[Editor’s note: Meaghan, a senior interior design major at High Point University, had an epiphany about the true meaning of home as she visited family over the recent Thanksgiving break and looks forward to more time at home over the Christmas break)

It is amazing what a few days away from our normal routine can do to clear our minds and illuminate our priorities. I’m a senior home furnishings major at High Point University, and recently spent some time with family in Tennessee over Thanksgiving break. In reflecting on my senior year of college, I realized that I have been hustling to and fro and I have failed to stop and appreciate all of the wonderful things I have in my life.

Being with family at home makes me realize how wonderful it is to have a home that [...]

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This November, Linly Designs furniture showroom in Clarendon Hills, Illinois had to host two separate Christmas Open Houses to accommodate the hundreds of customers lined up to see their famous holiday decorations.  The high-end furniture and interior design store has turned its new 7,400 square foot showroom into an enchanting winter wonderland with a Tuscan Old World theme in shades of gold, bronze, copper and rust.

Every November, the merchant goes all out for the holidays, decorating four large trees, creating elaborate mantle décor and adorning furniture credenzas & chests and bookcases with holiday accessories, wreaths and ribbons.

“The decorations bring the credenzas and bookcases to life, and people want to buy the furniture because of what is on top of it…the decorations make the furniture look like a million bucks,” said Janet Linly, who owns Linly Designs along with her husband Tom. [...]

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Tags: design ideas, furniture design, holiday decorating, interior design

Seating all the guests around the dining room table is one of the real challenges of Thanksgiving. Whether the guests are family or friends, you’ll want to make each feel special. Here are some suggestions that mingle younger children with older ones and adults–to help make Thanksgiving the holiday we all love so much. 

Let’s face it–some of our “beloved foods” are not what kids are accustomed to. Moms and grandmothers know an extra dish or two of something like macaroni and cheese might delight the little ones. 

If a kids’ table works for your family, and it is a tradition, that’s great. However, some kids–especially at smaller gatherings–really want to be with the big people. Here’s where your bar stools or kitchen counter stools come in handy for youngsters who don’t need high chairs. 

If there’s to be a series of tables, [...]

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Tags: dining room collections, dining room furniture, holiday decorating, kitchen dining furniture

As the day before Thanksgiving arrives in households all over the country, so will millions of college students back home for a few days, bringing with them a basket full of laundry, a readiness for some TLC and deeper connections than text and email can afford.

What could say “we love having you home for the holiday” more than a fresh look for their bedroom or bath?  The trick is to blend the familiar with the future. New sheets and towels are a great place to begin. Another small but meaningful touch may be a bigger nightstand, bedside table or bedroom furniture to hold books, electronics, and a better reading lamp. Or, you could give the bathroom a fresh, inviting look with a functional and stylish designer sink cabinet.

Some personal touches would speak volumes–like finally framing that piece of [...]

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Designers have long extolled the virtues of using neutral colors in furniture and interiors.  Earthy and impartial, neutral hues feel quiet and calming. They invite zesty accent colors and keep furniture decorating options open down the road.

Home furniture design trends from Paris would concur! The recent Maison & Objet Show in Paris was covered, head-to-toe, in neutral colors.  But it was Mother Nature’s cooler, wintery hues on display, captured in colors of bare branches, weathered woods, stone, marble, snow and laundered linens in winter whites. Complex tones contrasted even more complex tints.  The effect was shadowy and sophisticated; chic and modern on one hand, warm and embracing on the other.

After a decade entrenched in deep chocolate hues, brown is migrating to mocha, mink, camel and other lighter versions. But it’s gray that’s emerging as the new go-to neutral. Much more than [...]

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From France come two of the most beloved furniture fashions of all time — elegant 18th Century furniture style and the much copied French country furniture style. But at the recent Maison & Object design trend show in Paris, both styles looked to be undergoing a little reinvention.

In a word, the new look is all about texture. Raw meets refined… with rugged woods, industrial metals, high-touch linens mixing with contemporary shapes that show them off.

From French-inspired settees mixed with dining room collections to upholstered headboards in the bedroom, the new French look is casual, luxurious and able to transform a home into a cocoon of tactile comfort and quiet detachment from a busy world.

As with fashion, French trends travel! Here are some specific trends to watch for…

• French country reinvented. Still warm and nostalgic, the new French country [...]

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When working on a 1920’s bungalow, you have a tendency to lean back to the classic feel of the home. But wouldn’t it be fun to put a bit of a spin on bungalow style and go towards the clean transitional feel that is so popular now? Recently I had the pleasure to work in a garden room in just this situation.  Sure, we could have done the typical shabby chic look, and it would have been beautiful, but why not throw a curve ball and interject the transitional?

First, the floors had wonderful old tiger wood in beautiful condition.  The terra cotta and espresso  colors were just exploding. We went for the unusual and painted the walls a copper color – Sherwin Williams SW6353 Chivalry. AMAZING! Then we added an Art Deco style loveseat with a grass green chain [...]

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Tags: design ideas, design trends, interior design, living room accent furniture

Winners of Kendra Dining & TV Console Announced

What is one of the greatest perks of the empty nest stage of life? For Robin and Roger Klouser, it is updating their furniture and home décor.

The Edison, N.J. couple are the winners of Hooker Furniture’s Kendra dining & TV console that was part of a sweepstakes in our recent National “Get Ready for the Holidays” Dining Furniture Sale. Said Robin, “Wow, this is so amazing! My husband and I have been working on updating our furniture over the last several months, and this console fits in perfectly.”

Kendra Multi-Use Console

The Klousers have been married 27 years and have two adult children who’ve recently become established outside the home. “I must say that we are enjoying the empty nest syndrome,” Robin said. “We no longer have to worry about furniture getting ruined, and [...]

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Tags: design ideas, dining room collections, home entertainment center furniture, Hooker Furniture