Best New Modern Designs for Coffee Tables

Great modern designs can be hard to find. When I browse local furniture stores, I sometimes get the feeling, I am a rare species. Nobody offers quite what I am looking for. Let’s face it, if you look for a mainstream product, you won’t even have to search. They’re everywhere and at a low price too. What if you want to be different? What if you have an affinity for modern design?

That’s where it gets difficult and sometimes frustrating. Either you just can’t find anything you like, or it’s so insanely expensive that you have to throw the towel. When it comes to coffee tables or sofa tables, as some of us might call them, Beliani has just launched their new collection in North America. Beliani stands for modern design furniture at outlet prices, so definitely worth a look.

The EVORA as shown above is an interesting modern design with great functionality. The white lacquer top is split into four sections that reveal drawer storage space when pulled to the side. The structural parts are medium density fiber board with walnut veneer.

The LAGOS also uses mainly white lacquered surfaces, that just give the cleanest, sleek look. The center part comes in a wood design with the larger portion being a drawer that offers storage to keep the place tidy.

Another great design is the AVEIRO. The contemporary coffee table has 3 layers that can be used as surfaces. The top two layers can be swiveled to form a variety of layouts that offer a different look and functionality.

Modern leather sofas often use monochromatic schemes that can instantly shift a person's mood.

Protecting White Leather Sofas From the Threat of Damage and Stains

Why People Love White Leather Sofas

Nothing can replace the look and feel of a white leather sofa. It manages to quietly exude elegance while acting as a major statement piece within your home or office. Much like how designer clothes or fine wine can raise one’s social profile, the ubiquitous leather couch helps create a sense of luxury and grandeur. Its rich, buttery texture cannot be replicated by other lesser fabrics like velvet and suede, (which are also harder to clean and attract dirt and dust like nobody’s business.)

There have been few status symbols that have endured through the years like a white leather couch. Leather upholstery has been popular since ancient times, but it really took protecting white leather sofasoff during the Industrial Revolution, when new tanning techniques made it easier to bring this expensive commodity to the masses. Nowadays thanks to the large assortment of dyes, you can find modern leather sofas  in a variety of colours to compliment any décor style – but white leather is still a favourite among the elite upper class. And it’s easy to see why. A crisp, white couch acts as the perfect backdrop for a VIP event and is super fresh and chic.

But it’s also a lot harder to hide damages or stains on a white surface, even one as tough as leather.

Leather has been used for a multitude of materials over the years (the Egyptians and Romans used it for clothing and weaponry). Favoured for its durability and loved for its luxe qualities, it’s not as absorbent as fabric, but that doesn’t mean it’s indestructible. Like any other furnishings, they need to be properly and consistently cared for in order to extend their shelf life.

How Leather Couches Can be Damaged

Think about it this way: leather reacts the same way as your skin. It reacts negatively to drastic changes in temperature, so it’s important to keep an eye on the room temperature and also to avoid these following things:

Direct Sunlight, Heat, or Humidity

direct sunlight can damage your leather sofasExposure to direct sunlight or common heat sources like fireplaces and furnaces can have a major effect on the look and feel of your leather couch. While it’s a durable and versatile fabric, it is capable of cracking, fading, and peeling (much like dry skin!).

Excess Water or Moisture

It’s impossible to avoid accidental spills if you’re hosting a special gathering or if you have a few rug rats running around. However, it’s important to remember that if you excess moisture can damage your leather sofaever spill anything onto your white leather couch use only a bit of water and use it right away. But if you accidentally use too much water, just blot it with a cloth and then let it air dry. Trying to speed up the drying process with a blow dryer or other heating source will only make it worst since you’re changing the chemical structure of the material. The result will be cracked, or worse, peeling leather that is starting to stretch and lose its original shape.

Dry Air

If we go along with the skin analogy, then it only makes sense that dry air can also have a poor affect on your leather sofas. Just like how dry weather can cause dry or cracked skin, poor ventilation can also cause your smooth and pliable leather to become brittle and start to peel. To prevent cracking and keep your furniture supple, use petroleum jelly as a moisturizer.

How to Care for Leather Sofas

Although leather is a resilient fabric, it should be treated gently during the cleaning process.

If you’ve just bought a couch and are unsure of how to care for it, always start off by using the gentlest cleaning methods first. This way you can avoid using something that’s too acidic or harsh that may cause irreparable damage.

Regular Maintenance

On a regular basis you should vacuum and clean your leather couch using either a damp cleaning cloth or a gentle disposable wipe like Pond’s Towelettes to keep it looking brand new. Disposable wipes are great, because that way you can avoid using too much water during the cleaning process and ruining your couch. Remember to never scrub away (even at stains), but to only wipe gently. Scrubbing can wrinkle the fabric and cause it to sag.

Using Leather Conditioners

While you should be cleaning your leather couch on a weekly basis, use leather use conditioners for your leather sofasconditioners sparingly. They are effective at maintaining the look and feel of your sofa, but using too much can also have a negative effect. They should typically be used every 6-12 months since most formulas are very potent.

However there are other gentler formulas out there like Leather Honey which is a non-toxic and water repellant solution, or ELON Leathercare, an all-natural cleaning agent that contains no alcohol, ammonia or abrasives.

Having a product which is water repellant is beneficial since–although it won’t make your leather couch “water proof”–it will help minimize any water damage that might occur in the future by acting as a protective seal over the surface of your sofa.

It’s also good to work with a solution that only has a minimal amount of ammonia (or better yet,  none at all). This is important because harsh ingredients like ammonia can potentially bleach leather or cause severe discolouration. Products with a neutral pH make it easier on you since you don’t want to deal with harsh chemicals and damage your own skin in the process!

The alternative is to make your own leather conditioning formula with some water, ammonia, and vinegar. This way you have full control over the ingredients that go into the solution and can see if your couch benefits from gentle or stronger mixture.

Prevent Mold & Mildew Growth

These are some steps you can follow for regular maintenance and as a way to prevent stains, but what if your couches are damaged by mold and mildew?

Mildew and mold are caused by excess moisture and humidity, so as a preventive measure you can invest in a dehumidifier, which will help you accurately track and regulate the room temperature. Also, try not to use plastic covers! They might help with preventing spills on your new white couch, but they will also increase the chances of mildew growth and the presence of mold since there’s no ventilation action happening. However, if your sofa has already been contaminated with mildew, you can use a gentle soap like Murphy’s Oil Soap or make your own solution of water, vinegar, and apple cider to kill unwanted bacteria.

Now that we’ve covered what can potentially damage your white leather sofas (heat, moisture, dry air, etc.) and how to care and prevent damage and stains in the future, here’s one last tip for  extending the use of your leather sofa, which is ridiculously easy and won’t cost you any money at all: ask your seller how to maintain and care for your sofa. A lot of the time, how you care for your leather varies with its place of origin, so it’s good to ask questions right away so you know if you are taking the right measures, and doing all that you can to make this luxurious investment a worthwhile and long lasting one.

A white leather sofa might be just what you need to elevate your home or office’s appearance and give it a more sophisticated feel. So check out our fine selection of high-quality, genuine leather sofas.

Latest Styles of Outdoor Dining Sets – Resin Wicker Most Popular

The outdoor dining set is the center piece of each home patio. Where else do you enjoy a nice meal with your family? Where would you sit down and relax to have a coffee of cocktail with friends or to read a book, and at the same time immerse in the sounds and scents your backyard has to offer?

outdoor wicker dining set for patio

Trying to give you the best possible experience, designers strive to develop the most exciting patio dining sets. Among them Beliani with a new collection that offers o whole variety of different outdoor furniture, specifically there are two new sets in a more traditional rattan wicker design as well as a very modern outdoor dining set.

Wicker was originally made from natural rattan fibers. Due to the maintenance that the material requires, manufacturers were quick to develop a synthetic alternative. The rattan stripes in modern outdoor furniture are almost exclusively made from resins nowadays. While maintaining the qualities we love so much about traditional wicker – its natural visual appeal and its comforting elasticity – the resin wicker adds the component of easy maintenance. Most poly-rattans, as they are also called, are UV resistant, immune to water and frost, and 100% recyclable. All these factors have led to the huge popularity of wicker dining sets.

Outdoor patio dining set with table and chairsBut there is more. Even though it seems modern furniture has a harder time on the North American market than it does in Europe, e.g. modern outdoor furniture designs are hitting our store shelves. One of the very neat sleek designs is this Beliani outdoor dining set. Black flamed granite is featured on a stainless steel frame. Easy to clean and indestructable.

Happy shopping!