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A Flower Garden of Your Own

I absolutely adore flower gardens. Whenever I want to relax and view nature in one of its most beautiful forms, I sit in or near a flower garden. Smelling the aromatic fragrances of roses always instantly improves my mood. Do you have a flower garden on your property? If you don’t currently have a flower garden, consider starting one this summer. If your knowledge about flowers is limited, visiting a local home and garden center is a great idea. An expert at this kind of business establishment can help you pick the varieties of flowers that grow best in your part of the country. On this blog, I hope you will discover the easiest types of flowers to grow in a backyard flower garden. Enjoy!

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A Flower Garden of Your Own

Essential Tips for Finding Quality Items That Suit Your Home When Shopping for Used Furniture

by Amelia Sutton

When you move into your own apartment or house after living with roommates for years, you have the opportunity to furnish your space exactly how you want without worrying about accommodating others. However, furnishing your home can be an expensive project. If you are on a budget but want to obtain some quality items, you can save a ton of money if you buy used furniture.

In fact, you may be able to find some high-quality, one-of-a-kind pieces that look better than anything you may find in a showroom of new furniture. If you need help shopping for used furniture, the tips below will be invaluable as you hunt for practical and decorative items.

Take Measurements

The last thing you want to do is buy a large piece of furniture, like a beautiful vintage couch, and find out that it does not fit your living room once it is delivered to your home. In order to alleviate this type of disaster, take measurements of all the spaces that you intend to furnish.

As you collect measurements for a room, do not forget to measure the height and width of entryways. You want make sure that your furniture will be able to fit through entrances. Other structures that you should measure include stairways and the clearance between fixtures, such as ceiling lights, and the floor.

Brand-new furniture may have dimensions listed on the website of the retailer, but if you are buying used, you will not know the dimensions until you visit a store in person and measure the furniture yourself. If you have the measurements of your home with you as you shop, you can determine immediately if a piece you like will fit in your space.

Create a Layout

Another helpful tactic is to use the dimensions of your home to create a hand-drawn layout on grid paper. If you live in an apartment, the building manager may have a printout of the layout that you can copy and use as a guide when you shop.

With a layout, you can have a visual guide for determining whether you have left enough space for foot traffic in between furniture and entryways. A good rule of thumb is to provide three feet of space for a walking lane in between furniture.

Look for Brand Names

There are tried and true brand names in the furniture industry that signify quality and longevity. If you do not know how to determine whether a piece of furniture is high quality and a good deal, you can look for trusted brand names as you shop.

Consult with online guides on top furniture brands to make a list of manufacturers that you can take with you as you shop. You may be surprised to find furniture from luxury brands or trendy pieces from designer lines of major manufacturers.

Examine the Materials and Craftsmanship

If you want to be absolutely sure that your furniture is high quality instead of simply rely on brand names, you should learn about what materials and features denote excellent craftsmanship. For wood furniture, you want to select pieces made of solid wood. Avoid buying pieces made of fiberboard, particleboard, or thin plywood.

When you examine drawers, joints, and frames, keep an eye out for visible signs of glue, staples, and crooked nails. These are all signs of poor craftsmanship.

The drawers for bedroom dressers, china cabinets, and desks should have metal rails that glide easily. Avoid furniture with drawers that are crooked or have wood sliding panels that expand during the warmer months of the year and get stuck.

When you are examining used couches, loungers, and chairs, make sure that the frames of the pieces are made of hardwood. If the piece has cushions, feel how heavy they are. Heavy cushions are ideal because the heaviness means that they are filled with a quality filling and will not become misshapen after years of use. Remove cushions to feel the springs to make sure that they are sturdy and not poking out of their fabric covering.

Check out companies such as Bucks County Estate Traders for more information.

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