This Year’s Top Modern Office Chair Trends

When it comes to office chairs, the modern look is always in high demand. And now that 2013 is in full swing, it is easy to see that several hot modern office chair trends are sweeping the industry. Read on as we highlight five of the latest office seating trends that you will definitely want to be aware of before the next office makeover.

Office Chair Trend #1: Chrome Frames

One popular trend that is gaining momentum in the seating world is the use of chrome. With chrome frames and chair accents, it is easy to highlight a modern look. Many manufacturers have offered this option for years, but more and more models are coming standard today with such luxury features. Chrome, and even polished aluminum accents, pulls together a high class look that is not hard to love. The Terry Office Chair by EuroStyle is an excellent example of this trend.

Office Chair Trend #2: Two-Tone Upholstery

More than ever, two-tone upholstery is being adopted into the world of office seating. This look is a great way to showcase ingenuity, allowing interior designers and consumers to release their own creative style. With their growing popularity these days, it should be easy to find one that comes in your favorite colors and suits your tastes. Whatever your choice is, though, make sure that it does not clash with your office décor scheme.

Office Chair Trend #3: Vinyl Upholstery

If you are looking for a great way to give your office a touch of luxury on a budget, naugohyde, vinyl and sometimes called Eco - Leather seating is a cost-effective pick as opposed to authentic  leather. For this reason, this type of  upholstery has become incredibly popular this year. Models like the Churchill Arms Office Chair in Black by Nuevo Living give customers the ability to stay comfortable, in style and within budget. High quality vinyl is also very easy to clean and is extremely durable.

Office Chair Trend #4: Kneeling Chairs

Kneeling chairs are a great way to ensure comfort all throughout your workday. These ergonomic office chairs allow you to adjust your posture and form a new way to operate while engaging in workplace activities. Its form was inspired from massage style tables. These were once considered as luxury office chairs and are now available in low prices, which has all the more made this incredibly popular both for home and office use. Note, though, that sitting on them will take some getting used to.

Office Chair Trend #5: Nesting Chairs

Stacking office chairs will always be popular for high volume guest seating applications, but nesting chairs like the Armless Stacking Chair with Black Mesh Screen Back, Mesh Seat and Black Frame (4 Pack) by Office Star have taken over as the top training room chair style this year. These versatile chairs give excellent space-saving attributes that are perfect for multi-use areas. More than ever, such nesting capabilities are already being incorporated into conference room furniture as they are very budget friendly.

Entryway Contemporary Furniture: Organizing Tips for Foyers

The foyer is a significant part of your home, usually because this is the first thing that guests see when they enter. A disorganized entryway can reflect poorly on the rest of your house, undermining any interior design that you have worked so hard on putting together. More pragmatically, a well-maintained foyer puts in place an organizational system you can trust. This should come in handy when, for example, winter rolls around and you need to scramble to find gloves and jackets. If your foyer could be put together, here are some quick design tips that will have it looking attractive and neat in no time.

One of the most frustrating parts about entryways is that people drag snow and rain on the soles of their shoes. Combat this by filling a tray with pebbles from gardening stores. Put your shoes on these when you get in the house and the water will drain down the tray, leaving everything else untouched and looking good. Compliment this with a coat and umbrella rack like the Quatro Retro Modern Umbrella and Coat Hat Rack Stand by Adesso.

If your family tends to throw their things into the mudroom when they get home without much thought on where it is going, it might be time to implement a cubby system. Encourage everyone to put their stuff in their own cubby. This should help cut back on clutter. Plus, the kids will love the feeling like they have a space of their own. If you have limited space, go with a wall piece like the Cato Entryway Shelf by Uttermost. Otherwise, pick something that gives extra storage like the Heirloom Cherry Hall Tree with Storage Bench by Powell.

You might also want to consider installing some sort of interior mailbox system. Small metal mailboxes can be easily bought fairly inexpensive, and all you need to do is perch them to the wall with adhesive hangers. Separate the mail for every family member and put them in the appropriate mailbox. Plus, because they are made with metal, they are magnetic so everyone has a chance of decorating theirs as they like it.

Modern furniture is usually designed with some sort of minimalist simplicity in mind which is exactly what you want with your foyer. This is not the best place for lavish decorations. Do your best in keeping things simple. Because a lot of stuff is put in this place, you would not want your furniture ultimately adding to the clutter.

Dressing Up Your Modern Fireplace for Every Season

Nothing quite sets the mood for the holidays like a crackling fire and stockings hung from the mantelpiece. A fireplace is indeed perfect for the winter months -- but what about for the other nine months of the year? Luckily, all you have to do is to be creative with your décor to bring your modern fireplace mantel into the right season.

Winter

Decorating your fireplace should be easy during the holidays. There are so many traditions and obligations to keep your fireplace mantel full right from Thanksgiving all the way to Valentine’s Day.

• Garlands. It is quite easy to plop a store-bought evergreen garland and call it a night, but there are still so many possibilities. Use some leftover Christmas globe ornaments, adding different sizes and colors to create more depth to it.
• Monochromatic. Choosing another Christmas color aside from green and red, like blue or white, can create a stunning theme. Get wreaths and reindeer statuettes in your chosen color.

Spring

After taking down all the Christmas decorations mid-February, the fireplace mental will start looking bare. Look at the new growth around to find the perfect idea to decorate your mantel.

• Fresh flowers. The great thing about flowers is that they come in various colors, sizes and shapes. Prop them up in vases of different sizes and shapes for a more dazzling visual.

• Pressed flowers. If you are not too keen on ensuring that fresh flowers remain watered or buying expensive arrangements, press some flowers and display them in pretty picture frames.

Summer

This is the season where people lose their interest in decorating a fireplace, leaving it covered with family photos. Summer is also the time that the fireplace has the least amount of use.

• Beachscape. Pay homage to the beach and display it in your mantel. Use some decorative driftwood, sand dollars and sea star to being the display back to life.

• Bold colors. Swath your mantelpiece with adventurous colors schemes like cool teal and bright coral. Framed card stock and colorblocked candles will be nice touches.

Fall

Once the nights start to get a little chilly, the whole family will want to congregate around the fireplace. Everyone needs a warm place to enjoy hot chocolate and some ghost stories.

• Rustic. An antique mirror or weathered shutters will make for a great backdrop for a homey mantelpiece. Outfit with wooden candlesticks and decorative lanterns.

• Natural. Take the natural approach and decorate your mantelpiece with pumpkins. Arrange small pumpkins on the mantel for a truly fall experience.

Now that you have some creative and fun ways to decorate your fireplace, here are some of our top electric fireplace picks this year.

• Vernon Electric Fireplace Stove by Well Traveled Living
  
  
  
  
  
• Classic Flame 23 Inches Flagstone Electric Wall Fireplace by Fireside America
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Classic Flame 23 Inches Ranier Electric Wall Fireplace by Fireside America
  
  
  
  Start enjoying the glow of flames in every season!

Unique Bedroom Ideas: Room Themes for Teenagers

Tastes of teenagers constantly change, and it is usually their bedroom that reflects their unique personality and interests. Oversized posters and neon walls might make for a personal statement, although parents might not be on board with such a decorating direction. The art of design compromise can help bring a mature sensibility to the sanctuary of a teen. Here are some sophisticated and unique bedroom ideas that can easily transition to a guest room when the teen leaves the nest.

Boho

An eclectic bohemian design will bring exotic locale to a teen’s bedroom. Bold wall colors blended with lush textures and rich fabrics set the scene for charmingly mismatched furnishings and accents. Import stores, garage sales and flea markets hold treasures for a boho design. Create an informal setting with a pile of oversized pillows and add romance with a bed canopy like the Tamara Modern White King Size Bed by Nuevo Living, fashioned with saris and shawls. To give subdued lighting, use candles, ornate lamps and brightly colored glass pendants.

Zen

With hectic lives filled with sports, schoolwork and activities, teens could use a quiet place to de-stress. A Zen bedroom pairs minimal design with soothing colors and sleek furniture, and should help unorganized teens manage their personal items by giving storage solutions that will seamlessly blend into the décor. Low and modern furniture pieces like floating nightstands and a platform bed like the Dark Chocolate Orchid Eastern King Platform Bed create clean lines and give the room a feeling of lightness. Separate the sleeping area from the homework space with a shoji screen.

Beachside

Give the teen a bit of summer vacation all year round with a beach-themed bedroom. Use creams, tans and blues to bring to mind the sea and accessorize with artwork, artifacts, and shells that imply that the beach is just beyond the horizon. Keep accessories subtle so you do not create an overly kitschy theme room. Pick furniture pieces that appear to have been collected overtime, and use a vintage surfboard as a headboard for a whimsical touch. Use natural or white washed pine to a West or East Coast feel or dark woods to make it look like a British colonial getaway.

Mid-Century Modern

Turn back the clock to the 1950s and give the teen a retro-themed bedroom. Bright white and punches of bold color will energize the interiors, and incorporate organic shapes and clean lines in furniture, lighting and accessories. Lightwoods with a Scandinavian twist, vinyl upholstery, and molded plastics should word. Keep the bed uncomplicated -- an unadorned platform bed like the Zurich Eastern King Bed by Lifestyle Solutions would be a good choice. Add a flokati area or funky shag rug to give the bedroom a more youthful appeal.

Modern Home Lighting: The Three Main Light Effects

Today, the available choices of modern home lighting are as endless as the imagination of designers creating them. From Scandinavian, German and Italian, form and function is pretty much at the forefront of the thinking of every innovative designer, giving you every option for every situation and every room. With such choices, it has become too easy for customers to get confused, especially on the planning stage, making it very important to know before purchasing how the light works and the current setup of your rooms where you intend to change the lighting configuration.

As far as room lighting is concerned, mood also plays an important role. In every room, you may want to create various moods and effects with the use of light. There are generally three types: ambient light, accent light, and task light. Get to know more about them below.

Ambient Light

Mimicking the effects of natural light, ambient light just might be the most basic of all illumination. Ambient lamps and wall lights are softer than harsh halogen lighting, and are used to create a calming effect in the room. Just like the Duet Two Poles Extended Modern Table Lamp with Oval Base by Adesso, they are usually used in living and dining rooms, and even in bedrooms, where soft focus light for relaxation is needed.

Accent Light

The most creative of lighting options, accent light is not intended for functional use. Rather, they are used to add drama in the room by highlighting some key features, like a fireplace, a display or an alcove. Accent light is ideally used in a living room, along with ambient light to give greater flexibility, like when family and friends come to visit and one needs a higher overall light level. One example is the Garland Shade Light - Black Chrome by Artecnica.

Task Light

Task lighting emits bright and focused light that is fixed on a single position or work surface, like in a study or the kitchen where underwall unit lighting and recessed ceiling downlighters are used to directly focus on countertops and food preparation areas. In a home office or study, task light mostly takes the form of a halogen desk lamp like the Basis Desk Lamp by Kenroy Home for reading, working, or using the computer.