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In March we asked readers to vote in our WHICH ONE? blog poll each week. Thank you for being involved. You've watched our videos, read our blogs, and voted! Hopefully it's been fun for you because it's been great fun for us. We’ve counted the votes and the results are in! March 2, 2021 |
 | Designer: Mercer Moore To review, here's the link to the video and client story: Hardback or upholstered? |
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POLL RESULTS:
Which one would you choose?
Upholstered: 51%
Wooden Back: 49%
Which one do you think our customer chose?
Upholstered: 58%
Wooden Back: 43%
Mercer's client chose: UPHOLSTERED!
Which one would you choose?
Upholstered: 51%
Wooden Back: 49%
Which one do you think our customer chose?
Upholstered: 58%
Wooden Back: 43%
Mercer's client chose: UPHOLSTERED!
March 9
Sofa or Sectional?
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POLL RESULTS:
Which one would you choose?
Sofa: 40%
Sectional: 60%
Which one do you think our our customer chose?
Sofa: 79%
Sectional: 21%
Our client chose...the SOFA!
Which one would you choose?
Sofa: 40%
Sectional: 60%
Which one do you think our our customer chose?
Sofa: 79%
Sectional: 21%
Our client chose...the SOFA!
March 16, 2021
Coffee table or no coffee table?
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POLL RESULTS:
Which one would you choose?
Definitely a coffee table: 64%
No coffee table. I love having the open space: 36%
Which one do you think Alli's client chose?
She came back for a coffee table: 52%
No coffee table. She wanted the extra floor space: 48%
Alli's client chose: NO COFFEE TABLE!
Which one would you choose?
Definitely a coffee table: 64%
No coffee table. I love having the open space: 36%
Which one do you think Alli's client chose?
She came back for a coffee table: 52%
No coffee table. She wanted the extra floor space: 48%
Alli's client chose: NO COFFEE TABLE!
March 23, 2021
Coffee table geometry: Rectangle, square, or round?
| | Designer: Mercer Moore To review, here's the link to the video and client story: Rectangle, square, or round? |
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POLL RESULTS:
Which one would you choose?
Rectangle, square, or round?
Rectangle: 46%
Square: 7%
Round: 47%
Which one did our client choose?
Rectangle: 50%
Square: 22%
Round: 28
Our client chose: RECTANGLE!
Which one would you choose?
Rectangle, square, or round?
Rectangle: 46%
Square: 7%
Round: 47%
Which one did our client choose?
Rectangle: 50%
Square: 22%
Round: 28
Our client chose: RECTANGLE!
We have more of this same fun coming up every Tuesday in April! Thank you to those who voted in March. See you Tuesdays in April!
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 | By Mercer Moore, Designer La-Z-Boy, Pensacola |
Video: The coffee table is your best friend.
The Kings, the Queens, and the Knight
What gets all the attention in a living room? The sofas, sectionals, chairs, and rugs - they are the Kings and Queens of the living room. They wear the crowns...they get all of the adoration!
What gets all the attention in a living room? The sofas, sectionals, chairs, and rugs - they are the Kings and Queens of the living room. They wear the crowns...they get all of the adoration!
My clients and I spend a lot of time choosing the Kings and Queens of the living room: the sofa and chairs, the rug, the upholstery, and the placement of those crowned pieces. But what really makes a room function well is the Knight, the coffee table. It's there to serve, to accompany, to make everyone's lives better!
Choosing your Knight - the coffee table - is something that you think you just instinctually know how to do… until it’s time to find one! But the Knight is the workhorse in the room and is every bit as important as the rest. Give it some respect. The right one will make your living room a wonderful, majestic place and make your day a royal experience.
Choosing your Knight - the coffee table - is something that you think you just instinctually know how to do… until it’s time to find one! But the Knight is the workhorse in the room and is every bit as important as the rest. Give it some respect. The right one will make your living room a wonderful, majestic place and make your day a royal experience.
Well, maybe that's a leeetle much. But in real person terms, the right coffee table WILL enhance your everyday life. It holds your drinks. It patiently nestles your magazines. It presents your flowers. It stoically takes the heat from your candles. It offers a place for you to prop your feet. All of this with no whining, no complaints. Your coffee table is your best friend. Choosing one can be one of the most important decisions of your life.
Coffee table decision.
Last month I designed a room for a family who recently moved to Pensacola. My client had always had the traditional setup of a sofa with two chairs. But she was ready for a more relaxed living space now that she is on the Gulf Coast, and chose an L-shaped sectional. Her well-loved, old coffee table was not going to work well with the new sectional. So, using the following "coffee table guidelines", she and I talked about what would work best! Going through the guidelines helped her eliminate tables. There was no guessing, and no trial and error. She chose her coffee table, and she chose it well.
Which one did she choose?
Which one would you choose?
Vote in the poll at the end of this post!
Which one would you choose?
Vote in the poll at the end of this post!
HELPFUL GUIDELINES FOR CHOOSING A BEST FRIEND,
YOUR COFFEE TABLE
YOUR COFFEE TABLE
A coffee table should be:
- At least half the length of your sofa
- But no more than roughly ⅔ the length
- Should be the same height as the seat, give or take 4 inches
For an L-shaped sectional:
- The 1/2 to 2/3 guideline applies better to just the length of the horizontal seat, rather than the full length of the sofa
- Round and square shaped coffee tables can almost be interchanged - same goes with rectangular and oval.
Keep scrolling!
The diagrams and photos below explain it best!
The diagrams and photos below explain it best!
Rectangle
Consider a rectangular coffee table if you have a standard sofa (or a sectional with chaise) so everyone can have easy access to whatever they have in their cups...coffee, cocktail, or milk with their cookies! If you have a narrow space with minimal walk-around clearance, the rectangle is absolutely the best choice!
Square
A square coffee table is a great choice if you have a large comfy sectional or the traditional conversational set up with a sofa and a couple of chairs. It is perfect when placed in the center space of the seating area. But it also fits well in the L-shaped nook of your sectional! What I love best a square coffee table is all of the wonderful styling space. Accessories, books, flowers, a lovely box for the numerous remotes, will all fit on top with some room to spare for the coffee cup.
Round
For anyone living in a small space where every piece of furniture counts, you can literally cut corners with a round coffee table. It also works with an L-shaped sectional because it fits into the "nook" perfectly. One of my favorites is this round coffee table with a lower tier for accessories, and magazine and book storage!
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Take our poll!
Want to take a deeper dive into coffee tables?
Check out these diagrams!
Check out these diagrams!
SCROLL DOWN TO SUBMIT YOUR VOTE!
WHICH ONE?
WHICH ONE?
I worked with a darling customer recently who was worried about her room looking incomplete if she didn't have a coffee table. The problem is her husband and children love lying on the floor in front of the TV. We make many design decisions because our mama made the same decision, our friends make the same decision, our neighbors made the same decision...we grew up with it this way... and getting a coffee table is one of those "well, of course!" decisions. We get a coffee table because ... well, that's what we are supposed to do, right?
Our living rooms are now a place to play, work, and relax. In many homes, the living room has became a schoolroom, a workout room, a playroom, a playground, a yoga studio, and guess what... many of us have to move the coffee table out of the way at least once a day! The living room has truly taken center stage.
We would NEVER think about NOT getting a coffee table in front of our sofa. Am I right? But think of the open space you can have! There is freedom in gaining some space you've not had. And the alternatives are endless: small, easy -to-move drink tables, magazine holders, side tables. The coffee table, especially if its too large, too tall, too small, or too delicate, can be the "elephant in the room."
We would NEVER think about NOT getting a coffee table in front of our sofa. Am I right? But think of the open space you can have! There is freedom in gaining some space you've not had. And the alternatives are endless: small, easy -to-move drink tables, magazine holders, side tables. The coffee table, especially if its too large, too tall, too small, or too delicate, can be the "elephant in the room."
The case for a coffee table.
The coffee table, however, is the center axis of the living room for many families.
Here's why:
1. It controls clutter.
2. It holds magazines, drinks, offers space for puzzles, games, and gives you a place to prop your feet.
3. You have endless choices of surfaces, sizes, and colors.
4. For so many of us, its hard to imagine living without one!
Here's why:
1. It controls clutter.
2. It holds magazines, drinks, offers space for puzzles, games, and gives you a place to prop your feet.
3. You have endless choices of surfaces, sizes, and colors.
4. For so many of us, its hard to imagine living without one!
So...which one would you choose? Coffee table or no coffee table?
TAKE OUR POLL!
TAKE OUR POLL!
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WHICH ONE WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
WHICH ONE DID MY CLIENT CHOOSE?
NEXT WEEK'S BLOGPOST & POLL:
The coffee table: Square, Rectangular, or Round?
The coffee table: Square, Rectangular, or Round?
By, Tommy MacMullan
La-Z-Boy Designer, Mobile
La-Z-Boy Designer, Mobile
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THINK IT THROUGH. |
Some design decisions are quick and easy...like an accessory. Some answers are so clear! Then, there are others that are HUGE decisions that you will have to live with for a long time. And it is so important to make the right decision! And choosing between a full sectional or a sofa is one of those very big decisions that you must get right! So, I do my best to have my clients THINK IT THROUGH...
Last month, a new client - Beth - requested an in home design appointment. We met and she admitted how "stumped" she was trying to decide on a sectional or a sofa for her large living room. She sent her old sofa to college last month when her oldest child moved from the dorm into an apartment. Now she was ready to choose a new sofa or sectional, choose custom fabric or leather, and wait for its grand delivery later this Spring or early Summer when life - hopefully - may return somewhat back to normal. But she needed professional design help in choosing this primary piece of furniture. So, I went through my "THINK IT THROUGH" quiz with her.
Let's take a look at these two furniture workhorses: the sofa and the sectional.
A sofa - also called a couch - most commonly can seat three adults.
Let's take a look at these two furniture workhorses: the sofa and the sectional.
A sofa - also called a couch - most commonly can seat three adults.
THE ALANI - SOFA WITH "CUDDLER"
A sectional (actually short for sectional sofa) has a modular design with two or more pieces coming together to create an L or U wrap-around shape, and can usually seat more than three adults.
THE ALANI - FULL SECTIONAL
- with cuddler and chaise -
- with cuddler and chaise -
How do you decide?
Both are beautiful, so we know the room will look like a picture out of a magazine! Still...its a decision she will live with - literally - for a long, long time. I told Beth, "Let's THINK IT THROUGH" together. This is what I do!
1. Do you feel strongly about one over the other?
Beth had a strong preference of a formal sofa when we first met. But when she came into the store and saw the La-Z-Boy sectionals, she realized they can be quite sleek, have an organized look and feel, and work perfectly in a living room. So, she was stumped. Confusion set in. So... I said, "Let's THINK IT THROUGH some more...."
1. Do you feel strongly about one over the other?
Beth had a strong preference of a formal sofa when we first met. But when she came into the store and saw the La-Z-Boy sectionals, she realized they can be quite sleek, have an organized look and feel, and work perfectly in a living room. So, she was stumped. Confusion set in. So... I said, "Let's THINK IT THROUGH some more...."
2. How many seats and who will be sitting in them?
Beth still has one child in high school who will graduate in May, so by late summer the room will mostly be used by Beth and her husband.
I told her, "Don't just count the seats you need. THINK about WHO will be sitting in them. A sectional can fit 4-6 people, most spots will not have armrests, and the one in the corner won't have legroom. A sofa with one or two chairs will provide plenty of seating for five people. So, the number of seats may not be as important as you might think. "
Beth still has one child in high school who will graduate in May, so by late summer the room will mostly be used by Beth and her husband.
I told her, "Don't just count the seats you need. THINK about WHO will be sitting in them. A sectional can fit 4-6 people, most spots will not have armrests, and the one in the corner won't have legroom. A sofa with one or two chairs will provide plenty of seating for five people. So, the number of seats may not be as important as you might think. "
Tommy Mac: Many rooms with one sofa actually have space for TWO sofas to meet the need for more seating and great conversation.
3. How large is the room, and how will you use the room?
Absolutely key to making this decision is the room size and what its function will be the majority of the time. Beth has room for a large sectional, but still she had to THINK IT THROUGH. Beth's living room is large, and has a fireplace with a TV above it. Before COVID the room was a gathering spot for guests, football games, cocktails with the neighbors, and it was her kids' video game headquarters. However, glancing at some other pieces in her home, I could tell that she has a dressy flair.
We all know how sectionals are great for lounging back, kicking up your feet, and squeezing family members together to watch a movie. Beth was looking forward to entertaining again and I suggested that her guests might want a little more personal space so a sofa, two sofas, or a sofa-sectional with a cuddler, might be the better choice. She could add chairs. Plus, after a few months, the room would no longer be a video game haven.
Beth did THINK IT THROUGH, but for not long. She answered the quiz honestly, and made her decision. Which one do you think she chose? Which one would you choose?
Absolutely key to making this decision is the room size and what its function will be the majority of the time. Beth has room for a large sectional, but still she had to THINK IT THROUGH. Beth's living room is large, and has a fireplace with a TV above it. Before COVID the room was a gathering spot for guests, football games, cocktails with the neighbors, and it was her kids' video game headquarters. However, glancing at some other pieces in her home, I could tell that she has a dressy flair.
We all know how sectionals are great for lounging back, kicking up your feet, and squeezing family members together to watch a movie. Beth was looking forward to entertaining again and I suggested that her guests might want a little more personal space so a sofa, two sofas, or a sofa-sectional with a cuddler, might be the better choice. She could add chairs. Plus, after a few months, the room would no longer be a video game haven.
Beth did THINK IT THROUGH, but for not long. She answered the quiz honestly, and made her decision. Which one do you think she chose? Which one would you choose?
Quiz yourself and THINK IT THROUGH.
- Am I pressed for space?
- Do I live alone, with a spouse, or family?
- Does my room have a weird shape or layout?
- What's my daily life in the room? Does it have to multi-function as a dining or office space, too?
- Do I like to lounge more than entertain?
Now, vote!
Dining chairs...hardback or upholstered? Which one would you choose? Which did our client choose?
3/2/2021
By Mercer Moore, Designer
La-Z-Boy - Pensacola
La-Z-Boy - Pensacola
My client, Anne, moved into a new home. I was designing the house, room by room, and we were focusing on the dining room. She had handed down a few pieces of her older furniture to her grown children and sold or thrift shopped everything else. She was ready for a fresh start with her new home! However, she kept her old dining room table. Because it was, well...old...plus rather casual, it was chosen for the breakfast room table. She loves it because of its history of family get togethers and it served as a homework headquarters for many years! But she really wanted a more elegant look in her new dining room. After choosing a round dining table with an optional leaf for her new dining room, she was at a crossroads deciding on chairs:
upholstered or hardwood?
upholstered or hardwood?
I told Anne that I frequently design upholstered chairs for the dining room versus the kitchen because they really do lend an air of formality. Plus, fabric absorbs sound. Many clients have an open-concept kitchen or simply a room with a lot of glass or metal that looks stark. Upholstered chairs absorb sound and are a perfect way to add color and texture to a room. Coordinating upholstered chairs with the wall color or carpet, or other accessories ties everything together and adds to the design aesthetic. If a room is feeling plain, like it's missing something, it's fun to pull colors from the room into upholstered chairs!
There aren't downsides as much as there are things to consider. Obviously, upholstery can be a tougher cleaning situation for a young family. With kids at home who might not use napkins or smaller ones who don't have total control over their food, upholstered chairs will be a lot of cleaning trouble.
A Middle Ground...
There is a middle ground. La-Z-Boy has some great performance fabrics that make upkeep surprisingly easy. I showed Anne how she can still have an upholstered seat, leaving a hardwood back if she doesn't want as much upholstery.
Solid wood dining chairs will last for generations if treated well. Besides being knock-out beautiful, La-Z-Boy wood dining chairs are built with solid construction, have excellent durability and longevity, and enhance the look of a wood dining table, just like Anne's. And these dining chairs can be extremely comfortable and supportive.
Which would you choose?
Vote in our "WHICH ONE?" poll!
Which one would you choose?
Created with Survey Maker
Which one did our customer choose?
Created with Survey Maker
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