Monday, December 12, 2022

7 Interior Decorating Tips for the Bedroom


Your bedroom should be your personal sanctuary. It should be a place you can escape from the stress and craziness of the world, even if only for a little while. Your bedroom should express your style, immerse you in your favorite colors, surround you with your trappings, and elicit feelings of both serenity and joy. 

You can transform your bedroom into the perfect haven for relaxation with these interior decorating bedroom ideas.

1) Keep It Cozy and Simple

No matter what style you choose — traditional, transitional, modern, or tropical — a bedroom should be cozy and simple. Keep at least three feet between the bed and sidewalls or large furniture pieces to make it easy to move around. Maintain a minimum of two feet between furniture such as dressers and tables and the bed. This allows you to move freely through the bedroom.

When space is free of clutter, it will automatically be more relaxing. A bed, a dresser, a bedside table, and a chair are all you need in the way of furniture. Streamline your accessories, and consider sticking to flowers and candles, some family photos, and a stunning piece of art on the wall.

2) Select a Soothing Color

Bold, bright primary colors tend to be too energetic for the bedroom. Instead, select soothing, restful neutrals, such as gentle blues, barely-there pinks, and muted greens to create a mood of cozy comfort. Using toned-down hues of your favorite colors is another way to make the space relaxing. If you love orange, choose earthy pumpkin rather than bright tangerine.



3) Right-Size the Furniture

In addition to furnishing the space sparingly, ensure that the furniture is the right size for the room. Measure and make a floor plan if you are purchasing new furniture. If you have room, add an ottoman, chair, or bench at the foot of the bed.



Avoid heavy, large furniture if your bedroom is on the small side. On the other hand, if your bedroom is big, make sure your furniture is proportionate. Small furniture will be lost in a large room, and furniture that is too big will make the room look small.

4) Dress the Bed in Luxurious Linens

Get the nicest, prettiest, most luxurious sheets you can. Choose 100 percent cotton and a thread count of at least 350. The higher the thread count, the better. You won't be sorry.

5) Layer the Lighting

Pay close attention to the layers of light in the bedroom. This means to make sure you have ambient lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting. Choose a pretty chandelier or pendant to light up the entire space, a task lamp for the bedside table, and accent lights to softly illuminate the walls.

For maximum lighting control, put your bedroom lights on a dimmer and ensure you have a separate on/off switch for each one. Then you can light only the area you wish to.

6) Dress the Windows

A beautifully dressed window puts the finishing touch on a bedroom. Window dressings are a great way to add pattern, color, texture, and softness to the bedroom. Soft sheer curtains with blinds create a gentle look with plenty of privacy. Choose drapes with lining or opaque blinds to keep the sun out when you want to sleep in.

7) Keep Tech Out of the Bedroom

Try to keep cell phones, computers, televisions, or exercise machines out of the bedroom. This is your space to become refreshed and renewed. You'll enjoy having a room, especially for reading, sleeping, and relaxing.


Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Calming Decorating Ideas to Make Your Home Feel More Soothing

 Who doesn't want a more soothing home? After a long, arduous day at work, nothing is better than just being able to sit down and relax. Don't feel relaxed in the surroundings of your home?

You can make your home more soothing and conducive to these relaxing moments with just a few decorating tweaks! Having a more comfortable home is vital because being more at ease at home can mean better sleep, improved interpersonal relationships, and an overall sense of well-being. Follow along as we review some methods to make your home more soothing and relaxing, such as updates to colors, lighting, and ergonomics in your home.

Using Relaxing Colors in Your Furniture

The color of your furniture is a key factor in how naturally soothing the room is. Neutral and light colors tend to be more relaxing than bold or saturated colors if the neutral and light colors are mixed or layered. Solid colors, as opposed to mixes of colors, are also good bets for soothing qualities. Blues, whites, and similar colors are generally considered the most relaxing.

Take, for instance, this Chateau D'Ax CB52 Sofa. Its gorgeous royal blue shade instantly projects calmness and serenity in whatever room it is located. The solid color makes for easy visual acknowledgment of the sofa, and the color is reminiscent of the ocean.



If you want a more neutral color, try this Stone & Leigh Upholstered Sofa. It has a relatively neutral profile and offers a perfect canvas for you to carve out the rest of your soothing living room around, whatever your choice of color.



To keep a soothing theme, you want to avoid too many patterns, with some exceptions. Complicated designs are generally not soothing if they are free form, so it would be better to stick to geometric and symmetrical patterns if you are going to use them to add depth to the room. A tessellation, for example, is much more likely to be soothing because it's predictable when compared to, say, a Jackson Pollock painting.

Soothing Lighting

Another critical element of making your home feel more soothing is the lighting. Harsh, fluorescent lights can make even the coziest space feel like an emergency room, so the lighting you have in the rooms you will frequent is of great importance.

You generally want to avoid harsh lighting and instead opt for soft light throughout. You can even use tinted lights to create a certain mood in your chosen space. A darkly tinted lamp can help contribute to the room's soft light and transform the area's mood characteristics. A dark red tint, for example, can work magic on a room decorated in neutral colors. It adds a pop of color as well as an overall relaxing feel to the space. Just be sure you do not have any furniture with strong colors that might clash with the tint.

Remember that the type of lightbulb you use can significantly affect the room's lighting. Fluorescent lights look a certain way, and alternative kinds of lightbulbs can overhaul the look of the room by adjusting the natural light in the room. You should also ensure that the whole space is well-lit, as dark areas in rooms that are otherwise well-lit are associated with eye strain, which is the opposite of soothing.

Ergonomics Add to Relaxation

The importance of ergonomics in making your home feel soothing cannot be overstated. The ergonomic quality of your home's seating can make a huge difference in how soothed and relaxed you feel when sitting in a room.

Imagine that you have dining room seats that are wooden stools. The seat itself is hard on your bottom, and there is no back support. How can you relax in such an environment? This is why the ergonomic quality of your seating is so important. Imagine instead this Bernhardt Contemporary Wicker Chair, which has both seat cushioning as well as back support in order to ensure maximum comfort.



If you're uncomfortable when seated, then you'll hardly ever relax. This is why ergonomic seating is such an important part of making your home feel more soothing!

Baer's Furniture Can Help!

We have thousands of floor models to choose from and even more furniture available to order. Come and transform your home with all new home furnishings - visit one of our Florida furniture stores today!


Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Decorating Challenges in Older Florida Homes and Unusual Florida Architecture

Many visitors to Florida are under the impression that every building in the Sunshine State was built in the past 25 years. While we do have more than our share of new construction, many homes were built during the 1940s, 1950s, and even earlier.

These vintage Florida homes are some of the architectural jewels of the state, but they also present decorating challenges. The interior design professionals at Baer’s Furniture have seen numerous older homes during their time in the field and have developed tried and true solutions to some of the obstacles that older homes present. 

What Are Some of the Features of an Older Florida Home?

Air Circulation Features

Many older Florida homes were designed before central air conditioning became popular. Consequently, these homes are set up to take advantage of the cooling options available to them: fans, ceiling fans, screened windows, bare floors, and front-to-back hallways – halls that connect the front door to the back to allow a cross-breeze. 

Cooling Solutions

Because heat rises, ceilings are often higher than in northern homes. Terrazzo floors became very popular in Florida homes because they don’t retain heat in the way that carpeted floors do.

Oftentimes, you’ll also find an exposed brick wall or a white-washed brick wall in one or more rooms. This is because brick slowly absorbs heat throughout the day, and releases it at night.

Heating Solutions

Fireplaces and built-in space heaters are common in central and northern Florida.

Outdoor Spaces

Front porches and back screened-in patios are frequently found in older Florida homes to provide the denizens with a place to enjoy fresh air in the shade. 

Vintage Florida Home Challenges and Solutions

Older Florida homes can be charming, but often present obstacles for interior decorators.

Here are a few of the most common decorating challenges of older Florida homes and practical solutions for professional and DIY decorators:

Fireplace in the Living Room

Challenge: Florida does not give you many cold nights to start a fire, and many fireplaces in Florida homes are no longer functional. Additionally, fireplaces are usually situated in a place that makes them impossible to ignore.

Solutions: You can, of course, celebrate the fireplace with candles or dried flowers, or you can obscure it with a piece of furniture. Depending on the height, you can conceal the fireplace with a high-backed sofa or loveseat with a skirt or short legs.

This Huntington House Loveseat is a perfect example of an attractive piece that you can put in front of a fireplace.

This also gives you the option of using the concealed hearth for additional storage or a place to hide holiday gifts. 

Too Much Terrazzo (or Tiling)

Challenge: While newer Florida homes have light-colored tile, many older Florida homes have wall-to-wall terrazzo. Without sufficient furnishings, both types of flooring can be cold to the eye and to the touch.

Solutions: You don’t need to replace your flooring to warm up the space. Adding an area rug and a sectional to the center of a room can turn the exposed portion of a terrazzo or tile floor into an elegant framing for the room.

Look how beautifully this tile floor garnishes this stately Natuzzi reclining sectional and matching area rug.


Too Small for a Bedroom, Too Large for a Closet

Challenge: Most standard-sized bedrooms are 12’x14’, but older Florida homes frequently have non-conforming, smaller rooms that would be too cramped if you moved a bed and dresser in.

Solutions: Because of the current work-from-home trend, many Floridians are looking for unused space in their homes to create a home office, which these small rooms are perfect for.

Home offices require much less area than a bedroom or guest room. Depending on the size of the room, you can place a desk against the wall and have a quiet space to work and conduct your video conferences.

With a width of around 48 inches, this Hooker Furniture Knee Hole Desk fits perfectly in a smaller room and has plenty of drawer storage for organization. When not in use, your chair tucks neatly under the kneehole.


Unattractive Wall Features 

Challenge: Some Florida homes have unfortunate locations for electrical outlets, phone outlets, circuit breaker panels, etc., or, a previous owner made a modification, and the wall patching is inconsistent and unattractive.

Solutions: The easiest way to deal with a botched wall repair or unattractive fixture is by putting something in front of it. If it’s something you don’t need to access, you could use a tall furniture piece, like the A.R.T. Furniture Arch Salvage Gwynn Curio, to block it. If it’s an item you need more frequent access to, like a circuit breaker panel, you can use wall art to cover up the offending metal encasement.

For every decorative obstacle, there’s a workaround. Need help? Stop in at a Baer’s Furniture showroom and ask our knowledgeable design experts about your options.  

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

What is Coastal Grandmother Design and is it Right For You?

 Depending on how closely you pay attention to design trends, you may or may not have heard of Coastal Grandmother, which had admittedly obscure origins. According to the design influencer Lex Nicoleta, who was credited with coining the term “Coastal Gran,” this decorative motif is for anyone who “loves Nancy Meyers movies, coastal vibes, recipes and cooking, Ina Garten and cozy interiors.” And despite the quirky name, Coastal Grandmother is a legitimate and appealing design style growing in popularity. 

What Exactly is Coastal Grandmother Design?

Coastal Grandmother combines the light, cool tones of coastal design with the warmth and coziness of Grandmillenial. If you have a coastal bent but find the whitewashed décor a bit cold, this might be just your niche. 

How to Achieve Coastal Grandmother

By now, you’ve probably perused more than a few images of Coastal Grandmother rooms on Google, and you’ve made up your mind. But admiring a look and achieving it are two different things, so here are some tips from the design experts at Baer’s Furniture for achieving Coastal Grandmother in your home. 

Choose Warm Whites

White is at the core of a Coastal Grandmother space, but if you choose the wrong tone, you may push the needle more toward coastal than coastal grandmother. For your walls, select a creamier or buttery shade to make the space feel warmer. You can use colder whites or gray whites for the trim or as a secondary color, but if your primary color is white, we recommend warmer shades. 

Textures are Essential

The Coastal Grandmother design requires textures that feel good to the touch. Afghan throws, knitted toss pillows, and warm fabric chairs are practically requirements for the Coastal Grandmother style. With this in mind, you’ll want to be careful incorporating leather pieces. While they may have a place in a CG room, leather can overwhelm the aesthetic. For example, the Candace Curved Sofa is available in both leather and fabric (fabric shown here). For such a large piece, we think that the fabric works best in Coastal Gran.



Add Color and Dimension with Accent Pieces

Coastal Grandmother is more than just a white room with white pieces of furniture, but it also doesn’t have the over-the-top colors and patterns of Grandmillenial. Colors and accents are more subtle in CG spaces. Consequently, Coastal Grandmother style requires muted or neutral tones. Incorporate colors with area rugs, lampshades, drapes, or even an accent chair. The Times Square Accent Chair by Rowe is the perfect addition to a Coastal Grandmother living room or bedroom. It’s warm, comfortable, and even stain-resistant, and the tones are just right for this aesthetic. 



Avoid Clutter

One of the mistakes that people often make when going for a Coastal Grandmother look is leaning too hard into Granmillenial style. While the two styles share common shoots, CG doesn’t have the busyness or overlapping patterns of Grandmillenial. For example, with Grandmillenial, you can have a striped sofa, a pin-dot-patterned pillow, and a plaid throw (if they are from compatible color schemes), but with Coastal Grandmother, you have to make a choice: one pattern would be the rule here. You could drape a patterned throw across the cream-colored Tryp Swivel Glider, for instance, but not its heavily patterned counterpart. 



How Coastal Grandmother is Different From Coastal and Grandmillenial

When two styles merge to create a new look, fine lines are drawn in the sand. If you cross to one side or the other, your space may become coastal or Grandmillenial, but not Coastal Grandmother. 

As the name implies, coastal design celebrates the beach and the coastline. It favors cool tones, light or white wood furniture, light-tone area rugs, nautical themes, and more. The density of the décor should be on the airy, less cluttered side. Coastal Grandmother borrows heavily from the color palette and layout of the coastal theme. 

Grandmillenial is a maximalist approach to design that celebrates the style and furniture of generations gone by. Grandmillenial features prints, patterns, and cozy furniture, among other things. Coastal Grandmother intersperses these design elements throughout what would be an otherwise coastal decorating scheme. If Grandmillenial makes you think of your grandmother's furniture, Coastal Gran should make you think of your cool, beach grandmother.

With millions of feet of showroom space throughout Florida, Baer’s Furniture has high-quality furniture that fits many different decorative motifs, including Coastal Grandmother. Let our experienced sales staff help you with your decorative choices. Shop Baer’s Furniture today! 

Monday, October 3, 2022

X Best Places in Melbourne

 Melbourne, Florida has undergone explosive growth thanks to its prominent position on the Space Coast. The city is a diamond in the rough as it is still largely unknown to many people outside the Sunshine State.

Whether you're a local or a new resident, this list of the best five places in and around Melbourne is for you. The fun, interesting, and useful activities do not stop here — from scenic wetlands to actual space launches.

1. Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands


Featuring over 200 acres of scenic wetlands, Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands is a great place to take a nice walk or a leisurely bicycle ride. Keep an eye out for alligators and look for all sorts of native birds as you explore the wildlife surrounding Melbourne. These wetlands have diverse flora and fauna native to the state of Florida. You'll soak up some sun during a trip to this wetland system, so SPF 30 or higher is definitely recommended. You'll also potentially see some exciting animals and unique plants. While it might be tempting to get a souvenir picture with a wild animal, we recommend you maintain your distance.

2. The Beach



Go to the beach. No beach in particular as Melbourne has several! However, you should absolutely stop by one of them while visiting the city. Enjoy the ocean breeze, play in the sand, and go swimming.

The possibilities are endless at the beach, and you should absolutely make the most of them. Stop by 321 Jet Ski Rental to spend the day waverunning, or get your paddle on with a kayak rental from Wildlife Watersports. Take cycling to the next level at Space Coast Hydrobikes for some ultimate weekend fun. Enjoy the beaches of Melbourne to the fullest, now that you're there. This is what locals do with their time, so if you're in the mood for some true local flare, this is where it happens.

3. The Brevard Zoo



Although this isn't technically in the Melbourne city limits, we would be remiss if we didn't include this first-rate home to over 900 animals from the far reaches of the world. The Brevard Zoo experience includes touring train rides, kayaks, and for the more adventurous, the ability to scale and rappel a Florida pine and see the animals from a birdseye view. If your zoo visits in the past left you feeling sorry for caged animals, we highly recommend the Brevard Zoo. The animal habitats are as close to the ones you'd find in the wild with top-tier safety protocols built in.

4. Cape Kennedy Space Center



From the days of the Mercury Mission to the incredible James Webb Space Telescope, explore the history of space exploration at this one-of-a-kind travel destination. This modern museum will take you from the earliest space endeavors to the headlines of today's news articles. If you plan your visit well enough in advance, you can get a close-up view of a NASA or SpaceX rocket launch. Of course, we are able to see these spectacles from Melbourne proper, but you haven't lived until you've seen a launch up close. You should be aware that missions are often scrubbed due to inclement weather, so if the launch is canceled the day you're there, give it another try. It's only 40 minutes away.

5. Baer's Furniture Store



If you've decided to make Melbourne your home, we recommend checking out Baer's Furniture store in Melbourne for all your high-quality, designer furniture needs. With dozens of stores all over Florida, you can find the closest one to you here. Baer's Furniture has an expansive space and hundreds of pieces of furniture for the bedroom, living room, dining room, home office, and more. The Melbourne location has 110,000 square feet of showroom space. Whether you're seeking a coastal look to match the beach lifestyle of your newly chosen city or you want a minimalist space to enjoy your leisure time, the design experts at Baer's can help you achieve your design goals.

About Melbourne

Because of its location on the Space Coast, Melbourne is fast becoming one of the biggest tech centers in the nation. In 2022, the city population was just over 86,400, but there are over a quarter million residences if you include the surrounding areas. With mean incomes for households around $96,000 for families, Melbourne is becoming one of the more affluent cities in the state. Whether you're visiting in anticipation of a move or you just happen to be spending a week or two in the Florida sun, these places will help you build fond memories of the Harbor City.