Posts Tagged ‘Buffet’

Improving Your Dining Experience with a Server

Monday, April 26th, 2010

When you are serving dinner to a large number of guests, you will need a little organization to provide a pleasant dining experience for them. Replacing dishes can be troublesome if you have to walk to and from the kitchen several times to gather all the finished dishes and serve new ones. If you have a server, you can place all the new dishes on it before serving them. This allows you to serve dinner in a more orderly manner, and your guests will certainly be impressed with the efficient way that you handle the occasion.                                                                                                               

Salem Creek Server

Salem Creek Server

When you go to a furniture store to buy a server, you will see that there are many different types for you to choose from. A basic server has a flat top for placing dishes and a number of compartments for storing dinnerware. There are also servers that feature wine racks and glass holders as well as mobile servers with wheels. Other than being a functional furniture item, a server can also enhance the décor of your dining room. Most servers are made of wood, such as oak, walnut, and mahogany, but there are also some that are made of wrought iron. If you have classic furniture in your dining room, you can opt for an elaborate buffet or a traditional server. On the other hand, a simple server with clean lines is a good option for a contemporary dining room. 

If you want to order a server online, you can check out Grand Furniture Gallery’s extensive collection of servers and buffets.

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The Edwardian Furniture Design – A Fun Choice

Friday, March 12th, 2010

EdwardianThe Victorian furniture era was named after Queen Victoria of England and was depicted by heavy dark toned furnishings.  Back in the Victorian era, it was not uncommon to find homes filled with ornately carved furniture and heavily layered window treatments.

Her son, King Edward VII, succeeded to the throne in 1901, and then began the Edwardian furniture era.  His design style was quite different than his mother’s.  The Edwardian period was considered a more elegant and cheerful designing time.  It was a time of change and distraction from the dark and heavy design style.  During the Edwardian era, furniture was designed with delicate lines and upholstered in floral designs or flowing graphics.  Many furniture pieces from the Edwardian furniture era had a mixed bag of design styles.  You could often find previous designing techniques mixed together to make one interesting piece of furniture.  For example, a desk could have slender legs with squared feet, and the drawers would have inlaid veneers and intricate hardware.  Instead of a heavy desk, the desk would be delicate and light.  Many furniture designers in the Edwardian era used curved lines for their furniture pieces.  During this eclectic furniture making time period, mixing classic styles with curved designed was popular among designers.  Basically, during the Edwardian design era, most anything that was cheerful and fun was acceptable!

At Grand Furniture Gallery you will find furniture reproductions from most every time period.  Stop by our store to check out our lovely selection of Edwardian, Queen Anne, Georgian, and Sheraton design elements that are incorporated into many of the great furniture pieces that we have in stock.  See how great designers from years long past still offer inspiration for today’s furniture.  At Grand Furniture Gallery you will always find quality North Carolina furniture at prices that cannot be beat!

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Posted in Accent Furniture, Bedroom, Bedroom Furniture, Dining Room, Living Room, Master Bedroom, Occasional Furniture | No Comments »

The History Of Queen Anne Furniture

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Queen Anne BedroomIn the past, furniture styles were named after reigning monarchs or furniture designers.  Being such, the Queen Anne style was named after Queen Anne of England.  It became popular sometime in the 17th century between 1720-1750. Thanks to English settlers, the Queen Anne style became a desired style in America.

The Queen Anne style furniture is a combination of the William and Mary style and Chippendale style furniture designs.  The Queen Anne style furniture represented a lighter and more graceful type of furniture.  It was considered to be more elegant and comfortable than previous types of furniture that was produced.

One of the things that made the Queen Anne type of furniture distinct was the cabriole leg.  This type of leg had the knee curing outward and the ankle curving inward.  The foot usually featured a pad foot which replaced the heavy claw and ball foot which had a delicate ornamental design.  You could find these legs on almost all types of Queen Anne style furniture pieces during this time period as you can still in today’s furniture pieces.  Early Queen Anne style furniture is known for being made of walnut; but maple and cherry types of wood were used as well.

Stop by Grand Furniture Gallery to see our beautiful Queen Anne inspired furniture designs.  We have a wide selection of products that blend the old and new traditional styling to make your room look complete.  We have beautifully designed, heirloom quality, Queen Anne style furniture for your dining room and bedroom that will compliment many decorating styles.

Grand Furniture Gallery invites you to visit our website to see what our customers think about the products and services that they have received from us.  If you have any doubts about ordering quality North Carolina furniture over the internet, they will surely be put to rest once you see how pleased everyone is when they order from Grand Furniture Gallery!

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Good Cleaning Tips For Your North Carolina Furniture

Monday, December 14th, 2009

BuffetBuying new furniture can be a major investment.  If you want your furniture to give you a lifetime of beauty and enjoyment, it’s important to provide it with proper care.

Sometimes we get busy in our everyday life and polishing our fine furniture in not a top priority.  I have one particular piece of furniture in my dining room that is not used very often.  Usually tucked away in a corner, our recent room renovation forced us to move the dining room furniture into the living room.  As the renovations came to an end, each piece of furniture was cleaned and polished before being placed back into the dining room.  It was then that I discovered that my buffet has been suffering from my apparent neglect.  I was shocked to find that even though the buffet did not appear to look filthy, it was in fact, quite a nightmare.

Through the years of occasional polishing, the buffet appeared to look clean; in fact it had a good shine to it.   Apparently the polish that I was using simply covered up the dirt and grime that existed deep within the crevices of the wood.  With a few simple steps, I was able to return my buffet to a beautiful and clean looking piece of furniture that I can be proud of.

Because I have used it in the past on fine cherry furniture, oak furniture pieces, and mahogany pieces, I chose to clean my buffet with Murphy’s Oil Soap.  This naturally gentle wood cleaner did not mar my fine furniture or aggravate my skin.  I used it full strength, because I quickly realized that I had a tough job on my hands, but it can also be diluted with water if you prefer.  This product is safe for all wood finishes and has done wonders for the furniture throughout my home.

Here are a few more tips to remember to keep your furniture safe from harm…Always vacuum or dust your furniture with a soft lint free absorbent cloth before you clean or polish it.  Polish or oils should only be applied to fine wood furniture about 3 or 4 times per year.  Sunlight can damage wood furniture, so it is best to keep it out of direct sunlight.  Rubber or plastic mats should not be used on wood furniture as they can damage the finish.  Excessive heat, cold, dampness and dryness are also things to avoid as they can damage wood and veneers.

If you are looking to update your home’s décor and would like to see quality North Carolina furniture, stop by Grand Furniture Gallery today.  We have a wonderful selection of furniture for every room in your home.

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Successfully Seat Your Guests In Your Dining Room

Friday, November 27th, 2009

Camilla Dining Room GroupA successful Thanksgiving meal is what you hope you accomplished; but you still have one big holiday time period to get through before the year is over.  There will be parties to host and seating decisions to be made.

A dinner party is not only about the actual food that is served, it is also about the conversation and laughter that is shared.  As the host of a party, it is your job to facilitate socializing among your guests and one way to do that is a well thought out seating plan.  Adding placecards to the dining room table for large dinner parties is must for dinner parties.

In order to keep your guests happy and conversation lively, it’s always a good idea to try to seat people together who share common interests.  Be creative with your pairings.  If you have a shy guest, always try to place them with a kind extrovert who might help bring them out of their shell for the night.  In today’s world, proper etiquette dictates that couples be separated at a dining room table to encourage mingling.  Children on the other hand should always remain with a parent unless there is a specific table designated just for them.

The number one responsibility of the host of a party is to ensure the happiness and comfort of the guests at the event.  Deciding on the correct seating from the beginning can help make your dinner party a success.  The most important thing to ask yourself is who will be happiest sitting with whom.

Perhaps it’s time to consider adding new dining room furniture to your home to create a wonderful dining ambiance.  At Grand Furniture Gallery you will find the Camilla Dining Room Group that is perfect for entertaining.  This set has a beautiful rich cherry veneer with a dark brown finish.  It’s generously sized table is perfect for dinner parties or family gatherings.  The Camilla Dining Room Group includes the ornately carved table, six side chairs, two arm chairs, China hutch and buffet.  Its exquisite design will surely add elegance to any home décor.

Grand Furniture Gallery has a wonderful selection of North Carolina Furniture for every room in your home.  Stop by to see our beautiful bedroom, children’s, living room, home entertainment, occasional, leather, and accent furniture varieties that are available.

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Posted in Accent Furniture, Dining Room, Family Room, Home Entertainment, Home Theatre, Kids Rooms, Living Room, Occasional Furniture | No Comments »

Protect Your Fine Wood Furniture From Damage With A Few Easy Steps

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

Cristina dining bWhen you buy quality wood furniture, like the selections you will find at Grand Furniture Gallery, you are making an investment that you expect will last a lifetime.  It’s important to protect your investment by maintaining your furniture’s natural beauty and luster with proper care.

Covering your dining room table with a tablecloth, runner or table pad provides the best protection when your table is being used the most.  Heat and moisture will often damage wood furniture very quickly.  Hot pads should always be used when putting warm serving dishes on any wood tabletop.  Very hot items should never be placed on wood furniture, even with a hot pad, as the heat will transfer and damage will occur. Tablecloths also help keep UV light off of your furniture so that damage or fading will not occur.  Even writing with a ballpoint pen can cause damage to wood furniture.  You should always use a protective pad underneath your paper any time you are writing at your table.  If you find that you have an unfortunate mishap with your fine wood furniture, it is always best to contact a professional who is trained in repairing the damage rather than trying to fix it yourself.

It’s never too late to spruce up your dining room and start planning for your next holiday gathering or party.  The Cristina Round Dining Group B would add elegance to any home.  It features beautiful hardwood solids and veneers with exquisite design details.  You can add to this lovely set a China Cabinet, Buffet, or Upholstered Arm Chairs as well.  Each piece matches perfectly making this a design favorite among many.

Feel free to stop by Grand Furniture Gallery for fantastic savings on wonderful North Carolina furniture.  We have an amazing selection to choose from and prices and specials that can’t be beat!

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