industrial Archives - Page 15 of 26

Styling a coloured sofa with industrial style chic

Luxe Kensington Reclaimed Wood Coffee Table and Leather Sofa

You love the colour and the shape but worry that once you get your new sofa in situ at home, it won’t blend with the rest of your home.

It’s all down to how you will style your sofa and we have three ways of making the best of your new sofa, using three of our popular sofas to illustrate the point.

Contemporary and uplifting

What we love about a coloured sofa is the statement it makes and so, if you have been wise and bold enough to choose a coloured sofa, for example, then let it shine.

The Padstow sofa comes in the most amazing plush olive velvet colour and fabric, a sheer delight from whichever angle you admire it from. But we understand that as a colour, the olive green can be a beast that is difficult to tame.

Let the colour shine but give it a contemporary and uplifting feel with hints of rustic with a brick red patterned rug to bring out the hues of the velvet sofa.

A round mirror would bring it all together nicely with a reclaimed wood coffee table being the perfect framing piece for the gorgeous sofa.

Add your own scatter cushions with a geometric design keeping the colours similar to that within the rug and the olive sofa. If you think mixing patterns is too big a risk, opt for a rug without defined shapes or pattern, opting for a more abstract finish.

A neutral shade

Is it a biscuit? Is it cream? Is it grey?? However you choose to describe the colour, the neutral tone of the York button-backed sofa is delightful.

Neutral it may be but that doesn’t mean it blends into the background. If you want to make a colour statement, there is no better choice than a light colour and with the iconic Chesterfield shape to it as well, you are on to a winner from the moment its legs hit your living room floor.

As accompaniments to the main dish, serve it alongside grey fabric armchairs with stud detailing, complementing the whole look with a reclaimed wood storage trunk as a coffee table.

Retain the neutral grey and beige tones with a grey floor rug, neatly knitting it together.

Pops of majestic colour

We have long been in love with the Byron sofa. Its plush velvet pile a tactile delight but it is the colours too that attract us, like bees around a honeypot.

From the shimmering depths of amethyst to the midnight tones ebony, this low-backed Byron crushed velvet sofa also comes in charcoal grey and fuchsia.

You wouldn’t think that an industrial styled living room would welcome a coloured sofa but with some clever tweaks here and there, this stunning piece coloured velvet sofa will work in a chic, industrial setting.

The rustic wooded top of the reclaimed wood industrial coffee table would effortlessly frame the Byron sofa, important for placement in the room.

Another way to support the main piece is with side tables and these lush reclaimed oak side tables would look stunning on either side of the sofa, complete with stunningly statuesque side lamps would work fantastically well.

And finally, pull it all together by bringing out the tones of the back in the metal frame of the industrial furniture and the colour of the sofa with a black and white rug. Opt for one with an abstract design.

Be brave. Be bold. Opt for colour!

Our best-selling armchairs to spend a lazy day in

How to decorate your home office like a pro

Working from home is something more and more of us are opting to do. And no wonder – the combination of working and home life can be balanced, although sometimes the scales drop in favour of one or the other.

But clearly, creating a space that is ‘the office’ is somewhat essential. But getting it right can be harder said than done.

Start with… THE DESK

Whether you are sat at a desk typing or making phone calls or need a space to do your paperwork every now and then, the desk is an essential piece of kit in the home office.

But a one-size-fits-all approach to a home office desk is not the right approach because what suits you, won’t suit another home worker. And what fits in your allotted workspace may not fit into another.

And so, when it comes to a customised industrial desk choose one that meets YOUR needs and the DIMENSIONS of your office.

But consider… THE LIGHT

We can often be driven by the shape and size of the room to place the desk in a spot where it means we are working in shadow.

Ber very conscious of where natural light is – you want plenty of it but not satin harsh, glaring sunlight for part of the day – and what ambient light you will need to add to make it a workable space.

Be conscious of… STYLE & FUNCTION

If you welcome clients into your home office, you need to be extra conscious of the impressions the home office leaves on them. And that means getting clever with;

·Storage and organisation – the chaos of piles of papers and documents may not be the impression you want to convey but (here’s the great news!), metal filing cabinets, irksome and awkward in shape and size, are no longer the only option. Opt for reclaimed wood furniture that doubles as hand storage in the office, complete all the warmth, style, and the beauty of wood.

·Seating – as well as your own ergonomic desk chair, you will want seating for your clients. Make sure you have plenty if you expect groups of people to call in or for smaller, 1-2-1 sessions choose an informal but comfy modern armchair.

Spend time… ON STYLE

Décor is important. It stimulates as much as it soothes, whilst allowing for function and form in the home office.

The small touches matter just as much as when you work on your own as when you share the space or when you have clients or visitors in your office.

Small touches can be anything from plants to a reclaimed wood coffee table with storage because can we ever have too much storage in the office?

Don’t forget… OPEN SHELVING

Books, sculptures and other items on display can be the perfect foil in the business meeting setting. There is a saying within interior design relating to commercial or business spaces – and certainly when designing the industrial style office – and that is personality, not personal.

So yes, add quirkiness and character but without adding the family portraits and the cute photos of the dog. Why not opt for an industrial shelving for those ‘bits and bobs’ or to showcase your work that adds character? Or opt for a stylish bookcase, for example, that is a talking point in itself…

The home office should be anything but boring – how do you plan on styling yours?

Update the home office to get the best from your work space

Quinton Reclaimed Wood Desk and Bookcase

We think of the office as a formal place of work which, for most of us it has been for a long, long time. But in recent years, designers have shown us another way.

It doesn’t have to be functional metal filing cabinets, monstrosities that graced many an office over the years. It doesn’t have to be an office desk, devoid of all character and detail.

In other words, it doesn’t have to be dull and functional. The home office can be beautiful and functional without compromising on style with reclaimed oak furniture, and all the right accessories.

So ditch the whiteboards and the filing cabinets, ditch the expanse of desk and miles of shelves, bereft of any character or personal bits and bobs.

The home office is about to undergo a Modish Living renovation.

What the home office means to YOU

Before we fire full steam ahead into creating the perfect home office, we need to ask the important question: how will you use it?

Just as we ask this question before we style a new kitchen or create the perfect family dining room, you need to be clear how you will use the space, for the answer to this question informs the best choice of home office furniture.

Are you a student? Is this your main place of work? Will it be the space where your kids do their homework? What tech do you have? How do you work – on a PC or stood at a desk, designing, sketching and drawing?

You see, we don’t all work the same thus the home office shouldn’t all be designed the same.

The home office desk landscape

It is, perhaps, the most important piece of home office furniture. And that means, getting the right home office desk, whether a wide or narrow desk, should be your priority.

Before you consider storage, consider dimensions. You may have space for a huge home office desk but do you need such a vast table?

Consider bespoke home office desk options for when you a. need lots and lots of work space and/or b. when you have limited space to work with.

Keep it stylish

Not everyone has the gift of a spare room to convert to an office and so, a smaller corner of the living room or dining room becomes the workspace.

It can work but in terms of style, choosing a desk that is functional but uber-beautiful and in keeping with its surroundings is essential. This simply designed home office desk, for example, is understated but functional, perfect for the minimal or even the rustic styled space.

Stylish storage

Storage is also essential in any office but again, it seems that for too long we assume that the only option was a filing cabinet and that the office had to be completely devoid of anything pretty or personal.

Those days are gone – hurrah! – and so you have a whole range of options before your very eyes. Choose from sideboards to display and shelving units to elegant bookcases.

And accessorise to your heart’s content. Beautiful sculptures mixing with books and files, offset with the glamour of standing floor lamps and tabletop lamps, dressed with mirrors are diving.

In fact, the home office will become a place you will WANT to work…

Create a successful office that suits your business

If you take a quick look at business offices online, you’ll notice that they have a lot in common; they’re streamlined and clean, sometimes perhaps verging on clinical. A great first impression is vital when it comes to a long-standing relationship with clients.

But to achieve that, you don’t have to go with bright white office furniture which seems devoid of all personality. Making a statement with colour and quirky furniture, especially if your business presents itself as fresh and modern, may be just as effective when it comes to first impressions.

We’ve recently expanded our aircraft inspired Aviator range, which we think is absolutely perfect if you’re looking for industrial style furniture with wow-factor which is still tremendously practical.

Desk Space

Arguably, having enough space to work at is the most important thing when it comes to furnishing an office. These days, there are plenty of ways of doing it.

Of course, you can opt for a standard single-desk arrangement (these Aviator Half Wing Desks would look incredible lining each side of an office in a smaller company). However, this is potentially an expensive way of doing things if you need to buy a lot of desks.

At Modish Living, we’re big fans of the community culture which a conference table inspires. Something like the Aviator boardroom table is absolutely perfect to sit lots of staff around (particularly great if you operate a hot desk system). If you need to sit a lot of people, you could even push two of these tables together to create a great team working atmosphere.

Seating

The new brass colour available in the Aviator collection is stunning when paired with leather. The warmth in the metal is really brought out by the rich colour of brown leather and makes for a truly spectacular pairing.

A comfortable leather office chair is great for creating a stylish space which is also uber practical. After all, there’s nothing worse than spending 8 hours sat on the world’s most uncomfortable chair!

However, additionally, if you often have clients popping in for a chat, a small seating area is a great idea; a couple of the brown leather armchairs look fantastically impressive and they are wonderfully comfortable. Perhaps you could even pair with the Aviator Coffee Table to create a snug area in your office where you can converse with clients over a cup of tea and a biscuit or two.

The industrial furniture collection also looks fantastic as home office furniture, creating an inspiring workspace you won’t mind being in for many hours at a time. Paired with more traditional furniture pieces, one or two items from the Aviator collection is set to become a fantastic centrepiece.

Creating the Look

When it comes to decorating an office, it’s important you consider the image you want to create when anyone walks through the door. With pieces as statement as the Aviator collection, you may wish to keep it simple with the rest of the space; think wooden flooring, soft grey walls and minimal decorations.

Alternatively, to really amp up the industrial styling, a faux brick on one wall of your office would look fantastic. Perhaps you could even add those industrial lights which spell out the name of your company along the wall or add a collection of unique, second-hand mirrors to create a stunning feature.
What do you think of our stunning new Vintage Jet Brass pieces?

5 Useful tips on measuring the space in your home

When something comes flat-packed, it often isn’t an issue to get the item into the home, through the doors and into its final resting spot. It may mean carrying it in bits, however!

With items of furniture that come readymade, there can be an issue. For example, the large headboard of a bed, a delightful piece of reclaimed wood, beautifully styled and finished may not fit up the stairs if you have a low ceiling height in the hallway.

Or maybe the turn in your stair means getting anything larger than the vacuum up and around the corner is nigh-on impossible.

And then when you do get the item through the front door, getting it into the living room or the kitchen proves problematic because there just isn’t the space…

When ordering readymade, reclaimed wood furniture, we suggest you do the following;

1.Measure the entry doors to your home

Whether that is the front or back door, making sure that the item will fit through the door is important. Measure width as well as height, making note of steps and lips, as well as other issues that could impact on the moving of items into your home.

Items may be readymade but they often arrive in separate component pieces, especially rustic furniture such as the rustic dining table that will need its legs attaching to the table top. But still, the bigger the table top…

Of course, if you have patio or bi-folding doors and we can access them through the garden, it shouldn’t be an issue.

2.The staircase

The staircase in any home can present a challenge when getting items up and into the bedrooms, whether the modern bedroom furniture or rustic bed, or double wardrobe.

For example, the headboards of many of our beds are large and inflexible. Thus, there needs to be the head height to manoeuvre it safely from the ground floor.

With the stairs, take note of its shape and measure the width of the staircase and the height too, important if you have an overhang of the floor above.

Beds require some assembly but the chest of drawers from most of our collections are completely assembled prior to delivery.

3.The kitchen

Access to the kitchen can be easy, depending on its location to the door we are using to bring the furniture in.

But don’t forget, if you have fixed wall and floor kitchen cabinets, manoeuvring pieces into or through the space can be difficult. Some of our items come ready-made, such as the sideboards.

Assembly of items is rarely difficult or problematic. We offer free assembly on items from our Beam Collection simply because items are much heavier to handle.

4.The dining room

Again, access can be an issue so measure the doorway – height and width – and note the position of any other features or items that are immovable. Most pieces come partly pre-assembled with just the legs needing to be adding to large sideboards and so on.

5.The Living room

It’s a similar story in the living room, with sofas arriving without their legs or castors, ready for assembly.

But remember, any sofa, whether it is a two-seater or a three-seater, is not an object that bends! Thus, to get your plush velvet sofa into position, we will need space in the hallway to manoeuvre it into the room.

Measure the hallway, as well as the doorway height and width. Are you confident the items you order will fit through the door?

Which is the desk that will fit your home office?

A stylish office and workspace can be the stimulation that we need to reach our work goals. For those of us that spend several hours a week sat at a desk, doing so at what that is both stylish and ergonomic is a critical factor in our choice.

And so we took to Houzz and Instagram, polling our followers on which choice they preferred for their home office furniture – the industrial desk or the traditional style desk.

We gave two choices – the ever-popular Oldman desk as the industrial option or the pedestal, traditional styled Colette writing desk.

We Asked, You Answered

The Oldman desk has always been popular and this popularity shows no sign of waning hence. Although the traditional Colette writing desk gathered a cluster of votes, it was not enough. The industrial style Oldman desk, with its strikingly stunning simplicity, came out on top.

Is one better than the other?

As with most of our polls, it is a question of your likes and dislikes. There is rarely one item better than the other and this is certainly true in the case of the Oldman desk and the Colette writing desk.

However, there are a few things you need to consider;

Smaller home office? The Oldman could be the answer

There is no denying the beauty of the Colette reclaimed wood desk but if you don’t have much space, you may find it looms too large in the space, swamping it despite its beauty.

The Oldman industrial desk is perfect as the small office desk simply because it can be made to a custom size. And because it has the open frame, it doesn’t block the room either.

Want a little individuality? The Oldman desk could be the answer

As well as custom sizes, there are custom finishes too as you can specify the colour of the Oldman desk frame too. So if you want an individually styled desk why not opt for the Oldman?

Want to make a statement? The Colette home desk could be the answer

We understand that sometimes, you want to make a style statement by opting for a piece that has a presence in both its size and finish. The Colette writing desk is a piece of reclaimed wood furniture that is beyond exquisite. And because it is made from reclaimed wood, there is a uniqueness to each piece that makes each one a sheer delight for any home office.

Enjoy a comforting style in the home? The Colette writing desk is just one solution

For many us, it is the warmth and appeal of wood that attracts us to the traditional style. The Colette reclaimed wood desk is just one option of many in our range of desks that would meet your expectations. Perfect with a statement leather chair, the Colette writing desk is a thing of beauty and for comfort too.

Which is best – the industrial Oldman desk or the Colette writing desk?

Both offer an ergonomic platform from which to work in your home office. Both hold their own against a leather office chair and both work well with the latest tech that tends to sit atop the home office desk.

Both have a stunning beauty all of their own so your choice is a real tough one…

Stylish and Functional – The Amazing Options for Office Storage

Kingsbridge Reclaimed Wood Console Table

Whether you are a student of one of the many millions of people who enjoy working from home, a stylish, comfortable and practical home office is a must.

Creating a stylish home office is something we have looked at a few times but this time we want to take a look at storage and how storage units, like industrial shelving, can be used in other ways.

Far from basic

You have basic storage requirements but that doesn’t mean the bookcase or storage unit has to be basic.

What tends to happen is, despite spending hours of our time in the home office, we opt for items to ‘make do’. Up your home office game with pretty items that offer the best of both worlds.

The Mitcham bookcase industrial styled unit gives you everything from open shelves to cupboard space, perfect for when you have confidential stuff that needs hiding away but books and the like on display.

Limited space?

The smaller home office usually means we have to be at our creative best to make the best use of space but that doesn’t mean you have to limit your style.

Console tables with storage work really well in the smaller office, providing valuable store solutions such as the Rocco console storage table.

In fact, we think that an item like the console table is perfect for use as a divider in a room too. It is not uncommon for couples to work together in the same space, or even have the kids in there doing their homework whilst you continue to work.

A divider is great for giving a room, like the home office, a little more structure. And, of course, using something like a console table limits the floor space it takes up whilst giving you open shelving to display things too.

The Kingsbridge industrial console table is the perfect example of this with its symmetrical design and beautiful industrial appeal. Not everything on display in your office needs to be ‘work-related’.

Why not include stylish sculpture, over-sized table lamps and fresh flowers for heady scent?

Repurposed furniture

Don’t forget that just because a piece of reclaimed wood furniture is in the ‘living room’ section of the website or featured on the ‘dining room’ pages doesn’t mean it can’t be used in the home office…

·The Maddox reclaimed wood TV unit is perfect for a TV in the living room as it is for low-level storage in the home office. The top is perfect for a pair of heavy bookends and files, and the slender shelf perfect for hiding away those smaller items that we all seem to accumulate. The Raffles TV unit offers the same versatility in the home office.

·A sideboard is an underrated piece of home office furniture in our opinion. The perfect complement to the reclaimed wood desk, the dining room sideboard easily fits into a productive office space. The Chalfont industrial wood sideboard with both cupboards and three drawers is perfect or maybe the bookcase is more your thing.

What are your home office storage requirements?

Category: industrial