industrial Archives - Page 19 of 26

Celebrate spring with bright vibrant yellow in your home

Spring arrives with a flurry of new life in the garden! The sun begins to warm, and we throw open the windows to bid the grey and cobwebs winter adieu for another year. For many of us, this means a deep spring clean and introducing new colours to mark the coming of spring.

And what better colour to bring vibrancy, spring warmth and sunshine that a dash of yellow? From undertones of fiery orange to pastel yellow, there are many shades that make it the perfect colour to pep up any room in the house.

But it can be a tricky colour to use. So how can you welcome spring with bright yellow without tipping into ‘day-glo’ shades?

1 Add just a little

Adding a bright, modern citrus shade of yellow doesn’t mean painting everything in sight and neither does it mean ditching your favourite furniture. Adding dashes and pops of bright yellow here and there in any room will give it a lift.

Take a look at the styled bedroom, complete with white bed. The watery yellow shade on the bedside lamp is more than enough to draw your eye to it. Note how well it sits with the turquoise blue items, including a throw, bedspread and rug. And yet despite the blue being the abundant colour, you just can’t take your eyes from the yellow lampshade.

2 Yellow + Grey = Designer Heaven!

We are accustomed to seeing the combination of yellow and black, a timeless combination but the two strong colours together can be difficult to balance.

Throw awkwardness to the kerb by ditching black for a light grey. Make sure it doesn’t have too much of a pinky base, otherwise the result won’t be what you want. But in your grey living room or bedroom, add yellow scatter cushions or a throw to lift the grey from winter to spring.

If you want to make more of an impact, choose a yellow armchair to complement your reclaimed wood furniture. This velvet armchair with its low back and sumptuous finish is ideal for any room.

3 Bold design and muted tones

Spring is all about the garden and you can emulate this in the home with pretty floral wallpapers and other detailing. And in the bold design add simple, yet striking statements, such as a Louis de Poortere yellow rug. The barely-there detailing and the clever use of grey and yellow make this the perfect yellow contemporary rug for your home this spring.

4 Go for gold

Using gold tones in the metallic finishes of a room also adds a golden glow, which is what yellow is all about. The radiance of a crisp white dining chair with gold metallic legs is ideal. It works well in the industrial dining room but adding a hint of luxury or it works just as well in a modern dining room.

Yellow is a versatile colour, working will across the colour palette and styles choices too. From a pop of colour alongside farmhouse furniture to the industrial dining room, every home will welcome bright, vibrant yellow this spring.

How to choose your perfect kitchen bar stools

The perfect perch for everything from informal get-togethers to working on a high surface, the bar stool is a versatile piece of kit. But getting the perfect bar stool for you means understanding what you need…

Bar stool or kitchen bar stools?

First, you need to make sure you are looking at the right stool. In terms of definition, a bar stool is higher than the other. On a kitchen bar stool, you tend to use it to fully sit at the breakfast bar whereas a bar stool is taller, and perfect for perching on at a bar too.

Measure

And this means it is important to measure the minimum and maximum height you need from a bar stool. Buy ones too small, and your elbows will be holding you up on the bar, too tall and you will be towering over it.

Most island heights are between 52 and 78cm. Bar stools tend to be taller, starting at 74cm with the tallest being around 82cm.

Features

Now that you have the basics in place, you need to look at what features the bar stool offers;

Swivel – a bar stool that swivels can make getting on and off much easier. This is personal preference!

Adjustable – not all bar stools are adjustable and so if you choose one that isn’t, you need to be uber-confident you have your measurements spot on.
Back and/or feet rest – there are various styles of bar stool. A bar stool with a backrest can make sitting on them comfier for longer but there is no denying that a bar stool with a footrest offers the most comfort. Consider whether you want a bar stool with armrests too.

Material – from wooden bar stools to metal, to leather upholstered to fabric bar stools, there is a growing range of materials and fabrics to choose from. The metal leg structure is perfect if you are looking for an industrial style bar stool to your kitchen/diner. Wooden stools, including oak bar stools, are some of the most versatile pieces of furniture you will ever buy. They last a lifetime and longer.

Upholstered or not – the bar stool doesn’t have to be devoid of character. For easy-to-keep clean options, leather upholstered bar stools are a great move – especially in a room where there’s also a reclaimed wood dining table. For an extra sense of plushness, opt for fabric bar stools. For a lighter, less formal look rattan bar stools are a great alternative and look good at an inside and outside bar area too.

One final point…

There is no denying that a bar stool or two is the perfect additional detail and focal point to a room. But when it comes to the width of the stool, you need to choose with care. Anything with armrests tend to be slightly wider and so if you don’t have the width, they might look a bit squashed together.

To keep it looking cool and elegant, make sure you have plenty of width so that the bar stools aren’t bunched together.

How to uplift your indoors with colourful velvet sofas

With spring on the doorstep, now is the time to give your interior an uplift by adding a dash of colour. Thankfully, this doesn’t always mean reaching for the paintbrush. Why not take a look at a modern piece of furniture, like this Chesterfield velvet sofa, resplendent in colourful velvet?

Ditch the Black, Welcome Colour

Black is timeless and elegant, but this sofa comes in three additional colours –understated grey, shimmering fuchsia and the deeper tone of amethyst. Not sure how to style it out? We show you how…

Grey

Grey is a fantastic pop of colour to work with. Never overbearing, this colour can be dialled up or down, depending on the accessories and details you add.

The best way to do this is to pull out the blue-y tones of grey, adding coolness and romance to a space. As well as a cascade of colourful cushions – consider adding crisp white with different hues of blues and don’t forget a variety of cushion sizes too – add other detailing that ties it all together.

The lighter shades and muted tones of a Grey Hare canvas and the barely-there blue in the Louis de Poortere Mad Men Tribeca rug will add colour to an interior without it being over ostentatious. If you want colour but muted this is your colour scheme.

Fuchsia

The colour of roses, some people describe this, and they are not far off. The thing about fuchsia is it can be fun and flirty or understated and elegant, depending on the mix in which it sits.

Monochrome schemes are still hot for the modern interior this coming season and this makes the perfect backdrop against which the flirtiness of fuchsia can shine. If you want contemporary, as well as the black and white backdrop, you need a hint of the industrial.

The Ohio coffee table with its angular lines and corners works well against the softer curves of the fuchsia velvet sofa, with the grey concrete resin and wooden legs sitting well with the clean, modern look too.

Keep the vibrancy of the fuchsia velvet sofa with a neutral rug. This Salt & Pepper Louis de Poortere rug is ideal beyond measure. With a hint of pattern, it adds detail without taking your eye off the colourful velvet.

Amethyst

If you want drama, you have it in the shape of amethyst, a deep purple sofa that oozes elegance from every stitch.

Like its grey and fuchsia cousins, it can take on a different character depending on what detailing frames it. The must-have metallic for the coming season, for example, is high-shine silver and this Kensington reclaimed wooden side table. Imagine the drama of the modern meeting the traditional shape of the amethyst Chesterfield velvet sofa!

Or maybe you want less of a gregarious tone. These simple, functional but ever-so-delightful oak nest of tables would be the perfect detailing. Finish the picture by framing the velvet sofa and side tables with a contemporary rug. Like the other contemporary rugs mentioned, keep the detailing and the colour light to avoid a clash of colours.

Colour lifts a room beyond measure. What accessories would you add?

Put the spotlight on the wonderful coffee table

Lansdowne Reclaimed Wood Coffee Table and Grey Upholstered Chair

We are a nation of coffee lovers so it is no wonder there’s a day to celebrate our affinity for the coffee bean with ‘Coffee Break’ being celebrated on 4th March.

And whilst coffee is perhaps the best way to wake up in the morning, it can also provide a fantastic source of inspiration for our home decor too! Coffee shop decor is hugely popular in interior design, working particularly well in your living spaces like the kitchen and living room. Not only is the coffee shop look ultra-modern, cool and quirky, amalgamating luxurious and industrial design, but there is also something social about the social too.

The Kitchen

If you have a breakfast bar in your kitchen, you already have a fantastic base to recreate that gorgeous coffee shop look in your home.

Alternatively, if you have the space, a breakfast bar table and stools will create a similar look. In the corner of your room, or by a large window to bring light in and wake you up in the morning, you can create a fantastic spot to drink your morning cup of coffee. This compact table with the matching stools is a great option – not only does it not take up much space, but it also adds coffee shop style which will work with any modern kitchen design.

The Living Room

Often used for larger spaces to sit and chat with friends, the combination of sofas and a gorgeous coffee table, is a popular feature in coffee shops.

Perfect for those with a soft spot for modern living room furniture, an industrial coffee table, offering a combination of wood and metal adds a really interesting addition to any living room. The style works really well with leather sofas (as are often found in coffee shops) or, for a real industrial meets glamorous feel, velvet sofas. After all, the infamous Central Perk set-up in Friends featured the iconic golden velvet sofa! The style looks even better if you are fortunate enough to live in a property with a unique fireplace or some exposed brick you can utilise.

There’s often discussion as to the necessity of a coffee table, but we think they look great and are fantastic for creating a really sociable living space. Perhaps if you are very tight for space in your living room, a coffee table may be tricky, but traditionally, they work wonders as a central point of the room. If you do not have the space, a wooden side table or two conveniently located by the sofa can provide the tablespace you need to pop your morning cuppa and are another way of injecting the coffee shop or industrial style into your room.

What do you think? Are you inspired to inject some coffee shop style into your kitchen or living room? Or maybe you don’t like coffee at all! Either way, we would love to know!

Beautiful stainless steel pieces you need to have in your dining

Only a few weeks into the New Year, we are seeing more predictions for what will become on trend in interior design. For the last year, we have consumed brass accessories and although such items are still relevant, designers are suggesting that by the end of the year, we will once again be coveting the sparkling sheen of silver.

The Maddox collection is, therefore, ideal for creating a dining room that has all the sparkle that you need, whilst remaining understated and beautifully elegant. And so with this in mind, this is how to get the look for your dining room.

The dining table

The reclaimed wood dining table, such as the top of the Maddox dining table fuses effortlessly and seamlessly with the high polished finish of the table legs.

The dining chairs

The fabric dining chairs in this fantastic dining room are stunning in their own right but are the perfect foil to the roughly sawn top of the table and yet, there is no class. In this sense, this is because the colour of the fabric and the wooden chair legs is slightly muted, a blank canvas against which the rest of the room can shine. Cream dining chairs would work just as well.

The Console table

Just behind the dining room table is the narrow console table, perfect for adorning with the beautiful silver table lamps with matching grey lampshades to tie in with the chairs. From the same range, it has the same leg choice as well as reclaimed slightly rough swan reclaimed wood top. This promotes a cohesiveness in the room and stops anyone one thing from jarring against the other.

The display units

And there comes a change in height, a ‘trick’ that many interior designers use to prevent everything being too much ‘the same’. Variations in height of furniture and other pieces create the detail that really matter.

And yet, it matches the components seen in the dining table and console table – the reclaimed wood shelves and the high sheen finish to the legwork. There is just enough detail in the Maddox display units to them being a welcome, but not an overpowering addition to the room.

Detailing

Adding accessories is the fun part but get it wrong, and it looks too cluttered. You will note that there are some subtle changes to the metallic finish of the pendant lights, for example. With a brass finish, they are a welcome detail in the room but with an understated shine and finish, they don’t jar against the stainless steel sparkle.

Alongside the neutral backdrop of grey, there are earthy colours teamed with other brass and stainless steel accessories but there is one colour that lightens it all – the varying shades of pink, from the candles to the flowers.

Wall accessories are minimal – opt for artwork if you feel it needs more character – but the beautiful wall clock, complete with Roman numerals is simply stunning, an exquisite detail that draws the eye across the entire dining room landscape.

Is this the perfect way to add stainless steel to your dining room?

How to style stainless steel to love it in your home

Stainless steel is an ideal choice for adding a zing of detail to any room, so no surprise that we turn to it as the must-have metallic finish.

But it can be tricky to handle, soon tipping from chic to a cacophony of silver finishes. And so, using it sparingly but well is the key.

Use it as an accent

Many interior designers use stainless steel as an accent colour in a space. This allows it to be introduced in a way that is controlled and without it being overpowering. It works with a variety of other materials, such as reclaimed wood furniture. The smoothness of the stainless steel works well with the roughness of the wood, an ideal combination.

Devil in the detail

Exquisite pieces with stainless steel detailing are also a serious option for introducing stainless steel into any room. For example, this rather easy-on-the-eye console table is the perfect fit for any hallway. Note how the silver accessories bring a note of cohesion to the whole look, a plus in our book of hallway decorating ideas.

Perfect for any sized room

From the smallest room in the house to open plan living, the versatility of stainless steel is such that it suits all sizes and dimension of rooms. In smaller rooms, stainless steel can really shine but this doesn’t mean opting for larger-than-life furniture. This bijou piece is perfect as a modern TV unit with understated stainless steel legs is perfect.

Workhorses can shine too

There are many items of reclaimed furniture that can be described as essential in any room, from the sideboard in the dining room to the display unit in the living room. All of these items can stand out, with stainless steel being the ideal detail. Take a look at a reclaimed wood coffee table, for example, complete with simple, yet striking stainless steel legs, perfect for pulling together the industrial style with a hint of sumptuous luxury.

Mix it with the traditional too

There are many iconic shapes and styles that we love for our homes, and there is nothing wrong in ringing the changes by marrying the sleek modern, cool appeal of stainless steel with stylish leather.

Mix the modern and the old can produce exciting eclectic pieces. And we think the RetroSit brown leather armchair is a perfect example of the stunning results of mixing two materials such as stainless steel and leather together.

Likewise, the iconic styling of the leather Chesterfield armchair is perfect sitting alongside the elegance of stainless steel legs.

All that glistens…

… could be stainless steel. Or gold. Or both. There is nothing in the rulebook that says you must only just one metallic finish and never mix metallic. There are stunning examples of chrome and brass, or stainless steel and gold metallic finishes working harmoniously in one room.

Our tip would be to decide on one ‘main’ metallic finish but using the other in a supporting role, such as brass tack beading on chairs or a lamp base.

Stainless steel is beautiful. Smooth and cool to the touch how will you bring stainless steel into your home?

Is gold the bold choice of the year?

We regularly poll our followers on both Houzz and Instagram on the latest interior trends. It gives us an idea of what our customers really think of some of the trends and ideas coming our way.

Metallic accessories have long been the preferred choice for use in framing a room, the equivalent of the black lines and streaks in the art world for picking out detail in a painting or image. For a long time, silver was the default choice but 2017 shook things up a little with brass effect finishes.

2018 promises to be no less controversial when it comes to trends and ideas in interior design, but we wanted to know what you thought of the gold metallic finish.

We Asked, You Answered

Gold has a yellower overall tone than the dark but golden hue of brass. But we wanted to know – do you love it or hate it? Is gold the bold metallic choice for 2018?

And the answer overwhelmingly was yes, with only a handful of votes on Houzz opting for stainless steel. All our fans on Instagram plumped for gold.

Let the love affair with gold accessories begin!

The two items we showed were the black dining chairs with rose gold frame and the navy velvet dining chair with stainless steel legs. Both are clearly stunning pieces but with the gold attracting the most attention, we thought we would look at how to use gold accessories to their best.

Gold is a fantastic colour to use across a range of styles, from the farmhouse to the modern, with many items of contemporary furniture glowing in its golden shine.

Gold works well with a variety of materials too. Velvet is a plush material that invites people to touch and enjoy it and, to a certain extent, the combination of velvet and gold is long steeped in tradition.

But it can be brassy and very yellow thus, using other colours and fabrics helps to even out its tone. Why not team this year’s must-have colours – the dark earthy greens and the delightful ultraviolet purple – with golden framed accessories?

It is a colour that works beautifully with white too. If your penchant is for crisp, white walls, tone down the starkness with gold foiled artwork or gold colour bases to a pretty table and floor lamps.

Retain the classic feel with leather furniture sitting alongside gold too and for a traditional appealing living room, there is no compensation for the iconic shape of a leather Chesterfield sofa marrying with gold framed accessories, from lamps to decorative mirrors. As this gold-framed round wall mirror shows, gold doesn’t have to have a high polish finish to it either.

Small gold details

Just like gold itself, the smallest nugget can have the most value. And with gold accessories, there doesn’t have to be an ostentatious display.

That means choosing dining chairs with rose gold metallic legs, or pretty framed mirrors or even a table lamp or two. It is also a metallic colour that will sit alongside other metal finishes too because it doesn’t say in the rule book that gold can’t be used with stainless steel.

How do you see using gold in your home? Will it be the bold accessory you’ll incorporate into the living room, the dining room and the bedroom?

How to create this fantastic look with luxurious stainless steel

Luxe Kensington Reclaimed Wood Dining Table

For the last few seasons, brass has been the metallic of choice and although many pundits suggest that this is still the case for 2018, stainless steel is hotly tipped to face a re-emergence – and polished stainless steel at that.

This sparkly surface does a lot to open up a space, adding a sense of luxury and understated grandeur, especially in the dining room. Along with glass, it must surely be one of the most exquisite and coveted materials. And if you like the industrial style, you’ll love this Kensington dining table, with its polished stainless steel finish to the legwork sitting beautifully alongside the reclaimed wood top and the dramatically dashing black velvet dining chairs.

So how do you get the look?

An Elegant Industrial Dining Room

The Kensington dining table is a beautiful reclaimed wood furniture piece with a combination of polished stainless steel legwork with a reclaimed wood table top. The industrial style is all about the effortless combination of materials, such as metal, wood and the rawness of brick work and so on.

But it is not devoid of style nor glamour which is why this particular style of dining table is the perfect choice. There is glamour, without compromising on the combination of metal and wood.

But if you want to soften the edges some more, add a plush fabric to the mix. The dramatic black fabric of the Luxe Madison velvet dining chairs make the perfect foil to the utilitarianism of the industrial look.

Fundamentally practical, the industrial style is not necessarily about harsh angles or unromantic functionality: it is about the seamless melding function and beauty. There is cohesiveness between the table and the chairs in the shape of matching stainless steel legs, complete with an almost art décor inspired leg frames.

Supporting Furniture to the Look

Every dining room needs to have supporting characters in the shape of other pieces, all chosen and placed with sympathy to the main star of the show, the reclaimed wood dining table complete with polished stainless steel legs.

Display units or even a sideboard are ideal. Perfect for offering much-needed storage, there is no need to compromise on the basics of the industrial style either. Reclaimed wood furniture, including undressed reclaimed wood units, sit perfectly side by side. Just like the velvet dining chairs bringing cohesion with matching legs, it is the romance of reclaimed wood that blends with the reclaimed wood dining table in the room.

And beyond…

This inspiring industrial styled dining landscape can easily spill out into the rest of the home. Versatile, stylishly sharp and beautifully tailored, it is no wonder that many people continue this style into the living.

Cosy without being insipid, many people enjoy the clarity that the industrial and reclaimed style bring to a home. You can soften the edges as much as want using lush soft furnishings, along with similarly styled tall floor lamps to bring about a soft glow to any room, including the living room.

Is this a style that would suit your dining room and home?

Round coffee tables and how to style them at their best

Luxe Kensington Reclaimed Wood Round Coffee Tables

It may ‘only’ be a round coffee table, and you may not give much thought to where or how it is placed. After all, you just need it to be within reach of the sofa and armchairs.

But by not paying attention to this piece of furniture, you are missing an important styling trick. To help you out, we have some fantastic styling tips for all coffee tables, from a large to a small round coffee table.

Create a ‘visual reference’

We often talk of a focal point in rooms, as its inclusion helps the eye to make sense of the space. In effect, a well-placed round coffee table can do the same thing. It may not be the focal point but by being in the ‘right’ place is emphasising the space.

The beauty of a round coffee table is that its circular shape is naturally inclusive and can act as a point around which the seating options in the room can gravitate to. Ensure plenty of distance to walk around it to gain access to your sofa and chairs though!

Add detail

Adding detail to a room is done in many ways and a coffee table is just one way of doing it;

Vary heights – varying the height of furniture in a room stops it looking flat and one-dimensional. Coffee tables are great for adding height. The nest of reclaimed wood coffee table from the Kensington range can come with a glass top too, perfect for adding a hint of luxury to the industrial style living room.
Cluster – another way to add detail is to use matching or complementing side tables alongside the coffee table. For a quirky look, you could add square side tables alongside a roundtable but to promote a sense of cohesion, opt for complementing round side tables. This pretty Elm recycled wood table is perfect for acting as a small side table to frame the sofa. Team it with the beautiful Edale cream sofa, with exquisite button detail, for a stunning look to the living room.
Materials – cohesion is one thing, but it can soon tip into monotony. And so, if you don’t vary the height, consider varying the materials used instead. The rawness of the reclaimed wood top teamed with the elegance of the stainless steel leg detailing on the Kensington Luxe reclaimed wood round coffee table is simply stunning. Contrast the roughness of the top with the smoothness of a glass vase or another sculptured object. Alternatively, the super-smoothness of the marble top of this minimally designed Kensal round coffee table would be a stunning surprise in the industrial styled landscape of a living room.

Size – it is important! A large table works well where there is ample space to accommodate it, but if space is tight, don’t swamp the space. In effect, a well-placed coffee table that shines in the spotlight is as much about dimension as it is about the material. A small glass coffee table will dispatch its function just as well as large round coffee table, complete with a vast expanse of table top.

A round coffee table ticks so many boxes. How do you style yours?