Choosing the Right Furniture For Your Bedroom

Have you ever realized that we spend about one third part of our lives in our bedrooms? It is the first place we see as soon as we wake up in the morning. In fact, we carry out all our day-to-day activities in our bedrooms, whether it be reading books, listening to music or simply relaxing on our cozy comfy beds.

Since we do most of the things in our bedroom, then why not make our bedroom a cozy and warm place by selecting the right bedroom furniture. Choosing furniture for your bedroom requires careful planning and many factors need to be considered like bedroom interiors, expenditure, personal taste etc.

Bedroom Furniture Buying Tips

• Never compromise on quality, even if you have to pay an extra price for it.
• Go in for a durable piece of furniture and not for the one that is just attractive, but not long lasting.
• Give due importance to fine craftsmanship, as it will also ensure the durability and save your repair expenses.
• While shopping for bedroom furniture, place a higher importance on comfort than anything else.
• Pay attention to what all you do in your bedroom. Are your activities in your bedroom just limited to sleeping or you do perform other activities like reading books while in bed? If that is the case, then you must buy such bedroom furniture that can accommodate a moderate size lamp that can provide you with adequate light to read during the nighttime.

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Fabric and Leather – Cleanliness is next to…

At some point in our lives all of us have heard the old admonition “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.”  Personally, I’m pretty fastidious – but I don’t think showering frequently will have much of an influence on where I spend Eternity.

If you want your fabric and leather upholstered furniture to last an eternity, I fear you’ll be disappointed.  Just like us, upholstery eventually wears out and passes on – but it WILL last longer if you clean it regularly.

Think about leather for a minute.  It’s the skin of an animal and it has most- if not all – of the same characteristics as our skin.  Consider what kind of shape YOUR skin would be in if you never washed it; not a pleasant thought, is it?  If you want your leather furniture to last – and look good – longer, cleaning and protecting it is a MUST.

Modern tanning processes have made leather softer and more supple, but softer and supple has a downside – these leathers lack the amount of protective coating found on heavier, stiffer leathers.  You CAN keep the softer, less protected leathers looking good – IF you clean and protect them regularly with products designed for the specific type of leather you purchased.  For Heaven’s sake, don’t use the wrong thing.  You can damage your furniture.

 

Fabric has its own set of quirky rules.  First and foremost, don’t spill anything on any fabric if you can help it – and if you do, don’t aggressively wipe it off.  Blot it gently with a clean white cloth, removing as much of the stain as you can in that manner. 

           

After the blotting is done, any remaining stain should be cleaned with the APPROPRIATE cleaning product. Yes, you CAN really screw up your furniture by using the wrong cleaner, so be careful…very, very careful…or call a professional. Fabric comes with cleaning codes:

 

• S          Clean with a solvent-based cleaner ONLY
• W         Clean with a water-based cleaner ONLY
• WS       Clean with either solvent or water

Routine maintenance of fabric is simple.  Vacuum it.  No need to use upholstery cleaners unless there’s a stain… just vacuum it thoroughly on a regular basis.   You’re not just removing dust – you’re removing dirt particles that work their way into your fabric and actually damage the fibers of the fabric.

 Here’s a good illustration… ever go to the beach and get sand in your bathing suit?  You won’t walk far without going into the water and doing your best to get that sand OUT OF THERE…that stuff will transform the silkiest swimwear into sandpaper and brutally abrade you in sensitive areas.  That’s exactly what dirt does to fabric fibers.  Spare your sofa that fate and give it a good vacuuming at least once a month.

Visit us at Bowen Town & Country Furniture! We’re located at 1910 Mooney Street, right off Stratdford Road…near Hanes Mall.

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To Fix – or Not To Fix

Regardless of how careful we are with our health – watching our diets, exercising regularly and that sort of thing – we all have to visit our physician now and then.  The trips get a little more frequent as we get older, and sometimes our doctors send us to specialists for various ailments.  Your fine home furnishings are no different; even with the best of care furniture gets dents, dings and daily wear and tear.

Few of us have the skills to properly repair a piece of furniture – a good repair person is a cross between a cabinetmaker, an upholsterer, a mechanic and an artist.  We are fortunate enough to have found a gentleman who possesses those skills – Lorn Perkosky, owner of Furniture Technology.  Located at 202 Shoals Road in Pinnacle, NC, Lorn can be reached at 336-368-9166.  His expertise extends from wood to upholstery to the mechanical parts of motion furniture.  Lorn also builds a limited amount of custom furniture.

And, when the time comes when that favorite chair needs more than minor repair, you need to ask yourself a simple question – “Is it cost-effective to repair this?”  There is nothing that can’t be fixed if you throw enough money at it, but the most economical course of action may very well be a new piece from Bowen Town & Country Furniture!

Visit us at Bowen Town & Country Furniture in Winston-Salem, NC! We are located at 1910 Mooney Street, right off Stratdford Road…near Hanes Mall.

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Keep the Change

By: Keith Joyce
VP of Operations

I walked into the house last night and took a long look at my sofa. It’s still an excellent piece of furniture… comfortable, handsome and in great condition. Unfortunately, I’m tired of the look… and it’s way too good to get rid of, so I suppose I’ll be looking at it for another year or two. Had I made a different choice when I ordered it, I could have a new sofa every season at a very reasonable price.

No… I’m not kidding. If I had selected a slipcover sofa from Rowe, I could have extra slipcovers and change the look whenever I want. I’d have a brightly colored, cheerful slipcover for spring and summer… maybe another in warm, earthy tones for fall and winter. Either way, I could have a fresh look simply by changing the covers. If one slipcover has been soiled, use the “time off” to have it cleaned !

Bowen Town & Country Furniture is proud to offer you access to our exclusive Studio Rowe! We have hundreds of fabrics and frame combinations to show you – you can even see your new sofa on a big-screen TV BEFORE you order it using our PreVue system. Stop by today and we’ll show you how to keep the change!

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FREEZE! DON’T MOVE!

By: Keith Joyce
VP of Operations
kjoyce@bowenfurniture.com

Sounds like a line from a cop show on TV, doesn’t it?  Most of us will never hear those words except on TV, in a movie, or just kidding around.  BUT… when it comes to moving the furniture in your home, it can be really good advice.
 
We all end up moving our furniture around at some point.  We move it to clean behind it… we move it to get a different look in the room… or we move it to “move house.”  Before you start to shift those big, heavy pieces – or let someone else move them – there are several things you need to keep in mind.
 
Always use proper lifting techniques; furniture is often very heavy and you can easily injure yourself – or the furniture. Examine the piece carefully before you attempt to move it.  Some tall chests, secretaries and the like are made in two pieces; they may be secured together, with light hardware made to keep the top from moving around during use– it won’t hold the piece together for you to move it.  Move the pieces separately – it was built that way to make it easier to move.

NEVER slide a piece of furniture without making sure there is something on the bottom of the legs to protect the floor.  Lifting a piece onto an old quilt or blanket and carefully pulling it can protect floors and make the piece much easier to move. If feasible, use the “furniture sliders” available at home centers.  Used according to the directions, they work amazingly well. If you are moving a piece with drawers, it may be easier if you remove all the drawers and replace them after the move.  If you do this, you may want to note which drawer goes where in the case.  Some pieces have individually fitted drawers that will only fit one space properly.

Some mattresses have “handles” sewn into the sides.  NEVER use them to carry the mattress, period.  They’re there to help you turn the mattress, not carry it.  You’ll rip the sides out of the mattress cover.  One more thought – bending an innerspring mattress more than a small amount can ruin it, so be very careful moving one to a different room.

Disassemble beds before moving them.  If you try to slide a bed, there is a great possibility that you will damage it.  Most people will try to slide the head over a few inches and then slide the foot over even with it.  All too often this will cause the bedrails, headboard, or footboard to split – sometimes beyond repair.  It takes a few minutes to tear a bed down, but it’s certainly worth the effort.

When possible, remove the cushions from sofas and chairs before moving them.  They’ll be much, much lighter and easier to handle. One more thing – while you’re in the process of moving your furniture, why not give the wood pieces a thorough cleaning and polishing with Guardsman furniture care products?  You’ll get great results with minimal effort.
 
Good furniture – especially wood pieces – will last a long, long time with proper care and handling.  You’ve made a significant investment in furnishings to beautify your home and make it a warm, inviting place to live.  Take the time – and make the effort – to care for it properly and you will enjoy it for years to come.

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Special on Guardsman Aerosol Polish!

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     Print this coupon and bring it into the store to get a can of
    Guardsman Aerosol Polish for only $2.59 per can!!!!
     (limited 2 per household, offer expires May 20, 2009)

Guardsman Aerosol Polishes protect while producing a deep,
brilliant shine with a fresh wood or lemon scent. These products
do not leave a dulling wax build-up and feature a wax free and
silicone free, premium blend of natural and organic oils, plus
                 cleaning agents.

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Tips On Taking Care Of Your Outdoor Furniture

Keep your outdoor furniture sparkling and ready for barbecues, parties and leisurely weekends with these handy cleaning solutions:

Conventional Plastic Web Lawn Chairs
Clean plastic webbing with an all-purpose cleaner, using a scrub brush to remove stains. If the webbing is looking dingy, try mixing some detergent and a half-cup of bleach in one gallon of water to use as a cleaning solution. As a last resort, local hardware stores sell kits for re-webbing a chair when the original webbing resists your best cleaning efforts or has deteriorated beyond use.

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