I have spent many hours over the past few weeks shopping for Christmas decorations.

Yes, I know it is not Thanksgiving yet, but interior designers need to be prepared!

My intention was to research the trends and know which stores had which decor pieces so I am prepared to help clients looking for a particular Christmas item.

I visited stores that you have most likely shopped - HomeGoods, Target, Tuesday Morning, Pier 1, Kirkland's, Dillard's, Macy's, At Home, Kohl's, JCPenney, Cost Plus World Market, Z Gallerie, Hobby Lobby, and more (yes, I was busy).

I also visited some boutique stores, big box stores, and furniture stores. 

On my shopping quest, I was able to see certain Christmas trends that were at most every store that I visited.

photo taken at Arhaus

There are many different factors to consider when selecting stools for your home.

First, realize that not every stool is technically a bar stool since the word "bar" refers to the seat height of the stool (even though most people refer to all stools as bar stools).

Since there are so many options, you must be informed so that you don't purchase a stool that will not work for your particular situation.

Many people love the comfort of lounging in a recliner, however recliners are not known for being very attractive.

Luckily, recliner manufacturers have made great improvements to the style of their chairs over the past few years.

Here are a few stylish recliner options that don't look like an old fashioned ugly recliner.

Many people want to purchase furniture that is timeless and won't go out of style.

Unfortunately, most people do not understand what furniture is timeless.

The simplest way to determine if something is timeless is to look at high quality furniture made decades or centuries ago (note that I wrote high quality, not necessarily high priced).

If it was made decades ago and has been in style from then until now, then it is timeless.  If it was in style back then, but went out of style, and is now in style again, then it is not timeless.

When looking for timeless furniture, one way to obtain it is by purchasing antiques.

There are also new timeless furniture pieces available for sale.

Here are a few examples of timeless furniture that should not go out of style, as well as furniture that many people think is timeless but isn't.

 photo courtesy of Mr.TlnDC flickr.com/photos/mr_t_in_dc/3519722825/

Many homes have a standard 4 inch tall backsplash in their kitchen and bathrooms.

Even if you are lucky enough to have a full height backsplash in your kitchen, your builder may have put a standard 4 inch tall backsplash in your bathroom.

Why is this backsplash so common?

It is very common because it uses so little material that makes it cheap, and it covers the edge between the countertop and wall to disguise a wall that is not straight and/or countertop that was not cut perfectly.

There is technically nothing wrong with a 4 inch backsplash, however it tends to be common place in mass produced mid to lower end homes, thus making homes that have them look less high end.

Fortunately, there are many other backsplash options that cost the same or only a little bit more, but give your kitchen or bathroom a custom and high end look.