Trick or Treat

Tomorrow is Halloween, and the neighborhood ghouls and goblins are sure to be out in full force. Be sure to make the night frightful in a tasteful way, by trying out a few of these clever and delicious treats on your family and friends as they stop by.

Forked Eyeballs

Pick up (or bake) your favorite donut holes and dip in white chocolate. Once the chocolate has set and cooled, using frosting and chocolate chips to make the treats resemble eyeballs, and skewer on a fork for maximum affect. 

Graveyard Gingerbread

Have a favorite recipe for gingerbread men? Follow it through (perhaps using some Halloween-inspired cookie cutters) and then use a simple white frosting to draw edible skeletons the men, cats, bats and witches for a seriously spooky scene.

 Zombie Guts

Looking for something savory, healthy and deliciously scary? Bake or microwave a spaghetti squash until done, then scoop out the flesh. Mix the “spaghetti” strands with your favorite tomato sauce and present in individual cups or portions for a frightful sight straight out of “The Walking Dead.”

Finger Food

Using a paring knife, cut pieces of string cheese in half, then slice in knuckle joints and carve in a shallow nail bed. Slice a green pepper into strips, then into about half inch squares that can be pressed into the cheese “nail beds” to serve as the nail. Another healthy option, if you can get past the stomach-turning suggestion.

Pizza Mummies

These are ideal for Halloween parties without a lot of formal dining space. Simply spread a little tomato sauce onto half of an English muffin, set olive slices with green pepper pieces in the center as eyes, then adorn with shredded mozzarella cheese for the full “mummy” affect. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees until cheese is melted but still white in color. 

 What are some of your favorite treats to serve and share around Halloween?

(All photos and recipes from spoonful.com)

Luxury for Less

The Metro Bedroom Collection

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.

Modern, streamlined design meets chic practicality in Hillsdale Furniture’s Metro Bedroom Collection. Three unique designs, available in both warm cherry and rich espresso finishes with the option for a storage base, make adding a touch of upscale design to your bedroom a breeze.  Pair any of the beds with the matching dresser, mirror, nightstand and chest, and you’ll make a statement.

The Metro Liza

Straightforward and chic, the Metro Liza Bed is a streamlined anchor for your bedroom décor. Constructed of solid hardwood in a cherry or espresso finish, the Metro Liza keeps it simple with a vertical slat design in the headboard.  No box spring necessary, this bed has slats that support your mattress, keeping its presence light and airy.  The bed is constructed from hardwood with veneers, and is available in the espresso or cherry finishes. 

The Metro Martin

The Metro Martin platform bed is a lux, multitasking anchor for your bedroom décor.  The Martin platform bed features two dark brown vinyl cushions in a tufted style.  Again, no box spring is necessary;  this bed has slats that support your mattress, unless you prefer the storage base, which boasts a variety of drawers to conveniently house your pillows, blankets and linens.  Like the Liza, it too is constructed of hardwood with veneers, and is available in the Metro’s signature finishes—espresso or cherry.

The Metro Riva 

Mod style and classic construction come together in the Metro Riva platform bed.  The Riva features an elegantly arched headboard with dramatic open panels.  No box spring is necessary, and it too is available either with or without the storage base, depending on which kind of visual statement or (level of practicality) preferred.   

The Metro Collection

All three of the above beds are wonderfully complemented by the rest of the Metro Bedroom Collection, which includes the unique nine-drawer dresser, a matching mirror, five-drawer chest and two-drawer nightstand. These beautiful pieces come in the Metro signature finishes, and are constructed of hardwood with wood composites and veneers.  All of the drawers have pulls in an antique pewter finish, dovetail drawer construction and full-extension ball-bearing drawer glides to ensure years of reliability.  

At Hillsdale Furniture, we make elegance attainable. For more ideas on how to integrate our furniture into your daily life and special occasions, check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages. 

Neon Punch

For us, bright neon hues scream “the 80s,” but in a fun, nostalgic sort of way. For the past few seasons, fashion designers have been experimenting with bringing back these bold statement colors in small punches—on accessories like belts and bags, integrated into graphic patterns, etc.  Lately though, interior and furniture designers have also been getting in on the action, and we’re especially liking what a neon green, pink or yellow can do to brighten up organic neutral tones and wood surfaces in rooms throughout the house.

In the bathroom

Towels and bathroom accessories can be a fun place to play with neon (a neon yellow rubber ducky perhaps?), but we’re most liking the morning pick-me-up provided by a bright, solid-colored shower curtain. Just try to keep yawning while taking a shower behind this.

Photo Credit: Remodelista.com

In the living room

We have discussed this on the blog before, but throw pillows and blankets are a great, inexpensive, and most definitely not permanent way to experiment with patterns, colors and textures. This makes them ideal ways to play with neons, and we like the intersection of pattern and color provided by this cool throw pillow.

Photo credit: apartmenttherapy.com

We also can’t help but love what this bright pink coffee table brings to the industrial vibe of this living room.

Photo credit: apartmenttherapy.com

In the bedroom

Go big or go home when it comes to the bedroom. If you aren’t ready to REALLY commit, give it a whirl in the guest room, or find a cheaper, used bed on Craig’s List and give it your own paint job, but we really love the design punch packed by this neon canopy bed in an otherwise low key sleep space. You really don’t need much else going on.

Photo credit: apartmenttherapy.com

 In the dining room

Less is often more, but especially when it comes to neon colors. A subtle approach can often serve to highlight the other key design choices, like how these pink dining table legs seem to underscore the gallery wall living above them.

Photo credit: apartmenttherapy.com

 What do you think? Are neons making a comeback in the home, or should they stay relegated to 1980s nostalgia?

Reframed

Here at Hillsdale Furniture, we love clever, crafty ways to repurpose everyday household items. Sometimes we call these ideas “life hacks” or “upcycling,” and picture frames are some of our favorite items to play around with. We tend to collect a lot of them, and when old pictures get a little stale, it can be more fun to use the frame for something other than an updated family photo at the beach. Here are a few cool ideas for picture frames:

So Vain

Repurpose an old frame for a vanity tray that’s pretty as a picture. Give it a quick new coat of paint, then place a piece of colored paper or fabric inside to match or complement the surrounding décor of your bathroom, closet or bedroom. 

Fridge Flair

This one is handy for the unfortunate leftovers of mantle falls. Have a frame without the glass or cover handy? Glue on some magnetic strips to front frame (easy to find at craft stores) and then use them as refrigerator photo frames! There also great for framing part of a school drawing or A+ test grade.

Key Catcher

Framed hooks are a much more aesthetic (and organized) way to keep keys in check than the usual key table by the door. Eliminate the glass and paint the backing or cover it with fabric or paper. Then attach key hooks using super glue.

 Objet D’Art

Take the glass out of a beautiful frame, hang it, then mount an actual object in the center for a lovely and unique alternative to the shadow box. As far as the objects go, as long as it is light enough for wall mounting, the world is your oyster (this would great with travel souvenirs).

Solo Stunners

Who said picture frames needed pictures? Beautiful, vintage frames can be quite the sight all on their own, especially when painted in unexpected colors or covered in patterned papers. Try grouping together frames of various shapes, sizes, colors and patterns. Layering them on top of one another and mixing in other objects, like vases and small prints, can make for a unique display.

 Do you repurpose old frames? What are some of your favorite ideas for them?

Table Mates

A new season is upon us, and with it, a whole new set of table linens—table cloths and napkins in a variety of autumn hues ranging from deep plums to burnt oranges. Luscious, thick textures and a new color palette are enough to make anyone want to entertain every week this time of year. This fall, go beyond the basic white tablecloth, and check out a few of these seasonal lovelies to spruce up even the most basic of family meal times.

Print Inspiration

This Autumn Wheat Jacquard Tablecloth from Williams-Sonoma has an elegant, harvest-inspired print that is tasteful without being over the top. Its muted orange hue will make an ideal backdrop for whatever other autumn accoutrements you decide to decorate the table with. 

Photo credit: Williams Sonoma

Leaf Love

A little literal interpretation here and there never hurt anybody. We adore the vintage, shabby chic feel of the leaf-shaped and autumn-hued placemats. They would be a fun addition to a simple, single-colored table cloth or on a pretty, wood table top all on their own.

Photo credit: Macy's

High End Halloween

Halloween decorations are a lot of fun, but some things are better left a little understated. This damask table runner in a high sheen orange and black palette says “Happy Halloween” without all the witches and spiders—though you can certainly add those things to the table scape if so desired for an extra spooky evening.

Photo credit: Pier 1

Plaid Perfection

Simple plaids are beautiful, welcoming and comfortable. They warm up a dining room table all on their own. Through in some fall hues, and you have the perfect workhorse you can leave on the table all season long. This table cloth from Kohl’s will work just as well for easy lunches all on its own, or dressed up a little more formally for five-course dinners. 

Photo credit: Kohls

Paisley Favorites

Not always associated with the season, paisley is a colorful, graphic print reminiscent of bandanas and fall fun. These napkins from Williams-Sonoma up the ante, putting a Provencal twist on an old favorite and classing up an old school favorite.

Photo credit: Williams Sonoma

How do you like to dress up your dining tables this time of year? 

Every now and then we like to share with our blog followers some of what we’re most proud of, and likewise sell the most of. Check out this fun round-up of the best of Hillsdale Furniture—the MVP’s of each of our collections.

Dining Dynamo

The Cameron Collection

Hillsdale’s Cameron collection beautifully combines a warm chestnut brown, wood finish with dark grey metal to create an ideal dining set for your home.  Start with the non-swivel ladder back stool that features 3 rungs and brown faux leather seat.  The round wood table is 42” in diameter and features a wonderful metal accent on the base.  That’s just one set too—rectangular options in both bar and counter heights are also available, so you’re sure to find a Cameron collection that suits your family size and aesthetic choices.

Bar Stool Bestsellers

The Montello

Drama and style defined in the Montello Swivel Bar Stool. Sweeping interlocking circles, intricate complimentary castings and elegantly curved legs combine to create a collection with grace, movement and elegance. Available in both counter and bar heights and with 360-degree swivel. It’s finished in a dynamic old steel with distressed brown faux leather seats and wood accents in a brown faux leather veneer.

The Norwood

Our Norwood Stool has expanded on one our most popular design features. Insetting our hammered copper metal back into a distressed black wood frame and accenting the stool with a metal turned rope motif at the crown adds substance, depth and style.

Bedroom Raves

The Wilshire Collection

The Wilshire Bedroom Collection displays both quality and craftsmanship. Each piece features old world construction with corner blocking, wood on wood drawer glides, thick drawer sides with tongue and groove drawer bottoms, English dovetail construction and hand-rubbed finishes. The Wilshire Collection blends Americana and English Country design elements to create a casual elegance perfect for any home. The collection abounds with options, offering three choices of beds, a bookcase bed, a panel bed (both also offered with under bed storage option), or a post bed, a large selection of case goods to mix and match.

The Montgomery Daybed

The Montgomery daybed is the perfect fit for any design aesthetic, from contemporary to eclectic to whimsical.  This stunning sleigh style daybed has both a modern edge and a practical side. Covered in an easy to care for warm brown faux leather, this daybed also offers an optional matching trundle.  The Montgomery daybed is a great fit for any guest room, office or teen’s bedroom.

What are your Hillsdale favorites? See anything you have on the list? 

Dorm Room Daring

College football kicked off this weekend, and for most, that may be the only indication that college courses are back in full swing. For others, those with 18-22 year old children, nieces, nephews and friends, we’ve been prepping all summer for the big dorm room move. Stores like Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond have been all over the dorm craze, providing extensive checklists of stuff and tips for those new to the world of living in shared shoeboxes. We’ve got a few of our own for those college-bound this fall.

Furniture Flip Out

Don’t necessarily marry yourself to the bed/desk/dresser (as this will likely be about it) layout you find upon arriving. Take a few minutes, before moving in, to rearrange everything and find which option maximizes the space the best. Try lofting beds and putting the desks underneath. 

Photo credit hgtv.com

Roommate Recon

Avoid color and pattern clashes, especially in such a small place as a dorm room, by using design recon as a reason to reach out to the future roomie. At least pick a color scheme, preferably one with a neutral tone. Black and green, yellow and gray, or stick with school colors! 

Photo credit hgtv.com

Rug Warm-Up

Warm up simple, utilitarian sleeping spaces with an area rugs in a fun pattern or color. It will add a little design flair, while simultaneously making for more comfortable seating when visitors arrive (seating options are often limited in small dorm rooms). 

Photo credit: realsimple.com

Decal  Cool

Wall decals are becoming increasingly popular and available in a variety of colors and designs. They are a classier, more sophisticated option than movie posters and push pins, and are easy to install, move and remove when it’s time to head home for the summer. 

Photo credit hgtv.com

What are some of your favorite dorm room memories? How did you spice up yours back in the day?