Accent pieces include everything from occasional chairs to console tables, kitchen carts to hat racks – furniture that adds a little extra flair, complementing the room and items surrounding it. That doesn’t mean accent furniture needs to be impractical, though. On the contrary, there are plenty of designs that are striking and useful.

Accent Tables

Accent tables look great, and are also useful as storage and display spaces. Consider the buffet table — decorative, until it becomes a serving space when you entertain.

Hillsdale Brookside Fossil Buffet Server

Accent Chairs

Accent chairs can sit gracefully in corners and in front of desks, or they can be pulled out for a comfy place to read a book or to seat a guest. They go just as well in the sun room as they do in the study.

Powell Furniture Kilarney Scroll Accent Chair

Moreover, experienced designers say accent furniture is a cost-effective way to freshen your home for a new season. Their tip for autumn: neutrals and warm colours.

Modus Nevis Espresso Wood 2 Piece Bedroom Set

Prepac Sonoma 5 Piece Bedroom Set

Fashion Bed Group Murray 2 Piece Bedroom Set

Hillsdale Brookland 5 Piece Bedroom Set

Ideal for older students, this furniture fits well in minimalist décors and is versatile enough to adapt to different interiors, move after move. They’re surprisingly affordable too, for student budgets that don’t have a lot of wiggle room.

For larger modern furniture budgets, anyone from young professionals to mature minimalists will enjoy Eurostyle office furniture as well. Browse their broad selection of contemporary glass, chrome, black, and white furnishings, available in many more designs to suit your particular taste.

Zaki Glass Top Computer Cart

Myra Mesh Office Chair

Marko 3 Shelf Storage Unit in Aluminum

Edsel Low Metal Mobile 3 Drawer File Cabinet

Leather Sectionals & Sleepers

Leather sofas are a long standing symbol of a taste and status, yet the design of this seating staple has evolved. Find sectional sofas for home theaters and sleeper sofas for multipurpose living spaces.

Whether you have a functional need or simply seek to make a powerful design statement, a leather sofa can be right for you. Look for traditional and heritage-style designs and colors, alongside modern black, white, and gray angular models.

Comfortable Discount Sofas

If you love leather, but you’re shopping on a budget, visit Every Sofa for a selection of affordable leather, faux leather, and microfiber sofas.

You’ll still find a selection of leather furniture, but you’ll be amazed by the price tag. Many come with free shipping, making them even more accessible.

Pair your modern aluminum, steel, or other metal chairs with these glass and metal tables. Choose the size and style that fit your life.

Zuo Galaxy Casual Dining Table with Glass Top

ItalModern Hadi Dining Table with 42 Inch Glass Top

Winsome Spectrum Bistro/Tea Casual Dining Table in Black and Chrome Finish

ItalModern Jerry White Fibreglass Dining Table with 32 Inch Glass Top

ItalModern Camy Classic Dining Side Chair in Matte Aluminum

Regal Rochester Metal Patio Arm Chair

ItalModern Hillary Stacking Polished Indoor or Outdoor Arm Chair

ItalModern Preston Stacking Side Chair

So, no need for more convincing, you’d like an island. But you keep moving from one house or apartment to the next. Or you’re still renting and don’t want to invest in a kitchen you don’t own. Or the renovation is too expensive and hard to justify when it’s for lifestyle or aesthetics rather than structurally necessary work.

Consider a stylish kitchen cart instead. Ideal for renters, urban dwellers, or anyone on a budget, kitchen carts come with butcher blocks, storage shelves, cabinets, and more. Capped with granite, stainless steel, laminate, or 100% solid unfinished wood, you’ll find the selection to fit your taste and lifestyle.

Should you consider a kitchen cart for a larger kitchen? Absolutely. Even if you already have ample counter space, many avid cooks and bakers find that small appliances start to creep onto every surface. A portable cart could be the solution you need to finally have the clear food prep space you need and want.

For many home décor aficionados, that room is the dining room. What better opportunity to showcase your interpretation of elegance, sophistication, and comfort. Does that sound like you? Well then, blog about it!

If you’ve got a blog, design-related or otherwise, tell us about your dream dining room and link to diningfurniture.com for your chance to win $100 gift certificate from Cymax Stores.

What’s your personal design style? Is it all about the dining set or will you focus equally on your walls and floors? Tell us what the dining room of your dreams will look like.

Opulent & Traditional Dining Room?

Modern & Minimalist Dining Set?

Retro-Inspired Table & Chairs ?

Blog about the dining room of your dreams and comment here with a link to your blog post. It’s a simple as that. Tweet about it to your heart’s content for more bonus entries.

• Write a blog post that mentions diningfurniture.com. Share the link to your post in a comment here on Furniture and Design Ideas
  = 2 entries
• Tweet a link to your post using the hashtag #diningfurniture
  = 1 entry per tweet

We’ll be selecting a winner on April 30th, 2011. The winning blog entry will be announced here on Furniture and Design Ideas. So blog soon and tweet often!

Games Room Location and Purpose

When considering what type of lighting would be best for your games room, take into account its location and purpose. A basement games room will most likely need more light fixtures than one in the corner of a family room. If your new pool table has pride of place in the middle of the room, then you’re sure to want a game table light centered directly above it.

The Different Types of Lighting

Because the games room will be used for a variety of activities, the light fixtures you choose should accommodate these different lighting needs. A multipurpose room like a games room should include two or more of the different kinds of light fixtures available.

Task lighting is generally bright and used to put the spotlight on your game table, pool, poker or otherwise. It is also a great way to light your home bar. Track lighting is a type of task lighting that popular in games room.

General or ambient lighting is some type of overhead light, like a flush mounted fixture centered in the rooms ceiling. It fills the space with a medium to bright light that softens shadows and creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Tiffany pendant lighting is particularly popular for a traditional style games room that features a pool or billiards table.

Recessed lighting with a dimmer switch would be ideal for a games room that has a video gaming or home theater area.

Customizing your lighting needs to the various activities in your games room, is not only practical but it adds warmth and appeal to room’s décor.

Divide and Conquer

Divide your game room design project into stages. Trying to do it all at once can be overwhelming especially if it’s going to be used for more than one kind of game. Assign priorities. When assigning priorities, a good decorating rule to keep in mind is what is important to you? The dart board and home bar might be the first thing you work on. Then again if you want friends over to test out your new pool table to see if it works, setting it up to your satisfaction will your main concern.

Accessorizing Your Games Room

If the room is designed to house a regulation-size pool table, then two or three billiards-theme spectator height bar stools would fit right in. Or if it’s setup for gamers, don’t forget to include a couple of high-tech game chairs. Select game room accessories, such as lamps, neon clocks, signs or framed posters that reflect your décor theme, if you have chosen one.

Popular game room accessories can include:

• Juke box
• Neon clocks
• Neon signs
• Framed posters
• Themed floor and ceiling lights
• Popcorn machine
• Gum ball machine
• Vintage coke machine
• Pool cue racks

Other Things to Consider when Decorating a Games Room

Do a reconnaissance of the room’s power sources. These will come in handy if your home bar has a fridge, you want all the gadgets in your video games area to work and any other electronic games like arcade and pinball games.

If your dartboard is of the standard variety, place it in a cabinet. This will protect your walls and save you from have to repair and repaint them on a regular basis. Keep in mind, however, that it will take up more room than just hanging the dart board by itself.

Add a magnetic white board as an easy way to keep score, leave messages, etc.

Carpet is ideal for absorbing sound but if you’re concerned about potential spills maybe tile or hardwood’s better.

Especially if you will not be including a home bar, consider what appliances, if any, you would like in the games room. A bar fridge or mini fridge, coffee maker, water cooler or microwave will save you and your guests a few trips to the kitchen.

Come back next Friday for the last part of this series, “Designing a Games Room”.