It’s easy to get carried away with pretty pictures and lush interiors. But when you spend your money for a magazine, here’s how to make it worth the cover price:

1.  Pay attention to the advertisements. When I was at Victoria and Better Homes & Gardens, I used to have readers who resented ads in the midst of the magazine. But remember that these companies have paid a pretty penny to get your attention for their products. Most magazines seek advertisers in line with their editorial content and mission. The ads actually keep you up to date on what’s new in the market and what companies think is their best product line.

2.  Read front and back matter carefully. Editors spend a good deal of time and research in these sections of the magazines, which readers sometimes pass over. [...]

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Tags: budget decorating, design ideas, design trends, interior design

Daniel Vice of Bethesda, Md., Leigh Nichols of Lexington, S.C. and Carole Grover of Baton Rouge, La. are the winners in our recent Wii giveaway contest. The contest was part of our National Home Entertainment-Gaming Furniture Sale that ended earlier this month.

In an effort to design gaming furniture  just for you, we asked each participant in the contest to email us about the kinds of styles, materials, storage, finishes and functions you are looking for in gaming furniture.

Daniel’s suggestion was to offer gaming consoles in certified sustainable woods. “We have young kids, and they have been learning about the importance of protecting the environment. We look for furniture made with sustainable woods with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) seal that have been harvested in a way that protects the forests and the animals that live there.”

The most frequent [...]

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Tags: furniture design, gaming furniture, home entertainment center furniture, living room accent furniture

Trilogy Chest – NEW First shown at this fall's pre furniture market

By Kim Shaver

Have you ever wondered about all the steps that happen between someone having an idea for a great new furniture design and the moment you walk into a furniture store to see beautiful rooms on display?

One of the key steps between furniture ideas and reality is premarket. The most recent premarket happened September 13-14 in High Point, N.C., the furniture capital of the world. Premarket is a semi-annual event held about a month before the October and April High Point Furniture Markets. While the Fall and Spring High Point Markets draw some 85,000 attendees from around the world to shop the showrooms of close to 2000 exhibitors, premarket is a smaller, more intimate event.

The September 2010 premarket had 25 sponsoring exhibitors, and a record-breaking  number of [...]

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Tags: bedroom furniture, dining room furniture, Hooker Furniture, youth furniture

Don’t look so surprised when I say yes to that, ok? Just because you have children who are into everything doesn’t mean your home accessorizing should consist of the blue, red and yellow plastic world of kids’ playthings. Your home decor should look like adults live there, too!

I’ve actually walked into a friend’s house to see her entire living room floor encased in a primary-colored plastic fence in order to keep her daughter occupied without giving her access to bookshelves, the entertainment center and sofa pillows! It was beyond crazy — not to mention it was not winning ANY style points, either. Here are a few ways to accessorize and furnish your home in a way that is safe for small kids, but pleasing to Mom’s eye as well!

Island Retreat Storage Bench

• Look for patterns that hide stains [...]

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Are you a gamer?

Chances are the answer is “yes.” We recently learned that there are more than 34 million U.S. households that own gaming systems like Nintendo Wii, Sony Playstation and X-Box 360, according to Centris Market Intelligence.

At Hooker, we’ve developed an extensive line of gaming furniture . We have one primary objective: to enhance the experience of gaming for people by helping to organize and streamline your systems and integrate gaming with a complete home theater  experience.

In the video featured with this blog, our own Hank Long, who oversees the development of all our home entertainment furniture, is demonstrating the bells and whistles of some of our gaming consoles.

During our National Factory-Authorized Home Entertainment Sale Gaming Furniture Event  happening now through September 14, Hank has a favor to [...]

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What makes a great scrapbook?

“A great scrapbook tells your family’s story, starts up conversations and preserves a heritage for your children.”

That’s the opinion of Tina of Scrapbook Traditions, who led a scrapbooking party and workshop recently at Furnitureland South, and co-sponsored by Hooker Furniture. Tina and her associate Stacie of Scrapbook Traditions in Winston-Salem, N.C., known for the largest scrapbook supply inventory in the Carolinas, gave ideas and tips to a few dozen participants on a busy Saturday at Furnitureland South. Those who attended were able to get an up-close look at the Hobby Cabinet that was part of a sweepstakes giveaway from Furnitureland and Hooker Furniture.

In addition to enjoying refreshments and vying for door prizes at the scrapbooking event, participants saw demonstrations and ideas about Copic marker techniques, acrylic stamps, border punching and dye-cutting. Tina and Stacie [...]

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“This is unbelievable, I am just thrilled and so excited.” That was the reaction of Karen Eisensmith of Lake View, N.Y. when she learned that she was the winner of the Hooker Furniture Hobby Cabinet, the prize of a joint sweepstakes with Hooker and Furnitureland South.  As it turns out, Karen is an avid crafter. She makes jewelry, paints and creates mosaics. She and her husband, Dan, live near Lake Erie.  They enjoy walking along the shore and collecting sea glass. She makes lots of beautiful items with the sea glass she collects, including mobiles and wind chimes.

Karen Eisensmith

Karen even has an entire room of her house devoted to crafting, and she can’t wait for the craft furniture to transform the room. “The room Is a mess,” she said. “Supplies and tools are all over the place and I am always [...]

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