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

How to create a Boho inspired Living room

brown leather sofa with large wall hanging and green plant

So, firstly, what actually is “Boho stye”? It’s busy, bright, patterned, colorful, eclectic, with plenty of natural materials and house plants thrown into the mix – it’s basically a decor style that is influenced by the hippies of the 60’s and 70’s as well as travelling artists. It’s also an interior style that has seen a resurgence over the past year.

With this in mind let’s take a closer look at how to easily achieve this on-trend look in your living space.

Brown leather sofa with wall boho wall hanging

Boho style is all about natural materials, so reclaimed wood furniture is a bit of a no-brainer. Eco-friendly and from nature, a rustic nest of tables is a great choice, easy to move around and to dot around the room where needed. The Melbury Industrial Nest of Tables is just made for this style of decor, industrial legs support the tabletops, which are created from gorgeous reclaimed wood railway sleepers, produced in a manner to showcase the natural beauty of the wood. For a lighter, more minimalist and lighter Bohemian style table, the Abingdon reclaimed wood side table is perfect.

Photo featuring: Melbury Industrial Nest of Tables

Photo featuring: Abingdon Reclaimed Wood Side Table

Seating

The Boho keywords for seating would be relaxed, casual and low level that encourages conversation and playing music together. So a brown leather sofa and leather armchair are a great starting point to achieve the look – add in some leather footstools and / or floor cushions and you are really making headway to achieve this style. The Maverick retro relax leather armchair should be at the top of any list of furniture to be included. Of course, you can add paisley or patterned cushions on the sofa as well as natural fibre sofa throws to reinforce the look.

Photo featuring: Maverick Retro Leather Armchair

Flooring

Patterned rugs are a must-have, choose a mix of natural and bold bright colours. You can layer rugs as well to add more interest to your floor space, start with an extra large rug, and layer on small rugs and don’t forget they don’t all have to match, you can have fun with trying out and seeing what works for you and your room.

Colours and textures

White walls with earthy colours like terracotta and brown are the base colours, but it’s the fabrics and accessories that you can play around with, a mix of leather, sheepskin rugs and different types of cushions. When it comes to textures you should add natural materials like wood, wicker, rattan and bamboo. Use wall tapestries, macrame wall hangings and pictures for extra texture and interest.

House plants

No Bohemian styled room would be complete without a few, and by few we mean a lot, houseplants. You can use the plant pots to add extra “Boho” to your room. Ideally, plant pots should be produced from natural materials like wood, wicker, rattan and terracotta. A macrame hanging plant holder would be right at home in the corner of your Bohemian influenced living room.

How to pull off the laid back luxury dining look

White dining room with pale wood dining table and white candles

The dining room shouldn’t always just be for formal dinner parties, but also for comfortable homely weekday evening meals with your near and dear ones. Here we look at some ways to inject some glamour and still have a relaxed and homely dining space that you can enjoy as a family.

Photo featuring: Derby Reclaimed Wood Extending Dining Table

Invest in a showstopping reclaimed wood dining table

The right reclaimed wood dining table and chairs will set the tone for your dining space. The Chelwood furniture range provides bags of style, with a tabletop produced from old wood rich in natural features and character. It has a pale finish and an industrial edge with steel bars in the centre of the table base. This can be paired with the wooden sideboard from the same range.

Add a dining bench

Combine wooden benches with upholstered dining chairs. A reclaimed wood table and bench set will certainly bring a more relaxed feel to the dining room, they can also be dressed with cushions and throws for an added touch of luxury and comfort. Alternatively, you can opt for a more formal leather dining bench with back but pair it with wooden chairs to keep a casual air.

Photo featuring: Chelwood Nordic Reclaimed Wood Console Table

Add some storage space

No room will ever have a luxurious feel if it is cluttered. This additional storage can come in the shape of a dining room sideboard – a perfect place to hide away your serving dishes and other dining room bits and bobs. Style this with earthy accessories to introduce a rustic and relaxed element to your dining room. Reclaimed wood shelves are another storage option – great for occasional use decorative serving dishes that you want to keep on show.

Luxurious lighting

A sparkling chandelier or sleek pendant light can add an instant touch of luxe to the room. Hanging over a simple reclaimed wood table and bench, it will add height to the room and give it instant elegance.

Dining room with wooden table and large artwork on wall

Wonderful wall art

Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder! Add some wall art that appeals to you, whether it is a simple landscape or some funky pop art. This will add a personal touch to the room. Oversized mirrors also add a touch of glamour to a room. You can bring back the relaxed element by keeping the walls neutral, adding houseplants, natural textures and warm earthy tones.

Why is a dining bench a key trend for 2021?

Reclaimed wood dining table with matching dining bench and sheepskin throw

The dining bench is completely on-trend right now and works so well with reclaimed wood furniture. Here we look at some of the huge plusses it brings to your dining room or kitchen diner.

Choose your style

First and foremost benches are bang on trend right now and because of this, there are many different styles on the market to choose from. From the humble locker room style wooden bench and Scandi inspired designs, to a chunky industrial bench or a very elegant gold or silver legged velvet upholstered bench.

Wooden table with black steel spider legs and grey faux leather bench

Photo featuring: Mitcham Industrial Oak Spider Leg Dining Table with Cleo Faux Leather Dining Bench and Dining Chairs

Fit more around the table

This is, of course, one of the key benefits – you can squeeze more around the table if you want to. On the nights when it’s just your family dining you can spread out and have plenty of space, but when you have guests everyone can squeeze up a bit to make room for one or two extra people around the table. We love a dining bench and chairs combo – it’s a perfect choice for around a reclaimed wood dining table.

Reclaimed wood dining table with pedestal leg and grey fabric armchairs

Photo featuring: Hoxton Reclaimed Wood Refectory Dining Table

Save space

A bench will take up less room than a dining chair. If you have a corner you can fit a table in then a built-in bench could be just what you need. No need to pull chairs out, you can just slide in and use dining chairs on the remaining sides of the table – these work so well in kitchen / diner corners and of course you can get benches with hinged lids to make a bit of extra storage space too. Opt for a rustic wood dining table with a pedestal leg like the Mitcham oak table and you can fit a larger table in the space available….and no legs in the way to bang knees into. As a guide to help you work out how much space you need you should allow enough space so that when you sit on it the front of the bench is at the same line as the front of the table.

Wooden table and dining bench against kitchen island with grey chairs

A lower focal point

If your space is small then you can choose a reclaimed wood dining table and bench set with no back; this will make a small space look larger and less interrupted. Dining benches work really well against a wall or partition in the room as you can use this as the back of your bench. They are also great if you have a view you want to make the most of.

Wooden dining table in pale wood with matching dining bench and stool

Glam up your bench

You can treat a dining bench like a sofa. So go for it! Add some cushions and throws to glam it up. You can coordinate this with your existing colour scheme or take the opportunity to add some contrast to the room. You can position a floor lamp next to it, for more intimate after dinner lighting.

House Tour: Inside Beetroot & Black’s Victorian home

Woman with long dark hair sat on dark blue velvet sofa

This characterful property is home to popular instagrammer and photographer, Beetroot and Black. Classic, yet dramatic, her Victorian end of terrace boasts striking period features with a decadent blend of deep dark colours, rustic furniture and stunning lighting.

HOUSE AT A GLANCE

Who lives here: Rachael, her husband Matt and two children, Lily and Harry.

Location: North East England

Size: 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms

TYPE OF PROPERTY

A beautiful Victorian end of terrace dating back to 1896. Rachael fell for the property mainly because it was full of character and retained all of its original features. When it came to renovating the interior, Rachael wanted the style to flow throughout the house and for it to be in keeping with the period of property. She successfully achieved this by keeping it classic with the addition of bold accents to give each room individuality.

With the renovations complete, for now, Rachael loves nothing more than picking up her camera and shooting the gorgeous images of her wonderful home you see on her instagram account. If you’re looking for inspiration for a family-friendly home with a brooding aesthetic, you’re in for a treat.

What’s your favourite room in the house and why?

It has to be the kitchen. It’s spacious, relaxing and the hub of the home where we spend most of our day – a real family room with multiple uses, we cook, eat, play and relax in this room.

What would be your dream property and why?

I will always buy period properties, because I love the character and original features. One day I would love to have a detached house with a wrap around garden and the privacy that comes with it.

What type of interior style do you lust over?

Although my home has a classic family-friendly style, I do love quite minimal and neutral earthy tones, but this is impossible when you have a small family!

What’s your favourite piece of furniture in your home?

I have a reclaimed wood dining table that’s actually in storage at the minute as it’s too big for my dining room, but I love it and will use it again one day when I get that detached house! I also have many upcycled furniture pieces. If I can upcycle or buy or buy secondhand, I will. I think it’s important for the environment to reuse where you can and it adds genuine character to a home.

What piece of furniture are you lusting over right now?

I have my eye on your fabulous Winchester Reclaimed Wood Large Chest of Drawers. It would look perfect in my master bedroom.

For some more interior inspiration, see Rachael’s instagram account @beetrootandblack.

Images Rachael Wilshaw @beetrootandblack.

How to set your table for on-trend dining

White plate with beige napkin tied with natural straw

Setting your table for a special event takes some thought. Think about the occasion, who the guests are and the atmosphere you want to set. Here we have looked back at the top styles for tableware in 2020.

Layering

Layering is often seen on beds and sofas but you can adapt this to work on your rustic dining table by mixing and matching table cloths, runners and napkins. Start with a white tablecloth and go from there – try a few different ways with a runner going horizontally or vertically – add different colours that will blend together or go for contrast. If you have dining benches you can continue the layering approach with coordinating cushions or small throws. Different shades of grey table linen look amazing on a black metal legged, industrial dining table and bench set.

Photo featuring: Industrial Lansdowne Rustic Wood Dining Table and Rustic Wood Dining Set

Traditional

The classic timeless table setting with a white table cloth and a white napkin – this works well in most settings – add some silver candlesticks or a fairy light lamp and a floral centrepiece, silver cutlery and white crockery. You just can’t go wrong! The fairy light lamp doubles up as the perfect decorative piece on your dining room sideboard when you are not entertaining.

Gorgeous Gold

Gold in the dining room is very on-trend right now, a warm colour scheme, great for autumn and perfect for, dare we say it, Christmas! Gold cutlery, candlesticks holding large candles, plates with gold edgings and gold serving dishes… this colour scheme works so well with a reclaimed wood dining table to provide a stylish and glamorous table setting.

Relaxing rustic

A rustic table setting perfectly complements an industrial table. Our Lovely Linen table linen is made for this style – gorgeous earthy colours, produced from 100% natural European linen with a slightly crumpled look which helps create a laid back and relaxed ambience.

Photo featuring: Mitcham Industrial Oak Spider Leg Dining Table

Serving dishes

We would recommend you get a selection of serving dishes – some staple pieces that you can adapt to different requirements. We love how the Suzy baguette bowl can double up as a fruit bowl or a dish for serving crisps or breadsticks in – it’s also a perfect gift for a friend or family member who loves to entertain! And of course, as we are partial to cutting down on clutter, we recommend choosing a serving bowl that will work as a decorative item on a sideboard or in a display cabinet when not in use.

Make the most of a small dining area

White reclaimed wood breakfast bar table and stools with green plant

Whether you have a small space for dining or want to create a cosy dining nook or breakfast area in your kitchen, here we have put together a few ideas on how to make the most of limited dining space.

Make the space look larger

A small round dining table or an oval shape will make the space look bigger. Rounded edges are softer than a square or rectangular table so this will make your space look larger. Use a round table with a pedestal base and you have automatically added more seating space without those annoying table legs in the way to bang knees into. For this type of space, a round extendable table is perfect if you like to spend a bit of time entertaining friends.

Use a cosy corner

If you only have a corner in your kitchen or living room to play with, then a square or rectangular table with a dining bench works really well, benches can be pushed up against a wall to save space where you would normally have to pull chairs out to sit on. Another option is to get built-in benches, add some hinged tops to the benches and you also have additional hidden storage space. For extra comfort while dining, and perfect if you sit at your table for more than just eating, you can go with a dining bench with back – this will also add height to your dining space.

Photo featuring: Serenity Reclaimed Wood Dining Table

Keep it simple

A reclaimed wood dining table is a lovely multifaceted piece of furniture, it will feel warm and homely and lends itself to so many interior schemes. If you add white, neutral coloured or even see-through chairs, the space will look a lot bigger, add a ceiling pendant light over your table and you are using the height of the room to again give the impression of there being more space.

Photo featuring: Standford Industrial Reclaimed Wood Bar Table

Breakfast bar table and stools

A bar table is the perfect solution in the kitchen if you have a small amount of space that you would like to use for informal evening meals, breakfast or for lunch on the go. As they are higher they can also double up as additional work surface space in the smaller kitchen…. and when you have guests for dinner they can sit down and keep you company while you get on with food preparation!

Photo featuring: Standford Large Reclaimed Wood Extending Dining Table

Extendable table

Extendable tables have come a long way – sturdy, and with easy to use (often hidden) mechanisms or extension leaves. They look so much better than adding the camping table at the end – or the rickety wallpapering fold down table! Most the time you can keep it not extended but it will be so easy to make room for additional guests. The Dorset extending trestle table ticks all the boxes, with the option of two extension leaves, it has a beautiful grey tint to the tabletop with white legs. Pair this with benches and you have a wonderful space-saving reclaimed wood dining set.

Photo featuring: Skandi Round Mirror

Add a wall mirror

A large wall mirror will work its magic in a small dining area, bouncing the light around and instantly creating the illusion of more space. We love to see the elegant octagonal Starlight mirror hanging over a cosy dining nook, with its gold frame adding a touch of glamour!

How to choose the perfect rug for every room

Pink velvet sofa with pink faded rug and metal and glass coffee table

With the colder weather fast approaching our thoughts are moving away from the great outdoors and more towards cosy days indoors. A rug will warm up the floor of your room, give it an additional feature and help keep your feet toasty warm. Here are some tips for choosing the right rug for your room.

Think about the room’s function

For obvious reasons, you don’t want a nice plain cream rug right by the main entrance to your house! The hallway and the kitchen are high traffic areas so a rug produced from a more hard-wearing material is the only real option. If the room does have a busy footfall you will most likely want a rug with a low pile so it doesn’t show irritating footprints in between cleans. Also, consider the colour you will be buying, a darker colour would definitely be best or one with some patterning. Reclaimed wood furniture and cream rugs work so well together but it does have to be in the right room of the house like a dining room or the living room, it’s also a natural choice for bedroom rugs. You can also place a rug to protect your carpet in certain areas – it’s way cheaper to replace small rugs than large areas of expensive carpet.

Get the size right

Large living room rugs should fill a room and finish 30-40 cms off from the wall. One of the purposes of a smaller rug is to bring the furniture in your room together so try to avoid the ‘floating rug’ look. Try to get one slightly bigger than the space you want to fill, it should be just touching – or placed under your furniture. Rugs can also be used to create “zones” in an open living space, one to identify the dining area and the living space or to identify a reading corner in your living room and so on.

Think about what shape works best

In the hallway a long rug is most likely needed – but you could lay two smaller ones running down the hallway. This would probably be cheaper than getting a long runner and there’s also the option, rather than two exactly the same, that you could get two that complement each other to add a bit of style to the entrance to your home. In living rooms, think also about layering rugs, so they overlap slightly, to give more texture and add an additional feature to your room.

Make the most of colour, patterns and style

We love to see a red rug in a neutral coloured living room it will add a lovely warmth to the room as well as being an eye-catching centerpiece. You can see below how a Louis de Poortere gold rug ties in statement furniture and feature lighting and really helps make the most of the sun flowing into a south-facing room.

How to warm your home with cosy autumnal lighting

Green hanging lights over wooden table with red berries

As the days grow shorter we turn to artificial light in the home during our waking hours. Who doesn’t love a cosy welcoming home? Here we’ve chosen some of our favourite lighting pieces for each room to give your home an inviting autumnal glow.

Kitchen and dining space

Luckily for us, pendant lights are hugely on trend right now! We just love them here at Modish Living, there are so many styles to choose from! We love a rustic natural look in the home, and they don’t come much more natural than sustainably sourced bamboo. Natural bamboo complements any interior style. For example, if your dining area is channeling an industrial feel you don’t have to go for metal industrial pendant lighting just because you have industrial dining furniture – a bamboo black pendant light looks completely at home here and adds a softer element to catch the eye. If you want a more neutral and blended look, try a white pendant light.

Photo featuring: Bamboo Half Moon Double Pendant Light

Living room

A pendant ceiling light does not have to be restricted to hanging over the dining table or in the void over the stairs anymore. Pendant lights look great in any room with a high ceiling and you can always add a dimmer switch for when you want to tone it down. They also look fantastic hanging over a sofa end table where they will provide plenty of light for reading, knitting, sewing etc.

Photo featuring: Karine Jute Pendant Light

Of course, living room lamps will also provide a subtle glow where you need it most, the Vance Neutral lamp will blend in perfectly with their surroundings with the base being made from natural woven sea grass and a soft glow lampshade. And let’s not forget candles – the ultimate in atmospheric lighting.

Photo featuring: Vance Neutral Lamp

Bedroom

Good lighting in the bedroom will help create a relaxing ambience – It’s very unlikely you will be able to wind down for sleep with a glaring ceiling light on and even worse, you don’t want to get all snuggled up and sleepy and have to get out of bed to switch the light off! But a big ceiling light is probably a necessity while you are getting ready for a night out. This is a room where different lights are a must. For the bedroom, the Sassa wicker bedside table lamps are our top pick, produced from natural wicker they will blend in with modern and rustic style and easily merge into your existing colour scheme. Another great look is pendant lights suspended over your bedside tables – not only does this look great but it leaves you with more room for a book, a favourite picture in a frame, reading glasses and your phone.

Photo featuring: Sassa Wicker Table Lamp

Hallway

The hallway is a place where you don’t generally need to have lighting for specific tasks – but it is so much nicer to walk into a warm and welcoming home when you get in from the wet and cold. Ceiling lights are a must for practical reasons, but you can add a warm and welcoming glow with a table lamp on a wooden console table or achieve an atmospheric glow from some fairy lights like our wire weave fairy lights.

Photo featuring: Wire Weave Fairy Light

Top lighting planning tips:

For perfect placement, the bottom of the chandelier or pendant should be around 75 cm above your dining table.
Always go over the top – you can always turn something off if it is too bright or add a dimmer switch – but adding extra lighting retrospectively is not so easy.
Make sure you have plenty of light to do what you love doing when in your favourite chair on those dark autumnal evenings.
Most rooms will need a ceiling light but think about where else you might need extra lights for reading etc. Take the opportunity to light up dark corners or highlight your favourite features in a room.

How to get your hallway ready to welcome autumn

Autumn is coming and along with it come bulky coats, muddy wellies, wet shoes and dripping umbrellas, all these things will most likely enter your home via the hallway…..

Here we have put together a few ideas to help you organise your hallway and get ready for the wet and muddy onslaught. Umbrella’s at the ready….!

Boot storage

This really is the most important one – no one wants to open the front door and hop, step and jump over shoes strewn across the floor! Boots take up so much more space than little strappy summer shoes, sandals and flipflops. Even though summer shoes are small, they should definitely be put away during the winter months….. Not only to protect them from being crushed somewhere at the bottom of the shoe rack but also to make plenty of space…. don’t underestimate the amount of boots and shoes that will gather!

The Chedworth Large Wooden shoe storage, featured above, ticks all the boxes, not only does it look absolutely gorgeous in natural rustic wood, you get 12 individual compartments and on the top, you can pop your handbag down and have a dish to keep the house and car keys in… Hang a round wall mirror above it, add a vase of flowers and you have a stylish and organised hallway.

Coat hanging

This is also the time of year to tidy away those lightweight summer jackets and get the big coats out. If you don’t already have a coat rack then think about how many coats you will need to hang on it – make sure you get one that has enough space and is sturdy enough to hold them. There are so many ways to do this – hooks on the wall, a traditional style coat stand, a hidden cupboard under the stairs or an open rack.

Clear the clutter

Very important in the hallway! The first thing people see when they come to your door will be the hallway – it looks so much better if everything has its place. A narrow console table will help hide all the bits and bobs tidy – gloves, keys, coins, dog lead – anything you need to grab on your way out can all be housed in one – and of course, there is the added bonus of being able to stand something decorative on top for a really ‘finished’ hallway look.

Photo featuring: Chelwood Nordic Reclaimed Wood Console Table

Hallway seating

A seat is a great idea in the hallway. Boots take a bit more effort to get on than slip-on summer shoes – so it could be a good idea to add some seating. With wicker storage baskets the Rattan May hallway storage bench combines clever storage and practical bench seating or Clockhouse Hallway Wooden Bench, featured below, makes a stylish and practical addition.

Photo featuring: Clockhouse Hallway Wooden Bench

Easy clean flooring

It does make sense to have an easy clean area to take wet coats and shoes off – but once you are past that you can add a rug, this will give you an instant homely and warm feeling and is, of course, luxurious underfoot. You can use a floor rug to give your hallway an accent colour and then add coordinating welcoming accessories.

Finishing touches

These are all the things you can do to give your hallway a stamp of character. Add or change your wall art, add a pot plant, add a wall or floor mirror or simply get a new doormat.