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

How a Rustic Bedroom will Help You Reclaim Your Calm

Rustic reclaimed wood bed frame with wooden blanket box and bedside table

Having a sanctuary to retreat to is more important than ever right now and the bedroom is the one room in the home where you can shut the door and find a moment of undisturbed peace. But if you thought calm and zen were plain and minimalist, you’ll be pleased to hear there are other more homely ways to create a pared-back, simplistic zone. The modern rustic bedroom is a cosy escape that brings comfort and tranquillity to our daily life in a natural, pared-back and simplistic way. Want to know how to create this fresh take on the rustic style? Explore our Winchester Reclaimed Wood collection to find out how..

1. The Bed

The choice of bed is without doubt the most important decision in any bedroom and for the rustic bedroom, the quickest way to inject some modern charm is with the Winchester Reclaimed Wood Bed. You’ll be sure to fall in love with the smooth lines and curves of this double wooden bed frame, king size double wooden bed frame or even super king size, as quickly as you’ll want to fall into it (and possibly never want to get out of!). The modern curves fit well with the texture of the old reclaimed wood, which is peppered with natural markings, notches and nail holes, proof of its heritage.

2. The Chest of Drawers

Arguably the next best piece of furniture in the modern rustic bedroom, both in terms of styling the room and the function it provides. The perfect piece to store clothes, sheets and blankets, a large chest of drawers is also a lovely spot to add some personal style to your bedroom. Dress with a table lamp, a plant (Lavender is great as it looks pretty and is known to relax and calm), maybe a framed photo of your loved ones and hang a mirror or piece of artwork on the wall behind. With its elegant curved drawers, the Winchester Reclaimed Wood collection of chest of drawers is fresh, modern and effortlessly rustic, with absolutely no rough around the edges. Go large or go tall with a choice of three sizes.

3. The Wardrobe

A well designed bedroom should always include a double wardrobe and for a calming rustic style, it should be a reclaimed wooden wardrobe. But this large piece of furniture can sometimes be guilty of dominating your modern rustic scheme.

4. The Bedside Table

Believe it or not, bedside tables are one of the first things you notice when you walk into a bedroom. Yes, the bed is an important part, but the right bedside table can balance out the decor in our bedroom. If your modern rustic bedroom is going to become the calming retreat you desire, you’re going to need somewhere to put your relaxing herbal tea, favourite book and reading lamp. We love the three curved drawers and smart pull-out tray feature of the Winchester Reclaimed Wood Nightstand – perfect for lazy Sunday mornings or an afternoon lie down.

5. The Blanket Box

And finally, the finishing touch to a calming modern rustic bedroom is a wooden chest to store your riches, and we can guarantee you will be sure to treasure the Winchester Reclaimed Blanket Chest. Useful for so much more than storing linens, this versatile little gem has been beautifully handcrafted from 100% reclaimed wood and features a curved lid design for a fairy tale treasure chest look.

Dress your rustic bedroom with natural fabrics and a neutral colour palette and it will ooze zen-like calm. What else would you add to make it your natural haven?

At home with Cassie Nicholas, Interior Designer

Congratulations on winning 2019 BBC 2 Interior Design Masters. What did you learn from being on the show?

Thank you! I learnt so much on the show from both the other designers and the judges. One of the main things I discovered is that I am more organised than I think I am. I learnt that meticulous planning and communicating to everyone in the team helps, but also to be able to adapt and change the plans as inevitably nothing ever goes quite as you expect!

What’s your philosophy when it comes to good interior design?

I think interior design is very much entwined with how a space can make you feel, as well as what it looks like. I believe good interior design, especially in your home, can make you happier. Within the home, the process of growing your space and interiors from pieces you find and collect can help to make it really personal. By not being too trend focused, you can create something more timeless and unique.

Photo credit: Cassie Nicholas

Describe your signature style in three words?

Romantic, authentic, timeless.

What tips do you have for bringing sustainable designs into the home

There are so many ways to bring sustainable designs into the home. When I started designing it was not my first thought, but I soon realised sustainable design is just how I think inherently . As well as an interior designer I have been an antiques dealer for the past ten years. I love antique, reclaimed wood furniture and vintage pieces and feel I get so much enjoyment out of the hunt in finding them. It is extremely fun and not only is it much cheaper, but it also means these pieces have had another lease of life. Plus, you are bound to get a more individual home.

Photo credit: Cassie Nicholas

We try and buy a lot of our wood for making furniture or shelving etc. from our local Bristol Wood Recycling project. We love going there, getting drawn in by fabulous pieces of wood and trying to create a project around what we have found.

You’re quoted as saying your style is based around authentic character and imperfect beauty. How do you incorporate that into your designs?

I don’t like things to be too contrived or overly styled and I want most decorative things to have a purpose and feel natural. I aim for each space I create to have a sense of the people that use it, whether it’s a restaurant or a living room, and be authentic to who they are rather than what trends they like. I think this gives spaces more longevity and can grow with the clients. Crisp perfectionism isn’t my thing. I love real age, patina and pieces that show their history.

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

The kitchen. I work at the kitchen table, love to cook and socialise in here too. It is forever changing and it always reflects our everyday. It is my total haven.

Photo credit: Cassie Nicholas

Name three Modish Living products you are lusting over?

1. I love the classic feel to the Hudson Living Wycombe Dining Chairs. They could work well in so many different style interiors.

2. The Bordour White Woodchip Pendant Lights have a great look and I love that they are made out of waste timber! They are a great way to add texture to a room.

3. Linen is something I use a lot, especially at home. I love the texture it creates and how the colours change subtly when washed and used over time. I am always on the hunt for tablecloths and think they can really transform a space and table, making it feel very comforting, layered and cosy. I’ve got my eye on your Lovely Linen collection.

Do you have any design rules you never break?

No, I have tried my best to not to ever read what the rules are supposed to be, so I can just do things my own way.

Photo credit: Cassie Nichoals

What three things would you take with you to a desert island?

I am very practical, so I know I would want to build something. I think a saw would be useful, loads of seeds to plant some food and a radio, so I can still have some music.

Would you rather go back to age 10 with everything you know now or know everything your future self will learn now?

I think I’d rather know everything my future self will learn now.

Where To Spend & Where To Save with Home Staging

Home staging is an American concept that they have long used to sell properties. In a nutshell, it is about showing your home in its best light, suggesting the lifestyle the buyer could have if they bought your property. It sounds a good idea and simple enough, but spending too much and spending it on the areas can prove a costly mistake. So, what should you be doing to get the best possible price when you sell your home?

1 The kitchen

For many buyers, this is the room that can make or break a house viewing. A kitchen that looks dated and tired is not visually appealing.

The solution is not always to rip out and replace the kitchen, however. Replacing worktops, painting cupboards doors or replacing them, updating the tap and generally decluttering so the work surfaces are clear can make it look far more attractive than it currently is, without too much of an investment.

2 The dining room

Another important area. The dining room lost its popularity for a while with homeowners preferring the more socialable kitchen/diner set-up. However, in recent years its seen a bit of a come back and whilst a tired or dated dining room is not as off-putting as a dated kitchen, there are still some tricks to making it more appealing.

Declutter by getting rid of furniture if needed or putting it in storage so that buyers can see the dimensions of the room. Reclaimed wood furniture is very beautiful but furniture around every edge of the room closes it down.

With your reclaimed wood dining table, add a stunning centrepiece such as a floral display (great for colour and scent too!) and arrange the dining chairs so that the room’s accent is on the important bit – the dining table and the space the room offers.

3 The living room

Like the dining room, you need to place an accent on the dimensions of the space and what potential buyers could do with it if it were their own.

Thin out bookcases and the like so that the range of furniture in the room, from the wooden coffee table to the beautiful sideboard and display units, shine through.

When buyers can feel the space in the room by seeing the edges and the furniture that is in there, it will have the feeling of space and style that they are looking for.

4 The bedroom

Clever home staging is about drawing the buyer’s eye to the points you want them to notice.

Bedroom furniture that has the same style is key as it creates symmetry in the room, but you also want to balance it by clever placement. The large chest of drawers, for example, shouldn’t dominate the room as the reclaimed wood bedframe should draw the eye first – make sure you have the best bed linen for viewing day!

A rug can help draw the eye around the room and with key items such as a wooden blanket box helping to ‘hideaway’ blankets and spare linen, the room will have the feeling of organised space that people want.

5 The spare bedroom

And finally, don’t underplay the spare room by leaving it looking sparse. Make sure that buyers understand this space too. For example, a single bed with sideboard and a wardrobe and a small chest of drawers showcases the room perfectly.

With hallway rugs adding pops of colour and texture, the smallest and cheapest home staging tweaks will make a difference.

10 Items That Are Cluttering Up Your Home

Pile of books with what's cluttering up your home writing

Whether you’re thinking of selling your home or simply want to create a fresh and more ordered space, you’ll need to de-clutter. But what items are cluttering up the space in your home and what should you do about it?

1. Things that are not yours – simple but true, if you have items in your home that are not yours and are just taking up space and gathering dust, either return to the sender or find another home for them. From library books to furniture that friends are storing at your place, now is the time to move them on.

2. Thin out your bookcase – if you are an avid reader, you will possibly have hundreds of books. Thinning out your bookcase is part of the de-cluttering process as is investing in display units that match your interior design style to store your edited book collection. Pass your books forward to friends and family or give them to charity and you will not only create space for new tomes, but share the pleasure of a great read.

3. Small appliances that don’t work or you don’t use – heading into the kitchen, you’ll no doubt find an appliance or two that you either don’t use or are broken. Recycle them (many councils recycle at the kerbside) and free up kitchen cupboard space.

4. Containers that don’t do anything – from baskets to plastic boxes, we buy these containers assuming that they will be perfect for helping us de-clutter and store things. Ironically, the trouble is, they are often aren’t and simply create more clutter! Get rid of these and replace them with other solutions, such as a coffee table with storage or a slimline console table with drawer for the hallway, so you still have places to store your belongings, but in a much more stylish way.

5. Toiletries in the bathroom – often the smallest room in the house, thinning out your toiletries will mean clearer surfaces. Easier to clean and keep clean, less clutter on tops and open shelving will work wonders for the appearance of the bathroom.

6. Spare bed linen, duvets, blankets… – from piling on top of the wardrobe to piling them in boxes under the bed, spare bed linen and the like are bulky and take up space. Consider a blanket box for the bedroom, which can also serve as an occasional seat or even update your bed to one with underbed storage drawers.

7. Magazines in the living room – there is something about reading a printed glossy mag that is a real treat, but you’ll soon find that they pile up in inconvenient places. The solution is to recycle or opt for storage solutions such as a coffee table with drawers.

8. Stationery and ‘stuff’ in the home office – it’s your work space which means you’ll be surrounded by the things you want and need, but if you’re not careful, it can look messy and unappealing. Clear surfaces by recycling items you don’t want or need and opt for home office storage solutions that allow for easy storage of items.

9. Out of date technology – we all have them; phones from years ago or chargers that we are no longer sure what they are for… streamline these tech bits and bobs and consider adding something like an open shelving display unit for charging phones and other tech.

10. CDs and DVDs – like books, CD and DVD collections grow over the years, but with todays streaming services, how many times do you ever put a DVD or CD on? If they are now obsolete in your home, ask yourself if you need to keep them. If you can’t bear to lose your favourite album or movie, consider sliming down your collection and how you are storing them. A reclaimed wood TV unit with cupboards and drawers is a perfect solution.

6 of the Best Coloured Armchairs

The quickest route to show off your interior design confidence is with a bold colour. A pop of unexpected colour in a room not only adds personality, but let’s the world know you’ve got this interior styling thing sorted!

However, if, like most of us, you don’t exude that confidence and are wary of any other colour of the rainbow other than white and grey, here’s an interior trend that you can jump on and be brave with…..the jewel hued modern armchair.

Coloured fabric armchairs exude sophistication and add an instant wow-factor to your space, whether that’s the living room, hallway, bedroom or open plan living/dining room.

1. Ava White Armchair

With its soft shade, upholstered in faux sheepskin, this chair will inject glamour into any room.

2. Edward Leather Armchair

We love this armchair for its shape as well as its colour. It’s solid oak frame, this stunning brown leather armchair is a perfect addition to anyone’s home.

3. Reeves Rattan Armchair

This wooden armchair with a black painted finish will liven up any dull corner in any room. Crafted in super strong ash wood, rattan back and wide armrests provides both comfort and support.

4. Grayson Fabric Armchair

A modern fabric armchair providing both comfort and sophistication. With it’s retro shape and it’s slim metal frame, adding a touch of modernity to the overall design. Small occasional chairs are a great choice for the home as they can be easily moved around and placed wherever needed, whether that’s the living room, bedroom or even a home office.

5. Oswald Armchair

The Oswald Armchair showcases an elegantly minimalistic design, making it a versatile fit for various interior themes. Cloaked in premium top grain full leather hide, its inviting warm brown tone harmoniously complements the ash legs.

6. Preston Armchair

Dive into the epitome of comfort and sophistication with the Preston Armchair. This lounge chair, designed meticulously for those seeking a blend of style and relaxation, promises unparalleled serenity. Whether you’re indulging in a book, catching a quick nap, or just unwinding after a long day, the Preston ensures every moment is cloaked in luxury.

What’s your favourite?

Create A Good First Impression – Hallway Focus

Wooden letters spelling home with a red heart for letter o

Spring has arrived! A sign of new life, it is also the time of year that most people who have decided to sell put their property on the market. But before you welcome potential buyers over the threshold, you need to make sure your property is ready – and that means every part of it, including the welcome buyers are given when they enter the hallway. So why is the hallway so important?

When people view a property, they come with a set of criteria, but they also need to fall in love with it. It needs to have ‘the feeling’ they are after and that’s why first impressions matter.

Styling your hallway is key and that means…

Decluttering – thin out the coats, the bags, the boots, the shoes and wrangle the scarves and gloves into a hallway storage bench so that the hallway is tidy. This also helps make it more appealing by giving a sense of space.

Make hallway storage a priority – no matter who buys your property, the hallway is a functional and practical space, something that you need to show. Emphasise its dimensions and functions with storage. There are many different hallway storage ideas, such as a hallway bench to a reclaimed wood hallway cabinet or narrow console table.

Hooks – if there is one storage item that can solve a range of problems in the hallway it is the humble hook. From coat hooks to a wooden shoe rack, the simplest solutions are often the best. BUT, just keep one or two coats per person in the hallway other it can look like a growing mountain of coats and jackets!

Lighting – a warm, soft glow from a table lamp on the hallway table, window ledge or console table is a must. Remember, to create the right impression you want to appeal to all the senses. Lighting helps the space to feel welcoming, as well as being a practical addition.

Gentle scent – a welcoming scent is important too. You can opt for a fresh flower display, ideal for perching on the hallway small console table or you could also light a scented candle (opt for a gentle floral scent). Similarly, diffusers also work well in the hall as their gentle perfume is wafted around as people move through the space. Remember to regularly turn the reeds, so they don’t lose their fragrance.

Mirrors – don’t underestimate the power of the mirror in the hallway. Perfect for reflecting light about, its reflective surface also makes the space feel bigger. But it also has another important role too and that is, ‘anchoring’ hallway furniture in the space available. For example, behind a piece of reclaimed wood furniture in the hallway, such as the console table, a large mirror hung a few inches above its top gives a sense of grandeur to the room but also gives the item a definite place in the order of the room. Try it – you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes.

Alongside practical flooring – a hard floor with a hallway rug for texture and colour is great in this space – if the hallway ticks all the right boxes, the viewing will go from strength to strength.

The Latest Lighting Trends Lighting up our World

Cluster of bare bulbs hanging from ceiling

Lighting in the home is both a practical element as well as a tool for creating ambience to a space. From the hallway and the living room to the bedroom and beyond, choosing stylish lighting will be top of your list. But what are the current trends? From glass table lamps to natural materials, we take you through the top trends for 2020.

Natural materials are still hot

Last season, we saw the re-emergence of natural materials such as bamboo and wicker. Although many still think of these materials as a throwback to the 70s and only for outdoor furniture, they have proved their worth in terms of stylish pendant lights in recent times. In the coming year, with the emphasis remaining on making better decisions in terms of materials and their impact on the environment, bamboo and wicker will remain stylish options.

Recycled and reclaimed materials

Recycled and reclaimed materials will also remain top of the list when it comes to stylish lighting solutions in the home. Think recycled glass table lamps or wood chip pendant ceiling lights to complement your reclaimed wood furniture.

More refined industrial lighting

The industrial style is never far from the headlines, but as with all interior themes, there are always slight tweaks and changes to bring it up to date. This is true of the industrial style lighting coming our way this season. With a more refined edge, industrial pendant lighting still has its place in the kitchen and dining area. Opt for dining room lighting with a slightly retro feel about it.

Edison style bulbs

If you want to give your lighting a lift but without changing the fitting, you’ll be pleased to know there is a solution and it comes in the shape of Edison-style light bulbs. Mimicking the original light bulb, which was big, round and had a large filament on show, these bulbs make a great addition for kitchen pendant lighting as well as pendant ceiling lights in the hallway and table lamps too.

Mid-century modern lighting

The mid-century style is set to make a comeback in terms of lighting styles. However, this doesn’t mean hunting for a decadent chandelier. Instead, you are looking for pendant lighting that has glamour and the wow factors. Opt for pendant lighting that uses plenty of glass with a minimal fitting. Also, consider those pendant light fittings that are plentiful. In other words, clustered pendant lighting will work in any room.

Smart technology

If you haven’t joined the smart home technology revolution, then now is the time. There is some suggestion that smart lighting can save you money as you can switch off lights in the kitchen, hallway, bedrooms without leaving the comfort of the sofa ….

Better still, you don’t have to ditch your current light fittings. Simply get yourself hooked up with special bulbs and plugs, and your Google or Alexa home bug will guide you through the setup process.

Go with your own style

When all is said and done, lighting trends are only as current and popular if people like them and opt for them in their home. Make a statement – your statement – with lighting solutions that you love.

Sleep with an eco-friendly clean conscience

We are all trying to do more to live a lifestyle that doesn’t impact negatively on the planet now or in the future. This includes the choices we make about the furniture we buy, where it comes from, whether it is sustainable and recyclable when we no longer need it. When it comes to furnishing the bedrooms, there is a growing choice of products that allow us to sleep with a clean eco-friendly conscience.

Eco-friendly mattresses

The pictures of tropical seas blanketed in a floating layer of plastic – from bottles to fishing nets – are truly heartbreaking.

But, plastic can, with vision and the right process, be broken down into material that can be reused in all kinds of applications, including mattresses.

The Seagreen Collection is made from a range of plastic products, such as bottles that fisherman ‘catch’ in the open seas. Made to a high standard, the pocket spring mattress is both comfortable but also at the top end of the recycling game.

The fabric covers and pockets are also sustainable materials that have wicking properties – in other words, you’ll be cool as you sleep, essential for a full night’s rest.

Hand tufted and hand stitched, these mattresses come with an impressive 9-year warranty and a 12-month guarantee.

Eco-friendly throws and blankets

Using the same materials – plastic bottles from our oceans – these throws are ideal for any bedroom. Adding a layer of warmth for chillier nights, the plastic is recycled and, using an environmentally friendly process, it weaved into a beautiful blanket that you’ll use time and again.

Adding texture and detail to the bedroom, these recycled plastic bottle throws are available in three beautiful colours – duck egg, blush and grey.

Reclaimed wood furniture for the bedroom

Hardwood was often used in buildings to add structure and strength as well as detail, and was used in the railways to build tracks. As modern life has evolved and alternative materials created, the wood has been salvaged and repurposed for our homes today. Master craftspeople turn it from an ordinary looking piece of old wood into something truly spectacular.

A heavyset bedframe bursting with personality, there is a uniqueness to each Beam piece that makes it perfect for the bedroom. Mellowing and developing over time, age creates a beautiful patina the older it gets.

Eco-friendly pendant lights and shades

Rattan and wicker bamboo are two similar materials. Rattan is a solid material whilst bamboo is hollow and can be flattened to make long, lithe pieces which can be tied together into a pattern.

When knotted and tied, these strong materials become even stronger, which is why they are used in everything from outdoor furniture to conservatory furniture, and light shades too. But, what makes them high on the eco-friendly stakes is that they are a genuine renewable source as they are naturally fast growing. Also, the manufacturing process of rattan and bamboo is quite simple, meaning it doesn’t require so many chemicals or energy.

Our Fenshaw Mango Wood Storage Bench with its hinge lid provides discreet elegance to a bedroom, not to mention a great place to store bed linen and blankets. Position at the end of your king size wooden bed frame or in the bay of a window and channel that colonial cool vibe. This eco-conscious accessory blends with any style room, from rustic or industrial to a modern farmhouse scheme.

Along with natural bed linen made from sustainably sourced fabrics, you can have a stylish bedroom and sleep comfortably, knowing you have worked with and not against the environment.

How to Arrange your Furniture Around a Rug

Grey sofa with grey floor rug and coffee table

For many of us, the rug is the item we have most agonised over when it comes to picking items for the home. It brings warmth, colour and texture to a space and so it’s no surprise that from a stylistic point of view, you want it to get it just right. But how do you make sure the rug remains prominent, without creating a ‘hole’ in the room’s décor?

The round rug

For square or boxy rooms, the round rug is the perfect way of adding a change in motion;

For larger rooms try adding more than one round rug, but keep them the same design and style otherwise it will look too choppy. Place them randomly in the space or better still, allow them to float around the room as you use it (but make sure they aren’t a slip hazard!).

For smaller rooms when you don’t have a huge amount of floor space, getting your round rug noticed can be difficult. Placing it under a piece of large furniture so that its rounded curved peep out is perfect. In the bedroom, for example, put the bedroom rug under the bed so you have it to welcome your feet as you get out of bed but with plenty of rug on show at the foot of the bed.

In the dining room, use a round rug in the centre of the room, even if you decide to off-set your dining table.

The square or rectangle rug

They are, by far, the most popular shaped rug that people opt for. There is a comfort in the pleasing angular, lines of the rectangle or square rug that draws our attention. Our belief is that with this shape, a large living room rug could be easier to accommodate in any room, from the bedroom to the living room.

We can still make fundamental errors, however, which means that the rug becomes lost beneath our feet…

Not applying the four-two-none rule – when furniture doesn’t feel anchored in a room, it and your cherished rug will feel lost and floating in space. If this is happening, address it by applying the four-two-none rule. With your furniture dotted around its straight edges, either all four legs need to be on the rug (only advisable for big rugs), or two legs of each piece or none. If you have a side table on the rug and the two legs of one sofa but none of the other sofa, it will not look right.
Mismatch colours – when you want to add a rug to a room, it is best to start with the rug, matching the wall colour to it rather than the other way round. This way, your vibrant red rug or stylish blue rug won’t be jarring against the room’s décor.

Irregular shaped rugs

Irregular shaped rugs can be a welcome note of change in a room but it’s important to understand how best to use them. With rectangle and round rugs, the dimensions of the room and size of the rug will dictate whether you place furniture on it or not. With an irregular shaped rugs, designers suggest keeping furniture off it, opting for a suitably sized rug that fits the floor space you have available.