farmhouse Archives - Page 8 of 10

How to create a stunning and personal kitchen just for you

Each month, we will consider the steps that need to be taken before major renovation work in the home on a room-by-room approach. This month, we look at the kitchen and what you need to consider before you make any major changes to it.

Renovating the kitchen is an exciting opportunity to bring your kitchen up to date with the latest gadgets and styling, as well as improving it so it flows better for you and your family. But it is not just choosing new cupboard doors and fancy gizmos…

Heating

If you are performing major renovations in the kitchen, spare a moment to consider whether this will include the heating system. Radiators are all well and good but for any kitchen, underfloor heating is worth a second look. As well as no radiator taking up space, it is a gentler heat for the space.

Does it flow?

Before you start styling your kitchen, think about whether it flows in its current format or whether it links with other elements in the area. For example, does it work the garden, connecting with nature and summer, al fresco dining?

Half walls

If you are blessed with a large kitchen diner, it can be tempting to assume that it will connect and flow. Putting in half walls is not about adding a barrier, but using the space wisely. Kitchen islands work well as do bar table and stools, especially if you don’t make it a fixed feature.

Storage solutions

Kitchen cupboards are staples of the space, but fixed ones don’t have to be. For a modern, clean look a bank of floor to wall cupboards is a great move, especially if they are bespoke and make the best use of awkward space or walls.

For some, this too clinical and devoid of character. If you prefer the rustic kitchen or even the farmhouse style, then open storage shelves are a worthwhile consideration. As well as fixed options, consider freestanding kitchen shelving solutions. As well as open ladder shelving, you may want to consider a sideboard, either half height or with a display unit on top.

Your touch

It is, after all, your kitchen and so you want it to tell your story, so to speak. This comes through in the styling choices from whether you have fixed cupboards, floor and wall mounted, or whether you opt for a less prescribed approach.

It is the small stylistic touches that make it yours: the choice of tiles, shape and colour, the worktops, the lighting, the materials used.

But there is one piece that we think should never be compromised on – the kitchen table. It is the place where people gather, in joy and sorrow, and it never to be underestimated. From the satisfying brawn of the farmhouse kitchen table to the utilitarian industrial kitchen table, the table is the piece that pulls the finished kitchen together.

Your Project

Are you renovating your kitchen? If so, why not take some before and after photos to share with us. We would love to see the results, especially if our products feature in it!

Create a breakfast room that will make you love your home

Life is busy and we should all make an effort to take some time out for ourselves. Create a breakfast room that suits you and your family’s needs for a more enjoyable breakfast experience. And if you’re still looking for a New Year’s resolution, why not make it your mission to sit down, relax and eat breakfast in the morning to set yourself up properly for the day. It only takes 5 minutes and you’ll feel much more positive than if you run out the door finishing the last of your toast!

Your kitchen doesn’t need to be huge for you to create a great space to eat. Where space is tight, you just need to be creative.

It’s easy to create a breakfast spot if you already have a kitchen island. Simply adopt a bistro-style feel by adding breakfast bar chairs along one edge. If you have counters with some overhang, you can tuck the stools under when they’re not in use and it will hardly take up any space at all. Not only will you create enough space for breakfast, but you’ll also turn your kitchen into a more sociable room for your family and for entertaining.

If you have wooden counter tops, create a streamlined look with coordinating wooden chairs. Oak bar stools look elegant and their hardwearing quality makes them perfect for family homes.

Alternatively, rattan is a fantastic option to add a bit of texture and comfort to your kitchen.

Alternatively, create a breakfast nook in the corner of your kitchen with a breakfast bar table and stools. You may think you don’t have room but think again. A simple cafe style table with a pair of statement bar stools will work in the smallest of kitchens. You may even be able to find clever storage solutions which double up as storage, or a wine rack, as well as a breakfast table.

If you are short on space, keep furniture and upholstery light. Cream bar stools are a perfect option for country or shaker style kitchens for a gorgeous classic feel. Alternatively, in a more modern space, industrial style bar stools which incorporate metal and wood are often slightly slimmer and sleeker in design, so may be just what you are looking for.

Where you have room for a table in your kitchen, try and maximise the natural light by placing the table close to the window (or French doors). This will create an illusion of more space and will ultimately make kitchens look less cluttered if you’re short on space.

Colourful bar stools will add a punch of interest to your decor scheme. For example, the chairs shown in the image above are upholstered in a gorgeous blue-toned grey which works beautifully to add a subtle pop of colour against the mainly white and neutral room. Blues, greens, pinks and yellows are all fantastic colours to make a statement in your kitchen.

Luxe Daisy Upholstered Bar Stool in Velvet

If you’re fortunate enough to have a separate dining room, make the most of it – don’t just keep it for special occasions! To create a siren dining area, opt for an elegant chair and table set in classic colours. Finish with simple details like a large mirror on the wall and a statement glass vase in the centre of the table to create an ideal spot to relax.

Whatever your breakfast spot, create a space where you’ll want to sit down each morning with a cup of coffee and ease yourself into the day ahead.

Our most read blog posts of the year

The aim of our blog is simple – to give you ideas on how to create the style and finish you want in your home. And it seems that our articles and posts are hitting the right notes.

With this in mind, we took a look back at the three most popular blogs. And what they tell us is interesting…

5 Interior Design Styles

Take a moment to read any interior design or lifestyle blog, and you will see it talks about various trends and must-have styles. But the problem is that even though the photos look appealing and you decide a certain style will work for you, it is often impossible to recreate the style in your own home.

This blog looked at the basics of five of the most popular interior design styles, from rustic to industrial. It included key elements that made an interior style rustic or farmhouse, or what materials need to combine to give the industrial looking edge to your home or the mid-20^th Century modern that so many of us enjoy. Well worth another look!

Read the blog here.

Welcoming Spring with the Farmhouse Style

There is something comforting, yet elegantly stylish and unfussy about the farmhouse look that makes for it being so popular. It is practical without every element of detail or design being eliminated. It came as no surprise to find that the second most popular blog from this year was this piece of how to create the farmhouse style in your home.

We know it can be hard to reproduce the style across the home, so with this blog, we took a room by room approach. It looked at how to use open shelving – great for the studio, study or living room – as well as other farmhouse furniture staples work well to create the style.

It examined how to create a cohesive farmhouse style in the kitchen and the dining room, as well as a look at which accessories work well with the style. Take another look at how to create the farmhouse style in your home, no matter what time of year.

How to Choose the Perfect Wood Dining Table

It is an item of furniture that lasts for years and years. Rarely replaced, the dining table needs to be universally stylish. Choosing the right dining room sets can take a long time, especially with so much choice.

Wood is the favoured material as it ‘fits’ all design styles, from the rustic to the industrial style, as well as the uber-modern. But which shape? Which design? What style? What about dining chairs – upholstered or leather? Or is a dining bench a better option?

With so many questions that need answering, many people turned to a popular blog we published in the summer. This was our third most popular blog – and is still racking up visitors – and no wonder because choosing a wooden dining table that offers everything you need is a tough decision!

Take a look at the blog again for help to choose the best wood dining table for your home.

We’ve thoroughly enjoyed providing inspiration through our blog this year – what would you like to see us cover next?

How do you prefer your door handles: in brass or silver?

We asked, and you answered. Like some of our other polls on Houzz and Instagram, there was a clear winner on one, but a difference of opinion between fans on another page. It was a tricky question too, we thought – which handle finish do you prefer, the timeless elegance of brass or the chic of silver?

We gave you two amazing pieces to look at too – a display cabinet with painted frame and brass handles, and a large display unit, complete with silver handles.

Which do you think came out on top?

Silver Handles

On Instagram, the majority of people voted for silver handles, with around half of those that expressed an opinion opted for brass.

Silver effect finishes are an option that has been around for some time, with some trends demanding a matte silver finish, whilst other design trends championed the polished, sparkling silver look. Either way, it brings a dash of modern detailing to a room and the items within it.

A glass display cabinet with darker, pewter or silver-plated handles is perfect for so many interior design schemes, especially a modern-looking finish. And it is worth paying attention to these small details. They may not be immediately obvious but mis-matching handles on a display unit or wooden sideboards can stand out – for all the wrong reasons.

The Scandinavian style seamlessly blends warmth, character and natural materials. It is an understated interior design scheme and one that is becoming more popular in recent years. Brass fitting and detailing would be too heavy and cumbersome in this kind of scheme, too out of character and not in keeping with the seamless marriage between the different materials in the space.

Brass Handles

On Houzz, the must-have handle choice was, without any shadow of a doubt, brass. And it is no wonder…

The surprise accessory trend

Trends come and go but there was one that caught by surprise and that was the growing popularity of brass accessories. But in some ways, we shouldn’t have been surprised. With earthy tones and colours being the mainstay colours for the last year or so, brass was perfect against the darker shades of earth green and midnight blue. Great for the traditional appeal and interior design schemes, brass seems to have shed its ‘old-fashioned’ tag as remains the must-have finish for everything from handles to candelabra.

The farmhouse appeal

An interior design scheme growing fast in popularity is the farmhouse style. Similar in its appeal to the rustic scheme, the farmhouse look has a slightly more refined edge to its finish and this means that the detailing of brass handles – ornate or slimline – is a welcome addition to the living room or the dining room (or anywhere in the home). From the half-moon brass handles on wooden sideboards to ornate brass knobs on farmhouse furniture, there is a beauty to brass that is certainly not lost on our Instagram followers. With the farmhouse kitchen table at its heart, this is a scheme that is simple to replicate and enjoy in your home – and be warned: the smaller details give it the edge!

Whatever your choice of finish, we’re sure to have something to suit you – whether it’s brass or silver handles you prefer!

The most popular Christmas decor ideas for 2017

With today being exactly THREE WEEKS until Christmas Day, it is the perfect time to start decorating. With that in mind, we’ve put together a handy trend report for this festive season to give you some inspiration. Whether you want to mix up your usual decorations with a few new additions, or give something completely new a try, here are the most popular Christmas trends this year.

Nostalgic Celebration

The joyful celebration trend is largely focussed on nostalgia and happy childhood memories and the things you once loved to play with. Add traditional folk art in bright colours, furry animal figures, trinkets from your Grandma’s loft – whatever makes you happy.

The style works wonderfully with handmade furniture complete with quirky features. It’s about having fun with your decor. Why not drape pine over the back of your chair and dangle cute ornaments, like the reindeer featured below. You could even add different ornaments all the way around – a snowman, a penguin Father Christmas – whatever Christmas means to you.

Traditional

If you prefer the look of comfy winged armchairs, reclaimed wood furniture and a cosy fire, almost like a wintery log cabin, perhaps a more traditional Christmas decor scheme is the way to go for you.

The traditional Christmas decor is all about using raw materials and focussing on high quality craftsmanship. Add earthy tones like brown, forest green and almond with a pop of red here and there to create that warming country Christmas you’ve been dreaming of. If you can knit, a stocking or two hung above the fireplace or perhaps even some knitted baubles on your Christmas tree would look gorgeous and are things you can pass on. Alternatively, if you can sew, how about creating a couple of embroidered cushions to pop on your armchair?!

Bring the Outside In

As for hallway decorating ideas, this trend is a great one – elegant, classic and sparkly – its a real people pleaser. This style is inspired by natural themes of water and ice and is all about creating an airy, delicate space with the use of soft linen, glass and metallics like gold.

Add pinecones and little bells to your Christmas tree to create a beautiful understated look. Make sure to add plenty of fairy lights to your Christmas tree, as well as throughout your home, create a magical display. Drape them around the dresser in your kitchen, around the handrail up the stairs, on the fireplace or around bed frames to turn your home into a modern, elegant Santa’s grotto!

Chic Geometry

Industrial decor has certainly made quite the impact on interior design in the past couple of years. Quickly becoming a firm favourite, ultra contemporary furniture with sleek lines and metal elements needs something equally as fun and contemporary to bring it to life at Christmas.

This eye-catching trend is about injecting strong colours and geometric shapes, as seen in modern art to create a powerful, modern Christmas scheme. Go for bright colours, or even a monochrome scheme to create the look adding items like terrariums, blocky wooden Christmas trees and angular tree decorations to make the most of this new Christmas decor trend. The Geometry trend is certainly one you can have some fun with!

And how about something more unique…

Pineapple Christmas trees are big news for 2017. A great way to add tropical flare to your dining table, there are so many ways you can use pineapples to decorate – and it’s a fairly inexpensive option too! You could hang baubles on the pineapple leaves, add lights or spray a trio of pineapples silver, gold and bronze for a fantastically unique display. Will you be giving this trend a go before it is relegated to a trend of Christmas past?

And what about a Christmas tree completely out of the box? A couple of years ago, when they first launched, many people were skeptical of the upside down trees, (and again last year when the world was introduced to half trees, the compact option perfect for small spaces). But they’re back again and they’re actually quite genius! A topsy-turvy tree may be the perfect option if you are looking to make a statement, or bring a modern twist to Christmas decor. And, as mentioned, if you are looking to save space to fit everyone in the living room on Christmas morning, or around the table for lunch, a smaller, half tree may be a fantastic alternative.

So what do you think? Will you be sticking to traditional Christmas decor this year or give something new a try? We’d love to know your thoughts.

Why dark chairs are the best for dining room

We often steer away from dark colours, assuming they will close down a space or be too imposing. But interior designers tell us that adding a little bit of black or another dark colour frames the room to the eye.

With this in mind, we thought we would take a look at dark coloured chairs for the dining room, not just in fabric but in wood too. But how well will this work? What needs adding to create a pleasant contrast, without losing a sense of stylish cohesion?

Introducing yesteryear

There cannot be many who would fail the remember the cross-back dining chair. Free from upholstery, it was a style that relied on the colour of the wood to bring interest to a dining table. Fantastic for a rustic or farmhouse styled traditional dining room, the Belle Noir cross back dining chair brings an elegance to any dining table.

A similar styled cross back dining chair is available in grey too, perfect for creating a more open feel to a dining room. Think café style or a bistro setting, perfect for the informal, casual kitchen or dining table.

Dark Upholstery Heaven

Dark coloured upholstery works particularly well. From a practical point of view, for a busy home with children and pets, dark fabrics are certainly brilliant for hiding a multitude of sins until you can get around to cleaning them properly after spills.

But darker coloured fabrics also bring depth and texture to a room. The black button back dining chair with exquisite studwork detailing is perfect for adding detail to the dining room, without compromising on the formal style.

For a more sumptuous appeal, take a look at these black fabric dining chairs, with same-coloured fabric buttons. The velvet soft texture just invites you to touch it and again, the studwork detailing and the ‘lion knocker’ on the back of the chair make these chairs things of beauty.

To offset the black dining chairs, usually an equally strong colour, such as ruby reds or deep purples. Consider adding colour to the floor with a sumptuous rug or for the festive season, berry red and sage green table accessories are simply perfect.

Ramp up The Style

Rose gold has been the must-have colour for the last year and we see no sign of this beautiful coloured metal disappearing anywhere soon. In fact, interior designers are predicting they will use it throughout their upcoming collections and ideas, so these black dining chairs with rose gold frames are an absolute must. The curvaceous ‘bucket’ shape is ideal for when you want to introduce modern styling into a dining room. These would make great bedroom chairs too!

But if you don’t want black, these Luxe Madison velvet dining chairs are a great solution. Why not team them with a glass top dining table- like the Luxe Kensington Reclaimed, itself a modern stylish icon of the dining room?

An Industrial Dining Room Landscape

The utilitarian appeal of the industrial style is perfect for any home, from a bachelor pad to a busy, family home and these Barton grey fabric dining chairs are no exception. The black metal legs are perfect for introducing this dining chair in the dining room with a hint of the industrial style. The simplicity of the chair, its lack of adornment, buttoning and studwork means it adds style, but without the fuss.

Which of these darker coloured dining chairs would suit your dining room?

Why choose a round dining table for your home?

The dining table is the essential element of the dining room or space in your home. But why opt for a round table? What are the advantages and drawbacks?

1 Room Dynamic

Every room in your home has a mood or an ambience about it. In the dining room, you want it to be stylish and welcoming. Some people find that a rectangle table is more accommodating and yet, there is something magical about a round farmhouse dining table that seems to draw everything else around it to it. Maybe it is the softly, curving lines of the round farmhouse table that is the key?

2 More Inclusive

For this point, we need heat out of the kitchen and into the boardroom. The rectangle table has two long sides and two shorter sides and at one end, the boss would sit; the person with the power and control. The head of the house would also occupy this space at the dining table but with a round dining table, there is no ‘head’. Everyone is on the same level so to speak thus, the roundness of the table is perfect for making sure that everyone is included.

3 Perfect for Parties

And this means the inclusivity of a round table makes it an ideal choice if you entertain too, whether that is a formal dinner party or an informal gathering of friends and family. Everyone can see each other, connect and interact.

4 Bunch up!

The best gatherings are those that are impromptu. The ones where someone calls as you are dishing up tea or the number of guests at your party seems to have swollen beyond the guest list. The best parties are those where people sit on mismatched chairs, footstools or balance on a beach ball. With a round dining table, it is easier for people to join in, bunch up so to speak, and enjoy time together.

5 But they extend too…

It is not just rectangular tables that extend, you know. The round table can add a middle section, changing it from round to elliptical. Better still, this is offered in all kinds of styles too such as the Scandinavian design. Who wouldn’t love the extending Scandinavian dining table in their home?

6 Consume Less Space

A round table is perfect for the large dining room, just as it is for the smaller dining room too. Because there are no sharp edges and angles, as pleasing as they may be, the roundness of the table allows for easier flow, essential for the smaller dining room remaining accessible, functional and stylish too.

7 Understated Glamour

Maybe it is the soft curving nature of the round dining table that makes it so attractive but we think there is something else. The supporting legs of the table don’t need to occupy the ‘four corners’ because there are none. And this means a pedestal leg.

A glorious column of loveliness that makes squeezing around the table so much easier and pain-free – no knocking knees against table legs! Just look at the statement the legs of the Colette reclaimed dining table make…

Is a round dining table your favourite?

Our contemporary approach on the classic farmhouse table

Hoxton Oak White Farmhouse Dining Table and Chairs

As you would expect, the farmhouse style contains many nods towards the farmhouse of old. The milk churns, the wire baskets, the summery yellow and the hint of floral charm on soft furnishings and window dressings.

Farmhouse or Classic Farmhouse – Is There a Difference?

There is detail, but there is also a more than a hint of the practical, simply because it needs to be. After a hard day tilling the land and tending flocks, no farmer nor their family wants to return to a home that is devoid of function or warmth.

But if the quaintness of the style doesn’t quite sit easy, there is an alternative. It retains much of the farmhouse charm but there is a refined elegance in the classic style within the confines of the farmhouse style. Slightly sleeker but nowhere near minimalist, there is a welcome dose of the modern, hence it is the ideal choice for many a home.

The Heart of the Home

The kitchen in any home is the heart of the home but in the farmhouse, it was the ‘main’ living area, probably because it was the warmest. But this doesn’t mean the modern farmhouse table has to be huge and overbearing.

Choose a modern dining table that pays homage to the farmhouse style – the painted white legs, the wood top – and you won’t be disappointed. The Hoxton oak dining table is ideal or for a little more detail and panache, why not opt for the ample proportions of the rustic trestle table?

The farmhouse kitchen of old was the place family and friends gathered, and was the venue for many a social event and get together. Your kitchen is likely to be the same, with friends and family welcome at any time. This can mean that even the biggest of farmhouse table is under pressure in terms of space for diners. Thus, the extendable farmhouse table is the solution.

Of course, seating is important too and again, there is a practical element to the farmhouse style. For example, dining benches are often used, doubling up as storage space too in many a busy kitchen.

Then there is the iconic farmhouse style chair, with wooden spindle backs. But this doesn’t mean you cannot add a hint of texture with upholstered dining chairs. To give fabric dining chairs the best chance of effortlessly taking their place at the table, keep colours neutral and the fabrics natural. The off-white linen effect of these delicately detailed upholstered dining chairs is perfect with the class style farmhouse table. Or, if you want to bring the look right up to date with colour, then you can’t go wrong with grey dining chairs.

Complete the Look

The display cabinet – as a classic piece of farmhouse furniture – is as synonymous with the farmhouse kitchen as the large dining table is. The white display cabinet still has its place and its uses, bringing both grandeur and practicality to any busy kitchen. Opt for the statuesque, single white display cabinet or, if space allows, the double display cabinet, with glass doors and pristine white exterior won’t go amiss. Or, if space is pressing, the white painted sideboard is the ideal addition that doesn’t consume space.

The farmhouse style is a charming style. Robust yet heart-warmingly charming, it will work in any home, including yours.

How do you prefer a display cabinet: with or without glass?

It was a big question. But we asked it. And you answered.

It was a dead heat. Half of you who responded to the question “how do you prefer your display cabinet, with or without glass?” said with glass and the other half were clear in their conviction: the only way forward is without glass.

With this in mind, we examine the pros and cons of glass display cabinets with those without glass.

With Glass

There is something undeniably beautiful about glass, whether it is as a glass door on a display unit or a shelf. Why do we love glass display cabinets so much?

Reflective – glass is a reflective material and so in any room, large or small, it allows natural and ambient light to play.
Elegant – this reflective ability means it adds a sense of elegance to any space or any interior design scheme.
Versatile – glass fits any interior design scheme. There is the traditional appeal of the farmhouse style display unit or the non-fussy finish to the modern style.
Protective – glass doors (any doors from any material) mean an extra layer of protection to the items inside. This is why most farmhouse or rustic style cabinets and dressers will have at least one section with glass doors.

The Con

We struggled to think of any, but we did come up with one…

The Glass Cleaning Dilemma – the smears, the annoying bits of dust and fibres left behind, the sticky finger marks… we could go on, but this is the only real bug we have about glass. And yet, it is not a ‘real’ one, is it? As well as homemade glass cleaning remedies (warm water with white vinegar, a lint-free cloth) or high-quality shop bought glass cleaners, keeping the glass doors of the display sparkling takes no more than a few minutes, if that.

Without Glass

Of course, we recognise that there are times when a cabinet without doors is the order of the day but what pros do these open display cabinets bring to a room?

Functional – there is a pleasing sense of utilitarianism about an open display cabinet. You can see its structure, the skeleton of the pieces that is just as beautiful as the reclaimed wood shelves of the industrial-style cabinet.
Openness – for many, it is the openness of the shelving that is appealing. Items are not hidden away behind door frames and glass but allowed to shine in their own right. In some ways, this is a testament to the history hidden in reclaimed wood furniture. Why wouldn’t you want to see it and admire it?
Easy to Access – and for many, it is the fact that when you need something, you can grab it off the shelf. No need to open doors and shut them again; a case of ‘grab and go’, perfect for when you need things quickly and frequently.

The Con

Again, we struggled because it is a personal question of style, likes and dislikes…

Look too bare? – depending on your style, likes and dislikes, the utilitarian feel can be too much. It lacks character, some might say but we think that in the right setting, with accessories to bring it out of its shell, the open shelving of a display unit come to life.

The Answer?

It depends on your style and what statement you want your display cabinet to make because with or without glass doors, both types pack a stylish punch.