Tips for Cleaning Fine Furniture

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Fine FurnitureAs a full-scale furniture store, Sherwood Studios often gets calls from people asking for tips regarding how to clean their fine furniture. When it comes to wood furniture, it’s not so much the type of wood that matters, but, more so, the type of finish on it.

In general, finishes on furniture can be soft, hard or painted. You can polish your furniture 3 to 4 times per year using a store-bought polish appropriate for the type of finish.

Some people choose to use a vacuum with a dusting brush attachment to clean their fine furniture, while others opt for a clean, soft cloth.

If you have furniture with an oil finish, you should not use wax, mineral oil, or furniture polish on it. Instead, you’ll want to use boiled linseed oil, Tung oil, and/or distilled white vinegar.

Furniture with a lacquer finish can be cleaned with a solvent-based furniture cleaner. Some people use an oil soap. Liquid wax can be applied to maintain a glossy look. It’s always a good idea to test a cleaning product on a small, inconspicuous spot to make sure it works well and doesn’t ruin the look of the piece.

European furniture is more likely than US-made furniture to have polyurethane finishes, which can be cleaned using a moist cloth to remove fingerprints and light soil. Mineral spirits can be used to remove dirt build-up. Be sure to wear rubber gloves to protect your hands when working with mineral spirits.

Finally, painted furniture finishes can be cleaned using a mixed solution of mild, non-abrasive detergent and warm water, followed by a rinse with clear water. With painted furniture finishes, you should not use any oil products.

Call Sherwood Studios at 248-855-1600 with any questions you have regarding the cleaning of fine furniture.

Why You Should Trust an Experienced Interior Designer With Your New Home

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Buying a new home is a big investment—probably one of the biggest ones you’ll make in life. Chances are, you’ve waited for the absolutely perfect listing to come along, crossed your fingers on an offer and celebrated with jubilation when it was accepted. In Southeast Michigan and beyond, homebuyers go through this life-changing process all the time.

Still, once you’ve celebrated the purchase of a new home, the journey has only just begun. You’ll spend so much of your life inside your home, so why would you get careless when it comes time to decide what it will look like inside? Here are five big reasons to trust an experienced professional to make the decisions that could last a lifetime.

A Personal Touch

You can read all the interior design magazines and blogs you want. Without a designer who truly knows you and your family, you’re likely to end up with a cookie-cutter home that feels like a model for everyone else. The great thing about a professionally well-designed interior is that it fits perfectly with your unique lifestyle while looking absolutely fabulous at the same time.

Furniture that Fits

Think about the last time you stepped foot in a furniture store. You probably remember seeing way too many couches, shelves, tables and chairs with absolutely no clue where to start. It’s one thing to have a nice piece of furniture catch your eye, but it takes another level of expertise to understand how to put it all together. With a great interior designer, you won’t feel the need for a furniture store return for a long time.

Lighting You Can Feel

We’ve all heard about how much the lighting in a room can affect the mood of those inside. There’s actually a diagnosed mood disorder—winter seasonal affective disorder—that’s treated with increased light exposure. Don’t worry about which lights to choose from in the never-ending aisle at the hardware store. An experienced interior designer can set the mood exactly the way you want it.

The Perfect Colors

Interior designers fancy color choices as somewhat of a science. The color wheel is our artist’s palette—we know which colors work and which ones don’t. We’ve seen plenty of new homebuyers stumble into absolutely horrendous color combinations that sounded great at the time. Don’t let yourself make that mistake.

Coordination is Key

Try designing the entire interior of your home by yourself and you’ll end up with a list of contacts longer than the paperwork to buy the home itself. Who has the time to keep track of everyone involved, not to mention making sure they work effectively together. Professional interior designers have years of experience working with all sorts of contractors to make sure things run smoothly from start to finish.

If you’re looking for the best interior design studio in West Bloomfield, servicing clients across Southeast Michigan in areas such as Birmingham, Troy, and more, give Sherwood Studios a call right away.Interior Designer

 

 

Preparing Your Home for the Holiday Season Ahead

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Decorate your home for fallAs Thanksgiving draws near and you begin unpacking decorations and searching for your favorite recipes, we recommend focusing some time on a few areas of the home to create a welcoming and cozy environment your guests will love to visit.

Porch and Entry Hall

As the weather grows cooler this fall, we love the idea of making your front porch a welcoming oasis for guests. Add a decorative touch with pumpkins and other Thanksgiving-themed décor and set your lights on a timer, turning on as the sun sets each evening. This way, friends and family will feel welcomed no matter what time they arrive for the holiday festivities.

Also tidy up the entrance to your home, making room for the extra coats, boots and cold weather accessories that will accompany your visitors. Clear off coat hooks, set up a shelf for shoes and add a basket for your family to place their hats, gloves and scarves in. An organized entry will make your guests feel welcome from the moment they arrive and help to keep your home clutter-free throughout the busy holiday season ahead.

Bathrooms

Stock up on all the essentials before your loved ones come to stay for Thanksgiving and give the guest bathroom a good scrub. Since this is a room that may not see much use, now is the perfect time to restock towels and add a new bar of soap to help make your guests feel at home while they visit this November and December.

Living Room

Create an intimate atmosphere in your living room this fall by placing a warm throw blanket over the arm of the couch and adding a bit of extra light. With the sun setting earlier each day, an extra lamp and some well-placed candles can add to the cozy ambience.

Bedrooms

To prepare for company this holiday season, freshen up guest bedrooms, swapping out the current bedding for fresh sheets and a comfy quilt for the cold weather. Place an extra blanket on the end of the bed as well, to ensure guests will be cozy throughout their stay.

Make your home come to life this holiday season with some help from Sherwood Studios. A full-scale furniture store and premier interior design studio in West Bloomfield, Michigan, we can make your house a home no matter what your decorative taste. Browse furniture options online and contact us at 248-855-1600 to set up an interior design consultation today.

Advice for Maintaining a Neat Living Room

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family relaxing in living roomThe focal point of your home, the living room is used for relaxing, watching television, playing with the kids and entertaining guests on a day to day basis. In a room where so much activity occurs, clutter is inevitable. But there are ways to keep messes to a minimum. Create a neat living room with advice from Sherwood Studios, Inc.

Furniture with Storage

Tables with bi-level storage and ottomans with storage compartments are a couple great ways to keep your living room organized. Keep extra blankets and remotes in the ottoman and magazines on the lower shelves of tables to reduce the buildup of everyday clutter.

Make Space for the Items You Use Most

Whether you spend most of your time in the living room playing board games with the kids or knitting on the couch, find a place for your most-used items to keep them from cluttering the coffee table. Whether you designate an area on the bookshelf or place them inside a storage ottoman, this will make daily cleanup easier and allow you to get to your supplies quickly.

Shelving

Instead of stocking your shelves with books, CDs and DVDs, consider trimming down your stacks to make room for storage bins and décor. Keep out your favorite books and those you often re-read, tucking the rest away in storage bins. Cutting down the size of your CD and DVD collection is even easier. Purchase a media binder or two instead of lining all the cases on your shelves. This additional space is the perfect place for artwork, photos and other home accessories.

Looking to update your living room furniture and décor? Contact Sherwood Studios, Inc. online or at 248-855-1600 for an interior design consultation or visit our contemporary furniture store at 6231 Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield, Michigan.