living room Archives - Page 22 of 31

Daring leather furniture to update your beautiful space

Leather furniture is something which will never go out of style. But, if you are looking for furniture which will make a statement in your home, there are also plenty of options. Here are a few of our favourite leather pieces which are certain to take your breath away.

Bedroom

As the main piece of furniture in your bedroom, your bed can make or break your space in terms of style. If you are looking for something which adds the wow-factor and will bring to life an otherwise understated space, a leather bed may be the perfect option. Carnaby Leather Bed is a beautiful option, upholstered in Aniline leather and featuring a padded, button back. The ultimate bed for sitting and reading or relaxing with a cuppa in the morning.

To let the bed do all the talking, keep the rest of the room light and fresh. Paired with soft coloured walls, sleek dark wooden furniture and bright white bedding, a brown leather bed would look truly divine for a vintage take on modern style.

Living Room

As a room you probably spend a lot of time in, you could be forgiven for wanting to keep it simple in terms of style. Of course, in terms of leather furniture, leather sofas are the obvious choice when it comes to introducing beautiful leather into your home.

However, the living room is a great space to have some fun with when it comes to decor – and to really make an impact on your guests.

Alternatively, a unique take on the classic tub chair may be just the ticket. Our aviation inspired Edward Leather Armchair would certainly create drama in a contemporary space, paired with simple furniture and gorgeous silver accessories to accentuate the sleek curved metal back.

If you really want to make a statement, a large living room rug in a colour like soft grey may just create the perfect pairing.

Office

If you work from home, your home office may just be one of the most important spaces in your home. After all, there is nothing worse than a bland, uninspiring workspace you don’t want to spend time in. If you are looking to update your space, why not pair leather furniture with gorgeous industrial style for a luxe, New York City warehouse aesthetic.

Leather desks are a great alternative to the traditional wooden desk. Different enough to make a beautiful statement, but still wonderfully practical. To add a modern, industrial twist, industrial shelving would look fantastic piled high with your favourite books and trinkets from your travels. A leather desk certainly provides the perfect base to a truly incredible space.

Will you dare to make a statement with leather?

How to make your home pet friendly

April is National Pet Month and, as a nation of animal lovers, it comes as no surprise that we are pampering our pets more than ever. When it comes to dogs, there is no denying that our pooches are a welcome and important part of the family.

But where and how they are integrated into family life can still be divisive and so we took to our poll, asking our fans and followers what they thought about letting their dogs into the kitchen, bedroom, dining room and living room.

We Asked, You Answered

Of all the polls we have conducted, this has been the one to have drawn the most comments! Further proof, if we needed any, that our dogs ARE a part of the family. Most people responded that their dogs were allowed in any room of the home, with some saying that they were allowed in any downstairs room, but not allowed upstairs.

But it was one comment that summed them all up;

“He is a Beagle, but thinks he is a human and would just howl if excluded from family life”

But sometimes, our adoration of Fido goes beyond the pet dog being a member of the family – sometimes we decorate our homes to accommodate them too…

The dining room

With your pooch snoozing peacefully whilst you eat with the rest of your family, it is common to find Fido in the dining space. Dining room furniture can prove irresistible to puppies losing their teeth or for a bored dog. To protect the legs of your farmhouse kitchen table and wooden kitchen bar stools, spray with anti-chew spray, harmless to dogs.

The living room

Unfortunately, your four-legged fur ball may also find the aroma of a leather armchair or an upholstered sofa enticing and have a little nibble too. Although with supervision, you can stop it.

We didn’t ask about pets on furniture (another poll, perhaps?) but to keep your sofa or armchair fur-free use sticky tape to pick up the worst of the hair and vacuum to remove all traces (works on cat hair too!). On leather armchairs and sofas, use a quality leather wipe or conditioner to keep it in tip-top conditioner.

Dog adoration

But our adoration of your pooches goes further than snuggling up on the sofa together. We have seen some fantastic dog motif items that will suit a dog-mad home!

• Dog motif cushions – perfect for injecting a little fun and kitsch into the modern living work and suit all kinds of furniture and style

• Doggy wallpaper – perfect for a feature wall or for adding a bit of zing in the kitchen or utility room, we love the doggy wallpaper we have seen of late.

• Dog sculptures – from the quirky, cartoon-style dogs to the posed, majestic looking sculptures, these items are ideal for displaying your allegiance to a certain dog breed on your reclaimed wood shelves.

• The unexpected touches – whether you are a dog lover or a cat lover, adding a touch of the unexpected with table lamps with dog or cats are ornament bases, you really add a sense of quirkiness to a room. Why not add it to the bedroom?

So, tell us, how much of your home does Fido make his own?

How to style velvet and leather furniture for a cool look

Celebrate spring with bright vibrant yellow in your home

Spring arrives with a flurry of new life in the garden! The sun begins to warm, and we throw open the windows to bid the grey and cobwebs winter adieu for another year. For many of us, this means a deep spring clean and introducing new colours to mark the coming of spring.

And what better colour to bring vibrancy, spring warmth and sunshine that a dash of yellow? From undertones of fiery orange to pastel yellow, there are many shades that make it the perfect colour to pep up any room in the house.

But it can be a tricky colour to use. So how can you welcome spring with bright yellow without tipping into ‘day-glo’ shades?

1 Add just a little

Adding a bright, modern citrus shade of yellow doesn’t mean painting everything in sight and neither does it mean ditching your favourite furniture. Adding dashes and pops of bright yellow here and there in any room will give it a lift.

Take a look at the styled bedroom, complete with white bed. The watery yellow shade on the bedside lamp is more than enough to draw your eye to it. Note how well it sits with the turquoise blue items, including a throw, bedspread and rug. And yet despite the blue being the abundant colour, you just can’t take your eyes from the yellow lampshade.

2 Yellow + Grey = Designer Heaven!

We are accustomed to seeing the combination of yellow and black, a timeless combination but the two strong colours together can be difficult to balance.

Throw awkwardness to the kerb by ditching black for a light grey. Make sure it doesn’t have too much of a pinky base, otherwise the result won’t be what you want. But in your grey living room or bedroom, add yellow scatter cushions or a throw to lift the grey from winter to spring.

If you want to make more of an impact, choose a yellow armchair to complement your reclaimed wood furniture. This velvet armchair with its low back and sumptuous finish is ideal for any room.

3 Bold design and muted tones

Spring is all about the garden and you can emulate this in the home with pretty floral wallpapers and other detailing. And in the bold design add simple, yet striking statements, such as a Louis de Poortere yellow rug. The barely-there detailing and the clever use of grey and yellow make this the perfect yellow contemporary rug for your home this spring.

4 Go for gold

Using gold tones in the metallic finishes of a room also adds a golden glow, which is what yellow is all about. The radiance of a crisp white dining chair with gold metallic legs is ideal. It works well in the industrial dining room but adding a hint of luxury or it works just as well in a modern dining room.

Yellow is a versatile colour, working will across the colour palette and styles choices too. From a pop of colour alongside farmhouse furniture to the industrial dining room, every home will welcome bright, vibrant yellow this spring.

Beautiful unique velvet sofas to fall in love with

If you want your sofa to be the crowning glory of a room, you need to a piece full of drama, colour and texture. But that doesn’t mean only opting for strong colours or imposing shapes.

Velvet is the answer. No longer seen as old-fashioned, a velvet sofa brings the subtle glamour to a space that everyone is looking for.

Grey is your friend

When it comes to colour, if you shy away from deep, dramatic tones and shades, then a light grey velvet Chesterfield sofa is the ideal solution. As a colour, grey can be the subtle undertone to a room and when you opt for grey velvet, you get the best of all worlds. Plush to the touch, draw the eye to the sofa with bright, printed cushions and of course, a throw elegantly draped over the arm won’t go amiss either.

Echo sofa and wall colours

The trick to using colour well in a room, irrespective of its dimensions, is to bring about cohesion. This doesn’t mean everything being matchy-matchy. But keep the same tone of the colour because by doing so, the visual effect pushes the boundary of the room further away without compromising on the cosy feel. This olive Padstow sofa, for example, would look just perfect in a room with darker, dramatic wall colour of a similar shade.

Cream delight

Not all colour statements have to dramatic in tone and depth something that is proved by this cream buttoned velvet sofa. Soft and subtle, there are not many living rooms that could cope with such a light upholstered item and it is this ‘daring’ that make this little number stand out. Plus, it works well in a modern or traditional style interior. Better still, it works with earthy colours and brassy tones or light cool blues and moody navy too.

Moody blues (and grey and black…)

Darker colours can be more practical and so when this overtakes your choices, you’ll be pleased to have plenty to choose from. If there is one colour that screams opulence, especially in velvet, it is a dark grey velvet sofa – complete with iconic Chesterfield design and shape. Opt for similar in midnight blue or navy and, of course, for superior-elegance-without-trying, there is nothing better than a velvet black sofa.

The Sideshow

Any sofa, no matter what colour or material, needs to be ‘framed’ in situ and that means collecting and detailing items for the sideshow.

Armchairs are usually commonplace as extra seating, framing the sofa perfectly. As well as velvet armchairs, you may want to consider adding pizzazz in the shape of leather armchairs too (or why not Harris tweed and leather?) an ideal contrast of the smooth and the plush.

As well as an armchair or two, a round side table is ideal for placing the sofa firmly at the centre of the eye and complete with a contemporary rug, you have the ideal finish to the room.

Who wouldn’t fall in love with a beautiful velvet sofa?

How to uplift your indoors with colourful velvet sofas

With spring on the doorstep, now is the time to give your interior an uplift by adding a dash of colour. Thankfully, this doesn’t always mean reaching for the paintbrush. Why not take a look at a modern piece of furniture, like this Chesterfield velvet sofa, resplendent in colourful velvet?

Ditch the Black, Welcome Colour

Black is timeless and elegant, but this sofa comes in three additional colours –understated grey, shimmering fuchsia and the deeper tone of amethyst. Not sure how to style it out? We show you how…

Grey

Grey is a fantastic pop of colour to work with. Never overbearing, this colour can be dialled up or down, depending on the accessories and details you add.

The best way to do this is to pull out the blue-y tones of grey, adding coolness and romance to a space. As well as a cascade of colourful cushions – consider adding crisp white with different hues of blues and don’t forget a variety of cushion sizes too – add other detailing that ties it all together.

The lighter shades and muted tones of a Grey Hare canvas and the barely-there blue in the Louis de Poortere Mad Men Tribeca rug will add colour to an interior without it being over ostentatious. If you want colour but muted this is your colour scheme.

Fuchsia

The colour of roses, some people describe this, and they are not far off. The thing about fuchsia is it can be fun and flirty or understated and elegant, depending on the mix in which it sits.

Monochrome schemes are still hot for the modern interior this coming season and this makes the perfect backdrop against which the flirtiness of fuchsia can shine. If you want contemporary, as well as the black and white backdrop, you need a hint of the industrial.

The Ohio coffee table with its angular lines and corners works well against the softer curves of the fuchsia velvet sofa, with the grey concrete resin and wooden legs sitting well with the clean, modern look too.

Keep the vibrancy of the fuchsia velvet sofa with a neutral rug. This Salt & Pepper Louis de Poortere rug is ideal beyond measure. With a hint of pattern, it adds detail without taking your eye off the colourful velvet.

Amethyst

If you want drama, you have it in the shape of amethyst, a deep purple sofa that oozes elegance from every stitch.

Like its grey and fuchsia cousins, it can take on a different character depending on what detailing frames it. The must-have metallic for the coming season, for example, is high-shine silver and this Kensington reclaimed wooden side table. Imagine the drama of the modern meeting the traditional shape of the amethyst Chesterfield velvet sofa!

Or maybe you want less of a gregarious tone. These simple, functional but ever-so-delightful oak nest of tables would be the perfect detailing. Finish the picture by framing the velvet sofa and side tables with a contemporary rug. Like the other contemporary rugs mentioned, keep the detailing and the colour light to avoid a clash of colours.

Colour lifts a room beyond measure. What accessories would you add?

How to elegantly display flowers at home

With the beginning of spring around the corner, now is the perfect to inject some colour into your home with some beautiful blooms. With this in mind, we thought we should share some of our favourite ways to elegantly showcase your floral displays this year and instantly bring your room to life.

One option is to match the colour of the flower buds to the colours of your room. Perhaps not an option if your colour scheme is blue. However, for many colour schemes, adding co-ordinating flowers into your space can look incredibly stylish and will really pull a room together. A bunch of yellow flowers will add a real zingy look to your room paired with a couple of yellow scatter cushions on a chesterfield style sofa.

If you are not sure about having all one colour, go for two or three colours and pick flowers in one of your selection. For example, with a sunset colour scheme which incorporates pinks, oranges, reds and even yellows, any of those colours would look fab!

Go large. Five or six large blooms (think hydrangeas and peonies) will look uber sleek in a glass bowl vase and will make a perfect statement piece for your hallway. If you have a large sideboard, this simple decoration placed on top will keep your decor looking clean and elegant, but will add also add enviable style. Large flowers are also a great way to add excitement in your large farmhouse table.

Double the impact of flowers by placing in front of a mirror. A tall glass vase filled with flowers and foliage will look twice as full if placed in front of a mirror. Whether the vase is placed on the floor in front of a full-length mirror or is on a sideboard with a large wall mirror, your flowers are bound to look twice as impressive! This works particularly well with an otherwise understated room, such as light walls and flooring and soft Scandinavian furnishings, to make the biggest impact.

Work with more natural textures. Beautiful bouquets of flowers are undoubtedly stunning. However there is something more unique in bouquets of wilder, natural flowers. This look works particularly well in country kitchens and living rooms. To really make the most of the style, display in a soft coloured, metal jug, or even hanging out of a wicker basket as if they’ve been freshly picked. You could even line two or three small old glass milk bottles up in on rustic wooden shelves for that cosy farmhouse style.

Have you got a creative way to display your flowers at home? We would love to know!

Beautiful unique gold wall accents you will love

Louis de Poortere Columbus Gold Rug in Living Room

Gold as an accent in home decor is a colour which immediately creates an opulent, sophisticated feeling in any space. This week, we are focussing on gold and stainless steel and how you can decorate with them and first things first – gold wall decor.

Why wall decor? Well, it is a great way to inject style into any room without making a huge investment in furniture pieces.

And why gold? One of the beauty’s of gold is that it is immensely flexible when it comes to decorating. Add to an already dramatic room to create the feeling of a trendy boutique hotel or add to a simple decor scheme to add a subtle touch of luxury. Additionally, and best of all, the chances are, gold will work with the furniture and decor you already own.

Keep it simple

There are plenty of options when it comes to wall decor, but if you are looking to keep it simple, clocks and mirrors are the way to go.

A clock will work in any room but is particularly fantastic in your kitchen, hallway or home office to keep your family running on time. Our selection of large wall clocks looks great on any wall. This large metal and gold wall clock would look equally stylish on a white wall with simple Scandinavian styling as it would on a dark navy or purple wall to really make a statement.

Additionally, mirrors are fantastic to open up a room and to add a touch of glamour. This stylish wall mirror would work wonders huge above your fireplace or in the dining room paired with a reclaimed wood table and white dining chairs to bounce light around the room and creating a real centrepiece for your decor. If you prefer a floor mirror, one like this one would work beautifully in your hallway or bedroom with the unique shape adding a gorgeous modern feel to your room.

Add something extra

If you really want to make the most of gold in your decorating scheme, adding two or three gold accents will create a sleek, coordinated scheme you’ll want to show off to your friends and family.

A gold rug like this Louis de Poortere one is a great choice. In your living room or under your dining room table, a high-quality gold rug like this one will add a real injection of colour to your room and will finish off a contemporary room to perfection.

Alternatively, go for a gorgeous velvet sofa customisable in gold to really make an impact. Our beautiful sofas, complete with gorgeous button detailing for an interesting take on the classic Chesterfield, work either upholstered in golden fabric. If you’re not certain on gold, you could even have your sofa upholstered in a jewel-toned velvet which would be beautifully complemented by those golden accents.

What do you think? Will you be adding a gold accent or two to your home?

Put the spotlight on the wonderful coffee table

Lansdowne Reclaimed Wood Coffee Table and Grey Upholstered Chair

We are a nation of coffee lovers so it is no wonder there’s a day to celebrate our affinity for the coffee bean with ‘Coffee Break’ being celebrated on 4th March.

And whilst coffee is perhaps the best way to wake up in the morning, it can also provide a fantastic source of inspiration for our home decor too! Coffee shop decor is hugely popular in interior design, working particularly well in your living spaces like the kitchen and living room. Not only is the coffee shop look ultra-modern, cool and quirky, amalgamating luxurious and industrial design, but there is also something social about the social too.

The Kitchen

If you have a breakfast bar in your kitchen, you already have a fantastic base to recreate that gorgeous coffee shop look in your home.

Alternatively, if you have the space, a breakfast bar table and stools will create a similar look. In the corner of your room, or by a large window to bring light in and wake you up in the morning, you can create a fantastic spot to drink your morning cup of coffee. This compact table with the matching stools is a great option – not only does it not take up much space, but it also adds coffee shop style which will work with any modern kitchen design.

The Living Room

Often used for larger spaces to sit and chat with friends, the combination of sofas and a gorgeous coffee table, is a popular feature in coffee shops.

Perfect for those with a soft spot for modern living room furniture, an industrial coffee table, offering a combination of wood and metal adds a really interesting addition to any living room. The style works really well with leather sofas (as are often found in coffee shops) or, for a real industrial meets glamorous feel, velvet sofas. After all, the infamous Central Perk set-up in Friends featured the iconic golden velvet sofa! The style looks even better if you are fortunate enough to live in a property with a unique fireplace or some exposed brick you can utilise.

There’s often discussion as to the necessity of a coffee table, but we think they look great and are fantastic for creating a really sociable living space. Perhaps if you are very tight for space in your living room, a coffee table may be tricky, but traditionally, they work wonders as a central point of the room. If you do not have the space, a wooden side table or two conveniently located by the sofa can provide the tablespace you need to pop your morning cuppa and are another way of injecting the coffee shop or industrial style into your room.

What do you think? Are you inspired to inject some coffee shop style into your kitchen or living room? Or maybe you don’t like coffee at all! Either way, we would love to know!