katie.lacy@letsgetcoffee.co.uk, Author at Modish Living

Welcome Spring in Your Farmhouse Style: All You Need to Know

reclaimed wood dining table with white legs in farmhouse dining room with white kitchen dresser

The farmhouse style is an elegant and classic one, meaning that this type of interior is coveted by many. With a few farmhouse decors, it is a style that you can use throughout the home. Here, we outline what Farmhouse Style encompasses, and how to bring it into your space this Spring.

1. Open Shelving

In the kitchen especially, having items on display was essential in the busy farmhouse kitchen. Open shelving is the perfect solution. Choose similar storage jars but remember the farmhouse look is not about having everything the same. Therefore, mix different styles and sizes, but keep key elements the same such as glass storage jars and so on.

2. Reclaimed Wood Furniture

The farmhouse style relies heavily on wood as the main material for furniture. It was cheap and plentiful, unlike other materials. This is why large reclaimed wood furniture is perfect for the farmhouse style. Use a reclaimed wood trunk as a toy box-cum-coffee table or opt for the shelf ladder bookcase as the perfect addition to the lounge and living area. Use it for books and other sculptures that fit with the farmhouse theme.

3. A Farmhouse Kitchen

Farmhouse kitchens are not necessarily fully fitted with fitted cupboards. Part or all of the kitchen would be freestanding furniture like a reclaimed wood kitchen dresser. The dressers were part and parcel of the home but for most farmhouse kitchens, the best dinner service was usually white with pretty detailing around the edges of plates and serving platters. They would be stored on the open shelving of the dresser during the week, and used weekly for the large Sunday roast.

As well as shaker style cabinets – wooden fronts with same coloured wooden handles – a deep Belfast sink, with old-style miser taps is the perfect means of setting the farmhouse kitchen style.

4. The Dining Room

The dining room would often be a formal room in a farmhouse. Again, it would only be used on special occasions or on Sunday for a large family dinner. More often than not, during the working week, meals would be taken around the table that formed a central isle in the kitchen. The kitchen table itself would be both a work station and a dining table, so the typical farmhouse table would be heavy and robust. Getting the look is easy with a reclaimed wood dining table that is as imposing as it is stylish.

For the dining room, the table would be slightly daintier in its appeal, with more finesse and style.

5. Farmhouse accessories

Once you have your main pieces of farmhouse furniture in situ, you need to accessorise the space with farmhouse decor to add warmth and texture.

There is a range of farm artwork that would work well, adding a touch of the modern without detracting from the main style of the room. Carry on the outdoor/farmhouse theme with animal-themed cushions, along with plaid patterns for throws and cushions.

Farmhouses, for practical reasons, would often have hard floors, thus rugs were an essential component, especially in front of a roaring fire. Use rugs and other textiles in natural fibres to add colour, shape and form to a space.

How will you create a farmhouse style that works in your home?

5 Types Of Interior Design Styles To Implement In Your Home

Windsor Oak Farmhouse Extending Dining Table in Dining Room with blush pink dining chairs

If you are looking for inspiration to create a new look for your home, but aren’t sure which style to adopt, then you need to know about these fantastic interior design styles and ideas. In this article, we bring you the 5 types of interior design styles and how to implement these popular trends in your home.

Industrial Look

The turn-of-the-century industrial era emphasised the liberal use of steel and distressed wooden furniture, along with exposed brick walls.

This is achievable in rooms and space across your home, including distressed-wood modern beds. Create a rugged effect but soften with softly draping, but clean-lined window dressings, along with rugs and cushions.

Find out more about the Industrial Style here.

Nautical

Nautical décor is a relaxing one, with warmth and an air of positivity to it, just like a day at the sea-side. The spirit of the sea is captured in many ways, and is the perfect style for capturing the urban modern style.

Think linear patterns, think blues and creams and think nautical patterns, from birds to anchors. Reclaimed wood is also welcomed in this style and with this modern dining table set, you can welcome the sea scape into your home, throughout the space.

Scandinavian Style

There is something delightful about the clean, minimalist lines of the Scandinavian style, but without lacking the warmth and texture that so many of us look for. Scandinavian pieces that fit perfectly within this style are balance engineered with organic materials, have a playful accent on colour and think smooth, rounded edges, rather than hard, angular lines.

Farmhouse

And finally, the farmhouse style is a welcome trend in the urban modern style that so many of us covet. There is a warmth in its familiarity and is a style that is simple to replicate, easy to live with. It is truly practical and versatile.

Again, distressed wood furniture is the backbone of the style, as it is furniture that is simple to incorporate into the scheme. Think pastel colours with neutral tones on both walls and floors. Be romantic in your outlook, including accessories that are not overly fussy. And stick with natural materials as much as you can.

Mid-20^th Century Modern

The mid-1900s provided some of the most iconic furniture design. New technologies gave rise to moulded plastics, plywood and aluminium furniture all perfect for the refined lines, minimalist silhouettes and natural shapes popular in the period.

To keep your home looking fresh, mix in modern-day interior design pieces, such as bright coloured modern rugs.

In the end, all types of interior design styles are focused on making your rooms look homely. It is about adding your creative tastes and takes on styles of yesteryear – like plucking the best bits and bolstering them with modern-day textiles and furnishings to create a space that’s all your own. Choose among the types of interior design styles and make your house not only stunning but also attractive.

Identifying Industrial Style

Standford Industrial Reclaimed Wood Dining Set with Dining Table and Dining Bench in dining room

Industrial interior design is an eye-catching contemporary style, with an environmental conscience. You can instantly spot an industrial style piece of furniture, due to the rustic and robust appearance of the reclaimed timber, together with bold metal supports and legs. The surface of the wood features some marks, showing the character of where it was reclaimed from. Each piece is unique and handcrafted to combine the reclaimed wood top, together with welded recycled metal for the table legs. The sleek dark legs and supports are any repurposed metal object, pieces of robust iron or steel, or even pipes.

Colour and texture

The colour of wood varies because some pieces are made from dark hardwood; others are elm or lighter. There are many unique options to suit your taste. You can easily create a homely statement as a centrepiece for your room. Textured reclaimed wood can be beams from old barns or demolition sites, which has become popular due to environmental concerns about waste and cutting down trees. For wood to be classed as reclaimed, it must have been previously used elsewhere. Salvaging the wood is a painstaking process to prevent damage. The wood requires a lot of processing to remove any metal nails and to ensure it is free from mould or worms.

Where to find industrial style furniture

Here at Modish Living, we have a range of well-priced industrial style furniture for your home. For examples, this Stanford industrial style reclaimed wood coffee table has impressive industrial character, plenty of pattern and natural markings. There are also two drawers for storage with metal handles which draws your eye down to the dark metal legs.

Alternatively, this distinctive elm industrial coffee table is perfect for a smaller space. This round design has a typically rustic finish. More unusually the table legs are made from flowing circles which really is an amazing feature.

Price reflects hard work and dedication to creating beauty

There isn’t a high price point of reclaimed wood in itself. Nonetheless, the price of the furniture reflects the handmade skills of working with wood and metal and the challenge of converting reclaimed wood into a unique piece of durable items of contemporary furniture. If you’re looking to find your ideal pieces of Industrial furniture, you’ll need to understand that are paying for beautiful unique characteristics of well-constructed pieces. Prices can range from £150+ for a bench, around £300 and up for a smaller table or to £1200+ for a large table.

Combination is key to unique décor

Industrial reclaimed wood furniture can be combined with other pieces from the same range or with other ranges to bring together the look of the entire home. For example, you could invest in a sideboard to be near your dining table; and then possibly a bookcase or console table, to create a co-ordinated Industrial theme and flow between your living areas.

The Lansdowne reclaimed wood Industrial table has plenty of character in the wood, from previous industrial use. This is ideal for a smaller area and a modest budget. The robust-looking steel legs are a typical design of industrial pieces of furniture, but because they are at an angle, this makes it a more unusual piece.

Industrial-dining-chairs such as the Hyatt Industrial Vintage Cafe chairs are a cost-effective option for a set of homely handmade chairs. Vintage black matches the dark metal legs of industrial-reclaimed-wood furniture. Or an off-white colour would make an interesting talking point as a contrast.

Industrial style has never been so on trend. Why not look for a few industrial inspired pieces for your home now you know what to look for!

How is your dining: Industrial or Urban Modern?

Hyatt Industrial Vintage Cafe Chairs white and black in dining room

A dining room is a great place to start when redecorating your home. As one of the most used rooms in the home, whether you’re entertaining guests or dining as a family, there are some great options for updating the room, allowing you to really put your stamp on it. But which look do you prefer? Industrial or Urban modern – and how do you go about getting it right. Here, we look at both trends, to see what would suit your dining space best.

Industrial dining rooms

Tables

An Industrial dining table is a must-have centre piece for your Industrial look. A distressed textured rustic appearance is characterised by the reclaimed wood table top, combined with dark matte metal table legs. Available space is a key factor, so make sure you measure up carefully to find a piece that will leave you enough room to get around the room. When it comes to colour, there are various shades of wood, whether you prefer contemporary light or darker wood.

Chairs

Industrial dining chairs are usually vintage upcycled or vintage inspired. Many people opt for dark metal café style chairs – and these work extremely well if you like to mix up your décor – as they’ll usually go with almost any colour – as well as exposed brick if you prefer.

Of course, you may prefer retro wooden chairs with dark metal legs – and these can work equally as well in the industrial dining room. Many Industrial dining chairs are stackable for storage, ready for when you have guests. An Industrial-style chair could also be used in the bedroom, as could Industrial-style-lighting.

Lighting

Industrial style lighting is an essential element of this interior design style, and it often involves black fittings with warm Edison light bulbs. The dark metal light fittings complement the robust dark metal furniture legs and supports and clusters of pendants give a fantastic appearance. Metal piping can also form the structure of your ceiling or wall lighting, and you could have a bespoke pipe wall light, which doubles up as book shelving. Many repurposed dark metal studio lighting structures make for conversation pieces – perfect if conversation dries up at a dinner party! Popular black angle-poise task lamps may be vintage or vintage-inspired, which could also be handy for the bedroom.

Urban Modern Dining Rooms

Many people prefer modern furniture for the dining room, and love the versatility of the smoother Urban Modern look. Modern furniture, when compared to industrial, looks more minimalist and neutral in colour. The Urban Modern look may include a subtle variation of Industrial style lighting but you may combine your existing furniture with new pieces of modern furniture with a sharp smooth finish. Urban Modern is an interior design technique which can make different pieces work well together, and fuses inspiration from complementary and edgy opposing design traits.

Restaurant chic

The Urban Modern dining style is similar to many restaurants, which means you can bring some of this cosmopolitan atmosphere into your home. Modern dining table sets typically have a smooth sleek finish, with the chairs matching the table. The table top could be marble or any neutral coloured shiny surface or you may love light smoothly finished wood, together with contrasting table legs, which match the chairs. Metal accents on modern dining table sets are usually polished – pulling together the whole look exceptionally well.

Accessories

Modern rugs easily fit in with the Urban Modern style. There seems to be an infinite variety of geometric designs and more adventurous bold designs to choose from – so the only limit here is your imagination. You may have more neutral colours in your Urban Modern dining area for the décor, but there is no need to stick to grey and neutral colours for the rug. Be as daring as you like for a contrasting colourful rug for either your bedroom or dining area. Use your creative flair to choose something out of the ordinary and watch your guest marvel at your good taste!

Industrial and Urban Modern styles are very contemporary, yet different in appearance, and naturally both forms of interior design suit different tastes. If you find the right pieces, you can add personality and texture by creating an Industrial dining area full of character and with an environmental conscience. Or, find inspiration from perfect modern-furniture for a sharper, cosmopolitan Urban Modern look. Either way your choices will look fantastic!

Find out all you need to know about the industrial style

Industrial Lowry wooden high bar table and stools

Industrial style showcases all that is rough and ready. The style came to fruition when we started converting old industrial buildings and steelworks into homes. Rather then plastering over, painting, and carpeting the original features, we chose to celebrate the intriguing design benefits that industrial buildings have. The trend has become so big and so well-loved that we are now introducing industrial chic in to everyday homes and more contemporary spaces.

What to include when imitating industrial style?

To achieve true industrial style, you should include some or all of the below elements in your home – depending on how far you’re willing to take the trend:

Exposed or painted brick
Exposed metal (rusting and painted)
Exposed wood
Unique lighting, often oversized and old factory pendants
Vintage signage
Industrial furniture
Vintage decor
Recycled/ Upcycled furniture or ornaments

It doesn’t matter whether you live in an old converted industrial building or the average modern home, you can introduce the industrial style in many different ways, room by room. Choosing key pieces of furniture will help you achieve industrial style quickly and easily.

Industrial dining

Industrial dining furniture is a sure-fire way to bring industrial style into your dining room or kitchen. An industrial dining table can be statement piece that oozes industrial chic and reflects our industrial heritage. Made from steel, which has been created with recycled metal, and reclaimed wood gives dining furniture character and history; making it a real talking piece at a dinner party, as well as very functional.

Finishing touches

To finish off your dining space look you could introduce some industrial style lighting. Hanging an industrial pendant light over your industrial table adds interest and ambiance to your dining experience. Industrial pendant lights are incredibly stylish, you could use subtle styles, so you can hang more than one to created a striking look or perhaps pair it with another style of pendant for a truly unique industrial space that is all you. Industrial pendants often contain vintage filament lamps, giving you a sultry and sophisticated atmosphere.

Industrial Living

Moving through to your living space, you can easily breath some industrial style into your room by adding an industrial reading lamp. These pieces are very typical of industrial chic lighting. They’re so on trend and you can see why; they can be such statement pieces and can easily transform a side table from normal to industrial in an instant. This style of lamp is also a very functional reading lamp due to its ability to be multi-positional.

Adding an industrial coffee table to your living space gives you a main industrial feature, especially helpful in homes that are from the modern era. Placed over exposed wooden flooring and a vintage rug and industrial table shows off upcycled chic to its fullest.

You can go industrial in the smallest of spaces

If you do not have a space solely for a dining room, perhaps you have a corner in your living room just screaming out for an industrial bar table. Using a bar table and bar stools to make the most of a small space is a great way to make your home more functional, as well as giving it the industrial look you crave. Again, here, you can use exposed wood and metal to capture the industrial style, combine with some neutral, textured fabric on the stools to bring comfort and function together.

There’s so much you can do with industrial style, even in the most contemporary of homes. Done right, industrial style doesn’t have to be uncomfortable or too stark either – find the right accessories, such as rugs and cushions to complement your furniture, and you can have it all.

Our Gift on Galileo’s birthday: Ideas to Display Your Books

As Galileo Galilei’s birthday passes, we are able to reflect on the remarkable discoveries he made. As an astronomer, physicist, engineer, philosopher, and mathematician, he led a scientific revolution in the 17^th Century. Galileo was known for his superior mind. Galileo Galilei inventions continue to be embraced in today’s technology. He revealed amazing astronomical discoveries that have led to significant scientific breakthroughs today, inspiring many with his work. A celebrated author, he has also had many books written about him and his work over the past 400 years. Do you have any in your rustic bookcase? If not, it may be an excellent way to celebrate his birthday by reading some of his great works.

Display Your Book Treasures

If you’re someone who owns many books – or is looking to add to their collection with some of the great scientific works of our time, like Galileo, then you may be faced with the struggle of finding a great way to keep them all on display where it is not only easy to see them all, but to have access to them too. No matter how you do it, you need a bookcase that not only contains but shows off your treasured books – especially if you want to show your intellect with some of the greatest classics, and non-fiction texts adorning your shelves.

The bookcases available in high street stores are usually plain, simple and more than a bit bland. Overall, they don’t add any natural appeal to a room. If you want a fantastic piece that will look amazing in your living room, why not try a rustic bookcase similar to this open-shelf design? The simple yet elegant design can easily be added to any room. It will look great with pretty much anything on it.

For a slightly more unique design, why not try a shorter but wider shelving unit with added drawers and a cupboard? Made from reclaimed wood, it is a beautiful piece. It is sturdy enough to display books, art or anything else for that matter. It adds character to a room, too, especially when you pair it with a vase of flowers to give an effortless shabby chic style.

Finding smart ideas to maximize space in the bedroom is pretty much what everyone is looking for. With this ladder bookcase you can effortlessly display all the books you have. As a tall unit, it doesn’t take up much floor space; it is also thin meaning it doesn’t feel bulky or large.

Getting More Form Your Bookcase

Whatever it is you love to read, why not add a contemporary look to your bookshelf by breaking up the rows of books by including plants to soften corners. Or, for a real quirky and unique statement, add a vintage bicycle into your living room next to the bookcase.

Lighting is also a great way to pinpoint key features in your room and really make them stand out. For a quick, easy solution, use plain fairy lights with a soft glow or, for a longer-term solution, use backlights to make your bookcase glow. LED strip lights can be added to shelves to help them stand out too.

And don’t forget to incorporate picture frames, small pot plants and little ornaments in your rustic bookcase to bring your display unit and bookcase to life, as well as clustering your books together to create a display that is not chaotic to the eye.

Whether it’s Galileo or Goethe you prefer to read, or perhaps something a little more modern, there’s no reason not to show off your books and make them a design feature in themselves!

7 Mistakes You Do When Decorating Your Living Room

Contemporary canvas art painting in living room

We spend a lot of time in our living room so it is natural to want to decorate the space well. We want our living room to seem homely and welcoming whilst at the same time impressing our guests. Many of us are happy to spend many hours decorating our living rooms and will have spent many more choosing colours and décor and yet, when the room is finished we are unsatisfied with the result.

The reason could be because there are simple decorating mistakes that are made time and time again. By knowing what they are before you begin you can avoid making them and end up with a room to be proud of.

Lighting

Living rooms are used both night and day so it is important to get the lighting right. Contemporary lighting schemes involve creating drama with sculptural light fittings. Try placing an oversized lamp by an armchair for reading or fitting a dramatic pendant.

Patterns and colours

One or two carefully chosen patterns can add drama and interest to carefully selected parts of your room but you can have too much of a good thing. Use neutrals for most of your colour palette when it comes to pattern choice and stick to one or, at most, two patterns for decorating individual pieces such as a beautiful Louis de Poortere rug or eye-catching scatter cushions. Choose different shapes, materials and finishes to provide diversity and individuality.

Rugs

Bigger is better with rugs. Many rooms are spoilt by having a “floating rug” that seems like an afterthought. Rugs that touch all the main pieces of furniture will bring the room together.

Focal Point

Too many rooms lack a focal point so the room feels directionless. A single, large, piece of contemporary artwork placed in a prominent position will give the room focus. Be careful not to hang your art work too high as you will usually be sitting down when using the room and you should not need to strain your neck to see it.

Clutter

Messy wires and too little storage can quickly ruin the effect you are trying to achieve when you redecorate. A coffee table with drawers will offer storage for magazines, books and those all-important but easily mislaid remote controls.

Make sure you think about where your electronics are going, especially if you have a wall-mounted television. If you are planning on repapering or repainting you can take the opportunity to have sockets moved so that wires can be neatly hidden away. For wiring that is not so permanent in nature use trunking or cable tidies to stop the cables becoming tangled and unsightly.

Windows

Big heavy curtains, whilst ideal for blocking out light and noise, hide the windows and can make the room feel dark. Instead choose a blind that can be retracted completely during the day.

Furniture placement

Although tempting to increase floor space, pushing your furniture up against the walls can actually make your room look smaller than it is.

By knowing the mistakes that others have made when decorating their living rooms, you’ll be able to avoid them, allowing you to create a living room you can really be proud of!

What is Boat Wood Furniture and why buy it

Reclaimed Wood Trunk Coffee Table and Storage

Reclaimed wood is a popular choice of material for rustic furniture, but one particular type of wood you may not be so familiar with is Boat Wood Furniture. Let’s look into more detail about this unique and sustainable style of furniture – we think by the time you’ve finished reading, you’ll have a new-found love for your home.

Old Reclaimed Boats

As the name suggests, boat wood furniture is quite literally made of wood from old boats.

The wood is reclaimed from boats that have become damaged and can no longer be used out at sea. The wood is solid, so the owner will sell the materials to local carpenters who will take the reclaimed wood and turn it into a beautiful piece of reclaimed furniture.

Experienced carpenters can work magic and produce amazing handcrafted rustic-looking pieces, which are all completely individual as they’re made from different types of woods with unique patterns.

Unique Boat Furniture Style

If you’re wanting to add a new style to your home, then this is the perfect way to go. Amazing pieces of reclaimed furniture can be produced this way, with reclaimed wood brought back to life in an array of different styles, colours and finishes. Whatever type of piece you’re looking for, be it a solid wood bed, reclaimed wood dining table, rustic coffee table, chairs, shelves, wooden chest of drawers, reclaimed wood sideboards or even industrial TV stands – they’re sure to make a perfect feature that will look great in any room.

Great Ideas

When it comes to making a feature out of your boat wood furniture, why not try pairing the rustic vibes of the piece with a bare red brick wall? Or, paint the walls in a white or cream colour and let the furniture do all the design work for you? A simple backdrop will really make a feature of recycled boat furniture, allowing the patterns and colours of the wood to be the sole focal point in the room.

Alternatively, you could use light to highlight the beauty of your new boat wood table or sideboard by brightening the room with spotlights or maybe twinkling fairy lights for more magical boat table ideas.

Reclaimed boat wood furniture is diverse, and almost anything looks good with it. It is also known to be easy to keep due to the wooden material it is made from, meaning it rarely needs cleaning to look great as it doesn’t attract dust, unlike other materials such as glass.

Timeless Elegance

The rustic style of a piece of furniture crafted from a reclaimed boat allows for a timeless addition, bringing a rustic feel to any room. Built by craftspeople with years of experience to not only be unique but solid and sturdy as well, this furniture will last a lifetime in your home.

If this hasn’t persuaded you to buy at least one piece of reclaimed wood furniture, whether it’s crafted from a reclaimed boat or another type of recycled timber then the fact that absolutely no trees had to be cut down to make the furniture might convince you. This means that you’re helping to save the planet, one piece of fabulous furniture at a time. Can it really get any better than that?

Shop reclaimed wood furniture at Modish Living and bring this timeless style to your home.

How to Transform Your Home Into a Contemporary Space With Art

Cow portrait canvas painting contemporary modern art

So, you’ve been aiming towards a contemporary home, you’ve decluttered and minimalised. You’ve painstakingly redecorated in neutrals with bold statement colour here and there, added contemporary lighting, and introduced sleek pieces of furniture. Maybe you’ve even gone as far as renovating your bathroom and/or kitchen into a seamless contemporary masterpiece.

But your home just isn’t feeling quite right, and you’re not sure you’ve put your own stamp on it. If this is you, one sure-fire way to bring your home to life is to introduce an art collection or expand upon your existing collection with some contemporary art.

How to choose the right art for your home

There are a number of aspects to choosing the right contemporary art for your home, and if you’ve never purchased artwork before, it can seem a little daunting. Panic not, however –below, we’ve explained the basics, so that you can get it right first time.

Colour

Colour is one of the primary reasons for choosing a piece of contemporary art, Go for colours that echo the rest of your room and, if necessary, finish the room with some extra touches, like cushions or ornaments that complement your new art collection.

If your room is mainly black or white, then choosing art that is predominately that colour with an accent colour like red or yellow and one or two matching ornaments of soft furnishings in the room brings about balance within the room making it feel complete.

Rhythm

Choosing art that echoes your furniture in terms of shape or rhythm will also help complete a space. For example, if your study desk has a curved finished, then selecting a painting with a curved composition works well. Emulating shapes in a subtle way has a big impact on any space.

Size

When it comes to size and position, think about symmetry. Lining up a large canvas painting with the edges of your bed looks seamless and sleek, and truly contemporary. Don’t be afraid to oversize on your art for maximum impact!

Texture

Art that has been hand finished with oil or acrylic paint really gives the piece character, really making it a feature and bringing your room to life. If your room is full of earthy tones, then a textured canvas works very well.

Where to hang your new art?

Choosing where to hang contemporary art can be daunting at first, but the best place to start is your new contemporary living room. This is the space you spend most of your time relaxing – not counting the time you spend asleep in your contemporary bedroom of course. First of all, think about where you might like to hang or place some contemporary art, whether it be on a wall, a shelf or even on the floor – don’t be afraid to think outside of the box be creative with placement. Don’t forget, you can always move furniture around and relocate it to suit your new art addition – you’d be surprised at how much a room can be transformed with careful art-furniture placement.

With the right contemporary art, and the right placement, you’re sure to pull the look of any room together, giving you a seamless finish to any room.