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!

Choosing Artwork for Your Home

Choosing artwork for your home can be a fun and exciting task.  After all, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to art so this can be your chance to really show your personality! While the rules are flexible, here are some guidelines to bear in mind:

• The art in your home is an expression of you.  Choose styles and themes that you love and commit and to them. Take time to find pieces that you treasure.
• Consider your budget and plan accordingly. Perhaps begin with one or two expensive pieces and add on as your budget allows. 
• Consider the room you where the artwork will be placed. The living room may be a good choice for a bright and bold piece which calls for conversation while the bedroom calls for calming and soothing pieces to help guide you towards slumber.
• Think about the size of the room and the statement you wish the artwork to make. Will the painting be the main focal point? If so, a large piece prominently displayed will work well. If not,  take a look at what the main focal point is and choose a piece that compliments it well. 

Most importantly, have fun! Find pieces that create feelings of comfort, excitement, and happiness in YOU. Although you want your guests to enjoy the artwork, it is there for you to enjoy on a daily basis. Have questions?  Call Marc Williams Furniture and speak with one of our designers!

Interior Design Tips for Painting Your Home

One way to create an entirely new feel in a room is by simply painting it. The same color for all four walls and a white ceiling is one to go, but Marc Williams Furniture has some tips and techniques to help make your room unique!

• Tired of white ceilings? Try painting it lavender! The color will give the perception of the sky when you come in from outside. If you have dark walls, a white ceiling will make it appear lower. Instead, try painting the ceiling the color as well.
• Do you have white floors? If so, try painting the underside of your furniture red. The light from the floor will reflect the color creating a reddish cast.
• One time you might want a white ceiling is if you have a long, narrow hallway.  In this case, try painting the walls a dak color, including the baseboards and molding, then paint the floor and ceiling white. Light will be reflected from the floor and ceiling so the hallway will not be so dark.
• If you aim to make your ceiling look higher, try painting it the same color as the walls, but in a glossier sheen.
• The Behr Paint "Eight Foor Rule": If your room is less than eight feet high, paint the ceiling a shade or two lighter than your wall color.  If your room is higher than eight feet, paint the ceiling two shades darker than the wall color.

Marc Williams Furniture can help you discover countless interior design tips to use in your home.  Call us to help design your one of a kind home!

Share Your Vision with an Ideabook!

You want to create a room and you have a vision in mind, but how do you convey that vision to the architect, interior designer, etc.? One way is to create an "ideabook" on houzz.com. Marc Williams Interiors is proud to be listed as a professional on houzz.com and we would like to share the benefits of creating an ideabook.

• Why create an ideabook?  Instead of tearing pages out of magazines, pictures can be uploaded to your customizable ideabook. This is an easy and effective way to share your thoughts with the designers as well as friends and family. 
• Once a picture is selected, the ideabook provides space where you can write why you like the picture.
• You can post a picture to the message boards and receive feedback or answers to your questions.
• Create multiple ideabooks.  
• Embed your ideabook to your personal site or blog.
• Upload your own pictures to your design book.
• Email your ideabook to family and friends.

The ideabook is just one tool to help your vision come to life.  Be sure to share your ideabook with Marc Williams Furniture!

Furnish for Comfort

Once every two years family and friends fill up the family room to watch the Olympic Games. For over 2 weeks, family members spend more time together in one room than usual.  Take advantage of the common interest and decorate your family room to encourage more frequent gatherings.


Plenty of comfortable seating is the key to bringing family together to watch t.v. When placing sofa and chairs, plan for optimal views of the t.v. screen.  Sit on each section of the sofa and on each chair to determine if the angle allows for comfortable t.v. viewing.

Arrange coffee tables and side tables so that they can provide plenty of room to place snacks and drinks. Place large pillows or ottomans around the tables to offer extra seating.


Choose seating with comfortable cushions and add throw pillows for extra comfort.  As everyone has different temperatures they are comfortable at, keep the temperature on the cooler side, but have throw blankets within easy reach so family and friends can add a layer of warmth if needed. 


Create an environment that invites people to feel relaxed and comfortable and you just might find they come back more often for some quality family time!


Marc Williams Furniture wishes the Olympic athletes best wishes in the 2012 games!

And the Color of the Year Is....

Pantone LLC is known as the world-renowned authority on color and each year they determine which color will be the Color of the Year.

Tangerine Tango has been chosen as the color of 2012. It can be seen everywhere from makeup, clothing, and accessories to furniture. "Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

So how should you introduce such a vibrant color into your home?  Here are some of Pantone's suggestions:

• Use patterned home accessories such as pillows, bedspreads, and tabletop accessories.
• Incorporate Tangerine Tango appliances or personal electronics for an extra pop of color.
• Paint an accent wall in Tangerine Tango.

Tangerine Tango can make an especially bright splash of summer colors in a beach home in the Hamptons or on Fire Island. Call Marc Williams Furniture for help bringing Tangerine Tango into your home design. 

Create the Feeling of More Space in a Small Bathroom

There is one room in our homes which serves a multitude of functions yet is often the smallest of the rooms.  Yes, we are talking about the bathroom.  Often, the room is shared by two or more people and is expected to accommodate everyone's needs and hold everyone's supplies.  While adding actual space may be unrealistic, there are ways to create the feeling of additional space.

• Cool soft colors create the illusion of space.

• Pedestal or wall mounted sinks will add the feeling of open space in comparison to a vanity cabinet which takes up a large amount of bathroom real estate.

• Utilize strategically placed shelves to make up for the loss of the vanity.

• Corner cabinets or shelving can provide storage space while using less space than a typical vanity cabinet.

• Lights!  Lights!  Lights!  Recessed lighting or wall sconces will brighten the room to give a more airy feel.  

• Limit the furniture and wall hangings to only those pieces needed for function or comfort.

If you are looking for ways to create more space in your home, Marc Williams Furniture design experts can help!