reclaimed Archives - Page 16 of 24

More happy home New Year Resolutions: Part Two

Page from a spiral notepad with large numbers 2021 and plan

Following on from our last blog, here’s part two of our easy New Year happy home resolutions to get 2024 off to the most positive start possible.

Number 6 – Reorganise & de-clutter

Decluttering is a great way to make your home a more serene place. Go through your kitchen cupboards and have a good sort out! Just adding a small sideboard in your kitchen or dining room will give you so much extra storage space. If you haven’t worn some of your winter woolies by now then think if you will ever wear them again. If there are some you are unsure about then pop them away in storage, if you don’t miss them by spring you can probably donate or recycle some. Buying new bedroom furniture is a great incentive to declutter your bedroom, a wooden wardrobe with drawers is ideal with plenty of storage options.

Photo featuring: Luna Double Wardrobe

Number 7 – Cook one new thing a week

Cooking, especially weeknights, can get a bit repetitive! This can be something the whole family is involved in, not with just helping to cook but also let the kids help by making suggestions. Even if the kids just want pizza, they will still enjoy making one from scratch, maybe try out some new toppings, and then all sit around your rustic dining table to enjoy your efforts!

Number 8 – Cut down on alcohol

Avoid temptation and keep the bottles out of sight…Even though Christmas and New Year have been low key, we have probably all enjoyed a bit more to drink than normal. Keep your bottles out of sight and out of mind with the gorgeous Wardour Reclaimed drinks cabinet.

Number 9 – Get more sleep

We should all be getting 7-8 hours sleep a night – how many of us actually manage to do this? Turn your bedroom in a place you really want to spend time in, freshen it up with a lick of paint in a tranquil colour (blues and green are great for bedrooms) concentrate on comfort. Natural, warm feeling, eco-conscious reclaimed wood furniture is perfect for the bedroom – A Dulwich Reclaimed Wood Bed frame would be a dreamy addition to any bedroom, with a chest of drawers, a small bedside table and a wooden blanket box you have plenty of storage available to keep your bedroom clear and organised.

Photo featuring: Dulwich Reclaimed Wood Bed

Number 10 – Start writing a diary

A journal is a great way to clear and organise your thoughts and also vent your feelings at the end of the day – it’s also a great way to remember the little things that people so often forget. You can write this tucked up in bed before you go to sleep – but if you really want to knuckle down and create your own masterpiece you can get small dressing table for your bedroom that can double as a writing desk…….something like the Parquet Dressing Table would be ideal.

Photo featuring: Parquet Dressing Table

Hello 2024! Happy home New Year Resolutions: Part One

2024 Is finally upon us and 2023 has been and gone – YAY!! So let’s get the year off to the most amazing and positive start. In this blog, and in the next one, we have listed our top 10 New Year’s resolutions for a happy home.

New Year resolutions don’t just have to be about dieting and working out! But also about improving our lifestyle in the space we value, relax and recharge time in – our homes.

Number 1 – Read more

“Many people, myself among them, feel better at the mere sight of a book” – Jane Smiley

Make a point of picking up a book every now and then – aim for a book a month to get started – chances are you will find some real gems which you will not be able to put down! And with all this reading going on you will, of course, need somewhere to keep all these books – give them pride of place in the Chelwood Reclaimed Wood Bookcase. In the right spot, you can create a small reading corner in your home – all you need is some shelving for your books, a small armchair and maybe a small side table for your reading lamp.

Photo featuring: Chelwood Reclaimed Wood Bookcase

Number 2 – Keep the hallway tidy

The hallway is an often forgotten about part of the house – it’s not a place we spend much time in so don’t give much thought about furniture in it. But our second resolution suggests we should at least sort out some practical hallway storage – who likes to walk into a home tripping over abandoned shoes and bags? A narrow console table is perfect to put a handbag down on and you can get one with a shelf below and drawers if you resolve to keep clutter-free. A hallway storage bench is a perfect allrounder – somewhere to sit down while you get your shoes on and off as well as compartments or baskets to hide them away.

Number 3 – Get a better work/life balance

Working from home is a lot more in our lives now – invest in a good home office desk and desk chair to make your working time as productive as possible – it’s so much more comfortable than the kitchen table. Also, if you have a designated workspace then it is much easier to switch off and spend downtime away from work distractions. We love the Standford industrial desk which is crafted from gorgeous reclaimed timbers; it’s a very popular choice with our customers too!

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

Number 4 – Live a greener life

Start a new greener life in 2021 – if everyone took a few small steps like recycling and reusing, then together we could really make a difference. Little shifts in habits, like a couple of vegetarian meals a week, recycling more, choosing reclaimed wood furniture, cutting down on single-use plastics and composting food waste, could really bring in change.

Photo featuring: Derby Reclaimed Wood Extending Dining Table

Number 5 – Sit at the dining table for meals

Make time every week to have some family meals sat around the dining table. We love the Derby Reclaimed Wood Extending Dining Table – a reclaimed wood dining table that gives your kitchen or dining space a hint of Scandi style. With the option of extension leaves, upholstered dining chairs and dining benches it’s a brilliant family option and a must have when entertaining.

For part 2 of our Happy Home Resolutions, see our next blog!

A look back at our fabulous friends

“Life is nothing without friendship”

Cicero

It’s been an unusual year to say the least, and whilst many us will happily toast goodbye to 2020, before we pop the Champagne corks we thought we’d take a look back at some of the fabulous homes, influencers and businesses we have met throughout the year to chat about homes, interiors, sustainable living, reclaimed wood furniture and more. From the lovely Lorraine Pascale and Instagram favourite, Just a Little Build, to the talented floral artist behind Botanical Tales, not to mention some of the stunning homes we’ve been lucky enough to feature.

Lorraine Pascal, Author & Emotional Wellness Advocate

Devoted to helping us live our best lives possible, Lorraine Pascal shared one of her scrumptious recipes with us to help us through the dreary winter months. Testament to her great taste, Lorraine served up the dish on our Standford Industrial reclaimed wood dining table; the perfect backdrop if ever we’ve seen one.

Photo credit: @lorrainepascale

Gemma Gear, That’s So Gemma

To kick off the year, we met with our friend, stylist and blogger, Gemma, to discover more about a day in the life of an interior stylist. Gemma works with us on our shoots and her sharp eye helps make our rustic furniture look even more desirable. We asked Gemma what she thought would be big in homes in 2020 and she predicted ‘plants’. How right she was!

Photo featuring: Farringdon Reclaimed Wood Extendable Trestle Table, Farringdon Reclaimed Wood Dining Chairs & Farringdon Reclaimed Wood Bench

Ju de Paula, The Blueberry Living & Co

We burst into spring in a blaze of colour with an interview with Ju de Paula, interior designer and founder of Blueberry Living & Co. You may have recognised Ju from the TV hit Interior Design Masters where her colourful designs won her a third place in the competition. We talked about sustainability in the home, where she gets her colourful ideas from and her favourite products; unsurprisingly our canary yellow Sabrina Curved Velvet Armchair stole her heart!

Photo credit: @blueberrylivingco

Sarah-Jane, Just a Little Build

With over 100k Instagram followers, @justalittlebuild influencer, Sarah-Jane, has the home many of us dream of. She would often feature our Kensington Reclaimed Wood Dining table in her posts, showing her followers just how glamorous an industrial dining table can look in the home. With her love of entertaining, and of her wood dining table, we asked Sarah-Jane to show us how to create a lust-worthy dinner party table.

Photo credit: @justalittlebuild

House Tours

In our House Tour features we walked around some truly stunning homes. From the beautiful light-filled Cotswold home of @aconstantdreamer, to the dark and dramatic home of @beetrootandblack, not forgetting the incredible American colonial style renovation of @inside_number_5_. The common thread in all of the homes we featured was not just the wonderful taste they all had, but their love of rustic and reclaimed wood furniture. Whether that was a dining bench crafted from old railway sleepers or a solid oak farmhouse dining table, the natural imperfections and original nail holes in these pieces added character and charm.

Photo credit: @aconstantdreamer

Photo credit: @beetrootandblack

Photo credit: @inside_number_5_

Ruth Mottershead, Creative Director, The Little Greene Paint Company

When it comes to eco-friendly paints, The Little Greene Paint Company is one of our preferred choices. We spoke with Ruth Mottershead, Creative Director and daughter of the founder of the company about sustainability, how best to use colour in the home and the best colours to complement industrial furniture.

Photo credit: Little Greene Paint Company

Bex Partridge, Botanical Tales

Undoubtedly, one of this year’s favourite interior trends was dried flowers and grasses. Their sustainable and ever lasting qualities filled vases on many a large sideboard and rustic table, so in the lead up to Christmas, we asked floral artist, Bex of @botanical_tales, to tell us all we needed to know about creating the perfect display for your home.

Photo credit: Bex Partridge

Wishing our friends and our customer a very Happy New Year!

How to see in 2021 at home alone

Family of four sat on a sofa each holding a 2021 number

With limited options for seeing in 2021, many families will no doubt opt to stay at home this New Year’s eve. Here are a few ideas to help make it a bit more of an event!

Make a treat of it

We all deserve extra treats this year so you could plan an evening of complete indulgence! Get some food and drink ideas together with the rest of your household and see what you end up with. It could be a selection of your favourite cocktails for the grown-ups – stock up your cocktail cabinet and get the stirrers and shakers out! For the children, you can get something they don’t normally have – like no alcohol champagne or mocktails!

A fabulous feast!

For food, you may end up deciding on a tasting menu, an 80’s inspired menu, an array of your most favourite snacks or one big feast-like meal. You can set your reclaimed wood table or rustic dining table and decorate it with a New Year 2021 theme earlier in the day, get your food prepared early, so all you have to do in the evening is dish up the food.

Get glammed up

Even though you are staying in you can still get dressed up – why not? Especially if you have online New Years Eve video calls arranged with friends and family. In fact, you could arrange a larger online get together for the entire evening!

Have a movie night

Reclaimed wood furniture gives a room a warm, living, cosy feel so make the most of it and enjoy a quiet night in front of the TV if that suits your family more. Turn the lights down low and pull your favourite velvet armchair up to the fireplace, or snuggle up with the kids on a sumptuously upholstered, cushion scattered, 3 seater sofa, and watch your favourite film. Don’t forget the popcorn!

Sleep through it!

And let’s face it, just because it is New Year’s Eve doesn’t mean we have to go mad and celebrate – you can, of course, ignore it completely and opt to spend a normal evening with your family. Go to bed at a reasonable hour like any other night and be glad that when you wake up in the morning 2020 will be a thing of the past!! There’s nothing more comforting than settling down into a warm king size wooden bed frame, layered with some extra blankets from your wooden blanket box for extra cosiness, setting your nightcap or hot cocoa down on your small bedside table and grabbing some engaging bedtime reading.

How your Christmas tree can live on after the holidays

Close up of the trunk of a Christmas tree

As usual, it seems like only a few days since we decorated our homes ready for Christmas and yet it’s nearly all over.

We have spent lots of time decorating our homes with festive cheer and very soon it’s got to come down and be packed away again. Record numbers of people across the world have opted for real trees this year so what will happen to them all now? Before we begin to start trying to craft them into a reclaimed wood dining table (!!) we have a look at ways they can be disposed of and reused in a sustainable manner.

Garden mulch is a great way to make use of your tree after Christmas – you may be able to find a company local to you who offer a mulching service. Mulch is a great allrounder for your garden – it helps flower beds retain water in summer, it helps prevent weeds growing and helps protect roots from frost and the cold in winter. Use it to decorate around your outdoor table and chairs patio area, or to create walkways around your garden.

You can remove the smaller branches and twigs to add to your composting heap. Larger branches and the trunk can be made into decorative features in your garden.

You can also create a feature garden bird feeder to feed garden birds through the rest of the colder months. Cut some of the top off your tree so you can attach a flat platform to put bird food on, you can then hang feeders off this and some of the branches of your old tree.

Old Christmas trees create a perfect fish habitat in rivers and lakes as they provide great hiding places for fish over the colder months. Obviously, we shouldn’t all just put our trees in the back of the car and throw them in the nearest watery spot but you can look online to find a local contact who can advise you.

We really love the idea of making coasters or depending how big your tree was, wooden serving boards, from the Christmas tree trunk. They are the perfect coasters to go with gorgeous reclaimed wood furniture. They look lovely on a rustic coffee table to stand your cup of tea on or a kitchen sideboard to stand a vase of flowers on, it would also protect the rustic surface of wooden sideboards and wooden chest of drawers getting potential water ring damage.

If you really can’t make any use of your Christmas tree yourself then look online where you may find collection information from your local council and businesses.

A look at our top 2023 sellers

Wooden numbers saying 2020 on white washed wood with fairy lights behind and best sellers words

With 2023 behind us, we take a look back to see which furniture was the most popular with our environmentally conscientious customers. Our stunning range of dining tables (as ever) has again been at the top of the list!

Photo featuring: Standford Industrial Reclaimed Wood Dining Table & Standford Industrial Reclaimed Wood Dining Bench

Dining Tables

The Standford dining table – This is from our hugely popular Standford range which includes gorgeous reclaimed wood furniture pieces for just about every room in the house! This rustic dining table is available as a fixed top table or as a very handy extendable table. From wooden sideboards to beds, large chests of drawers to a small living room lamp table – everything in this popular wood furniture range is skilfully crafted from timbers salvaged from former factories.

The Chelwood – This glamourous dining table features in our top sellers list just about every year! The polished stainless steel legs provide industrial elegance while the unique, full of rustic charm, solid reclaimed wood tabletop completes its undeniable allure.

Photo featuring: Chelwood Large Reclaimed Wood Dining Table

Rocco Spider Leg – This industrial dining table features a sustainably sourced solid oak top which sits on a central and stylish industrial spider leg. Plenty of room around the table with no annoying legs in the way for diners to bang their knees on!

Dining Chairs

Allegro chair – Sit back and dine in a high quality, soft Italian leather dining chair. These modern dining chairs pair perfectly with industrial furniture as well as more rustic and modern dining room furniture.

Photo featuring: Allegro Leather Dining Chair

Standford Leather & Faux Leather chairs – These leather and faux leather dining chairs from the ever popular Standford range won’t disappoint – a hugely popular addition to dining spaces up and down the country.

Cleo Faux Leather chairs and benches – Faux leather dining chairs are becoming increasingly popular with our animal-friendly customers. Our Cleo range of dining room seating is available in grey or tan, you can choose from dining benches, bar stools or chairs which all have sleek industrial legs. For those who want a comfortable upholstered dining chair that can easily be wiped clean then faux leather is proving to be a top pick.

Bedroom furniture

Onslow bed frames and bedside tables – The glorious bedroom furniture from the Onslow range has proven to be a winner yet again. Handcrafted in the UK from salvaged railway sleepers, this chunky bedroom furniture adds a warmth to your bedroom that can only be achieved by a statement king size bed frame, caringly crafted using solid reclaimed wood.

Photo featuring: Onslow Reclaimed Wooden Bed Frame

Living room furniture

Oldman coffee table – We think this is a fine example of an industrial coffee table and our style-conscious customers definitely agree! As this is another of our pieces that are hand finished in right here in the UK, your coffee table can be made to bespoke sizes….meaning that you can have a coffee table that is perfectly in proportion with your living room.

Photo featuring: Oldman Industrial Reclaimed Wood Coffee Table

Barkby sofa – This gorgeous brown leather sofa has been a huge hit during 2020. This range is skillfully made to order, you get to choose from a 2 or 3 seater leather sofa with or without an armchair to create the perfect combination for your living room.

Chestey Velvet Sofa – The popularity of this stylish, industrial style sofa just proves how much style our customers have!

Oswald Armchair – The Oswald real leather armchair is just waiting to be sat in, in a cosy reading corner. Seeking the ultimate in comfort, our customers have also opted for the coordinating leather footstool. A 2 seater sofa and a 3 seater is also available.

Quick-check – Last minute Christmas check list

To do notepad on rustic wood with green pine needles

Christmas is going to be quite a different celebration this year – but even if you are at home with just your immediate family or have a few extra guests over, you will want to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible….so all you’ll need to do is sit back, relax and spend valuable time with your nearest and dearest.

Here we have put together a list of a few things you might want to add to a last-minute to-do list.

Tidy round

Most of us will have this covered already! But it is surprising how quickly a room gets cluttered with a few extra guests and opened gifts. Not to mention the discarded wrapping paper. If you have a wooden sideboard in your living room put as much away in there as possible – If you keep your remotes on a rustic coffee table pop them in a drawer or on the shelf underneath it so you won’t be hunting around later. Tidy away shoes in the hallway, make additional space under a hallway storage bench to make some room for your guest’s shoes

Prepare the guest room for overnight visitors

You may know some guests will be staying over, but even if there is a chance some may unexpectedly stay, have the spare room hoovered out and some fresh clean bedding and towels ready and waiting to be used – having last-minute guests to stay will be a breeze! Place a festive plant or some Christmas decorations on the bedroom wooden chest of drawers, or place some festive cushions on the bed.

Think about seating

Seating around the dining table is always an issue at Christmas! Now is the time you should check if you have enough dining chairs. If you have an upholstered bench in the hallway you can easily bring it into the dining room ready to use. You may have an office swivel chair in a kids bedroom or the home office that can also be counted in. It’s not just in the dining room that you need to consider seating – you may need extra in the living room too so you can all sit down together and watch a festive family film after Christmas dinner.

Photo featuring: Chelwood Large Reclaimed Wood Dining Table & Chelwood Reclaimed Wood Dining Bench

Do you have everything for the table?

Do you have enough serving dishes and/or trays? How will you dish up Christmas dinner? Check you have serviettes, crackers, cranberry sauce, bread sauce, even salt and pepper. If you enjoy eating cold meats and cheeses for supper, or the next day, check you have some of your favourite pickles in. You might even want to get the table set now – rustic Christmas decorations and wreaths look beautiful on a reclaimed wood dining table and can be left in situ throughout the holidays.

Last-minute household essentials

Foil is one of those things that often gets forgotten about – I know I have done it myself! But things like toilet roll, matches, scented candles and especially batteries for the kids new toys or even the TV remote. It’s also worth checking on dishwasher tablets, kitchen roll, clingfilm for leftovers and the other things things that we do not purchase as regularly.

Treats to offer any unexpected guests

It’s always a good idea to have some extra bits in just in case you do get some unexpected guests. Mince pies, a spare box of festive chocolates, savoury nibbles and a couple of extra cartons of juice will keep well in the store cupboard.

Assortment of milk chocolates and white star biscuits on a brown plate

Create a festive welcome with wonderful wreaths

Large green Christmas wreath hanging on dark grey front door

However many or few people you invite into your home this year it will be lovely to give them a warm Christmassy welcome. Here we are looking at wreaths – these don’t just have to be hung outside on the main door to your house – but they will also look welcoming and Christmassy in the Hallway.

Wreaths are a very traditional part of Christmas – they are thought to date back to the pre-Christian Germanic people of Eastern Europe who would gather wreaths of evergreen and light fires as a sign of hope for the coming spring and light. This tradition was taken up in Germany (around the 16th Century) who to this day use a wreath with four candles. One candle is lit each week in the four weeks of advent in the run-up to Christmas.

Putting a wreath on your front door is seen as a sign to welcome guests into your home over Christmas – nowadays it is also seen as part of our traditional home decor during the festive season. Many different styles and sizes are available to buy but they are also very easy to make yourself – which of course you can completely individualise.

Chic

This wreath looks so chic and is great for a smart townhouse door.

Green and blue Christmas wreath on dark grey front door

Rustic

The perfect wreath for a cosy looking cottage door – warm colours, rustic natural elements and a bright ribbon to bring it all together. This could easily be hand made from things you can find in local shops and in the home.

Modern

This is a modern take on the traditional wreath – thin twigs have been swirled into a round shape with dried flowers in a similar muted hue. A simple, but very effective and welcoming wreath.

A festive hallway…

We often concentrate on the living room and dining room when it comes to festive cheer – but why not decorate your hallway? This is the place where you can make the warmest of first impressions. A wreath set on a small console table or a tall hallway shoe storage unit with large candles or better still Christmas scented candles will be lovely for you to walk into….as well as any guests. If you prefer not to have candles burning in the hallway you can arrange fairy lights in a glass bowl or vase or hang them over a round wall mirror above a wood console table.

White lit Christmas candles with frosted pine cone against wood wall

Tips to adapt Christmas dinner to a plant-based feast

Our population is becoming more and more environmentally conscious of the products we purchase and the lifestyle we are choosing to lead. From purchasing items made from sustainable materials, reclaimed wood furniture with faux leather dining chairs to embracing a vegan diet.

So how do you adapt the traditional sumptuous “no holds barred” traditional turkey dinner to a plant-based feast?

If you and your family are all vegans then you will probably have plenty of ideas on how to switch to a plant-based Christmas dinner – but what if you have one member of your family who is vegan? Or if you have one or two guests coming who are vegan? It’s worth checking if they are flexible at all, some people who usually eat vegan will be more than happy to slot in a little and be OK with a small amount of dairy product. It’s definitely worth checking before stressing over how to adapt everything.

Photo featuring: Kensington Reclaimed Wood Dining Table

To make life easier on the day set your dining table the night before. If you think you have to squeeze extra guests around the table then consider a dining bench or for extra comfort a dining bench with back or fabric dining bench, it’s much easier to squeeze up on one of these than adding extra dining chairs.

Starters and nibbles

I think it’s a given that most vegans, and vegetarians, enjoy hummus, it’s also popular with carnivores too. This is a great choice to start your Christmas feast with, you can dish this up individually or have a sharing platter ready for all to dig in to a rustic dining table – serve with carrot, cucumber and celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, peppers and some vegan breadsticks that you can get from most supermarkets. Traditional guacamole is also vegan. For nibbles, you can put out olives or a platter of nuts and dried fruits.

The main event

A cashew nut roast, a mushroom and lentil loaf with cranberries, stuffed butternut squash and meals based on polenta are all great options – there are so many recipes waiting to be discovered online, you will easily be able to find something to suit. The great thing about many of these meals (having no meat to worry about going off) is that they can be prepared or even frozen well in advance. Now we have the main element decided on we can start on the side dishes. Yes, the veggies – all you have to do here is be mindful of adding butter, animal fat and other meat-based elements as you cook and prepare them. Then there’s just the gravy, again there are some great vegan recipes online or you can go for ready-made shop-bought.

Christmas pud

The traditional Christmas pudding is quite easy to adapt to a vegan one – full of dried fruits, Christmas spices and booze there are only really a couple of ingredients you need to swap – the suet and any dairy product. The vegan society has a great recipe on their website that is definitely worth a look. This can be served with brandy butter which can be made using vegan margarine, icing sugar and alcohol.

Whatever you serve, Christmas, more than ever this year, will be about spending as much quality time as possible with your nearest and dearest.