ONLINE INTERIOR DESIGNERS AT YOUR SERVICE
THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS OF A FISH TANK IN THE WAITING ROOM
With so much thought and effort going into the waiting room of any large business, the use of a fish tank in the office can have many huge benefits. For many years, doctors and dentists have used the benefits of watching fish swimming to lower the blood pressure and heart rate of their nervous patients.
Not only do fish help with relaxation, but a nicely chosen fish tank can actually be a wonderful piece of office furniture.
But choosing the right aquarium is not as simple as just popping into your local pet store or fish shop and choosing the first thing that takes your fancy. The staff at Expert Aquariumsshould really be your first stop when it comes to advice and product choice.
There are so many more things to consider for instance than just the shape or the look of the tank. If you decide to purchase a table style tank, which can look fantastic, and become a real focal point for your waiting room, then consideration needs to be given to how you will get the electrical cables into the middle of the room.
Another consideration would be will the glass be strong enough to withstand a toddler tantrum in full effect? Fish don’t react well to the glass of their aquarium being broken, and neither would your carpet soft furnishings.
Then, of course, there is the question of fish type. While the thought of having Nemo swimming around in your waiting room may sound very appealing, marine fish can be very difficult to look after, and perhaps your aspirations may need to be tempered a little.
In much the same way that a dog is for life, you need to think long and hard about your fish tank of choice. Once you know your requirements, then you can have a proper discussion and get some guidance from the professionals over at Expert Aquariums.
The staff at Expert Aquariums are really passionate about their subject. They want the best for their customer, as well as the fish. They will ask you a few questions, raising things that you may never even have considered, before steering you down the correct path.
In this designer’s humble opinion, I don’t think there is any piece of office furnishing available that can enhance a waiting room or office space the way a properly chosen and maintained fish can tank.
You are giving your clients the chance to watch and embrace nature and I also firmly believe your staff will benefit from a nicer working atmosphere. That being said there is some maintenance and ongoing costs that you need to factor into the equation.
Take your time, consult the right people, and actually listen to their advice before making the decision. But from my personal experience, I would say that a fish tank in your waiting room, could prove to be one of the best investments you will ever make in your business.
Do you happen to be good at DIYs and hope to do more than just the occasional roof repair, cabinet making and installation of your baby’s crib? There is a lot more you can put your skill into and for much more money than the charity work you get done around your home. Most DIYers never really know the value of their skill but this is only the case because they do not have the information necessary to help them monetize their skills and finally allow them to make a killing. Most DIYers are great with wood but not all wood makes you money. Enter Woodprofits by Jim Morgan.
You have to know the science behind wood and the kind that is worth the big bucks. This is what the Wood Profits Program seeks to offer most people that would like to start making tons of money from wood works at the comfort of their homes.
Understanding wood and woodworking
The first step is usually being able to hone your skill and improving your craftsmanship. Once that has been done, you have to move on and now understand your materials. If you’re going to make money from woodworking, you not only need to know how to make things but know the kinds of wood that are most profitable as well as other how to handle the grain of the wood for the best possible results. Keep in mind that as every piece of furniture you make is unique, so is every kind of wood. Your home woodworking business is going to be largely dependent on this hence you have to make sure that you have everything right. Know the qualities, strength and weaknesses of each kind of wood and above all, know which is best to apply where.
What the program has to offer
Luckily, the wood profits program has a segment that covers the most profitable type of wood and more importantly the types that you should stock in order to maximize on your profits. That is one of the most vital tips that the program could cover but that does not mark the end. There is a lot more that one get from the program.
Don’t have the capital to spend on heavy machinery to make your furniture at home? Worry not, the program also covers ways that you can use to start your business with just $50. Other woodworking tips that you can get from the wood profits program include how to get your pricing right, numerous blueprints that you could use for different projects as well as how to get your customers. After all, your business will heavily rely on your ability to sell.
Pros
There are quite a number of benefits that the woodprofits program has to offer and why you ought to consider getting yourself a copy if you would the home woodworking business to prosper.
The program is ideal for people with both minimal skills and professional skills and offer solid and comprehensive information to ensure maximum success. Of course, having a low start-up cost is definitely a great addition given how tight money is becoming and the best thing is that you can turn this venture into your part-time job so you do not end up drying on cash.
Cons
The only downside that the program seems to have is the fact that it does not support newbies or those that do not have any skills in woodworking. It is also tailor-made for those that are serious about following a business in woodworking.
If you’re looking to use your DIY skills and pair them with some real information that will turn you into a money making machine, the wood profits program is definitely something that you should think about.
YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BUYING VINTAGE
Are you a fun of vintage furniture? There are a lot of vintage designs that have been making a resurgence which goes to show the demand that vintage furniture has. However, there is a slight problem. Buying vintage furniture is not as simple as most people would guess. It is not about buying the oldest and most rugged item you can get. There is a lot that you want to buy and there is a lot that you have to consider. So getting confused among all this would be expected. Unfortunately, not many people fore-see this and hence they end up getting caught in between. But I can give you some help with that.
First you need to have a list
Creating a list might not strike the best of memories but it will surely help you remember the most important things and what you should really consider. It is easy to go buying things that you did not even intend buy in the first place. Having a list will keep you in-check and make sure that you buy the most important things first. Vintage furniture can be quite infectious and hence forgetting what you wanted to buy is quite easy especially when you are faced with plenty of options. Without proper preparations, it is also just as easy for you to get overwhelmed and not buy anything at all.
This is more so important if you are looking for something in particular. It is a good idea to make sure that you look around to see the different prices and see how similar items have been sold in the past. Most sellers will want to cash in on the fact that you are buying a vintage piece and rip you off. Doing your homework will make sure that you do not enter the sale blind and that you do not have any problems. You have information on your side and this helps you to swing the odds in your favor. If the piece is way too expensive, you can also try to see if you can get any reproduction like in the case of Mid-century chairs.
Seek for an identifier
The best thing about designers from back in the day is they took pride in their creations. So much so that they were willing to put a marker on their creations which would tie it to them. This can be a great differentiator in the current times. While some of these designers might not even be known to you. These markers can be used to identify genuine vintage pieces. The last thing you want is cough up too much for something that is not even a good reproduction. You have to make sure that you have a great sight for the marker to make sure that you are negotiating for the right thing.
Haggle
Do not just accept the price and dive into your wallet ready to pay for the product unless it is at a store. Otherwise, you should always try to get a lower price for a quality product. It might not always go as you planned but if you are able to save even a penny it is a win for you.
If you are great with your hands, you can also try broken down vintage furniture that will ensure that you have a great furniture at a throw away price but you have to be certain that you can repair it. Before proceeding with the purchase. Otherwise, if you are looking to get a sound and healthy piece, then this guide will definitely help you make the right choice.
MAKE THE MOST OF THIS UPCOMING BLACK FRIDAY
We love Black Friday here at MVS Algeria and given that Black Friday is nearly upon us, we wanted to take a quick moment to help you, our dear readers, make the most out of Black Friday shopping.
If you want to make the most of this upcoming Black Friday you really need to start doing your prep work. While the majority of retailers have sales it would be smart to focus on big box stores that will have adequate inventory or you could end up frustrated. The smaller retailers may have a great sale but only have a few promotional items for sale which can lead to massive headaches for you. When it comes to big box stores the top choice is Walmart, there are other chains butWalmart is the epitome of what a big box store should be.
IDENTIFYING THE BEST BLACK FRIDAY DEALS
Each individual Walmart has their own promotions to entice shoppers but one of the most common items that are available on Black Friday is computers. Consumers who need a new desktop or laptop computer should hold off making a purchase until the Walmart Black Fridaysales come out. These computers will be sold at huge discounts but it would be smart to look at the specifications, how much RAM does the computer come with? Can it be upgraded and does the unit come with a warranty? These are key questions that should be addressed prior to making any actual purchases. While Walmart does have the lowest prices in the market it does lack in some key areas like customer service. If a consumer does purchase a computer or any other electronic device, they may be asked to sign up for an extended warranty. These warranties may sound like a great idea but the consumer would need to ship their computer to a depot for service. Instead what the consumer needs to do is find a local company that can repair their computer if something happens. These local experts charge less than what it would cost for the extended warranty and most of them can solve the issue very fast. After you have found the perfect computer you will need to start looking for furniture. One of the most common mistakes consumers make is buying a computer without having a comfortable area to work on it. Walmart does sell furniture however if an individual is looking for something that will last long term then they should deal with companies that offer high quality furniture at affordable prices, like these folks.
THINGS TO AVOID ON BLACK FRIDAY
There are some people who treat Black Friday like it is a life or death competition. This is why we have stampedes when the “doors open”. Individuals who want to capitalize on the upcoming Walmart Black Friday sales should consider shopping over the Internet. Walmart does have some really good online deals and in some cases offer free shipping so you will never have to leave your home and deal with the crowds.
Now that you know how to make the most of the upcoming Black Friday sales at Walmart you really should start doing your research now or you could be missing out on some amazing bargains!
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING AN EAMES LOUNGE CHAIR REPRODUCTION ONLINE
Here at MVS Algeria, we often select classic mid century furniture for our clients. With those with larger budgets, we tend to buy authentics from Knoll and Herman Miller. When shopping for those with tighter budgets, we’ll look at reproductions and replicas. Buying repros for the past few years has given us some insight into the market. Here’s what we found.
Even after many years, Eames furniture is still able to hold its own in the current market and for a premium price for that matter. It is an iconic piece of furniture that everyone would love to have. But, unless you are lucky enough to find the vintage lying somewhere in a garage sale, you might have to settle for the reproduction which is equally savvy and just as elegant with plenty of comfort. However, the buying process especially when it happens to be online is not typical. You have to be extra careful and have sufficient information to make the right choice.
Read the description properly.
It would be sad to get your Eames lounge chair just to notice it is not what you expected because you did not read the description properly. It is easy to get caught up in the excitement and overlook some of the details but for such an iconic piece, this would be detrimental. You have to make sure that the description indicates that the chair is made from 100% leather. Not leatherette or faux leather unless of course you want to settle for these two. For the best quality, you might also want to ensure that the leather is specified as Italian leather.
If you want something less costly, of course you should make sure that the description matches your budget but for top dollar, Italian leather is a must.
The base.
Most reproductions of the Eames lounge chairs will have alloy metal bases with plastic connections. It is acceptable if that is the amount of money you are looking to pay. However, a high end replica of the Eames Lounge Chair will usually come with a die-cast aluminum base that is hard to miss. The latter ensures that the chair is able to last for a long time and fully accomplish its functions. As you would expect, the former will ideally have a significantly shorter lifespan and requires to be handled with more care.
The veneer.
The next aspect that you need to look out for to make sure you have the real deal is the veneer. Originally, the Eames lounge chair was finished with between five to seven layers of ply. The cheaper reproductions will usually use laminate but higher copies will use real wood grain veneer for the finishing. This will definitely spike the price but the sight is utterly heavenly and worth the cost.
The Ottoman question.
It is possible to buy an Eames lounge chair without the Ottoman but it would be much cheaper to buy them together. Most dealers will usually separate the two to make the price more attractive but buying the pieces separately will ideally be more costly.
Other factors to consider.
While these are the primary factors that you ought to consider, the chair should not have other things like visible screws and bolts which can be a real turnoff.
Not only does this impact the aesthetic appeal of the chair, but is also a quick giveaway that your chair is a knockoff.
Additionally, the shock mount at the bottom should be rubber and not metal or plastic. It is one of the things that you should not compromise on regardless of how much you are willing to spend.
It is worth mentioning that a genuine Eames lounge chair is not only hard to come buy but can also be quite expensive. To enjoy the same comfort and elegance, a top notch reproduction by this company would be a great option that is easy on your pocket and provides the same level of quality. I’ve bought mid century chairs for my clients from them in the past so I may be biased but here at MVS Algeria, we like to give credit where credit is due.
METAL FURNITURE. WHAT IS IT?!
This week, MVS Algeria brings to you a fine piece on metal furniture. Let us know what you think by commenting below!
A century or more ago people became outbackers or homesteaders – those brave souls who conquered unknown 
lands. These people lived remotely and their furniture was necessary objects, often rudimentary and utilitarian. If they were lucky, the furniture from their old life that could be packed on their wagons survived the journey but most of the time, the flimsy colonial chair legs broke over the first bump and then were used as firewood.
As time marched on and lands were settled, people moved closer together for both safety and social interaction: an isolated life doesn’t sit well with most human beings. Over time those functional furniture pieces took on a more aesthetic value with wood- and metal smiths becoming interior decorators.
Traditional furniture materials have also evolved from being predominantly wood, to a mixture of wood, metal and even leather. The contemporary and minimalist décor movements favour metal for a clean and maintenance free material for furniture. This can be seen in a variety of innovative designs, such as the Eames lounge chair.
Custom Metal Furniture: Functional and Aesthetically Pleasing
Recycled wood is being used to soften metal furniture, blending the old and new.
Polished aluminium and stainless steel features have found their own niche in our homes, whether by the hand of a well-known interior designer, our own hunted-down treasure, or reclaimed and lovingly restored flea-market find.
We have seen more homes and apartments being converted or purpose-built with a heavy industrial look – polished concrete floors and exposed brick walls. Custom metal furniture lends itself perfectly to this trend.
When we think of “custom metal furniture”, we tend to think of pieces in our dining room or lounge. But with the industrial look for our homes, kitchens are exposed and have become part of our entertainment areas, no longer hidden away in a corner of the house. Kitchen cabinets contribute to the overall décor of the home.
Custom Metal Interior Railings: A fresh new look for your home
Custom interior metal railings come in a variety of shapes and sizes and a good metal smith will work with your interior designer and architect to create the perfect addition to enhance your décor. If you want to give your home a facelift, there is no better way than to overhaul your stairway or railing.
Metal Stairways and Stringers: Functional and Clean
The industrial look is carried over to metal staircases and stringers. In the past, these necessities were eyesores which had to be décored away – no longer.
A steel stringer is the supporting structure for your staircase and comes in single or double support. The stringer should be made to fit in with the overall look of your railings and type of step on your staircase.
Whatever direction your home décor takes you, make sure you receive the best craftsmanship and service you can afford.
LIVING ROOM FURNITURE ARRANGEMENT
A living room basically tells all about a home with a simple glance. The manner in which youarrange your living room will either portray a welcoming message or vice versa. Unlike the other rooms in any given home, the living room is commonly used as a social space where one can receive his or her visitors at any time. For this reason and many others, the living room is the one place that neatness should be observed at all times.
A neat living room entails organization and proper spacing of furniture. Apart from routine cleaning, every living room should have proper spacing to ensure that guests and the host have enough space while entering a home. Experts are of the opinion that living room sofas should be placed up close in a manner that facilitates easy conversation when seated in the room.
Every room has a focal point or rather a strategic place that determines the positioning of furniture. A window set and a fire place are some of the examples that are used to determine the location of furniture. In most living rooms, sofas are placed in a uniform position and in the same direction. The television set in this case is mostly used as the focal point of the room and is used to determine the manner in which the sofas are arranged.
Useful Tips;
- A properly arranged living room should have a flexibility trait in the sense that the pieces of furniture are spaced in a manner that can easily be moved or redesigned if need be.
- All the pieces of furniture in a living room must face the same direction and placed across the focal point.
- Spacing makes the living room look more beautiful and should be considered whenever furniture arrangement takes place. A neat living room allows one to pass through it without necessarily stumbling on other objects.
- Experts still find the traditional symmetry arrangement of furniture as the most convenient and neat. In this type of arrangement, two sofas sit across each other with a third one directly opposite the focal point of the room (television set).
- A common mistake that one ought to avoid at all cost is pushing the pieces of furniture close to the wall or a certain corner of the living room. Most people do this unknowingly, with good a intention of creating more space at the central place and then end up making the living room to look empty.
BUYING QUALITY FURNITURE
Before redesigning your home, its important to first start with high quality furniture. It’s like making a 5 star dish – you need to first start with the best available ingredients.
Many a times, shoppers tend to concentrate on the price of a commodity and forget all about the quality. Although it’s wise to shop on a budget, poor quality goods may end up costing the buyer more than he or she could have spent in the first place.
Furniture shopping also operates under the same theory that cheap is actually expensive. In order to get a long lasting piece of furniture, one has to go for quality and not fix his or her mind on getting something cheap or easily affordable. Most shoppers forget the fact that piece of furniture is actually meant to serve you for a long time, unlike most equipment that can easily be replaced when they get damaged. On the other hand, buying an expensive piece of furniture does not necessarily guarantee that you will the best furniture out there. Other factors such as style and certain qualities in a given piece of furniture also have to be considered.
Getting a piece of furniture that will light up your home needs commitment and time to shop for the right one. It’s also difficult to predict whether a piece of furniture is long-lasting by looking at it.
Composition of Wooden Furniture
Wooden surfaces are either made of hardwood or softwood. Having the relevant knowledge on the composition of the furniture actually prevents you from making a mistake when buying one. Contrary to the common misinterpretation that hardwood furniture has a hard surface, most of them are actually soft can easily be dented. When buying a piece of furniture, you can be able to tell the quality of the wood by simply drawing a line using your fingernail without necessarily causing damage. Materials that will display a visible line are not of good quality, therefore will serve you for a long time as intended.
Structurally, you check out if plywood used in making the furniture has unexposed knots. The more knots you find on a piece of furniture, the less durable that material is. Quality wooden furniture that is found at a relatively lower price is mostly covered with veneers. This is used to cover pieces of furniture made of low-quality wood. This actually improves the general strength and durability of the furniture but only limits its refinishing.
Construction of Wooden Furniture
According to experts, joint construction best determines the quality of a given piece of furniture. Any piece of furniture that has been held together by the use of nails or staples is of a very poor quality and cannot stand the test of time when it comes to serving you. You are advised to look out for furniture pieces that either have mortise and tenon or dovetail joints.
Proportionality of the piece of furniture should be a priority right from the start. Inspect the piece of furniture to ensure to ensure all its legs are able to touch the ground. This is normally an indication that the furniture you are about to purchase is of high quality.