Composite wood furniture is certainly one of the best kind of woods that you would be getting around. It is also known as engineered wood as it is produced in factories and provides you great strength as well as cool looks. You must definitely be looking for composite wood alternatives for your home furniture. This kind of furniture is quite good looking, provides you as great benefits as any other kind of wood and also helps you in reducing your overall cost of buying furniture. Composite wood can easily replicate the designs of popular hardwood. Moreover, it can be giving you many more options to get brand new designs, textures, patterns and more in your typical wooden furniture. Consequently, it is also lighter than the hardwood furniture.

Reasons why you should be using composite wood furniture

• Good looks- the first thing that would be attracting you towards the composite wood furniture is the good looks. It comes in a huge number of textures and patterns. Moreover, there is more variety than you would be thinking about. You can get a grainy appearance, a smoother appearance or can even chose dual designs and colors if you like. The composite wood furniture is also very good when it comes to look. We bet you would not be able to take your eyes off this kind of furniture easily.
• Lighter in weight- composite wood is designed with polymer and wood. It is definitely much lighter in weight as compared to hardwood furniture. You can even use it in your kids’ room so that they do not get hurt while moving heavy furniture here and there.
• Cheaper as compared to hardwood- As the composite wood is created in factories in a huge quantity, it is quite cheap as compared to hardwood furniture. These days, natural real hardwood is only limited to some old timey furniture items or some endangered rainforests of the world. Their cover cannot be replicated with ease. However, composite wood is being made in a massive quantity in factories and can be made as per the needs of the people as well as the latest trends in the market.
• More designs and concepts- while hardwood is limited to older designs, softwood is limited to newer designs, there is no such concept and design constraint when it comes to composite wood furniture. Remember, you would simply have to wish and you would already be finding the design concept in composite wood. No matter what kind of décor ideas you want to follow, right from gothic to contemporary, you would find a furniture for that.
• More variety- there is more variety in colors and designs in composite wood that is otherwise unavailable in natural wood. Colors like peach and orange and different printed patterns can never be found in natural wood. They would only be available in composite wood furniture. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about any kind of constraints when it comes to colors and designs. Anything and everything you want is available.

While it is still easier to find the right kind of furniture materials and designs for your rooms, you might end up in a big fix if you try to do the same with outdoor furniture. The outdoor furniture can be kept in balconies, verandas or patios. However, they have one thing in common. All need to be highly durable as they would be directly affected by the harsh weather. Sun, rain and even dust and sand are the enemies of your furniture and if you don’t pay attention to help maintain them properly, you can expect a bad investment for sure.

There is one thing that you must all be aware about. You would not be able to maintain the outdoor furniture as much as needed. Therefore, you have to look for options that are more affordable and come with low maintenance needs. This is why many people opt for metal and plastic furniture. However, there is no denying the fact that nothing works better than wood. If you are one of the people who like to focus more on wood in furniture than anything else, you would have to do a little research. The right option for you would depend upon your budget, your needs and also the climate that you are living in. Here are some options that you can chose from.

• Cedar- cedar wood is a classic option. It is relatively strong but is lighter in weight as compared to most of the hardwood varieties. If you think that you would be moving your furniture frequently, it is the best option for you. It is resistant to insects and does not rot as well. Therefore, you would also not need much maintenance. Another important thing that you must notice with this kind of wood is that it can easily be stained and painted. However, it is a softer variety of hardwood and it easily stains dents and scratches.
• Redwood- this is one of the most popular kinds of wood that you would be getting for outdoor usage. This kind of wood is perfect as it helps detract insects and rodents. Moreover, it does not rot easily. However, you would have to apply a sealant regularly so that the wood doesn’t get cracked. The reddish shade of this kind of wood can be either its plus or negative point, as per your choice.
• Mahogany- this is one of the best kind of hardwoods that you would find as it looks really great and is used in some very expensive indoor furniture items as well. Mahogany wood has natural oils which helps in keeping insects away, keeping the wood moist and making it water resistant as well. The wood is very strong in nature but might get cracked if not taken care of properly.
• Teak- there is nothing better than teak that you would find for outdoor furniture wood. It is strong and durable and has natural oils that does not let the wood crack or shrink. It does not absorb water and remains almost maintenance free all through.

Many people are quite confused about the vintage and the antique style home designs. Though they both refer to two eras that have gone by, they are not necessarily the same. Just like you cannot compare the romantic comedies of the 90s and 2000s with the early Charlie Chaplin movies there is also no comparison between antique and vintage, even though their golden period is over. The winter accessory and décor design is a world apart from the antique design theme and ideas. Now, let us first understand that these two are not just simple design ideas. They are, in fact, institutions of home design and have been influencing the lifestyles of the people during their golden age. They can be found in home décor ideas, home furniture and furnishings, decorative items and even the kind of lifestyle that you follow while incorporating them in your lives.

Let us first talk about antique. An antique item is the one that has completed at least 100 years of age. It can be a 100 year old furniture item, a painting, an old equipment, small machine, TV, radio, gun, clothing, home accessory or pretty much anything that you can count. Antique furniture is of two types. First is the real antique furniture that is actually a 100 years old and represents a different generation of design altogether. The second is renovated antique furniture. It is actually a new piece of furniture that has been designed as a replica to some older furniture item or has been inspired by the culture of at least a 100 years ago.

One the other hand, a thing becomes vintage or collectible or even retro in many different circumstances. There is no proper definition of vintage or collectible in general and people use this word in a very generic fashion as well. Here is a small distinction between the two and many more related terms. The term collectible is used for any item that is 0 to 99 years of age. Now, this term is again very broad in sense as any happy meal toy you received about 5 years ago can also be called a collectible. Moreover, a furniture from the 1950s, belonging to your grandfather can also be called a collectible. However, as soon as it reaches 100 years of age, it must definitely defined as an antique.

Finally, we come to vintage. If we talk in a broader sense, we find that anything that is less than 25 years is typically classified as vintage. Your father’s watch can be vintage, his car can be vintage but your great grandfather’s wood chopping axe can be an antique. However, it is also commonly believed that vintage is the turn of the decade term. It can refer to any item that was in fashion less than 25 years ago but is again hitting the vogue. It is also commonly referred for anything and everything that was made in the 1960s, especially the late 1970s which is also known as retro.