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Our top 10 blogs in 2021 voted by you!

our top 10 blogs of 2021 as voted for by you

Looking back at our blogs over 2021 it’s obvious to us that you like a mixture of tips and ideas as well as inspiration from interior experts and nosing around other peoples homes. As the year comes to a close, we take a look back at the blogs you most enjoyed reading in 2021.

Our top 10 most read blogs

1. Arthty Ragupathy of @av.home gave out some super tips on how to add character to a new build. In this blog, she explained how wood is your best friend when trying to make your new build home feel rustic and traditional. Along with our Soho Extending Reclaimed Wood Dining Table, she uses different textures and neutral tones to create a contemporary interior with a warm, homely and lived-in feel.

Credit: @av.home

2. Dining room furniture ideas are still the top item of interest with industrial dining tables being as popular as ever…. of course with that comes additional decisions for you when choosing dining chairs as well as the must-have wooden dining bench. Getting the right dining table is very important to you and we are often asked Which wood is best for a dining table? To answer this we had a look at numerous popular rustic dining table options from oak to a reclaimed wood dining table and looked at the pros and characteristics of the most popular choices.

3. Our blog looking at how to Style a rustic dining table with leather seating was another hugely popular read. We didn’t only look at leather seating we considered faux leather dining chairs too as an eco-friendly alternative – like us, our readers care about the planet and want their homes to reflect that.

4. We shared our top tips when it comes to How to style chairs with your industrial dining table and it was clear you were asking the same question. Our blog covered not just the typical black metal legged industrial tables we all love, but also a more glamorous option, the Oldham Oak Dining Table.

5. The breakfast counter is another area that you’ve been wanting to improve. Choosing the right bar stools for your kitchen can be tricky, so we looked at practical ways to help you decide what style of kitchen island stools would work well for you and the members of your household, whilst looking super stylish, of course.

6. Using eco-friendly products throughout the home is something that many of you are interested in and our blog Using colour with The Little Greene Paint Company made it into our top ten. Their water-based paints carry the industry’s lowest eco-rating, meaning its VOC content is almost zero – great for your home and for the environment.

Credit: Little Greene Paint Company

7. After an unprecedented year, it’s no surprise that our focus has been on home decor and the useability of indoor and outdoor space, so it will come as no surprise that so many of you enjoyed reading our 3 colours that complement a brown leather sofa blog. A brown leather sofa is a perennial favourite in the home and sits comfortably with pretty much any colour, but we picked three modern hues that clearly inspired you.

8. Sticking with advice to make your home your favourite place, our tips to get a family friendly living room also made it into our top 10. We showed how you can create a stylish sophisticated space that works for everyone in the household.

9. Working from home became a norm for most us throughout the year and a focus on improving our work space was hugely popular. We’ve been with you all the way with plenty of ideas to create a comfortable home office – whether you have a separate study or have had to combine it with a room that has, until recently, only been used for something else. We’ve looked at everything from office storage, to choosing the best desk chair right through to Ways to give your workspace a creative edge.

10. We added to our range of popular British handcrafted Onslow Reclaimed Wood Bed frames and took the opportunity to look at ways to make the most of the space in your bedroom, which we were glad our readers enjoyed. From what to consider when purchasing a reclaimed solid wood chest of drawers to ideas on how to style the foot of your bed, including adding a wooden blanket box or even a wooden bench for a wonderful rustic look.

What were your favourite reads from our inspiration and ideas this year? We’d love to hear what you enjoy, so we can bring more of it to you next year. Leave a comment below to let us know.

Easy ways to make your guests feel extra welcome

This year we are all looking forward to a Christmas with friends and family – we hope! A time to enjoy spending time with people we maybe don’t see often. If you have guests travelling from afar then you will want to make them feel warmly welcomed and at home in your home. Of course, you can get the living room ready for extra guests – maybe move the furniture around a little, bring in an extra small armchair or even buy a new wooden side table for your living room – but you might also want to consider giving other areas of your home some attention to get it guest ready, including the guest bedroom. We have put some ideas together of easy ways to give your guest bedroom a homely and Christmassy feel for your special guests.

Declutter

A change of bedding, quick dust and vacuum will give a room an instant refresh, but to make guests feel extra welcome, you may need to give it a good declutter. If you don’t use the guest room that much chances are that there are things in there that aren’t supposed to be. Now is the time to have a sort out and find permanent homes for these items. Maybe you need some extra storage in there like a solid wood chest of drawers or a wooden blanket box to place at the foot of the bed to help things stay tidy and organised. When you have decluttered it will be much easier to give the room a good clean, including the windows and under the bed. If you have time take the curtains down and wash them – the room will have a lovely fresh laundry smell for your guests.

Double up

If the guest room is small or is sometimes used as a home office then consider multifunctional furniture. You can put a reclaimed wood desk in your spare room for guests to use as a dressing table with storage with a dressing table chair that can double as a study chair. If you don’t have space for a bedside table move a chest of drawers or wooden chest closer to the bed. You could even take a wood small table from the living room to use as a temporary nightstand for your guests to put their drink on as well as a bedside lamp.

Make room for their belongings

No one likes living out of a suitcase, so you want to make sure you provide space where your guests can unpack and not feel like they’re in the way. Clear out a drawer or portion of your wooden wardrobe to allow plenty of room for their belongings.

Create some comfort

Just because it is the spare room and your guests won’t be spending much time in it, it does not mean it needs to be purely functional. Make it a cosy and homely place for your guests to be. A warm solid wood bed frame is the perfect centrepiece for the spare bedroom, dress this up with sumptuous throws and plump cushions to recline into. Even if the floor is carpeted you can add a rug for an extra warm feeling as your guests get out of bed.

Provide essentials and special extras

You will want to leave out the obvious items guests need throughout their stay on the bed, such as towels, face cloth and maybe an extra pillow or blanket, but to make them feel extra welcome, add some other special items to pamper to their needs. Lay out a few toiletries in a basket in case guests have forgotten anything – go through your travel toiletry bag and see if you have any nice hotel toiletries from your last trip that you can use – as well as a couple of bottles of water at their bedside.

Festive finishing touches

Why not? Give the room a festive feel by adding a Christmas display on the top of a wooden chest of drawers or add a Christmas themed cushion on the bed. Another idea is to stand some small decorations on the bedroom side tables or a Christmas wreath on the back of the door to give the room a wonderful festive feel for your guests.

Top tips to create a cosy dark bedroom

A bedroom should be a place that’s all about winding down and relaxing ready for sleep. A cocooning space to read in before bed and prepare for a good night’s sleep. We love a light and airy bedroom but we also covet a more dramatic and cosy atmosphere to retreat to. Here we look at how comforting a dark bedroom can be – especially as the nights draw in and get colder.

Dark colours

Opt for dark greys, deep greens and dark hues of blue – all are restful colours with a hint of drama. Blue, in particular, is perfect for the bedroom – mimicking the night sky it’s calming and soothing. Navy can also be used in small or larger amounts, whereas a rich deep royal blue will give a room a regal and luxurious feel.

If you already have a dark room it is quite tempting to bring in lighter hues but this is not a rule set in stone, in fact, doing this can sometimes end up making your bedroom look dull and drab. If you are a lover of something more bold and dramatic then opt for darker colours. Just one statement wall can make all the difference in your bedroom – a perfect dark canvas to make lighter items really pop and stand out – or go for the current trend of painting walls, skirting boards, coving and even the ceiling in the same rich dark hue. If this is a step too dark, experiment with a dark ceiling and lighter walls to make your bedroom feel wonderfully inviting and cosy.

Duwlich Reclaimed Wood Bedside Table

Add reclaimed wood

Use reclaimed wood furniture to contrast against dark walls and bring warmth to your room. It also stands out beautifully against your dark bedroom canvas as the Dulwich bedroom furniture collection shows you here. The rustic features visible in the reclaimed wood of the rustic bedside table and solid wood bed look wonderful against a rich darker wall.

Warming textiles and accessories

Of course, even a dark bedroom can feel a little stark and oppressive so this is where sumptuous warm and soft textiles come into play. A warm rug on the floor, plenty of cosy scatter cushions and a fake-faux bed throw to bring in plenty of cosiness. Another way to break up the dark bedroom is to bring in soothing houseplants. We all know they bring positive energy to a room but they will also bring in softness and the purity of nature to contrast against the darker colour. Pop one in the corner of the room or stand one next to your bed on a rustic nightstand. A velvet or fabric yellow armchair is another great way to bring a pop of colour into a dark bedroom.

Canford Sustainable Mango Wood Bedside Table

Bring in pattern

The patterning on the new Canford mango wood furniture collection looks like it is produced just for this purpose – warm wood with a striking geometric pattern that breaks up the heaviness of a dark coloured room. This mango wood bedside table is the perfect example of just how good this sustainable wood looks! With several other bedroom pieces in the collection, including a mango wood chest of drawers and wooden dressing table you really can have the bedroom of your (sweet) dreams!

If this has inspired you to give your bedroom a makeover, see our blog on how to get a small rustic bedroom layout right before you get the paintbrush out. For more ideas and interior inspiration see more from our collection of blog articles.

Spotlight – Onslow sustainable bedroom furniture collection

spotlight - canford sustainable bedroom furniture collection

We are always on the lookout for sustainable and stylish new products and our new Onslow Sustainable Wood collection ticks all those boxes. Let’s discover more…..

A quick intro to reclaimed wood furniture…

Reclaimed wood is an ideal sustainable raw material when it comes to rustic furniture. It’s a hardwood and the trees grow quickly, maturing when they are 10-15 years old, whereas an oak tree for example takes around 75 years to mature.

The gorgeous new Onslow Reclaimed Wood collection, the collection has all the style you would expect to see in the most beautiful of bedrooms – it includes a solid wooden wardrobe, a solid wood chest of drawers as well as a bedside table.

Brimming with character and just the thing to add a touch of modern farmhouse style to the bedroom, this small chest of drawers crafted in reclaimed wood is the perfect bedroom storage solution.

These solid wood furniture pieces have been designed with the modern bedroom firmly in mind and combine this with expert craftsmanship.

How To Get That Hotel Pristine Bedroom Look At Home

We have all been impressed by the luxurious look of a 5 Star hotel room. The beautiful décor, stunning view, and elegant furnishings have given many homeowners reason to start planning their next holiday right from the hotel room they are currently in.

One of the best features of that luxury hotel room is the bedroom, of course. Many luxury hotels will choose interior furnishings from some of the biggest names in home fashions and then go over the top when it comes to comfort. If the average thread count is 1200, they will go 2000. When other hotels are creating smaller spaces with minimalistic sized beds, luxury hotels will offer a massive wooden king size bed that seem impossible to even get up to the room, let alone in the door. Then you have the myriad of pillows, linens, cushions, and throws that add to the opulence and make it one of the most comfortable places in the world to be. That is, until you design your own bedroom.

Turning your bedroom into something mimicking the finest hotels is no small feat, but it can be done. With some helpful tips and a selection of stylishly designed home goods, you can get that hotel pristine bedroom look at home.

Let’s take a look:

How To Get That Hotel Pristine Bedroom Look At Home

Making The Bed The Centrepiece- your bed should be the focal point of the room and it should stand out. Choose a bed that is large and stately, then either panel the area around it or frame it with an equally impressive wooden headboard. A solid wood bed frame always makes a statement and adds a luxurious warmth to a bedroom.

Dress The Bed Properly- using a selection of colour coordinated cushions, pillows, and throws, you can create a comfy space that rivals just about any 5 Star hotel.

Choose The Right Paint- the right colour for your wall depends on your own specific style and the mood you are trying to create. Choose modern colours including shades of grey or similar hues in blue or taupe.

Add Stylish, Modern Décor- once you have your furnishings in place and have chosen your wall colours and the linens you like, it’s time to finish the space with stylish, modern décor. This will give your room character while filling in those empty spaces.

Make It Your Own- one of the best ways to create a truly beautiful space in your home is to personalise it. Making your room your own with décor items that are special to you or that have been handed down throughout generations in your family will make your space even more beautiful and unique.

Contact Modish Living

To learn more, contact Modish Living today and shop our wide selection of stylishly designed home goods for your modern home.

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Ideas to create a warm and cosy rustic bedroom

rustic bedroom with wooden bed and bedside table

Autumn is fast approaching so it’s time to start looking around our home to see where you can make small improvements to create a cosy, warm and welcoming home. Here we take a look at the bedroom to see how bringing-in a rustic mood can turn your bedroom into a cosy retreat ready for when winter rolls in.

A wooden headboard

Simply adding a wooden headboard to your bed will make a real rustic difference, especially if it is made from reclaimed wood. Reclaimed wood furniture brings shade variations that create depth and different textures that adds interest too. You can bring reclaimed wood into your bedroom in other ways too – add a wooden blanket box at the foot of your bed or as a storage seat under a window, a wooden bed with storage drawers will also keep your room feeling uncluttered and relaxing, whilst providing perfect hidden storage spaces for all that spare cosy winter bedding.

Exposed brick

If you are lucky enough to have an exposed brick wall then use it to create a rustic feature in your bedroom, even just a couple of square metres over the bed or a whole wall gives that lovely natural mood. Another option is to add rustic wooden panelling for a quick and easy rustic touch.

Add reclaimed wood furniture

If you feel your room needs a complete rustic revamp then you have to consider opting for reclaimed wood furniture! It is the eco-conscious way to furnish your home – not to mention incredibly stylish too! Warm reclaimed wood will work with any colour scheme you choose and will blend with a more traditional style as well as the contemporary home giving it a shabby chic look. Think a reclaimed wood bed and a rustic chest of drawers or if you want just a few rustic accents, add bedroom side table in reclaimed wood.

Snuggle down with blankets and cushions

Go overboard with textured soft furnishings. Yes, pile scatter cushions up on your bed, layer some throws which can contrast or complement each other. See if you can add warmth to the window with some thick warm curtains. Choose sumptuous fabrics for your bedroom like velvet, corduroy, wool and tweed. A rug on the floor will also add instant warmth even if you already have a carpet.

Upcycle and re-purpose

Other quick and easy things you can do to create a rustic room is to look at what furniture you already have around the house, you can also look online or in second-hand shops to find used rustic furniture that you can use as-is, upcycle or make minor adaptations to. Choose warm shades of wood with hints of red in it to reinforce warmth.

Ways to use your child’s old bedroom

double bed frame with pin and green covers and industrial bedside tables

It is often an unsettling time when your “child” moves out of the family home to start university. This is probably the first time they have moved out and it will take some time to get used to the quietness they leave in the family home. Looking on a brighter and more practical side, you now have a spare room in the house that you can decide what to do with!

First off check with your child what they are happy with…much better than starting to move their room around on the day after they head off! They may be more than happy for you to completely change the room or they may prefer some time to get used to leaving the family home themselves first – moving out of the home is a big move for the entire family.

Here are some ways that you can make use of this new space.

Have a good sort out

This is best done with your child before they leave, but they may have been too busy getting ready for their new uni life rather than spending time sorting out their bedroom. You can probably declutter and put some things in storage for now – ready to come back to when they are at home again. They may want you to just leave their room exactly as it is for now, especially if they initially plan on coming home for weekends a lot.

Create a space that you and your child are happy with

This could mean a bit of compromise for both. If you don’t have a guest room and would really like one, you could probably make some small changes to their room making it suitable for guests as well as your child. Maybe add a new double solid wood bed and move their stuff to one side add some rustic furniture like a new rustic wardrobe or a wooden dressing table. This dressing table could also double up as a desk if they are at home and need to study or write an essay. The Chelwood desk would be perfect for this!

Create an office space

If your current office space is the dining room table, you could make use of the new space and create an office in their old room. Design it so that it can easily be switched to a bedroom when your child is home or guests come to visit.

Swap rooms around

If you have a younger child still at home in a smaller bedroom you may want to move them into the larger room. This can be a simple room swap or you may want to redecorate the rooms before the switch.

Use the room for storage

If your home needs extra storage then you can invest in some attractive furniture that will help you get, and stay, organised. You can use this room to store out-of-season clothes in a solid wood chest of drawers, your child’s belongings that they have not taken to uni, music and book collections or anything else you want to keep but have nowhere to store. Of course, this room needs to have decent furniture to accommodate all these belongings but it will still make the perfect guest room when needed.

How to create homely student digs

Students will be heading to their digs or to campus soon – some for the first time ever and some returning for another year of study. Most students enjoy their creature home comforts and don’t relish the idea of a impersonal and stark student room. Here we look at a few ways to cosy up and personalise a student space.

Bring loved ones into your room

Do something many of us don’t do anymore and print out some favourite photos of friends and family. You can get cheap picture frames to hang on the wall or stand on a desk, maybe even pin some on a corkboard.

Make the lighting less harsh

If the room has just a ceiling light without a dimmer switch then add a floor lamp to stand next to a small armchair. This will provide an alternative place to sit when reading or revising – a more cosy and comfortable place rather than at your desk on a study chair. Or stand a small lamp on a bedside table or white wooden chest of drawers.

Add some homely accessories

A rug, some scatter cushions and a bed throw will all make a room feel a bit cosier, plus they will add a bit of colour and some interest to the room. Consider an outdoor rug that is waterproof and wipeable for any unwanted spills!

Add a comfy armchair

An accent armchair in a corner or by a window will always make a room look much more cosy and stylish. On a practical side, it will also provide another place for friends to sit. Add a throw and a cushion to bring in even more homeliness!

Get clever with storage

Most rented places will have the bare minimum of furniture so you may have to add some pieces. A wooden chest of drawers is a perfect choice, plenty of drawer space for clothes as well as books and stationery. This will also give you an extra surface for those family and friends photos or a TV.

Consider reclaimed wood furniture

A reclaimed wood desk will bring instant warmth and homeliness to your room, not to mention some Insta-worthy style. The Standford range offers the perfect industrial style desk combining reclaimed wood with an industrial metal frame. It’s a perfect size to fit in a smaller room and with two drawers you will have space to keep the essentials close by.

Add houseplants

Houseplants are a great way to bring warmth and homeliness into your student room – a few small ones on the window sill or a wall shelf will brighten the room. It’s also proven that having plants and elements of nature in your home provides a wellness boost. You can cheat a little here if you’re likely to forget to water them by using fake ones instead!! They will still have the same homely and uplifting and effect! See our blog on Home Improvements to Improve your Wellbeing to find out more about mood boosting interior design tips.

How and where to store your summer clothes

Brrr – it’s starting to get a bit chilly in the mornings, the kids are back at school and the nights are drawing in – this all means only one thing…winter is coming!

Now is the time to sort through your summer wardrobe and store it away for next year. Here we have put together some tips on preparing your clothes for storage and also some storage suggestions to keep them in top condition ready for next summer. Reclaimed furniture not only looks great in your home but also offers you plenty of scope to store your favourite clothes.

Sort through and decide what to keep

Look through your summer wardrobe and decide whether to keep, sell, donate or dispose of garments. If you have some damaged items now is the time to decide whether it is worth spending the time and money on getting it repaired!

Wash clothes before putting them away

Often clothes are just packed away without washing – the thinking being that they will be washed when they are taken out of storage. This could be a bit of an error – some items may have sweat left on them or stains that will only be more noticeable after 6-8 months of storage. So wash your clothes according to the care instructions and ensure they are completely dry before putting them away into storage.

Roll clothes rather than fold

It is much better to roll clothes to store them long term than to fold them. Folding will leave a deeper, longer-lasting crease whereas rolling won’t. A wooden blanket box is a great place to store away rolled clothing items.

Use wooden under bed drawer storage

A wooden under bed storage drawer is perfect for out of season clothes storage – plenty of space and still accessible. Put a few favourite pieces on top where they are easily accessible just in case we do get a little autumnal warm spell!! And of course, an under bed drawer looks fab under a solid wood bed!!

Swap summer dresses for jumpers and cardigans in the wardrobe

You need the items you will be using the most, most easily accessible – so swap your summer dresses and light blouses for heavier winter jumpers and cardigans in your rustic wardrobe. Dresses, silky tops and summer blazers should be stored on padded hangers or structured hangers to keep them at their best for next summer. If you get a wardrobe storage bag, opt for linen rather than plastic, this will help air circulate around your clothing, a cotton pillowcase will also work – just cut a small hole in the top of it to feed the hanger hook through.

Use draw dividers in a chest of drawers to keep t-shirts and vests tidy

Allocate the bottom drawer of a solid wood chest of drawers for summer clothes storage and use dividers to keep your stored clothes in order. It will be much easier to find things and really help you get your storage space organised.