living room Archives - Page 20 of 31

How to keep your cat happy in your new home

If you’re thinking about adding a cat to your family, the chances are you’ll want to give it the very best. So before welcoming your new feline friend, have a think about how you can make your home more cat-friendly?

First of all, entertainment is key. Not only will it keep your cat content, chances are you’ll also protect those beautiful reclaimed wood furniture pieces you spent time saving pennies for. A window perch for looking out (even better if it has a view of a bird feeder), a cat tree for climbing or a water fountain is a great option.

Entertainment which also creates an opportunity for exercise is also important, particularly if you have a house cat. In order to keep your cat fit and healthy, a wall mounted structure may be a more stylish option than a giant cat climbing frame which also takes up precious floor space. There are plenty of DIY projects to make cat structures and trees if you’re willing to put the time in.

You may also wish to think about cat-friendly furniture. A glass-topped reclaimed wood dining table is a great idea if you’re looking to protect the natural grain of the wood and will also be enviably easy to clean. Additionally, you may want to consider something more durable in terms of seating. Beautifully upholstered dining chairs look stylish, but they may not be the best pairing with kitten claws. So how about durable wooden dining chairs instead?

Once you’ve lived with your cat for a little while, the chances are you’ll discover its favourite sleeping spot. The chances are it’s not that plush cat bed you splurged on. To welcome your cat, roll with their favourite spot. A folded towel or blanket makes a great makeshift bed and shows you care if you pop on their favourite spot – whether that be a shelf on your rustic shelves or under your reclaimed wood coffee table.

Finally, do some research into things around the home which may be toxic to your new cat. For example, although cats love plants, a lot of common plants e.g. lilies can be toxic for cats. Instead, look for plants which are safe for felines or plant a tray with kitty grass which your cat is able to nibble at throughout the day.

Have you got any tips to welcome a cat into your home, or any tips to protect your rustic furniture from cats and other furry friends?

Spending a quality lazy day with your dog

August 26^this Dog Day, a chance to share your time with your beloved pooch, making them the centre of attention.

For most dog owners, their canine companion is the centre of their world every day with Dog Day just giving them an excuse to spend even more time with their best friend!

With this in mind, we canvassed the Modish Living team, all dog lovers, for their ideas on the perfect way of spending quality time with Fido. And here’s what they came up with…

A good book and a picnic

Unpack the picnic blanket from the wooden blanket box and head out with delicious treats for a woodland or coastal walk with your dog.

Once their excess energy is worn away, enjoy a picnic together sharing tasty treats under the blue sky of summer. Snooze in the sun or enjoy a few chapters of a novel before you head on home.

Host afternoon tea for your dog and their canine friends

Dogs are pack animals, enjoying time playing with their friends – just like we do. So we loved the idea of hosting an afternoon tea party for your friends but bringing their canine companions too.

As well as tasty cake and treats for your human guests, make sugar-free and dog-safe ones for your dog and their friends. From homemade liver dog cake to carob drops, there are many ways of making afternoon tea just right for your dog.

Potter in the garden

If there is one thing about your dog that he wishes he could tell you, is that all they want to do is shadow you. Whether that’s washing the car or pottering in the garden, being near you is the perfect way to spend the day.

After your morning walk, enjoy the papers in the garden along with good coffee and a croissant or two, followed by a few hours pottering in the garden. Spread out together on your large sofa for a mid-afternoon nap before you strike up the BBQ for dinner al fresco.

Get organised

Downtime is great for anyone but with your dog at your side, it’s even better. Owning a pet is great for busting your stress levels so why not take advantage even more by getting organised for the week ahead sitting on one of the fabric dining chairs at your reclaimed wood dining table, your dog at your side listening attentively to all your ideas?

Meal-planning is perfect for a lazy afternoon, especially when you can make a list of your week’s meals and your shopping list for ingredients too.

Catch up on box sets

Whether you have a dog, cat or a guinea pig, we loved the idea of catching up on the latest box set whilst snuggling with your furry friend.

Recline on your reclaimed wood bed with your dog for company, using a throw to protect your duvet, and snuggle with Fido whilst you binge watch your favourites.

Stop and smell the roses

The best suggestion by far was ‘stop and smell the roses’ because who says that Dog Day has to be about ‘doing anything’? Just relax together…

How to get the industrial living room look

The industrial style is a popular one. And no wonder: easy on the eye and not too difficult to emulate from the glossy pages of interior design magazines, the industrial look is both a practical and comfortable style for the living room.

Framing and materials

The industrial look is an effortless and seamless combination of two factors – framing and materials.

The industrial look is the stylish connection between wood – usually reclaimed wood – and metal, black, polished or matte stainless steel. There are also some industrial styled pieces that include rose gold finish too.

Framing is about the appeal of the style to the eye. A piece of furniture can be large and statuesque but maintain the frame with items of the same height, giving a uniform appeal to the living room.

The sofa and the armchairs

The living room is an informal space where all the family can come together and enjoy time together thus, the essential industrial style furniture for the room is the spacious, comfy sofa and the armchairs.

Choose a shape that has style to it, very much like the industrial leather sofa with the detailing similar to the iconic Chesterfield style.

Maintain and promote cohesion with matching industrial styled brown leather armchairs. If it feels too matchy-matchy, use different scatter cushions and throws to soften the edges.

The lower backs and arms of this style of sofa and armchairs bring a delightful clean-cut appearance but don’t forget the ‘frame’ them with an industrial coffee table that sits perfectly against the backdrop of the sofa.

HINT – the coffee table should never be longer than the sofa. Choose one a little shorter than the sofa in length as this allows it to frame it perfectly.

Surrounding it with beauty

The combination of reclaimed wood and metal is a marriage made in heaven and one many people are turning to.

Maintain this with the pieces you choose to include in the living room. It doesn’t mean, however, that industrial furniture is only truly industrial in style when there is a lot of metal with a hint of wood.

We feel that it is the simplicity of design, the clever use of reclaimed wood and the hint of metal that makes this wooden TV unit a fantastic example of industrial style furniture with a difference.

It fits beautifully against the stylish aplomb of the industrial sofa and armchairs, allowing its sharp angles and pleasing lines to shine.

HINT – it’ll be tough but try not to focus your living room furniture around the TV, have another focal point in the room such as the log burner or the vast expanse of floor rugs that add comfort to the space.

Similarly, this drinks display cabinet has a sheer simplicity that has echoes of art deco about it. Fitting into both the industrial living room and a more traditionally styled one, we just love it.

The floor up

Whether you choose carpeted floors, sanded floorboards or even a darker oak laminate, the floor is an expanse of space that is assumed, under the guise of the industrial look, should be kept ‘clear’. But floor rugs soften those sharper corners and for the family living room, we would say are essential.

Following the tenets of the industrial style, steer clear of geometric or floral patterns, opting instead for abstract floor rugs, such as a grey rug that suits both the wood and metal of the industrial living room.

And there you have – strikingly simple yet superbly stylish: the industrial look living room.

How to Create Harmony and Style in the Living Room with Cream Sofas

We assume that because cream is a neutral colour that it is easy to work with. But as most interior designers will tell you, working with neutrals can be tougher than working with bold colours!

One slip or mistakes and the room plummets from stylish to insipid, devoid of character and boldness.

We take a look at two of our sofas available in cream and how with clever choices of colour, shape and form, you won’t be anywhere near creating a neutral living room that fails to commit.

The Edale Sofa

The Edale cream sofa has a hint of Chesterfield about it with its button back and low, curvy arms. Where it differs is the curves in its overall shape, a change from the straight, angular appearance of the Chesterfield itself. But what of Edale sofa inspiration for the surrounding décor?

The velvet Chesterfield sofa alone is something worth celebrating which is why we would use the fading black rug to draw attention to the floor and to the curved of the cream sofa itself.

Carrying the black from the rug would be the narrow console table, perfect for running along a wall close to the cream sofa, giving you ample storage options without the clutter.

Harmony is across this living room and the statuesque industrial display unit would make a fantastic addition – opt for two, for column-like structures that add drama.

But finally, adding more than a hint of the unexpected is the reclaimed wood coffee table on wheels but look at the wheels! The thing we love about reclaimed wood furniture is the quirkiness of it and how sometimes, this can be as obvious as you like!

The York Sofa

Everything that shines and sparkles is sheer silver when it comes to styling a room in our opinion.

The York sofa again alludes to the iconic Chesterfield shape. A fabric chesterfield sofa sits well in any living room and with its neutral backdrop, it lends itself well to adding more colour.

As well as earthy green being an option, there are navy cushions and throws to consider for York sofa inspiration. Or why not opt for a classic contrast of black and white?

A lighter cream rug, one of many living room rugs from which to choose, would work well under the York sofa, especially if using darker coloured scatter cushions for drama and effect.

Stick with high-shine, polished stainless steel for a glamorous look too. A reclaimed wood coffee table, complete with criss-crossed stainless steel legs would work a treat for your afternoon cup or evening cocktail when guests are over for dinner.

For cohesion, choose a side table from the same range. The lower level side table from the Luxe Kensington range is perfection in itself. You could opt for two but we would place one at the far end of the sofa, using it for a dramatic table lamp that fits with the glamorous appeal of this neutral, but characterful living room scheme.

Bold with neutrals

Using neutral colours is not difficult but an item could be easily lost. When choosing a cream sofa, opt for one with detailing such as the button back or a curvy shape that attracts attention, preventing it from sailing into the background.

And use colour, including metallic finishes, and you won’t regret your choice of a cream sofa!

Creative ways to style a traditional brown leather sofa

It may be iconic, its shape instantly recognisable, but you’ll still want to ensure that everything around it supports and not detracts from the iconic shape of the traditional, leather Chesterfield sofa.

With such an iconic shape, our assumption is that the brown leather Chesterfield sofa can only be used in a traditionally styled landscape. This is not the case.

Take a look at how to style this beautiful sofa with its timeless elegance and appeal within the industrial style – and without anything jarring or looking out of place.

Blue & Tan

Brown leather comes in many shades including a slightly lighter shade commonly called tan. There is an elegance to this colour that marks it out as being different but not twee or time-limited.

Blue and tan are a combination of two colours that work effortlessly together. It makes sense to pull out the lighter tones of the Charlie leather Chesterfield sofa with the lighter, barely-there blue of the Louis de Poortere rug, ‘Beige Sky’.

The clean industrial look

We often associate the industrial look with sharpness and coolness, but the iconic shape of the Chesterfield sofa with the traditional.

But the low backed Chesterfield fits right into the industrial design, especially with its natural leather material. Even the button back detailing isn’t a problem.

Match the traditional real leather sofa with the understated industrial coffee table for an effortless industrial style furniture chic in the living room landscape. Choose an oversized wall clock and add a note of the unexpected with a grey rug.

Age and character

Many people opt for the Chesterfield styled brown leather sofa because they want the appearance of age, even though it is brand new.

And that’s why the Birley brown leather sofa, complete with Chesterfield styling and detailing is their perfect choice.

The leather is not worn, not about to rip or become cracked beyond repair. It will age beautifully.

Again, teaming it with a Lois de Poortere rug frames it perfectly. The salt and pepper rug is ideal with the slightly faded traditional patterning. Add a reclaimed wood coffee table and you have the frame complete.

Best of all worlds

What if we told you that you can have a mix of tweed and leather on one sofa, complete with the Chesterfield shaping? What if we told you brown leather was an option?

With the Granby sofa, you get so much. And a ‘half and half’ Chesterfield sofa is the heady combination of Harris tweed and brown leather.

With its curved arms, low back and caster feet, this Chesterfield styled leather sofa is a sheer delight. Set it off in any room with the use of a reclaimed wood coffee table– look at the prime shape of the Maddox industrial-esque coffee table, for example – and height with industrial oak tall bookcases.

Bring out the warm tones of the wood with the Louis de Poortere Copperfield rug underfoot and there you have it – an effortlessly chic combination of the traditional with the industrial, with nothing out of place or jarring against each other.

How to get the rustic living room

Rustic furniture has become one of the most popular styles for interior design. Once used solely for quaint country cottages, the rustic style has, in recent years, been given a modern makeover. Whilst it still celebrates fantastic craftsmanship, the reinvented rustic style is drop-dead gorgeous! With unbeatable warmth and character, we think the style is an absolutely perfect fit for living rooms. So with that in mind, here are a few of our favourite ways to achieve a gorgeous rustic living room.

When it comes to decorating, its easier to start with your biggest pieces of furniture. It’s much harder to tie an entire room to a single throw cushion or your curtains (although it can, of course, be done!) than it is to tie your room to your furniture.

With rustic style, texture is absolutely key! Perhaps think about your seating arrangement first. We love a brown leather sofa for a rustic living room, because it breaks up the fabric textures you’ll probably add in later, and adds a sophisticated vintage twist to your room. Leather is also fantastically long-lasting. As it gets better and softer with age, you can easily achieve a classic, rustic feel in your living room which you’ll love and enjoy for many years to come.

If you’ve got the space, we think a fabric armchair also makes a fantastic addition. Opt for a cool patterned fabric or coloured velvet for a slightly more eclectic finish which will also add a pop of colour. If you are opting for a strong colour scheme, a statement piece of furniture in a colour like blue or yellow will also help when it comes to anchoring your smaller accents to your furniture for a cohesive aesthetic.

Then, of course, comes furniture. There is something about rustic style which just calls for gorgeous wooden pieces. Whether that involved classic reclaimed wood furniture pieces or more modern industrial designs, wooden furniture is the way to go for a charming finish.

A rustic coffee table at the centre of your seating arrangement is wonderful if you’ve got the space – even better if you can position it around a gorgeous open fireplace or wood burner for that chic, log cabin feel! Additionally, by opting for a coffee table with storage, you can keep your clutter out of sight and out of mind so you can sit in the evening and focus on your beautiful room and unwinding after a day of busy modern life.

A rustic TV stand or rustic wooden sideboard are also perfect for adding storage to your living room and will allow your cosy, rustic room to be enviably organised too!

Finally, think about ways in which you can inject some colour. For a neutral room, browns or greys are a fantastic way to go. Pair a brown rug with gold and bronze accessories for a simple yet sophisticated style that won’t date. Or opt for something a little more fun. Soft colours like sage green, pale yellow or dusky pink all work wonders with reclaimed wood furniture whilst still being subtle enough to create the serene sitting room you’ve dreamt of.

How to bring home the holiday vibe

Luxe Kensington Reclaimed Wood Round Coffee Tables

Returning from holiday brings most of us down to earth with a bump but you can elongate this relaxed holiday vibe with some well-placed additions to your home.

Here’s how…

1 Blue and white combination

How you noticed how hot, tropical climes col their interiors with cooler colours? Blue and white is a great combination and one that can be easily introduced into your home.

Use soft, white covers for your sofas and small armchairs for example but dial up the notch with a light blue rug that introduces depth into the room. Add light blue accessories, with hints of navy, to give a three-dimensional feel that is beautifully relaxed.

2 Indigo in the bedroom

With light or dark bedroom furniture, indigo is a great colour. Opt for an inky blue rug in the bedroom to create a luxurious and restful feel, just like you experienced on waking at your holiday venue. Stick with traditional rug patterns, with a faded style that suggests age and romance.

Indigo is a dramatic colour, sitting great within every style but if you want to introduce pattern, then do so using geometric shapes, rather than florals unless you stayed in a chic French chateau and this is what you want to emulate.

3 Bring home the sunshine

We aren’t always guaranteed a summer in Britain, dependent as we are on the shifting current of air known as the jet stream.

But when it does shift to the far north, sunshine and heat comes our way and thus, yellow rays of heat and sun are everywhere.

Clearly, bringing home the sunshine would be great but on greyer days, you can recall its beauty and happiness by using yellow accents in your home.

Be brave with yellow because it is a colour that wants to please. A yellow armchair is a perfect accent, both colour and as a stylish addition, in the living room… or anywhere in the home!

4 Hints of the rustic

What was it about it the setting of your holiday that made you unfurl – other than the lack of work and living life to the clock?

The setting, no doubt played a part, whether that was the lush olive groves or the vast plains of the vineyard. But the styling probably helped you unfurl too.

The rustic look is fantastic. The slightly unkempt, not quite refined appearance of reclaimed wood furniture in this style is beautifully relaxed.

A round coffee table in the rustic style is ideal in the living room, an inexpensive addition for holding on to the holiday vibe.

Or what about a wooden side table, complete with flowers in an unpretentious vase and lots of lush green plants.

5 Lighten the colours

No matter which room and no matter how small or large your budget, use lighter colours – be brave and use white! – to lighten the mood and the ambience of a room.

Summer colours tend to be lighter hues of our eternal favourites – the light baby blue, sunset yellow and barely-there greens – and any of these will work just fabulous within your current style.

4 Tips to renovate your living room like a pro

Remodelling the living room can be advantageous in so many ways. As well as giving it a crisp, clean style, you can also create a space that truly works for you and your family.

In this renovation blog, we look at what you need to consider when renovating the living room. Surprisingly, there is a lot more to think about than ripping everything out, and simply painting the walls and ordering a new sofa.

Research and plan

Like other rooms, make a ‘mood board’ for your newly renovated living room so you can see the colours and feel the textures. Research what the current styles and must-have trends are, taking elements from these that work for you.

Remember, you are not creating a show home, but a space that allows you and your family to live it and love it.

Consider a style that works

Its easy to become lost and swayed by the glossy pictures in magazines but remember, a style needs to support what you do and how you live in your home.

Here are just two style idea that could work;

·The Scandinavian style is popular, and it is easy to understand why. A pleasing mix of warm and natural materials, it is unfussy but without the starkness of minimalism.

·The rustic style has a homely feel to it, perfect for packing a punch in terms of style without changing how you live in your home

Think colour

Colour can open and close a room; it can cool it or add vibes of warmth.

Work with colour and shade to see how the natural light in the room affects it. What looks fabulous under the white lights of the DIY store will take on a different hue in your living room.

Consider how you will add colour. Will you opt for the chic coolness of Scandinavian furniture, such as a small occasional table, and the mellowness of a neutral shaded Scandinavian sofa, for example?

Or maybe you will add depth and drama with a deeply-coloured but strikingly gorgeous velvet sofa?

Think textures

Style and colour dovetail with texture. It is the layers of texture in a room that add depth.

The Scandinavian style should be warm and without fuss. Achieve this with wood and natural materials – the deep pile sheepskin rug, for example, is a must – but opt for lighter woods. Reclaimed furniture can fit right in because it has the warmth of its past too, to add depth to the space.

The rustic look has a less refined finish and this adds texture to your remodelled living room that is divine, if it suits, of course. This doesn’t mean it is coarse and unfinished, just that the depth of the wood’s character and past can be touched, a great finish for any furniture. A reclaimed wood coffee table is a great addition – useful yet still strikingly beautiful.

The rustic style adds a certain something to items that we may, in the past, have considered mundane. But there is nothing mundane about a rustic TV stand, for example.

Think your lifestyle

Plan, create and renovate the living room so that the style supports the way you live, but always choose items, colours and textures that you fall in love with. That way, it is a unique renovation and perfect for you.

How to create a green living space for a sophisticated soothing style

Green is a soothing colour, ideal for creating a living room that invites people to relax and enjoy the space.

There are many shades from which to choose, from the earthiness of dark green to a lighter, sun-washed green. Styled well, this can give your rooms a sophisticated edge. But how do you go about it?

Green with dashes of strong yellow

Too much of one colour can create stagnate the flow of a room and with the colour green, you will want to pick a strong colour that mirrors it perfectly.

That’s why we love the strong, vibrant glowing yellow in this living room. considering there are only three yellow accessories, it plucks the room from ordinary to fresh and vibrant.

Large, leafy green print wallpaper is on-trend and right-now. It doesn’t overpower the space because it covers a small expanse of the wall but with the supporting light sage green panelling, it simply lifts the space. This would work perfectly with an industrial sideboard, or perhaps with an industrial coffee table placed artfully next to the wall.

Instead of the sisal rug, you could opt for a light touch green rug, alongside the majesty of a velvet chesterfield sofa for yet more hints of drama.

Scandinavian delight

The Scandinavian style is all about embracing the neutral and the natural. But when you want a hint of something different, why not included the refined industrial-type materials, such as polished gold or brass?

Dark, earthy green would work well in the Scandinavian styled living room, the light beech wood and the wooden floors the perfect foil to a colour that could be too dirty, too dark, too muddy and too overpowering.

Dark green leather bean bags are informal, slouched seating but if this isn’t your thing, then opt for a dark green low backed sofa. Choose a modern and unfussy design, with simple finishing and minimal detailing.

If you are opting for darker shades of green, make sure you utilise as much natural light in the space to stop the gloom from settling. In smaller rooms where this could be a problem, lighten the mood with light wood finishes and plenty of ambient light.

And leave the detailing to the furniture, such as the effortless style of the Chalfont industrial wooden TV stand. Admire the pattern, note the legwork and yet with all that detailing, you would think it should be too fussy.

Naturally green

The best way of introducing green into either an industrial landscaped living room or one styled along the crispness of the Scandinavian style is to use plants as part of living room decor.

From cacti to lush, green palms, there are so many houseplants that can bring so much colour, and naturally too, into a space.

Their impact is heightened when they are clustered, such as in this modern, almost Scandinavian space.

But leave uniformity behind. The power of three is a powerful suggestion. Opt for one larger, statement plant with a presence in both sizes of the plant and its leaves.

Foil this with the slender tips of the cacti, tightly bunched in and then add a smaller plant from the cacti family.

Is green a colour you love and naturally turn to?