bedroom Archives - Page 17 of 20

How to bring autumn style into your home

Autumn is a delightful season, even though it is a time of golden colour, the nights drawing in are a signal to the onset of winter. The wind and rain have a chillier edge to them, and we consider bringing out the warmer coats and the throws for snuggling on the sofa of an evening.

The time has come to bring a cosy feel to your home. And here’s how:

Refresh with a Rug

Dressing your home for autumn (and winter too) is not just about adding autumn colours – deep reds, golden yellows and rich orange – but about adding texture too. With a rug, you add the both colour and depth of texture so why not add a zing of colour and an extra layer of warmth with wool rugs? Add to the living room, the dining room, the hallway and the bedrooms: the choice is yours.

The gentle glow of candlelight

Light becomes important in autumn, especially with the shorter days. But this doesn’t mean you want bright light all of the time. Banish dark hallways and corners with beautiful, soft glow ambient lighting as well as the romantic flicker of candlelight. For safety, keep candles well cocooned in suitable vessels such as a lantern or large candle holders.

Keep lights and shades soft in colour and opt for curves rather than harsh angles and bright bulbs. The Sassa bedroom lamps are an ideal addition to any bedroom but work well on the hallway console table too.

Warmth in textures too

As well as staying warm with heating and the fire, the materials used in a space add depth and warmth too. The best materials are those that are natural, such as wool rugs, wool throws and wooden furniture and accessories.

The log burner will no doubt be throwing out serious heat over the coming chilly days and nights, and the log holder baskets made from fast-growing rattan are the ideal carriers. It is the colour and the natural material that make these the ideal choice for the farmhouse or rustic styled interior.

Small accessories: Big difference

Autumn affects every room in the house including the kitchen. This wooden ladder is perfect for keeping throws in the living room or a convenient piece of furniture for the bedroom.

Accessories such as decorative mirrors are not to be forgotten either. In fact, the humble mirror is ideal for the autumn home as it helps to bounce flickering candlelight about a space, giving them an even warmer, softer feel.

Colour, texture & material

When autumn comes knocking at the door, your home becomes your sanctuary and feeling warm is not just a physical thing. Warmth to the eye is important too and that means creating a space that feels and looks warm and appealing. As well as colour, add texture with natural materials and enjoy your home this autumn – even if the autumn rain is lashing at the window.

What are the benefits of choosing a rug

Living Room Styled With Louis de Poortere Vintage Patchwork Rug

Whilst hard wooden or tiled floors are beautiful to look at and have many benefits of their own, sometimes, a carpet or rug underfoot feels like a luxurious accessory. In the colder months, it feels so much nicer to step into a thick, warm material instead of a chilly floorboard. For those who are keen to keep some of their hard flooring visible and prefer not to choose a permanent solution to their chilly toes, a rug provides the perfect solution.

Rugs help to reduce dust

Rugs absorb and retain more dust than hard surfaces, meaning a reduction of visible dust in your home. Living room rugs, and indeed rugs for any room in the home, are easy to clean and a once a week vacuum should rid your rug of any dust accumulation. Most are tolerant of damp cloths and cleaning products should a spillage occur. The moveable nature of a rug means that it can be taken outside and shaken or beaten for a deeper clean.

Rugs are great for playing

If you have ever spent time on a hard floor playing with children you will know all too well the benefits of a rug. A cosy surface in a child’s bedroom is such a lovely addition both for them and for you. A wool rug like our Agnetha grey twist feels indulgent, is soft to touch and great for playing. Made from 100% New Zealand wool, these wool rugs have the additional benefit of being easy to maintain – a must where children are involved!

Rugs enhance acoustics

Soft furnishings absorb sounds and rugs are no exception. Resonance is reduced in an area with a rug and the bigger the rug, the greater the impact. This makes for a calmer, softer ambience and can be easily achieved by placing a rug underneath a dining room table or coffee table. A big Louis De Poortere rug is a perfect solution here. Available in a range of colours and patterns inspired by the Far East, this gorgeously eclectic collection is easy to blend into a range of interiors. Made from pure wool and cotton chenille, it feels beautiful as well as looking great.

Rugs are comfortable

The bottom line is that a great quality rug feels luxurious underfoot and is a pleasure to walk on. Rugs are naturally warm and a lovely treat for your bare feet on a winter’s morning. Next to the bed is particularly indulgent. How about a large sheepskin rug like our luxury double white sheepskin which is naturally warm with a deep and fluffy feel as well as offering a touch of style and glamour to your room. Our reindeer rugs from Finland are also truly luxurious offering thick, sumptuous warmth as well as being individual and unique.

With so much to choose from, we can help you find a beautiful rug that is perfect for your home. Whether traditional rugs, contemporary rugs, simple or patterned rugs, you can be sure it will be a treat for your feet.

How to make your new room welcoming

September is the month that signals the arrival of autumn and change. Leaves change colour, plants and shrubs die back and the weather cools. But as well as nature’s changes, there are changes in life too.

All over the UK, children walk through the doors of their primary school for the first time, older children enter the hallowed corridors of their new secondary school and in Universities across the land, nervous fresher students are also starting a new life.

Making new friends, adjusting to adult life and a new routine, fresher students also find that their own two feet at the only things that steady them in this new world. They have to shop for food, cook, eat it and then tidy away. They have to manage money. They have to kit out their room so that they have a place to call home.

Your new room at university needs to be welcoming and practical. But how? We have the answers…

#1 The desk

You will spend hours hunched over your desk, beating on the keyboard of your laptop or PC to create essays and assignments. It is important that this is an ergonomic space. Thus, an Oldman reclaimed wood desk made to measure for you, with a chair that supports your back and encourages a healthy seating position is a must. Oh, and don’t forget a desk light for those late-night cramming sessions.

#2 Storage

All those years of your folks nagging you to keep your room tidy will now come to fruition. It is simple: space is limited and you want a pleasant room to come back to after a long day of lectures. Climbing over piles of clothes, clean or otherwise, is not conducive to helping your settle at university and enjoy your time there.

For easy storage, we suggest the Wycombe open wardrobe. Really quick to put things away, it is also uber-easy to grab something as you race out the door with minutes to spare until your first lecture of the day.

#3 Accessories

Bringing items from home is comforting when the home sickness bites – and it will – but you will get through it. And this is why a welcoming, warm, comfy and stylish room is essential. From cushions to throws, to photos of friends and family, consider;

Lighting – the central light and the desk lamp are utilitarian (that is, practical). You need a warm light to enjoy the evenings by hence a bedside lamp is a great move. Keep the bulb a soft, warm white. These wicker white bedside lamps are perfect.
Mirror – you need to make sure you are not leaving for the fresher’s ball with jam on your chin and thus, a full-length oak mirror is essential. However, a mirror also helps to make the room feel bigger and also reflects light about the space.

And don’t forget artwork, photos and all those little bits and pieces that make a room YOUR room, YOUR space, YOUR domain.

Foods that will help you sleep better

With the fast pace and distractions of modern life, sleep matters. As the evenings get darker, and with World Dream Day on 25th September, now is the perfect time to think about how you can improve your sleep pattern and conserve energy for those cold winter days.

Two things which make a huge difference to sleep is your diet, and your bed. Here a few of our food and master bedroom ideas to help improve sleep.

Food

There is plenty of foods which will make you sleepy (and lots that will keep you awake too). Stick to these foods for late night bites, and incorporate these into your diet, to help improve your sleep.

Vegetables like sweet potatoes, nuts like pistachios and almonds and fruits like prunes, bananas and cherries are all great to help you feel sleepy. Herbal teas are also great to help you rewind at the end of a long day.

You could even make a banana cake incorporating foods which will make you sleepy (and also make a delicious dessert). Check out a delicious recipe for banana cake here.

Foods to avoid include peppermints, burgers and spicy food. For drinks, of course coffee, as well as orange juice, are ones to avoid in the evening.

Bed

In order to get the best night’s sleep possible, it is important to ensure you have the perfect mattress. Our blogposts on choosing the perfect bed, and choosing the best position for your bed, are full of handy hints and tips to make sure you’ll get a great night’s sleep every night.

Most importantly, to ensure you wake up free of aches and pains, your mattress should support the three natural curves in your back (the neck, middle and lower back). The mattress should be a soft, luxurious surface you can sink into which doesn’t force your back straight. Whether you go for springs or pocket sprung is up to you. Further, when it comes to bedroom decorations keep it simple. You don’t want to provide your brain with more distractions, keeping you awake.

The bed frame is more about style than comfort, however a solid bed frame is important to give adequate support to the mattress upon it. A bed with a curved headboard is great for providing comfort if you like to sit up in bed and read or talk and will also create an elegant finish. Alternatively, contemporary beds with a slim, oak frame will create a sleek look that will perfectly compliment modern furniture.

Of course, patterns are also hugely important when it comes to improving your sleep. For example, turning off any gadgets at least 30 minutes before going to bed will help relax the brain. Ensuring you don’t do work in your bedroom also provides a separated, relaxing space which will make it easier to doze off.

Did you try any of these bed ideas? What are your tips and tricks for getting a better night’s sleep? Let us know.

How to create a rustic retreat in your guest bedroom

Nilsson Rustica Reclaimed Wood Dressing Table

Rustic furniture is a fantastic choice for guest bedrooms. The beautiful, natural markings of the wood create a cosy feeling which is perfect for making your guests feel at home.

Depending on the size of your guest bedroom, you may only have limited space for furniture. But of course, a good bed is a staple in any guest bedroom. It’s World Dream Day on 25th September so make sure your guests have a luxurious bed, they can snuggle up and get comfortable in. Dress your bed with crisp, white bedding and add chunky throws and extra cushions to create a cosy retreat for your guests.

Alternatively, place a wooden blanket box at the end of the bed with extra bedding, cushions and throws so guests don’t feel like they have to bother you if they are cold.

At each side of the bed, bedside tables are a staple for any bedroom, giving guests a spot for the cup of tea whilst they rewind. Keep the tables simple with table lights or perhaps a bunch of fresh flowers to create a welcoming feel. For the ultimate guest bedroom, you could also leave a selection of books and magazines to read.

Then comes storage. If you have guests for extended periods of time and you have the storage space so your guests don’t have to live out of a suitcase for the duration of their stay is a great idea. A small wardrobe with hanging space is a great idea, giving guests to hang up dresses and suits they don’t want to get creased.

Finish the room off with simple accessories. A large rug will add understated style to your guest bedroom and tie any colour scheme together perfectly. A rug is also fantastic under the bed for cold winter mornings when your guests get out of bed.

A rustic mirror is another essential piece so that your guests can get ready comfortably. You could even go one step further and create a dressing area with a beautiful wooden dressing table and a comfortable upholstered chair if you have the space.

To find the perfect reclaimed wood furniture for your guest bedroom to achieve a luxury, rustic look, take a look at our beds, wardrobes and chest of drawers collections or get in touch with one of our team members for any enquiries for bespoke bedroom furniture.

All you need to know about choosing a bed and mattress

With National Make Your Bed Day looming large on 11^th September, it is a timely reminder just how important the mattress and bed is. The right bed frame and mattress can make the difference between getting a great night’s sleep or waking full of aches and pains, with a headache too.

Sleep Matters

It is the body’s way of rejuvenating the physical and the emotional, which is why sleep matters. Thus, getting the right mattress is essential to a good night’s sleep and of course the bed frame, as well as supporting the mattress, also adds a dash of style to the room too, just as well as painted bedroom furniture can.

1. Size

There are, of course, a range of mattress and bed frame sizes from single, to small double, double, king and super king. There is also the possibility of having a bespoke mattress and frame made (but you will need bespoke bed linen too if you are opting for bigger than king size), as well as round mattresses.

Choose the right size bed for you and your budget.

Recycle your old mattress – as far as materials go, there are many components of the mattress that can be reused and repurposed. There are various schemes that will gladly accept your old mattress for recycling.

2. Style

In effect, there are two main styles of bed frame:

Divan base – which is a box like base
Bed frame – which is what it says: a frame with a footboard (although not always) and a headboard.

Both offer great support but many customers opt for the bed frame as it gives more scope for setting a style to a bedroom. For example, contemporary beds are ideal when the style is modern, as is creating and customising your own bed frame.

Another popular choice is reclaimed wood bedroom furniture which offers warmth, familiarity and the sense of the unique, complete with bedroom sets of reclaimed wood furniture to match or contrast.

3 Health Issues

The mattress should be the soft, luxurious platform you sink into at the end of a busy day that affords you ample support and a great night’s sleep. Or it can be the too squishy or too hard a sleeping platform that makes for a poor night’s sleep.

The mattress should support the three natural curves in your back – the neck, the middle and the lower back – and not force your spine straight, an unnatural and pain-inducing position for the spine, the neck and other joints too.

4. Which mattress?

There are various types of mattresses, from memory foam to pocket sprung. Essentially, as well as budget, you need to consider the support that the mattress offers. With a pocket sprung mattress, for example, the coils are encased in individual fabric pouches so they stay exactly where they should be. And the more coils and springs the mattress has, the comfier it should be…

5. Testing, Testing…

Of course, all this support of support and mattresses leads to one logical conclusion; you need to test it.

That doesn’t mean spending the night in the show room, but more about lying on the mattress to see how much support it offers your tired limbs and body…

Once you’ve found the right bed and mattress for you, you should reap the benefits of a great night’s sleep every night.

How to make your bed like a pro

National Make Your Bed Day is celebrated annually on September 11^th. And if you think this is yet another fad, think again. Research shows that making your bed every morning is critical.

It makes your bedroom more appealing – perfect for when you slump into bed after yet another busy day – it helps to keep your room tidy, and it is known that making your bed has an important psychological impact on your stress and mood levels.

But if you do nothing more than fling the covers back on the bed, you are missing a trick. And that means you need this guide on making your bed look delightfully sumptuous and luxurious.

Start with the Basics – The Bed Sheet

Picture of the Onslow Reclaimed Wood Bed

Picture, if you will, your bed and mattress in front of you with no sheets or duvets on it. This guide starts building from the mattress up.

Once you have protected your mattress with a good quality protector, you need the bed sheet. For ease, opt for a fitted sheet or if you want super luxury, opt for a flat sheet. However, the flat sheet will soon come undone if you don’t perfect the skill and art of ‘Hospital Corners’. Watch this minute long ‘How to’ clip and say hello to fantastic corners that never come undone.

Top Tip – the better-quality bed linen, the more comfortable a night sleep you will have and the better they will wash. Look for high-count cotton sheets and pillowcases to get the best.

The Duvet

For a super-sumptuous look, the bigger, the fluffier the duvet the better. Each morning, give it a quick ‘fluff’ by giving a shake or two, watching not to knock off your coveted bedside table lamps, books and so on!

Top Tip – in European countries, it is not uncommon to hang the duvet out of the window for a good airing for an hour or two. Great for keeping mould and creepy crawlies at bay, the air circulating through the fibres keeps the duvet light and fluffy.

Pillows – and Lots of them!

You may only sleep with one pillow but that doesn’t stop you having several pillows piled stylishly at the top end of the bed.

Place the base pillows upright against the headboard and then the other pillows piled against it. Finish the bed with decorative cushions.

But Don’t Forget the Rest of the Room

The bedroom should be a haven of peace and tranquillity, which can be hard to carry off if it is full of clutter and ‘stuff’.

If bed side tables are not quite cutting it, then consider substituting a tall chest of drawers for extra storage space.

Table lamps help to add more light in a room, as well as being the softer lighting option for bed time reading.

Don’t forget, the small details help the reclaimed wood or solid wood furniture in the bedroom stand out, like the throws and the rugs. And keep walls plain so that fantastic canvas art stands out.

Choose accessories that support the main style of your room but always follow the colour rule: two main colours and a third accent.

Do you make your bed every morning?

Take advantage of our sale and get the Scandinavian look

The Scandinavian style is all about light bright spaces with oak furniture and calming shades – hence why it is the perfect style for a bedroom. Get the Scandinavian interior you’ve dreamt of with the Modish Living sale.

Of course, as the main piece of furniture in your bedroom, it is important to get the bed right. Create the look of luxury with the Oldham King Bed. Light oak bedroom furniture is perfect for creating a clean, tranquil space but without compromising on personality. The slim lines of the headboard on this headboard works beautifully with colours like grey and white, with accents of yellow or even with geometric pattern on the walls or through scatter cushions.

For a bit of contrast, pair the bed with one of our sheepskin rugs. The Luxury Sexto Black Sheepskin Rug is great for a bedroom as it will take up a large floor space and create a cosy landing for your feet on chilly winter mornings to come. The beautiful natural colouring adds style and glamour and works to add a little drama to an otherwise very light, neutral room. To tie the black in with other accents, add contemporary black lanterns or thin black frames on artwork so as to not darken the room.

Then comes storage. The Luna collection available at Modish Living offers the most style storage solutions for any modern bedroom, with the slim lines helping to create the illusion of more space. This collection creates the chic Nordic look much loved by stylish home interior magazines. The large chest of drawers also creates invaluable storage space with its good sized drawers.

And of course, a wardrobe in any bedroom is also a must. A solid oak wardrobe will bring enjoyment for years, being both practical and beautiful. The Luna Double Wardrobe is crafted from high grade oak and offers both shelving and drawer space for all your storage needs.

Spoil your mum by offering her a Lazy Day

On Friday 1st September, it is Lazy Mum’s Day. Even on Mother’s Day, mothers keep cooking, cleaning and working hard to look after their families which is why Lazy Mum’s Day is a day where they are encourages to simply be lazy.

There’s no need to buy your Mum a present, just give her some peace and quiet!

Start the day right with breakfast in bed – perhaps even get the kids to prepare breakfast! In a cosy haven of a white wooden bed with lots of scatter cushions and luxurious throws, your Mum can relax with a cup of coffee and her current book rather than rush around getting breakfast and getting everyone ready to leave the house.

If breakfast in bed isn’t an option, once the kids have got to school, if you don’t have to work, take the day to put your feet up. Relax in a comfy armchair reading the newspaper with a hot drink.

Alternatively, for a bit of luxury, invest in a leather chesterfield sofa. The winged arms of this sofa give an elegant twist to this icon of British furniture design and creates an opulent look in any living room. Hang a couple of knitted throws over the edge of the sofa so you can get comfortable and settle in for the long haul. You could even save yourself the hassle of dinner by getting a takeaway and just spend time with family.

Make sure you have the perfect reclaimed wood coffee table to pop your drink on. Sumptuously stylish, this British made rustic coffee table would make the perfect centrepiece to your living room. Stack the shelf with magazines and books so you can spend the day taking a well-earned break with some time to yourself.

To find the perfect living room furniture, take a look at the Modish Living website or get in touch with one of our team members for any enquiries.