Hi folks, this week Jen and I have been working on some photography and video of two new furniture styles. These styles have just been released and are available for purchase. Here’s a sneak peak at what will be coming to the photo gallery soon!

This is Levi (in Hondo spa), it has a rectangular arm with foam padding on top, and fiber filled back cushions that compliment the design. Levi has clean lines and an urban flavor. It will provide a good anchor for the other design elements in a room, as It projects a confident style.

Levi Style

.

This is Laney (in Mission tangerine), a style with a smooth radius on the top of the arm, and fiber filled back cushions that flow over the arm. This style has a simple elegance. It’s classical, yet, up-to-date. Use this style in any design setting and you express good taste. Enjoy shopping!P.S. That’s Connie, she’s our favorite model… she makes great expressions.

Laney Style

Q. Hi Casey and Jenny,

Q: I’m stuck. My whole house is like all blue and brown. I wish it was more bright or something. How can I make it brighter without not matching stuff?

A: Good question Daniel. You’re in luck. Brown is a neutral tone so that won’t get in the way of introducing other colors. And blue happens to look great with lots of other colors too.

Orange and yellow are great compliments of blue, which means shades of those three colors really look good together. You could start by adding subtle touches of orange and yellow to your house. Try a couple throw pillows in the living room.

When you introduce a new color you should usually add it in at least two places, so maybe something like a vase of orange flowers on a shelf would also be nice. Continue adding these accent and brightening throughout the house!

As designers we always take a lot of clues from nature.  Look at the blue, yellow and orange in this parrots wing.

Blues, yellows and oranges in a parrots wing.

Q. Hi! I am having some problems with re decorating my living area, it is a small narrow room. The walls are painted a burgundy (which is my fav color) I have dark brown laminate flooring and a custom built entertainment center which is a walnut color and takes up one whole side of the wall. I would really like it to look as sophisticated as possible but at the same time I have two teenagers and am afraid to go with a light colored material for the furniture. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

A. Thanks for your question Kim, it sounds like you’ve got a really nice room to work with. I think you’re right, a light fabric would look good in the darker room that you’ve described. We have some great light-colored, washable, and durable options that should be no trouble with teenagers in the house.

1  Altima sand is a “pet safe” fabric with stain protection built into the fiber, so spills and stains wipe away.

2  Fairview sand is a machine washable fabric. It has a faux suede look and is easy to take care of. It is a bit darker than the Altima Sand color.

3  Liberty sand is a fabric with a rich texture and multicolored neutral threads. It is not machine washable, but can be spot cleaned, and is very durable. Because of the multiple shades in this fabric, it does not show dirt.

1 2 3

You can accent with some attention-getting patterns that include a shade of burgundy to compliment your wall color. Try 1 daffodil spice, or 2 Cricket berry.

1 2

I hope this helps, have fun decorating!

Casey

Q. I’m turning my seasonal room into a sitting room, but it’s small, and I can’t decide between the classic style and the tuxedo style. I love the rolled arm on the classic style, but I need a loveseat with a straight arm to fit right up against the wall on one side, so there’s room to open the screen door. Is it okay to mix styles in a room?

A. Hi Erica,

Sounds like a fun project. There’s nothing like a comfortable place to sit and drink coffee during a rain storm! It is absolutely okay to mix styles. In fact, Jen and I even encourage it. Feel free to make it personal and pair up your favorite styles and fabrics. You can always unify with throw pillows. If the colors look great together, the styles do too! Enjoy that new room!

Casey

Q. I am interested in your Boston sectional. I just recently bought a small condo and was wondering what colors can make a room look bigger…?

A. Hello Jamie, Congratulations on your new condo! Jen and I love the Boston sectional. It is a modern design that gives a room a contemporary feeling. It is also a good choice for a small room because of the arm design. The arms can be moved up flush against a wall or end table.

There are several things you can do to make your room feel and look bigger. Cool colors, (like blue and blue green), make spaces feel open. For example, if you paint a ceiling blue, it will look higher.

Warm colors (like red, orange, and yellow) make spaces feel close and cozy. For example, if you paint a wall red, it will feel like it is physically closer to you.

Green, Purple, tan, brown, and white are all neutral colors. This means you can use these colors without effecting your sense of space.

To make a room feel larger, here are some recommendations:

Fabric Color Scheme #1: Chandon Mist, Altima Sand, Fairview Cocoa

Fabric Color Scheme #2: Pulse Elm with Rutland brown green

Fabric Color Scheme #3: Mission Buff, Mission Federal with Twinkle blue green

Hope this helps. I’d love to hear about what you decide!

Casey

Q. First of all I would like to say how much I enjoy browsing through your informative website and appreciate all of the resources that you provide to your customers. Perhaps my only struggle is deciding which fabric and color to choose… UGH! That is where you come in….

I am most interested in the Avenue style of furniture…..sofa (cricket nutmeg)….loveseat (cricket cream)…. chair (miles cafe).

Currently, my walls are a light brown shade, my carpet is a soft tan, and my fireplace is a brown marble. All trim/wood in house is natural with a honey stain. Finally, here are my questions…

Is it two much to have three different fabrics going on in one room? I should mention that I have two black lab dogs, one cat that likes to scratch furniture, and a 9 month old gem of a baby girl. Having said that…should I go with the Altima cream? I know the pet care sounds great, but I love the look of the cricket fabric.

I greatly appreciate any advice you could send my way!  I cannot wait to place my order and have acquired enough swatches to make a quilt to cover the new sofa.

A. Marilyn, thanks for the feedback! It sounds like you’re on your way to a beautiful living room!

1) Is it okay to have three different fabrics in one room?

Yes it’s okay, especially in your case. The colors you are choosing -Cricket Nutmeg, Cricket Cream, and Miles Café- are all neutral tones. Nothing will clash. You can even add more color accents. Light blue would go great with your color scheme

.

Cricket Nutmeg…Cricket Cream….Miles Cafe

2) Should my sofa and couch be the same tone?

Not as long as you are using fabrics that compliment one another. Cricket Cream and Cricket nutmeg look great together. Unify everything with throw pillows. Putting Miles café pillows on both your sofa and loveseat will do just that.

3) Is it okay to use Cricket cream in a house with one cat, two dogs, and a baby?

Yes, the Cricket fabrics are washable. You’ll have the option of taking the covers off and throwing them in the washer. If you do wash them,  spin them good and then put the covers back on the furniture while they’re still damp and let them air dry.(Don’t put them in the dryer). This works great, I’ve done it myself after my husband spilled coffee on our ottoman!

Post some photos to the “Fans of Home Reserve” site when you are finished so we can see what it looks like!

Q. I don’t see any photo of your Booklyn style from the back?

A. We’re working on putting up back view photos of all the styles. We’ve been getting quite a few questions about that.  Here is the Brooklyn chair from the side/back.

Q. I am moving into a house with light wood floors and light wood paneling. There are lots of windows so the wood takes on a bright/yellow wood tone. I’m looking to purchase a sofa, chair and ottoman, and I really like the Liberty Burgundy. It would be the perfect “pop” for my living space needs. I’m just having a difficult time finding coordinating fabrics for pillows, etc. Could you please offer a few suggestions?

A. Congratulations on your move Joanna, sounds like a beautiful place! You’ve done a great job picking your first fabric, the purplish-red tones in Liberty Burgundy are the perfect compliment to your yellow wood tones. You have several options from here. When you look closely at Liberty Burgundy you’ll see there are also navy blue, green, and tan threads. This means you can use any of these tones for a chair, loveseat, or throw pillow fabric.

Green. Green and purple make a great modern statement. The pair is pleasantly surprising, so it’ll make you look creative. Try using a green fabric in a texture that is different from your liberty burgundy fabric so that your room takes on more personality and interest. Try 1) Cricket Leaf, 2) Destiny Sage, or 3) Fairview Seagrass.

1 …  2 …  3

Navy Blue. Navy and Purple will make a rich color statement that tends a little toward country. To mix up the textures, try Fairview Royal.

Neutral. If you want to bring out that tan thread try 1)Fairview Buff, 2) Cricket Nutmeg, or 3) Colony Russet. Colony Russet will match those tan woods tones in your room and unify the look with the burgundy grasses pattern. (Find this under throw pillow fabrics).

1 …  2 …  3

Pattern. If you want to try a pattern, look at 1) link lava. This fabric gets great comments in our showroom, or, 2) Daffodil spice. Daffodil is a beautiful rust colored pattern that has a burgundy color flower to match your liberty burgundy. (You can find Link and Daffodil under throw pillow fabrics.)

1 …  2

To see these combinations, pull up the throw pillows panel from the shopping page, and try out these fabrics on a Liberty burgundy sofa. Have fun deciding, any one of these fabrics is going to look great . . . send us a picture!

Q. What are the hottest colors right now?

A. I’ll answer this in terms of what is most popular across the country. It’s true for what we see at Home Reserve as well. Teal and aqua blues, lime greens, bright oranges, lemon yellow and…gulp…pinks!

As always, the tans and neutrals are mainstays from which all the other colors work around. We’re still using lots of white space in the form of throw pillows and accessories. Bright and clean is the popular look. To show you what I mean, here are the front and back covers of the most recent Pottery Barn catalog: