Home Furniture Ideas

Yes, it’s nearing that time of year again when you should really be thinking about getting sorted for Christmas. Not only is this a notoriously expensive time of year, it can be highly stressful, with people having to cook a Christmas banquet for the entire family, and spend a whole day with the mother-in-law!

A good way to combat some of the stress is to plan in advance. A big issue with many families around this time of year, is where everyone is going to sit at dinner time. In many households, the ‘emergency chairs’ are dusted down of cobwebs from the shed, as the whole family packs around a tiny dining table. Let’s face it, we’ve all done it. So rather than leave it until Christmas Eve to decide what to do about the shortage of dining furniture space, think about it now!

As you are probably aware, many retailers are now advertising their products for Christmas, and are even offering a pre-Christmas sale.  In our experience, if you are looking to buy new dining tables and chairs (or any other dining furniture for that matter) before Christmas, it is probably best to get it sorted sooner rather than later.

Whilst you may be able to order the latest CD just a few days before Christmas, many online furniture retailers urge customers to order some time in advance to avoid disappointment, and to ensure that the items can be delivered in time.

So why not give yourself the perfect present this Christmas allowing for a pleasant dining experience for all, along with ensuring that stress is kept to a minimum!

With the summer almost over (did we actually have one?!), many high street and online furniture retailers are looking to offload their summer stock, in preparation for the next Autumn / Winter styles. You can use this to your advantage and find some huge discounts.

We have seen recent trends on websites such as HotUKDeals, where promotions and discounts run on a yearly basis. One that caught our eye was this huge 12ft Trampoline. Earlier in the year, you would expect to pay around £40 more for this, but as the Summer season has almost disappeared, the price has been slashed. The same promotion ran in 2008 as well, so you can bet your money that come early 2010, the price will go back up ready for next Summer, when we will see the same discounts.

Many of the Supermarkets now sell wider ranges of furniture at discount prices. Tesco and Asda stores competing to offer an extremely low price, and Tesco in particular, offer a range of incentives with Clubcard points and discount vouchers to try and entice you in to making a purchase.

If you can’t find a bargain in one of the high street stores, have a search around on the net, you will be sure to find some great deals. Shopzilla or Kelkoo collect a range of products for you to easily compare prices. Enter a simple search for ‘discount furniture‘, and you are away.

And remember to look for a discount code as well to get a couple of extra pounds off your purchase!

Grand Designs LIVE comes to Birmingham’s NEC on the 9-11 October 2009. Bouyant from the success earlier this year in London, the award winning event for design and inspiration for your home opens it’s doors again.

Based on the smash hit TV series, Grand Designs Live still remains the only exhibition for contemporary design, giving it’s visitors the chance to buy, build and furnish a house, all under one roof.

The event is the UK’s number 1 consumer show for anybody with an interest in any aspect of design, build and home interior innovations. With different areas aimed at Interiors, Build, Kitchens, Bathrooms, Gardens and Shopping, there really is something there for everybody.

One area of interest that is bound to catch the eye is the House of the Future. Here you will be able see what the homes of the future could really be like. Not only will it be packed full of flat-screen high definition TV’s, surround sound with MP3 docking stations and plenty of games consoles, there will even be the chance to catch a glimpse of products which are still in the prototype stage.

Along with many products on show, the event will be packed full of new interative elements. Visit the Expert Advice Centre for a free consultation with an architect or designer, or take a look at the Grand Village which takes a look at eco-homes of the future.

Whether you are completely renovating your home, in the process of decorating, or even just looking for some new ideas, Grand Designs Live will provide you with some fantastic tips to help transform your dream home into reality. You might even catch a glimpse of Kevin McCloud!

The finish on an attractive piece of wood furniture is arguably one of the most important elements of the piece. For each type of wood there are various finishes that are available, so it can be quite daunting to someone who isn’t sure about which is best. Below is a selection of common finishes to hardwood furniture and a bit of information about each.

Beeswax
Beeswax is a highly effective way of giving wood furniture a high quality, but natural finish. The finish it creates not only looks attractive, but it acts as a protective layer, helping to keep your furniture looking its best. Beeswax is completely natural and can be used very economically as only a small amount is required for each application. Whether you are treating a new oak coffee table, or revitalising some distressed wood; beeswax really is a top product.

The only negative is that beeswax is an ‘unsealed’ wood finish, and therefore some chemical cleaning products can cause the wood to dry out and cause horrible cracking. For cleaning purposes, a duster or a damp cloth should work fine when cleaning and taking care of your furniture.

Danish Oil
Like beeswax, Danish Oil does not penetrate the wood deeply. It does penetrate the wood slightly, which is required to give it its excellent quality of finish. Danish Oil is best used for giving an attractive finish to your wood furniture, giving it a soft sheen. Danish Oil will not show finger prints or dust and should the wood become damaged, it is easy to repair by anyone. All that is required is abet of light sanding, and then re-application of the Oil. By contrast, if a lacquered finish was applied and the item became damaged, the whole piece would need to be stripped and refinished again, something which could prove to be very expensive!

Other Options
Other items to look at when considering wood finishing products could include Sprayed Lacquer and Polyurethane. The both do offer an effective finish to the wood however they are only usually used with pine furniture. So if you have an oak wardrobe or a mango coffee table, beeswax or Danish Oil would definitely be your best bet!

A company called Studio Weave have developed designs for the bench, which would start at the site of Heatherwick Studio’s East Beach Café and run westwards along the seafront.

Funding of £500,000 has already been secured, which would be enough to build a 483m-long bench.  However in order to beat the current record-holding bench, located in Poland, which is 613m long, a further £100,000 is required.

A website promoting this cause (www.thelongestbenchintheworld.com), has been set up so that people can pay a fee to have their names or a simple message stamped on one of the bench slats.  Each slat of the bench can be engraved and every time words are bought to go on the bench, the bench will grow.

For £15 you can have your name, or any name, engraved on the slat. It’s enamel, so it won’t fade or wear away. So what does it look like? Have a look below!

As the website states, it is a truely thrilling and dynamic thread of coloured enamelled bars. The shape is like a wooden boardwalk, one you might walk on through sand dunes. It runs the whole length of our beautiful promenade and hoops the loop under entrances to the green, round lamp posts and creates shelters. If you can, go and take a look. In the meantime, we will keep you updated when it does actually become a record breaker!

Arguably, the most important function of the bedroom, is to provide a relaxing room where you can go to unwind and recharge your batteries. Whether or not you have thought about it before, we actually spend around a third of our life sleeping. Some may think that this is a waste of time, and that only a few hours sleep a night is necessary. Unfortunately this is not the case.

Everyone leads busy lives. Working long hours at the office, entaining the family at home and all of the other burdens and issues of home life including sorting out bills, shopping and doing the housework will take effect the body. The bottom line is, Sleep is asbolutely essential. And that is why you need to ensure that the bedroom is a place that you can catch up on your sleep and relax.

There are a few very simple ways that you can transform your bedroom and change the atmosphere so that you find it more relaxing. A quick lick of paint always refreshes a room, and will certainly make a difference in the bedroom. Oftern cool colours are an ideal way to create a relaxed feeling. If you’ve not got time, you don’t need to re-do the whole room. Simply paining one feature wall a different shade can have a huge effect. Similarly, just tidying up the skirting boards, doors and window sills can make a big difference.

If you’ve got a bit more time and budget, you could look into buying a few new items of bedroom furniture, or replacing some of the existing pieces. A new bed can do wonders for relaxation. Another suggestion would be to add some more depth to the room. Perhaps a side table with a few family photographs, or a few pieces of your favourite wall art. Make it personal to you, and you should begin to feel the benefits.

Just a quick note to remind you all that the Manchester Furniture Show is this weekend, running from the 19th - 22nd of July. They have put together a nifty little online brochure for the event, which provides details of some of the Exhibitor Selections, along with the whole confirmed Exhibitor Listing.

There will be hundreds of new products on display, all with the potential to get consumers ‘thinking furniture’ this Autumn. Not only are products featured from the UK, there are several from around the World.

If you are planning to pay this event a visit, let us know what you thought. We will be attending on Sunday!

Ever wanted to recreate the famous Big Brother house in your own home? Well if you do, you are not alone. More and more people are after bits and pieces so that they can bring the reality TV set into their own living room.

Every year we see different pieces, including the famous changing diary room chair. One furniture store that supplies some of the furniture is Connections Interiors, who have been supplying furniture since 2004. You can see some of their famous pieces in the image below, including the ‘Devil’s Desk Chair‘, the ‘Puppy Dog‘ chair and the ‘Parallel Sofa & Poufe‘.

An interesting article featuring more furniture has been put together by the team at Channel 4, entitled ‘How To Get The Big Brother Look‘. Although it features furniture from series 9 (2008), there are again some iconic pieces that are availbale to buy on the internet. One of the most interesting items that is featured is the large roll-top bath that was rather strangely positioned in the living room.

There is a bit of a debate going on about what actually happens to the furniture once the show is finished. It is well publicised that some of the furniture is auctioned off, and some is given away in competitions. But are the bad people at Big Brother and Channel 4 just throwing the rest away? Let’s hope not.

One thing that is guaranteed however, is the fact that this time next year, the Big Brother furniture will be back with a bang, and will be as funky as ever.

We recently stumbled across a blog post over at WebUrbanist.com about ‘Creative Recycled Urban Furniture’. Today, it is evident that the boundaries of design are well and truly being pushed further than ever before, with more and more innovative items of furniture becoming available.

There really is something for everyone’s taste in this collection, even if the ‘bathtub sofa’ or the ‘dishwasher drum table‘ are not up your street. A personal favourite of ours are the ‘crushed can’ pieces. Despite their simplicity, they look highly attractive and would fit in well in any modern home or flat. They are even strong and robust enough to act as outdoor furniture pieces, or in a rugged environment.

Other items which have been developed include a recycled tube light, which uses old fluorescent light tubes, a range of lights and lamps (created by Lamponi), which use vintage appliances and automobile parts to create elaborate and remarkably elegant lamps, and a chair made from a shopping trolley!

You could even have a go at creating your own bit of recycled furniture. Let us know if you have any other whacky ideas. If the right people read your idea, it may even get turned into a real item one day!

Mahogany is a durable hardwood, typically used to make fine pieces of furniture. This wood is relatively rare and is known for its beautiful grain and deep, reddish-brown color. Items of furniture crafted with mahogany will last a lifetime and should be considered an investment. The following hints will make buying mahogany furniture a bit easier!

What is Mahogany?
Most mahogany furniture today is made from two varieties, African and South American. South American mahogany is used for fine furniture. Caribbean or West Indian mahogany, another variety, is rarer, because it has been overharvested. Mahogany is an excellent wood for carving and finishes beautifully.

Why Buy Mahogany Furniture?
Mahogany furniture is most often made in the traditional style, but these pieces can complement almost any decorating style. Its timeless beauty appeals to most consumers and furniture pieces lend an air of elegance and sophistication. Mahogany furniture also is very durable. Large pieces are excellent investments and draw immediate attention. Ornate carvings in mahogany furniture add instant interest.

What to Look For
There is a bit of controversy surrounding the harvesting of mahogany for purposes of crafting furniture. Overharvesting and illegal logging in parts of the Peruvian Amazon and elsewhere plague the industry. Some furniture manufacturers, such as IKEA, have chosen not to sell furniture made from mahogany for this very reason. Mahogany furniture marketed as Philippine mahogany is not true mahogany. It is actually luaun. The material comes from a family of plants, not mahogany trees.

Get a Good Price
Mahogany furniture is very expensive. Search for smaller furniture stores that specialize in fine furniture rather than large chains. Don’t be afraid to negotiate on price either. Privately owned furniture stores are one place where you don’t always have to pay sticker price. Buying a floor sample will cost less than having the item made and delivered to your home.

If you are looking for some truely stunning home furnishings, you really can’t go wrong with Mahogany.