Hutch Heaven

We all dream of wide open spaces. The countryside, the beach, the rooftop of an elegant urban skyscraper; or just the kitchen. Cramped kitchen and dining room spaces are a common gripe, with everything from toasters to fine china collections being spirited away to basements and closets to make room for actually cooking and consuming.

Hutches, however, offer a scalable solution to many of our dining area dilemmas.  They come in an infinite number of styles, colors and sizes. Here are a few of our favorites:

Cottage Style Hutch

Small and rustic, cottage style hutches are ideal for cramped kitchens and easy to reach storage. With glass doors, try arranging your everyday plates and platters in a sophisticated but simple arrangement that will free up cabinet space for appliances. If the doors are solid, try the opposite approach.

Free Standing Open Hutch

Have a little more space? Large, open hutches are perfect for pulling double duty. Bottom cabinets can store unsightly appliances and kitchen gadgets, while the open top can turn your fine china into a dining room art display.

Furniture Style Hutch

If you’re going for a more unified style throughout the home, try picking out a hutch in a wood or material already prevalent in your aesthetic. If it works in the other rooms of your house, it will likely fit seamlessly into your dining room or kitchen as well.

  Check out Hillsdale's website for a variety of hutches and other dining storage options.  

Toujours en Vogue

Rustic, but classic. French country style is at once comforting and chic, and is an easy-going design aesthetic easily applied to nearly any room in the home. Marked by time-worn, antique finishes on tables and chairs, cabriole-style legs, and most obviously, pastoral scenes woven and painted into surfaces and fabrics (toile), French country is a favorite for many. 

The French country style has its origins in 18th-century France, when furniture produced in the rich Paris ateliers was copied in the provinces. While done with great workmanship, the designs were interpreted more casually in the countryside, without the gilt and more formal, ornate look from the city.

Here are a few ideas for how to incorporate a little French flair into your own décor:

·         Have a surplus of wicker and wire trays and baskets hanging around? Use them to display photos or other small pieces of artwork on walls. Spray-paint the trays black and attach a small frame to the center by threading wire through the back of the tray.

·         Antiques and distressed furnishings are a key French country ideal. For wood items—desks, tables, nightstands—rubbing with sandpaper can achieve the look affordably and quickly.

·         Well-tailored slipcovers on the end chairs of a dining room or area add polish and a sense of warmth, without being too overstated. Those made from toile-printed fabric or with a painted pastoral scene pack double the punch.

·         When it comes to furniture and colors, avoid being too “matchy-matchy.”  Make each piece unique. Some new, some old, some bright, some muted.

At Hillsdale, we found French country comfort in the Hampton Dining Collection. Its distressed oak finish, traditional ladder back chairs and classic curving legs make it an ideal addition to any French country collection.

For more information, please visit http://www.hillsdalefurniture.com/.

Higher Style

Refresh the dining room this spring. Check out Hillsdale Furniture’s counter-height dining room tables. Built a few inches taller than typical dining room tables, counter and gathering-height tables can take your dining experience to new heights. 

Modern and chic, the Park Avenue Dining Collection will bring high style to your home.  The large, trestle style dining table comfortably seats 6-10, making it ideal perfect for entertainers or large families. The non-swivel stools are reminiscent of traditional ladder backs, but with a hint of transitional design in the wide top slat and easy to care for brown faux leather seat.  Made of solid hardwood, the Collection boasts a dark cherry finish that makes it warm, welcoming and easy to design around. Some assembly is required.

Hillsdale’s Villagio Dining Collection, also at counter-height, brings prestige and a little more classic inspiration to the dining room.  The dark chestnut finish and granite table top leave a power impression, and six people may dine comfortably in either the scroll or ladder backed counter chairs.  For those with the space, a matching server and hutch are available featuring the same finish and medal scroll back. Some assembly required.

Try something different this season. Gather your friends and family, and enjoy a meal or a moment in the fun, fresh atmosphere of Hillsdale Furniture’s counter height dining collections.

For more information, please visit http://www.hillsdalefurniture.com/.   

Catering to the Kids

The kids’ bedrooms are usually some of the most amusing rooms in the home. They can be colorful, imaginative and most of all, inspiring for their little residents. This spring, try a few of these easy updates to up the fun factor.

Add handmade touches

Whether crafted by your own hands, or those of a more qualified professional (etsy.com is a treasure trove), handmade toys and décor can add a whimsical and personal touch to children’s bedrooms. Make or look for items that speak directly to your child’s favorite animals, games, colors or interests.

 

Decorate with decals

Not quite ready to take on a full-on paint job? Wall decals are a simple, fun way to add a little inventive flair to the bedroom. Available in pictures, words and even favorite team logos, non-permanent wall decals are a great way to appease a child’s desire to express their (often fleeting) interests. 

Plan for play

Kids’ rooms are play zones. Plan for it. Create as much open space as you can, and make it comfortable with colorful area rugs (try Pottery Barn Kids) or hanging bubble chairs, sure to be a hit.

 

Select simple, classic pieces

Novelty furniture is always exciting when first delivered, but it can become tiresome, for both child and parent, as the years go by. Choose simple, classic pieces built with children in mind to maximize long term contentment. Hillsdale Furniture makes bunk beds designed with this in mind. 

 

The Rockdale Bunk Bed has a twin upper bunk and full size lower bunk, offering lots of room for sweet dreams and sleepovers.  Sturdy solid wood construction is complemented by your choice of finishes, cherry or espresso.  The Rockdale also boasts an under-bed storage drawer, perfect for stowing away such things as toys, clothing or linens.

 

The whimsical, traditional styling of the Lauren Bunk Bed makes it a delightfully timeless addition to any children’s room.  The white finish easily coordinates and a beautiful scalloped design features throughout the piece.  The Lauren is available with an under bed storage drawer option and a full size bottom bunk conversion kit. The drawer option is intended for storage use only and will not hold a trundle mattress. It is constructed from hardwood and wood composites.

 With their easy-going styles and classic construction, the Rockdale and Lauren beds will appeal through years of changing tastes and inspiration.

 For more information, please visit www.hillsdalefurniture.com.