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Decorating Ideas to make your Living Room more Livable Decorating Ideas to make your Living Room more Livable
Lisa French

Above all else, the furniture in the living-room should make it livable. It should be grouped so that it offers centers of interest, convenience and comfort. Look for upholstered seating with homespun-type fabric, or toss a pieced quilt over plain fabric or leather. An old rocker is a great addition.

By the time you are ready to choose the furniture for the living room, the walls and floor coverings should be in place so that the choice of furniture will be merely the selection of the best out of several possibilities. Of course, the quality, shape and color of furniture varies, and the quantity will as well.

Can one imagine a more livable living-room than one with a large, soft sofa in front of a fireplace, behind it a long table filled with books, while holding a lamp at either end. Or else, at the end of the sofa, a small table for the reading lamp and on either side a pair of comfortable chairs?

The main essentials are a comfortable sofa, a table large enough to hold books, magazines and lamps, and at least two comfortable, upholstered chairs and a smaller table.

While at the other end or side of the room, a pair of book-cases, cabinets or a credence. These balance the fireplace, since they are placed against the wall and have a corresponding shelf, cornice or mantel line.

In developing the original simple formula there may be added a chaise, a good-size table, another large chair, and another small table

Remember that it is always better to leave a space empty than to have it occupied by a badly placed piece of furniture. Good furniture needs space to be seen to its advantage.

If there is a large array of furniture in the living-room, keep the carpet, and furniture upholstery all to one tone.

Mantel accessories may be applied to the other shelves and the tables in the room. Keep them free from dust-collecting, trivial things, while creating a sense of order and cleanliness.

Balance is maintained by using objects in pairs a pair of vases, candlesticks, bowls, or jars. Placed at either end of the mantel, they should be higher than the intervening objects, to form a sweeping curve. Also they help to frame in the over-mantel picture or mirror.

In fitting furniture to its architectural background there are 3 things to consider

contour and proportion;
design and decorative detail;
color of wood.

The first two points are obviously necessary; it is in the last that the furnishing of many rooms fails. Oak and mahogany do not mix amicably; one does not set off the other because there is not sufficient contrast, nor are they closely enough allied to harmonize. On the other hand, black ebony and yellowish burr walnut, such as is used in inlaying seaweed pattern in oak, are examples of harmony gained.

Lisa French
Webmaster: Decorating country Home

Recycling Partnership Between Online Furniture Company Europe by Net and Oxfam Recycling Partnership Between Online Furniture Company Europe by Net and Oxfam
Europe by Net httpwww.europebynet.com

From an environmental perspective, land-fill taxes and the issues surrounding community waste disposal are set to become widely debated with new and strict EU laws on land-fill availability set to be introduced over the next five years. Oxfam has in excess of 700 stores and recycling centres across the UK and liaises closely with local authorities regarding disposal of large, unwanted household items such as furniture.

As Michael Taylor, Oxfam Trading’s Corporate Account Manager said, “Books and clothes comprise by far our biggest single disposal costs. Technically, furniture is disposed of by container and we pay the same container costs no matter what we put in it, though bulkier items might cost more to dispose of if we have to make special arrangements to take them to a specific amenities site. Looking ahead, it is the disposal of brown/white electrical items plus larger objects such as furniture that will probably give us most cause for concern.”

From customer research, Europe by Net recognised that its customers want their old furniture to go to a good home - and responded by launching this novel idea.

Europe by Net has from its inception maintained a strong policy of supporting local communities and charities wherever possible. In the UK it uses charity 1st Moveability to deliver its furniture – this is a charity assisting people with mental health issues. People interested in taking part in the recycling service are requested to inform Europe by Net at the time of placing their order. This service is free except for petrol/diesel delivery charges.

The "New for Old" service is currently available in the UK and US. Europe by Net offers over 5,000 products that fall within the criteria of this scheme. The company has a world-wide presence with over 50% of its business base in the US and Japan. The remainder is spread across Europe (including the UK). The company was set up with the intention of enabling consumers to save money – this has been achieved at an averate rate of 35% - the normal profit margin associated with displaying goods in high-street stores. On-line shopping continues to be a highly ranked growth area.

Visit our website to see modern furniture from Europe by Net http://www.europebynet.com

http://www.oxfam.org.uk

Europe by Net is an established internet company that was started four years ago selling both contemporary and traditional luxury furniture brands. The company has today announced the launch of its new service, "New for Old" - recycling unwanted customers' furniture by delivering them to an Oxfam store.