Archive for March, 2010


Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Arranging your living room

arranging your living roomTired of bumping your knees on the coffee table? Or maybe you’re just bored with your room? Here’s how you can arrange your new living room furniture from Royal Heritage Home Furnishings® without spending countless hours moving furniture pieces around like a giant puzzle.

Follow these steps to find the living room layout you want while also saving your back.



  1. Get a piece of paper and draw a layout of your living room to scale. Include all doors, windows, outlets, radiators, and air vents.
  2. Design and cut out miniatures of your items, again to scale. Make sure all the pieces are labeled.
  3. Locate a focal point in the room. All your furniture pieces will revolve around this point. It can sometimes be a entertainment center, coffee table, artwork, fireplace, or even a mantle. Draw this focal point on the paper where it exists in the room.
  4. Move your cut out furniture pieces around on the paper to experiment with different layouts. Make sure your seating areas face each other and don’t block the focal point. You want to encourage socializing. Place sofas and chairs at right angles around the focal point.
  5. Find a coffee table or trunk to place in the center of your seating arrangement for drinks or board games. This can also be used as a display area to place reading materials or pictures.
  6. Leave spaces in the corners between the seating for end tables or lamps. If you have an extra chair that fits this seating group, you can widen the arrangement and place the chair diagonally into the corner.
  7. Finally, fill in any open places with smaller furnishings and accessories.

Visit your local PMD Furniture Direct™ franchisee to shop our vast selection of affordable, durable and beautiful living room furniture from the Royal Heritage Home Furnishings® Collection, and start designing your living room today!

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Don’t Forget the Upholstery

spring cleaningThis past Saturday marks the first day of spring. A beautiful time of year that represents the passage way from winter to summer. People use this season to clean their homes from all the dust and dirt that has collected over a long winter. Usually counters, windows, floors, tables, and carpets, are at the forefront of everyone’s cleaning agenda, neglecting sofas, loveseats, and recliners.

Solid surfaces such as floors and tables expose dust and dirt well. We see this dirt easily and make it a point to clean it whenever it collects. However, this same dirt and dust that is cleaned, sometimes twice a week, is also the same dirt and dust collecting in your upholstered furniture.  What then, are the best ways to properly clean upholstery so it can stay looking new?

  • You should first vacuum your furniture on both sides. Most new vacuums come with upholstery attachments which are used to get corners and spots on a cushion that are hard to reach. Tools such as the crevice tool and dust brush are perfect and can keep your furniture looking new. Use the dust brush on leather furniture so suction doesn’t damage the surface.
  • After vacuuming your furniture, it is important that you flip your cushions. Turning your cushions over and rotating them can make the inner cushion and the fabric last longer. This doesn’t have to be done just in the spring, but all year long.
  • If at all possible, try not to place upholstered furniture in direct sunlight.  Ultraviolet rays will cause sunburn and wrinkles, depriving your furniture of its gorgeous look. If you must place your furniture in direct sunlight, use window blinds or sheers to minimize the sun rays.
  • Finally, give your furniture a good old massage. That’s right, start from the bottom of the arms and back and push the stuffing up, giving it a full look. This works air back into the synthetic fibers and keeps it nice and cushy.

Visit your local PMD Furniture Direct™ franchisee to shop our vast selection of affordable, durable and beautiful upholstered furniture from the Royal Heritage Home Furnishings® Collection!

Saturday, March 20th, 2010

Keep Your Dining Room Table Looking Like New

cleaning your dining room tableCongratulations on finding the perfect dinette set from Royal Heritage Home Furnishings® to complete the look of your lovely dining room! Whether it’s traditional or contemporary, oak or cherry, hardwood or metal, Royal Heritage Home Furnishings® offers a selection for every style.

To ensure the success of dinner parties for years to come, proper care and routine maintenance of your dining room furniture are essential.

Here’s how to care for wood furniture so your dining room group will look marvelous over the years:

  • Dust the furniture regularly using a soft cotton cloth and wax-free polish. Dry dusting can cause hairline scratches that will dull the look of your furniture over a period of time.
  • Dry your solid wood or veneer tabletop with a dry cloth after wiping with a slightly damp cloth. Moisture that is allowed to sit on the surface can penetrate the finish of any beautiful table and raise the grain.
  • Use a table pad, coasters and placemats to keep your table safe from dents, heat damage or scratches. Condensation from cold drinks can leave rings, while hot containers can burn the finish also leaving marks.
  • Cover nearby windows with shades, blinds or window treatments because direct sunlight over a period of time can lighten the finish.
  • Do not place rubber or plastic materials on the wood finish. Silicone potholders or trivets can leave permanent stains or marks due to a chemical reaction from heat.

From casual family suppers to extravagant parties, contact your local PMD Furniture Direct™ franchisee for dining room furniture and tips on making it last.

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Protecting Your Leather Furniture

protect your leather furnitureLong considered a sign of luxury and quality, leather furniture is making its way into homes everywhere. More families are leaning towards the purchasing of leather furniture based on the simple fact that leather lasts longer, and is more durable than fabric. Leather furniture, when taken care of properly,  can last up to 2 decades longer than fabric furniture.  How then can you make your leather furniture last that long?

  • Read and follow your leather furniture’s care and cleaning instructions on the manufacturer’s label, which is often attached to the seat deck under the cushions or sewn to a cushion. Unsealed leather should be vacuumed regularly and wiped with a clean, damp cloth. Spills must be blotted immediately with a soft, dry cloth. Sealed leather furniture should be cleaned with a mild soap and water solution. Afterward, dry the leather with a soft, clean cloth.
  • Never use a cleaning solution not recommended by the manufacturer. Contact your local PMD Furniture Direct™ franchisee to purchase leather care products to properly clean your leather and preserve your warranty protection.
  • Do not place your beautiful leather furniture in direct sunlight or within two feet of a heat source such as a fireplace, register or portable heater. Direct heat sources can cause your leather furniture to dry out, crack or stiffen. Cover windows with blinds or shades and rearrange your furniture regularly to prevent fading.

Visit your local PMD Furniture Direct™ franchisee to shop our vast selection of affordable, durable and beautiful leather furniture from the Royal Heritage Home Furnishings® Leather Collection!

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Bunk Bed Safety

Bunk Bed SafetyA parent’s most important job in life is to protect their children. From the day they are born, it is our constant mission to ensure their surroundings are free from danger. We baby proof the house, buy organic food and check the lead levels on their age-appropriate toys.

But how can we watch over and protect them when everyone is asleep, with many children snuggly tucked into bed several feet off the ground? Bunk Beds are one of the most popular beds for youth bedroom furniture. Besides being a real space saver, there is something appealing to kids that makes sleeping high off the ground awesome!

Here are a few precautions you can follow that will help make your child’s bunk bed more secure.

  1. Make sure your child is old enough to sleep in a bunk bed. Check the age recommendations when shopping for a bed, and have your child test out the bed before you buy it. They should be able to easily climb into and out of the bed by themselves.
  2. The top bunk should always have a guardrail on all four sides, even if it will be placed against a wall. There should be no more than 9 centimeters (3.54 inches) between the bottom of the rail and the frame of the bed to prevent the child from becoming trapped between the rail and the frame.
  3. It’s essential to use the proper size mattress on your bunk bed. Make sure the mattress you buy fits snugly against all edges of the bed frame. If you buy an extra long bunk bed, make sure the mattress is extra long as well.

Visit your PMD Furniture Direct ™ franchisee for fun and functional youth bedroom furniture, where you’ll also find the Royal Heritage Home Furnishings® Bedding Collection with a wide assortment of mattresses to safely fit your bunk beds (and grown up beds!) for a safe and sound night’s sleep.

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Spring 2010 Furniture Fashions

2010 Furniture Fashions and TrendsAlong with the changing seasons comes new and exciting furniture trends. This year the key word to sum up the main furniture trend is stimulating!

Leading off this year’s exciting trends are brilliant and daring colors. Neutral colored throw pillows placed against bright colorful sofas with will be the fashion this year. This is the opposite of years past where neutral colored couches with bright pillows were making their ways into everyone’s home.

Enhancing the look of bright colors are grays and metallic accents. These darker colors and styles will allow the bright colors of your furniture to pop even more, increasing their style. Gray is the hot neutral color being used this year to showcase bright furniture.

Not getting left behind in this year’s up and coming trends is comfort and flexibility. More than ever, we need furniture that will serves multi-purposes and maximizes the space in our homes. Modular furniture like sofa recliners, futons, and  pull out beds will be a huge part of this trend.

One major trend that is reinventing itself and making its way around again is Asian styled furniture. Having fallen out of favor of designers decades ago, many Asian influences are starting to peek their way into homes. Japanese art inspired fabrics, gentler than years past, will influence many designs.

Finally, gaining momentum every year, eco-friendly furniture is continuing its growth into the furniture industry.  Environmentally friendly furniture is going to a huge trend for years to come.

Visit Royal Heritage Home Furnishings® to bring these trends into your home today!

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Protecting Your Mattress

Protect Your Mattress

You spend a third of your life on your Sealy™ mattress from the Royal Heritage Home Furnishings® Bedding Collection, recharging your batteries for tomorrow’s tasks. One of the most important furniture pieces you own deserves to be protected from liquid stains that can penetrate your sheets and leave foul odors and stains on your bedding.

Protecting your mattress from liquids such as urine, sweat, drinks and food is pretty simple: just keep it covered. Don’t put a garbage bag under the sheets and make your child sleep on a human noise maker all night, giving them the gift of grumpiness.  Instead, cover your mattress and pillows with a Royal Heritage® Mattress Protector and Royal Heritage® Pillow protector, which works to keep any type of liquid from leaving stains or odors behind. Our mattress protectors will keep your mattress fresh, allow you to sleep in a peaceful state and preserve your warranty coverage.

There are additional steps you can take to keep your mattress clean. Vacuuming the mattress is the only technique Sealy™   recommends. If the unthinkable does happen and some type of liquid reaches the mattress, Sealy™  recommends using only mild soap and cold water, and applying it lightly. Don’t ever soak a mattress or box spring, and don’t use dry cleaning solvents which could damage the construction materials .

Royal Heritage® Mattress Protectors and Royal Heritage® Pillow protectors are available through Royal Heritage Home Furnishings® as a part of our Royal Heritage Home Furnishings® Bedding Collection.