Long after birthing the settee, armoire, Louis XV chair and more, Paris is once again setting trends for home.

As always, the chic elegance that defines French taste was well represented at the recent Maison & Objet show in Paris. But historic looks continue to be redefined, with relaxed finishes and cleaner shapes replacing the polished wood, fancy carvings and elegant damasks of period styles. A veritable feast for the senses, this stylish home fashion show suggests that perhaps a sense of history can be achieved as much with well-worn materials as with well-aged design ideas!

Here were four of the key trends shown…

Unexpected combinations like slipcovers, metal & wicker

1) Unexpected combinations Mixing elegant and casual is well within the French DNA, and unique mixes of materials and textures this year didn’t disappoint. My favorite room setting included a slip-covered linen sofa paired [...]

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Tags: accent furniture, bed, chairs, French design, French laundry looks, industrial style, living room furniture, Maison & Objet, Paris Maison & Objet, slip-covered couches, slip-covered sofas, sofas, table

True, ottomans, benches and cubes are perfect for putting our feet up. But they’re taking center stage in living rooms today, offering a pretty, practical and comfy (!) alternative to coffee tables.

Below, a few tips on choosing the perfect ottomans for your home…

1.  Use more than one! Today’s ottomans are designed to be used in pairs, trios or even quartets. That gives them an appealing visual texture… and flexibility! They can be separated and moved where needed. Check out this pair of Sam Moore’s Porter cubes covered in a new pop art cabbage rose pattern in a bright magenta and tangerine.

Porter Cubes by Sam Moore

2.  Choose ottomans that match each other. There are plenty of ottoman designs to choose from today, but keep sets of ottomans the same size, shape and design. Placed next to each other, they’ll reinforce each [...]

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Tags: benches, cubes, foot stools, furniture ottomans, living room furniture, ottomans

After several years of a minimalist, clean and serene approach to home décor, a counter trend is on the horizon.

Patterns ranging from Macintosh-inspired fretwork to Art Nouveau-inspired headboards to accents with lacework and needlework motifs to fabrics with ogee and Greek key designs abound in the Hooker Furniture and Sam Moore showrooms. The architectural and geometric patterns “represent a much-needed counter trend to the recent super-clean looks,” said Michelle Lamb, director of The Trend Curve “Patterns draw the eye and draw you in. They won’t eliminate the need for a minimalist approach, but will create a better balance between plain and pattern in the two years ahead,” she said.

Mélange Curlacue Chest

Colorful, vivacious and extravagant patterns are particularly prevalent in Hooker’s Mélange accent collection. These patterns are as classic as repeated damasks and scrolls and ogees and as whimsical as bright florals [...]

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Tags: accent furniture, accents, design ideas, design trends, furniture design, Hooker Furniture, interior design, living room accent furniture, living room furniture

Shopping for a new addition to your home that brings the mood and hue of fall? Here are several living room accent furniture items that will move in as effortlessly as a leaf drifts down from a tree. Each adds a focal point that will inspire you to bring more of the outdoors in. And with each, a few suggestions on how to make it feel at home during the delightful autumn days.

Retro Stiped Accent Chest

A CHEST OF MANY COLORS: Any room or entryway will become as dramatic as the hillsides of a Vermont autumn with the retro striped hand-painted chest.  In keeping with its earth tones, top with a beautiful piece of pottery, perhaps a jug in a wonderful honey [...]

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Tags: accent furniture, accents, chests, design ideas, design trends, furniture design, gaming furniture, holiday decorating, interior design, living room furniture

Ah . . . accents!  How do I love them?  Let me share the many ways!  While the form of a room is most certainly sculpted by the major furniture selections, such as sofas and larger case pieces, for this interior designer, the little accents chisel in the finishing details and bring the artistry of the room to light.  They also allow a bit of instant gratification for adorning a dull corner or an empty spot.  A discerning eye can help to place them in order to prevent the error of too much eye candy or clutter.  You may also find certain pieces will offer an extra welcome function.  A little storage here or a little room divider there can go a long way!

Demilune From Pearson Furniture

1.  Demilunes – I do love a good demilune!  They flank a bed beautifully as [...]

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Tags: accent furniture, bench, benches, chests, demilunes, living room accent furniture, living room furniture, mirrored furniture, nest of tables, nesting tables

You might call them the “Oscars of Furniture.”

They are the Pinnacle Design Awards, awarded annually by the American Society of Furniture Designers to recognize achievement in furniture design and to promote design excellence and originality. Awards are given in 15 categories ranging from casual dining to bedroom to leather upholstery to juvenile furniture to major collections.

Rafferty Console

We think the Pinnacle Awards, established in 1995, are a terrific idea to recognize the often unsung heroes behind the scenes who design and birth furniture. These designers are vital to making furniture an exciting fashion industry. They create cherished and beautiful pieces that transform our houses into homes.

This year, Hooker Furniture is very excited to have four furniture items or collections as finalists for the 2011 Pinnacle Awards! Drum roll please, our finalists are:

Rafferty Console, nominated in the occasional table [...]

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Tags: accent furniture, accents, bedroom furniture, design ideas, design trends, furniture design, interior design, living room accent furniture, living room furniture, whimsical furniture, youth furniture

If you live in a house built before 2000, chances are you have a small room near the front of the house originally designated as a formal living room or sitting room.

As most lifestyles have become more casual and oriented around technology, the formal living room has become a thing of the past for many. So how can you reinvent that space to create a room more relevant to how you live?

Gayle Cook of Waller, Texas, the winner of our Moccato functional living room table in the recent Hooker Furniture contest, has happily reinvented her former sitting room into a multipurpose room that she describes as “my favorite room of the house.”

“I find the room very inviting and functional,” Gayle said. “In the room I have my computer and exercise equipment, watch TV and entertain comfortably, all in a cozy, small [...]

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Tags: accent furniture, bathroom furniture, home entertainment center furniture, home office, home office computer desk, home office furniture desk, living room accent chairs, living room furniture, living room table, multi-purpose room, sink cabinet, small computer desk

Are you ready to be refreshed by the latest home décor and furniture fabrics?

If the recent international fabric fair, Showtime, held twice a year in High Point, N.C. is any indication, the newest fabrics are delicious, vibrant and anything but expected in their range of design.

Our Director of Merchandising for Hooker Furniture Upholstery, Sandi Teague, had some delightful observations from the recent Showtime event about emerging colors and styles in fabric. She pointed out several emerging color palettes. My personal favorite is “Bloom,” a refreshing combination of pink, honeysuckle and watermelon tones paired with citrus greens and sunny yellows. Now if that doesn’t brighten your spirits, what will? Here are a few of the other color palettes she observed:

Patriotic hues of red, white and blue (just in time for Independence Day), often used with script patterns
Graphite mixed with golden green-yellow
A myriad [...]

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

Even though she is “land-locked” where she lives in Yukon, Oklahoma, her home has the serene and sunny vibe of the beach. “I use a lot of light colors like cream and ivory with blues like robin’s egg blue and turquoise, mixed with dark floors for an elegant beach feel and the look of water,” says Reesa Hembree. “We’ve picked up that style by vacationing a lot in the Florida Panhandle area. So even though there’s not a beach within hundreds of miles of our home, we can still have the feel of a beach retreat here.”

That’s the magic of decorating and design. Through interior decorating, you have the ability to transform your environment and transport yourself to any location in the world. In so doing, not only do your surroundings transform, but your state of mind transforms as well.

Reesa and [...]

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Tags: accent furniture, accents, design ideas, design trends, interior design, living room furniture, stay-cation, whimsical furniture

If you’ve never been to a High Point Furniture Market, it’s difficult to describe how exciting it is. Turn me loose during furniture market, and I’m like a kid in a candy store! There are splashes of color, texture, patterns, and tons of cool accessories that make me want to redecorate every room in my house. It’s such a fun experience, that feeling like you’re walking through the pages of your favorite home décor magazine. I want to surround myself with all of these beautiful things that seem to have “me” written all over them.

Moccato Collection

Some of the trends from this past spring’s High Point Market are a great mix of drama and color. Don’t get me wrong — going for drama doesn’t mean your bedroom needs to look like Lady Gaga lives there. When it [...]

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Tags: bedroom furniture, design ideas, design trends, furniture design, living room accent furniture, living room furniture, storage furniture