with your french fries or hot dog.

Check out these alternative uses for ketchup:

1. Shine Your Pots and Pans

Every home has pots and pans. Did you know that ketchup can help you polish them? There is no need to go out and buy expensive metal polish anymore. According to Michael de Jong, TDG’s Zen Cleaner and author of the “Clean series of simple living books,” all you have to do is apply the ketchup all over your copper pots and pans and watch it dissolve the tarnish away. If you have a few hard spots that are being stubborn, add a pinch of table salt to the ketchup.

2. Clean Your Auto Parts

Did you know that you can shine your auto parts with ketchup? According to The Cymbal Book by Hugo Pinksterboer, many people have seen decent results when shinning their cars with ketchup. However, the ketchup will not remove the dirt. Use the ketchup and then follow up with soap and water for a full serviced clean!

3. Restore Your Chlorine Damaged Hair

Have you had highlights put in your hair lately? According to de Jong, ketchup can also be used to restore the color of your chlorine damaged highlights. When applying full strength ketchup to your hair, you will restore your normal hair color! Rub the ketchup throughout your hair and let it work its magic for about 20 minutes. Don’t forget to wash it out thoroughly!

4. Soothe Your Child's Wound

A woman named Lisa posted on Seacoast Online that she freezes leftover ketchup packets to use on her children’s small booboos and bumps. Her kids love them! They work as miniature ice packs. Great idea, Lisa!

5. Use The Empty Bottle For Pancakes!

Once you’re done using all of the ketchup, use the empty bottle as a pancake batter dispenser! If you make a lot of pancakes in your home, just fill up the ketchup bottle with pancake batter and leave it in the fridge. When you are ready to make your pancakes, use the bottle to squirt the perfect amount of batter onto your pan to create easy made pancakes!

Do you have any other uses for ketchup? Let us know by commenting below. Our KETCHUP SALE ends tomorrow (Sunday 2/23) at 5 pm so hurry on in and catch up with us!

Designs for Arnold Palmer (And Other Golf Enthusiasts!)

“Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated.” - Arnold Palmer

One of our design consultants, Dan, is a huge golf enthusiast. On his days off from work, he enjoys going out and playing a round (or two!).  Golf style is both sophisticated and sporty, a look that professional golf player, Arnold Palmer, shows off perfectly.

How can you transform your living area into a golfer’s paradise? Maybe your wife won’t let you touch your formal living room in your home, but you can always make over the basement! Check out these items that would be perfect to complete the golf style look of your new MAN CAVE!

LARGE ENTERTAINMENT CENTER: With golf season just around the corner, make sure you are prepared to watch it on your television! The PGA Tournaments will soon be in full swing so it is important you are ready to watch in style! Large entertainment centers provide not only a stand for your television, but also a place to hold your cable box and DVR (just in case you want to tape the Masters!).

LEATHER SOFA: A leather sofa is the perfect “man cave” piece of furniture. It has a sense of style that is both sporty and sophisticated, just like Arnold Palmer! Relax, lay back and watch the golf channel. You wish you were in Pebble Beach watching the action in person, but lounging on your new leather sofa and watching Bubba Watson take on Tiger Woods is definitely second best!

GOLF ACCENTS: Decorate your man cave with golf accent pieces like these magnificent golfers in full swing! You don’t want your man cave to be boring. Adding accents will spice up the room but won’t add too much flair. Make it as masculine as possible. It is a man cave, after all! These pieces are exactly what you need to finish off your golf inspired man cave! 

Throwback Thursday - 1990s Furniture

Happy Throwback Thursday everyone! Today we are celebrating the 1990s. The 90s were filled with musical talent like Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. It was also a time of technological advances! So much happened in the 1990s.. but has the furniture style changed?!

There were a lot of style and design trends in the 1990s. Pine furniture, oversized slipcovered sofas, shabby chic furniture, just to name a few! Most of the popular furniture was made with solid wood and people loved that style.

Let's take a look at how the styles different from the 1990s to today! 

Living Room Furniture
1990s - Today 

Dining Room Furniture
1990s - Today

Bedroom Furniture
1990s - Today

Chairs
1990s - Today

What styles were in your home during the 1990s? Do you have any crazy pictures from your older furniture pieces? We would love to hear more about "throwback" designs and how they were used by other generations! 

10 Ways to Embrace the Outdoors with Furniture

"I'm an outdoors girl - I like to go fishing, riding four-wheelers, hunting." - Miranda Lambert

During the winter months, it is hard to get outside and have some quality time with nature. After being cooped up all winter, we really miss the rustic and solemnness of the sweet outdoors. What better way to embrace the outdoors than to bring it inside!

Decorating your home with a rustic look can be very flexible. Whether you are a country girl like Miranda Lambert or you simply like to be in the outdoors, a rustic look can be for everyone! Many of our customers live at the beach. How would they decorate with a rustic feel without having their home look misplaced? Easy, don’t go all out rustic. Instead, incorporate some pieces into your home that can look great in any location, whether it be in a National Park or in South Jersey.

Here are a few accent pieces that our store designer, Carolyn, picked out! She created an accessory pod in our store with these items. Use them to create a rustic feel in your home.

Accent Chair. Here at Kensington Furniture, we are obsessed with accent chairs to say the least. We have featured them in many of our blogs and believe that they are the perfect accent for any living space. Adding a rustic looking accent chair to room with neutral colored furniture will increase the color in the room while adding a “Mother Nature” feel.

Elaborate Designed Pillows. Get crazy and jump out of your comfort zone. Add accent pillows that have elaborate designs on them. Not only are they comfortable to relax with, but they can bring some excitement to a boring room. Try adding pillows that are green, brown and/or tan in color. Those colors will look the most rustic and fit well with the "Mother Nature" look.

Table Lamp. Table lamps are widely used as accent pieces but they are much more than just that. They obviously provide light for the room but a great lamp shade will provide different shades of light. For example, to get a rustic look, choose a lamp shade with a dark or wooden decoration. The light will be dimmed and the environment will be more relaxing.

Accent Jar. We included accent jars on our list because they are super cool to use on mantels and side tables. Pick a jar with an animal print or jungle pattern.You don't always have to fill them with something, leaving them be as an accessory is fine too!

Mirror. We are obsessed with this hemp mirror. It would look fantastic in a rustic room or even in a beach home. It is made from all natural hemp and the way it falls around the mirror creates an awesome look. Boring mirrors tend to blend into the room. This mirror was made to stand out!

Accent Bowl. We just got in this AWESOME accent bowl. It is a glass bowl that is held up by wood. The wood looks amazing on any end table, especially on a wooden logged table. Fill it with some aroma leaves or leave it empty.

Magazine Holder. Everyone needs a magazine holder, right?! Why not make it a fashionable one?! This faux leather, fur lined and rustic patterned magazine holder will look great next to a neutral colored sofa or even an elaborately decorated accent chair.  

Floor Lamp. Floor lamps are popular when you don’t have enough room for an end table, or even just to add style to a boring room. There are plenty of floor lamps that have a rustic look to them, especially the one we have in our store that has pieces of wood traveling up the lamp!

Cocktail Table. A cocktail table can be the centerpiece to your room. Make sure your cocktail table is something worth looking at! The rustic cocktail table that we have featured is matching with the rustic wood and glass bowl. 

Candle Holders. Candles set the mood in any home. Put them on your mantle above your fireplace for an added rustic feel to your living room. They do not have to be elaborately decorated. Any candle with a real burning flame will look great in a rustic home!

Furniture You Wish You Could Have.. RIGHT NOW

"Design is in everything we make, but it's also between those things. It's a mix of craft, science, storytelling, propaganda, and philosophy." - Erik Adigard 

Same Day Design is a category of furniture that we sell here at Kensington Furniture. It is funky, fresh AND you can take it home the same day that you purchase it! The great thing about same day design is that it is always available. 

We have a bunch of items in our store that fall under the Same Day Design category. For example, we have bedroom sets, accent chairs, tables and even dining sets! We also have a large variety of vendors that fall under the Same Day Design category. 

A lot of our customers like to customize their furniture and they don’t mind waiting for their pieces to arrive. However, we do have customers that come into our store and NEED furniture, right away! We take pride in our ability to accommodate everyone. The Same Day Design collection accommodates the customers who need furniture, ASAP!

We also have accents and accessories that are part of our Same Day Design collection. We always make sure to have something in stock for every different style. So, if you need furniture.. RIGHT NOW.. look for the red Same Day Design tag!