Your Home Office Furniture - Is It Tax Deductible?

When most people start up a home business, the first thing they want to know is whether their business purchases can be taken as a tax deduction. Sure, it's easy to figure out that business supplies like paper, envelopes, and pens all count as a tax deduction, but what about the bigger things? Is your home office furniture tax deductible?

In most cases, it is!

However, before you start taking deductions on your taxes, you need to make sure that you have done all of your homework:

• First, you need to keep any and all records relating to your furniture. If you ever get audited, you will have to be able to prove how much everything cost. And, unfortunately, when it comes to the IRS you are guilty until proven innocent - meaning that it is up to you to prove that you were right to take a specific amount as a deduction, instead of the IRS proving that you were wrong.
• You need to make sure that any home office furniture that you take as a tax deduction is only used for business purposes. The IRS defines a home office as a space that is solely devoted to your business. So if, for example, you use your file cabinet to store business and personal documents, it's not going to count as a tax deduction. Or, if you buy a computer desk - and your kids also use it to do their homework - you can't legally take it as a home office tax deduction.

If you do not run a home-based business, you may be able to deduct your home office furniture.

How can that be?

It all goes back to how the IRS defines a home office. If, for example, you have a safe in your home that is solely used to store important business documents, it counts - and you can legally take it as a tax deduction.

So, how do you actually go about deducting your home office furniture?

The IRS gives you a choice - you can either deduct the full cost all at once, or you can deduct portions of the cost over 7 years in a process known as "depreciation". If you opt for depreciation, though, you will have to follow specific IRS guidelines as to how much you can deduct each year; it's not as easy as dividing the total cost by 7 and calling it a day!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6340942

Liven Up Your Living Room

Living room is the first part of your house that people see, and form an impression about you and your lifestyle. That is why, this room needs to be decorated in a way that is stylish and also expresses openness and the aura of friendliness and acceptance.

Living room is a gathering area for family members as well as guests, and it needs to be comfortable as well as inviting. Also it must set the tone for the décor of the rest of your house. Keeping all these factors in mind, decorating the living room is not an easy task and requires planning. Here are the basic things to consider while doing a living room.

Painting

The first thing that should be carefully decided is the color of the living room. To get the living room of your choice-

* You can use bold color for the wall which appears to be the point of focus of the room. Painting the other walls with contrasting color will make the room look vibrant.
* While coloring small rooms, dark color should be avoided as this will make the room look much smaller.
* Painting the walls with soft shades can create a peaceful atmosphere within the room.
* Ceiling should always be painted in white to maximize the light.

Flooring

A good solid floor will generate an impressive image of the owner of the house. These days you can use different types of flooring available:

* Carpet Flooring - This type of flooring has been there since forever and is still preferred by many. Carpets are available in various designs and they can be machine-made or handmade.
* Hardwood Flooring - This type of flooring is preferred to carpet flooring as it can be easily cleaned of dust, liquid or other stuff. Moreover they can be polished which gives a classy look to the room.
* Laminate Flooring - Laminates are less expensive as compared to hardwood flooring. Hence, you can easily change them every six to seven years to give a new look to your room.
* Tile Flooring - This type of flooring is becoming popular these days due to the efficiency of the tiles to keep the room cool. Moreover they comes in various shapes and exquisite designs.

Lighting

Making lighting arrangements is also a creative task as this can give contrasting looks to the different corners of the living room. Moreover an efficient choice of lighting can also make the room look bigger or smaller. Some factors which should be kept in mind while deciding on the lighting part;

* Energy efficient lamps should be used as they are environment friendly and emit the same amount of light like other sources.
* Use lights to highlight portraits, pictures and other articles in the living room.
* Use a table lamp beside the furniture if you want to use the room for reading books, newspapers or other things.
* To ensure smooth distribution of light, combine general light with halogen lighting.

Furniture

Though furniture comes last in the decoration category, it is essential to choose it wisely. An ill-fitting furniture can destroy the look of the room. The recent trend is to use contemporary furniture which is not heavily ornamented like the vintage wooden furniture. This is the reason contemporary furniture is finding prominence in most living rooms. Some of the other characteristics of this modern day furniture are:

* This type of furniture is made of metal which gives it a lustrous and glistening look which blends with any kind of décor.
* Modern furniture is sleek hence fits in any place.
* Contemporary living room furniture follows simple designs comprising plain geometric structures and soft colors.
* Materials used to build this furniture make it lighter, therefore portable.

Therefore, to make this room lively and to create the perfect ambiance, paint, flooring, lighting and furniture should be chosen carefully. You can also hire an interior decorator, who with their expertise can make your living room look even better. To locate these experts, you are advised to run a quick search online.

The author of this article is currently associated with LaContempo, a leading supplier of modern furniture for official as well as residential use.

Guide For Your Home Furniture

Right furniture pieces can be the anchor to your home. Placing them aesthetically, you can make your living place more elegant and inviting. Read this article to know how can you decorate your home areas with suitable furniture items and right color combination.

Your home reflects your personality. If you love to follow the current fashion trends, then why not assimilate the same in your home decor as well. Decorating with right kind of furniture, you can give your home the unique appearance. Although a wide range of furniture pieces is available in the market, you need to purchase the ones that suit the latest trend and the theme of your home. Read on to get some valuable ideas on how to choose the right furniture for your home and make it a more beautiful and comfortable place to live in.

Dining Room Furniture

A dining room is an integral part of your home where you spend some quality time with your whole family taking the wholesome meal. Dining table and chairs are the main furniture items for a dining room. While decorating this part, be careful in selection of furniture considering some important aspects like number of your family members, age & number of children and the frequency of guests you invite for dinner. Size of dining table should be appropriate, according to your needs and the space availability in the room. Similarly, the number of chairs and their size should match your requirements. Additionally, you can have some stylish storage cabinets to place your cutlery sets. Make sure that the area looks clean, spacious and inviting after decoration.

Living Room Furniture

Living room is the central part of your home and the place you see first when you enter the house. Furniture arrangement in living room mainly depends upon the space availability. In case of small area, purchase the items which save the space. If a flat screen TV suits your budget, you can save a lot of space. The next item, the largest sofa set, should be placed right opposite the focal point. Size of central table should also be according to the space available. Choose the right color combination and give your living room the best look.

Bedroom Furniture

Decorating a bedroom requires a lot of creativity and designing skills. With suitable furniture items, right color theme and good placing arrangement, you can make your bedroom look sophisticated. The main furniture items like bed, wardrobe and showcase must be placed aesthetically. Wooden furniture is considered the most suitable for bedrooms. They look elegant and ensure the durability. Apart from furniture items, color & quality of carpet and coloring of wall should also be attractive.

Outdoor Furniture

Like wise the indoor area, outdoor space (your garden or porch) should also be well-decorated to enhance the overall beauty of your home. A number of furniture items like park tables, benches, chairs and park grills are available to improve the appearance of your outdoor area. Considering the size of your garden, weather conditions and your budget, you can purchase the suitable outdoor furniture. There is a variety of materials used to make outdoor furniture. You can select from wooden, steel and plastic furniture as per your requirement. Purchasing quality furniture like recycled plastic bench, you can decorate your garden perfectly. To make the place more pleasant, place the furniture items artistically.