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

All about extendable dining tables and why we love them

Every home should have an extendable dining table in our opinion, folding up from a 6 seater dining table to more, or from a 4 seater to a 6. Offering more space in the blink of an eye, they are a functional addition that many people can’t imagine living without. From accommodating a gaggle of unexpected guests at dinner to other practical uses, the extendable dining table is a worthy investment.

But how do they work? Are they safe? Is one extending mechanism better than another?

The Standford extendable table – the butterfly extension

The butterfly is a beautiful insect, and the way in which it unfolds and stores away its wings is the inspiration behind the Standford extending dining table. This piece of reclaimed wood furniture is sought after, and it’s not hard to see why.

With a simple mechanism, the rustic dining table top pulls apart and the middle layer forms the extendable option, effectively increasing the overhang at each end of the reclaimed wood dining table.

The extending ‘flap’ is then clicked into place so there is no danger of it collapsing back in when someone leans on it.

The Farringdon extending dining table – a farmhouse style table

The Standford is a beautiful example of the industrial dining table whilst the Farringdon extending dining table is a beautiful example of the farmhouse dining table.

Essentially, in the farmhouse kitchen/diner, it is the table that is its beating heart. It is a place around which everyone gathers for everything from meal times to family time, playing board games or simply sitting, talking, listening and laughing together.

It too has a simple and easy to use extending flap so when you need extra tabletop space, you have it.

The Beam extending table – the slide and lock option

The idea behind an extending table is to make it bigger, for example from a four to a six-seater dining table (actually, you can squeeze more around it – we’ve tried!).

The versatility of such a table knows no bounds but with the Beam rustic dining table, there are more options – either one extending flap or two.

With this design, the extending section is at either end of the short edge of the table – if you opt for two – and a simple ‘slide and lock’ mechanism.

So if there is a homework project carrying on for a few nights, there is no need to keep it all – just slide out the extending flap when serving dinner.

The Lansdowne trestle extending table – simple, easy to use extensions

The extendable table is not just for the farmhouse – it can be for the modern, industrial home too and the trestle table we know, epitomises the industrial, utilitarian look.

Similar to the Beam table, the extending parts of the Lansdowne trestle table are flaps at either end of the table or you can opt for the one extending leaf.

As well as the versatility of the extensions, why not opt for the matching dining bench? There are times when the best dinner parties are the unplanned, informal, let-us-all-squash-around-the-table ones.

The type of extension that suits you

The middle extension tables work great for families who need it occasionally but when they do, they want it a fixed option.

For those of us who require extra space on a regular and frequent basis, the extending flaps can be the ideal solution because as fast as they are to pull out, they are just as simple and easy to push back in.

Have you considered an extending table for your home?

Create a functional, luxurious office space with a difference

Louis de Poortere Mad Men Coppertone Rug

The option of working from home is something which many commuters idolise. After all, there’s no traffic at the end of a long, busy day and it’s a pleasant environment to work within being surrounded by all your creature comforts. But it is really important to create a practical space to complete a day’s work in which will inspire productivity. Here are a few of our ideas to create the perfect home office setup!

The desk and chair combination is undoubtedly the most important feature of a home office, providing a space for you to work from! We think the desk is something you can afford to have a bit of fun with – that’s why we love our Aviator Desk! The unique aeroplane wing shape and structure built entirely from metal epitomises industrial design and just looks fantastic in any contemporary space.

To go with it, a leather office chair is a great option. Adding comfort and style with ease, something like the Aviator Wing Desk Chair will hopefully make your day at work that little bit easier.

Once you’ve found the perfect desk and chair combo, the placement of it in a room is also important. Perhaps you’ve got a lovely large window with a stunning view which you could look out of as you carry out your work. Or perhaps you’ve got a fantastically large home office where your executive desk can sit at the centre and really make a statement. Having a floating desk is certainly a fabulous idea if you conduct meetings at home. Add a leather armchair or two on the other side of your desk and you’ve got a luxurious, stylish and functional space for meetings – we love these brown leather armchairs because they offer classic style but blend so effortlessly with more contemporary designs.

Another item which is immeasurably important in a home office is storage space. There is nothing worse for productivity than a messy home office or a desk piled high with paperwork. A large sideboard is a great option at home, because it is far more stylish than a metal filing cabinet, and is capable of holding all manner of office essentials.

But furniture alone isn’t enough to create a particularly inspiring space, making accessories your best friends. Lighting is something which can make or break your room. But a gorgeous pendant light like the Bibury Light will look fantastic in any space adding a fantastic warm glow and a really opulent feel. If you have the space, the Bibury light hanging directly above your desk would just look superb.

Additionally, a Copperfield rug, like this one, is great for adding warmth, texture and a pop of colour to your space. Available in plenty of sizes, a rug like the Mad Men Coppertone Rug could be used to almost entirely cover your floors to create a statement or could float in the centre providing just enough space to sit your desk and chairs on top of. It’s a really easy accessory which just looks so effortlessly glam!

How have you styled your space to create a stylish home office? We’d love to see photos!

Refresh your home for autumn with a farmhouse sideboard

If there is one style that oozes comfort alongside function it is the farmhouse style. Appealing for so many reasons, with the chill of autumn starting to creep into the evenings, we are once again retreating indoors.

The farmhouse style is adaptable, perfect for giving your autumn home a refreshing appeal and welcome. And the farmhouse styled sideboard is an absolute must. Ideal for stashing everything from your best dinner services to ‘bits and bobs’, just how do you get the most out of your farmhouse sideboard?

Symmetry, but not too much

A sideboard brings welcome symmetry and order to a room. To balance the large expanse of space on top, we fall into the trap of bookending it with identical items.

Move away from over-symmetry by balancing a large reclaimed wood sideboard by clustering items in odd numbers at either end, leaving a gap in the middle. Balance it further with a stunning piece of wall art or ornate framed mirror.

When space is tight…

… you don’t have to bid your dreams of a sideboard goodbye. Instead, modify its dimensions, opting for a smaller cousin that won’t swamp the room but still afford you usable and accessible storage options.

The smaller sideboard from our newest range, the Chelwood Collection, is divine in so many ways. Made from reclaimed wood, the slightly refined texture of the piece works well alongside your reclaimed wood dining table.

Play with colour

We often assume that the farmhouse style is about everything being natural but you can still use hints of colours, especially white.

This distressed white finished farmhouse sideboard has the charm and compact dimensions a smaller room may need but still has plenty of storage space with both cupboard and drawers space on offer. Plenty of room for this and a farmhouse dining table too!

Make it really practical

An item of reclaimed wood furniture that boasts a high level of function is one that has more than one use. A sideboard is great for keeping stuff in but sometimes, in the busy kitchen, you need something more.

A partner to wall art

Wall art, whether it be a canvas or an ornate mirror, can be a feature in the room. But it can become lost somehow, behind clusters of accessories and eclectic collections of books, candles and lamps.

So be bold and leave the sideboard top clear of all items. Hang a large piece of artwork or statement mirror low on the wall and let it speak. You don’t have to compromise on the sideboard style either.

This louvred door large sideboard would sit well in the farmhouse style and with a piece of artwork hanging above, it would be ideal.

How have you styled your farmhouse sideboard? Why not send us some photos?

How to get the white farmhouse kitchen

Dorset Reclaimed Wood Dining Table and Bench

The farmhouse kitchen is a stylish option for any home. Here’s how to give it an industrial twist, a fantastic way of switching up a style that is both functional and practical.

1 Open shelving

A common feature of the farmhouse kitchen is to have items – pretty accessories and essential – on display. Open shelving can help to maximise the feeling of space in the kitchen too.

The reclaimed wood dresser gives you the best of both worlds with a mix of open shelving and cupboard space for things you may want to hide away. Choose the slight distressed white finish so you don’t end up with too much of a bright, ‘modern’ white finish.

2 The farmhouse kitchen table is a key player

No matter how tight your budget, you need to be assigning a fair chunk of it to the farmhouse dining table. It is, after all, the heart of the home and in the farmhouse style, the bigger the better.

The six-seater extendable wooding dining trestle table is perfect. It gives you ample eating space without compromising on style.

If you want a less formal eating space, ring the changes with a bar table and stools set up. A great way of adding your own twist on this popular style.

In fact, the kitchen bar stools are a functional addition, perfect for when you have more guests than dining chairs at the table.

3 The dining chairs have a place too

The dining chairs are an important component of creating a stylish farmhouse kitchen. The half wood, half upholstered dining chair is the perfect compromise if you feel that an all-upholstered fabric dining chair wouldn’t last the test of time and use in your busy family kitchen.

With the padded, upholstered seat, the slightly distressed white painted frame of the wooden dining chairs dovetail nicely with the reclaimed wood dresser.

4 Sassy lighting

Another great way of adding your own stamp on things is to opt for a central light that oozes both sophistication and character.

It has a pleasant industrial, almost café-style about it but the hanging pendant light with glass shade is the perfect fusion of industrial, rustic and farmhouse rolled into one.

Hang it over your statement table and watch the patina of the reclaimed wood dining table dance and glow under its soft lighting.

5 Don’t over style it

The farmhouse look is deliciously informal and yet, when it comes to kitchens – more so fitted ones – we tend to think too hard about every detail.

Relax with the white farmhouse kitchen look but pay attention to some of the smaller details. For example, don’t opt for the fully fitted look. Opt for half and half with plenty of freestanding furniture – if the wood dresser is too ‘obvious’, opt for a sideboard in the kitchen which will work just as well.

The distressed, slightly rustic look of this reclaimed wood furniture staves off criticisms of it looking too modern and too sleek, but pay careful attention to the handles – opt for metal, low-key handles rather than wooden knobs or colours.

Why not send us photos of your farmhouse kitchen? We love to be inspired by our customers.

How to create a stylish student bedroom

For many freshers, the biggest impact of moving away from home is an unfamiliar bedroom. But with our helpful tips, you can soon make room in your halls of residence feel like home.

1 Surround yourself with familiar photos and accessories

What will immediately hit you as you enter your new bedroom for the first time is the soulless anonymity of the space. In most purpose-built student accommodation, everything is the same – the same furniture and the same layout.

The key to making it feel like home is to personalise it. Start this process by surrounding yourself with plenty of family photos and appealing wall art.

2 Update the lighting

Again, the lighting can be stark and functional, with the bright white light being unforgiving. Or it can be as well lit like a dungeon.

Soften the lighting with soft glow bulbs and energy-efficient LEDs but also give yourself choices when it comes to light. A table lamp, for example, would make a great reading lamp, as well as giving your room less of a stark glow.

3 Add a rug

The texture is important for creating a room and a space that looks three-dimensional. Things that look and feel the same give a flat, uninteresting appearance and so a rug is a great investment that will see you right through to your PhD and beyond.

Modern rugs are one of the most affordable and luxurious additions you can make to your student accommodation. If you are not keen on chevron or geometric patterns, thinking them too obvious for your student digs, then opt for this faded floral patterned rug instead.

4 A comfy, comforting armchair

It’s a big step, leaving home for the first time and there are times when it doesn’t matter if home is around the corner or hours away, all students will need comforting.

And there is nothing better than sinking into the warm depths of the all-enveloping leather armchair. Choose a modern but comfy leather armchair, with a pretty shape that would sit well alongside the other items of reclaimed furniture you choose to add or take with your from home.

5 Up the storage solutions

You get limited storage in most student digs and so upping your storage options means that you are more likely and able to keep your room tidy-ish.

A tall chest of drawers gives you more drawer space for clothing and study materials. And if space is limited, a narrow desk is a great alternative to a large expanse of table.

We have a range of industrial desk options, many of which can be made to a custom size, well worth considering if you plan on being in the same digs for some years to come.

Other quick tips for adding colour, style and home comforts include;

Cushions of all shapes, sizes, colours and fabrics – and the more, the better!
Have plenty of bed linen options – the easiest way to give your room an extra zing is to change your bed linen
Throws – opt for chunky knit woolly throws for an extra layer of warmth and snuggly comfort
A houseplant – you have to water it, talk to it, look after it, something that experts say can help with a sense of belonging.

How to style an industrial console table

Kingsbridge Reclaimed Wood Console Table

Never knowingly underdressed, the hallway console table is a thing of beauty that adds more than a touch of detailing, style and glamour to the entrance of your home. If you are unsure how to style it, look no further…

Mimic the angles

If your industrial console table sits alongside the staircases you can mimic the angles and rise of the stairs with the accessories you place on it.

For example, at the end of the console table at the lower end of the staircase, cluster smaller items rising, as the staircase does, to a taller object at the opposing end. A tall table lamp (but not taller than the staircase rise) would work well on an industrial hallway console table.

Frame artwork

Imagine the delight of a narrow console table against an expanse of wall on which hangs the most adorable piece of artwork.

It may be framed – or not, in the case of many canvas prints – but framing it with accessories on the hallway console table allows it to stand out. Statuesque table lamps would rise to the challenge again. Try to keep the same colour between the frame and the table lamps for cohesion and drama.

Multi-purpose

Could the hallway console table be the occasional home office desk you need? Not every home needs a permanent office taking up valuable space and the versatility of the slim console table with drawers is too good an opportunity to pass up if you need occasional office space.

Exaggerate proportions/style/colour

The narrow console table doesn’t have to be anonymous not blend into the background. In fact, for too long, we think the hallway table has been pushed aside. No one lingered for long in the hallway but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be stylish.

And so, if you do nothing else, exaggerate at least one thing about the console table, whether that is colour, its size or detailing or style.

The industrial style doesn’t have to be muted and so the reflective polish of the Luxe Kensington hallway console table, surely the most exquisite exampled of reclaimed wood furniture meeting, is one exaggeration we feel is allowed.

Choose a colour contrast

Contrast is a tool you can use to help something stand out and so, if you opt for the Maddox console table, you can accent its simplicity by painting the wall behind the piece a contrasting colour – a brilliant way to showcase industrial furniture.

A deep ochre orange would work well with the reclaimed wood top, bringing the blackness of the steel legs into play like never before… or maybe a deep red… or a sage green…

Layer it

Take a peek at our consoles tables and you will see we layer items on them. That means we cluster them on the top, a mix of different heights and shaped accessories at either end, leaving a gap in the middle for framing.

And on the lower shelves of this reclaimed furniture, we cluster similar things together with no one thing being bigger, taller or bolder than another.

With so many console table to choose from, which one will you choose?

Bring bling to the farmhouse dining table for holidays

How to create the farmhouse bedroom

Tips to make the most of a small kitchen

If you are blessed with a small kitchen, we have ideas you will love for making the most of it. Read on to see some tips and tricks you may not have considered.

1 Go big when it comes to the wow factor

So your kitchen is Bijou? That doesn’t mean it can’t have the wow factor. By allowing your kitchen one huge wow you are making a style statement unlike any other. So yes, those brass tiles are worth the money as is the statement pendant light.

2 Add a multi-functional breakfast bar table

A bar table and stools is the ideal addition to the smaller kitchen. Not only is it great for meals but the perfect standing height means that with a chunky chopping board to protect its surface, it becomes another bit of worktop space for when you cook.

3 Open shelving

It is a trick that many cooks already know and even though you may favour the streamlined, cupboard look give this a chance. The open shelving system means that you have detail in the function items that every kitchen needs. From clustering together glass jars of lentils and other pulses to cooking utensils, an open shelving unit could be a practical addition that you need.

4 Moveable furniture

Most people tend to think of kitchens as fitted with furniture thus everything has its place. But sometimes, the more fluid the choice of kitchen furniture the better. And that’s why many designers advocate a mix of fitted and freestanding furniture in the smaller kitchen. the butchers block, for example, is a small island that can easily move from one area to another, as and when you need it.

5 Add a rug

We can hear the sucking in of breath from the studio – a rug in the kitchen?! Always pushing the boundaries, we think that in some homes and for some people, a rug in the smaller kitchen could be a fantastic addition. It will add both colour and interest but depending on the pattern and colour, it could make the narrower kitchen look wider too.

6 Wall art

Another every-so-slightly controversial addition to the kitchen as most people assume that the steam and the grease will wilt and warp your lovely wall art at the first glimpse of the frying pan. But, you will be amazed at just how robust wall art is, whether it is canvas or framed, in the kitchen.

7 Opt for full-sized furniture

It can be tempting when space is limited to opt for micro-sized furniture, assuming that smaller pieces will give you more space. It has the opposite effect – small furniture makes a room look smaller and the compact kitchen is not immune to this. If you have a small kitchen and dining space, opting for an extendable reclaimed wood dining table with wooden dining chairs will work just as well as opting for smaller, more compact pieces.

8 Lighting

Lighting in a small space is key to it not only being usable but feeling bigger than it is. However, this doesn’t mean only opting for stark bright white lights – change your bulbs for soft glow white LEDs and if your kitchen is particularly dark, a light on the breakfast bar table wouldn’t go amiss either.

How have you styled your small kitchen?