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

Introducing the Worcester reclaimed wood range

Worcester Reclaimed Wood Dining Set with Chairs in Room

Adding a new collection to the range is always a pleasure and for those of us who love the warmth and stylish appeal of the rustic interior design style, the Worcester Collection will become your first port of call. Beautifully rustic with an elegant refined edge, the off-white painted cupboards and doors with the bare wood tops are a timeless combination and one that will bring stylish aplomb to any room.

Key pieces in the Worcester Collection

With 15 pieces in the new collection, there are many options for every room including the dining room, kitchen diner and in the rustic kitchen space too. If you love the appeal of reclaimed wood furniture in the hallway, the reclaimed wood console table is just one piece that would be beautifully placed to the entrance of your home.

For the dining room and kitchen diner, the round reclaimed wood dining table is perfect for encouraging flow around the room. For symmetry and cohesion, opt for the matching wooden dining chairs, softening the wood further with bright coloured seat pads or scatter cushions.

Need a larger table? How about a small extendable dining table? Here it is, a rustic white dining table, rectangular and extendable…

In the kitchen

The detailing of all the pieces in the Worcester Collection are gentle additions, the simplicity betraying just how much they do to lift the pieces from ordinary to extraordinary. Take a look at you’ll see two types of practical handles sitting marinating side by side.

The small, round cupboard handles make pulling open the cupboard doors super-easy – you’ll see these on most of the cupboard doors in the collection. For the drawers, the half-moon handles curvaceous appealing with neither handle style jarring against the other. Just look at them nestling side by side on the reclaimed wood large dresser. Which rustic kitchen wouldn’t spring to life with this beautiful piece?

There are small and large sideboard options in the collection, ideal for when you need storage but not with height to close down a space. The narrower, lithe features of the smaller reclaimed wood dresser would suit the smaller kitchen or could you see this nestling in the entrance hall of your home, the small drawers perfect for keys and other accoutrements, like we can?

The home office

We haven’t forgotten the home office either. Imagine working at the comfortable confines of the delightful reclaimed wood desk. Again, for us, it was the romance of those half-moon metal handles with the perfection of the smaller, wooden pull handles that make it a ‘must-include’ in the collection.

In the lounge

We haven’t forgotten the lounge either because if there is one piece that every living area needs, it is the practical reclaimed wood coffee table. Complete with one shelf and two drawers, it comes with storage too. What is there not to love?

For added symmetry, matching pieces in the lounge are a must-have and so we opted to include these reclaimed wood nest of tables too. Petite but useful, they are ideal clustered next to the sofa or better still, next to your armchair in the reading nook.

Browse the Worcester Collection and tell us, what do you think?

Welcome the stunning Glasgow reclaimed collection

We love to bring choice to our customers and when we look for new collections, we have a long list of stylish criteria it needs to meet. The Glasgow Collection ticked all the boxes – and more. Beautifully rustic, we know you’ll love the detailing and the high-quality finish of this reclaimed elm furniture just as much as we do. The only problem is, how will you make your choice?

The reclaimed elm dining table from the Glasgow Collection

Elm is a beautiful wood. Bringing warmth to any piece it is used to create, the reclaimed elm dining table in this collection will be the stand out talking point of your dining room. there are many reasons this will be the case. Maybe it’s the unique silver legwork at either end of the generously proportioned 6-seater dining table? Maybe it’s the beautiful and skilfully crafted table top?

As a piece of reclaimed wood furniture, each elm dining table from the Glasgow Collection will be unique, telling its own story in its own way.

A choice of two stylish sideboards

The sideboard in the dining room (and even the living room!) will never fall out of favour. Bringing much-needed storage, you need a sideboard that offers the space you need. And that’s why we’ve chosen to include two sideboards in the Glasgow Collection.

The large sideboard is generous in its proportion with a double cupboard, both of which has double doors that open fully to reveal the contents on the shelves. The small sideboard retains a beautiful rustic charm but is less imposing but just as practical.

Both reclaimed elm sideboards, along with the other pieces in the collection, have an incredibly beautiful sunburst design with a round silver, high shine cupboard handle with coordinating legs that brings style immediately to a space. Like the dining table, the sideboards will attract attention for all the right reasons.

The Glasgow elm side table

We don’t often associate storage with a side table, often seeing it as a simple table that offers a tabletop ideal for a coaster or two, maybe a lamp or other pretty accessory.

And so the Glasgow elm side table brings a welcome note of change. A delightful example of reclaimed elm furniture, it offers storage space in it cupboard with the same design to be found on the sideboards.

But it isn’t the same. And that’s why people love reclaimed wood furniture. Each piece has a different story to tell and so the sunburst detailing on the doors of the reclaimed elm side table is its own.

Round coffee tables (with glamour!)

Rustic in its style, there is a glamorous streak to the Glasgow Collection itself. Essentially, the high shine silver finish of the legs and door handles give it a certain something that brings it from the ‘just rustic’ category to the rustic-with-glamour section.

The pair of two nesting round coffee tables in the Glasgow Collection will be a hit, we know. With the potential to act as round side tables too, the coffee tables each ahs the refined, starburst pattern tops with silver frame legwork that injects more than a hint of glamour into the living, doing so without compromising on practicality.

A beautiful collection, we are pleased to welcome the Glasgow range to the Modish Living stable of high-quality reclaimed elm furniture pieces.

Unique reclaimed wood coffee tables under £500

Chelwood Reclaimed Wood Coffee Table and Side Table

Tough yet welcoming and warm, there is a romance and a beauty to reclaimed wood furniture that sees it stand head and shoulders above its nearest contenders. Used across a range of furniture pieces and styles, reclaimed wood is simply breathtaking. The coffee table is the workhorse of the living room and that’s why the beauty of the reclaimed wood coffee table is desired by many. But which would you choose?

The multi-purpose reclaimed wood coffee table

Well within your £500 budget is this delightfully stunning piece, the Rustica reclaimed wood coffee table. With two drawers and an impressive tabletop for everything from a lamp to sculptural accessories, this coffee table could easily double as a bedside table or a reclaimed wood side table next to your brown leather sofa. In fact, this is one of those pieces that you’ll buy and no matter how many times to change your interior design style, there will always be a place for it.

Rustic with a refined, contemporary edge

At the other end of the scale, so to speak, is the refined rustic appeal of the Farringdon reclaimed wood coffee table with storage in the shape of two drawers and a lower shelf. For any rustic style room, including the living room, this piece can be a stand out one or is equally as happy playing a supporting role.

In a similar vein is the Chelwood reclaimed wood coffee table. Refinement is the middle name of every piece in the Chelwood Collection without compromising on its rustic roots. Reclaimed wood furniture retains its romance and unique story and yet it all comes together to offer storage solutions for the living room, the bedroom or even in the hallway. It is nothing if not versatile.

Rustic with a hint of coastal

The coastal look is popular but it is a hard style to get right. Too much ‘seaside detailing’ leads to it becomes too obvious and twee. Avoid this by making nods to the coastal interior design theme but maintaining rustic charm as the overriding ingredient.

White, rustic, reclaimed wood furniture is perfect if you want to introduce the breeziness of the coast but want to enjoy the charm and romance of the rustic look.

Don’t be deceived by its simplicity because the Savannah reclaimed wood coffee table brings so much to a room that’s it hard to list all of its qualities. Elegant it most certainly is, rustic and refined come to mind as well, and the meeting of bare wood with white painted framework is classic.

The Dorset Collection teases out the rustic style a little more with the merest hint of the coastal flavour. It too combines the perfect fusion of white painted wood with bare wood, becoming the go-to collection for those looking for all kinds of key pieces including reclaimed wood side tables, the painted coffee table and more.

The ‘chunkiness’ of the Dorset coffee table with drawers is satisfyingly pleasant. With a low-level shelf too, this beautiful rustic coffee table will suit any home (and any room) and is well within the £500 maximum spend limit too.

Garden party ideas for Father’s Day

Bistro Garden Dining Set with Round Table and Chairs

Father’s Day is not far off and the perfect excuse to thank the significant males in your life for all that they do, whether that is your father, grandfather, uncle, brother or family friend. It is also the perfect excuse to welcome the warmth of June with a garden party, bringing together your nearest and dearest.

Of course, you don’t have to theme it. You could just invite everyone over for the afternoon, sitting on the outdoor table and chairs enjoying tasty savoury treats from the BBQ. Sometimes, it’s nice to do something different. Why not theme it, like your dad’s favourite movie or pay homage to your uncle’s hobby? There are so many ideas but we’ve come up with five that are worth exploring.

1 Host a breakfast meeting

The garden is a beautiful space and no more so than in the morning before the heat of the day climbs too much. Hosting a breakfast meeting on the patio on the rattan sofa or mid-morning brunch on the garden sofa set is something different from the evening BBQ, perfect if you want to gather family and friends for a celebration but have something planned for the afternoon.

Keep it small and informal, opting for breakfast in the sunniest spot of the garden at your patio table set.

2 Go formal

Sometimes, the best parties are those that have a formal flavour about them and so update the BBQ with a formal, sit down meal. An outdoor table in the style of a trestle table is ideal for this. Use garden benches for shared seating, as well as a mix of outdoor seating but set the table in a formal style, with beautiful napkins and small clusters of fragrant flowers as table decorations.

3 Buffet, Royal Garden Party style

Break out the bunting and the china plates for a royal-themed garden party to celebrate Father’s Day. Catering is simple but exquisite with delicately flavoured sandwiches cut into finger food size, with lashings of ginger beer and sweet cakes for after. Perfect for when you don’t want the smog of the BBQ!

4 BBQ with a difference

Up your game when it comes to the BBQ this Father’s Day ditching the ‘traditional’ burgers and sausage for locally-sourced delicacies from full-flavoured banger from the local farm to chunky, meat-filled burgers from the butchers.

Bring more change with heavily flavoured chicken, perfect for roasting in the heat of the pizza oven or rotating over the open coals of a BBQ. Don’t forget to serve plenty of sauces and dips, making sure the outdoor garden bar is well stocked with a mix of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

5 Roll up, roll up – a raucous funfair in your back garden!

If there are children to keep entertained (and big kids with a sense of fun!), a funfair is a perfect theme, especially for sitting alongside an informal BBQ. From a gazebo to shade guests as they shade from the sun on an outdoor bench, to apple bobbing, hoops on cones and a bouncy castle, a fun fair is the perfect backdrop for a fun-filled day of games and laughter.

Beautiful industrial coffee tables for under £500

The industrial style is going nowhere any time soon. A classic fusion of reclaimed wood furniture sitting pretty with steel, it is a style that flows in any room. For the living room, it a style that presents many opportunities to create a welcoming, warm space with an edge that places it firmly in the top spot.

Key to any room is how the individual pieces combine to offer an easy living experience. The coffee table is one of those pieces that provide functionality but also provide a design statement. Accessible storage is key and when it comes to the industrial look, there is no doubt that a reclaimed wood coffee table is an essential piece.

We have four beautiful industrial coffee tables for under £500, perfect for your budget.

Beautiful simplicity

The Mitcham industrial coffee table is a beautiful piece made from reclaimed oak and black steel. It offers two levels of shelving – the tabletop and a lower shelf, perfect for slipping your novel or magazine for safe storage.

Robust and durable, this coffee table brings the romance of reclaimed wood into the room but also it brings dimension. If you have a large, three-seater sofa, framing it in its space with a beautiful living room rug and a coffee table brings symmetry and cohesion. The dimensions of this oak coffee table, therefore, serves two purposes: as a coffee table and as a supporting piece for framing your elegant industrial style sofa.

Truly industrial

The industrial style can have a refined appearance as we’ll see with the other industrial coffee tables on our list but if you want to stay true to its roots, you’ll be looking for the rustic charm of reclaimed wood for your industrial living room.

As a reclaimed wood coffee table, the Standford reclaimed wood industrial coffee table must surely be one of the best. With two doors and a shelf, it offers so many storage solutions that it’s hard to see how this can be topped – and you’ll get change from your £500 budget as this comes in at just under £350.

Rustic, refined, industrial beauty

Retaining the rustic feel but with a refined and contemporary feel, the Rocco industrial oak coffee table glides into position in the living room. The light patina of the wood is in stark contrast to the black steel legwork. Complete with handy drawer space, this is a beautiful piece that will suit not just the living room but any room in fact. We can easily see this slotting in the bedroom as a low bedside table or in the home office or in your reading nook, next to your armchair as an industrial side table.

Unsung hero

The coffee table is the unsung hero in so many homes. It does everything from offer a convenient space for guests to rest their cocktail glasses but also makes an easy-to-reach platform for when your children complete their homework. It is the place where all kinds of bits and pieces are given a home and for this reason, the Industrial Lansdowne coffee table with storage is a popular choice.

Simple. Elegant. Stylish. And yet, it is uber practical with its two drawers and lower shelf for storage. A coffee table with drawers is perfect when you need to quickly declutter for unexpected guests.

All this beauty and function in a style that suits your home and all for under £500. Which industrial coffee table would you choose?

4 Reasons to choose an extendable dining table

Beam Reclaimed Wood Dining Table and Leather Chairs

The dining table is surely one of the most practical pieces of reclaimed wood furniture you will ever invest in for your home. It is also a long term piece of furniture with the dining table playing witness to all of life’s events, from formal dinner parties to family meals, to board games and birthday parties, to festive buffets and more.

The reclaimed wood dining table is a perfect choice. It brings robustness and durability but also unparalleled beauty to the dining room and yet, getting the right dining table is such an important choice it’s hard to know how to get it right.

The extendable dining table offers an array of functions but why opt for an extending reclaimed wood table?

1 Ebbs and flows as life does

The versatility of the extending dining table is not to be underplayed. Even better, there are different sizes of dining table from which to choose. A small extendable dining table is perfect if you need a dining table that will open to offer a 6-seater dining table when you need it but condense smaller when you don’t. For this reason alone, an extending dining table is perfect for meeting the ebb and flow of life.

2 Because you don’t use the dining table just for dining

Of course, the majority of the time, the dining table is used for exactly that: gathering the family together for daily meals. But that isn’t the only activity to take place at the dining table.

From kids doing homework to building projects to crafts, the extendable dining table can open up to a larger expanse to offer more space for activities.

There are different types of extensions for dining tables including an integral piece that conveniently pops in and out when needed. Or for ease of use, an extension flap is ideal similar to that of the large Farringdon extendable 8-seater dining table. With a large reclaimed wood dining table, you can leave the extension in place and dine at the other end!

3 Changes as you do

Nothing stays the same. Your family will grow, with more members added. You could be in the position of welcoming an ever-increasing larger family group at major holidays, including Christmas but for other occasions, the group size could diminish.

A reclaimed wood extending dining table morphs as your needs do. It remains small and compact when you need it or if you need more space occasionally, it offers that too. Opt for a dining bench for versatile seating and you have the right extending dining table in the right style too.

4 An extendable rustic dining table is beautiful

But why a reclaimed wood dining table in particular? The dining table, especially if it extends, works hard for the many years that you will love it and use it. It needs to be made from a robust material that is durable, but stylish.

As a style, the rustic extending dining table is stunningly beautiful and no matter how much it endures over the years, it retains its beauty. If anything, its beauty refines and grows.

The beautiful, new Pimlico elm furniture range

The Pimlico Collection is one of our best yet with beautiful coordinating pieces that will add panache and allure to any dining room. It solid elm dark wood finish is the perfect foil for the copper framing that sets this range out as being one with something for every home.

The Pimlico dining table

If you want to make a statement in the dining room, the brooding dark looks of this elm dining table fits the bill exactly. It is the detailing in this range that attracts us to the key pieces. For example, the square pattern on top of the table along with inlaid copper framing gives the Pimlico elm dining table all the detailing it needs to sit beautifully alongside other reclaimed wood furniture.

The Pimlico large sideboard

The perfect coordinating piece alongside a stylish black dining table is a large sideboard with the same stylish impact. The Pimlico large sideboard literally sings alongside the matching elm dining table.

Again, it is the detailing that gives it the wow factor. There is nothing understated here. The diamond shaped inlays are a delight, again framed by a copper inlay that marks out the darkness of the solid elm sideboard beautifully.

The u-style legs add yet another refinement to a piece that is already at the top end of the stylish scale. Offering plenty of practical storage, this is a must-have for the industrial glamour styled dining room.

The Pimlico slimline console table

Ideal for the dining room, the hallway or even the industrial style living room, the solid elm with copper framed inlay of the hallway console table is stunning. With four copper capped feet and the detailing atop the table, this is a piece that will draw attention wherever it sits.

The Pimlico elm coffee table

Mirroring the same style with capped feet and inlaid copper detailing is the low, spacious rectangle elm coffee table, a sheer delight in any living room framing a leather or even a velvet sofa.

If you want to ring the changes or prefer the flow that a round coffee table brings to a living space, the Pimlico round black coffee table with a stunning copper finish is an absolute must. It has a presence that draws the eye and in our book, that is only ever a good thing.

Coordinating Pimlico side tables

Symmetry and cohesion are brought to a room when key components link and marry seamlessly together. We know people worry about the ‘show home matchy-matchy’ feel but when you have a carefully thought out fusion between pieces, whether they are star players or supporting pieces such as coffee tables and the round side table, you have a relaxing, stylish space.

And that’s why the Pimlico side tables are included in the collection. Sitting alongside the console table and the black coffee table you could introduce the square side table, perfect framing partners for each end of the sofa.

You could switch it up, as they say, with the slightly taller spherical column that is the Pimlico round side table, again the perfect addition to frame the sofa or your industrial armchair in your reading nook.

Dark wood furniture has a maturity and stylish reverberation to it that makes a room stand out from the norm. And that’s why we love the Pimlico Collection.

Luxurious, new coloured rugs for your home

Louis De Poortere Khayma Sand Rose Rug with Coffee Table

Adding a rug to a room instantly lifts it from the floor up. In effect, a rug acts as a textured platform on which the style of the room is given a significant boost. Get the right colour and shading, as well as texture, and you are guaranteed success.

But choosing the right large living room rugs – or a rug for any room, for that matter – is difficult which is why we’ve decided to introduce these new rugs with our Editor’s Picks.

Looking for a neutral, easy to work with colour? Opt for a grey rug

If you are, your options are not only beige, cream or white. Thankfully, grey is still very much in on-trend colour for the coming seasons and its neutral flavour is perfect for when you want to switch up a room’s style.

We’re loving a large grey rug in the dining room where the penchant for dark wood furniture is really beginning to become popular. We have two new ranges that would sit with a grey rug beautifully – The rustic with glamour Glasgow Collection or the amazingly stylish dark reclaimed elm range that we have called the Pimlico Collection.

Bring a refreshing breeze of colour with a blue rug

If you want more of a colour than grey, a blue rug is a brilliant decision. There is simple neutrality to blue that means it brings a refreshing colour boost to a scheme. As well as the coastal style in the bedroom, a blue rug with an understated abstract pattern can work in many rooms in the home.

If you have opted for a rustic living room, for example, a blue rug can bring a genteel splash of colour that doesn’t overpower.

Depth of colour with a green rug

An on-trend colour that we have been enjoying in various forms in the home is the darker, earthier shade of green. We also enjoy the industrial style and the fusion between it and a glamorous streak that is a brass or gold effect finish.

There is a Victorian streak to this kind of style and finish and so its no wonder that an injection of green into an industrial glamour styled room works so well.

With such a style, details and notes need to have a heavier promise and so the green rug with a heavily define pattern is an ideal foil in the industrial style living room or dining room landscape. It’s darker tones sit well with both brass and gold, including the copper finishes of the new Pimlico Collection too.

Set against a leather sofa or velvet armchair, this green rug with a delightful geometric pattern really sings its own praises.

Want a twist? Consider modern pink

Occasionally, something comes along that you fall in love with that you wouldn’t normally consider and if you’re put off by the vibrancy of a red rug, pink could be the perfect alternative. In some cases, the modern pink rug is a ‘marmite’ piece – people either love it or hate it, there is no in between – but if you enjoy the lightness of a contemporary interior design style, then this modern pink rug is just what you are looking for.

A slight pastel, sandy pink tone to the rug with a geometric pattern wouldn’t look too out of place with the Scandinavian style either. There is a lightness of touch to the colour that stops it being too overpowering and would work well with the lighter woods associated with the Scandinavian style too.

If you have a kitchen/diner, this is a great rug. Light but practical, it adds another layer of texture to any room. We think it has potential in the Scandinavian style bedroom too.

Throw your own Royal Ascot inspired garden party

Outdoor Bar Table with Drinks and Rattan Stools

With the summer comes racing season and mid-June, the Royal Ascot meet is a chance to enjoy the summer sun and to dress in your very finest threads. You can replicate this with your own Royal Ascot themed garden party but beware, it is unlike any other garden party you will host…

Theme it

The Royal Ascot meet is hundreds of years old and although the fashions may have changed, the dress code hasn’t. Everyone attending, from VIPs to race punters are expected to dress in their finest. It means flowing dresses, sharp suits and for the ladies, fantastic hats and fascinators.

You could emulate the same at your garden party this summer. It doesn’t have to be a black-tie event, just as you don’t have to insist on morning coats but you could suggest that ladies come in their finest hats and gentlemen in their finest but most outlandish shirts.

Games

Of course, you’ll need some horse racing inspired games for your garden party and there are plenty of ideas to choose from. You can hire plastic, sit-on horses which your guests race by bouncing along (a bit like the old space hopper) down predefined lanes painted onto your lawn. There are also winding horse races that are a lot of fun too in which guests furiously turns their handle to ‘pull’ their horse home. Take a look online for more inspiration.

Refreshments

After all this playing and chatting, your guests will rightly look for refreshments. And this is where your clever garden design eye will come in to play…

Go formal with a sit-down meal

Your Royal Ascot themed garden party is the ideal time to ring the changes so ditch the informal, stand-and-eat BBQ in favour of a sit-down meal with a chic garden dining set. Just like you would dress the dining table in your home, make the most of your outdoor table with a pretty covering, polished cutlery and plenty of flowers and sparkling accessories. Keep the menu simple and classic, from ‘coronation chicken’ filled sandwiches (a dish with its own royal connections) to jacket potatoes and more. And don’t forget dessert.

Keep the outdoor bar stocked up

The unpredictability of the great British summer weather means you could be sheltering from a downpour under the eaves of your gazebo with guests or basking in temperatures commonly seen in the Mediterranean.

Either way, you need to keep the garden bar well stocked. As garden furniture goes, along with ample outdoor seating, this is possibly one of the most important investments you can make. It will serve you well, time and time again.

Ample seating

Whether you have a handful of guests or a fair, few more, you need plenty of outdoor seating. A rattan sofa set comes into its own and can be used time and again for family and social occasions. A rattan garden lounger is also ideal because they can double as comfortable sofas for two or more people and with a low table too, cocktails won’t get knocked over.

A garden party is all about your guests’ enjoyment. What would you add to your Royal Ascot theme garden party?