Courtesy of John & Kim Acevedo

CHOOSING A TABLE

Life happens around food and food is often served around a table which makes purchasing the right table important. Before heading to the store or looking online, consider the size and shape of table you’ll need. Round, rectangular, square or adjustable - which one will fit best in your space? And speaking of fit, how much room do you have for a table? Don’t forget to include the space needed to pull chairs out and sit in them. Next consider the functionality of the table. Would a glass table, for instance, be a magnet for children’s fingerprints? Would a high table be too awkward for older friends and family to sit around? Would a bench look fantastic but be really hard for your guests to move across your lush dining room carpet? Once you have a general idea of what will fit in your space and how it will function, the next step is to test drive some tables. Sit in the chairs and determine if you like the way they feel; see if there is a table leg that you will constantly bump your knee into when sitting down and such. Once you find a table or dining set that you know will function as you need it to, find one that will fit the aesthetic of your room and your budget. If you can’t find what you’re looking for in a furniture store, go ahead and shop online, test your luck at a thrift store or the local buy and sell listings or even garage sales.

HOME LIBRARY BOOK STORAGE

Reading has been a hobby for many for as long as books have been around. Recently though, the trend of home libraries has been growing thanks in part to social media influencers showing off their collections. If you want to gather your books into a home library, there are a few tips from the experts to ensure your books last and don’t gather dust and grow mould. You should dust your books, shelves and trinkets on a regular basis. Use a brush attachment on your vacuum to clean dust and debris from on top of your books and a dry cloth to dust the spines. And yes, experts encourage you to stand your books up as opposed to stacking them. Stacking can lead to pages and covers warping if all books in the stack aren’t the exact same size. Another pro tip - instead of tilting your books out to remove them from the shelf, slide them out by gripping on either side of the spine. This will also help preserve their structure. To prevent books from leaning, use book ends to hold them upright but not too close together so the inks from the covers don’t stick or transfer.