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

Pamper yourself and your pet on Dog Day

Dog Day is on 26th August and is a day to celebrate all breeds of dogs. It honours family dogs plus those which work to save lives, bring comfort and keep individuals safe.

There are so many reasons why a canine companion is the perfect addition to your home. First and foremost, a dog will provide unconditional love to you and your family and also gives you a reason to get exercising.

But there are other not so obvious benefits to having a dog too. Firstly, according to experts, by bringing a dog and its germs into the home, it gives your body a chance to build up antibodies thereby boosting your immune system. Not only this, a dog is a great way of meeting new people – namely, other dog owners in the park! If your neighbours have dogs too, you could even walk them together.

If you have a dog, Dog Day provides the perfect excuse to pamper your dog. Think about how you can make your dog bed that little bit more luxurious. One way to do so is to move the bed into a more social space – if they love a treat or two, move the bed into the kitchen. Alternatively, placing the dog bed in the living room will allow them to be a part of family life.

If you love vintage items and you want to create a unique bed for your dog, you could re-use a vintage suitcase. This creates a stylish dog bed which will look fantastic with your home decor, and can also be neatly packed up when you want to go away, with all their favourite toys inside too!

And what about if your dog enjoys the finer things in life? Create a glamping-inspired bed for your dog with a sheepskin rug which will keep them warm and comfortable. A sheepskin rug can even be used as a kitchen rug. Why not place under a farmhouse kitchen table for a glamorous twist and a spot your canine will love sleeping in whilst you eat.

If you don’t have a dog, it doesn’t mean you can’t get involved. Instead of pampering your dog, pamper your home with some canine-inspired decor. Cushions with dogs on them are hugely popular at the moment, and can look incredibly stylish on a simple armchair and footstool or even on wooden chairs in the kitchen. There are plenty of other unique options too. Look out for quirky dog-shaped lamp bases to add plenty of personality to your space or even a statement wall of dog wallpaper.

How are you going to pamper your dog on Dog Day?

5 tips when planning for your home study room

Oldman Reclaimed Wood Orange Desk and Leather Chair

As we enter the final few months of summer, many of us will be turning our thoughts to the new academic year. For many, it is a time of new challenges and opportunities.

Scores of people, young and the not-so-young, will be off to the hallowed halls of academia, others will be entering their final years of GCSE and A Level studies and for some parents, there is the agony of taking their once-primary aged children to ‘big school’.

All these opportunities and challenges will play out over the coming months but there is one challenge that needs resolving: study space – and desks for home start to consume our every thought.

Essential for anyone undertaking a course of study, a home study is an essential place no matter whether it is a GCSE subject being studied or a PhD thesis that needs writing.

Need some help getting it all together? Here are our ideas…

1. Measure, Measure, Measure

A home study space doesn’t have to be gargantuan in size. In fact, most people find the more bijou and cosy the space is, the more they enjoy sitting at their desk, soaking up new information and ideas.

But to get the right study surroundings, you need to ensure you are surrounded by the right stuff in the right place. Thus, before you start ordering desks and filing cabinets, measure the space you really have available. As you do so, continually ask yourself, is the space or area accessible.

2. Start planning it NOW!

For a home study, planning is incredibly important. The conditions, the lighting, the outlook, the style, the desk, the chair… they all need to be right. But buying ‘off the rack’ in this case may not be the answer. A bespoke wooden desk may be what is needed, especially if you’re looking for a small office desk to fit in a tight corner, but because it is bespoke, it can take a few weeks to create.

The Oldman range of reclaimed wood desks is ideal for creating the perfect home office desk, in terms of height, breadth and width.

3. Consider Storage Solutions

The web is awash with all kinds of fancy solutions and creative ideas for storage but here’s the thing: storage is only as good as the access that is offered.

In other words, shelves are just as good as fancy cupboards and so on. In fact, they can be just as stylish too such as the industrial shelving look – smashingly simple to access the tombs of text books and brilliantly easy to keep clean.

4. Colour

In any office, no matter what it is being used for, the surroundings need to help maintain your focus but without being too distracting. However, opting for Magnolia or another bland-ish colour is not the only solution.

If you want light and airy, why not team your reclaimed Oldman desk and reclaimed wood shelves with light reflecting grey or a pretty, light pastel blue? Or ring the changes with a bright, but understated yellow.

5. Lighting

Whether you will be staring at your screen for hours (not recommended) or poring over text books, there is one component that cannot be left to chance: lighting.

As well as a central light, opt for a desk lamp and/or adjustable floor lamp to pair with your industrial furniture for when you have to focus on the printed words of scholars past.

With the prospect of spending hours at your desk, how will you make your home study a delightful, warm and creative place to be?

How many calories can you burn in a Lazy Day

Whilst it may be summer at the moment, living in England, the summer is never without its rainy days – the perfect day for a lazy day at home. And now you don’t even need to feel guilty for taking a day to relax and rewind at home, because even lazy day activities burn calories!

Just because its a lazy day doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll want to be in your pyjamas all day. Some simple getting ready activities actually burn calories. For example, burn 68 calories for putting on makeup for 30 minutes and blowdrying you hair burns roughly 170 calories in an hour. Sit on a gorgeous club chair to add a bit of luxury to your lazy getting ready. Even having a shower and towelling off burns calories – 91 calories in 30 minutes to be precise!

And what about lazy day activities? Why not play a game or two with your friends of family – a 2 hour game of Scrabble will burn 200 calories and give your brain a work out too! Pop your game of scrabble on a stunning coffee table with storage to get your whole family sat around. You could even pop a couple of sneaky treats in the drawers so you don’t have to get up to go to the kitchen.

But you even burn calories watching the television, which is good news for binge watching your new favourite TV programme. Lying quietly whilst watching TV will burn 36 calories every 30 minutes but will increase to 60 calories if you are a fidgeter. Make sure you have the perfect TV set up for your TV marathon – a white wood TV unit with storage space for media players and TV boxes means everything is all in one place.

Lazy days for many involve ordering takeaways so you can sit back and relax – so make sure you have the perfect brown leather sofa to do so! But if you fancy cooking dinner, you’ll actually burn some of it off! Making dinner for 1 hour will burn 238 calories and might even burn off enough calories for an ice cream treat after dinner. Singing whilst you cook will burn even more calories, with singing for an hour burning 136 calories. Alternatively, order a takeaway. If you are up for leaving the sofa on your lazy day, you could walk and collect it.

And why not enjoy a lazy day with a friend? Laughing burns roughly 50 calories for every 30 minutes of laughing.

So there you have it – take a day to relax and burn calories all at once!

The best ideas on how to decorate a small dining room

Any small room can be difficult to decorate, especially as you want to make the most of the space you have available. In a small dining room, decorating and accessorising can be even harder.

This is because you need to introduce a dining table that fits the space both in terms of physical dimension, but also in the way it looks.

Of all the things that you cannot compromise on, it is the dining table, its size, style and appeal. And the good news is, you don’t have to.

Two tone dining room

Use a darker colour between the picture railing and the top of the wall, where it meets the ceiling. Use it alongside a white ceiling and a lighter colour on the walls. Offset the whole look with a dark flooring solution.

Fresh and appealing, this two-tone look – try fresh blues, white and cream – works well with a rustic dining table, complete with duck egg blue striped upholstered dining chairs. Or, opt for neutral tones such as grey upholstered dining chairs.

Add depth of colour with the dining chairs and dining bench

If you worry that upholstered chairs and benches won’t last the test of time at the dining table, as well as choosing the right fabric, you could also opt for a patterned or heavily coloured one to give you a fighting chance between upholstery cleaning.

Adding a darker tone to a room also helps to define it, but in a small space, you don’t want to use too much. Dark wood dining benches, easy to keep clean, add a colour dimension to your dining room.

Richness and warmth

Any dining experience, whether it is your usual weekday evening meal together or a more formal dining occasion with friends needs to have the right setting. And for this, you need the right furniture.

Wood brings warmth and elegance to any space and is not to be underestimated in the dining room. As well as saving space with a dining bench, why not ring the changes with this high backed dining bench that will certainly add a sense of warmth and richness to your dining room? Add cushions and throws for extra texture.

A reclaimed wood dining table needs the chairs and benches to frame it perfectly, which is why these leather dining chairs work well.

Choose additional furniture carefully

In any space, but especially a smaller one, every item needs to have a place and a function. An elegant dresser does everything you need in a dining room and more. With our range of solid, handcrafted reclaimed wood dressers, there is something for every dining room, every style and every budget.

To recap…

In a dining room, for maximum practicality and versatility, consider a dining table with bench as part of your dining furniture
For versatility when it comes to hosting small or large dinner parties, there is no doubt an extending dining table and chair set will be the number one choice.
Rustic and reclaimed wood dining table can be the depth of colour and interest you need in a small dining room, especially with neutral walls.

How will you dress your smaller dining room?

How to keep your bedroom tidy if you are lazy

Let’s be honest, at the end of a busy day, the last thing you feel like doing is putting clothes away or finding storage space for all the little things. But on the other hand, you crave a minimal, clutter-free bedroom that you can sink into.

With National Lazy Day on August 10^th, we thought we would look at some great ideas for the bedroom, with heaps of easy and accessible storage solutions both for modern bedroom furniture and older styles that make keeping your bedroom tidy a quick and easy task.

Kitting out Your Bedroom

The singular, most important aspect of keeping any room tidy and clutter-free – especially the bedroom – is to kit it out with all the right furniture.

We think you should take a look at the Scandinavian style as this has long been known how for dressing a room with more than enough storage, without swamping the space with furniture.

There is also the appeal of the rustic look, the harmony of natural materials in a not-too-polished state. It is calm and simple, with fantastic solutions for the bedroom.

With these two popular interior design styles in mind, we have created the simple guide to keeping your bedroom tidy and clutter-free without breaking a sweat or spending hours doing it.

Out of Sight Storage

One of the simplest and easiest ways of hiding away a load of clutter until you have time to sort through it and pop it back in its place is the ‘trunk’.

And thankfully, with both the Scandinavian and rustic styles, there are fantastic solutions:

Under the bed – flinging stuff under the bed is a favourite ‘hideaway’ for things that we not quite sure what to do with. However, with an under the bed storage drawer you don’t need to fling things other, never to be seen again. With two lovely round knobs, sliding the drawer in and out from underneath the bed is super easy and so there is no excuse for not putting things away.
Storage stool – the Scandinavian style mixes natural materials, such as smooth, light woods with leather and wool fabrics. And this is why, if you have a light, modern and airy bedroom, this leather footstool is the ideal solution for quick storage solution when time and effort is lacking.
Bed side tables (with a difference) – As well as keeping it at the foot of the bed, why not consider blanket chest type storage for next to the bed? Makes a great alternative to a bedside table and great for hiding books away too.

Plenty of storage space

We sometimes underestimate the amount of storage space we need in the bedroom and so when it comes to planning bedroom furniture, take a look at small, medium and tall chest of drawers, a bit like this painted bedroom furniture. Create cohesion with matching pieces such as an oak wardrobe with matching oak chest of drawers and the like.

Quick fix

Clearly, replacing bedroom furniture may be a leap too far in relation to your budget and so a quick fix – like the under-bed drawers and a blanket chest – is ideal. Another quick fix is wooden shelving, a great addition to any bedroom but works well with both the rustic and Scandinavian interior design styles.

The key to all storage solutions is easy access, so no matter what you choose for the bedroom, making sure it is super-easy to use – like pulling a drawer open…

Easy tips on how to style your dining area with art

Your dining room is potentially one of the most social spaces in your home. With dinner parties and big occasions like Christmas often revolving around the dining room, it offers the perfect backdrop for displaying your beautiful art.

Often dining rooms are purely practical and can lack personality. With a dining room having to focus around your dining table, in a small room there can be little room for extra furniture and large decor pieces. This is why art is perfect for making a statement in the dining room.

Dazzle your guests with contemporary art in your dining room whilst you cook up a storm in the kitchen.

Create a gallery wall

A gallery wall is a great way of adding drama and interest to your space, without needing to take up any floor space. A gallery wall lends itself to a more eclectic finish so feel free to get creative with colour for a modern pop. However, you could also match the colour palette to the rest of your room, or even opt for a monochrome look for a more glamorous space.

Becoming a statement in your dining room, you can keep the rest of your decor very simple. Farmhouse furniture tends to be fairly simple in its style, letting the natural character of wood shine through. A light wood rustic farmhouse table with complimentary wooden dining chairs will be the perfect accompaniment to a gallery wall.

When it comes to selecting art, try and find one or two pieces you adore and make them the centrepiece. This will make it easier to arrange the wall, and give you a focal point to work around. The Laughing Donkey Canvas would make a stunning statement on any dining room wall and ties in perfectly with farmhouse and reclaimed wooden furniture.

Don’t hang it

Add some more depth to your walls by not hanging art on the walls. If you have a white dresser or sideboard, layer one or two canvases leaning against the wall for a more modern take on art. Go for a white on white look with the focus being the art. You could even put several pieces of art on the floor, which works especially well with larger pieces.

The light colours of the Grey Hare Canvas is perfect for pairing with white furniture, especially if you opt to have reclaimed wood elements too. Place the art on your sideboard, with a couple of smaller pieces, perhaps in decorative silver frames, to bring the colours together and add chic country style.

Use shape to create contrast

Shape is the best way to create interest in your so if you go for a clean, geometric look with your furniture, a softer, more eclectic finish with your art work looks great. Alternatively, if you have gone for an organised display of art with several pieces all the same size, unique furniture is great. Try to find an oak or reclaimed wood dining table with a unique edge or even base to create an elegant statement.

Use shelves

Large shelving units, or even shelves fixed to the wall are great for creating a living wall of art, where you can change your artwork as you please. You could fill the entire space with canvas and framed pieces, add in new (and old) old family photographs, vintage prints or even mix it up with decor pieces to keep it fresh. You don’t even need to necessarily change the art – a new arrangement of the frames can completely transform the look of your room.

If you find pieces which stick within a colour scheme, you could even tie it in with your furniture. This will create a well thought-out, sleek appearance which also allows you to play around with colour. For example, in a display which uses a lot of blue, place blue chairs around a farmhouse dining table.

Create balance with symmetry

It can be tempting to mimic the shape of your table and placing horizontal artwork on the walls. But to create a statement, portrait or square artwork can look fantastic.

Then, when it comes to chairs, opt for fabric dining chairs for luxurious style which doesn’t mean you have to compromise on comfort. A round club chair design works well. A unique rounded based with a padded seat offers eye-catching design and will make for a statement dining room.

With the rose golden base of the black dining chair, the warm brown tones of the the Stag Canvas works beautifully. You could even select another animal from the collection and place the two next to one another.

Take a look at the full collection of art at Modish Living, or get in touch with one of our team members for more information.

How to position the desk for success

Whilst some of us find the fluttering of garden birds an inspiration, some of us find the sun pouring the window, the birds, the noise, the whole garden and the view a distraction.

And distractions, when you are sat at your desk, is not a good thing. You need to be able to quickly settle into work, focus on what you need to because when that happens, success ensues.

So where is the right place to put your desk that equals success?

At an Angle

Is there something in you that likes to be able to see into other rooms or still want to feel part of what’s happening? If you do, then experts suggest placing your writing desk at an angle.

You occupy the corner of the room, but have visual access across a wide arc of 270°, perfect if you don’t like the idea of being snuck up on.

Against the back of the sofa

If you work in a large room or have a reclaimed wood desk in the lounge for the occasional piece of office work, then an ideal solution is to place the back of the desk against the back of the sofa.

Works well when the sofa and desk are of the same length or if the desk is smaller, place it in the centre portion of the sofa. If you are doing this, make a statement with a desk similar to this reclaimed wood Colonial writing desk. There is something very grand and inspiring about the solidity of its design.

In the bay window

If you are blessed with bay windows you will understand what a blessing and a curse they can be – oodles of natural light but a not-quite-big-enough-space to use when it comes to furniture.

We have the solution in our reclaimed furniture range in the shape of a bijou desk, complete with foldaway writing platform.

A work bank against the wall

For some of us, distractions need to be at a minimum and the only real solution is to remove as many distractions as you can. If working against the wall sounds a great idea to you, then forge ahead. Make it look superb by creating a straight line working bank, complete with a customised Oldman desk, cupboards and your favourite leather office chair. Wooden shelving also works great at head height for storing essential work items.

In the corner

An alternative to a straight working ‘bank’ is to position yourself in a corner, again utilising the space above you for wooden shelving so that you have clear working space on a small computer desk, the ideal fit for the corner.

A study nook

Another trend that we think works well is the study nook, a bijou space that is a bespoke adaption to your home. If you don’t mind being shoe horned into a titchy space, this is the ideal solution but from the examples of study nooks we have seen so far, they look fairly sumptuous and grand.

Key to success is choosing the right home office furniture as much as it is about where to put your desk. But as a matter of interest, where do you have your desk?

Spend a lazy day in your reading nook

National Lazy Day is just around the corner. You can spend August 10^th, 2017 doing exactly want you want – unplug, unwind and enjoy a lazy day. Being lazy is about relaxing, and not necessarily doing anything that you don’t really want or need to. So, what is your favourite way to relax?

We took a straw poll of our team and it seems that the perfect lazy day for us to curl up with a good book. Or two. Or three.

But we think there is one more element that adds to a lazy day of reading and day-dreaming – your very own reading nook.

But Why a Reading Nook?

Reading and being ‘lazy’ is about relaxing, unwinding and unplugging from busy work and social lives. Reading is a chance to escape, to exercise a part of your creative brain that doesn’t get flexed enough when days are busy. And your very own reading nook is a warm, cosy space where you stop your world from spinning so fast, for a while at least.

Styling Your Reading Nook

It can be the smallest of places, like under the stairs or a space in the loft that is dressed with a comfy armchair (look at the stud work!) and a wool rug, complete with super-soft cushions, a blanket box and a throw for when the rain is hammering at the window.

You only need the smallest of spaces to convert into a reading nook and providing the lighting is good, you really can set up home anywhere.

The What

And now comes the exciting bit – the bit where you get to create your very own personal reading nook. Think of no one else but what you like!

But what is essential in a reading nook?

Lighting – from the loft to under the stairs, to a delightful space in the corner of a room, it needs to have good lighting. Choose soft lighting, but one that illuminates your book or e-reader, such as an elegant metal arc lamp. For extra light in a space, consider adding a mirror.

The seating – next on the list is the comfy armchair you are going to curl up in. fabric armchairs are a great idea, as are sumptuous leather armchairs (too big? Take a look at a smaller fabric armchair) Style and comfort do go hand in hand but when it comes to colour, the choice is entirely yours, from a modern armchair to something more old-school. Don’t forget some lovely cushions and throws.
The coffee table – for mugs of steaming coffee or a cocktail, the ideal surface is a wood coffee table. For storing your books, consider a coffee table with storage such as a drawer or shelving. And don’t forget rustic wood shelves for super stylish storage solutions. We also love the romance of a wooden blanket box, the ideal place to store extra throws for when you need an extra layer or two.

Rugs – to bring the whole space together, you need a third item besides your armchair and coffee table. And this comes in the shape of wool rugs. Use a rug to add colour, as well as warmth and texture to your space (and a cosy feel beneath your feet!).

Go on tell us, will you spend National Lazy day on August 10^threlaxing? Or will you be too busy creating your very own relaxing reading nook?

No space for an office? A study nook is the solution

Oldman White Industrial Reclaimed Wood Desk

More and more of us are realising the flexibility of working from home. Great for a business and fantastic for boosting productivity levels, working from the comfort of your own home is the ideal solution in so many ways.

Unless that is, you don’t have a space that can be turned into a small office or study. Working long hours hunched over your laptop on the sofa or curled up on your bed is not the best solution.

But when rooms are occupied, squeezing your home office space in can seem like an insurmountable challenge. Until now.

The solution is the study nook.

What is a ‘Study Nook’?

A small space that effortlessly occupies a small space in your home. It can be the space under the stairs or a small cubicle like space in the corner of the room. It can be the space on the landing that doesn’t have a purpose or a small part of the dining room.

It may be small but it is mighty because not only is it practical and functional, it is stylish too.

The Desk and the Chair

First and foremost, you need to ensure that your working platform is as you need it. In a small space, having a ‘fitted’ desk is ideal and that means ordering a made-to-measure and finished-to-your-specifications desk, such as those in our Oldman Desk range.

A reclaimed wood desk is the ideal choice, especially when matched with an office chair that fits you and the space perfectly. Remember, comfort can walk hand in hand with stylish; those comfy chairs really can be the seating solution you need.

Kit it Out

How do you spend work time? Do you sketch things out or spend all your time crouched at your desk? Do you read, edit, make notes?

In other words, do you always have to be sitting at your desk? Using the lounge is one thing, but there are too many tempting distractions there so stay in your stylish study nook by accessorising and kitting it out with useful and pretty things.

Curl up in a comfy grey armchair the next time you conference call or enjoy the feeling of a wool rug beneath your feet on a grey, cold morning, the Atlantic blue colour complementing the space perfectly, as you set about your day’s work.

Wool rugs are ideal for adding depth and texture to a space, as are other textiles such as cushions and throws. But to complement your wooden desk and other items of reclaimed wood furniture, you need some accessories too.

As well as dealing with storage, you need to create the ideal atmosphere to help your creative spirit.

Why not maximise light, for example, with a mirror, great for adding a flourish of detail too? Candle stick holders are ideal too – pretty when not in use, or for when you want to create an air of calm, burning scented candles is ideal. If you don’t fancy an unguarded naked flame, these delightfully curvaceous tea light holders are beautiful. And in sets of three, they are the designer’s delight!

Designed around you and your work, the study nook is ideal in so many ways. How will your study nook look?