When browsing furniture stores, you will see many of the obvious types of furniture: dining tables, bedroom furniture collections, chairs, sofas, coffee tables, entertainment cabinets…but there are also some more obscure types of oak furniture out there that you may want to think about buying. If you’re shopping for larger pieces of furniture and happen across some of these odds and ends, you might think about picking up one or two of them.
Blanket boxes, sometimes referred to as storage chests, are really neat little pieces of pine furniture (or other woods) that can be really useful in the bedroom or even your living room. They are, basically, simply a large box. Of course, many are much more than that—they include decorative engraving, fancy tops, and more. These large chests are perfect for sitting at the foot of your bed. You can store all of your extra blankets in them or, if you prefer, your winter clothing during the summer and vice versa. Blanket boxes also make a great toy chest for children or a nice way of storing just about anything. Some even have a couple of drawers on the bottom to hold folded sheets, pillow cases, or anything else that may not fit nicely in the top.
Magazine stands and racks are a good storage option if you subscribe to a lot of magazines or newspapers. There are a couple of different types of magazine storage solutions. Some are more or less just small bins that hold your periodicals, but others may have a top on them. You store the magazines in the bin below, but you can also use the stand as a small end table. Getting double duty out of a piece of furniture is always a great investment, especially if you’re in need of a small table. You can always use these items for other uses, too. For example, a magazine rack might be a great place to keep your yarn or current knitting project if you enjoy those hobbies, or you can use it to hold books.
If you have a fireplace that doesn’t feature a mantle, you may want to invest in a fire surround. These pieces of furniture are designed to fit around your fireplace and give it a very nice frame. Most feature side decorations in addition to the mantle that goes across the top of the fireplace. They will add a nice touch of elegance to any room, and you’ll gain an extra shelf that’s perfect for displaying treasures or photos of the family.
Finally, you might want to add a towel rail to your bathroom if you’ve got the extra space. These free-standing towel rails are a nice way of hanging your towels if you don’t have rails attached to the wall. You can hang four or five towels on most rails so there will be more than enough for you and anyone who shares your bathroom.
These extra little pieces of furniture often don’t cost that much, but adding two or three of them to your home can be a nice way of adding extra storage or a nice extra touch.
