Love Fixtures

The token bounty of chocolates and flowers suffices during the early years of a relationship, but for those of you who tied the knot many years there may be a need to up the ante a bit. There’s no room of your home, save the living room perhaps, that reflects the permanence of your settling down like the bedroom. The rickety futon and upturned box-as-a-nightstand days of your bachelor youth are a long distant memory, though it’s almost certain you wouldn’t wish to revisit them even if you could.

This year, give some thought to showing her your continued devotion with something less delectable or perishable. It’s also quite likely you’ve showered her with a bevy of jewelry over the years, so maybe this year adding a jewelry armoire from www.jewelryarmoireselect.com to your private space will be an equally tasteful and practical choice this Valentine’s Day. Vertically-oriented, they are in line with space concerns and yet still offer a wealth of storage options for a woman’s accessories.

The armoire itself grew out of a wish to have stored garments concealed in a time before closets or any other in-wall cabinet design. The jewelry armoire likely came to be proposed after the opulence of the Elizabethan era led women to have more trinkets and baubles than could reasonably be retained in their expansive vanities.

Whatever the reason, it’s interesting to note that the jewelry armoire is one bedroom fixture that has not evolved to take on more contemporary or modern themes. At least not to a noteworthy extent. Nearly to a one they feature classic carved legs and molded and/or scalloped details like those of the Powell Jewelry Armoire in Heirloom Cherry, one that retains the charms of French colonial life for the bedrooms of today.

The Powell Natural Cherry Jewelry Armoire has something of a vintage cosmopolitan vibe to it, but truthfully that’s about as updated a jewelry armoire as you’ll find. This stoic resiliency to change may play a part in their appeal, as some women feel that making such a classically sophisticated console part of their morning routine adds a certain whimsical charm to it.

The Powell Jewelry Armoire in Merlot is representative of the style most popular today. It offers more quiet trademarks of old-world sophistication with a toned-down transitional nature and a dark merlot finish to make it stylistically suitable for most bedrooms. Both the Heirloom Cherry and Merlot feature side-door cabinets with necklace hooks and a flip-top lid compartment with vanity mirror and 4 ring rolls.

A year passes in no time at all, think back to how you felt on New Year’s Day if you’ve lost track of that already. Valentine’s days come and go, and no one is suggesting you can’t return to the obligatory chocolate/roses/jewelry fare some time in the future. This year, however, throw her a curveball with a gift that will have the appeal of posterity and one she can revel in as she goes through her pre-day or evening routine.

Black Friday, Cyber Monday Deals

To mark the official opening of the Christmas shopping season, Cymax Stores is offering special Black Friday deals, from Nov. 28 until Dec. 1 also known as Cyber Monday (statistically the busiest online shopping day). Throughout the weekend, we will be offering approximately 500 items, from TV stands to luggage, at special sale prices that will save you a bundle.

Browse our extensive selection of jewelry boxes for some great gift ideas, including musical jewelry boxes, children’s jewelry boxes with or without music and a range of handy men’s jewelry valets and travel cases. You will also find a wide selection of jewelry armoires at JewelryArmoireSelect.com in every style and color imaginable, one that will be absolutely perfect for that perfect someone.

Other great Black Friday promotions include:

• - 15% off all Samsonite luggage
• - 10% off on select SEI jewelry armoires
• - 10% off select SEI fireplaces
• - Free Lamp with purchase of select Standard Furniture coffee table sets
• - Free Nightstand with purchase of select Modus Beds

Christmas is coming! Get ready for it and save money too! With great savings on dining tables, grandfather clocks, Magnussen furniture and other great products, you’re sure to find the perfect gift, whether it’s for that special someone or for yourself.

Home Furnishings as Comforting as Food

Fall officially arrived in the third week of September. But it wasn’t until one day last week, when the temperature dipped and the wind picked up enough to blow most of the leaves off the trees, I made a beeline for the kitchen and my mother’s stew with dumplings recipe. This past weekend, I shopped for a big boned roast, so I could make soup. Yes, with the first little hint of what winter will bring, I’m reaching for those comfort foods that I know will keep the chills away.

But what if furniture from Cymax Stores could do the same thing as a hearty bowl of homemade soup or your favorite casserole?

While we’re waiting for dinner to cook, let’s sip a nice glass of full-bodied wine. Ornately appointed and sumptuous, the American Drew Bordeaux Upholstered Back Arm Chair is unabashedly traditional. Carved arms, classic decorative motifs and a medium dark wood finish make this occasional chair worth tasting.

Bordeaux not to your liking? Let me pour you a glass of Cabernet 2-Piece Armoire by Accent Furniture instead. Featuring door fronts with recessed oval panels and classic bail hardware, this armoire has plenty of room for everything you need to safely store away. Transitional, but with traditional decorative elements like crown molding, this armoire has plenty of style, too.

For the main course, there is Beef Tenderloin in a Grand Marnier Sauce or a Stanley Furniture Louis Louis Marble Top Cherry Night Stand in Grande Marnier Finish. Full bodied and versatile, the textured marble top creates visual interest. The roomy drawers provide convenient storage solutions.

No meal is complete without dessert. The South Shore Furniture Back Bay Dark Chocolate Platform Bed is rich and delectable with its smooth, yummy finish. The lines are soothing and have a distinctly modern appeal.

Let’s finish off the evening meal with the Alphaville Redondo Arm Chair in Espresso. The sensuous lines of the back and arms lend this club-style chair a comfortable and inviting appearance. A great place to relax while sipping a cup of coffee, it would look great parked in front of a fire. That would certainly be the perfect remedy to a cold winter day.

Furniture that Goes Bump in the Night

There is a company in Columbus, OH that creates scary animated characters and creations that elevate from beds or fly out of television sets for amusement parks, movies, etc. The fridge with a family (of moving body parts) inside it, complete with an inside blood-streaked door is truly inspired and truly creepy. But even though I am not normally so inclined, there is something about Halloween that awakens the ghoulish prankster inside of me. If I had the budget and space, I would adorn the hallway in front of my apartment door in a heartbeat with a hearse drawn by an invisible horse or the angel of death animated figure.

Looking back on my personal Halloween adventures, I must admit that they were pretty tame. One year I took everything out of the toy box, hid in it just before I knew my sister would be coming and jumped out, scaring the heck out her and making her scream pretty loudly. Over the ensuing years, my sister took her revenge by yelling “boo” when I least expected it, popping out from around corners when I walked into the living room and playing other harmless pranks that involved pot lids, talcum powder and the occasional water balloon. It was never malignant or vengeful; just a little sibling rib-poking.

By far, the best Halloween stunt my sister pulled was the time she put honey on the back of my chair. The chairs in our dining room were ladderbacks, and somehow she must have noticed that I always pulled my chair out by grabbing hold of the middle rung. That Halloween night when I was called to dinner, I pulled my chair out as usual and sat down. But something was in the way and blocking my knees. When I lifted the tablecloth up to investigate, I came face to face with a coiled snake (albeit a rubber one). That didn’t matter; I was terrified of snakes of any ilk. I reared back. I had long hair at the time, so I’m sure you can guess what happened next when I leaned back in the chair. What my mother had to say about honey on her good dining chair is another story for another day.

One of my best friends, Barbara, and I no longer live in the same city. We first met at the restaurant where she was a shift supervisor. The owners of the restaurant where we worked always decorated the place for all the seasonal holidays – Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter. Since Barbara was supervisor of the evening shift, most of the actual decorating fell to her. All of us on her shift had to help. While she would use most of the same decorations from year to year, somehow she always managed to make it look different.

But at Halloween Barbara would really outdo herself. Skeletons dangled from light fixtures; spiders hovered overhead in the stalls of the women’s washroom; the huge front window was one big tangled web. I didn’t give it much thought until a few years later I had stopped by her place on Oct. 31st for a quick visit and discovered that her house resembled the restaurant almost exactly. Except the pumpkins – the ones at the restaurant were made of plastic and the ones that decorated Barbara’s front steps were real and meticulously hand-carved. And yes, in true Martha Stewart fashion, the seeds had been toasted and the pulp magically transformed into pies. Barbara loved Halloween.

In her household, it is the adults, (well mostly her) and not the kids who play Halloween pranks on each other. When her daughter was four, Barbara rigged the armoire door in the hallway outside of her bedroom with fishing line so that when her daughter walked by, one of the doors opened slowly and Casper the Ghost floated out. After her daughter screamed appropriately, Barbara showed her how the trick was done. The way Barbara described the incident to me in one of our lengthy phone calls (by this time I had moved away), it was almost as if I had been there in person.

After seeing the movie “Jack the Bear” for the first time, I hurried to the phone and called Barbara. Based on the book by Dan McCall, Danny DeVito plays a TV horror-movie host. As the father of two sons, he tries to keep his family and himself from falling apart after his wife’s death. Of course, as someone who’s in the business of the macabre, John Leary (DeVito’s character) loves Halloween and the way he decorated the front yard and the house instantly brought Barbara and her similar passion to mind. But Barbara has never seen the movie and every time I ask her, she admits, that even though other people have mentioned it to her as well, she still hasn’t seen it.

I guess she doesn’t need any help with Halloween decorating ideas. All Barbara needs is some pumpkins, a few cardboard skeletons, a piece of fishing line, an old white pillow case and some scary furniture.

Happy Halloween!

Don’t Put Your Decorating Plans on Snooze: Wake up Your Bedroom with a Few Inexpensive Tricks

It doesn’t look terrible, but maybe a little bland. Since you just bought a new Simmons queen size mattress about a year ago and the furniture is still serviceable, redecorating your bedroom is low (very low) on your list of priorities. But it doesn’t have to be. Having a sanctuary that you can retreat to after a long, busy day is important. Making one or two inexpensive changes can update your bedroom’s decor and breathe new life into the room you spend roughly a third of your life.

A can of paint can go a long way to taking the snore out of your decor. Sure, the color is okay and was certainly trendy (eight years ago), but a fresh coat of paint with a neutral or contrasting color for the ceiling, window and baseboards will give you a new perspective.

Ditto for new bedding. Matching the color of your bed linens to the color of the walls and/or the window treatments introduces a unifying theme into your bedroom. Selecting a bedding set that also includes decorative pillows is an easy way to make the bed more inviting. A pile of pillows in different shapes with varying textures will create visual interest, making the bed more of a focal point.

If your bedroom furniture is a hodgepodge of much loved hand-me-downs, there’s an easy fix. And it doesn’t have to mean purchasing a brand new bedroom suite. By replacing a couple of mismatched pieces with matching nightstands you will harmonize the room while adding functionality, especially if you select ones with drawers and/or open or enclosed shelves.

Nightstands are also a great place to put lamps. Even if your bedroom has overhead lighting, having a bedside table lamp is handy, especially if you are in the habit of reading in bed or if you not particularly fond of being the one always stuck with having to climb out and turn off the light. A floor lamp judiciously placed in an unused corner of the room can help make it brighter.

Consider replacing the unrelated dresser and chest of drawers with an armoire. Or if an armoire is not feasible (either due to budget or space restraints), perhaps putting the chest in the closet and incorporating it into a closet organizer system would be the ideal solution.

Bare floors, even hardwood ones, can either be cold or make the room appear cold. A bedside rug made of wool might be the perfect motivator to get you up and out of bed in the mornings. Even if you do have wall-to-wall carpeting, an area rug can create instant ambiance, warming up the room with a splash of accent color.

And don’t underestimate the power of accessorizing. If the budget won’t allow for new paint or one or two new pieces of furniture, consider hanging some prints on the wall, replacing just the duvet, buying a thrifty pack of accent pillows or adding economical storage options such as baskets.

For the room that’s not just a place to sleep, these design tips will help you wake up your bedroom decor, allowing you to create an ideal environment for sleeping, staying in bed on a rainy Saturday morning or just hanging out with the kids.

Outta Sight

Last week, I drove by a business here in town that advertised custom wall beds as one of the products it offered. Wall beds, I thought, wow... I had assumed the futon phenomenon had forced those down with the ship that was the 1980s. I remember being fascinated with the only wall bed I ever had the opportunity to interact with; Hotel Efat, Luxor, Egypt, 1984. That dry, old-spring creaking sound as it moved up and down and dad quashing my intention to fold my sister up in the bed.

Let's make clear here that no "wall" bed had ever been banished to its drywall confines because it had been deemed unsightly or inappropriate. Rather, it was simply a matter of space confines in that particular room and there was nothing of "get that eyesore out of my sight" involved in the decision.

>>Fast forward

Most hotel rooms nowadays "conceal" the television in an armoire-type cabinet, rather than it resting fully-exposed on top of the double dresser. More often than not, you open a pair of doors to reveal the TV. Conversely, in regards to the wall bed, it is clear this has nothing to do with effective floor space management. The TV is not expansive, likely 25 inches in depth at the most, and very likely not going to be located in an area of the room that could be used for other purposes.

It lead me to thinking - there is, for evidently a large enough proportion of the population, something about a TV that is unsightly, inappropriate or perhaps simply a bad influence upon a living space when not hidden from view. I feel quite certain these hotel chains wouldn't volunteer to absorb the cost of adding new TV cabinet furniture to thousands of hotel rooms if this wasn't the case. So what is it exactly? Could it be they hope shutting in the TV is removing the temptation of turning it on just for the sake of doing so, thus saving electricity?

That many households use TV armoire / cabinet furniture is not as much of a mystery to me. I understand individuals who believe in maintaining a certain air in their living areas that is conducive to conversation, intellectual stimuli and a more familial environment. That both this mentality is so widespread and pervasive that it has spread to the hospitality industry, and / or that a sufficiently widespread section of the populous is seeking the same stimuli in their hotel rooms, is hard for me to believe. Yet, the reality is that most hotel rooms hide the television from immediate view. However, as stated, I can fully relate to those who see the benefit it in doing it for the home, and particularly in the living area.

While the wall bed has very nearly gone the way of the dodo, should you wish to locate any appliance behind closed doors in your home there's now likely a furniture piece designed for just that purpose.

With the welcome rise in home based businesses recently, like-minded individuals may feel the same way about their personal computing tools in a work space that may be designated to take on a different feel on occasion. Poker night with the guys while your wife and kids have the living room to themselves, for example, or a quiet and charismatic spot for your daughter and her clarinet tutor's weekly visit.

Cymax Stores very much has its finger on the pulse of decor aesthetic-sensitive furniture design. For those for whom the preceding passage has piqued an interest, I recommend a visit to www.armoirescentral.com , featuring a number of competitively priced computer armoire cabinets available for delivery right to your door with the wonder of online shopping. Both Sauder and Ameriwood computer armoires are a welcome combination of quality craftsmanship, innovative design and reasonable pricing. Standard Furniture's Kathy Ireland Series computer armoires are, quite simply, an elegant addition to even the most stately and well-appointed homes with their exceptional quality and beautiful woodworking.

I imagine few would argue the sensibility in hiding appliances from view in certain areas of the home. Seeing the TV as putting a damper on the atmosphere of your hotel room? Not so clear on that one.

A Home Office or a Guest Bedroom? Why not BOTH?!

There's one room in your home that doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up. Originally, you intended to use it as a home office, so you bought a desk but when relatives came for a visit, you stuck a bed in there as well. Currently the room is being used as a storage room, and now there's barely enough room to sit down at the computer. With a little bit of creative planning, you will be able to transform it into a functional dual purpose space that will be a welcoming place to work and an inviting room for guests.

Decide first what the room will be mostly used for. If you have a home-based business, or use the computer on a regular basis, then choose the home office as the room's primary purpose. The room's emphasis will determine the type of furnishings you buy and how they will be arranged.

The most important piece of furniture when planning a home office is the desk. Select the smallest size of desk you will be comfortable with. You might be tempted to choose an impressive looking executive desk, but when decorating for a dual purpose room, you will want to use your available floor space sparingly so that you can fit everything in.

To make the room as warm and inviting as possible when used as a guest room, choose enclosed storage wherever possible. Putting office-related peripherals, such as the printer, fax machine and the CPU behind doors, not only controls clutter but helps to make the atmosphere less business-like.

Bookshelves are an excellent choice when decorating a dual purpose room. Even if they are used mostly for manuals or reference materials, a shelf full of books tends make the room look comfortably lived-in. It is also a great place to display mementos and collectibles. When guests are over, place baskets or storage trays in a section of the bookcase or shelving unit to use for items they would like to keep close at hand.

Of course, your home office/guest bedroom will need someplace for your guests to sleep. There are so many alternatives to choose from but the three main categories are sofa beds, futon sofas and daybeds.

Sofa beds, also called sleeper sofas or hide-a-beds, are sofas with a bed frame and bed built into the unit. As needed, it can be unfolded from inside the couch and then retracted when not being used as a bed. Due to the bed mechanism, sofa beds tend to be heavier than regular sofas of the same size.

Because they can be used as a sofa by day and a bed at night, futons are ideal for dual purpose rooms. Once used to decorate dorm rooms and basement bedrooms, today the futon is a popular choice for the living room, family room, den or guest bedroom. Since the mattress sits directly on top of the futon frame, it tends to be lighter and more user-friendly than a sofa bed.

Daybeds resemble a standard sofa, with a back and two arms. They function as a bed and generally do not transform into a couch. During the day, daybeds can be used as a sofa. Since they are essentially a kind of bed rather than a couch, they utilize bedding linens and accessories such as skirts, throw pillows and comforters, and can look quite decorative. For a dual purpose room where the home office is the primary use, a daybed might not be the ideal choice, especially if you need to meet with clients or business associates.

Filing cabinets come in all shapes, sizes and designs. Select one that is stylish enough to be used as a nightstand or end table. If you will be storing sensitive materials in your home office, choose a lockable filing cabinet.

If there is closet space, consider adding a chest of drawers or a small dresser. When not used by guests, it will be a great place to store extra office supplies such as copier paper, notepads, etc. If there is no closet, consider adding a wardrobe armoire. Should that be out of the question, put hooks on the back of the door so that your guests will have someplace to hang clothes, etc.

These dual purpose room design tips will help you create a space in your home that is an ideal work environment for you, but a comfortable place for guests whenever they come to stay.

Accents that are Right up your Alley... or Hallway

When decorating the rooms of our homes, often the hallways and entryways are overlooked and they can end up as "dead" space. But first impressions are important, and especially if floor space is at a premium, hallways are the perfect place to add accent furniture pieces that will increase your storage options and make your home a more comfortable place to be. Using accent pieces in a foyer or hallway will also give your decor more character and style.

Console tables can define a hallway, adding functionality as well as a focal point. Also known as sofa tables, they typically stand against a wall or when used in a living room, can rest against the back of a sofa. A console table is typically rectangular, oval or half-moon in shape. A half-moon console table is sometimes referred to by its French name demilune. A hallway console table is a perfect place to put keys, the mail, a lamp or a vase of flowers.

A bench is not only a practical piece of furniture to have in a hall or foyer, but it creates a good impression by making the space appear warm and inviting. In a variety of styles, colors, finishes and designs, benches range from ones with plush upholstery and decorative arms to benches constructed of wood with flip tops. A family with children might especially appreciate a storage bench in an entryway or hallway, as a great place to tidy away items in a hurry and make the space clutter-free for unexpected guests.

A coat rack, sometimes called a hall tree, is a convenient place to hang clothing and accessories. Used to make a statement or simply fill a utilitarian role, they can be dressed up or played down. If you want your entranceway to be noticed, select a freestanding hall tree that creates visual interest. Ones made of brass, wrought iron, rattan or polished wood will add flair and sophistication to your decor. Coat racks can include special features such as a revolving section to make access to clothes easier, an umbrella compartment or a set of lower hooks designed especially for children.

Having plants in a hallway or entryway adds charm to your home, improves air quality and gives it a welcoming and lived-in appearance. Plant stands are an ideal way to display several at once or showcase just one. They come in all shapes, sizes and kinds, from pedestal to formal to novelty. To create visual interest in a corner of an entranceway or hallway, use pedestal-style plant stands of varying heights.

Decorative chests elegantly combine style with function. A perfect place to set down items, keep an emergency flashlight and store small household items, an accent chest usually has drawers but can have a door instead or a combination of both. There are countless styles, finishes and shapes to choose from. Aside from its practical aspect, the distinguishing characteristic of the accent chest is its beautiful and detailed design that will give your hallway or entrance way a unique, decorative touch.

Wardrobe armoires are typically used in the bedroom, but can be the ideal solution for a hallway or entryway that doesn't have a built-in closet. A wardrobe armoire allows you to hang coats, store seasonal clothing and keep the area clutter-free. Often wardrobe armoires will come with a mirror, which will make it both a stylish and practical addition to your hallway or entrance.

These are just a few types of accent furniture pieces that are ideal for transforming your hallway or entryway into a more practical yet welcoming place. With a wide selection of accent furnishings to choose from, you are sure to find the ones that will perfectly express your personality.

Bedroom Furniture on a Budget

Furnishing a bedroom can be a pricey adventure. It can also be time consuming; going from one retail store to another to match the pieces you want, while searching for the best price can sometimes seem like it's more trouble than it's worth. Considering that, for many of us, the bedroom is not only a place to sleep, but a sanctuary as well, you want to get it right the first time, without breaking the bank.

It might not seem like much of an issue if your nightstand doesn't match the headboard, but the mood of a room is largely determined by the color, material and style of furniture selected, and how each of these elements work together. To ensure that your bedroom will be comfortable, harmonious and inviting, maintaining the consistency of your decor is an important consideration when decorating your room.

Purchasing bedroom furniture in a set online at Cymax Stores offers a number of neat solutions. First, it eliminates the necessity of matching pieces to each other, especially if not all the items you have selected are made by the same manufacturer. Second, a bedroom set is generally cheaper than buying the pieces individually. Third, shopping online allows you to browse and compare products from trusted manufacturers all under one roof-in the comfort of your own home.

Bedroom sets are an economical way to decorate a room because they include basic bedroom furniture pieces in one convenient grouping. A bedroom set may include a number of different pieces such as the bed or a headboard, a dresser, one or two nightstands and an armoire. Most furniture manufacturers will specifically design a number of collections, in a variety of styles and configurations, so that customers can customize a particular bedroom collection to their specific needs.

But even a bedroom set isn't much of a bargain if it turns out not be exactly what you wanted or if not all of the pieces will fit into the intended space. To ensure that your bedroom set will be the perfect fit, here are some things to consider before making the purchase final.

• Take measurements - knowing the dimensions of your bedroom will give a clearer picture of just how many pieces will comfortably fit

• Set a budget - knowing exactly how much you have to spend can inspire you to come in under budget (and maybe have a little extra left over for that must-have impulse item you can't imagine living without)

• Size of the mattress - choosing the size of mattress you want to sleep on before purchasing a bedroom set is important for two reasons: mattress size determines the size of bed you will be buying and some manufacturers will offer certain collections in limited sizes, for example, only in twin and full but not queen or king

• Overall style that you want to achieve - you might fall absolutely in love with a particular bedroom collection but it's just too ultra-modern or traditional to comfortably fit with the existing decor in your home

• What is it made of? - a bedroom set made of solid hardwood will be more expensive than one constructed of engineered woods like laminated particle board or medium density fiber board (MDF)

At Cymax Stores, customers can choose from a wide range of reliable bedroom furniture manufacturers for a comfortable and personalized online shopping experience. Taking time to choose the right dresser, a pair of nightstands and a bed will be time well-spent when you come home after a busy day to the perfect place to relax and unwind.