Quick ways to spruce up your living room

Brown leather sofa with industrial coffee table

With visitors allowed back inside, it’s time to show off your living style. Many of us have already been doing some much-needed re-decorating jobs in our homes but if not, here we have put together some ideas to quickly transform and update your living room ready for guests.

Rearrange the furniture

It’s amazing how moving a chair or large sideboard out of a room can make such a difference to the space you have. You can try your 3 seater leather sofa in some different positions in the room. Maybe you had to bring in a work-from-home-desk and had the kids in there with their toys for the last year or so. Now is the time to sort through what has accumulated and recycle / dispose of it or put it back in the kid’s rooms.

Brown leather sofa with industrial shelving and display of plants

Restyle your bookcase or sideboard

If you have a bookcase in your living room you may have been using it to keep work-related items on – if you’re back in the office you can put these away now. Clear it of old books and add some decorative pieces or houseplants, so you’re turning it more into a display unit. Reclaimed wood shelves are perfect as they bring another element of nature into your living space and we all now know that house plants are a great addition to any room and are proven to be good for your health. If you have a sideboard then get a couple of new decorative pieces to stand on it.

Reclaimed wood sideboard with two cupboards and three drawersPhoto featuring: Chelwood Nordic Reclaimed Wood Sideboard

Repaint the room

We did say this was quick transformations and this is a bit of a bigger job but it’s amazing how painting can freshen a room. With the kids being at home more and as much space as possible being needed then you may not have had the opportunity to decorate over the last year. Now is the time, ready for welcoming guests! You don’t have to do the whole room either – you may just want to paint, or even wallpaper, one feature wall to bring in a new colour scheme.

White modern sofa in living room with green feature wall and green plants

Buy new cushions, throws and curtains

If you have a neutral leather couch then you can really play with different colour schemes to quickly give your room a fresh new look. Mix fabrics, patterns and colours to add interest, an accent velvet armchair in a contrasting colour is also a lovely feature in a room. The windows are another place where you can change things up a bit – get some new curtains in your colour scheme – or opt for some neutral blinds if you prefer a more minimalist style. The most important thing here though is – clean windows!

Grey fabric chesterfield sofa with large artwork on the wall and two table lamps

Change your rug & bring in some wall art

A floor can get to look a bit worn over the years, whether it is carpet or wood. For a quick fix, you can put a rug down to cover this up. This is also a good idea if you have a new floor to protect areas that are walked on more – again it is a great way to reinforce a new colour scheme.

Re-vamp your guest bedroom for overnight guests

White bedcovers with gold and white cushions and ornaments on shelf behind

White bed covers with orange cushion ornaments on wooden headboard

Now we are finally allowed people over to stay you may be looking for a few ideas to get the guest room ready for overnight guests….seems like ages doesn’t it! With the spare room being used for a completely different purpose, or not at all over the last year or so, it may need a bit of a freshen-up, clear-out and re-vamp.

Always number one! – clear the clutter

De-cluttering can completely transform a room, the clear space will make the room feel less claustrophobic and will give a much more relaxed feel for your guests. You will also be able to keep it cleaner with fewer dust catchers around – making it quicker to clean and prepare for your next overnight guests!

Spoil your guests with indulgent touches

It’s been so long….. spoil your guests a little. Add some fresh-cut flowers in a vase or a houseplant or two. Use scented candles or a diffuser to give the room a fresh or relaxing atmosphere. Put together a little basket of treats for your guests to enjoy in their room, you can include some fruit, snacks, a chocolate bar or two and some soft drinks like water or orange juice.

Metal bedframe with wooden bedside table and round clock

Bring in some character with reclaimed wood furniture

A wooden super king bed with a good mattress will be a treat for anyone to sleep in. Get the bed all cosy and inviting looking with different textured cushions piled up against the headboard and add some throws to create a layered look. If you want to give the room a whole new look you can add other pieces of rustic furniture – a large chest of drawers so there’s plenty of room for your guests to put away their clothes – and a narrow bedside table, an essential addition for them to place a drink, book or charge their phone overnight. Check out our Winchester range for this – stunning reclaimed wood furniture hand made to order right here in our UK workshop.

Photo featuring: Winchester Reclaimed Wood Bed

Add a rug to cover up worn carpet or flooring

A new floor rug not only makes a room feel cosier, but it’s also a great way to reinforce your colour scheme… and also perfect for covering over worn flooring or carpet. In a bedroom with a wooden floor, I would definitely add a rug to both sides of the bed so your guest has something nice to step on when they get out of bed.

Large king size bed with white, yellow and grey covers and cushions and artwork on the walls

Add some personal touches

Add some pictures to the wall to give the room some personality. If you are not a fan of paintings or prints you can hang up family photos or get a feature wall mirror.

White painted blanket box with natural wood top

Buy a blanket box

A blanket box at the foot of the bed is perfect to keep spare bedding and pillows in. If you have guests to stay during a warm spell you can pop the heavy duvet away in there. But we all know it could be much cooler in the next few days so it’s a great place to keep it handy for them. Spare pillows can also be put in there. And of course, the top provides another surface in the room to put things down like their travelling bags or a tray of tea or coffee.

Get your dining space ready for visitors

Friends gathered around a rustic dining table

Things really are starting to look up (at last) for this summer! With restrictions easing further, after one of the hardest years most of us will remember, we will be allowed to entertain our much loved and much-missed friends and family outdoors. And now of course we can host a small get-together indoors of six people or two households as well. We’ve all been waiting for this- life coming back to a bit more normal!

Group of friends around a rustic dining table

After the last-minute disappointment of Christmas and a scaled-down and chilly Easter, we have much catching up to do. Now we will no longer be held to ransom by our unpredictable weather we and can start planning some indoor celebratory dinner parties, as opposed to just barbecues and evenings, huddled around a fire pit! Time to dust off the best serving dishes and wine glasses and start planning your dinner party. Here we will be looking at different styles you can choose to go for.

Reclaimed wood table with oat fabric dining chairs

Rustic setting

This is perfect for cosy cottages and old farmhouses – We think the Colette Reclaimed Wood Refectory Dining is the top choice if you are looking for a new statement wood table for your dining space, whether it sits in a dining room or you want to bring a rustic dining table into a farmhouse kitchen. To add a hint of sophistication you can add a velvet or fabric dining chair. When setting your table, ready for entertaining, we think tableware with a rustic air looks great on this such as earthenware, twigs in a vase and a crisp white linen table cloth. For placemats, we like a natural material like wicker.

Rustic dining table with velvet dining chairs

Glamorous setting

This is what you expect to see in a smart city apartment or house. The Knightsbridge reclaimed dining table just has the wow factor whichever way you look at it. From the solid reclaimed wood tabletop to the very elegant metal legs to the gorgeous velvet chairs from the same range, this table will be a much-loved centrepiece in your dining space. When setting this for guests we think shiny and glamourous is the way to go! Silver candlesticks and a large vase with fresh-cut flowers for a real air of sophistication.

Industrial dining table with black steel legs and dark faux leather dining chairs

Modern industrial setting

The Picasso Industrial Oak Dining Table is the type of industrial dining table that just works beautifully in a modern kitchen/ diner extension. This is a versatile dining table that can be glammed up, mixed with industrial table dressings or go natural. House plants and neutral colours look great with this table to tie in with a no-frills and no-fuss industrial theme. Here we have paired it up with industrial dining chairs. Black tableware and crockery also work well to continue the industrial dining theme from the legs to the tabletop.

How to make an industrial bedroom feminine

Industrial metal bed frame with industrial wooden bedside tables with pink and green covers and curtains

If you are thinking of updating your bedroom and would love to go with an industrial-inspired theme then you may feel that the overall look might end up being a little cold or even masculine. However, an industrial bedroom can be warm, cosy and feminine. Here’s how to get the perfect balance…

Let a reclaimed wood bed be the feature

There’s no denying natural wood instantly adds warmth and character to a bedroom and a reclaimed wood bed brings history and individuality with it too. This is the perfect way to soften and contrast the straight strong lines of an industrial foundation. A king size wooden bed frame made from reclaimed wood will definitely become the shining star in your bedroom!

Small dog on large reclaimed wood bed with grey covers and green cushion

Dress the bed with feminine colours

Get your bed looking super feminine, cosy, warm and inviting by using pastels. Apart from the obvious pinks and lilacs, you can choose from other great bedroom colours like soft mint, sky blue or lemon. Add some floral print scatter cushions or bed throws for a touch of patterning. You can also mix in some tactile textures to add interest choose from faux fur throws, velvet, chunky knits and silk cushions. This will add real femininity and softness to the room.

Industrial style bedroom with industrial furniture and exposed brick wall

Add industrial accents

If you want to add a little hint of industrial to your bedroom then you should consider just accessorising in industrial style. Go for industrial bedside lamps, changing door and drawer handles to black ones or swapping some furniture pieces, like a small bedroom table, for items with steel legs or frames.

Brown leather king size bed frame with white covers in industrial style room

Embrace contrasts

Experiment and mix old and new, light and dark. Don’t be afraid to combine modern furniture with older or retro styles. By doing this you are giving the bedroom a warm and inviting feel as well as adding interest. Pair a wooden dressing table with an industrial style chair or hang a mirror with a black metal frame over a large chest of drawers, you can soften this by adding a houseplant on the surface of the drawers.

Industrial wooden shelves full of green plants and pots against green wall

Add some nature

Nothing brings a serene and calm mood into a bedroom more than nature. Hanging indoor greenery be it real or faux will add instant softness to your room, we love this industrial shelving, absolutely perfect for displaying your houseplants. Fresh cut flowers are also an option – if you don’t want to run the expense of flowers from the florist every week or so then you can go for meadow flowers, dried or faux flowers. They look pretty as a picture anywhere in the room, from on a painted chest of drawers to a wooden blanket box at the bottom of the bed.

How to introduce industrial style to traditional homes

Velvet corner sofa with industrial coffee table

If you live in a more traditional or classic style home you may be thinking that incorporating industrial style is a straight no, no for you, but it can be done and can look stunning! Here are some ways you can inject some industrial style…

Industrial console table with silver flower vase

Pick a piece of industrial furniture for high footfall areas

In the hallway for example a slim console table with black industrial metal legs will always give a stylish welcome for visitors. Dress the top with a table lamp, some fresh cut flowers, a houseplant or some scented candles for a warm and homely feel when you walk in. In the kitchen, you can add a touch of industrial by choosing metal bar stools, opt for real or faux leather seats to further reinforce the look. And in the living room, just an industrial coffee table will instantly bring in an industrial theme.

Dark grey stone kitchen island with industrial bar stools

Choose a neutral colour scheme

Let the black metal and wood of your industrial furniture be the feature. A neutral colour scheme is always a great base colour to style industrial features with, the black metal will stand out making each carefully chosen piece really catch the eye. Use a lighter colour in a dark room or opt for an atmospheric deeper grey if your room has plenty of light flooding in.

Industrial dining table with black metal legs and brown faux leather dining chairs Photo featuring: Picasso Industrial Oak Dining Table

Change the flooring in a room

If your traditional house doesn’t already have a wood floor then look at reclaimed wood flooring to add character, salvaged oak planks are great for this. A concrete floor or a good quality laminate floor will add an instant industrial look in a large kitchen diner space. You can choose an industrial dining table that is finished with a slight hint of grey to the wood… this fits just right with dark industrial legs, hang a pendant light over the table and you have the perfect centrepiece in your dining space.

Reclaimed wood coffee table next to grey fabric sofaPhoto featuring: Standford Industrial Reclaimed Wood Coffee Table

Look for reclaimed wood furniture

Reclaimed wood and metal is a key driver to the industrial style. The rustic look of the wood and the strong metal structure of the industrial furniture are perfect together…. the reclaimed wood adds warmth, history and individuality. With the natural undulations and markings found in reclaimed wood furniture, you will have an eye-catching contrast to cold dark metal. Upcycling is also a great way to give old, tired-looking furniture pieces a new lease of life. You can look for old preloved items of furniture in second-hand shops – re-varnish them, paint them in black or dark grey or just tidy items up and change the handles to black metal.

Ways to give your workspace a creative edge

Home office desk with two wooden stools and gallery of prints on the wall

Does your home office space need a bit of a revamp? If it’s zapping your creative energy you need to make a few changes….and you don’t need to go all out and replace all your home office furniture there are plenty of things you can do on a smaller scale. Here are a few ideas to get you inspired.

1. Clear the clutter

Your home office space has most likely been used way more than normal of late, so have a good sort out. Invest in some new and practical storage or just a desk with drawers to keep your desktop clear. For larger office storage solutions you can opt for some new office cabinets or consider an industrial sideboard if you want to get a piece of furniture that you can use elsewhere in your home if and when you switch back to the communal office space.

White home office desk with black framed print and small plant pots

2. Create an imageboard

Stick inspirational images, quotes or anything you like, on the wall above your home office desk or in another place in your workspace where you will regularly catch a glimpse of it. Remember to update it regularly with things you see that motivate and inspire you.

Wooden home office desk against an aqua green wall with gold metal pin board on the wall

3. Give it a colour scheme you enjoy

Think about what colours make you happy, energised and creative. Add these colours into your home office using ornaments, accessories, furniture or rugs. You can be brave and go all out and redecorate the walls and replace the flooring.

Industrial office desk with grey faux leather best office chair and wooden bookcase

Photo featuring: Standford Reclaimed Wood Office Desk, Standford Grey Faux Leather Office Chair

4. Bring in plants

Plants are known to benefit your wellbeing as well as looking stylish. If you’re not very good with indoor plants, even a small pot plant or cactus on your desk will make a difference. There are also some very impressive looking fake plants on the market now. If you need to save space on your desk put plants on shelving, an industrial side table or hang a trailing plant from the ceiling.

Home office desk with two wooden stools and white sofa with green plants on art on wall

5. Make space

Both literally and in your head. Many of us have been using the spare bedroom as an office, why not think about removing the bed? If you tend to only have occasional guests then consider replacing the bed with a sofa bed. A wooden double bed takes up much more room than a sofa bed, you can get a sofa bed with storage to keep the bedding handy, it’s also a great place to sit and think and let the creative juices flow. A sofa bed is also a great place for the kids to come and sit when they get home from school rather than ruffling up the bed all the time.

Wooden essential oil diffuser on wooden table with lots of small green plants in white pots

6. Add energising/creative scents

Use scent to inspire you in your home office space, consider scented candles, a diffuser or an essential oil diffuser. For relaxation, you can go for Lavender, Chamomile, Sandalwood or Almond. For boosting productivity choose from Lemon, Peppermint, Jasmine or Rosemary. There is also the option to have a go at creating your own unique blends.

Home heroes – the benefits of furniture with drawers

Rustic reclaimed wood drawer with ornate black metal handle

We all want an organised, clean, clear and clutter-free home, and of course, the key to achieving this is clever storage that is also easily accessible. So, here we will be looking at rustic furniture that is not only beautiful to look at, but also features handy drawers. Furniture with drawers is a must-have in our books – an unsung hero giving you a place to store and hide items you don’t want on show.

Reclaimed wood draw in pale finish with metal handle

A sideboard with drawers

This is a great place to start – we all know the sideboard with just cupboards, it can be put in the kitchen, dining room or living room. But add some drawers to a large sideboard and you have much more versatile storage opportunities. Drawers are pretty much a must-have on a kitchen sideboard – essential for keeping napkins, serving cutlery and other smaller dining essentials in order.

Reclaimed wood coffee table with two drawer and brown leather sofa behindPhoto featuring: Chelwood Reclaimed Wood Coffee Table

A coffee table with drawers

A coffee table is a living room essential but add one with drawers and you have an excellent place for all sorts accessories, such as TV remotes. A coffee table is often a focal point in the room with the sofa and armchairs set around it. It’s a feature your guests will definitely see when they pop round for a morning coffee or evening drinks so make sure it is not cluttered with too many books, coasters and TV remotes. All you need on top of it is an eye-catching centrepiece and the rest can be neatly tucked away in the drawers.

Rustic TV stand with two cupboards, bottom drawer and middle shelfPhoto featuring: Farringdon Reclaimed Wood TV Stand

A TV cabinet with drawers

A TV unit is probably the second most important piece of reclaimed wood furniture you will have in your living room. Open shelves are great for consoles and Sky boxes but the TV cabinet holds so much more and you can hide all these bits and bobs away in a drawer. With drawers, you have plenty of hidden storage for all the unsightly media paraphernalia like spare batteries, remote controls/x-box controllers, instruction manuals, books and DVD’s etc. it will keep your rustic TV cabinet looking sleek and stylish rather than cluttered.

Reclaimed wood bedside table with two drawers and metal handle with small plant pot on topPhoto featuring: Beam Reclaimed Wood Bedside Table with 2 Drawers

A bedside table with drawers

Essential for a calming bedroom, a bedside unit is the unsung bedroom hero. And if you are looking to replace your unit then please do consider a wooden bedside table with drawers. A place to keep reading glasses, a coaster for your glass of water, your current reading material and so many other things that tend to clutter up bedroom surfaces.

4 Items of furniture you didn’t know your home needed

Bright living room with grey l-shaped sofa and round dining room table

Many of us have at least one piece of furniture that we treasure – a sideboard that was bought as an investment piece or a wardrobe that’s been handed down the family. Then there are the standard pieces in pretty much every home like the sofa, dining table, bed and chests of drawers. But now I would like to bring your attention to reclaimed wood furniture you may not even know your home desperately needs…. and once you have these top picks of ours you will wonder how you ever lived without them!

Wooden book case with close up of wood

1 – A wood bookcase

Of course, lots of homes have bookcases in the study or in a children’s bedroom but they are also great for storage and display in the living room. An open bookcase is a great place to display your favourite stylish accessories, houseplants and of course books! A bonus is that you get lots of shelving without taking up too much floor space. Another great way to make use of a bookcase is to position it so it creates zoned areas in an open plan living space.

Industrial coffee table with two drawers and bottom shelf

2 – A rustic coffee table with storage

Most of us do have a coffee table of some sort in our living rooms, but it is generally just a low table. We think a coffee table that doubles up as a place to store items is essential in the living room. Some drawers or a chest to stash away all those little things that you like to have nearby when you are sat down relaxing on the sofa is very handy and can give a whole load of extra storage space. A sturdy coffee table is also great simply to put your feet up on – The Standford industrial coffee table is an ideal choice, a way to bring a modern industrial element into your room as well as two drawers for storage and a handy shelf below.

Pink fabric bench with umbrella and bright pink cushion

3 – A bench

A dining table with a wooden bench is now a common sight in all the interior magazines. But a bench should not be restricted only to the dining room. A plush upholstered bench is great in the living room for when you have guests over and need extra seating, a bench can also be used as a coffee table – just get a decorative tray to pop drinks on it. In the entrance hall, a wooden bench is great so you have somewhere to sit when taking your shoes on and off, why not get one with a top that opens to offer hallway storage? And of course, you can always bring one up to the dining table when you have extra dinner guests and need to squeeze up.

Reclaimed wood narrow console tablePhoto featuring: Knightsbridge Reclaimed Oak Console Table

4 – A hall console table

This gives a great first impression to welcome visitors as they come into your home A narrow console table just inside the hallway gives this normally slightly neglected space a focal point. Stand something decorative on the top, such as fresh cut flowers, a house plant or some family photos. A wall mirror is an ideal thing to hang over it. Perfect for a last once over before you leave the house