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

Why a vibrant rug is much more than just a mat

Louis de Poortere Blue Rug in Childrens Bedroom

A rug makes a fantastic addition to any living room scheme, bringing with it sophistication and style. To make your living room’s rug work for your needs, think about the colour, texture, pattern and size of the rug.

If you have opted for cool tones with your furniture, flooring and wall choices, opt for a geometric pattern with a large pattern that brings together your colour palette. A large square pattern, like one of our Vintage Patchwork Yellow Rug, would work for a room with a more classic style. Alternatively, our Mad Men Central Yellow Interior Rug, with its stunning, subtle pattern will work beautifully with all wooden flooring, and compliment leather sofas perfectly.

For a decor scheme that makes use of primary colours and contemporary furniture, pick a rug with a fun design to create a coordinated look which will certainly make a statement. A design with flowing lines will add movement to your living room and will contrast the clean lines of contemporary furniture. Light wood or white furniture looks fantastic with a pop of colour – a blue rug like the Atlantic Ocean Blue Waves Rug or the Atlantic Ocean Blue Stripes Rug offer an eclectic, statement design in a colour which compliments most decor schemes. For something more subtle, the design also comes in grey.

Using rugs to separate out an open-plan space is a tried and tested method to break up your room without losing the fantastic open plan feeling. But you don’t need to go for contrasting colours. Two luxury rugs in a neutral colour can be accessorised with subtle pops of colour and sophisticated pieces like large glass chandeliers, decorative wall mirrors and classic, elegant furniture. The iconic style of a grey chesterfield sofa would be the perfect accompaniment to this polished style.

Finally, a rug is a great way to frame two sofas. In a narrow space, with two sofas, a large rug will make your seating area feel complete, pulling the look together and adding an artistic touch to your living room. A bright pattern or colour, like green or red, would look great to break up two cream sofas. Just make sure that your rug is large enough to fit underneath both sofas for a sleek, stylish finish.

Will you be adding a rug to your living room?

How to spruce up your dining space

Creating a welcoming, stylish dining space enhances the dining experience, whether it is a mid-week roast with the family or a dinner party with friends. Spruce up your dining space with these fantastic ideas!

Wave goodbye to formality

We often think of dining spaces following formal lines – the wood table in the centre surrounded by matching leather or fabric dining chairs – but sometimes, sprucing up means dialling down the formality of the setting a notch or two.

The rustic interior design look, the rawness and the slightly-less refined appearance of the table, sideboards and so on, is a fantastic style for any home.

Formality and function don’t always make practical bedfellows when it comes to the dining room and so by ridding yourself of the rigidity of dining chairs with a fantastic dining bench, you can say hello to people huddled around your dining table, enjoying good food and vibrant conversation.

But if you are thinking of a long, hard, bum-numbing bench, think again. The majority of the upholstered dining benches in our range can be customised – choose from leather or opt for long-lasting moon wool or the dashing nature of Harris tweed, an ideal finish for the Stanton dining bench with low armrest.

Ramp up storage

A dining room is a well-used space – and not just for eating – and so it makes sense to create a room that is versatile, as well as stylish. A statement piece that is functional is the ideal addition.

The Colette reclaimed wood sideboard is the ideal statement rustic furniture piece, working well with a reclaimed wood dining table and the soft, luxurious moon wool fabric dining chairs.

Mix and match the chairs

Adding a freshness and zing to a dining space is easier than you think and making one key change is all that it needs: the dining chairs.

Mix and match is not a euphemism for adding everything and anything to your dining room in the way of styles and colour of dining chairs but rather, mixing and matching colours in the same style, print and choice of fabric.

Easy to achieve with fabric dining chairs, choose the same Harris Tweed pattern, for example, but some two complementary colours. A great way to add colour and a note of interest.

Or combine Harris Tweed with leather, such as the Scout dining chair, that adds more texture and interest to the dining table.

Choose a pedestal table

Of course, if you are going all out and making a big change in the dining room, a new dining table will be on the cards.

For an on-trend, yet timeless look, consider adding a pedestal table – a round table with a delightful centre leg that not only saves space but adds a sculptural element to the dining room. Take a look at the Abbey round dining table, perfect for sitting alongside fabric or leather dining chairs and other pieces of reclaimed wood furniture.

From adding small accessories to a zing of colour to replacing dining chairs to investing in a new, reclaimed wood dining set, there are many changes you can make that spruce up the dining room. Which ideas will you try?

It’s official, luxury traditional tweed is irresistibly gorgeous

Fabrics in the home need to long-lasting, wear well and be fit for purpose. They also need to be stylish and colourful, as well as offering different properties depending on their use.

Fabric is everywhere in our homes from the plush, soft cushions to the gathers of fabrics as curtains and blinds. It is, of course, the outer layer of the fabric dining chairs that look so elegant in the dining room, as well as the sofa and armchairs of the lounge.

But we wondered, which material do our customers prefer when it comes to a sofa? Would people opt for the cool to the touch but ever-so-elegant brown leather sofa or would the pleasant feel and warmth of a tweed upholstered sofa hit the mark?

We Asked, You Answered

And so, we took to both Instagram and Houzz to pose the question. We gave you an idea of one of best selling brown leather sofas in the shape of the Bamford Chesterfield sofa. Available in leather and tweed, you told us what you thought.

There was a clear favourite: tweed. Winning hands down on both Houzz and Instagram, you told us that tweed was the choice when it came to the sofa fabric.

What is Tweed?

It is a woollen fabric, with a soft, open and flexible texture. Slightly ‘rough’ to the touch, it is a fabric that when spun into a closely woven pattern, is incredibly strong and long-lasting. As it is a natural product, it has fantastic insulation properties as well as a whole raft of benefits and superpowers.

In the busy family home, it makes an ideal fabric for all kinds of upholstery applications, from fabric dining chairs around your reclaimed wood dining table to bold coloured or understated patterned armchairs by the wood coffee table near the fire.

And it is probably these qualities, along with the fact it looks and feels great, properties not easily diminished over time, that the majority of our customers answered the poll with a resounding yes to tweed.

In recent years, we have noted an increase in the popularity of tweed. It fell out of favour for a while, seen as old-fashioned. But with new life breathed into it in terms of colours and patterns, tweed is now a staple of the new urban modern styling we are witnessing.

Leather: NOT the Poor Relation

But it wasn’t a complete whitewash in terms of tweed versus leather. There was a strong showing in support of leather and no wonder.

One comment was clear: leather was the favoured choice because it is an easy-care fabric, looks good and stays looking good for a long time. Leather dining chairs make sense – simply wipe away sticky finger marks and blobs of jam – and the brown leather sofa is the ‘old favourite’, the addition to the home that sees all of life from the tears to the laughter.

Leather never falls out of fashion. Suited to many different interior styles, including the note of warmth in a rustic interior and the added-detail-without-fuss to the industrial styled living room, it is an understated, versatile fabric.

Why not join our next poll? Find us on Instagram or Houzz to join in the fun!

Bring a burst of colour in your home with tweed

Adding colour can be risky. Too much and it looks out of place and brash. Too little, however, can leave a room looking sparse and cold.

There are solutions to adding colour to a room, bringing with it warmth and texture: tweed. With a soft, open texture, tweed is a beautiful fabric made from spun wool. As a natural product, its beauty is enhanced using a mix of traditional and modern methods that make it a delightful and colourful addition to a room.

Moon Wool

Heard of Moon wool? It sounds out of this world – and it is! Since 1837, Abraham Moon & Sons have been creating exquisite wool products for use in furniture manufacture. Even today, they use the same wool suppliers from New Zealand and Merino Wool from South Africa to be assured of the very best quality.

It is Moon Wool that we use to create stylish bespoke pieces, just for you. And with some of our wool upholstered items also featuring Moon Wool, you know you are getting the very best. Warm to the touch, the colours and patterns available are many and varied.

And with your stylish eye, you will soon be able to add the zing of colour you need, with the help of Harris Tweed and Moon Wool furniture.

Modern meets Tradition

If you want a serious pop of colour, then the Kirk Moon wool armchair is the right choice to make. With deep purple or turquoise available, take a look at the unique finish for the back with contrasting piping that really sets this armchair apart. A perfect way, we think of mixing modern living room furniture with a hint of the traditional.

Strong Colour

Adding colour is not always about adding vibrant hues with extra zing. This deep blue armchair, the Napier Harris tweed chair, is perfect for adding depth of colour to a room. With minimal detailing, it is ostentatious or over-the-top, its height also contributing to it being an understated piece that makes a quieter statement. Keep accessories such as decorative mirrors light in detail too so that they create a cohesive sense of style.

Style it Out with Checks

Checked fabric armchairs are the perfect way of adding not only a burst of colour but detailing too. The Kramer Moon wool armchair has a range of options when it comes to coloured check and for any room, from the contemporary styled lounge to rustic heaven, this is a great choice. The unassuming shape also makes this armchair the perfect addition to the home study and the bedroom.

Not Just Armchairs…

The Birley Chesterfield sofa is also completely customisable and makes the perfect partner (complimentary or contrasting!) to any of our tweet or Moon wool armchairs. The checked Harris tweed works well with the supple brown leather, as well as with the large range of Moon wool patterns too.

The Power of Colour

Colour, no matter what shade or hue, has the power to transform a room. It adds detail, warmth and detail to the eye, perfectly complimenting any style.

What do you think: is tweed the new popular trend?

As you know, we canvass opinions on all kinds of interior design subjects and this time, we wanted to know your thoughts on tweed.

We Asked, You Answered

We wanted to know if you thought tweed, as a material for sofas and armchairs, was an upholstery choice that was on trend. It was a close-run thing but tweed just pipped leather into second place when it came to both sofas and armchairs.

What is tweed?

Tweed is a softly weaved wool, a material that is warm to the touch, appealing to the eye and surprisingly hard wearing and robust, perfect for the modern home.

Being made from wool, it is a natural product thus its insulation and cooling properties are legendary. Using only the best quality wool, manufacturers create all kinds of colours and patterns for use on armchairs and sofas using a mix of the old and modern.

And it is probably these modern patterns, colours and prints that make tweed an attractive and popular choice for the modern consumer, with an eye for style and detail.

Creating Your Bespoke Armchair

Fabric dining chairs are a delight but, for many of our customers, the mixing of fabric with sticky fingers, spills and stains at the dining table ‘rules out’ fabric.

We have a solution, as you would expect, that doesn’t compromise on style not blow your budget. The Castello dining chair is a thing of beauty, bringing sheer elegance to any dining table. Opt for the leather upholstered seat but why not include a Harris tweed upholstered back, choosing a check that compliments or contrasts (the choice is yours, after all).

When it comes to leather or fabric dining chairs, why choose when you can have both? Frankly, mixing the best of both worlds with leather dining chairs and Harris tweed is a very desirable solution.

Contemporary Styling…

… with a dash of the traditional is how we would describe the combining of leather and tweed, with the iconic shape of the Chesterfield sofa and armchair.

Let us consider this heady mix, for a moment, in the contemporary styled living room: you want a sharpness to the clean lines of your sofa and leather armchair, but you want the exquisite detailing that sets it apart from the clinical look. You want detail without the fuss, colour without brashness.

The answer is the combination of leather and tweed as seen with the Birley sofa and the grey armchair, with leather casing.

Long established beauty

It is a struggle between function and beauty, and not just in the living room. Leather, we assume is the must-have option, so practical and easy to maintain. A fabric is, we assume, the opposite, requiring dry cleaning, specialist equipment and effort to keep it looking and feeling pristine.

But tweed won’t let you down, especially Harris Tweed because it is made from the finest wool. The processing of the wool follows a long-established process – if it works, why fix it? – which produces a beautiful soft-to-the-touch fabric that can be used and admired for years.

Combining the traditional with the modern is not a step too far with Harris tweed and the finest leather.

How to transform your space with tweed

Nothing defines the feeling of a room like the fabrics used to decorate it. Whatever your style, if carefully incorporated, tweed can look truly fantastic. It is soft, warm and is also perfect to inject some colour into your space – making it a great addition all year round, not only in the winter like you might think.

The Harris Tweed we use to upholster our furniture is sublime. Luxurious and sophisticated, Harris Tweed is the only fabric in the world governed by an Act of Parliament. The Act protects the brand from cheaper, low quality imitations so customers can be confident they are buying only the highest quality product. But there are many other benefits to tweed too: its fantastically hard wearing, is stylish, warm, and supports British trade too! To find out more about Harris Tweed, click here.

There are plenty of ways you can inject tweed into your space. Soft furnishings like cushions are a great way of trying out the trend without making a huge investment on larger items of furniture, like a sofa.

However, if you’re feeling brave, fabric dining chairs look wonderful upholstered in tweed. You could even have a tweed chair at each end of your dining table with leather or wooden chairs along each end to break it up and create an interesting décor scheme.

Something like the Castello Leather Dining Chair is perfect. The combination of fabric and leather has created this beauty – a dining chair you will fall in love with and will receive endless compliments on its style and comfort from dinner guests. The sleek, simple design of these brown leather dining chairs is another style that would look stunning upholstered in tweed and paired with a light reclaimed wooden table.

If you’re just looking for a statement tweed chair at each end of your table, a dining chair with arms like the Scout Grand Leather and Harris Tweed Dining Chair is a great option. The button back design contrasted against the leather, gives this chair a fantastic, rustic look. Alternatively, the Eriksson Grand Leather and Harris Tweed Dining Chair is great for an ultra-modern take on tweed.

If you have a breakfast bar, you could even go for fabric bar stools for a sophisticated, rustic aesthetic. The gorgeous wooden base of the Parker Leather Bar Stool pairs beautifully with tweed and would look great in a country kitchen.

And what about colour? Have some fun with your interior with bright or pastel colours for a fresh splash of colour. Multi coloured dining chairs are fantastic for turning a typically functional room into a stylish haven perfect for hosting dinner parties. Alternatively, go for natural earthy tones to create a tranquil space that is elegant and timeless.

What do you think about tweed in your home?

Are wall cabinets in the kitchen for you?

The kitchen, like other rooms in the home, has no many ‘traditional’ features that when we re-design or create our perfect kitchen space, we assume that we must follow suit.

This is the case when it comes to wall cabinets. But we wondered, are wall cupboards still as favoured as they once were? If we were given the chance to completely re-design the kitchen, would wall cupboards feature strongly in the rustic or contemporary style?

We Asked, You Answered

And so, we posed the question: are wall cabinets in the kitchen for you? Once again, our followers on Houzz and Instagram didn’t disappoint (why don’t you join in? Follow us!).

The results were clear: upper cabinets are still in the running, with only a small handful of our followers declaring that they didn’t like cupboards on walls.

With this in mind, we thought we would look at the alternatives, and what a kitchen gains from not having too many upper cabinets crowding the wall space.

What can you do with all that wall space?

For some people, not having wall cupboards crowding their eye line is welcome, especially in a smaller kitchen. But we think that every kitchen could benefit from fewer wall cabinets. Just imagine all that wall space! What would you do with it?

Mirror – we examined using mirrors in the kitchen in a previous blog post and we recently polled our followers to ask whether including a mirror in a kitchen was a good thing or not. Mirrors are perfect for any room and with frames complementing the style of kitchen furniture, you’ve got nothing to lose!
Artwork – all too often we assume that the grease and cooking smells prevent us from adding any kind of soft furnishing or artwork. However, many of us now cook in a different way – there are not many chip pans gracing stoves as there used to be decades ago! – and so, the kitchen can be a place you accessorise. As well as mirrors, why not consider adding artwork to walls, or beautiful wall sculpture to admire as you drink your morning coffee perched on a wooden stool in your rustic kitchen?

But, would storage be a problem?

Yes, we hear you and we understand why: removing wall cabinets is all well and good but instantly downsizes the space for storing kitchen essentials

We have solutions:

Storage shelves don’t have to be hidden – we love the collection of glass jars on show, the contents adding colour to a kitchen. You could wall mount these if you wanted.
Floor or free-standing display units – a display unit is similar to wall mounted shelves, and can hold everything from cooking utensils to dinnerware. There is a display unit that will suit your rustic or contemporary kitchen perfectly.
A sideboard – frankly, a sideboard in the dining room is the ideal item for storing less frequently used items, from tableware to serving dishes. They also work well in the kitchen diner. With a range of style and sizes available, from the half sideboard to taller display-unit-cum-sideboard, there is something for every budget. See our Sideboards collection here.

Have we changed your mind? Would you now consider reducing the number or eliminating wall cabinets from your kitchen?

How mirrors in a kitchen can create a fantastic look

When it comes to accessorising a room, we tend to have a fixed idea of what can and shouldn’t be included.

Mirrors are no different. We use them across the home, being an obvious choice for the hallway and a practical addition to both the bathroom and bedroom. It is a practical accessory, essential in many ways which is possibly why adding a mirror to the kitchen is not always top of the list when styling this busy room.

It makes sense to add a mirror to the kitchen. Reflecting light around the space, it can make it feel bigger. And frankly, with so many beautifully styled and framed mirrors, why wouldn’t you add one or two to the kitchen?

But do you agree?

We Asked, You Answered

And so, we took to the Instagram and Houzz polls again, gathering responses from followers and professional interior designers alike. The reaction was mixed but there was a leaning towards a mirror being perfectly acceptable and a worthwhile addition to a kitchen. But not everyone agreed.

The reaction for using mirrors in the kitchen was stronger on Houzz. For our Instagram followers, it was a definite no. So, what are the pros and cons of mirrors in the kitchen?

Steam, heat and grease

Even in a little-used kitchen, the heat, steam and grease created when cooking can be problematic for some materials. Although the mirror can be cleaned, many comments related to the frame material.

In the bathroom, also a humid, steamy space, the best materials are those impervious to moisture. If you think this heat, steam and grease will cause a problem for wood in your kitchen, opt for metal framed mirrors.

Rather than choosing a wood-framed mirror, opt for a metal frame such as this gold round mirror. Easy to keep clean, it is effortlessly stylish and a super-popular product.

Will it look right?

Basically, this comes down to style. But we also love adding notes of interest, as well as detailed surprises in the design of any room. And we think a mirror in a kitchen is a fantastic detail that more of us should be using!

The starburst frame of the celestial mirror is ideal for a contemporary kitchen. The rustic kitchen diner is also not immune to the beauty that a mirror can bring.

Don’t shy away from wood, assuming it will swell or warp in the heat of the kitchen as reclaimed hardwood is far more robust than you think. This rustic-inspired wood framed wall mirror is perfect for introducing detail without being overpowering.

Will You Add a Mirror to Your Kitchen?

It may not be something you have thought of before or you may already enjoy the benefits of a mirror in your kitchen. Why not share snaps of you kitchen mirrors with us or better still, get involved with our polls on either Houzz or Instagram? We would love to know what you think!

How to create a stunning and personal kitchen just for you

Each month, we will consider the steps that need to be taken before major renovation work in the home on a room-by-room approach. This month, we look at the kitchen and what you need to consider before you make any major changes to it.

Renovating the kitchen is an exciting opportunity to bring your kitchen up to date with the latest gadgets and styling, as well as improving it so it flows better for you and your family. But it is not just choosing new cupboard doors and fancy gizmos…

Heating

If you are performing major renovations in the kitchen, spare a moment to consider whether this will include the heating system. Radiators are all well and good but for any kitchen, underfloor heating is worth a second look. As well as no radiator taking up space, it is a gentler heat for the space.

Does it flow?

Before you start styling your kitchen, think about whether it flows in its current format or whether it links with other elements in the area. For example, does it work the garden, connecting with nature and summer, al fresco dining?

Half walls

If you are blessed with a large kitchen diner, it can be tempting to assume that it will connect and flow. Putting in half walls is not about adding a barrier, but using the space wisely. Kitchen islands work well as do bar table and stools, especially if you don’t make it a fixed feature.

Storage solutions

Kitchen cupboards are staples of the space, but fixed ones don’t have to be. For a modern, clean look a bank of floor to wall cupboards is a great move, especially if they are bespoke and make the best use of awkward space or walls.

For some, this too clinical and devoid of character. If you prefer the rustic kitchen or even the farmhouse style, then open storage shelves are a worthwhile consideration. As well as fixed options, consider freestanding kitchen shelving solutions. As well as open ladder shelving, you may want to consider a sideboard, either half height or with a display unit on top.

Your touch

It is, after all, your kitchen and so you want it to tell your story, so to speak. This comes through in the styling choices from whether you have fixed cupboards, floor and wall mounted, or whether you opt for a less prescribed approach.

It is the small stylistic touches that make it yours: the choice of tiles, shape and colour, the worktops, the lighting, the materials used.

But there is one piece that we think should never be compromised on – the kitchen table. It is the place where people gather, in joy and sorrow, and it never to be underestimated. From the satisfying brawn of the farmhouse kitchen table to the utilitarian industrial kitchen table, the table is the piece that pulls the finished kitchen together.

Your Project

Are you renovating your kitchen? If so, why not take some before and after photos to share with us. We would love to see the results, especially if our products feature in it!