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Slipcovers are an easy and affordable solution to update furniture. Over time, wear and tear start to show on the fabrics of most chairs and sofas even when the piece is still in good shape overall. Custom slipcovers spruce up any chair, sofa or love seat, but it’s important to pick the right fabric for the look you’re going for and to take into consideration how much use each piece of furniture gets.

Solid Vs. Patterned – How To Choose

Walking in a furniture store, you might be attracted to the bold stripes of a sofa or the all-white linen sofa. But an all-white linen sofa is no match for a toddler with grimy hands. And patterned fabric from florals to plaids, can be in style one season and out the next. Solids are a safe bet when choosing fabric for a new furniture cover.

Going with solids doesn’t mean boring. Choosing bold patterned accessories and fun accent pieces including pillows and throws allows you to accessorize with current trends, but can be easily changed when it’s time for a new style.

Some pieces of furniture need bold patterns, especially when going for a specific overall look or theme. Florals, geometric patterns, plaid, striped or themed fabrics are available in slipcovers, but rather than overwhelming an entire living room set with a pattern, choosing one bold pattern for an accent piece is a good idea. Chair slipcovers in patterns nicely coordinate with a solid sofa without overdoing patterns.

Dining room chair slipcovers allow you to either get a new look completely, or replace dingy stained fabric. A great way to mix solid and patterned fabric is to choose chair slipcovers in solid fabric for the four armless versions and then choose patterned chair covers for the chairs at the head of the table.

Choose A Slipcover Made From Machine Washable Fabric For Ultimate Versatility

Keeping a sofa or chair that sees high traffic clean can be a nightmare. That’s where custom slipcovers are a godsend. When the cover looks soiled it can be removed and cleaned without paying a professional furniture steam cleaner. Machine washable fabrics allow you to quickly save fabrics from stains setting in, like when a glass of red wine inadvertently gets spilled on furniture during a party. Reputable manufacturers offer machine washable slipcovers that are made slightly larger to account for shrinking during washing.

Choosing The Right Slipcover Fabric

Figure out how much wear and tear the piece that is being covered gets on a daily basis.

Chair slipcovers that get daily heavy wear should be covered with tough, durable, tightly woven fabrics such as twill, canvas, cotton or denim. Natural fibers such as cotton provide good wear resistance including fading and pilling, but may wrinkle easier than synthetic fibers. Fabrics with a percentage of synthetic and natural fibers offer the best versatility. Microfiber fabrics such as faux suede offer excellent wear resistance. Damask fabrics where the pattern is woven wear better than printed fabrics.

Color also comes into play when determining the wear and tear of a furniture cover. An accent chair in a formal living room won’t get as much use as a favorite chair in the family room so a light colored fabric would probably be suitable, whereas a darker fabric might be a better choice for a piece where children play or where food is eaten. Color also comes into play if pets are involved. A dark color wouldn’t be a good choice for a sofa that is frequented by a light colored pet that sheds.

Texture is another consideration. Linen is not the best option for chair covers that get daily use as it wrinkles easily and requires more care to keep clean. The fibers in linen can also have a tendency to stretch, which means repeated sittings will make it lose its shape faster. Silk fabrics are beautiful, but are delicate so they are best used as chair covers on accent pieces in formal areas of the house that do not receive a lot of wear.

Before choosing a fabric, order swatches to test out the fabric. By seeing and touching the fabric, you’ll be able to determine if the color fits the scheme of the room and if it’s sturdy enough for the furniture.

You can use the following tips to make sure you get a quality sofa or chair:

Take a seat.
Better and more comfortable furniture, those that are usually bigger sized offers more room in seating space. Don’t hesitate to physically try seating on the chair in the store.

Lift it.
A better chair or sofa contains more raw materials. This includes materials such as springs, frame, and cushions, and will be heavier than a lower quality piece of the same materials.

Inspect the cushions.
Ensure the cushions are neat. It also must have well-defined corners or curves and a secured attached details and buttons.

Check underneath the surface.
Turn and lift the cushions piece over to note its construction. Don’t expect perfection as you look at the raw parts of the furniture but you should get clues about the quality of the work.

Study the details.
Look for better polishing and finishing of the wood parts and welts that are stitched straight.

What about if you want modernize your current living room or sofa sets?

1. Don’t be scared to be bold. Create a background with colour. Try blue on the walls and accents of orange! This opposite approach offers a fresh look that’s easy to change. For a more affordable version of the wallpapered wall, paint the wall blue and add stencilled images in white. Additional accessories in black, white and orange will show how to be bold with the small things.

2. Always remember to practice self-restraint. Coordinate shapes to ensure everything in the room fits a scheme. No matter how hard it is, leave the windows uncovered, limit accessories, and opt for small furniture pieces with straight lines to help the sofa and chair fit into the modern mix. On top of that, the minimalist concept will save a big chunk of your savings, too.

3. Add modern elements such as the glass-top coffee table, silver-framed side chair, and trendy flokati rug. Pieces in style right now give your room the biggest modern design punch. To save on your budget, you can find classic tables at antiques store, and then give the found items a fresh coat of paint. You can also look for vintage pieces at online auction sites, local flea markets, or antiques malls. Some mass retailers also offer new pieces with a mid 20th-century modern look.

4. Layer objects for visual warmth. Use two rugs instead of one and a posse of pillows to make the room feel more comfortable and inviting. A new throw layered over the back of the sofa adds colour and also protects the upholstery.

5. Repeat forms and shapes. A key design strategy of contemporary style comes through repetition. If you have many items with triangles, for example, consider stencilling that pattern on the wall. A series of round vases reflects the dot pattern in the wallpaper. Even a round pillow adopts the circular motif.

6. Add graphic accessories. Budget-smart accents like oranges in a bowl and goldfish in a clear vase, offer instant colour. For interest, use an odd number of items in each colour grouping.

Enamel is basically a layer of paint which is painted on to ceramic, steel, metal or glass ware. It is very hard wearing and is not affected by heat. It is therefore ideal for using in the kitchen, including putting it in the oven.

It has been widely used as a coating for pots and pans for many years now. Apart from withstanding the heat, it also stops rusting if used on cast iron goods. In the past, before the use of enamel, great care had to be taken of these utensils. Cast iron is excellent for retaining the heat and the coating of vitreous glaze which is non stick, is easy to clean and can also be decorative.

There used to be a problem with the glaze flaking off but technology has moved fast and the manufacturers now offer very long guarantees against that happening if the product is used properly.

If chipping does occur however, it is not the end of the world as underneath is usually cast iron which is what really makes it cook so well. It just does not look as nice.

Most of the leading kitchen utensil manufacturers now provide an enamel cookware range. In particular Le Creusot have a great selection of skillets, casserole dishes and saucepan sets. These all have a cast iron base with an enameled surface.

Tefal tend to concentrate on non-stick items and have a number of frying pans and saute pans including a very popular frying pan which Jamie Oliver recommends.

Prestige supply a number of items for use in the oven such as an oven roaster, a baking tray and a number of grill pans.

On a slight tangent you can also get a lot of other kitchen items in enamel such as tea pots and kettles as well as a lot of crockery where the enamel is often used in a more decorative manner.

By now you should be able to appreciate the value of enamel cookware and we wish you good luck in searching for what you want.

Energy crisis – what energy crisis?

Its really very simple – fit an airer or better still fit an airer system and you will be delighted at the zero energy costs.

Increases of 40% and more are promised on energy. Hard pressed families struggle to make ends meet. World fuel and commodity shortages have caused food costs and fuel costs to rocket. The ever increasing cost of oil means higher transport costs in turn this is reflected in the price of anything that is delivered.

The clothes airer is really a wonderful invention. The wall mounted airer takes up so little space and expands into the room. Mounted over a radiator it uses secondary heat, some models can also be used outside preferably on a sunny wall.

The aluminium wall mounted airer is recyclable, strong but extremely light. These airers are capable of taking a full 20lb load.

Portability is a popular requirement in a clothes airer – the free standing models are ideal. It is important to choose a robust heavy duty model which will stand up to all the folding and storing it will receive.

European fixed campsites usually provide a free standing airer. Ideal for under canvas in the camping area and suitable to quickly move it outside on sunny days. With the daily load of soiled towels, tee shirts etc a free standing airer is ideal for cost free drying.

Free standing airers also come in mini sizes great for standing in the bath. Drip drying a favourite woollen couldn’t be easier. I often feel that every growing family should be offered a free airer system to immediately reduce fuel bills. Zero energy laundry is definitely the way to go.

The indoor washing line can be found in many hotels these days. Providing up to 70ft of line they provide a heaven for laundry especially on wet or stormy days on holiday. Linked in a system clothes airers give you a solution for all seasons and a multitude of uses at zero cost.

You should take advantage of the great outdoors when possible by using clothes lines. Your clothes will not only last a lot longer but you save energy and money as well. Another option is a clothes hanging rack. Clothes may not dry as quickly without sunshine and fresh air but a rack will keep you from using unnecessary electricity.

I realize that dryers are more convenient and dry your clothes faster, so if you still choose to use a dryer the best way to ensure it’s efficiency is to clean the dryer vent’s lint screen after every load. I have read that a dryer with a clogged lint screen can take up to 30% longer to completely dry your clothes. Now I know everyone has heard about cleaning the lint screen, but did you know that according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, over 15,000 fires occur in clothes dryers each year and lint is pegged as the most common cause. You will also want to check the dryer’s vent hose and clean it out on a regular basis.

It is also a good idea to wait until you have a full load before doing laundry in effort to save electricity and also try to time this chore and wash and dry clothes in consecutive loads to take advantage of the already warm dryer. Make sure to leave enough room for clothes to tumble or they will not dry as quickly as they should and over drying your clothes wastes energy and will also prematurely wear them out.

One More Energy Saving Tip

Waiting until after peak hours (usually after 8:00 p.m.) to run your dryer and other appliances will save you even more. The power companies will charge more per kilowatt-hour during peak power usage times so wait until the later hours to run your large appliances whenever possible.

You have just evaluated you’re the interior decor of your apartment and have realized that it is far too lifeless and does not make any style statement. Before you can start analyzing what components of the house can be changed and modified to make it look better, the simplest and most creative way of decorating your home is by using decorative pillows. Pillows come in various different shapes and sizes.

Pillows that are circular, oblong, round or rectangular are usually preferred by many people. The most unique aspect of decorative pillows is that you can place it anywhere in the house and make the entire room look vibrant. Decorative pillows can be used on all the furniture and beds that make your rooms look monotonous and boring. These pillows come in different fabrics and patterns. The common fabrics usually used are cotton, denim and suede. Some pillows are imprinted with fancy designs and also incorporate feature such as beads, sequins and tassels. Embroidery is also done on several types of pillows to give them a rich and sophisticated look.

They can have different themes such as floral themes, country-side themes, painting inspired themes and geometric themes. Or, they can add interest in any room and make the person sit up and take notice of the room. An odd number of decorative pillows can be placed on sofas or one decorative pillow can be placed on each section of the sofa, to make it look interesting and colorful. Bright color pillows can liven up any room and add a touch of color and life to it. Similarly deep or dark colored decorative pillows can give the room a sophisticated look and make it look grand.

Pillows are not costly and as such, you can buy several of them at really reasonable prices. You can update or renovate several sections of your house and use decorative pillows on beds, sofas and chairs in a certain pattern and theme to make the whole house look coordinated. Decorative pillows of rich colors can bring in a sense of warmth to a room. Instead of using furniture or any other embellishments that are very bright to add color to a room, it is a good option to invest in decorative pillows to adorn the room.

It is also possible to change the look of any room based on our preferences by simply replacing the existing pillows or even re-covering the previous ones. If you like sewing, then you can easily make your own pillows with a little practice. Sometimes, you do not get the throw pillows of your choice or do not find the patterns that you require, then it is a good option to make your own pillows in patterns that you prefer. Thus, with so many options you can easily choose and select the pillows you need at really reasonable prices, and make your house look great and lively for years to come.