In the Mood for Meditation

Any time is a good time for reflection, quiet thinking and meditation. But in the midst of the cold, rainy, windy winter months, we’re often stuck trying to find spaces that are at once warm, comforting and peaceful. Messy bedrooms, chaotic kitchens and uptight offices are rarely the answer. Here are a few ideas we've come across on how to create your own serene sanctuary for everything from meditation to journaling to just reading a book.

Photo credit: gaiam.com

Get comfortable.

Choose pillows, chairs, cushions and blankets that comfort you. Relaxation is the key for these types of spaces, and it will likely be difficult to truly reflect while fidgeting around a beautiful, but stiff, hardwood floor. 

Smell the roses.

photo credit: usa.loccitane.com

Aromatherapy is nothing to sniff at. Candles or diffusers in light but lovely scents can help ease us into the right state of mind for meditation. We like lavender, lemon or balsam.

Nurture the natural.

Photo credit: dandee-designs.com

Consider bringing the natural elements indoors. Simple to care for potted plants, beautiful rocks from the garden or seashells from your most recent vacation can add to the nurturing ambiance of your space. 

Incorporate color.

Photo credit: potterybarn.com

Reflect on the colors that bring you peace. For most people, shades of blue do the trick, but everyone is different. Try incorporating these into the décor of the room, whether that’d be by painting a wall or choosing pillows and blankets in that color. 

Screen time.

Photo credit: hayneedle.com

We don’t mean of the television or iPad variety though. Keep active screens as far from your space as possible, but do consider adding a traditional screen if necessary to cut the area off from other distractions. This can be a wonderful way to carve out a meditation space in the rooms that might not otherwise be so accommodating.

The Hillsdale Furniture team is currently in the midst of a busy Las Vegas Furniture Market, and could definitely use a space like this in the home office to escape the craziness for a few minutes every day. Let us know where and how you reflect and find peace! 

Viva Las Vegas!

The Hillsdale Furniture team is headed due west this month for the Las Vegas Furniture Show. Old and new favorites have been loaded on the trucks are headed due east to our Las Vegas showroom, located just off the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas Boulevard. Here’s a look at what we’ll be showing off this month:

Mixed Media

Sarasota Dining

In dining, Hillsdale will be rolling out a series of mixed media tables and chairs to suit more modern (or fickle) sensibilities. These pieces combine wood and metal materials into unique dining room sets that can blend well into a variety of interiors. Be sure to check out the Sarasota Dining Collection, a fun new addition that manages to be at once retro-inspired and contemporarily-crafted.

Barstool Barons

Ontario Commercial Stool

The already-broad Hillsdale barstool selection continues to grow with classic wood and metal offerings, and we will have plenty of new designs on display in Vegas. We’re also going to be debuting several contemporary adjustable stools, and are still very excited about our line of commercial grade stools. These can be used both at home, as well as in a restaurant, bar, club or commercial setting. 

Compact dining

Not everyone has a grand, old fashioned dining room space to fill, however. Tables for 8, 10, 12 people just aren’t doable for everyone, but comfortable dining and entertaining most certainly is.  The adjustable Harrods Creek Dining Room Collection has foldable leaves that make it a petite enough to feed four easily in even the tightest of spaces, but expandable to six should the occasion call for it. The Sarasota Dining Room Table has a similar fit, though at a trendy counter height with wood and metal features to make it a stylish standout.

Harrods Creek

Bedroom Solutions

January is the time of resolving, rethinking and reorganizing. Hillsdale is adding space saving solutions into the designs of our bedroom collections, and are eager to show off our new products. The Preston Bed comes equipped with a storage options right in the headboard—perfect for throw pillows, extra blankets and sheets, or whatever other bedroom necessities you can’t find a place for. The Justin Storage Bed has a similar space right in its footboard. Check out both at the Vegas showroom!

Preston Bed

Come visit Hillsdale Furniture at the Las Vegas Furniture Show January 28-31. We’re at the World Market Center in Space 1301B. Hope to see everyone there!

Wonder Wall

Common New Year’s resolutions are both tackling, or improving, the looks of our walls and mantels, as well as FINALLY doing something with the hundreds (or thousands) of family photos that often live on our hard drives, and nowhere else. We love creative wall displays of favorite photos, so here are a few cool ways and innovative ways to add some intrigue to those blank canvases.

One and Done

Photo Credit: designcrushblog.com

Take a single favorite photo, and blow it up large. This time though, have it printed on canvas, and use it as a single point of interest above a mantel, table or bed. Many of the most popular photo sites, like Snapfish or iPhoto, will do this for you affordably and quickly.

Black and White

Print several of your favorites in black and white tones. This is also simple to you using the sites and stores you normally use for photo printing. Frame them with contrasting black and white mattes and frames, then hang them together as a gallery in a hall or bathroom.

Photo Credit: shelterness.com

Theme Theory

Have a favorite room of your house where you take lots of photographs of your family and friends? Living room, bedrooms and dining rooms are often fun places to create a gallery wall of photos taken in that very room. It’s a fun conversation piece for future gatherings and can often be a fun research project as well.

Bold and Bright

Photo Credit: shelterness.com

Go bright or go home. Consider creating a rainbow-hued wall of photographs in a hall or bedroom. Keep the photo size and frame type the same, and keep the layout simple, but try matte your pictures in a variety of bright or pastel hues to add some visual fun to the display. 

Message in a Bottle

Have shoeboxes full of antique family photos and nothing to do with them? This is a fun idea for beach or vacation homes, or even a guest room. Use clear glass bottles as a unique way of housing and displaying old photographs. This is great for a mantle or even a dresser or nightstand.

Photo Credit: shelterness.com

Have a favorite family photo or a great gallery wall? Share it on our Facebook page! 

Luxury for Less - The Kaylie Bed

Always dress to impress. This mantra should be applied not only to wardrobes, but to homes as well. Everyone should be able to enjoy beautiful interiors they are proud to bring friends and family home to, for the holidays, for the party, for the evening. Hillsdale Furniture is working to make luxury and elegance attainable, affordable, and easy to care for. Our products are designed in-house, and capture the trends, themes and styles popular with high end dealers and designers, at a price point that’s far simpler to stomach. Luxury for Less is a regular series meant to highlight some of our favorites.

Upholstered bedding is becoming increasingly popular, and shelter magazines have been taking more and more notice of the new stylish twists on an older trend. Hillsdale’s most recent take—the Kaylie Bed—is a classic we are all very eager to add to our own homes.

Elegant and impactful, the Kaylie Bed is a Hillsdale Furniture favorite that’s ready for royalty. If you are looking to add a romantic statement piece to your master or guest bedrooms, the Kaylie Bed is an affordable way to turn heads.

With its statuesque headboard and compact footboard, shown here in a warm, inviting buckwheat microfiber covering, the Kaylie bed is vibrant without being overwhelming. Its color options—the buckwheat, as well as rich chocolate and pewter hues—make it an ideal fit for a variety of aesthetics. And with it available in both queen and king sizes, the Kaylie makes an easy fit for most interiors.

At Hillsdale Furniture, we make elegance attainable. For more information on the Kaylie Bed, please visit www.hillsdalefurniture.com. For more ideas on how to integrate our furniture into your daily life and special occasions, check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages. 

Home Resolutions

The new year is upon us, and thus so are our 2013 resolutions. Are you sticking with the usual’s this year? Lose weight, save money, run a half marathon? Here at Hillsdale Furniture, we’re looking a bit more toward our homes this year, so we came up with a few resolutions specifically for the places we spend most of our time.

De-Clutter the Drawers

Photo Credit: 4.bp.blogspot.com

At least once a week, pick a single crowded drawer or closet in your house and get to it. Take a trash can with you, along with a box for possible donations, and start tossing anything you no longer use, need or want. A good rule of thumb is if you haven’t reached for it in a year or more, get rid of it. 

Engage Energy Efficiencies

Your house is a glutton for energy, and the bills can be painful. Gain control by trimming energy use. Try out energy efficient bulbs, ensure windows and doors are shutting completely, and consider taking a look at your HVAC duct work  Ducts are notorious for leaking energy through holes and loose connections, so take a look at those easily accessible, and seal leaks using duct sealant — called mastic — or metal-backed tape to seal the seams, holes, and connections.

Reduced Water Waste

The average household uses about 400 gallons of water each day, or almost $700 per year in water and sewer costs. Making a few simple changes, such as installing EPA-certified WaterSense products, could trim up to $200 from your annual water bill. Add to that energy from reduced costs to heat water, and your yearly savings could reach $300 or more per year. Think about installing low-flow shower heads and toilets, and maybe reconsider that second shower of the day.

Kill the Kitchen Mess

Photo Credit: Real Simple

Do you actually use all the tools and contraptions in your kitchen? Limited counter space in a work-heavy environment means that rarely used fixtures like a stand mixer or that fifth wooden spoon should probably live elsewhere. Store the most used items (spatulas, whisks, toasters) front and center or in a jug or drawer closest to your main work area. Put any extras in a labeled box elsewhere or move larger, less used gadgets to the basement or harder to reach cabinets. Challenge yourself to consider how often you really use everything in your kitchen. 

Plan Out Priorities

Photo credit: Militello &Sons

Thinking about a remodel, addition or new furniture? Take some time in January to plan out your home wish list for the year, prioritize, review finances and start saving as needed. Research the home improvements most necessary, or most likely to return on their investment when you sell. Look at calendars to determine the best time to work, or the most cost-friendly. Get started on making the best, most efficient and most savvy home on the block. 

We’ve got lots of great plans for 2013 here at Hillsdale Furniture, and we can’t wait to share them with you!