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How to warm your home with cosy autumnal lighting

Green hanging lights over wooden table with red berries

As the days grow shorter we turn to artificial light in the home during our waking hours. Who doesn’t love a cosy welcoming home? Here we’ve chosen some of our favourite lighting pieces for each room to give your home an inviting autumnal glow.

Kitchen and dining space

Luckily for us, pendant lights are hugely on trend right now! We just love them here at Modish Living, there are so many styles to choose from! We love a rustic natural look in the home, and they don’t come much more natural than sustainably sourced bamboo. Natural bamboo complements any interior style. For example, if your dining area is channeling an industrial feel you don’t have to go for metal industrial pendant lighting just because you have industrial dining furniture – a bamboo black pendant light looks completely at home here and adds a softer element to catch the eye. If you want a more neutral and blended look, try a white pendant light.

Photo featuring: Bamboo Half Moon Double Pendant Light

Living room

A pendant ceiling light does not have to be restricted to hanging over the dining table or in the void over the stairs anymore. Pendant lights look great in any room with a high ceiling and you can always add a dimmer switch for when you want to tone it down. They also look fantastic hanging over a sofa end table where they will provide plenty of light for reading, knitting, sewing etc.

Photo featuring: Karine Jute Pendant Light

Of course, living room lamps will also provide a subtle glow where you need it most, the Vance Neutral lamp will blend in perfectly with their surroundings with the base being made from natural woven sea grass and a soft glow lampshade. And let’s not forget candles – the ultimate in atmospheric lighting.

Photo featuring: Vance Neutral Lamp

Bedroom

Good lighting in the bedroom will help create a relaxing ambience – It’s very unlikely you will be able to wind down for sleep with a glaring ceiling light on and even worse, you don’t want to get all snuggled up and sleepy and have to get out of bed to switch the light off! But a big ceiling light is probably a necessity while you are getting ready for a night out. This is a room where different lights are a must. For the bedroom, the Sassa wicker bedside table lamps are our top pick, produced from natural wicker they will blend in with modern and rustic style and easily merge into your existing colour scheme. Another great look is pendant lights suspended over your bedside tables – not only does this look great but it leaves you with more room for a book, a favourite picture in a frame, reading glasses and your phone.

Photo featuring: Sassa Wicker Table Lamp

Hallway

The hallway is a place where you don’t generally need to have lighting for specific tasks – but it is so much nicer to walk into a warm and welcoming home when you get in from the wet and cold. Ceiling lights are a must for practical reasons, but you can add a warm and welcoming glow with a table lamp on a wooden console table or achieve an atmospheric glow from some fairy lights like our wire weave fairy lights.

Photo featuring: Wire Weave Fairy Light

Top lighting planning tips:

For perfect placement, the bottom of the chandelier or pendant should be around 75 cm above your dining table.
Always go over the top – you can always turn something off if it is too bright or add a dimmer switch – but adding extra lighting retrospectively is not so easy.
Make sure you have plenty of light to do what you love doing when in your favourite chair on those dark autumnal evenings.
Most rooms will need a ceiling light but think about where else you might need extra lights for reading etc. Take the opportunity to light up dark corners or highlight your favourite features in a room.

How to get your hallway ready to welcome autumn

Autumn is coming and along with it come bulky coats, muddy wellies, wet shoes and dripping umbrellas, all these things will most likely enter your home via the hallway…..

Here we have put together a few ideas to help you organise your hallway and get ready for the wet and muddy onslaught. Umbrella’s at the ready….!

Boot storage

This really is the most important one – no one wants to open the front door and hop, step and jump over shoes strewn across the floor! Boots take up so much more space than little strappy summer shoes, sandals and flipflops. Even though summer shoes are small, they should definitely be put away during the winter months….. Not only to protect them from being crushed somewhere at the bottom of the shoe rack but also to make plenty of space…. don’t underestimate the amount of boots and shoes that will gather!

The Chedworth Large Wooden shoe storage, featured above, ticks all the boxes, not only does it look absolutely gorgeous in natural rustic wood, you get 12 individual compartments and on the top, you can pop your handbag down and have a dish to keep the house and car keys in… Hang a round wall mirror above it, add a vase of flowers and you have a stylish and organised hallway.

Coat hanging

This is also the time of year to tidy away those lightweight summer jackets and get the big coats out. If you don’t already have a coat rack then think about how many coats you will need to hang on it – make sure you get one that has enough space and is sturdy enough to hold them. There are so many ways to do this – hooks on the wall, a traditional style coat stand, a hidden cupboard under the stairs or an open rack.

Clear the clutter

Very important in the hallway! The first thing people see when they come to your door will be the hallway – it looks so much better if everything has its place. A narrow console table will help hide all the bits and bobs tidy – gloves, keys, coins, dog lead – anything you need to grab on your way out can all be housed in one – and of course, there is the added bonus of being able to stand something decorative on top for a really ‘finished’ hallway look.

Photo featuring: Chelwood Nordic Reclaimed Wood Console Table

Hallway seating

A seat is a great idea in the hallway. Boots take a bit more effort to get on than slip-on summer shoes – so it could be a good idea to add some seating. With wicker storage baskets the Rattan May hallway storage bench combines clever storage and practical bench seating or Clockhouse Hallway Wooden Bench, featured below, makes a stylish and practical addition.

Photo featuring: Clockhouse Hallway Wooden Bench

Easy clean flooring

It does make sense to have an easy clean area to take wet coats and shoes off – but once you are past that you can add a rug, this will give you an instant homely and warm feeling and is, of course, luxurious underfoot. You can use a floor rug to give your hallway an accent colour and then add coordinating welcoming accessories.

Finishing touches

These are all the things you can do to give your hallway a stamp of character. Add or change your wall art, add a pot plant, add a wall or floor mirror or simply get a new doormat.

Breathe a new lease of life in to your dining room

Industrial oak dinging table with dark grey leather dining chairs and industrial sideboard

Sometimes a room just needs a bit of a freshen up and a few new pieces to transform it into a space you and your loved ones will enjoy spending time in it again. Here are our top tips to breathe new life into you dining room….

A good place to start is to decide what style suits you and your room – farmhouse, modern, Scandi minimalist, retro? With so many styles on trend right now this can be the hardest decision.

Dining room furniture

Reclaimed wood dining tables come in so many shapes and sizes you will definitely find one to suit your needs – yes, this is a bit of an outlay but it will be a stunning centrepiece in your dining room for years to come. A rustic or industrial dining table will work well with so many interior styles you will easily be able to incorporate it in your next decor theme.

To inject a bit of luxury into your dining space you can add sumptuous velvet upholstered dining chairs or even a velvet dining bench, great for when you might need to squeeze a few extra around the table. If you have a growing family and sticky little fingers to deal with then some wipe-clean leather or faux leather dining chairs will instantly modernise your room without the need to replace other pieces of furniture.

If your dining room has become a bit cluttered over the last few months, a wooden sideboard will quickly fix this for you…. plus you can dress the top of the sideboard, hang a wall mirror over it and your room will have a very practical and stylish new feature.

Lighting

Your dining room may have been used as a school room or an office in recent months and you might just want to make a small change to switch it back to being (and feeling like) a dining room again. Natural pendant ceiling lights are making a huge comeback this year – our rattan and bamboo pendant lights are all produced from sustainably sourced materials and with a range of different styles to choose from this would give your dining room an instant update.

New table linen

If you are not in a position to replace your dining table then glam it up with crisp fresh table linen. You can choose linen that blends with your existing colour scheme or a colour that contrasts. Start with a white table cloth add a runner and napkins…..you don’t just have to stick to the table, get some cushions or throws to smarten up dining chairs or benches.

Atmospheric accessories

Last but not least…. Choose a new centrepiece for your dining table – you can add a candlestick, a decorative bowl, a vase with some dried flowers and grasses or a new houseplant. Scented candles and diffusers look lovely and will soothe your guests into after-dinner drinks and conversation. Same with lighting, a ceiling pendant is perfect when you are dining but the cosy glow of a table lamp is much better mood setter as the evening wears on.

8 ways to get boutique hotel style bedroom

Wooden do not disturb sign hanging on white door

Make the most of a staycation this year and turn your bedroom into a luxury hotel room. As many of us will not be travelling away from home this summer let’s have a look at how to bring boutique hotel room style to your home and create a 5 star bedroom.

1) Make the bed the focal point

The bed is usually the focus of attention in a hotel room, dressed with a plush throw, plumped up pillows and a mountain of scatter cushions, all there is to add a touch of sumptuous luxury to your room. If you love the natural beauty of a reclaimed wood bed, we think you will love our Beam range. All beds and coordinating bedroom furniture is handcrafted right here in the UK using old reclaimed beams, perfect for a staycation bedroom. The Beam Buckingham (pictured below) has a wonderful high headboard, perfect for piling those pillows and cushions up against!

Photo featuring: Beam Buckingham Reclaimed Wood Bed

2) Go for a themed bedroom

If you like a minimalist look then consider a crisp, clean and airy Scandi themed room. If your favourite place to be is by the sea, you could create a modern beach themed bedroom using tranquil shades of blue and sand colours set beside pale wood, maybe add some beach hut style timber cladding on your walls.

Photo featuring: Hudson Living Kielder Oak Bed

3) Bedside cabinets

If you don’t have some already, bedside units are a must for a boutique hotel room, a place to stand a glass of water or your morning coffee, your holiday reading material and charge for your phone. With either drawers or cupboards, they also add extra valuable storage to your bedroom, so it remains tidy and serene.

Photo featuring: Winchester Reclaimed Wood Bedside Table & Worcester Reclaimed Wood Bedside Table

4) A good mattress for a great night’s sleep

It’s all well and good having a spacious king size wooden bed frame but it’s the mattress that makes it super comfy. A decent hotel quality mattress really does make a huge difference. The UK produced Simply Irresistible Mattress 1000 pocket springs and a sumptuous layer of Vytech Memory Foam and is also guaranteed for a full 10 years.

5) Get rid of bedroom clutter

Imagine if you walked into a hotel room with all sorts of clutter scattered around, it would make most of us turn around and walk right out! There is lots of advice available about how to start decluttering and what we really should not be holding on to anymore. A simple place to start is to spend 15 minutes every day in a different room of your house and declutter! And make the most of bedroom drawers to keep your boutique bedroom clear.

Photo featuring: Dulwich Small Reclaimed Wood Chest of Drawers

6) Relax in a bedroom seating area

A reading or relaxing area works great in a bedroom, a place to escape from the hustle and bustle of a busy home. A luxurious velvet armchair is an obvious choice for this spot, we love the Mateese Velvet Armchair in a soft pink and if this does not fit in with your colour scheme then the neutral Finchley Grey Velvet Armchair will blend into any scheme. And of course, you can always add a cushion to coordinate with your bedding.

Photo featuring: Mateese Velvet Armchair & Finchley Grey Velvet Armchair

7) Add a dressing table and floor standing mirror

Hotel rooms will always have a dressing table and a mirror so of course, if you have the space, you should have these in your room too. A place for pampering day and night.

Photo featuring: Amalfi Floor Mirror

8) Give the room some ambience

And now for the finishing touches and personalisation! Lighting is an important element and If you like to have music whilst you relax or to fall asleep to then add a bluetooth speaker or a docking station, just like in a hotel. Not only do reed diffusers look great they really can set the mood in your bedroom with their wonderfully subtle fragrance, or light a scented candle and let the flickering light calm the space.

How to feng shui your desk for success

Woman's hands typing at a lap top with tidy accessories on wood desk

Never has it been more important to focus on our wellness. We spend so much time sitting at our home office desk so let’s look at a few ways to get some wonderful positive energy flowing using the principles of feng shui.

1. Get rid of clutter

Clutter drains your energy! Set aside some time, a few minutes at the end of the day or a half-hour at the end of the week when you can go through and dispose of, or file, things that have accumulated on your desk and in your office. A home office filing cabinet should be a must-have to store work related documents, as well as personal documents, all kept in their place and easy to find when needed. De-cluttering should include what is on your desktop computer, back-up what you need and delete those old unused files to “create space” for new opportunities.

2. Desk position

If you can you should position your desk so you don’t have your back to your office entrance – you need to face the world and see what’s coming if this is not possible then you can adapt and hang a wall mirror over your desk which will have the same effect.

3. Which chair

The best office chair according to feng shui is one with a high back as this represents good support in the office, but this should also be put in the correct position. Whilst you want your desk to be facing your office entrance, try to ensure your chair is not in front of the doorway as this may allow positive energy to be drawn away from the space.

4. Bring in energy colours

Add some cushions to your workspace or add a rug in a colour that will inspire you. Use blue for career success and growth, green (plants for instance) improves health and balance. Yellow symbolises happiness and joy, and stick with white to encourage creative energy.

5. Add a touch of nature

Even a little bit of natural light is a great energy booster so try to get your desk near a window but if you do need artificial light make sure it is well-positioned and not casting a shadow on your workspace. Place one or more pot plants or flowers on your desk, the living energy of plants will refresh the energy in your space as well as your own personal energy. Wood is one of the five elements of feng shui so a natural rustic wooden desk fits in here perfectly.

6. Important areas

In feng shui there are three areas you need to think about to ensure good energy. The south is your fame and reputation area. As its energy is fire try not to add the colour blue here or anything to do with water as it will extinguish the fire energy. Water should be represented in the North which is the “career or path in life” area, this is the space for inspiring images, you can put these in black or white frames. The south-east area boosts productivity and positive energy, if possible this is the place to locate your office within your house. This space must always be kept clear and clutter free.

How to make a white dining room work

Minimalist dining room with wood dining table with black steel legs and wooden chairs

The Scandi minimalist look is still a hugely popular interior trend right now. So if you have white walls and a white ceiling how can you give your dining room some texture and warmth? A blank canvas is a wonderful starting point for your dining room, below we look at some ideas to introduce some homeliness while still keeping it fresh, cool and clear.

Reclaimed wood furniture

This is a great way to start. Warm, rustic, and homely – the minute you add reclaimed wood furniture you’re adding a warm and natural texture. Choose a reclaimed wood dining table, the table-top proudly boasts natural markings and undulations from its previous life. The Dorset trestle table is white painted to really embrace a white dining room theme, it’s a shining example of minimal style, accessorise the natural finish dining benches with cushions and a small throw to give additional texture to the room. We love to see a pendant light hanging over a dining table, to keep things fresh choose an unobtrusive white one.

Photo featuring: Dorset Reclaimed Wood Extendable Trestle Table

White linen

White table linen on a rustic dining table just oozes dining room chic and you can, of course, add an accent colour to mix it up a bit. This is also a great way to link with other coloured elements in the room and keep the coordination going throughout your dining space.

Flowers and houseplants

Houseplants are so popular right now, especially while we have all been staying at home more. Adding pot plants into a crisp white dining space adds an element of nature that not only brightens your room but is also proven to have health benefits. A vase of fresh-cut flowers is another option, choose something seasonal – in summer impressive gladioli or bold sunflowers and in autumn, dahlias can be arranged in a clear glass vase.

Photo featuring: Standford Industrial Reclaimed Wood Extending Table & Bench.

Dining chairs

If you don’t like too many accessories then you can break up the white by using upholstered dining chairs or faux leather chairs. There are so many different styles and colours to choose from you will be spoilt for choice. You can mix and match benches with white dining chairs and cushions, or add coloured cushions yourself as another way to get some more colour into the room.

Photo featuring: Dorset Reclaimed Wood Chairs

Add contrasting elements

With all this talk about furniture and accessories, we must not forget the floor and the option to add a rug. For example, a green rug in a crisp white room with a rustic dining table and some houseplants will give your room a completely coordinated theme, team this up with a contrasting small armchair in a corner and again you are adding more features and interesting elements to your blank canvas.

Photo featuring: Louis de Poortere Fading World Oyster Green Rug

Create A Good First Impression – Hallway Focus

Wooden letters spelling home with a red heart for letter o

Spring has arrived! A sign of new life, it is also the time of year that most people who have decided to sell put their property on the market. But before you welcome potential buyers over the threshold, you need to make sure your property is ready – and that means every part of it, including the welcome buyers are given when they enter the hallway. So why is the hallway so important?

When people view a property, they come with a set of criteria, but they also need to fall in love with it. It needs to have ‘the feeling’ they are after and that’s why first impressions matter.

Styling your hallway is key and that means…

Decluttering – thin out the coats, the bags, the boots, the shoes and wrangle the scarves and gloves into a hallway storage bench so that the hallway is tidy. This also helps make it more appealing by giving a sense of space.

Make hallway storage a priority – no matter who buys your property, the hallway is a functional and practical space, something that you need to show. Emphasise its dimensions and functions with storage. There are many different hallway storage ideas, such as a hallway bench to a reclaimed wood hallway cabinet or narrow console table.

Hooks – if there is one storage item that can solve a range of problems in the hallway it is the humble hook. From coat hooks to a wooden shoe rack, the simplest solutions are often the best. BUT, just keep one or two coats per person in the hallway other it can look like a growing mountain of coats and jackets!

Lighting – a warm, soft glow from a table lamp on the hallway table, window ledge or console table is a must. Remember, to create the right impression you want to appeal to all the senses. Lighting helps the space to feel welcoming, as well as being a practical addition.

Gentle scent – a welcoming scent is important too. You can opt for a fresh flower display, ideal for perching on the hallway small console table or you could also light a scented candle (opt for a gentle floral scent). Similarly, diffusers also work well in the hall as their gentle perfume is wafted around as people move through the space. Remember to regularly turn the reeds, so they don’t lose their fragrance.

Mirrors – don’t underestimate the power of the mirror in the hallway. Perfect for reflecting light about, its reflective surface also makes the space feel bigger. But it also has another important role too and that is, ‘anchoring’ hallway furniture in the space available. For example, behind a piece of reclaimed wood furniture in the hallway, such as the console table, a large mirror hung a few inches above its top gives a sense of grandeur to the room but also gives the item a definite place in the order of the room. Try it – you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes.

Alongside practical flooring – a hard floor with a hallway rug for texture and colour is great in this space – if the hallway ticks all the right boxes, the viewing will go from strength to strength.

The Latest Lighting Trends Lighting up our World

Cluster of bare bulbs hanging from ceiling

Lighting in the home is both a practical element as well as a tool for creating ambience to a space. From the hallway and the living room to the bedroom and beyond, choosing stylish lighting will be top of your list. But what are the current trends? From glass table lamps to natural materials, we take you through the top trends for 2020.

Natural materials are still hot

Last season, we saw the re-emergence of natural materials such as bamboo and wicker. Although many still think of these materials as a throwback to the 70s and only for outdoor furniture, they have proved their worth in terms of stylish pendant lights in recent times. In the coming year, with the emphasis remaining on making better decisions in terms of materials and their impact on the environment, bamboo and wicker will remain stylish options.

Recycled and reclaimed materials

Recycled and reclaimed materials will also remain top of the list when it comes to stylish lighting solutions in the home. Think recycled glass table lamps or wood chip pendant ceiling lights to complement your reclaimed wood furniture.

More refined industrial lighting

The industrial style is never far from the headlines, but as with all interior themes, there are always slight tweaks and changes to bring it up to date. This is true of the industrial style lighting coming our way this season. With a more refined edge, industrial pendant lighting still has its place in the kitchen and dining area. Opt for dining room lighting with a slightly retro feel about it.

Edison style bulbs

If you want to give your lighting a lift but without changing the fitting, you’ll be pleased to know there is a solution and it comes in the shape of Edison-style light bulbs. Mimicking the original light bulb, which was big, round and had a large filament on show, these bulbs make a great addition for kitchen pendant lighting as well as pendant ceiling lights in the hallway and table lamps too.

Mid-century modern lighting

The mid-century style is set to make a comeback in terms of lighting styles. However, this doesn’t mean hunting for a decadent chandelier. Instead, you are looking for pendant lighting that has glamour and the wow factors. Opt for pendant lighting that uses plenty of glass with a minimal fitting. Also, consider those pendant light fittings that are plentiful. In other words, clustered pendant lighting will work in any room.

Smart technology

If you haven’t joined the smart home technology revolution, then now is the time. There is some suggestion that smart lighting can save you money as you can switch off lights in the kitchen, hallway, bedrooms without leaving the comfort of the sofa ….

Better still, you don’t have to ditch your current light fittings. Simply get yourself hooked up with special bulbs and plugs, and your Google or Alexa home bug will guide you through the setup process.

Go with your own style

When all is said and done, lighting trends are only as current and popular if people like them and opt for them in their home. Make a statement – your statement – with lighting solutions that you love.

Sleep with an eco-friendly clean conscience

We are all trying to do more to live a lifestyle that doesn’t impact negatively on the planet now or in the future. This includes the choices we make about the furniture we buy, where it comes from, whether it is sustainable and recyclable when we no longer need it. When it comes to furnishing the bedrooms, there is a growing choice of products that allow us to sleep with a clean eco-friendly conscience.

Eco-friendly mattresses

The pictures of tropical seas blanketed in a floating layer of plastic – from bottles to fishing nets – are truly heartbreaking.

But, plastic can, with vision and the right process, be broken down into material that can be reused in all kinds of applications, including mattresses.

The Seagreen Collection is made from a range of plastic products, such as bottles that fisherman ‘catch’ in the open seas. Made to a high standard, the pocket spring mattress is both comfortable but also at the top end of the recycling game.

The fabric covers and pockets are also sustainable materials that have wicking properties – in other words, you’ll be cool as you sleep, essential for a full night’s rest.

Hand tufted and hand stitched, these mattresses come with an impressive 9-year warranty and a 12-month guarantee.

Eco-friendly throws and blankets

Using the same materials – plastic bottles from our oceans – these throws are ideal for any bedroom. Adding a layer of warmth for chillier nights, the plastic is recycled and, using an environmentally friendly process, it weaved into a beautiful blanket that you’ll use time and again.

Adding texture and detail to the bedroom, these recycled plastic bottle throws are available in three beautiful colours – duck egg, blush and grey.

Reclaimed wood furniture for the bedroom

Hardwood was often used in buildings to add structure and strength as well as detail, and was used in the railways to build tracks. As modern life has evolved and alternative materials created, the wood has been salvaged and repurposed for our homes today. Master craftspeople turn it from an ordinary looking piece of old wood into something truly spectacular.

A heavyset bedframe bursting with personality, there is a uniqueness to each Beam piece that makes it perfect for the bedroom. Mellowing and developing over time, age creates a beautiful patina the older it gets.

Eco-friendly pendant lights and shades

Rattan and wicker bamboo are two similar materials. Rattan is a solid material whilst bamboo is hollow and can be flattened to make long, lithe pieces which can be tied together into a pattern.

When knotted and tied, these strong materials become even stronger, which is why they are used in everything from outdoor furniture to conservatory furniture, and light shades too. But, what makes them high on the eco-friendly stakes is that they are a genuine renewable source as they are naturally fast growing. Also, the manufacturing process of rattan and bamboo is quite simple, meaning it doesn’t require so many chemicals or energy.

Our Fenshaw Mango Wood Storage Bench with its hinge lid provides discreet elegance to a bedroom, not to mention a great place to store bed linen and blankets. Position at the end of your king size wooden bed frame or in the bay of a window and channel that colonial cool vibe. This eco-conscious accessory blends with any style room, from rustic or industrial to a modern farmhouse scheme.

Along with natural bed linen made from sustainably sourced fabrics, you can have a stylish bedroom and sleep comfortably, knowing you have worked with and not against the environment.