katie.lacy@letsgetcoffee.co.uk, Author at Modish Living

Top tips to style 5 rustic sideboards 5 ways

A solid wood sideboard works well in so many rooms – in the dining room, in a spacious hallway, in the kitchen, and of course in the living room. While they provide plenty of hidden storage on the outside what can you do with the top of them to turn them into an eye-catching focal point in your room? Here we show you how to style your wooden sideboard with five hot interior themes.

1. Boho vibes

The Serenity Reclaimed Wood Sideboard is a feature piece all on its own. The reclaimed solid wood from which it has been crafted is arranged into a striking pattern which is inset with detail. Give this sideboard a Boho look by adding natural elements like bamboo, dried grasses and terracotta to mimic the free-spirited and carefree nature of boho style. Coordinate this in your room with with layers of pattern, texture and warm colours, a perfect style match for natural rustic furniture.

2. Nordic Noir

The Nordic look is a popular as ever giving your room a cool and airy Scandi vibe. The Chelwood Nordic reclaimed wood sideboard has been styled with darker elements that contrast with the pale wood while still maintaining a cosy kind of minimalism. Here the solid wood has been paired with dark metal, as well as a houseplant in a smoked glass feature vase. The Nordic style embraces natural light and minimalist clean lined modern furniture.

3. Loft Living

Even if you don’t live in a loft you can still embrace the industrial look. Here we are looking at how to dress an industrial sideboard. The industrial interior style showcases utilitarian materials such as wood, metal, brick and cement. The Standford Medium Industrial Wooden Sideboard is crafted from hand-sawn reclaimed wood and nixon black distressed steel legs. A rustic sideboard with slick metal detailing that will bring in an instant NYC loft look.

4. Distant shores

You can give a dark wood rustic sideboard an oriental overhaul to create a zen-like relaxing space influenced by the tropical shores of the Far East. We feel this look is perfect on the Knightsbridge sideboard. Strand a large leafy pot plant on the floor next to it and on the surface add grey pots and decorative accessories and a couple more small lush and leafy house plants to give a contemporary feel.

5. Coastal chic

This works perfectly with a white painted sideboard, such as our Dorset Reclaimed Wood Large Sideboard, to bring in a relaxed easy- going vibe, coastal chic incorporates natural elements in a faded, washed-out finish. Its netural colour scheme is peppered with hints of green, grey and blue reminiscent of the sea. For this look you want white stone pots, mimicking pebbles or shells, grey wood, reminiscent of drift wood and “sailing” ropes.

How to get a small rustic bedroom layout right

Spotlight: The new Derby Reclaimed wood collection

reclaimed wood dining table with black painted legs and matching wooden bench

We are always on the lookout for new and exciting ranges of reclaimed wood furniture – and are delighted to add the Derby collection to our existing ranges of reclaimed furniture. The Derby collection is a perfect blend of rustic and modern simplicity. The pale wood brings in a light and airy Nordic influence while the black painted legs and minimalist black handles give a hint of industrial style. The Derby collection offers everything you need to stylishly furnish your living room, dining room and hallway.

For your dining space…

If you are after a new look in your dining room then the Derby wooden table with matching bench could be the perfect choice for your dining area, it’s an extendable table too, giving you plenty of extra tabletop when you have guests for dinner! Adding the Derby wooden bench, as well as chairs, around your dining table is right on-trend, you can opt for modern faux leather dining chairs with metal legs to reinforce the industrial element. If you have a smaller room or want to add a table in your kitchen then there is the Derby reclaimed wood round dining table – perfect for family dinners and intimate entertaining.

For dining room storage the range includes a console table with drawers – perfect for the smaller dining space – or a large reclaimed wood sideboard for a bigger dining room, the sideboard would work just as well as living room storage!

For your living space…

Whether you’re going for a minimalist industrial look or the natural airy Nordic look in your living room then the Derby should not be overlooked. You can pair this collection with a brown leather sofa or a fabric sofa, the reclaimed wood coffee table has built-in storage (very handy for the living room) in the shape of two drawers and a small shelf. You can stand your TV on the matching rustic tv stand for those evenings when the family gathers around to watch a bit of TV. Side tables are available, again with a drawer and shelf so you can place a reading lamp near your favorite spot on the sofa.

In the hallway…

To keep your hallway clutter free the Derby collection offers a console table with two drawers, perfect to store keys, the dog’s lead and other small bits and bobs in. You can hang a mirror over this for a quick glance on your way out, or a picture, and dress the top with a houseplant and some decorative vases – just to give the hallway a warm welcoming feel.

What’s best for you, a casual or formal dining area?

wooden dining table with grey fabric dining chairs

Dining rooms have been used for all sorts of things this last year or so and maybe you want to give yours a bit of a freshen up or revamp it a little – this is the time to decide whether you will opt for a formal or informal dining space.

Informal dining space

This has become very much more popular of late, largely due to us preferring to live in more open-plan spaces. Many a kitchen extension has been built in the last 10 – 15 years that merges the dining room and kitchen…often with a TV and seating area thus creating a family ‘all in one living space’. This has made the dining table a lot more accessible, a place where people sit down more frequently whether it’s to do homework, work, flick through a book or have a cup of coffee. Have a think about what style of table suits your lifestyle best – a round wood dining table is great for family board games, it’s also great for entertaining as you can see everyone around the table. However, if you entertain a lot you may be better off with a wooden extendable dining table.

Here are a few tips on how to style your dining table to suit an informal space.

As the table is more used it should not be set with a crisp white table cloth and fancy silver candlesticks. Instead, don’t put a table cloth on unless you are setting it for a more formal occasion. Add wicker coasters and placemats for people to use to put their drinks or food dishes on. You may prefer to put your dining table centrepieces more in the corner of the table so people can put stuff on it – these will also be less formal in style – a fruit bowl or a house plant.

Choose seating that is a more relaxed style, mix and match chairs for a more funky look – and a wooden dining bench Is just perfect for an informal dining space. A bold colour dining chair like green or blue velvet dining chairs will give a neutral room a nice pop of colour.

Formal dining space

The formal dining space is more suited to big occasions and celebratory dinners. This will most likely be in a separate dining room with a large statement dining table. For a more formal look you should have a crisp white cotton table cloth and crisp cotton napkins at the ready – as well as grand centrepieces for your table. Fresh cut flower arrangements are perfect at the centre of the table – or if your table is particularly large you can opt for two or three smaller ones, mix in some candles to create the perfect dinner party ambience. A silver wine bucket is also a perfect table adornment.

When it comes to seating then you can go for really sumptuous and luxurious dining chairs with classic stud or button detailing – something like the Bladon in a sophisticated pale grey velvet. Serving dinner will be a more formal affair most likely with the dishes being brought through to the dining room. An elegant solid wood sideboard will ensure you have plenty of additional space to set things down on and keep tableware tucked away out of sight, but readily available when needed. A pendant light suspended over the table will add the final finishing touch to the formal dining room.

Which wood is best for a dining table?

Style tips to transform your coffee table

A coffee table is definitely a living room staple! But, it can be so much more than just a place to put the TV remotes and cups of coffee down on. Here we have put together a few ideas to create a perfect centrepiece for your living room.

First decide if your coffee table really matches the style of your room – a chunky sofa with a small elegant coffee table may not be the best combination for your room. Your coffee table should be in proportion with other furniture pieces. If you are going to splash out on a new coffee table try to get the proportions right.

To make the coffee table appear as though it takes up less room you can opt for a round wood coffee table. If you have a long sofa with two chairs opposite them you should choose a rectangular one. If you have a large room then a square coffee table will work with the room best. If you don’t have room for a coffee table then you can choose side tables or a nest of tables, giving your more free space when they are not in use.

Once you have decided what shape and size coffee table would work best in your room you can home-in on the style. A rustic coffee table is perfect for a traditional style farmhouse whereas an industrial coffee table would look as perfect in a loft-style room as it would in a suburban home – to bring in a stylish industrial element. A reclaimed wood coffee table is a beautiful and versatile piece of furniture and will look great in your room whether you have other pieces of reclaimed wood furniture in it or not.

Now let’s have a look at how to make the most of your coffee table and turn it into a stylish centrepiece.

Make it about you – You can add plenty of personal touches to your coffee table if you like to read books display some of your favourites on it, if you and your family enjoy games then have a chess board on it, if flower arranging is your thing then display a vase of flowers.

Less is more – Don’t overload your coffee table, a couple of things on top are all you need to add. If your coffee table has a shelf below don’t be tempted to fill it with books, magazines and other bits and bobs, if you need storage space in your living room add baskets on the shelf to keep things hidden or consider a trunk coffee table or a coffee table with drawers.

Style tips – Use the 4 step guide – 1, place something tall on your table, 2, something quirky, 3, something living like a house plant or flowers and 4, some books. Try to choose different height items, different colours and shapes to keep it looking original and interesting.

Use a tray to keep it looking ordered – If you do have a few little personal things you like to keep close at hand like TV remotes, glasses, a pen, drinks coasters etc. then put them on a tray on your coffee table – this will help consolidate these smaller things into one larger item helping it look less cluttered.

Is reclaimed wood cheaper than new?

As with anything we consider buying, a bit of background knowledge goes a long way, here we will look at if reclaimed wood furniture is cheaper than furniture produced from new wood.

The answer to this is no – but also yes!! There are several factors that you should take into account when considering what to purchase.

Reclaimed wood is wood that is being reused after the end of its first life as part of a building, ship, barn or factory etc. As the structure is demolished any reusable timbers are collected and sold on to craftsmen and salvage yards. One of the main benefits here is saving perfectly good useable wood rather than it just being disposed of in landfill.

The wood used to craft reclaimed furniture, whether that’s a reclaimed wood coffee table or rustic bed made from reclaimed timber will have been assessed by the craftsmen before they use it to ensure it is completely fit for its new purpose. So there is a bit of a process it has to go through before it actually starts to be reused. Having said that the same is true of new wood, the trees are felled, transported, debarked and cut into planks to get them to the ready to start working with, but this uses more energy and resources and will have more of an environmental impact.

Reclaimed wood is generally stronger and more durable than new wood as it is already decades old and has passed the test of time – it will most likely also be more climate resistant than new wood. The trees that were originally cut down, decades ago, were likely to be mature trees – rather than new trees grown as quickly as possible for mass furniture production.

Reclaimed wood is more aesthetic – craftsmen working with reclaimed planks will know how to make the most of any features the wood may have and celebrate them! Little dents, cracks and knots are what you want to see in your industrial dining table – these add character, history and uniqueness to your furniture. Rustic furniture, in particular, made from reclaimed wood is absolutely stunning.

Another thing to factor in is the fact that reclaimed wood can be repaired more easily – so a reclaimed wood table in a family home is a great choice. Furniture technicians are be able to repair and make good any damage to a reclaimed wood dining table than a new one.

In summary, there are many pros to purchasing reclaimed furniture which do justify the slightly higher price tag. So although the initial outlay may seem a little more – you will have a product that has many more benefits in the long run

Using reclaimed wood helps the environment
The furniture has more character
Reclaimed wood is more easily repairable
Most furniture is handmade and finished giving it an individual touch
Reclaimed wood furniture is more likely to last longer than some new wood furniture

How to style a bookcase

A rustic bookcase can be so much more than just a bookcase. It provides you with an excellent additional display opportunity in your living room, dining room, home office, kitchen or bedroom. Here we look at a few designer influenced ways to style the perfect shelving display.

There are so many different types of reclaimed wood shelving units available but one of our favorites is the Standford Industrial – we love to see an industrial shelving unit in the home office.

Choose your colour – As you know you don’t need to stick to just one colour – you can set a very flexible colour scheme. Neutrals with accent colours, different shades of your favourite colour, or blend two bold colours to make this a really eye-catching feature in a neutral room. Obviously, this will want to match your room to a certain degree so you can be influenced by other colours already in your room or dress your shelving first and then let that dictate an accent colour that you can bring into the rest of the room.

Odd numbers work – It is claimed that our brain finds odd numbers more appealing and as such memorises them more easily. Even numbers create symmetry but odd numbers create interest. Use this simple mind trick when you are dressing your shelving. So on one of your shelves, you can add clusters of three – three pots, three candles, three picture frames etc.

Vary the height – When you have three items to put together you can use this to bring in different heights – so if you have some decorative vases you can go for the same “theme” but display different shapes, sizes and heights together – as one item so to speak.

Books and mags – Add a few of your favourite books – whether about gardening, food and travel, mindfulness etc. and show off your interests. On kitchen shelving, the perfect choice would be your favourite cookery books.

Bold statement pieces – Add at least one big bold item to your display shelving – this could be a large houseplant, a favourite heirloom, something special you found in a bric-a-brac shop – This will save the shelves looking too cluttered and your shelving will have a focal point. If it is a piece of artwork or sculpture you will also have a talking point for visitors.

Reclaimed wood furniture is really versatile and here we have styled the Chelwood bookcase with an industrial dining table.

You’ve been framed – Personalise your shelving display by adding a couple of your favourite photos, which can of course be of family and friends, your parent’s wedding day, pets etc. But they don’t have to be of family and friends – these pictures can be of places that are special to you and your family or inspirational quotes that you like to see regularly.

Bring the outdoors in – Houseplants are just so popular right now so you really should make space for one….if not more…on your shelving unit. Place a trailing plant on a high shelf so it tumbles down to the shelf below it. A trio of plants in miniature pots or a larger plant on a lower shelf.

How to do pattern with Prestigious Textiles

Marie Parry, Head of Design for Prestigious Textiles on working with pattern

Introducing pattern into your home is a wonderful way of adding a sense of your own personality and style. From a statement feature wall to adding beautiful upholstery and fabrics, pattern can breathe new life into any room. But, where to start and how to make it work? It can be daunting incorporating patterns into the home, so we spoke with Marie Parry, Head of Design for Prestigious Textiles to ask her advice of how to bring your rustic furniture to life with pattern and colour….

What are the basic principles to follow when adding pattern?

The basic principle I recommend following when adding pattern is combining one or two statement prints with smaller or more simple complementary designs. You can then break up the pattern with coordinating plain fabrics to add blocks of colour to the space.

How do you avoid pattern overload and for it to look too busy or cluttered?

There is no need to be scared of a pattern overload! As long as the patterns complement each other and share the same focal colour or theme, then your scheme will flow effortlessly. Be brave and go for it! Maximalism is a big trend this year, so more is more.

Multi-coloured aztec wall tapestry with wire dining chair and matching cushion

What type of patterns go well with rustic furniture and reclaimed wood furniture?

I would recommend our Inca Trial collection, inspired by the recent Global Traveller trend. The textured weaves and rustic Aztec-style patterns pair extremely well with reclaimed wooden furniture. The fabrics embrace both a warm and neutral colour palette, making them the perfect choice for complementing natural wooden tones.

Can you add more than one pattern to a space?

With maximalism being a key interior trend for 2021, there has never been a better time to use more pattern in a space. Rather than having only one statement curtain or feature wall, combine patterns that have similar colours and themes to create a bold room. The fabrics and wallpapers from our Caribbean collection work together effectively and stylishly to combine patterned upholstery, statement wallpaper and large-scale curtains.

How would you add pattern to a dining room featuring a large, reclaimed wood dining table?

There are many ways to add both pattern and colour into a dining space. Start by injecting colour and pattern to a table decor with a fabric table runner. The Aesop tree embroidery from our Journal collection is perfect for creating a focal point in any dining area.

Industrial dining table with patterned cream and red runner

Another way to add to a table setting is with cushions or upholstery. We have used cushions in fabrics from our Kyoto collection to add texture to a reclaimed wood table and industrial style wooden dining bench, helping to add both warmth and comfort into a dining space. For a bolder statement, a printed velvet such as Hidden Paradise from our Journey Beyond collection would look amazing against the reclaimed wood.

Can you add pattern to a small space and how?

You can definitely still fill a smaller space with pattern. For this, I would recommend smaller designs balanced with plain fabrics to ensure you don’t make the space appear smaller. Our Penthouse fabric collection is full of small-scale designs in neutral tones that will help create a serene smaller space that has personality too!

Pile of fabric cushions in silver, white and grey on a fabric chaise long

Founded in 1988, British based Prestigious Textiles is well-known for its original and high-quality fabrics and wallpapers. From modern prints to embroidered silks, its exquisite collections offer fresh design concepts in pattern and colour.