New Year, new living room? Check out these emerging home decor trends and take advantage of our tips & tricks to purchasing good quality furniture.

The New Year is the perfect time to take a peek at what’s trending in the realm of fashion and, of course, home decor. With 2021 came a marked exit from the steadfast minimalist home, and it seems as though fun, daring, and bold furniture choices will likely remain popular in the new year. If maximalism isn’t your first choice for home decor and furniture pieces, we have great trends that you can adopt in your home. Read on to learn more about what furniture trends we are excited for in 2022, as well as a few things to watch for to ensure you are purchasing quality furniture.

Maximalism Continues

With many people staying in their homes over the past two years, there was a mass exodus away from minimalism and a big push for bright, bold, busy homes filled with novelty, comfort, and personality. Maximalism encourages homeowners to push the boundaries a little bit but in an artistic, carefully curated way. Think bold patterns, colors, and eclectic and unique statement pieces.

Zen Neutrals

If busy, bright, and bold is just not your cup of tea, you’re in luck when it comes to home decor and furniture trends for the coming year. We expect neutral tones to remain popular, but in a different capacity than just having all-white-everything-everywhere. Try to combine a variety of neutrals in various textures and tones (think creams, taupes, warm whites) to create a chilled-out, warm, welcoming space. Consider throwing in small pops of color in your throw cushion choices, or even by adding a deep, jewel-toned accent chair if you think your neutral room needs a little extra something.

Glass Houses

Okay, so we’re not suggesting that you knock out all of your exterior walls and replace them with windows. Can you imagine the heating bills?! Rather, there is an emerging trend involving glass in accessories like lighting fixtures and tables. When mixed with natural materials such as leather, metal, or wood, glass can create an illusion of additional space by illuminating and reflecting both natural and artificial light.

Determining Good Quality Furniture

It’s all well and good to get super excited about emerging furniture trends, but when it comes to purchasing pieces like living room sofas, chairs, or tables, you want to make sure that what you’re buying will last, right? There are few things worse than investing in a piece of furniture only to realize that it is not nearly as good quality as it appeared in photos or on the showroom floor. Here are a few questions to help determine if you are buying quality furniture.

How Is It Put Together?

An excellent place to check the quality of a couch, chair, or other furnishing is their joints. Try to stay away from stapled, glued, or nailed items. Good quality furniture is usually dowelled or screwed together, particularly wood furniture.

Does It Wobble?

Trying out furniture in person before purchasing is beneficial when determining its level of quality. While it doesn’t need to weigh a ton, good-quality furniture will sit level on the floor, whereas poor-quality furniture will often wobble or even creak; this goes for couches, chairs, tables, and even lamps!

What Is It Made Of?

Poor quality wood furniture includes particleboard, pressboard or thin plywood. Steer clear! Instead, look for pieces made of solid wood with very few knots since they tend to be a weak point where wood can crack. If you pick a piece of furniture made out of plywood, check how many layers there are. Good quality plywood furniture should have nine layers or more.

Wallace’s Garden Center is home to an extensive collection of home decor pieces, so if you are wondering where to buy quality furniture in Bettendorf—look no further! Our in-house interior designers would be happy to show you all of the fun new items we have in stock for the new year.