Fresh Furniture Ideas

Let’s take a look at the characteristics of contemporary living room furniture sets. Contemporary design is extremely popular and many buyers seek out this wonderful style to enhance their home. Very often, shoppers feel contemporary might be out of their reach. Not so! Contemporary purchases are easy to achieve and quite affordable.

In its simplest explanation, the design has to do with what is happening now, in the present, and at the moment. Others call contemporary a style that is in existence in the immediate time frame, what is in use now. It continually evolves.

In a nutshell, that’s what defines the style.

It could be contemporary today and out of style tomorrow. This would undoubtedly give a complete change in look and how it attracts individuals over time.

We will be looking today at common features in contemporary furniture, contemporary designs, what makes living room furniture contemporary, and homeowners’ contemporary choices.

Contemporary living room furniture sets have certain recognizable characteristics and features.

Common Features In Contemporary Furniture

1. The silhouettes (outlines) are quite simple with smooth, curvy lines and, of course, shapes that are geometric in nature.

2. There are very few details that are ornamental in the look.

3. Usually they have a shiny finish over what are typically neutral colors. These could include gray and silver tones, light tan, or chrome. White and even black are major color contributors. Then you can include brown, cream, and perhaps taupe.

These neutral colors are often highlighted with bold solids such as red, giving it a tone-on-tone combination. Bold accent colors should be used rather sparingly.

4. Fabrics that are often used include vinyl, wool, linen, cotton, leather, and microfiber. These are generally preferred over material that is heavy. Soft and comfy is often sought after. Print fabric is unlikely to be seen on contemporary furniture. There are times, however, when this can happen. Even then, the patterns tend to be subtle.

5. There are quite a few different modern materials used in the construction of contemporary living room furniture sets.

These use present-day technology and incorporate wood, glass, nickel, steel, plastic, and, of course, metal. These materials are often married together with different textures such as jute or even hemp. The function of the final product is your first priority followed by the visual that’s being considered.

Contemporary Living Room Furniture Designs

When considering contemporary living room furniture sets to buy, it’s actually quite simple in so many ways. That’s because it is “simple” in design. There is an understated design in the style, with few, if any, frills. Basic and simple is the key.

It has a high degree of fashion and can be very functional because it is often designed with storage possibilities.

Contemporary living room furniture has evolved throughout history from many styles. Such examples include Mid-Century Modern, Danish Modern, Minimalism, Art Deco designs, traditional and even futuristic.

Furniture designs from late in the 20th and early 21st centuries may be considered influencers of a contemporary living room furniture set today.
The 1970s began the heyday of contemporary.

Some wood finishes could be cherry, walnut, and oak. Typically, however, the wood is lighter such as birch, maple, or other light-finished wood stock.

What Makes A Living Room Contemporary

If you are considering a new look for your living room furniture, contemporary being your choice, there are a few considerations you’ll want to think about.

This may be your first “Look and See” at contemporary styles for your living room. If this is the case, it is not uncommon to find it difficult to distinguish different design styles from one another. You’re not the only person that has experienced this. Undoubtedly, this is a common occurrence because of so many styles that overlap each other.

The shape of contemporary, as touched upon earlier, relies on minimalism (less is better.) In addition, neutral colors and lines that are curved are important. Neutral walls are important, along with the curved lines of the furnishings. This look verges on Art Deco.

Curved furniture is a perfect choice, along with light and decor selections, for your living room area. Furniture which has clean lines, shapes that are simple, and styles that lend themselves to comfort are key components of today’s contemporary living room furniture sets. Chairs, sofas, and love seats often have arms and legs that are usually round or squared and not bulky.

Lighting that is modern, natural, and artificial is always a great opportunity to create something that has your personal signature on it.

Homeowners’ Choices For Contemporary Living Room Sets

Because contemporary choices can come from different eras, this makes for a great opportunity for you to be very creative with your personal likes. Whether it’s furniture or decor, it’s possible to stay in tune with what’s happening in the contemporary scene.

What are your personal likes? What strikes your personal tastes? You have a plethora of possibilities to bring a current contemporary look to your home.

What if you love contemporary but over a short time period (3-5 years), contemporary switches gears and changes to the new “Now”? Are you going to choose the new “Now”? With that will come an additional investment. What will you do with your current contemporary living room set that is still in great condition?

Final Thoughts

We are happy to bring this information to you and look forward to helping you achieve that perfect choice of contemporary living room sets. We want you to make quality selections. Quality materials are very important to consider. Brand names are always a vital area to consider.

Today we have provided you with some exciting tips that can make your decision-making easier. First, we shared about the characteristics of contemporary furniture. What’s happening now, in the moment? Neutral colors, simplicity, curvy lines, and light woods are all characteristics of the contemporary style.

Next came commonality, followed by designs. Then, what makes a living room contemporary. Finally, how homeowners make their contemporary choices … be you. Creativity with your choices makes the living room yours. You have placed your personal touch on your future style. What an exciting threshold to cross!

Carson Dane, Founder

Furnitureplusdecor.com

A new leather reclining sofa set could be just what you want for your home! There are many factors that affect the comfort and elegance leather brings to your living areas. Leather color, grades, mechanisms and more bring you physical as well as personal comfort.

Your styles range from casual to contemporary. The more modern reclining sofa sets are very luxurious. Many of them are covered in high quality leather. Take time to view a beautiful leather reclining sofa set online. It will be a wonderful experience for you! It’s fast and easy to order.

Let’s look at each of these factors in more detail.

What Style Should I Pick?

So you’re ready to buy a new leather reclining sofa set? There are a number of styles to choose from.

Traditional: This style’s feature is simplicity and elegance. Deep colors of wood finishes such as brown, black, cherry can be mixed with upholstery done in rich colors and materials like leather and velvet. This style may also include decorative moldings or carvings.

Casual: Characterized by laid-back styling, features include simple lines, plush cushioning, and generous seating. This style creates an inviting feel and has neutral tones with a pop of color in soft fabrics or leather. It’s all about comfort.

Modern: This style is characterized by simple design and clean, crisp lines. Neutral colors and glossy finishes are also used. You’ll find leather, microfiber, metal and glass used in this style, to name a few.

Contemporary: This style is described as one that’s based on the “here and now”, very similar to Modern. This furniture may have smooth shapes and simple silhouettes in neutral colors and feature leather, microfiber, suede as well as glass, metal and wood.

Transitional: This style is popular in current home designs. It features the balance of classic elegance and modern materials with upholstery such as velvet, leather, and linen in various colors.

Mid-century Modern: This style features minimalist outlines in natural wood finishes such as walnut, pine, and oak with upholstery in solid colors. Upholstery is frequently done in chenille, linen and cotton materials. This style has few ornamental design details.

These are many of the different styles that you can check out.

Leather Color Choices

Color choices are numerous. Various color decisions give different, exciting opportunities for your creativity. Let’s say you choose dark brown leather. This is a very popular choice. Typically, this brings a traditional look.

Because fall colors have browns, and golds outside, this color choice (dark brown) gives off warm, natural beauty.

On the other hand, lighter colors give a contemporary or modern touch. White, red, yellow, light beige, just about any choice is available for you. Color choices provide various character and appeal.

Leather Grades

The production of leather is broken down into different grades.

1. Bonded leather uses left-over pieces which then are shredded. Polyurethane, and sometimes latex, is used to bond these shredded pieces together onto a mesh-like fiber.

2. Top Grain is the hide, which is actually the outer layer. It is much thicker, which gives it longer-wearing capabilities.

Top grain leathers are categorized into:

• • • • Full Grain: This includes the entire top surface of the leather. Nothing is taken from the hide. Undoubtedly, it is the best leather.
      • Corrected Grain: This is when the initial leather may have slight flaws, so they are corrected. The top of the leather is often sanded to hide any imperfections of the grain. Once that is accomplished, the leather is dyed and finally embossed. This gives the leather an overall grain similarity.
      • Nubuck: The grain side of the leather is sanded to give it a soft-to- the-touch feel like moccasins or chukka boots.

Mechanisms for Reclining Sofa Sets

There are two types of recliner mechanisms.

Power Reclining Systems

This option is becoming extremely popular. Here’s an example. We recently purchased a reclining sofa which is electrically-powered. Push one control button and you recline to any position. Another button adjusts the headrest. Yet another tap of a button actually adjusts back support. And finally, the Home Button brings you back to a sitting position when you need to get up.

Manual Reclining Systems

The second option that is also hugely popular is the non-electric, regular mechanically-operated mechanism. The non-electric mechanisms were  the first way we reclined, going back hundreds of years.

The manual mechanism can be operated with a handle, a recessed lever, or push back method.

The Push Back system is exactly as it sounds. You put your hands on the arms of the recliner and simply push backwards. There is no handle to pull up. There’s no lever on the side to pull out and, obviously, no electrical controls to work with. I would recommend buying arm covers to protect against wear and tear on the push back style.

In addition, there is an option known as a Wall Hugger sofa that sits close to the wall. It saves space. There’s also the Rocker Recliner sofa which is very versatile and provides wonderful comfort!

All of these types are available when choosing a leather reclining sofa set.

Check out online, easy-to-order possibilities that will bring you years of great comfort and personal satisfaction.

So what are the basic comparisons between Electric and Manual mechanisms? Let’s examine the pros and cons of each type.

Pros and Cons of Manual

Pros:

1. Easy push back, lever or handle controls.

2. The costs of producing manual reclining mechanisms is far less than electrical. Therefore, your investment is not nearly as much. In addition, repair costs are significantly less if repair is ever needed.

3. Believing you want to move your furniture around at some time, you don’t have nearly the weight involved. It’s easier on you physically.

4. Fabric quality and cost flexibility is a great advantage.

Cons:

1. They do get a considerable amount of use. Wear and tear on the mechanism may be slightly more than power choices.

2. Power reclining has more comfort settings. Manual has less choices and therefore you may not get exactly the comfort level you are looking for.

3. Some manual reclining sofa sets with separate recliners have a two-way position which is less comfortable and more for looks and less about comfort.

Pros and Cons of Power 

Pros:

1. I am partially disabled, therefore I went with a power reclining system. It requires no effort on my part except pushing a button. This is a fantastic way to enjoy reclining when people are physically challenged.

2. Power is a great choice for anyone. The ease with which you can achieve comfort is wonderful. There are numerous comfort levels that far exceed manual choices.

3. If medically necessary, you may very well have a power system covered by insurance.

4. They may have longer wear time due to ease of movement.

Cons:

1. Power mechanism costs more than manual. If your budget doesn’t allow this choice, then other great options are available.

2. They are heavy and more difficult to move.

3. You will need a power source which could lead to placement choice in your room. This may require the use of power extension cords. And, of course, when electricity goes out, your reclining mechanism won’t work.

4. The average warranty is around three years unless you pay for an extended warranty.

5. At the time of this writing, the motor replacement cost is around three hundred dollars.

Remember This When Looking For A Leather Reclining Sofa Set

Always begin with your choice of style to fit the interior design of your room.

Color choices make a huge difference in the design you are trying to achieve. Light colors such as yellow, light blue, or tan give a modern to contemporary look. Darker colors lend themselves to a more traditional style.

There are various leather qualities with Top Grain being the best. Top Grain includes Full Grain, Corrected Grain and Nubuck. There is also Bonded leather which is scraps of leather that are bonded together.

There are pros and cons of Manual versus Power reclining systems which should be considered.

These tips will provide you with insight on how to choose a leather reclining sofa set. I hope they will be useful when making your decision on the perfect fit for your home.

Carson Dane, Founder

Furnitureplusdecor.com

I have no doubt that the living room is one of the key areas of use in your home. Often entertaining as well as spending family moments with each other happens in that important space. The majority of homes choose casual living room furniture. I will be discussing what to look for when you make your choice.

We all have different views about our personal likes when it comes to furnishing our homes. What’s your comfort level with the type of look that is being sought? Are instincts suggesting to make choices that will satisfy your dream furniture? Do your choices fit present decor or will changes to the decor be made for a fresh, inspiring, feel-good look? Using an online room planner is one way to see what your ideas will look like before you purchase your furniture.

My experience in the furniture market has shown that casual living room furniture has to be very comfortable. This is true in particular when looking for sofas, love seats, sectionals, recliners and the like. This furniture is where friends and family plop down and enjoy their time together. Comfort, once again, is the primary key in almost all furniture choices and purchases.

Of course, relaxing when neighbors, family and guests come for a visit is important. The decisions made in regard to furniture purchases has a lot to do with this. Yet, be sure the choices reflect your personal desires as well. After all, the family will be spending more time on the furniture than anyone else.

There are many areas of interest to think about before making final decisions. For instance, fabric choice is of high priority. Perhaps leather is your go-to but you just adopted a chihuahua with sharp claws that likes to jump up on the furniture – perhaps now that is not a good choice. That white microfiber that feels like suede could be just the “pop” that your family room needs … until your preschooler drops their sippy cup filled with grape juice! Durability and cleanability are just two factors in making the relevant fabric choice for your living environment.

What about warranties from the manufacturer?

Extended warranties?

What’s the quality of the product?

There is much to consider when purchasing living room furniture, isn’t there? Coming up is what I suggest looking for.

Let’s delve into important areas to consider as decisions are made. As an example, we’ll take a look at choices of furniture including upholstered as well as end tables, etc. Then we’ll consider wood construction, and solid wood compared to particleboard and MDF products.

All of this is important when looking for casual living room furniture.

Choices for Casual Living Room Furniture

There are so many opportunities when it comes to the choices made for the living room. Let’s take a peek at possibilities. A simple plan is to look at the usual necessities for the room.

Most items searched for by a family include sofas, love seats, recliners, and coffee or end tables. From there, depending on space availability, could also be a sofa table, armchair or ottoman. These are typically the primary focuses to begin with.

Without a doubt, the choices would usually be coordinated, except in unusual circumstances (eclectic, perhaps). Simply stated, all items should look good together. If a plan has been made to entertain, the casual living room furniture should set the tone for the atmosphere you may be trying to achieve. However, the most important key is choosing for yourself, not guests.

What about comfort? In almost all decision-making, when it comes to upholstered products, comfort is key. There are many types of fabrics which result in numerous comfort levels. Resistance to stain is also important as decisions are made.

Excellent fabric allows for more comfort and longer life. With children, this is very important to consider.

There are choices in leather, cotton, polyester, nylon; all fabrics allow for different comfort levels.

Some folks look for choices to replace items every few years. Others look at furniture as a long-term investment. This certainly is something to take into consideration. As we all know, budget is often the biggest determining factor.

Wood Construction of Your Casual Living Room Furniture

What about the wood construction of coffee, end, and sofa tables? There are many factors to consider. Let’s take a look.

When first shopping, the wood looks beautiful, doesn’t it? Nice texture, finish, shine. You name it. It looks good.

What about the choice of wood furniture? There’s solid wood, particleboard, and MDF.

Solid Wood

By a long shot, solid wood will always be a great choice. Like me, it ages well. The quality is unsurpassed. There are even different strengths of wood. For example, oak and pine are two woods commonly used to make furniture. Oak versus pine – both are great. Each brings its own look and feel.

Oak is a hardwood which is heavier and and more wear-resistant. Pine, being in the soft wood family, is lighter than oak but resists or absorbs shock well. Oak tends to be darker in hue than pine, which is more in the white or creamy yellow hue. Oak is used primarily for making traditional furniture while pine is often used for modern light furniture.

Solid wood, whatever your choice, will last for many, many years.

Example of Oak Wood

 Example of pinewood

Guess what? You’ll never see two pieces of solid wood that look alike. Each has its own character. Where it grew and how old it is adds to its “One of a Kind”  look!

What a great way to show off quality in casual living room furniture. A home with real, solid wood!

Particleboard and What to Look For

You’ve seen it, perhaps experienced it. Looks pretty darn good from way off. Get closer and you’ll start seeing easy quality comparisons. However, this can be a good product for a considerably inexpensive price.

Particleboard is basically left-over wood, a waste-based product. It’s sealed together with resin. After that, it will have veneer placed on top of it or it will be painted.

Particleboard is a very light material. Compared to solid wood, this will become very evident. If the veneer gets bumped and chips off, it is harder to repair when compared to solid wood. The veneer is gone and you’re just looking at particleboard.

If particleboard gets wet, it absorbs the moisture. When it does get wet, the particleboard tends to expand and break apart over time. It’s very difficult to repair, as I mentioned earlier.

MDF Compared to Particleboard

Hearing a salesperson say “It’s all wood”, is not quite accurate when they refer to MDF. Be aware that the only “all wood” is solid wood. However, medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is much thicker(denser) than particle board. MDF is often used instead of manufactured particleboard or solid wood.

In actuality, MDF is also a wood-based composite material. It isn’t all wood however. The MDF is comprised of the composite material, pressed from polyurethane resins, residual wood fibers and wax.

MDF is superior to particleboard, however it can also expand if it gets wet or damp. This means it could crack.

Thoughts to Consider for Casual Living Room Furniture

In considering living room furniture, serious evaluation is always important. We’ve touched upon comfort and what to look for in specific fabrics. There is a great range of possibilities.

We looked at choices such as sofas, love seats, recliners, end tables, coffee tables and more. This covered some basics in a great search for the perfect addition(s) for the home.

Wood construction is, as mentioned, something to look at closely. What fits your needs and wants? We have looked at solid wood and its advantages, particleboard and MDF.

I trust that I have given you some useful insights into making living room choices. What’s considered today can be possible tomorrow.

Carson Dane, Founder

Furnitureplusdecor.com