Our Price Match Promise Debuts

Spring is well underway in Texas. The flowers are blooming, the rain is (occasionally) falling, and the Bel family debuts a new price match promise designed to give customers a comfortable, inspiring, and hassle-free shopping experience. Whether you need to furnish a new home or want to elevate the elegance of an existing home, our "120 Day Bel Price Guarantee" has you covered.

To celebrate this historic moment for Bel Furniture, we recently launched our "120 Day Sale" that will run through the end of April, giving our valued customers a chance to shop our latest inventory ready for immediate delivery. The shopping experience is even more relaxed than ever before. If you see a living room set you absolutely love, we want you to feel comfortable purchasing right then and there without worrying about competitor prices. Our new motto: Love it now? Buy it now. Compare prices later!

When luxury and style wow you, feel confident in your decision knowing that Bel Furniture will match the lowest price you find for up to 120 whole days after your purchase. We stand behind the quality and pricing of our home furnishings and accessories. But more importantly, we stand behind our customers.

In addition to the Bel Price Guarantee,our customers will enjoy 0% Interest until 2016. The home of your dreams is entirely possible with the help of Bel Furniture, where comfort and quality meet. If you have recently made a purchase at any Bel store location, we would love to hear about your experience. Please share you thoughts (and photos) with us on any of our social media channels:

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April Fool the Furniture

Those of you who are busy working mothers and fathers may be pressed for time to pull of a really memorable April Fools' prank. While pranks at the office or work are certainly good for morale and a little midday entertainment, they're not quite as satisfying as one that fools your kids, partner, or other family members. Originating from the Medieval celebration, "Feast of Fools," April Fools' Day is enjoyed by countless countries who all get in on this national day of jokes and hoaxes. At Bel Furniture, we love a practical joke that's both harmless and memorable.

One great prank to play on your kids and partner (there's still time!) is short sheeting their beds. When this simple prank is pulled off correctly, the bed appears to be normally made. But when the unlucky person tries to get in and settle down for the night, they discover that they can't even get their legs in. For a step-by-step short sheeting guide, click here. And, while we're on the topic of beds, how would you feel if you started to get ready for sleep and discovered a "hamburger" instead of a bed?

They kids would probably love a hamburger bed, but we're not so sure your partner would. If short sheeting isn't enough to satisfy your April Fools' hunger, we have yet another tip. Changing out the drawer knobs of dressers and night stands, or swapping the knob on a closet door is an easy prank you can do in literally minutes. Change them out in the kitchen to throw off your husband's routine in the morning, change them in the bathroom to shock your wife or teenage daughter, or simply replace every single dresser drawer knob with substitutes the little ones will love. We love this example:

Sometimes, altering a person's routine just enough to make them run late or irritate them, is enough for a triumphant joke. Keeping in mind that we want our April Fools' prank to be lighthearted, we thought of a few ways to "play" with our loved ones' routines:

• Put the shampoo in the conditioner bottle and the conditioner in the shampoo bottle
• Hide the left shoe of every pair around the house
• Re-park the car in a different spot that is further away
• Move the sprinklers closer to the front door and walkway
• Put the salt in the sugar bowl for a "unique" cup of coffee
• Rearrange the items in any single room

Chances are, your April Fools' victim will fee so discombobulated, they may not even realize they are part of a larger prank. If this seems too elaborate, you can always "April Fools" the dog!

Our last April Fools' tip is to take advantage of the lovely spring weather and move your prank outdoors. If you are lucky enough to have decent sized hedges and other low-growing foliage, we have the perfect joke for you. Warning: this may require waking up a littler earlier next year with a pair of shears. The hedge below has been shaped to look like a sofa, but we think the shape can be a little more elaborate and silly. How about a giraffe? Or, a "portrait" of your wife, husband, or child? If you have any hedge suggestions, we'd love to hear from you! Simply leave a comment for Bel Furniture below.

It’s our 11 Year Anniversary!

This month, we’re celebrating 11 years of comfort, quality, and style. Since 2002, our local, family-owned and operated company has been providing Texas communities with affordable and high-quality home furnishings and accessories. Because our founding principle is “people-centered service,” we’re celebrating our success from now until April 2^nd by rewarding our wonderful customers with unprecedented savings and unbelievable prizes.

In addition to interest free financing until 2018 (terms and conditions apply), our valued customers will save an extra 20% off all Living Rooms, Dining Rooms, and Bedrooms. We continue to meet our goals and wish this for our customers, too, when it comes to their dream home. We want them to feel confident knowing that they are getting the most for their dollar. For that reason, we've started our “120 Day Bel Price Guarantee,” which allows our customers to purchase the furniture set or item they love when they see it and worry about prices later. If you find a better price somewhere else within 120 days (please see our website as terms and conditions do apply), we will match it. After all, shopping should be stress-free.

In addition to buying what they love when the y love it, we’re giving away some pretty sweet doorbusters to our customers this month:

We’re also excited to give away a free Samsung Android Tablet with select mattress purchases and encourage everyone to check our website for details! You could be lounging like a king, surfing the Internet the very same day you make your mattress purchase. We guarantee it.

As a part of our customer appreciation this month, we've also decided to reward those fans who are following us on Twitter. Each week (almost every day), we’ll be tweeting exclusive codes that save customers 30% on select items. All they have to do is enter the code during their online checkout. To keep it exclusive, we only share these codes with Twitter fans, so be sure to start following today! 

Happy International Women’s Day!

Our Home Luxuries & Accessories Perfect for Women’s Comfort

In honor of International Women’s Day and all our wonderful female customers who come into our stores searching for the perfect sofa sectional for the whole family, the comfiest mattress for the best price, or the dining table that will seat everyone plus visitors during the holidays, we have compiled a sample of the home furnishings and accessories designed with women’s taste and comfort in mind.

We understand that at its very core, International Women’s Day is about the female right to work. And, it is a woman’s right to do so in fair working conditions with proper compensation in a manner that is open, organized, and 100% legal.

For all of the hard-working women out there—whether their job entails manual labor, intellectual rigor, raising children, or all (or some) of the above—we have the perfect bedroom set to come home to after a long day.

The Monte Carlo Bedroom absolutely radiates beauty and style—from its warm silver, pearl finish to its marble tops and finely stitched leather inserts. The Monte Carlo is exclusive, avant-garde, cosmopolitan, and 100% cozy and comfortable.

Occasionally, we know that our female customers' households (or anyone's for that matter) become so full, that surfaces for storage and display can become scarce. Below, we've selected a lovely occasional table set of three that goes well in a formal living room or an informal den.  Find storage and display space on top and below with this trio.

While we’re on the topic of storage (but beautiful storage), we’d like to draw your attention to one of our favorite dining room accessories: a Palais Royal Sideboard. We think our female customers will love this when the time comes to entertain—and impress—guests, or when the serving dishes just won’t fit on the main dining table. 

This sideboard is constructed in the Rococo style and features durable and elegant birch wood, cherry, walnut primavera, elm burl, and maple wood.

To round out our female-friendly home furnishings, we've selected two bold and unique accent chairs. We know that after an arduous day on the job as an employee, a mom, or both, there’s nothing quite like settling down and putting up your feet. 

This first accent chair, made of elegant wood and ornate floral fabric, looks great in the dining room, the living room, or in the bedroom. It’s shapely, solid, and comfy.

The second accent chair, below, is more on the cozy side with its large rounded track arms, sleek attached back, and angled wooden legs. The dessert hues of its design are striking enough to stand out in any room. We dare you not to enjoy the plush cushioning of this ideal seat.  

Spring is for Studying

Kids need a calming environment in which to focus on their school work. As the weather begins to warm, your teenage son or daughter may be thinking less about The Great Gatsby or the quadratic equation and more about the summer months of freedom ahead. Some of them, facing imminent graduation, may have been challenged more than they ever have been. It's easy for exhaustion to settle in as Houston's "winter" air fills with the smell of spring flowers and bird song. 

To keep your kids on task and motivated, we recommend paying a little more attention to their study environment. On the couch in front of the television is not the ideal place. Neither is the kitchen table as the rest of the family bustles about. We suggest adding some TLC to their desk space with a few easy steps. 

First, make sure they have everything they need to complete the projects for the week. Arm them with scissors, glue, tape, markers, rulers, calculators, protractors, beakers, paint brushes...whatever it takes! We love the idea of organizing things into neat, brightly decorated cups, like the one below. 

A bulletin board is a must for any high school student. It's a great way to remind them of  upcoming deadlines, quizzes, and exams, and forces them to be a little more proactive when it comes to their own schedules. A bulletin board doesn't have to be all business, it can be for fun photos, postcards, concert tickets, or anything else your son or daughter loves. 

There is nothing more irritating to a teacher than a lost homework assignment or paper. Help your high schooler keep up with all their paperwork by giving them a file organizer. They can separate topics or classes with the convenient tabs. It's also a great way to start keeping track of your son or daughter's progress as a writer, aspiring chemist, or engineer. 

Boys may have a harder time sitting still. We suggest coming up with a game plan with them. Emphasize that their work space must be functional, but allow a little wriggle room at the same time. We laugh every time we look at these rubber band holders below. Something like this would make a great addition to your son's desk as a slight distraction from too much seriousness. 

Music has stimulating effects on the mind. While your teen undoubtedly listens to their music on their iPhone or mobile device, we think the study space should be a place where no phones are allowed. They may be temped to text or browse Facebook when they should be focusing. Instead, get them a small radio just for their desk. This one has a convenient headphone option.

Our final tip for an inspired work space that will motivate your high school son or daughter is all about creativity. If revamping their study space feels more like an intervention than a joint effort, you definitely want to let them know that you want them to feel comfortable. Let them make the space their own with objects or photographs that inspire them. As an example, we chose the globe below that contains a small ocean scene. 

Will You Be My Valentine?

With Valentine's  Day right around the corner, those of us with a romantic inclination here at Bel Furniture put our heads together and came up with a few ways to make this year special for your sweetheart. It's far too easy to go to the store, buy a bouquet of roses, some chocolates, and a cheesy card. Instead, we urge you to make this day as unique as possible by doing something out of the ordinary. Surprise your loved on with a gift they would never expect.

Below, a hopeful Cupid has decorated his loved one's bookshelf for the day with strings of hand-made, paper hearts. To apply this yourself, try thinking about what your significant other values and holds in high regard. Maybe your boyfriend is crazy about fixing an old Trans Am - his dream car. Or, maybe your girlfriend has her own mini painting studio in her apartment. In either case, you can decorate a space that they love just for they day. At Bel Furniture, we think this is a great way to let them know you care just as much about their passions as they do.

Valentine's Day gifts are always tricky. If you're not careful, your gift will not be as memorable as it could be. We found a great gift idea that could be unforgettable. This Don Juan took a simple ring and fit a hand-written love note perfectly into its metal work. While we realize it may be difficult to find a ring exactly like this, it doesn't hurt to check out local shops that sell artisan jewelry, thrift stores, and antique stores. The same love note concept can be applied to many types of jewelry.

For our third Valentine's Day tip we just had to include breakfast in bed. It is hard to go wrong with that. We suggest taking it to the next level by making pancakes or French toast in the shape of little hearts. Apply the same sweet shape to your fruit toppings, like strawberries or bananas, and pair it with powdered sugar for the ultimate breakfast in bed your sweetie will appreciate.

This fourth tip is for the ultra romantic. We absolutely love the effect that these perfectly placed rose petals create as they start of softly and then surge into vibrancy as the object of affection reaches the door. We recommend this as a great thing to  help Dad with. The little ones can get involved and help their Mom feel special on Valentine's Day. We're all for trying different shades, too!

Our last tip is also one that is tried and true. Valentine's Day falls on a Thursday this week. We see this as an opportunity to draw a hot bath for you loved one and invite them to relax and soak after a long four days of work. Don't worry! You don't have to have a claw-foot tub to create a romantic effect. Just make sure you have some nicely scented candles, plenty of bubbles, and warm slippers waiting for your loved one when it's time to get out.

Celebrity Living Room Style

We know what Hollywood stars look like on the big screen, on the red carpet, in the tabloids, and on late night entertainment, but how do they look when they're just being themselves in private, kicking back on a comfy sofa? At Bel Furniture, we  suspect that a person's decoration choices say volumes about their personality, interests, and aesthetic taste. This blog features celebrity living room styles of Dennis Quaid, Diane Keaton, Sting, and more! We love seeing how the A-list lives.

Quintessential Country Quaid

Dennis Quaid has portrayed a range of interesting characters, including Jerry Lee Lewis in Great Balls of Fire! and a young astronaut in The Right Stuff. Originally from Houston, Dennis and his wife wanted a ranch-like feel for their living room. We love the exposed ceiling beams, roaring fire, and unique table with leather seats. The room looks sun-washed and rustic. We'd say he definitely succeeded with this Texas-inspired living room.

 

Suave and Sumptuous Sting

Singer, Sting, made famous by his front man position with "The Police," choice to decorate his London town home in a way that reflected art and objects that inspired his creativity. We love the effect of the classic framing above the fireplace and the bold, contemporary painting at its center. The bright interior of the glass coffee tables and the vases of fresh flowers give the guest interesting focal points. All in all, this looks like the perfect place for coffee before heading into the recording studio.

Cool and Coastal Keaton

Long-time Hollywood A-lister, Diane Keaton, calls California her home and chose to decorate her living room with rustic accessories and a simple color palette. The exposed roof beams and trusses are elegant and rich in color. The simple chandeliers are a little more modern, but give the eye something unique to look at against the plain, white walls. We also like the wooden furniture and large and colorful pots. When we look at this room, we're reminding of coastal Spain.

Exquisitely Elton

Sir Elton John's living rooms is an extension of the main building that juts out into the open air with a view of the entire city of Los Angeles. While the modern chaise looks like a wonderful place to nap in the sun, guests in Sir Elton's living room would also enjoy the retro sitting chairs and velvety long couch. If anyone knows how to do exquisite luxury, it's Elton.

Blue Still Life

The calming atmosphere of Ben Stiller's living room may come as a shock considering the eccentric and jokester roles the actor often plays. We admire the uniformity of style Stiller has achieved in this room. And, we love the small black and white photo gallery displayed on simple shelves near the open French doors. The two plants lend a dash of green to an otherwise blue still life.

Ring in the Butler

Bel Furniture's final celebrity living room belongs to leading man, Gerard Butler, who converted this old warehouse space in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood to a luxurious loft. The elegant chandelier, leather arm chairs, and greenery make this space a paradise. And, Gerard even has a view of the Empire State Building!

On a final note, we would like to ask you which of the celebrity rooms you would prefer to have in your own home? As always, feel free to leave a comment directly in the Comments section of this blog or on our Facebook Timeline.

Happy Monday!