How to Tell the Difference between Imitation and Real Leather Furniture

Leather furniture is a common staple in most homes. From its good looks to how easy it is to keep clean, many homeowners prefer leather for their furniture. If you’re looking to add a leather piece or full living room set to your home, it’s important to do your research and recognize the difference between real and imitation leather furniture.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference between real and imitation leather. Sometimes, even the experts have a hard time with it. That’s why it’s important to know the differences between the two, and to trust the manufacturer when you are choosing a leather sofa for your home.

Keep in mind the many differences between imitation and real leather furniture. The main differences can be summed up by your senses, from smell to touch to durability. Once you’ve finished reading these tips, you’ll understand the difference between imitation and real leather just in time for your next furniture shopping trip.

How to Blend Holiday Décor with Your Home Décor Style

Everyone loves glitter and garlands around the holidays, but the traditional red and green is slowly making way for non-traditional color pairings such as white and brown, green and blue, or white and turquoise. The trends are shifting away from holiday-specific décor to quirky characters such as peacocks, llamas, and elephants. I’m not saying you have to jump on the Pineapple Christmas Tree trend, but you can match your holiday décor with your home décor style to create a chic and sophisticated holiday.

Vintage-Inspired Holiday Décor

To add some subtle holiday cheer to the blue, white, and gray room above, choose a simple silver and white color place setting, offset by gold, silver, and teal. The neutral palette featured in the Bungalow Seven Piece Dining Set by Paula Deen Bungalow creates a look that is full of coastal cottage charm.

Décor Styles That Work Well Together (and Those That Don't)

Over the years we tend to accumulate furniture pieces that we take with us as we go. From the farmhouse table you bought for your new home to the heirloom dresser that has been passed down from your grandmother, chances are you have a mixture of styles in your home. However, most of us don’t live in rooms that seem separate from each other, so we want our interior design to be balanced and cohesive. Layering in styles can create a dramatic and interesting look, but too much ends up looking confused and uncomfortable. Here are some styles to mix without creating a hodgepodge of styles in one space.

Tips for Creating a Cohesive Space

• Unify with color by using a consistent palette
• Mind the scale by pairing pieces of the same size
• Find balance by choosing items with equal visual weight
• Distribute pieces equally by mixing pieces of different styles together
• Choose a dominant style, but use at least two pieces of the less dominant style
• Pair casual styles together and formal styles together

Traditional and Mid-Century Modern

One of the best ways to mix traditional and mid-century modern décor in a living room is to use a streamlined, mid-century modern coffee/cocktail table, such as the MacArthur Park Granville Cocktail table by Lexington. The architectural stainless steel frame and floating glass shelf create an open and spacious feel that goes well with a traditional sofa. Keeping this in mind, you can add additional mid-century and traditional pieces until you get the balanced look you want.

Coastal and Traditional

As in any home, you can decorate a coastal-traditional home with elements that speak to you. Old with new, coastal with traditional, and personal treasures all play well together and make the space your own. The Put Your Feet Up Square Coffee table by Paula Deen marries the turned legs of coastal style with a traditional finish of dark brown. The coastal palette of sea greens and blues can be seen in the more traditional patterns on the throw pillows. The neutral sofa and striped upholstered chair ties both styles together.

Contemporary and Rustic

Probably the most improbable combination, contemporary and rustic styles can exist side by side if you pay attention to a few guidelines. Natural materials can marry many styles, and this combo is no exception. A rustic wood dining table and modern chairs can work together when they highlight natural materials and earth tones. Another way to marry the styles is to mimic colors and design elements. A contemporary couch nestled next to a rustic table works when throw pillows on the couch mimic colorful accents pieces on the table.

Elements That Can Work with Any Décor

• Modern Architecture
• Ornate Architecture
• Abstract Art
• Traditional Art, but More Sparingly
• Natural Rugs
• Oriental Rugs
• Modern Side/End tables
• Asian-inspired Pieces
• Ornate Mirrors
• Modern Lighting
• Traditional Lighting

Styles That Don’t Go Together

• A rustic or shabby chic coffee table with turned legs and peeling paint will look out of place with mid-century modern furniture.
• Bright neon colors in a traditional room may be hard to pull off.
• A shabby chic sofa in a minimalist room will stand out like a sore thumb.

Most of us want rooms that are both fresh and timeless. While that may seem like an oxymoron, keep in mind that timeless is, by definition, always fresh. And mixing styles is one way to get that fresh, timeless feel. Read Baer's Furniture reviews on Indeed.com and see why they have a 4.5 star rating. Follow Baer's Furniture on Facebook for more design inspiration.

Coastal Cottage Style: Dos and Don'ts

When you think about coastal cottage décor, many images may float through your mind, such as tiki bars, neon palm tree lights, fishing nets, tons of seashells, and pink flamingoes. Not that touches of kitsch isn’t good for a fun and funky vibe, and if you love a little pink flamingo, by all means, put some in. But too much is too much.

Coastal Style should evoke a casual, breezy, relaxing mood without overdoing it with beachy paraphernalia. However you do coastal, it should have these things in common:

• Plenty of natural sunlight
• Ocean-inspired colorway
• Casual furnishing that features natural textures and fibers
• Hints of sparkle and shine from glass, metals, and mirrors
• Natural elements found by the seashore as accessories

That gives you a lot of leeway to create a home that fulfills your vision of a calm, tranquil retreat by the sea – even if the coast is miles away. Once you have the basics down, here are some dos and don’ts to fine-tune your coastal style.

Do Choose the Right Colors

The coastal color palette is inspired by the sky, ocean, and sand. This means neutrals such as warm, soft sand and weathered driftwood grays as well as nautical navy blue, crisp whites inspired by sailboat canvas and bleached white seashells. Navy walls create the perfect backdrop for the crisp white of the Sandcastle Buffet by Hooker Furniture. Woven panels on the door fronts emanate coastal style and give the room a relaxed feel.

Do Add Color with Accessories

If you like a little color, choose subtle greens found in sea glass, beach grass, and kelp, aquas, and watery sea blues, and steel grays and deep blues reflective of storm clouds over the ocean. Muted reds and oranges are also great accent colors.

Do Let in Tons of Natural Light

When you think of the beach, of course, you think of sunshine and plenty of it. Coastal homes are never dark and gloomy. Keep the window treatments simple, airy, and light so that the sunshine streams in.

Do Choose Traditional Shapes in Tropical Woods

The furniture in coastal style is comfortable and casual, but still elegant and stylish. Choose natural materials such as rattan, wicker, cane, and seagrass for chairs. Slip-covered sofas help keep the look casual, or choose durable fabrics for a more tailored feel. Bring in a distressed accent piece to round out the look. Look for pieces that reinvent traditional styles, such as the Bali Hai Cedar Key Oval Back Side chair from Tommy Bahama. Modeled after a traditional side chair, this version features a striking rattan back that is gently rounded with smooth curves and an oval back.

Don’t Get Too Theme-y

Seashells, fish netting, and beach-themed fabric from pillows to sheets will make your coastal cottage style look dated. This goes for lighthouses and life preservers, too. Bring in touches here and there with a nod to classic coastal style. For example, use fish netting as a whimsical curtain tie-back and let the subtleness impress.

Do Add Area Rugs

While carpeting can be a problem if you actually to live near the ocean – think sand, humidity, and musty carpets – area rugs are perfect for this look. Not only are they easier to clean, but they also complement the style and show off gorgeous flooring underneath.

Don’t Forget to Add a Little Artwork

Prints that feature the ocean, sea life, or seascapes are great for coastal cottage walls. A piece of driftwood with your favorite quote painted on it adds a personal touch. Framed prints of pictures you, or someone in your family, has taken add a personal touch.

Do Accessorize with Found Treasure from the Sea

This is where you get to let you and your family’s personality shine. Coastal accessories include glass jars filled with shells or sea glass, specimen pieces of coral, driftwood, and more. Add some brass lamps, silver vases, and coastal prints of throw pillows.

This is also where you can have a little fun. Still thinking about that pink flamingo? Wouldn’t it look great on a throw pillow? Remember, it’s your home, after all, and if you can’t have a little fun with it, who can?

Follow Baer's Furniture on Facebook for more design inspiration. Find out more and read Baer's Furniture reviews on Glassdoor.

6 Foolproof Home Decorating Rules

Most of us know what we like and don’t like when it comes to decorating our homes – we’ve browsed enough magazines, watched enough HGTV, saved enough Pins to our Pinterest boards, and wandered through enough furniture stores to know what we want or don’t want in our rooms. But decorating requires more than just a sense of style to look good, the proportions of your pieces are equally important.

You’ll hear interior designers talk about scale, balance, texture, and more when referring to good décor. If your furniture pieces are too big or too small, or your room is unbalanced, it will look off. There’s no getting around it, these rules will help you create the perfect space. And the great thing about these home decorating rules is that once you know them, you’ll also know how to break them.

6 Design Trends We're Happy to See Go Away

While we all love the thought of a timeless space, the way home décor trends seem to come and go make getting a classic look a challenge. One day everything is shabby chic and the next thing you know it’s all minimalist wabi-sabi (we like).

Not that there is anything wrong with either of those design styles if that’s what you love. There’s nothing wrong with experimenting with a trend or two, mixing a few unexpected elements into your home décor. However, there are some trends we’re happy to see go away, hopefully never to return.

Baer's Furniture Reviews: Great Customer Service Brings Back Customers

In business, as in life, a first impression is often a lasting impression. That’s why Baer’s Furniture considers great customer service an important part of their continued success. From the salesperson on the floor to the in-house design professional and delivery personnel, Baer’s works to create the ultimate furniture buying experience.

Read Baer’s Furniture reviews to find out more about Baer’s commitment to customer service.