Spring is just around the corner

Spring is on its way even if it doesn’t feel so at times. Whist we may not all like cleaning, spring does bring on the mood for it. Spring cleaning is more about lightening the atmosphere in the home, lighten the mood and freshen up in every sense:

Flat Pack Vs Pre-built

Flat pack furniture is said to have been invented in 1956 by Mr Gillis Lundgren, a Swedish draughtsman, who bought a table, and had to unscrew its legs to be able to fit it into his car, which gave him the idea of manufacturing furniture in kit form.

Today also known as Ready-to-assemble furniture (RTA) or knock-down furniture (KD), the Swedish have taken flat pack furniture to the masses with retail giant Ikea having gone global.

What’s in a colour?

Pantone's 2020 Colour of the Year Is PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue

According to Pantone the colour of the year “Classic Blue” is a timeless and enduring blue hue, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is elegant in its simplicity. Suggestive of the sky at dusk, the reassuring qualities of the thought-provoking PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue highlight our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.

Bagging a Bargain

Now that the Joy of Christmas is becoming a distant memory, we are bombarded with sale adverts on the TV, social media and newspapers. Are you tempted? Do you plan to get a sale bargain? So, if you are tempted, its best to have a plan before you hit the shops or the hit that buy it now button. Without a plan your purchases could go completely wrong.  

Hostess with the Most-est

With Christmas a recent memory looking forward to the new year you may be reflecting on how your house and furniture coped with playing hostess to family and friends over the Christmas period.

Being a great hostess isn’t easy, but it is made even harder if your hosting space is not up to the job. If you are limited on space, then the furniture placement is crucial.

Racking it up

If you drink a lot of wine at home, then wine storage is a consideration. Wine consumption in the home has seen an up serge in recent years since the decline of the traditional pub.

Wine was traditionally stored on its side because it was said to prevent the cork from drying out however this theory has been disproven by scientists in recent years. Storing bottles on their side however has the added advantage that you can make better use of the space available to you. Standing bottles vertically in an existing piece of furniture such as a sideboard is limited by the height of the bottle as they do not stack.

Side tables are an essential component of our bedrooms, but it is easy for them to become littered with piles of unfinished books, bits and bobs – generally a bit if a dumping ground. Sometimes, the smallest pieces can have the biggest impact, and that’s certainly true for the side table. Its importance in any room can’t be underestimated, but because of its size, it’s usually a decorating afterthought, squeezed in next to a bed, sofa or armchair.

For every coffee table, its life will endure anything from cups and saucers to discarded keys and loose change but, in addition to the functional benefits, the humble coffee table also makes an incredible centrepiece. As a hub of most living spaces, coffee tables present a perfect chance to let your inner interior designer loose and make your mark truly individual.

Sideboard vs Dresser...

Both sideboards and dressers are ideal for storage and for displaying items such as flowers and ornaments. 

Ideal for storing away cushions, throws, crockery or even books, a sideboard or dresser can complement your kitchen, dining room or living room. Being both beautiful and functional a sideboard or dresser with storage space at a premium with every possible nook and cranny needing to be utilised (often to capacity),  out of all the storage items of furniture the humble sideboard is often overlooked, but why when it is so versatile?

A table when you need it...

The real beauty of a nest of tables is that the largest table can be used as a lamp or side table, and the smaller nesting tables fit underneath; only to come out if, and when needed.