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

5 restaurant design elements to jazz up your dining room

There is more to restaurant design than table and chairs alongside a modern colour scheme. The way it is all pulled together is used to transport diners to a different world, just for an hour or two. The good news is, with our guide, you can combine these elements for your dining room too with reclaimed wood dining table options you’re sure to love.

Dining benches

A practical addition, an upholstered, comfy dining bench running along a wall is a design trick many restaurants employ. Even the smaller two-seater dining bench could make a vast difference to your dining room. There is a leather option too if you are worried about sticky fingers.

There is nothing wrong with making a style statement in the dining room either, and it doesn’t just have to be about the dining chairs. Take note of restaurants that have plush, high-back upholstered dining benches and the vibe the interior gives off.

Colourful dining chairs

Go on, admit – you opt for the safe solutions when it comes to dining chairs to go with your reclaimed wood furniture because, maybe you’re a little nervous of doing something ‘different’.

Be brave and banish these fears and jump feet first by adding coloured dining chairs to your dining room. We guarantee you won’t be disappointed and neither will you regret your decisions in years to come, questioning why you bought luxurious, coloured velvet dining chairs.

Set the mood

There are times when meal times are frantic, a brief interlude in a busy day before family members peel off to their various social activities.

But there are other times that you want a more leisurely pace to dinner. Or maybe, dare we suggest, a more romantic ambience?

You’ll notice that your favourite eatery will have a very different feel to it once the sun has set than during the day. They do this to meet the expectations of clientele and to help diners relax, and they do this with lighting.

A pretty candle, its flickering flamer highlighting the beauty of reclaimed wood furniture, or a table lamp gracing the industrial shelving or dining room sideboard cabinet are all ideal lighting solutions.

Go green!

You want minimal, we get it. You want streamline, we get it. You want industrial styling, we get it. But the problem is, it can all look a little too streamlined and minimal, too industrial and ‘harsh’.

Restaurant designers understand this too and that’s why the use of green in the shape of statement plants with broad, lush green leaves is a must.

Enjoy the beauty of a broadleaf plant, for example, gracing the industrial style shelving unit in your dining room.

Mix your wood tones

The one thing we love about reclaimed wood – and we know our customers do too – is the variations in patterns and patinas that make every piece unique.

If you look at the detailing of a restaurant, you will notice that unlike some other places, they vary the use of wood tones in the space.

They retain a sense of cohesion in other ways – matching styles of chairs and table linen, for example – but use darker woods along lighter woods. Why not mix it up in your dining room with the warmth of the lighter toned Rocco industrial table with similarly styled but darker wood sideboard.

Why not jazz up your dining room and send us photos of the results?

Tips to create rustic glamour in the dining space

Maddox Industrial Reclaimed Wood Dining Table

Rustic glamour is the seamless combination of wood and anything that shines. All our collections lend themselves to this popular, on-trend interior design style – including the industrial edge of the Maddox Collection – but only if you know how.

So here’s how to do it.

Let the key elements ‘shine’

The key elements of the rustic glamour look are wood and anything that shines, from glass to clear plastics, to mirrors and more.

Both need their opportunity in the rustic glamour landscape to shine. All this comes rolled into one with the Maddox reclaimed wood dining table.

Just look at the beauty and warmth of the wooden table top on this rustic dining table perfectly foiled by the mirrored metal legs. Doesn’t it make your spine tingle?!

Sticking with the dining room scene for the moment, the matching Maddox display unit in the background emphasises this – just in case you hadn’t notice the effortless rustic glamour chicness of the room – with the mirrored metal display units being the cohesive narrative the room needs.

Get personal

Sometimes, the accessories are the things that support and bolster a style and the rustic glamour fusion is no different.

As well as adding your own family photos to the wall and the Maddox display units and bookcases, add those statement words and signs that you see too.

From ‘love’ to ‘family’, the rustic glamour style is all about spelling it out so that everything is clear and obvious.

Luxurious textures

It doesn’t seem possible but the rustic glamour style, even with the most beautiful reclaimed furniture can fall flat, just like other styles, and that is because the textures are too one dimensional.

Texture can be the flippant surprise that catches people off guard and makes them sit and take notice. It is important in this fusion of because everything can be so obvious that adding a hint of luxury as an undertone is just what’s needed.

Fabric dining chairs can be wool, velvet dining chairs or hardwearing cotton ones. The detailing on some of our dining chairs are also perfect foils for the industrial sharpness of the Maddox collection, bringing yet more glamour.

Of course, that doesn’t mean leather dining chairs are out of the frame – far from it. In fact, leather is a material that oozes sophistication, a sub-species of glamour in the interior design world.

Can you have too much glamour?

We doubt it.

The more obvious it is, the more rustic glamour the room becomes. There is an edginess to the Maddox Collection that we know customers love because it has more than a hint of the unexpected.

Adding yet more glamour and shine with separate pieces brings the collection to life, but dampens those angles and lines, without blunting its on-trend industrial demeanour.

Choose artwork that is so far from the industrial look that you think it won’t work – that’s glamour.

Choose items that have an elegance all of their own– that’s glamour.

Why not opt for a traditional addition or even an antique shelving unit – that’s glamour – because it is unexpected. And this alone creates the fusion that a rustic glamour landscape needs.

Create an elegant rustic dining area with this collection

Glamour can be anything from bright, shiny bejewelled surfaces to understated elegance that gives rise to a styled room of such beauty that it’s hard to tear your eyes away.

The elements of rustic glamour can be applied to all our collections and so, if like us you plan on making more of when rustic and glamour combine, then you will need to understand how to bring the rustic dining table into the realm of glamour.

Adding an extra dimension – Hoxton and Glamour

The rustic look doesn’t have to be rough sawn to the touch or to the eye, a point proved by the Hoxton rustic oak dining table.

The combination of wood and ‘shiny stuff’ are the two elements that make an interior landscape into a rustic glamour space.

But with the Hoxton range, you will need to retain an air of sophistication when adding ‘shiny stuff’.

How about silver candelabras with tall, slender candles? Or maybe opt for a decadent mirror to adorn the dining room wall? Perhaps it is the nonchalant, casual lean on the Yolanda mirror that makes the glamourous detailed frame stand out.

Textures, textures, textures

We know that texture adds depth and dimension to a style – in other words, it gives the style legs so that instead of it blending into the background, it saunters casually past the eye.

Glamour doesn’t have to be BIG and scream in-your-face. Just upping the tempo by adding a different texture can be enough in the rustic glamour style.

For example, against the smoothness – both is touch and finish – to the Hoxton rustic oak trestle dining table, you could add a pinch of texture with upholstered dining chairs.

Fabric dining chairs are surely a luxury at any table they adorn. And with modern rugs to frame it all, you can’t deny there is something simply delightful about such a design scheme.

Do the unexpected

Glamour means different things to different people. But in a rustic glamour landscape, it can be the unexpected that adds to glamour fix in any room.

In the dining room, the addition of a white display cabinet to complement the understated Hoxton rustic dining table could be the very thing that you need.

And behind this glamour, is oodles of storage space that any dining room to keep the dinner service that graces the table when guests gather for one of your amazing, much-talked-about dinner parties.

The Dorset reclaimed white wood dresser would be ideal, wouldn’t it?

Think shiny things

Don’t underestimate anything that glitters to bring the rustic glamour style to life.

Think reflective surfaces – mirrors and glass – think shiny, polished metal sitting alongside wood.

Think glass vases and uber-elegant hanging pendant lights.

Think statement pieces that make people go ‘wow!’.

Cover the walls with shiny-edged photo frames with the classic black and white photo.

Think over-sized wall clocks and super-arty canvases.

Think a neutral, understated wall colour so that the grain of the wood of the Hoxton rustic table shines just as much as the shiny stuff…

Bring in rustic glamour with the Derby reclaimed collection

Luxe Kensington Reclaimed Wood Dining Table

When it comes to decorating trends, rustic and glamour go hand in glove, something that many people find hard to believe.

The earthiness edginess and shiny opulence of glamour wouldn’t be two elements you would necessarily fit together but as we look at the Derby collection through rustic glamour tinted spectacles, we see that this is achievable.

Both with distinct looks, they bring a timeless appeal and a beauty to a home. But as the saying goes, opposites attract and that is certainly true when rustic meets glamour.

Fancy the look? Here’s how to get it with the fabulous Derby Collection.

#1 MIX wood with lustre

Anything that shines can be defined as lustre and the look of love between rustic and glamour starts with the heady combination of wood and shine.

And this is exactly how the Derby Collection brings alive a room.

#2 BALANCE the glamour with the unrefined edges

Rustic differs from farmhouse in that it has an overall less-refined look. Glamour can be as low key or high-end as possible.

The secret to a harmonious and seamless rustic glamour interaction is to balance the two key elements.

Alternatively, the addition of modern rugs, even patterned rugs, can bring it all together in a seamless parade of rustic glamour.

#3 ALLOW rustic wood to be a pinpoint in the room

Focal points are places where the eye falls and allows us to make sense of the shape, style and function of a room.

A pinpoint is something we like to use that is a small detail that we recognise after the burst of style has attracted your eye. It’s a bit like the hidden detailing, making the rustic glamour room the space that just keeps on giving.

In this sense, we think that a piece of rustic sculptural furniture is the ideal solution. The Derby Large Wood Sideboard, we think, without the glass top is one of those pinpoint items. Framed by a modern rug, there is something very tactile about rustic wood – the rough surface invites closer inspection.

Let it just sit there, smouldering with sexiness in the rustic glamour landscape.

#4 ADD Luxurious textures

Glamour isn’t just about anything that shimmers and glimmers, although we admit that anything with sparkle attracts us like magpies.

Textures that are soft to the touch, whether that’s a long pile rug underfoot or the chunky knit soft throw on the sofa, wins our vote.

There is nowhere better to meld rustic with glamour than in the dining room, as the Derby Reclaimed Wood Extending Dining Table, with or without glass top shows.

And the glamour could be sat right next to it: velvet dining chairs. Smooth to the touch with deep, passionate colours and shades available adds the hint of glamour that is sheer delight.

Is the rustic glamour figure in your interior design plans?

How to get the rustic living room

Rustic furniture has become one of the most popular styles for interior design. Once used solely for quaint country cottages, the rustic style has, in recent years, been given a modern makeover. Whilst it still celebrates fantastic craftsmanship, the reinvented rustic style is drop-dead gorgeous! With unbeatable warmth and character, we think the style is an absolutely perfect fit for living rooms. So with that in mind, here are a few of our favourite ways to achieve a gorgeous rustic living room.

When it comes to decorating, its easier to start with your biggest pieces of furniture. It’s much harder to tie an entire room to a single throw cushion or your curtains (although it can, of course, be done!) than it is to tie your room to your furniture.

With rustic style, texture is absolutely key! Perhaps think about your seating arrangement first. We love a brown leather sofa for a rustic living room, because it breaks up the fabric textures you’ll probably add in later, and adds a sophisticated vintage twist to your room. Leather is also fantastically long-lasting. As it gets better and softer with age, you can easily achieve a classic, rustic feel in your living room which you’ll love and enjoy for many years to come.

If you’ve got the space, we think a fabric armchair also makes a fantastic addition. Opt for a cool patterned fabric or coloured velvet for a slightly more eclectic finish which will also add a pop of colour. If you are opting for a strong colour scheme, a statement piece of furniture in a colour like blue or yellow will also help when it comes to anchoring your smaller accents to your furniture for a cohesive aesthetic.

Then, of course, comes furniture. There is something about rustic style which just calls for gorgeous wooden pieces. Whether that involved classic reclaimed wood furniture pieces or more modern industrial designs, wooden furniture is the way to go for a charming finish.

A rustic coffee table at the centre of your seating arrangement is wonderful if you’ve got the space – even better if you can position it around a gorgeous open fireplace or wood burner for that chic, log cabin feel! Additionally, by opting for a coffee table with storage, you can keep your clutter out of sight and out of mind so you can sit in the evening and focus on your beautiful room and unwinding after a day of busy modern life.

A rustic TV stand or rustic wooden sideboard are also perfect for adding storage to your living room and will allow your cosy, rustic room to be enviably organised too!

Finally, think about ways in which you can inject some colour. For a neutral room, browns or greys are a fantastic way to go. Pair a brown rug with gold and bronze accessories for a simple yet sophisticated style that won’t date. Or opt for something a little more fun. Soft colours like sage green, pale yellow or dusky pink all work wonders with reclaimed wood furniture whilst still being subtle enough to create the serene sitting room you’ve dreamt of.

Beautiful kitchens – as styled by our customers

Farringdon Reclaimed Wood Dining Table and Bench

The kitchen is the heart of the home and so it’s no surprise that for many people, it is the first renovation project they undertake in their home.

A personal space, we all use our kitchens differently. From layout to kitchen cabinet combinations, how we style the space is different from one home to another.

And it seems that the popularity of combining the kitchen and dining room is showing no signs of going anywhere yet.

This made us think – just how well do our fabulous dining tables fit into kitchens that are clearly individually designed. From the traditional to the farmhouse, to the uber-modern, it seems we have no need to worry because taking a peek at the photos our customers send us, they fit right in.

Combining modern with the traditional

Sometimes, it is not the styling but the tone of the wood that pulls everything together. We work with designers and domestic customers to create beautifully bespoke kitchens and sometimes, the most unlikely of items work together.

A modern kitchen with darker wood tone kitchen cabinets blends seamlessly with this chunky mid-tone Stanford dining table. The use of leather kitchen chairs seals the deal as far as we are concerned.

A customer shared their recent purchase on Instagram. @morethanblush also combined the Standford dining table in their modern kitchen, complete with modern kitchen chairs. Their chosen dining table had a more industrial slant to it.

The wooden leg dining chairs fit surprisingly well with the sleek dark steel frame of the Standford table and the bright, modern tiled kitchen floor.

The whole effect is softened with the crisp white walls and the modern kitchen units but the reclaimed wood table top looks just fabulous.

Modern farmhouse kitchen

Another customer, @Justalittlebuild shared the photo of the reclaimed wood dining table they had bought in situ in their kitchen. Shared on our Instagram page, it shows how a modern kitchen can be achieved.

The traditional kitchen doors work well with the industrial dining table from the Luxe Kensington collection.

The twist of modern lies in the polished, reflective surfaces of the metal frame on the table, the see-through modern shaped plastic dining chairs and the glass top of the dining table.

It all comes together because of cohesive elements like this with the neutral walls and grey sofa softening the overall finish. We love it! How about you?

Age and beauty

The Farringdon collection is one of our most popular which comes as no surprise to us. The reclaimed wood used in this collection could be more than a century old.

The romance of age and the warmth of the wood is a sheer delight in the picture sent to us by @prettylittlehomethings on Instagram.

Again, it shows how versatile it can be to combine and mix styles and finishes. Who would have thought that the Farringdon reclaimed wood dining table with dining bench would fit in a space that is so obviously modern?

The reason why it works is that the dining bench, simple yet functional, is the perfect partner in the functional, modern space.

Why not share photos of your purchases with us via Instagram? Or send them to us via email– we’d love to see them!

Creating a beautiful white kitchen, Ibiza style

The Ibiza style kitchen is everything you imagine it to be – predominantly white, the use of wood tones softens the bluntness preventing it from looking too clinical.

With various well-placed accessories, the Ibiza styled kitchen is an absolute delight. Here’s how you can emulate it!

Opt for white cabinetry

Whether you are undertaking a whole new kitchen renovation or simply looking to update it, to get the Ibiza style you need to think in one colour: white.

White cabinet doors with minimal detailing – in fact, the flatter, the better – is a key foundation stone in building this fresh-looking kitchen.

Wood

Wood tones are important in this style because it is the addition that moves it from sleek, modern kitchen to the Ibiza style.

There are various ways of doing this including keeping the frames of the cabinets and central island in wood;

·Choose oiled wooden worktops to add warmth to the scheme

·Wooden door handles, such as the round door knob is also a way of adding wood without adding too many unnecessary flourishes.

Play with the tones

White and wood is a combination that has been prominent in many designs and styles over the years. but this doesn’t mean you can’t add your own touch and flourishes.

Reclaimed wood furniture works well in this style and can be incorporated in many ways. For example, create a herb rack with wooden shelves or opt for a white dining table that has charm and appeal to it.

Retain the informal feel

The style is very informal and that means there are many ways in which you can add your own personal touches.

For an informal, occasional eating area, a small bar and stool wouldn’t go amiss.

And maintaining the idea of the kitchen being a social space is a round reclaimed wood dining table. Both these items retain the wood and white wood combination, perfect for the Ibiza styled kitchen.

Go rustic

The rustic style is less refined – but just as appealing – than the farmhouse pieces and this is why it is one that dovetails effortlessly with the informal, relaxed Ibiza style.

A rustic dining table, for example, with its well-worn look and the pedigree of reclaimed wood furniture is ideal for the white kitchen. Complementing wooden chairs are a must too.

Adding strands of warmth throughout the scheme can be done in other ways too, such as the beauty of a white display cabinet for holding and displaying essential items and pretty detailing.

Or, opt for a half-height white sideboard with drawers and cupboard space if that suits better.

All a bit too white…?

Although white is a great colour for the kitchen, it doesn’t always give the desired effect. For some people, even when tempered with natural wood tones, it still looks too stark, too clinical and too crisp.

There are solutions: opt for off white or even a cream for the kitchen cupboard doors and keep the wood tones creeping through the kitchen, adding spots of natural warmth.

And our final tip for this style of kitchen? Don’t forget the lighting!

5 beautiful industrial sideboards that caught our eye

With storage and style in abundance, a large sideboard is a great addition to living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, studies and even bathrooms.

At Modish Living, we’re big fans of industrial furniture because it mixes classic with contemporary in an interesting way with pieces often featuring quirky designs which really make a statement. Here we share five of our favourite industrial sideboards which we think are beyond perfect!

Sideboards are typically slim-line, which makes the perfect for packing in lots of extra storage if you don’t have much room. We love the Rocco Industrial Oak Sideboard for its light wood appearance and clean lines, offering an overall sleek appearance. But not only does it look great, with a depth of just 45cm, the Rocco Sideboard makes a fantastic hallway or living room sideboard if you have limited space.

Alternatively, sideboards can make perfect media units in your living room. With enviable space for games consoles, set-top boxes, DVD players etc. plus plenty of room to spare, a sideboard like the Mitcham Industrial Oak Squared Large Sideboard will keep all your living room essentials neatly out of sight for a sophisticated, serene environment. The lower height of the Mitcham Sideboard makes this the perfect choice if you’re planning to use your sideboard to double up as a media unit and the stylish square front creates a unique, Bohemian feel which will work beautifully with rustic furniture styles.

In your dining room, paired with an industrial dining table, a sideboard is the perfect accompaniment. Useful for storing glassware and dinnerware (perhaps those glasses you save for special occasions?), a sideboard also creates space for adding personality to your dining room. The table top creates space to pop a statement table light, some brightly coloured blooms or perhaps a stack of beautiful coffee table books. But above, a sideboard creates the perfect wall space to anchor artwork so it isn’t just floating in the middle of the wall. For a cohesive look, try and blend the artwork in with an item on your sideboard – for example with a colour, or an item like large tropical leaves. Perhaps add a modern rug to a similar colour for a room which looks wonderfully thought through.

For the dining room, we’re big fans of the Mitcham Oak and Concrete Sideboard. The concrete resin outing creates a unique finish which breaks up the wood (perfect in a room like the dining room with such a large piece of furniture as a dining table) and the steel black legs make for an achingly cool finish. Alternatively, for more grey-toned dining room tables, the Kingsbridge Industrial Reclaimed Sideboard is perfect. The beautiful cupboard fronts, reminiscent of parquet flooring, make for a classic style but the black framing adds a unique twist which creates an eye-catching overall appearance.

And finally… to give your home a pleasingly quirky twist, how about the Aviator Sideboard? Perfect in a room like your study where you can afford to have fun with your decor, the sleek aluminium panels and iconic riveting create a true statement in a piece which also provides practical storage space.

How about it? Make a sideboard your home’s secret weapon.

How to bring home the holiday vibe

Luxe Kensington Reclaimed Wood Round Coffee Tables

Returning from holiday brings most of us down to earth with a bump but you can elongate this relaxed holiday vibe with some well-placed additions to your home.

Here’s how…

1 Blue and white combination

How you noticed how hot, tropical climes col their interiors with cooler colours? Blue and white is a great combination and one that can be easily introduced into your home.

Use soft, white covers for your sofas and small armchairs for example but dial up the notch with a light blue rug that introduces depth into the room. Add light blue accessories, with hints of navy, to give a three-dimensional feel that is beautifully relaxed.

2 Indigo in the bedroom

With light or dark bedroom furniture, indigo is a great colour. Opt for an inky blue rug in the bedroom to create a luxurious and restful feel, just like you experienced on waking at your holiday venue. Stick with traditional rug patterns, with a faded style that suggests age and romance.

Indigo is a dramatic colour, sitting great within every style but if you want to introduce pattern, then do so using geometric shapes, rather than florals unless you stayed in a chic French chateau and this is what you want to emulate.

3 Bring home the sunshine

We aren’t always guaranteed a summer in Britain, dependent as we are on the shifting current of air known as the jet stream.

But when it does shift to the far north, sunshine and heat comes our way and thus, yellow rays of heat and sun are everywhere.

Clearly, bringing home the sunshine would be great but on greyer days, you can recall its beauty and happiness by using yellow accents in your home.

Be brave with yellow because it is a colour that wants to please. A yellow armchair is a perfect accent, both colour and as a stylish addition, in the living room… or anywhere in the home!

4 Hints of the rustic

What was it about it the setting of your holiday that made you unfurl – other than the lack of work and living life to the clock?

The setting, no doubt played a part, whether that was the lush olive groves or the vast plains of the vineyard. But the styling probably helped you unfurl too.

The rustic look is fantastic. The slightly unkempt, not quite refined appearance of reclaimed wood furniture in this style is beautifully relaxed.

A round coffee table in the rustic style is ideal in the living room, an inexpensive addition for holding on to the holiday vibe.

Or what about a wooden side table, complete with flowers in an unpretentious vase and lots of lush green plants.

5 Lighten the colours

No matter which room and no matter how small or large your budget, use lighter colours – be brave and use white! – to lighten the mood and the ambience of a room.

Summer colours tend to be lighter hues of our eternal favourites – the light baby blue, sunset yellow and barely-there greens – and any of these will work just fabulous within your current style.