The Stated Home | American-made Style Guide & Furniture Primer

Fabric for Upholstery: Cotton

Thinking of buying a new sofa or reupholstering an old one? Don’t overlook good, old-fashioned cotton. While cotton is typically considered for casual, washable slipcovers, it can also look quite formal and modern. The variations are truly endless, so here’s everything to know about cotton for upholstered furniture. (more…)

Furnishings 101

Linen Upholstery Fabric: Pros and Cons

If you’re looking for a classic upholstery fabric, you can’t do much better than linen. Made from the fibers of the flax plant, linen has been around for thousands of years (it was even used as currency in ancient Egypt). It’s still loved today for its beauty, feel, and durability. Considering getting a sofa or chair upholstered in linen? Here’s what you need to know about how it’s made, when it works, and when you might want to go with a different fabric. (more…)

Furnishings 101

Upholstery Fabric Types: Velvet Furniture

Velvet, with its plush feel and sheen, is pretty much the original glamour fabric. For most of its history—from China, where it was made for the first time more than 4500 years ago, to Italy in the 14^th and 15^th centuries—only the very wealthy could afford it. Thankfully, these days, velvet is still super luxe but a lot more affordable.

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How To

Easy Lemon Bars: The Queen of Summer Desserts

Our mom always made these tart, sweet bars during the summer. They are pretty simple to whip up and people go absolutely crazy for them. Take a batch to a barbecue or potluck and tell us how they were! (more…)

Furnishings 101

Sofa Details: How to Pick the Perfect Extra Touches

It goes without saying that when you order a sofa, you have to pick out the style, fabric, and finish. But you don’t have to stop there. While most furniture pieces are designed to look great no matter what, you can also add extra details to make a more unique sofa or chair.

You can’t always add these design elements (some manufacturers are more flexible than others), but when you shop at our site, thestatedhome.com, you can get as creative as you’d like. Just reach out and we can talk through your ideas! Here are a few of the ways you can customize a piece: (more…)

Interior Design

Area Rug Rules: How to Figure Out the Perfect Size

Have you found the perfect rug for your home? Great! (If not, check out our gorgeous styles at The Stated Home.) But now you have to decide what size rug to choose. That can be a little harder to figure out, so we put together some guidelines to help. We aren’t saying you absolutely have to stick to these decorating rules, but they’ll give you a good place to start.

First, follow these steps to make sure you’ve thought a few things through:

Ask yourself what you want the rug to accomplish. Are you trying to unify a space or do you want to define a few smaller areas within a larger room?
See if the room is next to an open space. If so, how will it look if the rug extends into that open area versus fitting within the confines of the room?
Measure out the maximum and minimum dimensions that will work in your space. Not every rug comes in every size, so if your perfect rug doesn’t come in a size you want, you may need to come up with another plan. (More on that later.)
Visualize what different sized rugs will look like in your space. Just lay down a sheet (or two) that are folded to be the same size as the rug that you are considering—this will give you a pretty good idea of how a rug will fit in the room. You can also try painter’s tape or brown paper.

Now, let’s get to those decorating tips… (more…)