Welcome Autumn Into Your Home!

As I am sitting here writing this blog, I feel a cool breeze flow through my open window and I am watching the leaves blow in the wind. The feeling of autumn envelopes me and has inspired me to share simple decorating tips to transition your home into the fall season.

It would be wonderful if we all had the time, patience, and resources to re-do the rooms in our homes with the change of each season. Short of changing the paint, flooring, and furniture, there are a number of simple ways to welcome autumn into your home. By adding some of these decorating touches, you will also be welcoming friends and family to enjoy autumn as well.

• Bring the colors of autumn to your front porch. A wreath in golden, earthy hues placed on the door brings your attention directly to it. With Halloween and Thanksgiving approaching, bales of hay and corn stalks can find a place on your porch or strategically placed in your front yard. Pumpkins, squash, and gourds in various colors and shapes add a nice touch as well. If you have furniture on your porch, consider placing cushions in autumn colors or throws on them.
• Use the natural fruits and vegetables of the season as a centerpiece for your table. Make a ring of gourds and place a bowl of different colored apples in the center. Place a coordinating tablecloth underneath. Consider introducing new dishes in autumn colors to complete the look on your table.
• Finally, the fireplace is back! The time has come to highlight the fireplace once again. Decorate with ribbons in earthy hues. The fireplace mantel is a great place for pictures of your family placed in wooden frames. Create pieces of art out of leaves, pinecones, and acorns to accompany the frames. 
• Break out the blankets. Have throws easily accessible by all informal seating areas. The throws can be heavier than the ones used in spring an summer just inviting you to kick off your shoes and snuggle in!
• Change curtains to slightly darker colors and heavier fabric to help create a feeling of warmth.
• Fill mason jars with candy corn for tasty treats. 
• Place pillar candles in warm colors around the rooms.
• Fill your home with the aroma of delicious comfort foods such as apple pie.

The change of seasons offers the opportunity to re-invent your home, even if just a little bit. Cooler weather means spending more time indoors. Create a warm, welcoming environment that you and your friends and family will look forward to spending time in.  Need ideas? Call Marc Williams Furniture and speak with one of our profession interior designers!

Tips for Displaying Items on a Shelf

Spring is a beautiful time of year most of us look forward to.  We enjoy the longer days and the warmer weather and some of us even enjoy the spring cleaning.  The fun part for us here at Marc Williams Furniture is the re-organizing and re-decorating after the cleaning is complete. Spring is a great time to change the items you display in your home. Here are some tips on how to display items on a shelf or in a cabinet.

Start with a clean slate. Remove all the items currently on the shelf or in the cabinet as it is easier to envision the new display when the space is empty. Decide if you will replace all of the items or just a chosen few. There is no need to display everything you have at one time.  Choose the items that have the most meaning to you.  If you have many, consider rotating the items a few times per year.

 The color of the back wall of the shelf or cabinet is an important factor in deciding what to display.  If the wall is dark, you will want to display light colors and if the wall is light, you will want to display dark colors. You may want to paint the back wall or use wallpaper or a mirror to help your items be more visible.

If you have a collection that you would like to display, group the items together. Be sure to leave some empty space so that each piece can be fully appreciated.

Consider the room the display will be in.  A traditional room typically calls for a symmetrical design whereas an asymmetrical design can look nice in a contemporary room.  Try to bring the colors of the room into the display as well.


Displaying treasures on a shelf or in a cabinet allows you to bring your personality into the room and helps make the house a home.

Color Ceiling or White Ceiling?

Choosing a color scheme for a room is an important decision.  Homeowners spend a great amount of time looking at color samples for their walls and fabric samples for their furniture, but often overlook their ceiling.  Many assume that the best color choice for their ceiling is always white. This is not always the case, so we here at Marc Williams Furniture would like to explain the benefits of white ceilings and scenarios when you may like to try adding a bit of color up above.

In a previous blog, we discussed how color affects mood. White will reflect colors and help a room feel larger and brighter. White is used to represent purity, elegance and sophistication. White ceilings can help create spatial continuity as well as add to a clean look. Or perhaps, a white ceiling can soften a bold color on the walls.

A step in the direction towards color on the ceiling is to mix 25% - 50% of the wall color in with white paint for the ceiling.  But why should you consider painting the ceiling it's very own color?  To add some fun or contrast to the room.

A white ceiling in a room painted in very light hues, may have an unfinished look.  Add a color to the ceiling and it adds contrast to make finished look.  The color choice of the ceiling may be an accent color in the flooring or upholstery and work to tie the room together.  Ceilings can also be painted a pattern to add some whimsy and variation. Some people love color and want color to touch as much of a room as possible.  Ceilings, the "fifth" wall, can certainly be a part of that! 

So next time you are laying down on the couch or relaxing in bed, look up and imagine the colors you would like to see.

Tips for an Inviting Bedroom

Valentine's Day is just one day of the year, but the entire month of February often conjures thoughts of love and romance. We here at Marc Williams Furniture would like to take this opportunity to share some tips on creating an inviting bedroom.

The bedroom is a very personal space and one of the most important spaces within a home.  The bedroom has an effect on your mood upon waking and upon falling asleep.  The room should convey your personality along with warmth, comfort, and intimacy to help elicit good feelings.

There is a saying, "a cluttered room is a cluttered mind."  The bedroom should be an area free of clutter so that you may truly relax. Try to limit the objects brought into the room to just the necessities.  Have decorative storage space to keep your items organized.  For example, keep a basket by your bed to store some books or magazines. 

Choose lighting which will provide a soft glow rather than harsh overhead lights.  Use table lamps or floor lamps.  Using a dimmer will allow a soft glow when wanted and brighter light when needed.  Of course, candles are always romantic and inviting.  Be creative when choosing the holders and go easy on the scented candles.

Candles are inviting not only because of the soft glow they produce, but if desired, can add a beautiful scent as well.  Fresh cut flowers also bring beauty and a natural fragrance into the room.  Be careful not to overwhelm the senses by combining too many scents.

Plush and fluffy bedding can coax you to snuggle in.  Layer two comforters to create an extra plush space and help the bed look lived in and luxurious.  A number of soft pillows can complete the feel of comfort as long they do not take too much space.


Your bedroom should reflect your idea of comfort and intimacy.  We hope these tips help you create a space you want to escape to when life becomes too hectic or stressful.   

Ideas To Add Style To Your Super Bowl Party

The NY Giants are heading to the Super Bowl on February 5th and New Yorker's will be heading to Super Bowl parties all over the state.  Most of these parties will provide folding chairs for extra seating, paper plates to eat from, and decorations bought at Party City.  While these parties can feel laid back and casual, if you are looking to host a party with a bit more style and flair, Marc Williams Furniture has some suggestions.

Extra seating is often a challenge when entertaining.  You want all of your guests to be comfortable, nit just those lucky enough to land a spot on the sofa.  Instead of placing folding chairs around your living room, why not place square poofs in viewing distance of the t.v.  The poofs can be used as seating, ottomans, or place a tray on top and it becomes a table.  X-Benches are another versatile seating option. They can be used as seating or tables as well.  Woven floor chairs are another comfortable option for seating and can be stacked to raise your guest higher off the floor.  Cover with a blanket to add warmth if you'd like. These may all be used around your home after the party and brought out the next time you need extra seating.  If you still need more seating and are looking for chairs that can be stored away after the party, try directors chairs instead of regular folding chairs. 

Style can also be added to your decorations.  Think vintage.  Collect vintage football memorabilia to place around your living room.  Gather photos of famous Super Bowl game scenes, blow them up to poster size and put up in your entryway and living room.  The living room is not the only room your guests will be in.  Choose small items from your vintage memorabilia to place in the bathroom, kitchen, and entryway.

Hopefully these ideas can help spark even more unique ideas and help make your Super Bowl party the one that will be remembered!

How Does Color Affect Mood?

Choosing a color scheme when decorating the interior of your home is an important decision. Color helps to set the mood of the room so understanding the psychology of color is helpful in decorating.  Marc Williams Furniture would like to offer some understanding of color and as well as guidelines to follow in your decorating.

Color elicits strong moods, feelings, and emotions in people.  A persons relationship with color can be very personal and affected by life experiences.  However, there are some generalizations which can be made.  Bear in mind that these generalizations may differ among cultures.

Let's begin with the color black.  Unlike other colors which reflect light, black will absorb light which may make a room feel overbearing.  In western culture, black is often used to represent evil powers such as villains or death.  Black is also used to represent power and authority as in the top executive who drives a black Mercedes. Sophistication can be stated by hosting a black tie affair.  The color black is often used to highlight architectural details or furniture.  Black will stand out against light or neutral colors.

On to the opposite of black; the color white.  White will reflect colors and help a room feel larger and brighter. White is used to represent purity, elegance and sophistication.  Be careful however, because bright white on it's own can be too stark.  A solution is to layer different tones of white in order to soften the appearance.

The color blue is a popular color.  Blue makes people feel a sense of calmness and serenity and has been shown to lower pulse rate, blood pressure, and temperature. Blue is also a "cool" color. Blue may be used to make a person feel cooler in a hot, sunny room or conversely feel colder in an already cool room.   Office space is often decorated in a blue color scheme as people tend to be more productive in a blue environment.

Red is a powerful color which evokes strong emotions.  Red is associated with the feeling of love, warmth, and comfort as well as danger, excitement, and intensity.  A vibrant, bright red may be overwhelming whereas a muted, earthy shade may be comforting.  Well designed, red can create a passionate, loving environment.

Think of nature and you will undoubtedly think of the color green.  People find green calming and reassuring. Research has even found the color green can help relieve stress and help heal as well as improve reading ability. A good tip for decorating with green is to combine more than one shade or combine with other complimentary colors.

Another color of nature  is brown.  Brown evokes feelings of strength, reliability, stability as well as makes us feel reassured and safe. Brown can add warmth and depth to a room.

Use this information to help you choose the color palette for the room you are decorating.  Think of the activities which will take place in the room and the feeling you want to elicit.  Understanding the connection between color and mood will help you create the atmosphere you desire.

Bring Warmth Into Your Home

The past few days have finally brought the cold chill of winter.  Now is the time to come inside and enjoy the warmth of our homes.  Allow Marc Williams Furniture to offer suggestions on how to make your house a beautifully warm home.

Our first suggestion is to use warm colors when decorating.  Fire means warmth so consider using fire-hued tones such as gold, red, and orange or even softer hues, such as yellow, brick, or rust.  These warm colors will look great in accessories throughout your home.

In keeping with the theme of fire bringing warmth into your home, why not use actual fire?  Light a fire in a fireplace or light candles on a mantel, coffee table, or end table.  The flames will bring warmth as well as a feeling of intimacy.

Cold feet make the whole the body cold.  Cover your hardwood floors with area rugs.  Again, choosing warm hues will conjure a feeling of warmth. Sense of smell can also add warmth.  Consider using candles or spray with the scent of cinnamon, apple, or pine.

Nothing evokes a feeling of warmth and intimacy like snuggling under a nice warm throw.  Place blankets close to chairs and sofas.  Arrange baskets of pine cones on tables and add pillows to chairs and sofas.  Have family activities easily accessible to encourage spending time together.  Keep family albums, cards, and board games near the sofas.

It is a wonderful time of year to enjoy your home.  Make it warm and inviting and enjoy the relaxation it can offer.