Blog posts of '2025' 'July'

When you start looking to figure out what kind of style you want to go for when decorating your home, you’ll see a variety of styles to choose from. Although, if you want help narrowing down the search, if you want a more relaxing atmosphere where you can unwind and entertain your guests you’ll want to look into coastal designs. This design style started back in the 1950s in New York, in the Hamptons. The popular beach homes that people saw made them want to bring that sense of tranquility and luxury into their own homes. If you want to bring that same look into your home, here are all the basics you need to know, with some extra tips and tricks to fully capture that style.

(Pictured: Maggie Sofa & Loveseat)

The coastal style in interior design is a design style that draws inspiration from the coasts, beaches and oceans of the world. It incorporates natural materials that help you feel connected to nature and light, breezy color palettes to create a sense of relaxation and peacefulness. When trying to bring that coastal look to your home, you’ll want to keep in mind and think about the different colors you want (Tip: Try to avoid using too many darker colors to keep that easy, breezy look.) You’ll also want to be on the lookout for different patterns that you can use to add more visual interest (Tip: Striped patterns, similar to the look of french sailor shirts and plaids are some great patterns to keep an eye out for.) For textures and materials, keep it natural, look for materials like wicker, rope, driftwood, bamboo to really encapsulate the coastal vibe.

(Pictured: Skempton Counter Height Dining Table & 6 Stools)

Need more tips on how to achieve the look you’re wanting? Here are a few tips to keep in mind while you are designing your home.

• Coastal Furniture: When looking for furniture, you’ll want to keep an eye out for pieces with a clean-lined design, light colors and natural textures and materials.
• Natural Lighting: Bring in sheer curtains or some light-filtering shades to help maximize the natural light in your home, you can also add mirrors to reflect light and brighten up dark spots.
• Incorporate the Outdoors: Add natural elements to your decor, such as seashells, coral and driftwood. You’ll also want to look into adding a wooden accent wall or a stone fireplace to bring in more natural textures.
• Balance is Key: Try not to go overboard with the nautical motifs, focus on incorporating more subtle elements and mix your natural elements with modern accents.
• Embrace Greenery: Add potted plants and succulents around your home to bring a healthy dose of color and nature to your home.

(Pictured: Ralinksi Queen Bedroom Group)

Now you can incorporate everything you learned here and create the restful retreat of your dreams. The tranquil vibes, light colors and natural elements will all help you feel ready to relax and unwind after long days. Want to start looking for pieces that will help you achieve the look and aesthetic of a coastal home? You can look and shop online for those perfect pieces here! Need to see furniture in store before making a decision? You can go to our superstore at 4200 W Kellogg Dr. and you’ll be greeted by our sales team who can help make that happen.

When looking to add more surface space in your home you’ll come across many different types of pieces that you could use in different types of rooms. You have coffee tables that will sit in front of your sofa, credenzas that are mainly used in offices, end tables and nightstands. Both end tables and nightstands are mainly used to add surface area to a room and they can look similar enough, can they be used interchangeably? If not, what are the differences that prevent them from being used as each other?

(Pictured: Korestone End Table)

To find that out, we have to figure out what end tables and nightstands even are. Starting off, end tables are small tables that can come in a variety of shapes and sizes that are added to a room to primarily add surface space. They are most commonly used to sit beside your sofa or an accent chair, although some have used end tables in the past as a nightstand to save some space. While end tables are usually just meant to hold your beverages or a table lamp, some offer additional storage space or USB charging, making them a truly versatile addition to your space.

(Pictured: Hyanna Nightstand)

Nightstands, also known as bedside tables, can also come in a variety of sizes and styles, usually only used to add additional surface and storage space beside your bed. These tables are meant to offer storage space so they will always have a minimum of one drawer, unlike end tables that usually don’t offer storage. They also provide more surface area, meant to fit your alarm, a table lamp, books, any bedside essential you need at arm’s length. Nightstands are best fit for those with more space and more of a budget, otherwise you might want to use end tables.

(Pictured: Fostead End Table)

The differences between nightstands and end tables make it very obvious that they are better suited for their original uses, and more often than not they can not be used interchangeably. However, end tables can be incredibly versatile and can fit anywhere you need it to, they’re perfect for being beside sofas and accent chairs but can sit beside a bed if you want to save some money and space. On the other hand, nightstands are primarily used to be beside a bed and might not fit nicely next to sofas, chairs, etc. Nightstands will be able to hold all of your bedside essentials with ease and add more storage space along with surface space.

(Pictured: Fortman Nightstand)

If you’re looking for a new nightstand or end table to add to your home, you can shop online and view our wide selection of nightstands here and end tables here. Want to see it in person and get a better idea on how it’ll look? Come visit our store on 4200 W Kellogg Dr, and get helpful advice on styling and decorations from our sales team!

When you’re first looking at apartments and trying to figure out which ones fit your budget or have the amenities you absolutely need, you’ll notice there are many different types of apartments to choose from. From the standard 1-bedrooms or 2-bedrooms to studios, lofts and penthouses, each one has different features that could benefit you! For example, lofts are known for their high ceilings and exposed brick and support beams, perfect for those with a more industrial taste. Then there are the luxurious penthouses that have deluxe features like rooftop gardens and separate elevators. You might have also seen a couple of “efficiency apartments” that look a lot like studios with a different name, so what are they and what’s the difference?

An “efficiency apartment” is usually a single, multifunctional room that doesn’t feature a full kitchen. They feature a kitchenette that has a mini-fridge, microwave, and two-burner stovetop but not a full oven or refrigerator. They also reach a maximum of around 600 sq. ft. making them the perfect option for minimalists who don’t need a ton of space. You might be wondering, what is the difference between these apartments and studios? For starters, studios have a full kitchen with a full-sized refrigerator, an oven and a stove. Studios also have a way larger maximum with some being around 1000 sq. ft. making studios an ideal choice but not the absolute most budget-friendly depending on the square footage.

Now that you know what an efficiency apartment is and what the difference is between them and studio apartments, why would anyone want to go with an “efficiency apartment” and lose a full kitchen and have less space? Here’s a pros and cons list to show the benefits and the set-backs:

Pros:

• Budget-Friendly: Efficiency apartments are often more inexpensive than studios since they feature less space and a kitchenette rather than a full-sized kitchen.
• Less Utility Costs: Less space means more efficient lighting, heating and cooling, allowing your bills to be lower.
• Low Maintenance: Another positive for having less space is having to do less cleaning and maintenance, keeping clutter to a minimum.

Cons:

• Fewer Amenities: It will be incredibly hard to find an efficiency apartment with plenty of in-unit amenities such as washer and dryer or a dishwasher.
• Small Kitchenette: With the kitchen only being a small kitchenette, there will be hardly any storage or counter space.
• Smaller Overall Space: As we’ve mentioned before, there is very limited space in an efficiency apartment meaning not a ton of room for entertaining guests or furniture.

If you still need some help deciding on whether or not you need an efficiency apartment or a studio apartment, there are a couple of questions that you can ask yourself that should help.

• What is your budget when searching for an apartment?

• If you don’t have a high budget, both of these apartments are excellent options but depending on just how much of a budget you have, the efficiency apartment is better if your budget is more thin.

• How much space do you need in your home?

• For those who are working from home, you’ll want the studio since it provides more space and comfort for you to be productive, however, if you are frequently out and about the lack of space in the efficiency apartment might not bother you as much.

• What kind of lifestyle do you live?

• A more minimalist person who also doesn’t enjoy cooking large meals or hosting guests should opt for the efficiency apartment, but if you are someone who enjoys a bit more of a maximalist life, cooking and hosting, you should consider a studio.

(A Design Inspired by Efficiency / Studio Apartments, Pictured: Kraeburn Queen Size Bed, Nightstand, Dresser, Dining Table, Dining Chairs, Steuben Table Lamp, Faux Succulent Plant, Faux Aloe Vera Plant, Engelworth Wall Art and Chris Loves Julia x Loloi Henry 5' x 7'6" Rug)

With everything that you learned here today, you have more knowledge about the differences between a studio and an efficiency apartment and what an efficiency apartment even is. With this newfound knowledge at your disposal, you can better determine what type of an apartment you should live in. Once you find your dream apartment, you can get help furnishing it by either going in store and getting the advice of our sales folks at 4200 W Kellogg Dr, or if you don’t need the extra help, you can shop online and browse our large selection!