Arizona Wholesale Supply

Many homes have dining and living areas within a single open space, and it can be a decorating challenge to satisfy both functions while keeping the room harmonized.

This room does a good job with both. Let’s see what was done to make it work.

First, colors and design harmonize within the space. Classic wood flooring and paint as well as window coverings also mesh. By doing this, the long view of the room feels cohesive.

To define boundaries for the living room, the area rug captures every piece of furniture. The simple rug provides a defined living area, supported by chairs aimed toward the center. As a final touch, the table between the two chairs adds to the sense of a boundary and actually closes off a pathway between the living and dining areas.

The dining area is rectangular, so choosing a rectangle shape for the dining table emphasizes the dining room boundary. The area without a rug provides plenty of space for six people to eat comfortably. The chandelier overhead also provides evidence that this is a dining room in spite of the close proximity to the living area.

The fireplace provides a focal point for the living room and the dining room needs something on that wall also. By placing the two tall plants on either side of the window, the dining space has its own presence.

Many people choose to use a bookshelf or other piece of furniture to separate two functional areas, but in this room, the rug serves the same purpose without creating a feeling of a room that is too divided.

One of the best ways to update your home is with a color change. Colors go in and out of fashion in home products as well as clothes, and changing your home’s color palette can be a great way to modernize your home’s look.

One place to start looking at color is your local decorator fabric store. In less than an hour you can get exposed to all of the newest colors and patterns in home design. It’s also a great way to explore your choices for a new look.

Walk around the store with an open mind. Are you drawn to the stripes in bold tones or the simple small print in fall colors? Do you find yourself heading for the solids or have the floral prints captured your attention? As you wander through the store, eventually a handful of fabrics will stand out for you. Have the salesperson pull them and look at your choices together. Are there two or three or four that really excite your imagination? Well, buy a quarter to half-yard of each and take them home.

Scatter your purchases around your house and move them often. See how each looks under varying lights. As you live with them, eventually one or two will start to lead the pack. Now it’s time for the next step. Grab those swatches and bring them to our showroom. We’ll help you find the best choices in flooring, cabinets, and so much more for you new colors!

Without leaving your home, you can get into better shape. Even three times a week can make a difference in your health and your life.

One spot that works for most homes is in front of the sofa in the living or dining room if you move the coffee table to the side. This can also put you in a position to see your television and DVD player. Many exercise programs are available at a minimal price on DVD.

If you have carpeting, you can simply add a beach towel and you’re ready to go. If you have hardwood or tile floors, or if you just want more cushioning, look for a yoga mat. These are available at many discount and department stores and provide the softness you need to handle floor exercises.

Any kind of exercise is good for you, but the best approach is to include strength, flexibility and aerobic elements. For aerobics, take a walk or pick up one or more dance exercise DVDs. Strength training can involve repetitions of various exercises or moving with weights – either dumbbells or wrist and ankle weights. For flexibility training, yoga is one of the best tools. Pick up a book or DVD to start. If you progress well, you may want to take an occasional class to have the instructor help you with the proper form.

Taking better care of you doesn’t require a gym. Just commit to making slow changes and getting more active and you will reap the rewards.

Buying a home can feel like an unending quest. The good news is that work is done. The other – not bad – news is that you still have decisions to make.

Are you satisfied with the look of your home? Do you plan to put in new flooring and window treatments or to repaint? If so and your budget allows it, consider getting these projects finished before moving in.

All of these are easier to manage before your furniture arrives. Removing old flooring can create a lot of dust. Installers find it easier to focus on the job when they don’t have to manage your furniture at the same time. Window treatments eliminate the need for temporary window coverings, and their look can affect your choice of paint color in each room.

Be sure to measure all of your new rooms and make a preliminary plan for where each major piece of furniture will fit. This makes moving faster and smoother for you and your movers, as well as potentially less expensive if you’re paying by the hour. You may want to label all of your boxes for the appropriate rooms to make unpacking more efficient.

Once you’ve settled in, take some time before buying any additional furniture or hanging pictures. Give yourself a chance to get comfortable in your home before you make decisions on what else it needs. With your choice of flooring, window coverings and paint taken care of, it will be easier to complete your decorating plans.

When it’s time to replace a room’s flooring, the following questions may help you focus your shopping experience.

1. What purpose does the room have now and what purpose do you anticipate in the future? Today’s den may be tomorrow’s nursery or once a child leaves home their room may become a guest room. Good flooring will last a long time. Think about current and future plans for the room.
2. What expectations do you have for the new flooring? Is low maintenance or style the most important goal? Write a list of your expectations in terms of performance. Your salesperson can help you narrow your search based on that information.
3. Will that room stay in its current style or evolve in a new direction? Has your taste changed over the years? Make sure that you choose flooring that will allow you to make other changes in the future.
4. Are there any color requirements or preferences for the room? Be sure to choose flooring to work with future color plans.
5. What are your budget goals for replacing the flooring? You may be willing to spend a bit more if the flooring you choose will enhance the resale value. Having a least a budget range in mind will help your salesperson direct you to the appropriate options.

Finding the answers to these questions will give you a good start to your shopping efforts, making your flooring selection easier and more enjoyable.

Can you believe that Easter Sunday is this week?  It seems as if the year is flying right by!  We’d like to share some useful information with you just in case you or someone in your family dropped some Easter egg dye on the carpet.  Happy Easter!

Detergent Solution – Mix one fourth (1/4) teaspoon of a liquid dishwashing detergent per one (1) cup of lukewarm water. NEVER USE A STRONGER CONCENTRATION! Thorough rinsing is necessary to remove detergent residues that may cause rapid soiling. It may be necessary to rinse with warm water several times to completely remove residues. (See Residue Precautions.) Care should be used in selecting a detergent. Never use a laundry detergent of any type, because laundry detergents may contain optical brighteners (flourescent dyes) that dye the fiber. Do not select an automatic dishwashing detergent because many contain bleaching agents that destroy dyes and some fibers.

Warm Water – Lukewarm tap water should be used in most cases to rinse the cleaning solutions from the fiber. Failure to completely rinse the solutions from the fiber may cause accelerated soiling.

Ammonia Solution – Mix one (1) tablespoon of household ammonia per cup of water. Please note: Be aware that ammonia, if used improperly, can cause a color change. Be sure to test a hidden area.

Call a Professional – Professional cleaners have the ability and the equipment to use more aggressive cleaning solutions to remove stubborn spills. Always consider consulting a professional cleaner regarding any spot removal question. CRI – 1-800-882-8846.

Sometimes when you redecorate you can become burnt out and ready to just be done. It’s during this time that you may overlook finishing details. Believe it or not, these finishing details are what is needed to achieve a completed look.

Accessories should be placed in and around your interior. Accessories can be anything from books, pottery, greenery, framed photos, centerpieces, area rugs, and candles. Also don’t forget to use accent pillows on seating and beds. Accents pillows are a must on sofas and loveseats, so try not to leave those items out. Also decorative throws add a finished look and comfort to seating.

Lamps and other accent lighting are necessary to provide task lighting as well as a warm cozy glow. Overhead fixtures alone do not make a room more inviting. Rely on table and floor lamps for accent lighting.

Assess areas in your home that feel unfinished to you, chances are one finishing detail to that particular architectural feature or area can make vast improvements and complete a space!

How good are you at visualizing a finished room from a collection of samples? If you find the process frustrating, this tip might make your decision easier – set the sample in the same position it will have once installed. For example, evaluate a carpet sample on the floor, not on a table or vertically on a display.

Why does this help? Well, how often do you look at your carpeting at table height? Placing a sample at the installation angle will enable you to see how the nap of a carpet or the curve of a tile looks on the floor. Color and tone can also look different with angle and distance. You want to position the sample so that you can more easily visualize the whole room.

Stand with your feet at the edge of the sample and look down, then step back a few feet and look across at the sample. This can be particularly helpful when selecting grout color for tile. Once you’ve done this with your final choices, you may very well find your decision is obvious. At the very least, you have more information for making your choice.

You can take the same approach for a kitchen or bath, although it’s a bit trickier. Get some friends to help you hold your samples at the right angles and distance from each other, then step back and look. You won’t have the whole picture, but you will be closer to it, making it easier to take those additional steps to visualizing the end result.

When you’re choosing flooring, narrowing down your choices and making the final decisions can be a real challenge. If you’re concerned about handling this process, let us provide you with a couple of steps to make deciding easier for you.

Studies show that people find it much more difficult to choose from among 30 choices than five or six. If you’re looking at more than six or eight options and it’s hard for you to narrow them down, you can use this next approach to trick your mind into looking at fewer options at a time. Take your final selections and separate them into sets of two. Then, looking only at one set a time; choose one of the two to keep in your stack. Have your salesperson run off with the other ones before you start second-guessing. By the time you finish, you will have cut the options you’re considering in half. Repeat as necessary until you only have three or four choices left.

If you’ve narrowed down your choices and are still having trouble, it’s time to try decision tactic number two – reverse decision making. Instead of picking the one you want, eliminate the one, or two, or three you don’t want. Of your final choices, one of them will stand out as the one you can’t eliminate. That’s your best choice.

Remember, all of your selections will look beautiful in your home. Don’t think of this as a source for stress but an opportunity for fun.

For part 1 this series, click here.