reclaimed Archives - Page 11 of 24

How our lovely customers styled our dining tables

Industrial dining table with matching wooden bench

It’s no secret, but we love reclaimed wood furniture! Not just the fact that it is environmentally friendly but also the look, feel and uniqueness of it. Our customers love it too – we can see this in the gorgeous images that are often sent to us or posted on social of the furniture they have bought – beautifully styled and looking straight out of a home interior magazine.

The Standford Industrial Reclaimed Wood is proving to be as popular as ever – this image was posted on Instagram by the lovely @bricksandshutters_at_number1 showing just how wonderful the Standford industrial table looks with a mix of wooden dining chairs and the coordinating Standford Industrial Reclaimed wood dining bench. An industrial sideboard completes the dining room furniture by providing stylish storage for serving dishes, table mats and other dining room essentials.

@bricksandshutters_at_number1

@lifeatnumber70 opted for the Kensington Luxe – this stunning table is crafted from salvaged railway sleepers and features shiny silver legs for an elegant industrial look. The clear dining chairs work beautifully here as they allow the feature legs and rustic table top to be seen in all their glory. A centrepiece on a reclaimed wood dining table always looks great like the garland of flowers and leaves used here – you can choose a simple vase with fresh seasonal flowers, twigs or a candlestick. We love how the sun fills this beautiful dining space and can imagine what a wonderful place this is for family and friends to gather.

@lifeatnumber70

@ourhawthorndenhome is demonstrating how great the Hoxton Rustic Oak Trestle Dining Table looks when paired with the sophisticated Florence Cream Fabric Dining Chairs. We love the detail of these upholstered dining chairs – let’s face it when the table is not in use you only see the back of a dining chair – the Florence chairs have this covered with decorative antique brass studwork and practical brass chair-back handles. We love that they so versatile and look just as great in a relaxed farmhouse kitchen as they do in a sophisticated dining room.

@ourhawthorndenhome

The Kensington industrial dining table was a great choice for @inside_no_1_ The tabletop is the same as the Kensington Luxe, crafted from salvaged railway sleepers, but the solid feature legs are in matt black industrial metal. This table has been paired with soft grey faux leather dining chairs. To achieve the industrial style you should match natural materials such as reclaimed wood with functional metal and leather or other natural materials, faux leather chairs are a great alternative if you prefer not to go with a real leather chair.

@inside_no_1_

The best seating for modern rustic living rooms

Modern rustic living room with modern white sofa and wooden modern furniture

In this blog we will be looking at seating options to create the perfect rustic living room. The brown leather sofa has been a living room staple for hundreds of years – and now (luckily) there are so many different styles and shades to choose from, you can’t possibly fail to find the perfect one for your room!

First, we suggest you have a think about what furniture pieces are most essential in your living room – consider a rustic TV stand like the handmade Beam cube – which by the way, can be crafted to bespoke sizes making it the perfect choice to fit in a nook or cranny in an older cottage or farmhouse! A coffee table is also needed in pretty much every living room – if you don’t have much space for storage then consider something like a trunk coffee table or one with a shelf below and/or with drawers so it will have a bit of room for some living room storage! However, if you do have space then a console table or a wooden sideboard is a great living room addition.

Pairing a brown leather sofa with reclaimed wood furniture is a perfect combination – the smell and the feel of natural soft leather complement the beauty and uniqueness of rustic wood furniture. Depending on the shape and size of your room you can consider a 2 seater sofa with a small armchair to pull up to the fire. Go big in larger rooms by choosing a 3 seater and a coordinating 2 seater, plenty of room to spread out and relax on when your are watching TV or have guests over…..you can also add additional armchairs….. the combinations are endless and restricted only by what space you have available!

Rustic living room with large stone fireplace and brown leather sofa, brown leather armchair and matching leather footstool

We can’t talk about sofas without a mention of the classic Oswald 2 Seater Sofa. A Oswald Sofa is an investment piece of furniture that will be with you for years to come with this timeless design blending effortlessly with a rustic as well as a modern theme. This leather sofa is incredibly versatile, it will mix and match with modern or classically styled armchairs.

It’s very on-trend to mix and match furniture and introduce accent colours for additional features in your room. You can add pops of colour by bringing in throws and scatter cushions. This will add an extra level of comfort and cosiness to a leather sofa.

For contrast, you can blend a more modern sofa with the rustic furniture in your living room.

How to create a perfect rustic home office

Reclaimed wood desk with black metal legs and modern office chair in a large empty room with wide rustic wood panelling on the walls

With continued talk of a combination of office-based and home-based working, it is looking like the home office is here to stay for a while yet, but not everyone likes the industrial, Scandi or minimalist office look. Just like in our dining or living rooms, the rustic look is warm and inviting, so here we are looking at the components to help you create the perfect rustic home office.

The desk should be the star in your rustic home office – rustic style can have a more traditional look and furniture can be more decorative if you like – we absolutely love the style of the Chelwood Nordic Desk which has been skillfully crafted from gorgeous reclaimed wood.

Rustic style is about warmth and homeliness, so keep all functional work accessories hidden away, think about attractive storage solutions that will fit a rustic theme. For the all-important storage, we suggest a rustic bookcase, you can add natural weave baskets to the shelves to keep things hidden away – this will keep the warm, natural and earthy theme going. If you don’t have the space for a large wood bookcase or prefer a less formal look office space, you can opt for something a little smaller like a console table with drawers. A small sideboard will also give you plenty of hidden storage space in its cupboards without looking too “officey” – which is great if your office is in a multifunctional room. The Beam small reclaimed wood sideboard below would look great in any room of the house and comes with drawers and cupboards for handy storage.

Photo featuring: Soho Home Sideboard

Another top pick for someone who just needs a small writing desk, or occasional use desk, is the Worcester reclaimed wood desk. This desk is painted in white giving it a lighter feel so perfect for a smaller room that you don’t want to look cluttered.

Photo featuring: Worcester Reclaimed Wood Writing Desk

Neutral and natural colours are a must with on-trend terracotta or earthy shade accents to give you a clean and calm environment to work in. Of course, these subtle calming colours work so well with gorgeous rustic furniture and will give you calming surroundings to work in. A rug will always add a touch of cosiness to a room – keeping with the rustic theme we would opt for a natural or flatweave rug. A rug would also help with zoning your office space if it is in a multi-use room.

As natural products work so well in a rustic theme we like to pair a leather office chair with a reclaimed wood desk – if you prefer you can choose to go for a faux leather office chair, the quality of these is so good these days they can be hard to tell apart. However we love the wood accents on the Parker leather and wood office chair, it’s super comfortable too! If your office is only occasional use, then you can choose a chair that can be taken to another room when an extra seat may be needed!

Calming colours for a bedroom according to Feng Shui

White bedroom with king size wooden bed frame

Feng Shui is as popular as ever – developed over 3,000 years ago as a way to bring peace, positive energy and harmony into the home environment. Here we look at some of the colours you can use in your bedroom according to Feng Shui to bring calm and balance. Reclaimed wood furniture fits into Feng Shui principles as it brings the wood and nature element into the home. Let’s find out more…

Brown

Brown walls make it sound as if you will end up in a slightly dull and uninspiring bedroom. However, according to Feng Shui, brown is associated with growth, vitality and endless vision – so find the right shade for your space, and it is actually a perfect colour for the bedroom. To make the most of this colour scheme you should have a good solid wooden headboard on your bed as this, according to Feng Shui, gives your head support and backing.

White

White is a great colour to use if you want to create a restful bedroom. Clean, fresh, crisp and clear, white will help you get a great night’s sleep. Using white means you are bringing positive energy into your bedroom and symbolises a bright future. Crisp white bedding, crisp white walls and natural solid wood bed work together to bring nature and harmony into your room for a restful night.

Photo featuring: Dulwich Reclaimed Wood Bed

Grey

Grey represents the metal element in Feng Shui and is used to bring calm into a room, making this hue perfect for a Feng Shui bedroom. It is often used in places where people meditate or reflect. Grey is a very popular colour in home decor at the moment, making it an easy colour to work with. Scandinavian furniture and its interior decor style lend itself perfectly to the principles of the Feng Shui bedroom, with the focus being on creating light, clutter-free and functional living spaces. Contrast the grey with white bedroom furniture such as a white wardrobe, white bedside table and white drawers or choose reclaimed wood furniture with a hint of grey finish, such as the Dulwich collection above.

Photo featuring: Winchester Reclaimed Wood Bed

Blue

Even without using the principles of Feng Shui, blue is a top colour pick for the bedroom. It is widely believed that blue is seen as the most relaxing of the colour spectrum. Blue in Feng Shui is connected to water, gentle, graceful and soothing. You sleep to wake up refreshed and revitalised and blue in a bedroom cools and calms you to get the best night’s sleep. This means it is a great colour not only for an adults bedroom, but also a perfect colour if you are looking to create a relaxing space for younger members of the household. Getting the furnishing right for a relaxing night is a must in a child’s bedroom – places to put toys away on shelving to avoid distraction at sleep time – a kids toy box or wooden blanket box is perfect to stash bits and bobs away in.

Get Airbnb ready – what to do with your belongings

Hessian doormat with words welcome and two pairs of grey shoes

Summer will be upon us before we know it and with no certainty that international travel will have opened up by then, it looks like a holiday in the UK may be the safest option. We will all be looking for a lovely bolthole away from home for a week or two, and if you’re thinking of opening up your home to Airbnb, now is the time start planning.

Figures suggest that over 260 million guests have stayed in Airbnb properties around the globe making this the obvious place to market your property or guestroom. If you want to let your home whilst you’re away for the summer months, or even whilst you’re still there, then it really doesn’t make sense to box up and store all your personal belongings and favourite pieces of reclaimed wood furniture for this relatively short period.

Whether it is the spare room you are letting or the whole house, you have to find the right balance for your guests. A mix of homely and ease of use. Feeling at home is one of the main reasons that guests opt for an Airbnb rather than a depersonalised hotel room. But your guests will want to be able to put their things away and won’t want to be moving your items out of the way all the time! Think about where you can store your personal items in the house – maybe you have a lockable spare bedroom or can make some space in the loft or garage for storage.

The rule of thumb is if you don’t want guests to touch or use it then get it out the way! Ideally, you should let your guests know what they can or can’t use – so make it clear in the guest book to save any misunderstandings later.

A large sideboard in the living room is a great place to clear your stuff into – books, family photos and other personal items can all be put away. We would suggest that in another cupboard you could leave jigsaw puzzles, board games and playing cards for your guests to use during their stay. On top of the wooden sideboard, you can leave a selection of books for them to read and information about the area they are staying in – such as flyers from local takeaways or restaurants and details of local visitor attractions etc.

The bedroom is one of those places that can be a bit cluttered. If you have a bedroom chest of drawers you can move all your things to the bottom drawers and leave guests two top rows to use during their stay. Section off large wardrobes – push your things to one side and leave them the other side clear with plenty of hangers. If your guests are only staying for a week or two they won’t need too much storage space, but think about other items of furniture they might need. A wooden bedside table to put a reading lamp on or somewhere to put a glass of water and charge their phone is a handy and stylish bedroom storage addition.

Children’s bedrooms are another space that can be a bit cluttered, if you have a family home then you would, of course, expect families to rent it off you. Children love looking through new books and playing with different toys! So things you don’t want them to use and play with, should be put away completely. Toys they can use can be put in a wooden toy chest in the bedroom – your guests will also know exactly where to tidy everything away.

How to make a white bedroom cosy

White bedroom with bohemian hanging rope chair and collection of green plants on shelf

White always provides the best blank canvas to style your rooms against – but with white walls and ceiling, you risk the bedroom looking a bit cold and clinical – here, we look at how beautiful, reclaimed wood can add instant warmth and style to a white bedroom.

Photo featuring: Winchester Reclaimed Wood Bedroom Furniture Collection

We all now know how important a good night’s sleep is. A king size wooden bed frame, handcrafted from reclaimed wood is one of life’s little luxuries – invest in the best quality mattress you can afford and you should enjoy restful sleep for many years to come. The sturdy frame of the Beam Sweet Dreams bed looks amazing in a white room – the old beams used to craft it are functional and will be a stand-alone feature in your bedroom.

Photo featuring: Beam Sweet Dreams Reclaimed Wood Bed

Different shades of white can add texture to the room – this way you can introduce shades that complement solid wood rustic furniture. You can do this using paints. Our friends at Earthborn Paints and Little Greene offer a vast range of environmentally friendly off-white paints in different finishes that you can use, safe in the knowledge that no one in your home is being exposed to nasty chemicals.

Adding a neutral colour will also complete a tranquil white bedroom – grey is a great colour – you can introduce different shades of grey and choose fabrics with different textures like faux fur throws, chunky knits and velvet scatter cushions. Place a reading lamp either side of the bed on a small bedside table to give the room a cosy and warming glow at bedtime. Even though your room is grey and white (generally cooler colours) you will be bringing in warmth by using reclaimed wood and warming textiles.

House plants are wonderful in the bedroom, purifying the air and releasing oxygen during the night. Studies have shown some scented plants like Jasmine and Lavender can help reduce stress levels and participants in the study enjoyed a better quality of sleep. Of course, they also look great and really tie-in with the natural element of reclaimed wood furniture – pop your plants in natural wicker baskets to keep to the natural and earthy theme. Adding houseplants to your bedroom also brings in another colour which you can use in your bedroom. Just a few pale green accents will bring the room together to create an aesthetically pleasing and healthy sleep space.

Photo featuring: Worcester Reclaimed Wood Bed

If you have a small or slightly dark bedroom and feel that natural wood may look a bit dark you can opt for white painted bedroom furniture. The Worcester range is a perfect choice as it still has some parts left in natural reclaimed wood to bring in warmth and character. You can see how great the wood looks on the top of the white blanket box….. it adds a little more warmth and contrast (not to mention storage) when placed at the foot of the Worcester white wooden double bed.

What to consider before renovating your kitchen

Hands holding a tablet screen with photo of a white kitchen against a background of a building site with wooden beams and frame

A kitchen renovation is a big project – weeks or possibly even months of disruption (not to mention the cost) lie ahead. The heart of the home has so many different uses, such as preparing everyday family meals, hosting fancy dinner parties, children’s birthday parties, but also a place to work in, a place for homework or just somewhere to sit with a cup of coffee and have a chat with a friend. Good planning is imperative!

Make a rough sketch, taking note of where windows, doorways and other unmoveable fixtures are then add the essentials – oven, fridge and a sink. The units come next – be prepared that this will probably be the first sketch of many!

Grey modern kitchen with white stone worktops and gold vase with large green tropical leaf on top

Write out a list and ask yourself a list of questions to decide what you really need, and what you want in the kitchen – not just cupboards and appliances, but decisions, such as do you want a breakfast bar or an island? Consider that you need a one-metre clear space between units to be able to move around or add barstools. Does your main wood dining table go in this room, or will you just have a small breakfast table? Or will a small bar table and comfortable bar stools with backs be sufficient? Do you want to add an armchair or a small sofa to the room or maybe some other pieces of rustic furniture like a wooden sideboard or display unit for additional storage? Think about what you don’t like in your kitchen as it is, now you have the perfect chance to put it right!

Another good question to ask is how many appliances you need in the kitchen. This is the time to make sure everything you want in your new kitchen has permanent storage.

Next up is style. Are you going to go ultra-modern, traditional, retro or farmhouse? Whichever you choose, reclaimed wood furniture looks amazing with all different styles of interior, making it a great and versatile choice. A reclaimed wood dining table will last for many years and actually look better as the wood ages.

Photo featuring: Chelwood Reclaimed Wood Dining Table and Archie Faux Leather Dining Chair

Take the opportunity to go green – now is the time to work in ways to make recycling easier or set up smart lighting and heating. Plan how you will use the kitchen when preparing food – where do you need sockets? Remember it is way easier to put too many sockets and lights in now rather than trying to add more in a couple of years time.

Photo featuring: Industrial Lansdowne Rustic Wood Dining Table, Industrial Lansdowne Rustic Wood Dining Bench and Rattan Gaze Pendant Light

Lighting fixtures are of course another major consideration – maybe a mix of downlighters, work surface lighting and pendant ceiling lights….which incidentally look great over an industrial dining table and will give your space a really modern look.

How to create more space without extending

Open plan kitchen and living room with black wooden bar stools

If you don’t have the budget to extend or if you live in a property where it would be hard to get permission, there are lots of tricks that you can do to add some more useable space or simply bring more light into your room to make your room appear bigger.

Make use of dead spaces

Under the stairs is definitely the main contender here – this space can be transformed into a hidden storage heaven – a place to pop away coats, gloves, scarves, boots, shoes, school bags…the list goes on. You can even squeeze in a home office!

A storage bench seat is also a quick and easy way to create a feeling of space in a hallway by hiding away clutter. The landing is another area with potential for adding space – a small console table or a wood bookcase can help take books and other items out of another more cluttered room.

Knock through rooms

This is a great idea if you have a separate but adjoining kitchen and dining room. A wall means you lose space in both rooms and restricts where you can put furniture pieces, but by removing it, you will instantly have the feeling of more space, especially if this lets in more light to a small or dark room. If you are creating a kitchen-diner then you might want to consider using dining benches around your reclaimed wood dining table – as a bench is lower than the table, the space appears less interrupted with no taller chair backs.

Photo featuring: Parquet Dressing Table

Multi-use rooms or layout changes

Many of us have a spare room, but how many nights a year does it really get used, a total of a month? This space can be used for something else, something like a gym or a home office. A home office desk can double as a dressing table for guests and you can use a chest of drawers to put your office bits and bobs away in. Switch your everyday office items on the desktop to some house plants to make the room more inviting to guests.

Zoning rooms

You can easily zone a room to make it more multi-purpose using furniture such as a large sideboard, a bookcase, sofas or floor rugs – the great thing is you have the flexibility to easily move them if you need to change how the space is being used.

Furniture choice

Choosing the right furniture for your room also plays a major part on whether your room feels a bit crowded or light and airy. For example, smaller pieces of furniture, like armchairs, will make a room feel more cluttered than one light coloured 3 seater sofa.

White living room with white fabric sofa, wooden coffee table and shelf with white painted wooden letters spelling Home

Change doors

A really simple but effective thing that you can do is change the doors to rooms – Using a sliding door to lead to smaller rooms such as an en-suite or dressing room will enable you to use make the most of space otherwise taken up opening and closing a standard door.

Different ways to extend your home

Industrial loft conversion with extra large skylight windows

We’ve all been spending more time at home lately leading many of us to think more about the space we live in and how we could make it better. Of course, there is the option to move to a bigger house, but many of us are attached to our homes for various reasons – you may have lived in it for many years, it’s in a beautiful area or you have children that are attending a great nearby school? Maybe the cost and stress of moving are just too much for you and your family right now?

In this blog, we will look at different ways you can extend your home and create more space. Of course, before making any plans you should contact your local council about any planning permissions that may be required.

Front porch extension

There are a huge number of homes in the UK where you walk straight into the living room or just have a small entrance area. If you have some space to the front of your property, a porch extension is a great addition to your home. It can be a place to store shoes, coats, a pushchair or bike and you could add a bookcase or a hallway storage bench for other things you would like to hide away.

Photo featuring: Ellington Dining Table – Black

Side extension

If you long for a larger kitchen or open plan kitchen/ diner then many houses (especially Victorian semi-detached or terraced homes) sit on a plot that would allow a side extension. The great thing about this of course that you would only use a narrow area down the side of your house…. rather than eating into precious garden space too much. We all value our gardens so much more; it could be a tough one to call. A side extension would however give you enough space for new dining room furniture or maybe a small seating area where you can add a comfortable velvet armchair to sit in and enjoy the garden more.

Rear extension

This is definitely one of the most popular extensions – especially on suburban and inner-city houses. We, as a nation, love open plan living and in particular, the rear extension with plenty of light coming through large patio or bi-fold doors. Adding on a multifunctional family living space is the perfect option for many, with plenty of room for a rustic dining table, you can use a kitchen sideboard to zone the dining area and floor rugs to zone a seating area. If you are thinking of this option, now is the time to decide whether a two-storey extension would be a better long term investment. It will be easier and often cheaper to add two stories in one hit, rather than needing extra upstairs space five years down the line.

Loft conversion

A loft conversion can add around 20% value to your property – no wonder this is such a popular option – and of course it takes up no outdoor space from your garden. This is where you should be looking to create an additional en suite master bedroom with plenty of space for a statement king size wooden bed frame and other beautiful reclaimed wood furniture. It would also make a great playroom or hang out room for older children and teens.

Add a dormer window

If you already have a loft extension or a bedroom with a sloping roof then adding a dormer window will transform your space by bringing in extra light, giving additional full-height headroom and usable space.