industrial Archives - Page 23 of 26

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.

It’s time to get your perfect party table

English Beam Reclaimed Wood Dining Table

Your dining room table is an important centrepiece in your house and Christmas time is no exception. As well as choosing the all important decorations and table settings, you need to ensure that you have enough space for all your guests. Whether you’re planning for a pre-Christmas party or the main event, there are a number of factors to take into account when planning your perfect party table.

What shape will work best for me?

If you have limited space, a round or oval table will often work best. It is more convivial to squeeze extra guests around a circular table rather than being seated on an awkward corner of a rectangular shape. Round tables have a common centre for all the guests and offer a friendly, intimate feel. The brand new Colette round dining table has an elegant, statement base and adds a splash of rustic style to your dining experience.

Rectangular tables offer sleek lines for a room with space and usually seat more people. Choose a rustic or industrial style if you want a stylish piece without compromising on functionality. This popular Lansdowne Industrial dining table makes a statement whilst being practical and offering one or two 45cm extension leaves.

Do I need an extension?

Extending tables offer the best solution for seating extra guests and making most of dining space. Just don’t forget the extra chairs!

You may want to consider where you would keep the extra sessions. Big chunky rustic furniture is gorgeous but do you have storage options for a heavy extra section? Also bear in mind the space in your room, whilst it’s great to be able to find seating for all your guests, make sure you allow enough room for people to move around the rustic dining table comfortably once it is extended.

The Farringdon reclaimed wood dining table offers superb value. Impress at parties with this stylish piece of reclaimed furniture which includes a slick fold away extension, perfect where storage is at a premium. This table is sure to wow, especially when teamed with the luxury grey fabric dining chairs.

A fabulous alternative is a bespoke piece made to your own size specifications. Two particular favourites from Modish Living include the English Beam extendable reclaimed wood dining table which offers a stylish and characterful solid top and legs using English beams that are over 100 years old. We also love the White wash inlay reclaimed wood table for a Scandinavian feel. This too is extendable and can be made up to 300cm long.

Be sure to order your bespoke rustic furniture by the end of October to ensure it arrives in time for the party season.

I’ve found my perfect table but how do I decorate it?

Christmas is a time for giving your table some extra glamour and sparkle but you may want to think about works best for the shape that you’ve chosen. Rectangular tables lend themselves to fancy table runners, which allow you to set the base for your colour.

For a rustic, traditional look choose warmer colours, whilst cooler wintry colours lend them more to a Scandinavian style table.

A great idea for a round table is to set a circular mirror in the centre to match the shape and then add some flickering candles or table jewels for gorgeous reflected sparkle.

With these tips, you’ll soon have a dining table to be proud of – no matter what the size and shape of your dining space.

5 ways to creatively decorate your hallway

Your hallway is the first room anyone sees when they enter your home, yet its a room often forgotten when it comes to decorating. However, as a room you don’t spend too much time in, your hallway is the perfect opportunity to experiment and get creative with colour and statement decor you might be worried about using elsewhere.

Here are a few of our favourite hallway decorating ideas.

Embrace the industrial

If you have an old building, there are always features you can make the most of when it comes to decor. Make the most of old wood or industrial features like old bricks in your home for a chic, urban finish that will create a beautiful contrast against sleek, contemporary furniture.

Create a gallery

Your hallway is a fantastic space to display your favourite piece of art. From large canvases to ultra contemporary wall art, a selection of your favourite pieces will add large amounts of personality for relatively little effort. You could even mix in family photos both old and new.

For a thought out, coordinated look, go for a colour scheme. Monochrome is great for a glamorous finish which looks truly magical paired with simple white furniture and greenery. Or alternatively, work with more vibrant colours like blues or greens to bring a simple room to life.

Add mirrors

Mirrors are a great way of creating the illusion of more space and bringing light. This is a great trick for small or narrow hallways. A floor length mirror is especially great for this trick and can almost make the space seem double the size.

Even a large hallway mirror hung above your hallway console table can work wonders. Go for mirrors with ultra slim frames or no frames or those with light or metallic frames to maximise the effect.

Add bold accents with furniture

Vibrant, colourful accents are fantastic if you have a small or dark hallway to bring interest without adding too much clutter and taking up floor space.

Colourful chairs will instantly bring life to your hallway. Go for an armchair with a slim design but high back to create drama without taking up unnecessary space. Jewel tones like amethyst, sapphire or jade are sure to attract endless compliments. Alternatively, a painted console table or display unit will add a vintage-inspired finish to any room which will be beautifully complemented by glamorous accessories and greenery.

Turn your hallway into a library

Books can also make for great decor pieces and don’t take up too much space. Adding slim bookcases on one or both sides of the hallway means you can fill the space up with your favourite books and create a room with plenty of personality too. For a sleeker, coordinated look, you could place your books in colour order.

Make the most of your space with this small hallway ideas. Let us know what you did.

5 tips when planning for your home study room

Oldman Reclaimed Wood Orange Desk and Leather Chair

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

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

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

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

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

1. Measure, Measure, Measure

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

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

2. Start planning it NOW!

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

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

3. Consider Storage Solutions

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

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

4. Colour

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

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

5. Lighting

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

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

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

How to position the desk for success

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

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

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

At an Angle

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

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

Against the back of the sofa

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

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

In the bay window

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

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

A work bank against the wall

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

In the corner

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

A study nook

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

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

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

Oldman White Industrial Reclaimed Wood Desk

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

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

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

The solution is the study nook.

What is a ‘Study Nook’?

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

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

The Desk and the Chair

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

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

Kit it Out

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The best living room shelving ideas

living room oak ladder shelving for living room

Adding some sort of shelving unit to your living room is really underrated. Not only will a wooden shelving unit add lots of extra storage, they often also provide a perfect opportunity for adding a personal touch to your home with souvenirs from your travels, quirky decor pieces and photos.

Industrial furniture has remained a huge trend in home decor, but its no mystery why. The blend of old and new with reclaimed wood and subtle metal touches makes for truly eye-catching furniture that works in most contemporary homes. If you are looking for industrial shelving for your living room, the clean lines and the slim frame of the Hudson Living Brooklyn Bookcase is perfect. With a combination of the slatted design and concrete surfaces, the Brooklyn Bookcase is a statement in itself, even before it is dressed to impress.

With the ever expanding range of TV units, you no longer need to worry about making your TV look stylish. A white TV unit is perfect in any living room as the white helps to create the illusion of more space, and create a more tranquil environment you’ll love relaxing in. The stunning Nottingham White TV Cabinet adds luxury to your lounge, and will provide a charming focal point. With cupboard and shelving space, you can store all of your media players and tuck away those unsightly wires and controllers for a clutter-free, peaceful space.

If you are looking for something unique in a wooden bookshelf, a shelf ladder may be the perfect option. The understated, Scandinavian styling of the Light Raw Oak Small Shelf Ladder is perfect for any living room with the light oak wood and enchanting design. Perfect as a bookcase or display unit or even as a standalone style statement in both contemporary and traditional rooms.

Turn it into a feature

Once you’ve found the perfect piece for your living room, think about how you can turn it into a feature, rather than something purely practical. Here are a few tips for creating the most stylish shelves around.

Mix shapes and textures

When it comes to arrangement, a display will always be more aesthetically pleasing when you mix shapes, textures, colours and sizes to create balance. For example, place a larger frame at the back of the shelf and add two or three objects like a shorter vase or candles in front to create depth. This also helps to avoid your shelf looking too cluttered.

Colour code books

If you have a lot of books, why not make a feature of them. Colourful bookshelves look beautiful in bright white homes as a fun pop of colour. You could even colour code your books to create a rainbow.

Go minimalist

Alternatively, a minimalist look can look just as beautiful. With one or two items on your shelves like a pot plant with a flash of green, a beautiful coffee table book or two and an odd accessory in a colour of your preference, you can really let the shelves themselves do the talking. This will create a stunning Scandinavian inspired space.

For more shelving options for your living room, browse our living room storage collection or get in touch with one of our team members for a bespoke piece.

Give your bedroom a new look with these bedside lamps

It’s amazing how changing a small but important accessory in a room can give it a completely different feel. And this is no truer than in the bedroom.

The bedside lamps are important in a bedroom – they provide an extra layer of light, adding softness and warmth to a space too. But because they are ‘not on show’ to guests, we perhaps tend to ‘settle’ for the ordinary.

Banish mediocre bedside lamps to the recycling bin and opt for these stylish lamps instead.

Add texture in neutral tones

If your bedroom is a haven of peace and tranquillity, you won’t want to be introducing a bold light with a bold colour. But, adding texture is a great way of adding detail to a room. Stick with neutral shades but consider the finish and final look.

The Miranese table lamp is the ideal choice with a great shape and texture to its base, as does the raindrop table lamp.

Hang low

We often think of table lamps as being exactly that – table lamps that can sit on bedside tables. But if you want to save table top space, using a hanging pendant light is the ideal solution. Keep the wattage of the bulb low so that it casts a soft glow.

Enjoy the industrial pendant hanging light hanging low next to the bed or the Arlington pendant light casts a gorgeous golden-copper tone. Works especially well with a modern look to the bedroom, including the clean lines of modern furniture.

Less is more

You want a de-cluttered space in which to end a busy day and start the next feeling refreshed and invigorated. But this can sometimes leave us feeling that the room is a little stark.

Adding a table lamp is ideal but with such a minimal backdrop, it is hard to introduce shape and form without it dominating the feel of contemporary furniture and detracting from the contemporary bed too.

When less is more, turn to the coolness of metal and barely-there designs such as the Kingsport table lamp. For a superb minimal look, opt for a floor lamp with the sleek design similar to that offered by the Rainbow Vallen range.

Metallic heaven!

Following on from using metals, there is a growing trend for not only metallic bases to lamps but metallic shades too. Reminiscent of Moroccan design and shapes, adding a metallic table lamp complements modern bedroom furniture perfectly.

The tear drop shape of this table lamp, for example, is ideal for any bedroom style.

Function

There are times when you need function and adjustability in a table lamp, especially welcomed by those of us who enjoy a good book far too late into the night!

The Wire Weave Fairy Light has an appeal all of its own, and we think works well where white bedroom furniture shows it off.

Warmth of wood

If you prefer a traditional style and want the warmth that wood offers, the Mollo Table Lamp is the ideal choice. It suits reclaimed furniture but looks great with any backdrop.

Which of these table lamps will add a fresh appeal to your bedroom?

How to bring the coffee shop look to your breakfast bar

For any busy home, the breakfast bar is an ideal addition to the kitchen.

It can be a small piece of informal eating and socialising space that can develop ‘by chance’ with the addition of a stool and a small amount of worktop space. Or, as in most cases, the breakfast bar is a planned addition to the kitchen.

As functional as it is, as you would expect this form of seating is not devoid of style. From the industrial style furniture found in loft-living type spaces to the farmhouse kitchen, there is a style, look and appeal of the breakfast bar that will suit your kitchen.

So how do you turn your breakfast bar into something with a little more elegance and finesse?

Decide on Your Style

The breakfast bar complete with stools or high-backed chair needs to sit well within your current kitchen set up.

The aspect of any breakfast bar that turns it from the ordinary to the extraordinary are the stools that accompany it.

The Industrial Style

Industrial furniture is best suited to the industrial styled kitchen. Defined as where metals meet exposed brick with a hint of rough wood, the industrial look is a great choice. Clean and minimal in appearance, it doesn’t lack warmth.

For the industrial breakfast bar look, consider bar stools with metal legs but opt for upholstered seating. The industrial look barstool, for example, is the ideal choice with the neutral upholstery ‘fitting’ with any kitchen design.

The Farmhouse Look

Characterised by the use of wood, usually in its raw form for the rustic appeal or more refined for the farmhouse look, a pair of tall light oak bar stools fit the bill.

With a myriad of uses, these stools will be in the family home for years.

The Modern Look

The sleekness of the modern kitchen is to be admired, which is why you don’t want the breakfast bar stools to detract from the overall appearance of your kitchen.

These white breakfast bar stools are ideal, with the colour adding freshness to a kitchen as well as being practical to wipe clean sticky finger marks.

Stool or Chair?

You may have always stayed away from installing a breakfast bar assuming that perching for any length of time on a stool would be uncomfortable.

If you don’t want stools, there are a range of high-backed chairs that work well with many breakfast bar styles and user needs.

These rattan bar stools are ideal for morning, lunch and dinner at your coffee bar. Likewise, these upholstered breakfast bar chairs also have a winged side to them that makes them far more supportive to the lower back.

These upholstered bar chairs, complete with neutral shades of fabric, will look great in any kitchen or informal dining area but if you are concerned about the wear and tear in upholstery, then why not add the practicality and the luxury of leather breakfast stools?

A breakfast coffee bar as an informal space is perfect in any home. How will you dress yours?