Home Decorating For Dummies
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A large part, literally, of your home decorating scheme is the furniture that populates the room(s). The following list offers definitions and tips to help you choose these large (and often large-ticket) items:

  • Furniture is marketed in three distinct price ranges: budget (affordable), moderate, and expensive.

  • To the trade means that only a decorator or designer can purchase these exclusive home furnishings.

  • Fully-assembled (or pre-assembled) furniture is ready to use right out of the crate.

  • RTA (ready-to-assemble) and KD (knock down) furniture come unassembled in flat boxes and must be put together by the buyer. RTA and KD items cost less than fully-assembled furniture.

  • Case goods are cabinets, tables, or any piece of furniture that has no upholstery.

  • Upholstered furniture is any furniture that is covered with upholstery, such as sofas and lounge chairs.

  • The manufacturer's brochures and hang-tags provide information on whether furniture is fireproof or fire-retardant.

  • Quality furniture features good materials, careful construction techniques, and durable finishes.

About This Article

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About the book authors:

Katharine Kaye McMillan, former senior editor of a New York City-based national magazine, is a writer whose work appears regularly in magazines and newspapers. She is a contributing writer to internationally circulated Florida Design Magazine. She is the co-author of several books on decorating and design, including Sun Country Style, which is the basis for licensed signature collections of furniture and accessories by three leading American manufacturers and importers. A graduate of the University of Texas in Austin, she holds a masters degree in psychology and is a doctoral student in psychology at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida.

Patricia Hart McMillan is a nationally known interior designer, whose interior design work for private clients, designer showcases, and corporations has appeared in publications worldwide, including the New York Times and USA Today. Known as a trend spotter and for clearly articulated views on design, she is quoted frequently and extensively in both trade and consumer publications. She a ppears on TV and talk radio. A prolific writer, she is coauthor and author of seven books on interior design and decoration, with Sun Country Style signature collections of furniture based on two books. She has taught decorating courses at several colleges and conducted numerous seminars across the U.S. She is decorating editor for Christian Woman Magazine and reports on design trends for The Sun-Sentinel, a Tribune newspaper based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. She has been editor-in-chief of two publications and was head of a New York City-based public relations firm representing some of the most prestigious names in home furnishing and building products. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with a minor in art history (with an emphasis in architecture), from the State University of New York (New Paltz). She was awarded a certificate from The New York School of Interior Design.

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