Style and Function Meet in the Dogwood Desk from Paula Deen Furniture

Whether you work from home full time or use your home office for paying bills and managing household accounts, you may find yourself drowning under piles of papers and other items. A messy desk could be hiding more than just your eyeglasses, it could also be affecting your productivity. Organizing and decluttering your desk can help you stay on track. If you are tired of drowning under piles of papers, here are a few tips to get you on your way to creating an organized and clutter-free desk.

Make the Time

We are all short on time and it may seem like you are too busy doing everything else to take a moment to do this one thing for yourself. Check your calendar and block off 30 minutes or an hour for organizing and decluttering. If it motivates you, you can announce your intention to the world—then you almost have to follow through. You can also announce when you have completed your mission and receive the accolades you deserve for all your hard work.

Organize the Top of Your Desk

Whether you tackle it first or last, the hardest thing to do is to clear as much as you can from the top of your desk. Although this may be difficult if you are short on storage space, clear away all loose papers, pens, and paperclips. For example, The Note-Worthy Desk from the Dogwood Collection for Paula Deen Home helps your stay decluttered by giving you the option of stowing your keyboard in a special pull-out keyboard drawer.

The style of the desk automatically makes your office look neater and more organized. There is no room for extraneous items, so you are forced to ruthlessly file, stow, or throw anything that doesn’t have a purpose. As you are decluttering, you’ll need folders, boxes, and shelves for storage—this will also keep your desk free and clear. It can take anywhere from 21 to 66 days to form a new habit, so hang a sticky note on your computer to remind you to keep everything in its place and not just leave things lying around.

Make a Place for Everything

Make a place for any items that are important for you to keep as work on your decluttering. Do not create a pile to put away later, that almost never happens and you’re likely to pile back on your desk. Invest in shelving and use pretty baskets that match your style and don’t skimp on the quality—you’ll want something that will stand up to the amount of use you will get out of them. Add any knick-knacks, books, and mementoes that inspire you to the shelves and stow everything else somewhere else in the house.

In addition to the pull-out keyboard drawer, The Note-Worthy Desk has two additional drawers where you can store any essential office supplies such as pens, post-it notes, and note pads. You can also store devices that are not in use, or set up a charging station using the power outlet inside the one of the drawers. Or consider going wireless if possible, cords are dust magnets and often play a starring role in coffee mug spills. Keep a few items on the top of the desk, the thought is to look warm, clean, and clutter free, not bare, stark, and cold.

When deciding how you want to reorganize, keep in mind your work flow—make sure you have those items you use often at your finger tip and store out of sight important but possibly less used papers. The more consistent you are with sticking to your new system, the easier it will be to stay decluttered. Spend 15 minutes a week, or 5 minutes each day toward keeping your desk neat and clean and it will stay clear for good.

What is your furniture style? When it comes to form and function, the Paula Deen Furniture Collection has versatile and beautiful pieces to suit your style. Ready to revolutionize your home? Read Baer’s Furniture reviews to discover why your Florida neighbors choose to redecorate with us.

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Tips on Buying Leather Furniture with Bernhardt Furniture

A leather sofa is a beautiful, durable option that can add appealing style and comfort to any room in your house. However, before you run out and buy the first leather couch you fall in love with, it is important that you know what to look for, so that you get the most comfort and durability for your investment. Use this guide to decide whether leather furniture, such as the top-grain, aniline leather Grandview 5 Piece Traditional Sectional Sofa is perfect for you and your family’s lifestyle.

Why Choose Leather?

Durable, cleanable, and stylish, leather is different from other materials used to upholstered furniture. In addition, natural look of leather furniture adds unparalleled richness to any room. These features make purchasing leather furniture a great investment. If cared for properly, your leather couch could last more than 20 years. Compare that to the four or five year average lifespan of other materials and the advantage is clear.

Guide for Buying Leather Furniture

Before you start shopping for any type of furniture, measure the space where you will put the furniture. This will save you a great deal of time since you don’t want to bring your new sofa home and realize that it doesn’t fit in your house. Then, consider the type of leather grain—the surface material you will actually sit upon. There are many grades of leather grain, to ensure you are buying the best grain, choose a leather that has been allowed to keep the original animal grain. Below is a list of the different types of leather on leather sofas.

Bonded Leather

Bonded leather is a cheap way to get the look and feel of leather, but in reality it is barely leather at all. By definition, bonded leather is required to be only 17% leather. It is made of scraps of leather with a polyurethane coating. Although significantly cheaper, bonded leather is closer to plastic than leather, and unlike actual top grain leather, it will never acclimate to your body temperature and get more comfortable with age.

Bi-cast

Bicast, bycast, bi-cast, leather, or PU leather is the next level up in quality. During the leather production process, a hide is cut into horizontal layers: top grain, which is the actual surface of the hide where you can see evidence of pores and hair follicles, and additional layers split below that. Bicast leather consists of a layer of split too thin or flawed for normal use. Like bonded leather, it is sealed with a layer of polyurethane, and there is no actual point of contact between the leather and your skin. In addition, bicast cracks and peels if exposed to too much friction, understand that when you bycast furniture with you are not purchasing real leather.

Split Grain

Once the top grain is removed from the hide, split leather is made from what remains of the hide. It is harder and cheaper than top grain leather, is more fragile, and can be easily damaged. While it is still 100% leather, it lacks the characteristics of top-grain leather due to differences in processing.

Top Grain

Also known as corrected grain or full grain pigmented, this leather is made from the hide’s outer layers. It is the toughest type of leather and is usually buffed to remove imperfections. Furniture upholstered in top grain is often more expensive, but is incredibly soft and long lasting.

Full Grain

Full-grain leather furniture retains the pattern created by the pores and hair follicles of the animal it was taken from. The entire hide is used, not just some of the layers. It retains all imperfections created by the original texture, and it will look and feel better as it ages. Furniture made with top-grain leather is usually the most expensive available.

Now that you have a guide to the different types of leather furniture, you can make an informed decision. You’ll know what to look for, and what questions to ask. Visit Baer’s Furniture to check out their selection of top-grain leather furniture from brand names such as Bernhardt and more.

Curious about Baer’s Furniture? Learn more about our company executives and founding on Bloomberg’s Baer’s Furniture company profile!

Make Your Bedroom a Getaway with Shades of Blue

With cool, relaxing hues, blue is the perfect color to turn your master bedroom into a relaxing getaway. Quiet, uninterrupted time is more than a treat, it is a necessity in today’s fast-paced, high-stressed world. One of the more soothing colors on the spectrum, shades of blue range from pale robins-egg blue to deep navy, so there is bound to be a shade that works with your decorating style.

If you have a traditional bedroom, deep shades of blue can give you an elegant backdrop for antiques and classic furnishings. A deep shade doesn't have to be a dark shade; muted and pale tones of blue can create a soft look if you don’t want a dark color on your walls. Try blue-grey, or a grey with undertones of lavender, for a comforting and romantic feel.

Bold and Functional Storage Solutions from Hooker Furniture

Making the most of your vertical space and reducing clutter are two ways you can make your room more organized and functional. But not all bookcases are created equal. As with any piece of furniture that will become a focal point in your living room, purchasing a bookshelf should be a well-researched and informed decision. Your new bookcase should tie your living room furniture together while making a statement without being gaudy. That’s a tall order for a tall piece of furniture.

With so much at stake, it is essential that you pick the right one—the one that will become a trendy and attractive focal point in your living room. Below are some helpful tips on how to choose the bookshelf that is right for you. You will be rewarded for you hard work and dedication with a piece of furniture that meets your needs and fits your style.

Handcrafted Rugs with Color and Style for Every Room

An area rug can add style, character, and color to any room. It is a finishing touch that adds a little comfort and polish to your space. There is a lot to consider when choosing a rug: color, pattern, size, and material to name just a few. Investing in the right rug is just as important as having the right piece of furniture.

When picking a rug, there are many types of materials to choose from including sisal, jute, grass, silk or wool. Sisal, jute, and grass cost less, but don’t last as long and are difficult to keep clean. Once you’ve spilled red wine on it, that rug is over. A high-quality wool rug wears well and develops a patina that makes it look better as time goes on.

For example, the bold, bright designs of Surya rugs are hand carded, hand dyed, hand twisted, and hand loomed to create a quality rug that will give you years of wear. Rugs like those in the Cesar collection are examples of the vibrant design you can get only from a rug made by hand.

Enhance Your Family Time with a Tech-Less Living Room

While tech-filled homes aren't going anywhere anytime soon, families are increasingly keeping their family rooms unplugged to facilitate quality family time. Take a quick count of all the devices you use during a typical day—with so much screen time available families are beginning to crave spaces where they can read a book, chat with family and friends, or just sit quietly to unwind.

We all love binge watching our favorite shows, but too much technology is beginning to be seen as too much of a good thing. In fact, many technology chief executives, including Steve Jobs, adopted a low-tech parenting. In today’s fast-paced world, the trend of disconnecting from our devices to reconnect with ourselves and others is gaining traction.

Give Your Bedroom Old Hollywood Glamour with a Contemporary Flair

Glitz, glamour, and big time drama—these are the essential elements of Hollywood style. Known as a place where life is bigger and better and dreams are brought to life, from Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn to Bogart and Bacall, Hollywood’s golden era will truly provide inspiration for interior trends and design styles for decades to come.

Although considered the epitome of opulent, extravagant, and over the top, todays’ reimagining of Hollywood’s golden era freshens the look with gorgeous improvisations and contemporary twists. This sophisticated look is back with a vengeance. The sheer audacity and visual richness of Hollywood-inspired pieces make them well worth incorporating into any room’s design.