Kitchen Table and Chair Sets - How To Choose The Right Ones

Your kitchen table is the center of your kitchen, as a new purchase it should be something you spend a bit of time thinking about to ensure you select the best table and chair sets for your needs.

Here are a few things that you might want to consider before making your purchase:

Size of Your Kitchen

When you are shopping for your new kitchen table and chair sets you are going to want to take the size of your kitchen into consideration. You do not want to purchase a table that will be too large, take up too much space, and restrict movement around it while you are working in your kitchen.

On the other hand, you do not want to select a table that will be dwarfed by the size of your kitchen and be excessively small for your needs of a dining table.

Before going shopping for your kitchen table and chair sets measure out in your kitchen the amount of space that you would like to dedicate to a dining table.

One way to effectively judge the size of the space to be dedicated is to lay sheets of newspaper down. This will help you judge the size of the area that can be utilized and help you work out the size of table that will fit comfortably into your kitchen.

Style of Kitchen

Before heading out to the furniture store, consider the current style of your kitchen, is it rustic country? Is it contemporary? Casual? Does it have a theme - such as a floral or rooster theme?

If your kitchen is a cozy rustic country themed, you really would not want to select kitchen table and chair sets that are metallic and more contemporary styled. Unless you are willing to redesign your kitchen around your new table, it is best to select new kitchen table and chair sets that will fit in with your current kitchen theme.

For a cozy rustic country themed kitchen, you might want to look for a rectangular table constructed out of solid pine, with sturdy legs. If you have a more contemporary styled kitchen you could look for a round metal glass-topped kitchen table, with bar-stool type chair sets.

Mix & Match

With both contemporary and rustic themed kitchens, you could consider being a bit bold and selecting kitchen table and chair sets that do not exactly match. This will add a bit of a whimsical fun touch to your kitchen.

If you prefer having your chair sets match your table you could, instead, select chair pads in different styles and colors to bring a fresh look to your kitchen; one that you can change frequently with the seasons or as your mood suits you.

Whatever your kitchen theme, be sure to select the right table that not only fits in with your current style but also suits your lifestyle. For example, a glass topped table is not necessarily the best choice for your family if your family spends a lot of time at it doing crafts, projects, or any other heavy-use activity.

Bringing a Real Sense of Comfort to Your Living Room

Your house is obviously a special place that you hold dear because you have created many family memories in it, there are places within your house that you might consider to be your favorite, for some people it's their bedroom which provides a sense of privacy and independence, and four others might be the kitchen which is a place where the real "magic" happens but for most people their favorite part of the house is obviously the one where they spent the most time in, that is the living room.

Having a comfortable, clutter free and inviting living room can make all the difference during those days where you come back home tired from work and want to relax, if you are able to identify yourself with this illustration then more than once you have wanted to get home as quickly as possible in order to take off the shoes, grab a beer or your favorite drink and just sit comfortably in your favorite sofa.

The situation described above would be the best case scenario assuming that you have comfortable living room furniture but, what if you didn't? -- it is not uncommon to hear about people who get home from work, tired and just wanted to relax in their living room and what they find is an uncomfortable sofa worn-out cushions which are crumbling, this might not be a problem for some people because obviously everyone can adapt to certain situations, meaning that people can actually get used to living uncomfortably.

If you are not one of those people that the most obvious solution would be to change the interior material that your cushions are made of, in some cases you will find that your sitting and back cushions are made of materials such as feathers, blown fiber or even hollow fiber which makes you feel uncomfortable because you have to constantly be puffing them up after they have lost their original shape.

When you decide to make those replacements remember that the best material used for cushioning and to make you feel comfortable in your living room is foam. This material is a lot better than feathers or blown fiber because it doesn't change its shape after you put some weight or pressure on it. When using foam-based cushions it is also recommended to use a Dacron polyfiber wrap which will smooth the edges of your cushions and eliminate any bagginess in the fabric itself, this material is also very durable and gives a fresh look to your sofa and living room, not to mention you will feel a lot more comfortable with the look and feel of your furniture.

LA Lakers Kids Furniture Review

Los Angeles Lakers basketball has been captivating Angelenos for over 40 years. Ever since they moved to the West Coast, fans have been treated to some of the greatest players ever. From Elgin, Wilt, Jerry, Magic, Shaq, and Kobe. We've called the best of the best ours.

Do kids these days now or care who helped NBA basketball get where its at? Probably not, but with a little imagination, you can help them learn about Kareem, Dr. J., Cousy and others. But lets get back to the Lakers. Guidecraft recently introduced a line of kids sized furniture that includes items you need to get your little fan's playroom Lakerized! Painted in Forum Blue and Gold (well at least that's what Jack Kent Cooke called the colors), your Kobe fan will delight in tossing socks in his toy box, watching the game in a kid sized rocking chair, or reaching the sink using a step stool.

Toy Box - Featuring sturdy construction and a basketball lid top for games and seating while watching the games. We like this toy box for its large size, safety hinges, and bright colors.

Rocking Chair - With veneer surfaces and hand-painted basketball finials in Laker colors

Step Stool - With a storage compartment on the top step to hold basketball cards and small toys. Great for helping kids reach the sink or help dad with projects in the garage.

Table and Chair Set - Includes a table with the Laker logo on the top and two chairs with basketball back rests. Seat Height 12" for ages 2 - 6.

Table Lamp - Has a metal basketball rim and rope net on the lamp that gives this kids table lamp special details that will make it an instant classic that's proudly displayed in bedrooms and playrooms.

Directors Chair Has a canvas seat and back with a solid birch frame and clear coat finish, big enough to hold an average size adult.

Our tongue and cheek pick for Laker to most likely use...

Laker most likely to use the toy box: Magic Johnson for a place to put his bag of tricks.

Laker most likely to use the rocking chair: Kareem to rest his weary bones.

Laker most likely to use the step stool: Gail Goodrich to help him dunk.

Laker most likely to use the table and chair set: Pat Riley and Phil Jackson to discuss strategies.

Laker most likely to use the table lamp: Kurt Rambis to help see with those thick glasses.

Laker most likely to use the directors chair: Jerry West for representing his team and league with class, style, and dignity.

To see current and former Lakers in action we found some great videos on You Tube under Laker history. They really bring back memories and pump you up to watch Laker basketball.

Ed Shapiro is co founder of SensoryEdge and a self proclaimed sports nut. Although he really loves the Clippers, he's rooting for the Lakers to represent Los Angeles during 2008 playoffs. His site at http://www.sensoryedge.com features fun kids sports furniture including the NBA, MLB, NHL, and College Footbal.