Shopping Tips

CaseGoods

Planning a major furniture purchase after years of “making do” with family hand-me-downs and flea market bargains? The following tips, from the experts at Bernhardt, are worth noting by both novice and seasoned furniture shoppers.

When shopping, take along a rough floor plan, photograph and room dimensions (including height, width and length) of the space you’re redecorating. Measure other furniture in the room to ensure that your purchase will be compatible with the overall proportions and scale. (Be sure to wear comfortable clothing on shopping trips, as you may want to get down on your hands and knees to examine the furniture more closely.)

Consider your lifestyle. Choose furniture based on versatility and optimum comfort, as well as beauty and overall construction.

Always test chairs, benches and other furniture used for seating by doing just that – sitting on them. Furniture that looks great may not feel great.

Think of wood as a neutral. It’s perfectly acceptable to use different types and different finishes in the same room.

Create surface interest in a room by mixing different textures. Aluminum, wrought iron and glass possess enormous textural appeal when used alongside wood. Accessories also add texture.

Remember, there is no right or wrong decorating style. Your furniture doesn’t have to include just one design period. Select interesting pieces that complement each other and reflect your taste.

Judging the (Case) Good

Furniture designed to provide storage space, or for display, is called casegoods. Usually made of wood or metal, casegoods comprise bedroom and dining room furniture – excluding upholstered pieces – as well as desks, bookcases and chests.

There are several factors that determine the overall quality of casegoods:

Wood pieces should usually be joined in either a mortise and tenon (one piece fits into a pocket on the other) or a dovetail (the pieces fit together like meshing gears). The best joinery is also glued, locking the pieces together. Blocks glued and screwed into corners create extra stability.

Drawers should fit well, glide easily on heavy-duty glide rails; they shouldn’t creak or wobble excessively from side to side.

The insides of drawers should be smoothly sanded with panels between drawers blocking dust and other material.

The Natural Wonders of Maple

Finely textured with a natural luster, maple is a favorite furniture hardwood. This creamy white to light reddish brown wood has been used since the first furniture was constructed in the U.S. during Colonial times. Moreover, early settlers used maple for crafting personal items like hatboxes and sewing kits. Maple is also a preferred wood for flooring, wooden kitchenware (such as bowls and cutting boards) and many musical instruments.

Finishing Touches

Solid woods, including maple, cherry, mahogany and oak, offer stability to furniture and can be easily refinished. A manufacturer’s hang tag indicating solid wood construction means that only 100 percent solid wood was used.

By definition, a veneer is a thin layer of wood, chosen for beauty and character, then glued or bonded to another wood surface. It’s not a substitute for solid wood; instead, veneers add to the beauty of the finished piece. Veneering makes it possible to match fine grain patterns and insert beautiful inlay designs that are not available in solid wood. Veneering is a fine craft that has been practiced for centuries, and can be seen on intricately designed antique pieces.

Better-quality furniture, found in Bernhardt's casegood collections, often combines solid wood, veneers and other materials. Solid wood gives frames, legs and other supporting components durability. The veneer adds not only beauty but strength: it helps prevent warping and splitting that sometimes occur when solid wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity.

Coming to Terms with (Case) Goods

If your definition of a “hutch” is Starsky’s partner from the 1970’s TV police drama Starsky & Hutch, it’s time to expand your furniture vocabulary. Learn the language of home furnishings by reviewing the phrases below:

Bachelor chest: A small, low chest that originated in the 18th century
Buffet: A sideboard with no hutch or storage cabinet on top
Commode: A small, low chest with door or drawers
Console: A small table, often with curved legs, designed to set against a wall
Hutch: An enclosed cupboard with shelves resting on a solid base
Pedestal table: A table supported by a single, center base