rustic Archives - Page 4 of 45

How to style a Christmas rustic dining table

Discover how to dress your rustic Christmas dinner table with style. We chatted with one of our favourite Instagrammers, Rachel Hitchcock @at_home_with_the_hitchcocks, to take us through how she transformed her rustic dining table with a show-stopping nature-inspired Christmas display.

Christmas table styling with Rachel

I absolutely love the hanging Christmas arrangements that have gained popularity over the last few Christmases and knew that I wanted our lovely Derby Reclaimed Wood Extending Dining Table to have this type of feature this Christmas. However, I didn’t feel comfortable drilling holes into the ceiling – it’s the sort of thing I would do badly, so I set about finding how I could create the same look without the drill. I came across a table hanging rail which clamps onto the table, which was perfect. I decorated it with some pine cones, Christmas garlands and faux eucalyptus, berries and other foliage and had an instant eye-catching display that framed the dining table.

Decorating your Christmas dining table

In terms of decorating the table, I wanted to dress it as opposed to cover it. I have previously used a tablecloth when decorating my table for Christmas but now we have our beautiful reclaimed wood dining table and I didn’t want to hide it behind a tablecloth, I wanted to dress the table and still have the natural beauty of the reclaimed wood very much on display.

My usual dining table styling features a statement vase and flowers that suit the season, however, it’s not always the most practical as it can block the view of the person sitting across the table – not really what you want over Christmas dinner. Instead, I chose a traditional long and low arrangement using another pine Christmas garland and a faux eucalyptus garland intertwined.

Styling Tip: I placed the garland on a linen table runner, but I think for the day I’ll use a gold sparkly runner and a few fairy lights to make it even more festive.

I now had an arrangement along the middle of the table and an arrangement in parallel above the table. I wanted to make them cohesive so I played around with heights to bring them together. I added a mixture of tall, medium and small matching black candlestick holders along the table to create varying levels of height and interest. I then hung clear glass tea light holders and baubles from the hanging rail at varying heights so they would dangle elegantly between the candlestick holders. This helped the entire arrangement come together as one display rather than two different segments parallel to one another.

Styling Tip: Add some fairy lights interwoven into the hanging rail garland to give a little extra sparkle to the overall look. This is something I will do ahead of decorating for Christmas Day dinner.

I added little sprigs of faux eucalyptus, berries and other foliage into the centerpiece along the length of the dining table and I popped some pine cones and little miniature scented votive candles on the table runner and into gaps amongst the garland to fill it out.

Styling Tip: use clear empty glass candle jars with mistletoe or other festive flowers, branches or berries on your table, together with some fresh florals to add more interest and height to your table decor. This is another addition I’ll be making to my table on Christmas Day.

The best tableware and crockery

This year I’ve purchased some Christmas crockery with a discreet mistletoe pattern, but plain white works equally as well with this look. When I think of Christmas velvet always springs to mind, it brings an instant touch of luxury to the table. I found these lovely green velvet napkins and added black velvet bows for added extravagance. Once glasses and cutlery were added my Christmas table was finished! On the day, as well as fresh festive flowers, I’ll add Christmas crackers to complete the look.

Styling Tip: Add a sprig of holly with berries to place settings with a name card. You can even buy personalised velvet ribbon to tie your napkins.

For more Christmas home styling inspiration check out our ideas to impress guests this Christmas along with Rachel’s posts on @at_home_with_the_hitchcocks.

All images @at_home_with_the_hitchcocks

How to help your Christmas tree last longer

Many of us are itching to get the tree up… if it’s not up already! A real Christmas tree will blend beautifully into a home with reclaimed wood furniture, continuing the rustic theme. But if you’re planning on a real Christmas tree it’s a little harder to judge exactly when it is the right time to put it up. You don’t want to miss out on the magical build-up to Christmas but at the same time, you don’t want it to be bare, dropping needles all over the floor and your rustic furniture by Christmas eve. In this blog, we look at how best to treat your tree so it lasts as long as possible over the festive period.

Choose the right tree

A healthy fresh-cut tree should last around four to five weeks. Many trees available to buy are ones that are described as needle retaining – but how long they will last depends on when it was cut. If at all possible you should buy your tree from a place that cuts it down as you’re there – of course, this is not always possible and you will only have the sellers word for when it was cut.

Tips to help you know if your tree is fresh

Gently pull your hand along a branch – only the odd needle should fall.
Tap the entire tree on the ground to see how many needles fall off.
The needles of a fresh tree should snap in half and should not be pliable.
The tree should have a fresh and fragrant scent.

Before you take the tree into your home, cut off 2.5cms from the bottom of the trunk as this will allow it to take up more water. The tree should ideally be placed in a leak-proof stand – it can drink 1-2 litres of water a day!

The best position for your Christmas tree

Ideally, you want to avoid placing your Christmas tree in direct sunlight or near an open fire or radiator. Whilst a real tree next to a roaring open fireplace feels festive and cosy, it will really shorten the tree’s life.

If your tree is a bit tall then cut some off from the bottom – you may be able to use any offcuts to make a festive display down the middle of your rustic dining table, as part of a table setting or on an industrial sideboard.

It may be worth moving your furniture around to get the tree in just the right position, maybe you have the ideal spot but a wooden side table or small armchair is in the way. A small piece of furniture can easily be moved out of the room temporarily to make room.

When Christmas is over and it’s time to take it down, look at responsible ways to dispose of it. Your local council will be able to help with this, or see our blog How your Christmas tree can live on after the holidays for some other great and eco-friendly suggestions.

What side of the fence to you sit on when it comes to real or imitation Christmas trees? We’d love to hear what you prefer. Leave a comment below to start the conversation!

5 Ideal seating solutions for Christmas

After last year’s disappointment, we are all looking forward to a Christmas this year with our family and friends. How are you going to celebrate? No doubt there will be at least one occasion over the holidays when you have a houseful and your wooden extendable dining table has guests balancing on an old chair or perched on a stool because the age-old problem of a shortage of dining chairs. Although this may be half the fun of a Christmas dinner or other festive get-togethers, there comes a time when you need seating solutions – and we have them!

1. A wooden dining table with bench

It may sound over zealous to say that a dining bench will revolutionise your festive get-togethers, but it’s true! Not only is a wooden dining bench a stylish must-have around your reclaimed wood dining table, it’s a very practical addition too. Dining chairs are all well and good, but they can sometimes be a bit restrictive when it comes to squeezing in extra guests, especially if you have wooden chairs with arms. A dining bench is relaxed, inclusive and can get more bums on seats, perfect for Christmas don’t you think?

2. Separate kids table

When it comes to festive dinner parties, let’s face it, kids get bored with adult talk and so the most common solution world-over is to create a separate wooden dining table for the kids and cousins. The grown-ups can spread-out around a rustic dining table and linger for as long as they like. Depending on numbers a bar table and chairs is a great option – children just love sitting on bar stool chairs. Think about opting for bar stools with backs for extra safety.

3. Take seating from other areas of the house

We’re not suggesting you move the sofa into the dining room or kitchen, but you can get creative. If you have a hallway bench seat in your entrance or a small armchair where people would normally sit to put their shoes on, then bring that up to your dining table for mealtimes. Or a wooden blanket box from the bedroom would make a perfect seating spot – just empty any heavy items out of it before moving it! For a casual dinner or buffet, you could even try a solid rustic coffee table as a temporary perch or bring in garden seating.

4. Go buffet!

Food is a big part of a festive party but instead of a sit-down dinner, why not change the format with a buffet? A buffet is a more relaxed way of entertaining and seating can be a lot less formal than for a traditional sit-down meal. Alongside your dining table with bench and dining chairs, you could also use stools, especially handy for seating against the kitchen island, large sideboard or breakfast bar.

5. Bring-your-own!

If you have surpassed the number of chairs and bench space in your home with a whopping invite list, there is no harm in asking your guests to bring a foldable chair of some kind. Again, it is part of the fun to arrive at the host’s house for a festive get-together and bring your own wooden dining chairs…!

Create a warm rustic living room with the Ringwood

mango wood coffee table next to dark brown leather sofa

A living room should be a cosy family room – somewhere to relax and unwind in front of the TV, play cards and board games with your favourite people, a place to quietly read a book as well as a social space to sit with friends over a morning coffee or before dinner cocktails.

You also want your living room to reflect your personality and style so this is why we have many different types of rustic furniture collections for you to choose from – the modern look comes from the Canford mango wood furniture collection, whereas if you like the look of industrial furniture then you can choose from the Standford reclaimed wood furniture collection or for rustic furniture then the new Ringwood living room furniture collection simply has to grab your attention.

The Ringwood collection is skillfully crafted from gorgeous honey-coloured, sustainable mango wood. It is produced in a way to make the most of the gorgeous wood grain that mango wood is renowned for, just what you need to create a warm rustic living room.

Just about every living room has a coffee table and we love the beautiful simplicity and clean lines of the Ringwood rustic coffee table where the gorgeous mango wood does all the talking. However, if you need to add some practical storage space in your living room (and who doesn’t?) then the storage coffee table with its slide open top and two drawers has to be your first choice. For extra occasional coffee tables then consider the wooden nest of tables always handy to have when visitors call!

For those times when you just want a little atmospheric dim lighting in your living room then make sure you have a lamp next to the Ringwood lamp table next to your favourite relaxing spot – it has a drawer too, handy for your favourite book, reading glasses and to keep remotes in one place.

Bringing your own personality to a living room is essential for a homely living space and the rustic sideboard or rustic console table is the ideal spot to display memorable photos and favoured accessories, again crated from solid mango using traditional carpentry methods to ensure each piece is as unique as it is beautiful.

Being a rich dark honey colour this living room furniture will bring a natural rustic warmth into your room that only real solid wood can – it will complement bolder and brighter colour schemes just as it will a calming neutral colour scheme.

Carry the same rustic scheme into your dining space with the Ringwood Sustainable Mango Wood Furniture for the dining room. Including a wonderful mango wood dining table with solid X-legs and a choice of three matching wooden dining chairs, read more in our Spotlight on the new Ringwood Mango Wood Dining blog here.

Mango Wood – how suitable is it for furniture?

Easy ways to elevate your Halloween decorations

Halloween is often thought of as a bit kitsch – something just for kids to get dressed up and go trick or treating – but adults can get in on the action too with something a little more sophisticated and grown-up. If you have any reclaimed wood furniture or rustic furniture in your home then you already have a great foundation to set off some super stylish Halloween decorations. Here we look at a few alternative ideas that will help you elevate your Halloween house decor.

5 Stylish Halloween Decor Ideas

1. Paint pumpkins

Instead of carving out creepy faces on the standard orange pumpkins, you can paint the pumpkins a stylish white. Paint simple black scary faces on them if you like, much easier than pumpkin carving! Get a selection of different sized pumpkins and create an attractive and elegant feature on a reclaimed wood coffee table in your living room or on a rustic console table in the hallway ready to welcome your guests as they arrive.

2. Fill glass jars or vases with Halloween decor

Keep your Halloween decorations in more impressive clusters rather than scattered all around the house. Use glass jars to display Halloween decorations and attach several cutouts of black bats together on a string and suspend them from a witches broom or add simple cob webbing to the corners of rustic furniture for a spooky feel.

3. Go for a cosy and welcoming look

Mix mini white painted pumpkins or white squashes with cosy autumnal textures like wool and faux fur. Dim lighting will help create a more spooky and cosy atmosphere, candlelight is perfect for a Halloween dinner party or you can use fairy lights scattered with mini painted squashes on your reclaimed wood dining table. Marry Halloween with autumn and bring in warm-coloured autumnal flower, or twig, displays.

You can also decorate your front door with Halloween wreaths and a few different sized pumpkins by your front door, they don’t even need to be carved. Garlands of autumnal leaf displays framing the door also look lovely and give a warm welcome to guests.

4. Go all black!

Halloween doesn’t have to be orange. Stick with black and decorate an area of your dining room or living room; maybe around the fireplace to make a really impressive display. If you don’t have a fireplace then consider the top of a wooden sideboard. A witches hat or cape is a really handy accessory, hang one on a hook by the fireplace in the living room.

5. Keep it simple

If you are just having a quiet Halloween night in then there is no need to go all out and spend hours decorating your house! Bring in a hint of Halloween and add small accents here and there in your home. Just a little display on a sideboard, wooden side table or rustic bookcase is all you need to be part of the fun.

What chairs to choose for your rustic dining table

You have your gorgeous new rustic dining table picked for your dining space, maybe you already have some chairs you want to use or maybe you’re looking for some new ones. Discover different options of dining chairs that pair beautifully with a rustic table.

Wooden dining chairs

The Standford Industrial range marries together an industrial and rustic look beautifully. The reclaimed dining table from the collection is an industrial style table, so let’s look at chairs that match it. To soften the industrial look consider a set of wooden chairs. The Standford Wooden dining chair with an upholstered seat is crafted from reclaimed wood and will sit perfectly around a rustic dining table or industrial dining table. Alternatively, the Standford leather chair is another very popular choice. This classic seat design sat on solid industrial legs with the tan leather blending easily with many different styles of table, not just rustic. The Standford collection also includes a stylish faux leather dining chair perfect for if you are trying to achieve a sleek and slightly more modern look in your dining space.

Faux leather dining chairs

Faux leather dining chairs are so convincing these days. They look and feel just like real leather and are a great ‘wipe clean’ choice for a household with children…as well as being the animal friendly option. The Cleo faux leather dining room chairs are a perfect addition to a rustic table and will add contrast to your dining space by mixing rustic and modern. You can mix and match chair colours – we love how great grey and tan look together, the tan complementing the wood on your table and the grey adding contrast.

Dining benches

We all know that benches are “the thing” when it comes to dining room seating right now. They are right up to date and also bring the benefit of being able to get extra people around your table as well as bringing a casual mood to your dining space. There are so many different styles and coverings to choose from. A classic wooden dining bench can be easily mixed with other rustic or reclaimed wooden dining table and chairs, as can soft and plush velvet benches. A velvet bench for example is the perfect partner for our sophisticated Chelwood Large Reclaimed Wooden Dining Table bringing a dash of bling to your dining seating.

The aforementioned Cleo range of dining room seating also features benches and corner benches, both with backs for super comfortable dining. If your dining space is in a corner then you can save space by pushing them up against the wall.

How to mix rustic and modern furniture in your home

We see the images on social media and in all the home magazines….beautiful rustic furniture and features mixed in with sleek modern furniture and wondered how do they get it so right? How do they know what goes well with what? What should the modern element be and what should be antique or rustic to get the blend just right? In this blog, we hope to answer some of these styling conundrums.

First, how do we define modern? By this term, we mean anything from about the 1950’s onwards whether it be an original piece of furniture in this style or an updated copy. The minimalist Scandi or the more popular scheme, Japandi look is a good example of what we mean by “modern”, the chic uncomplicated style of this furniture is perfect to mix with rustic and antique.

Rustic incorporates anything that has a natural worn look with rugged, neutral and earthy touches. Antique pieces and antique furniture can also be included.

Use natural wood

Reclaimed wood furniture is perfect for this look. An ultra-modern sofa or armchair with crisp modern lines looks great when pulled next to an industrial coffee table with the tabletop crafted in rustic reclaimed wood. The natural lines and undulations of the wood soften the sometimes slightly clinical look of modern furniture. You can lay reclaimed wood floorboards to stand your modern furniture on, again a lovely contrast of rustic and modern. In the hallway, go for a modern tiled floor with a rustic hallway bench seat – it will not only be a very useful addition but will change the look of the entrance to your home.

Use texture and colour to cosy up the room

Texture is another great way to help your rustic and modern elements look more cosy together. Use a rug to bring elements together in your room – the rug will also help to define zones – or add a deep cushioned upholstered armchair in front of a brick fireplace with a wooden mantel to soften an otherwise hard and cold surface. Another trick is to use modern on-trend colours with rustic features. Be bold and go for an all-dark interior by painting walls, coving and skirting boards in the same dark colour and add a rustic edward leather armchair – the look is dramatic and cosy, yet modern at the same time.

Use contrasts

Opposites do attract, so consider placing a striking modern table lamp on an antique or rustic bedside table. A reclaimed wood dining table with modern dining chairs – maybe choose a bold colour to provide contrast against the wood? Rustic bar stools can bring in different shapes and add interest into a minimalist straight-lined kitchen. Also consider contrasting finishes – glossy surfaces with wood rich in natural features are a great pairing.

Tips to create a modern country home

Years ago we considered traditional farmhouse decor to be a little bit dated and we felt quite restricted with what we could do with it to bring it up to date. This has all changed now – out goes dark wood panelling, doilies and farm animal prints and in come calming neutral colours and a beautiful blend of rustic and modern.

Colour scheme

The modern country home should be filled with light! So bring it in with your decor and furnishings – stick with pale and neutral colours for walls, floors and ceilings. You can, of course, dot some accent colour into your rooms to add depth and interest but the overall feel should be light and airy.

Plenty of texture

A modern country home should have a good selection of different natural textures to give it a wholesome feel. Baskets of fire wood, wicker baskets, a jute rug, rattan pendant lights, exposed wood beams and brick walls will all work together to bring in a whole load of different textures.

Rustic furniture

Of course, you need to fill your home with gorgeous reclaimed wood furniture – statement, investment pieces that simply shout out country home. It’s a natural and earthy feel that you want to achieve. So a solid reclaimed wood bed, choose one from the handcrafted Dulwich range, for your country bedroom. A statement reclaimed wood dining table in the kitchen, with a practical dining bench so that diners can budge up to accommodate extra dinner guests. A rustic sideboard in the living room and a stylish Oswald 2 seater sofa pulled up to a large square coffee table crafted from full of character reclaimed wood.

Bring the outdoors in

We are all way more aware of how important the great outdoors is to our wellbeing now. So bring the outdoors in however you can, of course, the natural materials help, but position your furniture so you can see out to the garden or countryside wherever possible. Bring life into your home in the shape of houseplants and not just in the living room, you can add plants in every room of the house so you get the pleasure and benefit of seeing them wherever you are!

Make the kitchen the heart of the home

The kitchen should definitely be the heart of any country home – somewhere to sit around a rustic dining table in front of a range cooker with a cup of tea or coffee and a slab of home-baked cake. It’s the picture we all automatically conjure up when we think ‘country kitchen’. Make the kitchen homely and inviting in a modern way by using light neutral hues then bring in pops of accent colour.