Rattan Archives - Modish Living

5 breezy ways to make a relaxing garden

On a warm summer’s day, there is nothing quite like opening the back doors and stepping out into the garden. Park, picnic and beach days are all great fun, but there’s something special about chilling out and soaking up the rays in the privacy of your own home. However, some gardens have a more laid-back vibe than others, so to help you transform your outdoor space into a zen zone this summer, we’ve pulled together 5 easy styling additions to ensure your garden is all about relaxing.

1. Outdoor lounging

Enjoying your garden horizontally is a sure-fire way to help you get into an easy-breezy kind of mood. Hotel-style garden loungers and reclining chairs are a must-have when it comes to outdoor furniture and will instantly add some poolside chic to your garden. While away the afternoon with a good book or mix up a cocktail and create your own beach club party. From a sturdy wooden sun lounger with a distinctly colonial feel to a faux rattan sun lounger that would look at home in a Hampton’s mansion, a classic outdoor sun lounger will force you to kick back and relax. Or up the relaxing game even further with a hammock – guaranteed to send you off to sleep.

2. Comfy outdoor sofa set

Creating a real living area in your outside space means you not only have a new room to use in the warmer months, but you have the perfect spot for outdoor laid-back living as well. A garden corner sofa set with an outdoor coffee table and garden armchair needs to be comfy, but also practical, so think about a rattan corner sofa with shower-proof cushions for that unexpected downpour. Style with an outdoor rug to really build on the aesthetic of your outdoor space and recreate an indoor/outdoor scheme.

3. Garden storage

Just like inside your home, a cluttered and messy garden will not encourage you to relax. To achieve an easy-going outdoor space you should think about storage and what you need to store. These could be cushions, blankets, toys and paddling pools – all items you want close to hand, but out of sight when they’re not being used.

4. Lighting matters

When dusk falls, illuminating your outdoor space will transform its look and feel. From pretty festoon lights and magical fairy lights to path lights, uplights and downlights, there is a myriad of options to choose from to give your garden an ambiance boost. Experiment with a variety of lighting options and apply the same method of layering lights outdoors just as you would in your living room. For example, hang festoon lights around a tree or pergola and tall floor lanterns around your rattan garden set.

5. Stay warm

Nothing kills a laid-back and easy-going outdoor space than feeling cold. Not being blessed with a Mediterranean climate and its warm and balmy evenings, ensuring you stay warm once the stars come out is a vital component of creating your relaxed space. There are lots of options, including stylish fire bowls for a designer-style garden to rustic chimineas if you prefer a more rustic feel. You could even go all-out and invest in a patio heater in a sleek and modern design that will enhance your space rather than be an eyesore. And, of course, there is always the option of layering up with soft blankets – why not keep a stash specifically for the garden in some outside storage to grab once the temperature drops.

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How to create a boho bedroom

The terms boho and boho-chic are ones that have become increasingly popular in the last few years. From clothing to interior décor, boho as a style can be found everywhere. Its carefree style works breezily in a living room, but it can also bring a wonderfully relaxing mood to the bedroom. If you are looking to bring a touch of boho style to your bedroom, then we have put together some tips that will help you.

What does boho style mean?

Boho, or bohemian style, is a free-spirited one that can be incredibly colourful or monochromatic. Its roots are deeply embedded in the Romani culture, seen in oriental designs and over the years, it has been influenced by hippies through the use of romantic floating fabrics, lace, florals and a sense of freedom. In essence, there is no one set of rules that govern what constitutes a boho style. It is more about the ability to mix colours, textures and a range of items into one cohesive look. Rustic furniture in particular makes a great start to any boho design.

When it is done well it can create a relaxing space with a hint of travel and adventure, yet somewhere cosy enough to relax at the end of a day. This is what makes it a great choice for a bedroom.

The boho bed

As the most important piece of furniture in the bedroom, the bed is particularly important when it comes to tying a boho design together. First and foremost, it should be made with natural materials – a solid wood bed frame, preferably in reclaimed wood or rattan lends itself well to this style. The boho style also fits well to a bed with a low profile with or without a wooden headboard, and look for curvy and tactile shapes, dressed in natural linens.

Boho bedroom furniture

When it comes to the rest of the furniture in your boho bedroom, the only rule you really need to follow is to keep it natural. Because the boho style is often a mixture of different, and sometimes eclectic items, you can actually blend different styles of furniture to create a harmonious mood. Whilst you should stick with wood for your bedroom furniture, your bedroom chest of drawers and rustic wardrobe do not need to match the exact style of your bed to make this look work.

Think about layers

For bedding, soft furnishings and textiles in your room, layers is a must to bring the boho look together. A throw on the wooden bed, piles of cushions, several rugs on the floor, macrame and hanging baskets or planters crafted in rope. Both cotton and linen are great choices for bed linen and window dressings; soft, romantic and floaty. Jute is another great option for the floor, whilst tassels also work well both on cushions and as things like curtain tie-backs. Boho bedroom decor is relaxed and unconventional, so mixing colours, patterns and textures will bring your boho bedroom to life.

A boho colour palette

For your base colour, earthy and neutral shades such as white, off-white, browns and yellows should be introduced. These warm hues are also a great complement and canvas for natural wood furniture. If you want to add a splash of colour opt for pops of jewel shades, such as grass green, azure blue and fiery red, even pastel pink can work, especially in the bedroom. Another popular bohemian colour accent is black or natural brown. Add in the way of accessories or patterns on textiles.

For more interior decor trends take a look our Ideas & Inspiration or to buy the look, visit us at Modish Living.

Our top 5 most stylish outdoor chairs to upgrade your patio

garden lounge chair with white cushion and wooden side table

As we welcome the arrival of this wonderful weather, besides replacing your winter wardrobe with your summer favourites, you may also be thinking about dressing your outdoor space with some luxury garden furniture. The joy of dining or lounging outside on a blissfully sunny day is unbeatable and our new outdoor furniture range is so versatile it can accommodate your every need and any space. Whether you have a large rural idle or a small urban balcony, we have stylish and easy to maintain outdoor seating options that will see you all the way through the summer and into autumn in style.

1. Poole Outdoor Dining Chair

If you’re short on space but big on style, the Poole Outdoor Dining Chairs are a great investment to add a little bit of paradise to your patio. We love the industrial feel of these chairs. The combination of the weather-proof iron frame with the hard-wearing slatted teak wooden seat and beautiful handwoven, PE rattan back, these chairs do not compromise durability for style. Pair with a bistro table to create the perfect environment to enjoy an intimate alfresco dinner or a cosy catch-up as the sun goes down or for larger spaces, pair with our matching industrial-vibe Poole Outdoor Dining Table and stools for a practical, yet contemporary set to seat the family and friends.

2. Whitby Outdoor Garden Bench

For timeless and classic seating which will give your outdoor space a whimsical and magical feel, the Whitby Garden Bench is the addition you’ve been looking for. The traditional design has been crafted using acacia wood, which will last you all the way through the twists and turns of our good-old British weather due to its naturally water-resistant qualities.

With its whitewash finish, we see it fitting beautifully under the branches of a favourite tree, the ideal spot to escape the sun (or rain!) to rest or read in the fresh air. Or if you have a sunny patio, surround the bench with pots full of flowers and a parasol to soak-up the rays on a sunny afternoon.

3. Exeter Outdoor Dining Chair

If you’re wanting to impress this summer, then look no further than our Exeter Outdoor Dining chairs. Cleverly crafted using a mix of natural and modern materials, the teak wooden seat and PE rattan weaved back adds a modish feel, whilst sleek powder-coated iron legs brings in a fabulous industrial twist. What makes these patio chairs stand out from the crowd is the details. The unique PE rattan rope knots on the legs add a special touch that we guarantee will get them noticed. If you’re spoilt for space, these wooden chairs pair wonderfully with our Exeter outdoor dining table so you can create the place to be this summer to host all of your sunny social gatherings.

4. Alum Bay Grey Rattan Garden Furniture

Whilst style and design plays an important role in both indoors and outdoors, comfort is key and the Alum Bay furniture set ticks this box nicely. Crafted using high-quality PE rattan and topped with deep, soft-to-the-touch cushions means you can laze around as long as you like on this patio sofa set, intentionally or ‘accidentally’! The modular sofa is made up of a corner unit, a middle unit, an ottoman that can be placed at either end of the sofa, as well as a rising table to give you everything you could possible need for a stunning outdoor sofa. Perfect for modern homes looking to bring comfort to their outside space whilst still maintaining a designer-led feel.

5. Ryde Garden Lounge Chair

For a colonial classic that’s crying out for a cocktail or two or a pit-stop for the dedicated gardeners, meet the Ryde Garden Lounge Chair. These outdoor lounge chairs were designed with relaxation in mind and what’s not to love about that? With three detachable plump cushions, a comfy headrest, footrest and an adjustable back you can truly worship the sun in style – don’t forget your sunscreen! The frame is crafted using eucalyptus wood, a great outdoor furniture material choice due to it’s hardiness and resilience, but it’s also extremely eco-friendly, due to its fast-growing nature. Fantastic for kicking back in country or city spaces, the Ryde lounge chairs will be the hot seat this summer.

3 reasons why faux rattan garden furniture makes sense

An outdoor sofa set is a bit of a must-have right now. The way we use our gardens has changed – we want it to be an extra room of our house (well it has needed to be over the last couple of years) and an attractive living-room-like space with sofas, dining areas, coffee tables and fire pits or patio heaters where we can socialise and make our time outside as comfortable as possible. But what we put in our garden also has to look natural and blend harmoniously with our outdoor space and keep looking good whilst being out in the elements. This is why faux rattan is a great choice for your garden.

As beautiful as it is, natural rattan is best kept inside in the conservatory – it really isn’t hardy enough to withstand our wonderful British weather and will quickly damage and rot if left outside. Just as damp and wet is detrimental to it, the sun is too – UV rays will fade and weaken it pretty quickly….and this is where poly, also known as PE, rattan comes in.

1. It looks great!

There’s no denying that poly rattan can look like the real thing – good quality PU rattan furniture is handwoven around powder-coated aluminium frames to look as natural as possible with an authentic look that blends in with the natural colours of the garden. Plus, with showerproof cushions a rattan sofa set brings an instant living room style to your outdoors – throw a contrasting blanket over the back of your grey rattan corner sofa for chilly evenings and add a stylish cushion or two for a designer look. In addition, a coffee table is often included with a rattan garden sofa set and can be styled as you would indoors with outdoor candles and lanterns or other decorative pots and plants.

2. It’s hardwearing and long-lasting

A poly rattan garden sofa is very hard-wearing and with just a little TLC will last for many years. Because of its longevity, it makes buying poly rattan a very sustainable choice – you are not buying ‘throw-away’ garden furniture that needs to be replaced after two to three years, but one that can be enjoyed for years to come. Whereas a natural rattan garden set will need oil applying to help preserve it, a poly rattan one won’t.

3. It’s low maintenance

Looking after your faux rattan garden furniture couldn’t be easier. Simply brush your poly rattan table and chairs down regularly to stop a build-up of dirt, dust, leaves and debris and bring the cushions in during heavy rain – it’s that simple. Despite being hardy, we still recommend you cover your rattan garden furniture to prolong its life and during winter months when it’s not in use, it’s a good idea to store in a shed or garage.

See our fabulous collection of garden furniture, including a wide selection of PE rattan sofa and dining sets.

Category: Rattan