Interior Design Ideas: 7 Tips for Furniture Shopping

You've remodeled your basement or added a family room on to the back of your house. Now you need to add new furniture to complete the space. The first thing you're likely to do is rush out to the local furniture store.

And that's probably a big mistake.

Here are some helpful tips from Sixwise.com that can make sure you avoid a furniture shopping disaster.

1. Compare Prices Online First: Even if you don't buy online, do some research to find out how low the prices might be on some similar items. Some are even buying furniture online, which I don't recommend because you can't really test it out and returning it is not easy (if it's even possible.) But information and price comparison can be very valuable
2. Negotiate the Price: Most people hate the haggle. But furniture can be expensive so hold your ground to get a 10 to 20% discount at mid to high end retail shops. If you can't get them to drop the price, work out better financing or hold out for a sale
   
3. Ask for Extras: Ask for a deal on delivery or assembly if it's an extra cost. Get a warranty in writing, too
   
4. Shop Prepared: Know your room dimensions before you leave the house. Know what styles you like and that are right for your room. Know what colors you have to work with (curtains, other furniture, blinds, carpet, hardwood floors, interior paint, etc.) Get swatches from a paint store that match the items already in the room and take them to the furniture store. Find out what the store return policy is in case the new items don't work in the room
   
5. Mind your Cushions: The cushions are the most important component of any chair or sofa. Ignore talk of the frames and springs and construction. The cushions make or break the comfort and usability of the furniture. Test it out, try it out, and make sure it will work for you for a long period of time
   
6. Skip Fabric Protection: you can apply all the fabric protection you need aftermarket and for a lot less (if you don't mind the chemical factor)
   
7. Higher Prices Don't Mean Higher Quality: in '02, the FTC pulled accurate label requirements for furniture which means you cannot trust what you believe on any label or from any salesman anymore. Just because it says it contains this or that or can do this or that, don't believe the hype.

If you need more home design help, an Interior Designer can do wonders for you. And it doesn't mean you have to be a millionaire just to talk to a designer. But it could help to have a consultation to make sure you're buying what's right for your home and buying it from the place that is right for your budget. Interior Designers know where to look for the right item, how to match the colors correctly, and how to get the best price.

ConstructionDeal.com can help you find Interior Design Pros at no cost. Simply submit a request and get contact information for or phone calls from local designers. It's that easy. And there's no obligation.

RELATED POSTS:
Interior Design Trends for 2007
Remodeling Ideas: Kitchen Design Ideas
Remodeling Trends: Wrought Iron Elegance

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Home Maintenance: Protect Your Gutters

I've discovered a neat little product you can install yourself to help protect your gutters. I was cleaning a ton of crap out of my gutters while I was installing my Christmas lights this year so I did some online snooping and found a company called GutterPlus. They've got a gutter system that doesn't require any nails or screws or any kind of add-on to your roof or gutters. It's a filter that keeps the leaves, branches, and even the snow and ice out while letting the water flow through and away from your house.

I didn't really think something like this would work, so I contacted the company owner to talk about it. Joe Iarussi had been installing, cleaning, and removing junk from gutters for over 30 years -- so he knows the type of product that would be needed to do the job. His company sells the Freedom Filter - a high quality gutter filtration system that will not get dislodged, not clog, and not wear out. He even put a 20-year warranty on it.

From the design, I could see it would work. But my concern was that the filter would eventually break down from being exposed to the elements (wind, rain, UV light, and all the problems that come with overexposure to water, like mold and fungus.) Joe explained it has a Biocide that is part of the material and kills the fungus and mold. It's also a fast-drying material and only retains a small percentage of moisture which limits any biological matter from forming. The fact that it allows water to move through quickly also prevents dangerous and heavy ice and icicles from forming on your gutters.

It's very important, number 1, to have gutters. Gutters help protect your home by channeling water away from the roof, siding, windows, and the foundation of your house. If rain runs off the roof and down into your foundation, it can weaken it or contribute to flooding in your basement.
And, number 2, if you have gutters they need to stay free of debris. If they are clogged and cannot move water away from your home, it's the same as not having any gutters at all.

Joe's Freedom Filter will help keep your gutters from clogging and he guarantees it. I'm going to be ordering my set very soon - it's just not safe to keep climbing up on a ladder every month to clean all the pine needles out of my gutters. Sooner or later, something bad could happen.

If you'd like to order your Freedom Filter, or you have any additional questions about it, give Joe a call at 216-319-1942 (email him at Joe (at) GutterPlus.com) or visit his website and check out his Frequently Asked Questions page.

If you need gutters installed first - you can go to our Gutters page and submit a request at no cost. We'll connect you with our network of Gutter Contractors - for free - and they should have no problem installing your Freedom Filter at the same time!

Ready for the Big Game? Plasma, 1080i, LCD, DLP?

They say that nearly two and a half million people are considering a major HDTV purchase before this years Super Bowl football game on February 4th. That's a lot of plasma and LCD televisions and a lot of people, I'm sure with a lot of questions.

If you're one of the many considering a purchase for the big game, you want to check out our Home Technology blog. We've got a lot of advice prepared on plasma versus LCD and some installation tips. Even if you're not buying for the football game, 2007 is turning out to be the big year for high definition television purchases as the prices continue to fall and new technology is improving an already nearly perfect picture.

Confused about 1080i or how high your plasma screen should be? Here are a few related posts for you:

• How High Should You Install the Plasma TV?
• Plasma versus LCD
• Advantages of Plasma
• Front Projection TVs
• The BEST Rear Projection HDTV
• Plasma TV Installation

And, if you've already bought your Hi-Def TV from Costco, and need someone to install it for you, then go ahead and post your project for free on our Home Technology page.

Charles and Hudson: A DIYer Web Magazine

I wanted to provide a little "link love" to a site that I just stumbled across. It's a blog called Charles and Hudson and it's a great resource for those interested in tips, techniques, tools, and design ideas in home improvement and repair. They cover a lot of categories and offer up advice and links on everything from drywall repair or installing a circuit breaker to holiday design ideas.

The site has been around since 2005 and has topics on repair, remodeling, design, restoration, real estate, tool reviews and tips, and build-it-yourself. They've been scouring the Internet, coming up with great ideas, as well as useful blogs and websites, that can help keep you informed. And, as we all know, knowledge is power. The more you know before you start on any remodeling or repair project, the more likely you are to succeed.

It's an excellent resource and a site you'll want to bookmark and keep handy before you begin your next DIY project.

Interior Design Trends for 2007

We always know what's going to be the latest trend and which product will be the new "must-have" each year. When it comes to home improvement and remodeling, it's no different.

What is different is that most renovation projects you do in your home will last much longer than the latest clothing trend or cell phone. When you redo your kitchen, you're going to be stuck with it for quite some time...

However, a new coat of paint, some accessories, and some window treatments can completely change the look of your room - for just a few hundred dollars - and if you don't like it in a few months... you can always change it again.

If you're interested in hiring an Interior Designer for even more help -- post your request with ConstructionDeal.com.

We've got a plethora of information on Design Trends for home this year. Check them all out:

2007 Home Design Trends has a new look at what's hot!

Wendy, over at the Spacelift Blog, has some insights into the coming 2007 trends in interior design. She talks about what's going to be hot in color choices (Color), comfort choices (Atmosphere), sustainability (Building) and touches on luxury products that could be trending your way... if you're rich (Luxury. Elevators?!)

To touch on a little of her insight (she's an Interior Designer in Omaha), she talks about new colors for '07 - oranges, greens, and blues. She mentions that these colors have been hot in fashion and you may have been seeing them in magazines and in stores but that it takes a little while for trends to move over to the interior design world. She predicts blues, greens, and oranges will be the "must haves" for this year.

I also like her idea of homeowners going for a more comfortable style. As people have rushed, in the recent past, to expensive materials to fill their kitchens and baths, it's nice to know that the stuffy or formal is fading away.

I've got an article on our Kitchen Remodeling blog that talks about Jumbled Kitchens - which is about homeowners who are looking for a mix of materials in their new kitchens. They don't want a solid row of kitchen cabinets that are all the same size and all the same color. They're mixing it up for a more comfortable, European flair. Mixing wood with steel, adding quartz counters alongside a bamboo counter, or maybe even putting a marble center in the middle of a hardwood floor.

Whatever you do with your interior design this year, please don't renovate or decorate just to "show off" like some do just to get a picture of their living room in a magazine. It always looks forced and overly formal. Untouchable. You want to strive for whatever makes you happy and whatever lets you and your guests feel comfortable in your own home that will be the latest and greatest for 2007.

Finally, consider ConstructionDeal.com for any home improvement, decorating and design professional that you need. We've got a network of over 65,000 service pros, contractors, and designers to help you.

And it's all free for you to find a quality pro!

RELATED POSTS:
Kitchen Design Trends 2007
Remodeling Trends - The Home Office
From CNN: 5 Home Remodeling Trends

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Wiki: How to Find a Contractor

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