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

Create a breakfast room that will make you love your home

Life is busy and we should all make an effort to take some time out for ourselves. Create a breakfast room that suits you and your family’s needs for a more enjoyable breakfast experience. And if you’re still looking for a New Year’s resolution, why not make it your mission to sit down, relax and eat breakfast in the morning to set yourself up properly for the day. It only takes 5 minutes and you’ll feel much more positive than if you run out the door finishing the last of your toast!

Your kitchen doesn’t need to be huge for you to create a great space to eat. Where space is tight, you just need to be creative.

It’s easy to create a breakfast spot if you already have a kitchen island. Simply adopt a bistro-style feel by adding breakfast bar chairs along one edge. If you have counters with some overhang, you can tuck the stools under when they’re not in use and it will hardly take up any space at all. Not only will you create enough space for breakfast, but you’ll also turn your kitchen into a more sociable room for your family and for entertaining.

If you have wooden counter tops, create a streamlined look with coordinating wooden chairs. Oak bar stools look elegant and their hardwearing quality makes them perfect for family homes.

Alternatively, rattan is a fantastic option to add a bit of texture and comfort to your kitchen.

Alternatively, create a breakfast nook in the corner of your kitchen with a breakfast bar table and stools. You may think you don’t have room but think again. A simple cafe style table with a pair of statement bar stools will work in the smallest of kitchens. You may even be able to find clever storage solutions which double up as storage, or a wine rack, as well as a breakfast table.

If you are short on space, keep furniture and upholstery light. Cream bar stools are a perfect option for country or shaker style kitchens for a gorgeous classic feel. Alternatively, in a more modern space, industrial style bar stools which incorporate metal and wood are often slightly slimmer and sleeker in design, so may be just what you are looking for.

Where you have room for a table in your kitchen, try and maximise the natural light by placing the table close to the window (or French doors). This will create an illusion of more space and will ultimately make kitchens look less cluttered if you’re short on space.

Colourful bar stools will add a punch of interest to your decor scheme. For example, the chairs shown in the image above are upholstered in a gorgeous blue-toned grey which works beautifully to add a subtle pop of colour against the mainly white and neutral room. Blues, greens, pinks and yellows are all fantastic colours to make a statement in your kitchen.

Luxe Daisy Upholstered Bar Stool in Velvet

If you’re fortunate enough to have a separate dining room, make the most of it – don’t just keep it for special occasions! To create a siren dining area, opt for an elegant chair and table set in classic colours. Finish with simple details like a large mirror on the wall and a statement glass vase in the centre of the table to create an ideal spot to relax.

Whatever your breakfast spot, create a space where you’ll want to sit down each morning with a cup of coffee and ease yourself into the day ahead.

How to create a calm feel in your home

A deep sense of worry, pounding headaches, being unable to control breathing, an uncontrollable fear… there are many triggers to someone’s anxiety, the symptoms of which also vary from one person to another, from one ‘attack’ to the next.

Home should be the space in which anyone should feel safe and for someone battling to control anxiety, it is imperative it is designed and maintained along lines that really do make them feel safe and calm.

It is known that design plays an important role in helping people to leave anxiety at the front door and so with this in mind, we looked at styling tips to help people with anxiety to feel exactly that: calm, in control and safe.

Space and Light

For some people feeling closed in, in small dark spaces can be a trigger for feeling unsafe. And so, ensuring that your home has as much natural light as possible and an open plan design is a clear winner when it comes to helping allay anxiety and fear.

But for others, this is a nightmare scenario. Similar to agoraphobia, all that ‘openness’ can lead them into a world of feeling exposed. Using moveable reclaimed furniture and accessories, such as display cabinets to ‘shorten’ the space can help.

Top tips:

Choose neutral colours with a warm undertone such as creams and beige
Neutral tones furniture works well too to create a sense of cohesion and order; for example, cream dining chairs will add texture to the smaller dining room and look great with any style of dining table and furniture
If natural light is an issue, choose soft glow bulbs and lighting solutions throughout the home, but especially when it comes to living room lamps.

Declutter

It is an emotional journey but there is no doubt that decluttering, freeing space and bringing in order and light can be a useful (but sometimes painful) task for anyone suffering anxiety.

Decluttering is not just about ‘throwing things away’, it is about creating a storage system that works so that clutter doesn’t accumulate. It is a way of changing how you live in your home so that you maintain it as the space you want it and need it to be.

Create a storage system that you know you can stick too
Pretty boxes and furniture with ‘hidden’ storage such as a blanket box for a coffee table in the living room are also great solutions

Which Style Works Best?

Of course, you need to style your home according to your taste and budget, from oak bedroom furniture to glossy cupboards, but the Scandinavian style is one worth considering. A seamless blend between warm, natural materials, its modern feel also works well for those that prefer a more traditional approach, slimline, without sharp angles, it is a popular styling choice for the home and your workspace.

Anxiety – a Hidden Issue

It is not something that people have commonly shared, preferring to keep their anxiety locked away. But in recent times, we have seen a changing attitude toward mental health and how issues, such as anxiety, a more common than what we think.

We often think that we are the ‘only one’ and that others will deride it as being something we ‘just need to get a grip on’. Our surroundings play a big part in helping us to deal with anxiety and other issues. Make this the year you style your home that gives you not only pleasure but the safety and control you crave.

New emerging colour predictions of the year!

With 2018 on the doorstep, designers are turning their attention to watch what the New Year will bring in terms of fashions, trends and colours. A colour adds atmosphere to a space, giving it personality and character. So, what do all the big players predict will be big colours for the coming year?

Colour in its Boldest Form

The last few years have been fairly muted in terms of colours and shades, perhaps a reflection of the austere times we have found ourselves in. From barely-there colours to muted greys, they are being left behind with colour coming back and in its boldest form too.

We have scoured online interior design magazines and looked to leading colourists Pantone to see what colours will be making their way into our homes in 2018.

#1 Colourful

House Beautiful tell us that colour will be bold and strong, saturated and strong, a great way to describe what Pantone is calling ‘Playful’ colour schemes. Don’t think 80s neon, however, as you may have missed the word ‘strong’.

So, if 2018 is the year you opt for yellow, opt for a fun canary yellow or if you want the freshness, mellowness of green, opt for a strong, almost-lime, statement green.

Strong colours work well in all major rooms in the home, but we think the playfulness of these colour scheme would be at its glorious best in the dining room or kitchen/diner.

Don’t overload the space, however. Maintain a muted background with neutral dining furniture and wood dining table, keeping the strong colour to one wall if you are not brave enough for a canary yellow dining room. Use slightly less-strong colours – grey, blue and a toned down green – in accessories to keep an air of frivolity without turning back the clock to Day-Glo 80s neon.

#2 Black is the New Black

Black is not in the Pantone 2018 palette – but a deep, ‘sailor blue’ is and that’s good enough for us – but some of the top, online interior magazines are naming black as the new black.

And we love it! We never fell out with it, especially not in the living room. We love the dark, matter black moodiness in alcoves or on one wall, offset with copper lamp shades and fittings, as well as copper, brass or gold framed mirrors.

Offset it further with a hint of jazz such as blue armchair, and add a glimmer of understated detail with patterned rugs. Keeps the lights on low and let the candles flicker – what is there not to love about the romantic appeal of black?

We also noted that some magazines were extolling the virtue or black flooring: could matte black laminate or vinyl be the surprise interior design trend for 2018?

#3 Subtle

Canary yellow and matte black may not be your thing and so there is a third option predicted to be big this coming year: the subtle group of colours is what you would expect. Subtle, light and delightful but the surprise colour for us was pink.

Pantone called it Pink Lavender, a darkish, almost almond pink or there is Almost Mauve if you want no more than a hint of pink. Coconut Milk, Warm Sands and a dove grey Harbour Mist are also being touted by Pantone as a colour scheme, a perfect choice, we think, for the rustic bedroom. Could it be that the ‘seaside’ influence has yet to disappear?

What colour scheme will it be in your home in 2018?

Predictions of the year for interior design styles

If you love interior design like we do, you will probably be wondering what 2018 has in store in terms of trends, as well as which trends from 2017 will still be appealing in the coming year too…

Colour in the Kitchen

If you love colour, you will like the idea of adding bolder colours to the kitchen. However, for those of us who find the industrial style beautiful and practical, you may have the shivers.

But there is good news: colour in the kitchen is not about adding coloured doors and worktops but adding colour to walls. And even then, the favourites are muted greys, perfect for sitting alongside your industrial style furniture in the kitchen.

We predict…

… that muted colours such as greys and blues will stay with us for most of 2018. In complete contrast, the Pantone Colour of the Year is a rich, evocative Ultra Violet, perfect we think for the occasional bold, contrasting statement.

Vintage Lighting

Designers are bringing through new trends that will sit so well within the landscape of an industrial styled home. Lighting confirms the ambience of a room and, so we think that the desire for vintage lighting is perfect. Any scheme should have the odd surprise or two so why not contrast vintage with the angular, newer industrial style?

Think vintage, think brass but if you can’t quite see your way to trailing around vintage shops and markets, opt for ‘modern vintage’ such as the Embla floor lamp, its rich, warm gold tones adding depth and detail.

We predict…

… customers will become even more adventurous in their choice of lighting and materials.

Shiplap tiling is staying…

… but there is also a trend coming through called ‘millwork’ tiling. Think hexagonal and ‘wireframes’ patterns for tiling, a great alternative, we think to shiplap which doesn’t always sit easily alongside the industrial style.

Create a feature wall of hexagonal tiles in the kitchen or be daring with the bathroom floor.

We predict…

… shiplap tiles won’t be hanging around once we see the amazing results of hexagonally shaped tiling.

Other predictions in brief:

Metallics will be a must. A framework pendant light would add detail to an industrial living room.
Concrete is the new must-have material, pushing granite and marble aside. Pattern it, stamp it and polish it, concrete is brilliant as flooring and worktop solutions.
The fireplace is back! If you are lucky to be gifted a fireplace, bring it back at the focal point of the room. Whether it is casting a warm glow in the dining room next to your fabric dining chairs and statement table or a non-working feature in the bedroom, make it the star of the show for 2018 at least!
Art is nature inspired. If you are looking to add canvas art prints to your industrial themed home, the on-trend art subject is the natural world, specifically plants. Perfect for adding a little greenery and softening the angles, nature easily sits within the industrial style.

What trends do you want to stay for the coming year?

How to create a welcoming entrance (even if you don’t have a hallway)

With the New Year on the doorstep, your mind will no doubt turn to what changes and improvements you will make in your home this year.

Often under-styled through no fault of its own, the entrance can be bereft of accessories and detail, probably because it is a part of the home through which we pass, rather than linger. And yet, when it comes to welcoming and impressing guests, it is often unable to make the first impression that you want it to.

And so, as the clocks chime in the coming year, why not make it your mission to create an entrance that is practical, functional but full of stylish details that create a wow factor?

Colour and Pattern

Creating a welcoming atmosphere comes down to many factors combining seamlessly together and a great place to start is by introducing colour and pattern into the hallway. We are yet to have the official Pantone colour 2018 but they have released details of some great colour schemes.

Choose strong colours and tones, such as a bright canary yellow for a sunny disposition in the hallway. For muted colours, choose tones with a maritime or coastal feel, such as sandy beige or misty grey.

As for patterned wallpaper, 2018 promises to be a great year for modern geometric prints. Or, if you want to welcome nature into your home, well-known brands are creating fabulous tree designs.

Artwork

Leaving your walls blank can sometimes make a hallway feel bland and empty but too much can clutter a space, especially a smaller hallway. Choose artwork and hang it carefully.

As well as a hallway mirror to maximise light, choose wall artwork that packs a punch. Bold artwork, especially those that encompass the beauty of nature, works well in a neutrally decorated hallway as they do with nature-inspired patterned wallpaper.

Hallway Furniture

Decluttering the hallway is a great start to creating a welcoming space but getting rid of all the furniture can lead to storage problems.

Hallway lights, such as standard lamps, are a great way of adding a soft glow to the space and work well with reclaimed wood furniture – suitably robust for such a busy space – such as slimline console tables.

A fantastic versatile addition to the hallway is a bench. Perfect for sitting to pull shoes and boots on and off, they make a great impromptu storage solution for backs and coats too. In winter, add texture and warmth by throwing a sheepskin rug on it.

Accessories

If you want a little more detailing to the hallway, then changing accessories to fit the seasons is an ideal way of creating the warm embrace that your guests have come to expect when they visit your home.

Winter hallway decorating ideas means bringing in the best that the season has to offer. Those gnarled bare branches make great ‘trees’ for hanging baubles and on, as well as draping over twinkling lights. Spray with glitter paint to add even more sparkle.

Pine cones add detail too, as well as a display of evergreen leaves, including dark green holly with its bright red berries. As spring arrives, change the nature accessories for scented spring flowers and so on.

With only a few adjustments and additions, the entrance to your home will be welcoming and sensational.

Freshen up your home this year with a burst of colour!

Louis De Poortere Fading World Rug - Beige Cream

The New Year is a time for making changes – that’s why most of us make a New Year’s resolution or two, right? If you are looking to make some changes in your home and bringing it to life in 2018, why not do it with a burst of colour?

Why colour is great

When it comes to colour in the home, most of us tend to shy away and tend to stick with those tried and tested hues that will never look outdated. But even the smallest of touches can make a huge difference to the look of your space.

Colour has a wonderful ability to bring character to your home, whether it is a new home, an old home or a rented space, allowing you to inject a bit of your personality. This makes it the perfect option for decorating kids and teens bedrooms – using white or grey as the base colour for brighter accents allows your kids to express their personality without doing permanent damage or forcing you to shell out a fortune on a style they may not love forever.

Louis de Poortere Atlantic Ocean Blue Waves Rug

A bold, bright colour is also fantastic for bringing together different design eras in an intentional clash of styles. The classic rustic dining table you’re not sure works with the industrial sideboard you fell in love with and bought on a whim – a touch of colour could be the answer!

And why not have some fun with your decor? We spend so much time at home, so make it a space which gives you the sunny energy you need to motivate you in your non-stop life.

Go bold

Don’t be afraid to pick a colour with your furniture, especially if your walls and floor are kept fairly plain. There is an argument to be made that you shouldn’t go for trends with large investment pieces like furniture, but if you love it, go for it!

Maddox Industrial Reclaimed Elm Dining Table and Chairs

Mix and match colours for an eclectic look with plenty of personality. There aren’t really any rules when it comes to decorating so have fun with it. If you are looking to bring colour to your dining room, multicoloured chairs around the table look fantastic. If you have six seats around your table, a selection of three colours will create a fun space that you’ll be proud of hosting dinner parties in. Pair with mixed metals for a glam yet interesting aesthetic.

Colourful seating options are bound to make an impact, creating a space which feels energetic and luxurious. Decorate your sofa with colourful cushions or choose a bespoke sofa to make an impact. A green sofa looks truly luxurious but is a colour which has been seen in home decor for years so is unlikely to look dated too quickly. Bring the green to life with an abundance of green scatter cushions or some indoor plants – the perfect spring addition to your room.

If you’re not sure about a sofa, a wingback armchair in a bold colour can look fantastic. Pair with a neutral sofa to add some unexpected colour or create a cosy reading nook in the corner of your living room, dining room or even kitchen.

Add colour over a large area, for example on a rug or on floor-length curtains to make the colour a prominent feature. The larger item creates a definite colour scheme in your room and will create an easy statement which requires little thought. Pepper the room with the same shade in smaller accessories to tie the scheme together.

Keep it subtle

If you’re not too sure about going for colour with your furniture, using it to accessorise is an easy way to try it out without the investment. Adding hints of colour through lighting and small accessories makes for a stylish, refined interior.

The great thing about adding subtle pops of colour is you can keep your decor seasonable without breaking the bank. For example, colour coding books will add a burst of colour to your living room or hallway that will look truly striking.

The subtle addition of colour also means you can play around with a wider selection of colours. You don’t have to stick with one colour – you could pick a colour theme. For example, go with warm, sunset shades for a comfortable, luxurious look that would work beautifully with rustic furniture styles. A mix of fuchsia, peach and cooper would look stunning against an otherwise neutral room if done well.

Backdrop

When it comes to the floors and walls, you really can do what you like. But if you are looking to create a subtle, classic vibe, a crisp white or soft grey wall with wooden floors is a great choice. Go for wooden furniture which can be accessorised with colour for a rustic, Scandi inspired look in your home.

If you can, also try and create the illusion of more space. Bright lighting and using cleverly placed large mirrors will open up your space, reflecting light around the room. But if you are looking for a more permanent option, having diagonal wooden flooring can really widen the room.

Alternatively, dark colours like navy on the walls are great to make colours pop, especially if you are going to use jewel-coloured furniture. This will create a dramatic and sophisticated effect – almost as if you’ve walked into a stylish boutique hotel.

Tips for adding colour

Try and stick to three colours, especially if you are going for three entirely different colours. The idea is to bring the room to life with clever colour accents that you won’t fall out of love with immediately, but you do run that risk if you create a rainbow of colour. Adding more than three colours also makes it tricky to pepper the colour throughout the room, creating a room which lacks coordination.

Secondly, always think about the adjoining room. Try and pick out one of the colours in your room and add a touch of that colour in the next room to create uniformity when the door is open.

What do you think? Will you be injecting a bit of colour into your home this year?

Our favourite customer comments of the year

As we wave goodbye to 2023, we became reflective of what a great year it has been. We have had amazing opportunities come our way and faced challenges that have made our business better and stronger.

We have fantastic products and a customer service that is really beginning to shine above customer expectations.

We didn’t realise the difference our business and products make until you started to tell us just how happy our quality reclaimed wood furniture, from the king bed to the sideboard makes you.

Products

For example, a recent customer was so delighted with their Winchester Reclaimed Wood Bed – [it] is the single nicest piece of furniture we’ve ever had, absolutely love it – that they took time out of their busy day to email us.

We’re are delighted that our products, customer service and delivery make you smile and the emails have been flooding in.

Claire from Pontefract loved her Derby Reclaimed Wood Extending Dining Table… “amazing table with really thought-out details that reflect the quality of the workmanship. I’m delighted with it”.

And Jasmine was head over heels in love with her delivery and we were pleased to note that “the furniture was exactly as it appeared in the picture and great quality”

We choose all our pieces carefully, making sure we get the best reclaimed wood and by using skilled craftspeople, we know that the design and the final product will be of the highest standards. What we have changed over the year is the way we photograph our range.

We want the best reproductive quality for our photos not just because they look good, but because this is the best way for our online shoppers to get an accurate idea of what they are ordering.

Customer Service

Nina is a recent addition to our team and with many years’ experience in customer service, she has set about improving our service to you. And it’s been working…

“What really stands out about this company is their excellent customer service”

We pledge to always ‘go out of our way’ to make everything about buying from us one of the best retail experiences you will have.

So when you order from us in 2024, why not leave us a review and better still, email us photos of the piece in your home, complete with your own stamp and personality on it.

Delivery

A big part of what we do is making sure that what you have ordered, whether it is one of our small wooden sideboards or one of biggest reclaimed wood dining table get to you in perfect condition. And that means a delivery team that know exactly what they are doing.

And it seems we have been getting it right…

“The delivery guys were really excellent – punctual friendly and careful moving stuff in. We’ve had some terrible delivery experiences recently, but your guys were perfect”

“The delivery men were on time and really friendly.”

“The delivery gents were exceptional, well-mannered and assisted in carrying all furniture to the correct rooms. Fantastic!”

We’ve had so many great comments over the last year that we can’t include them all but we want to finish with this one…

Nothing has been too much trouble and Katie has gone out of her way to make sure we were happy. Thank you, Modish Living!

The most popular decor trends of 2017

As we bid 2017 goodbye, we often look forward to the coming spring trends of 2018. But it wouldn’t be fitting to wave adieu to 2017 without taking a look back at what the year offered in terms of décor trends. What did we love and what didn’t catch on?

Sophisticated Pastels

A definite win was the palette of sophisticated pastels that suit any room in the home. But think beyond sugary pinks and watered-down blues. The must-have colour was Millennial Pink, a colour described as ‘very now, but timeless’.

It was and is a beautiful colour, perfect for bedroom decorations. Think of a ‘grapefruit shade of apricotty salmon’ and you are there. Not too sugary, not too dark, a perfect balance between introducing a colour to a space but just enough to not be too light that it is a mere whisper of a colour but not too dark that it looks like a bedroom of a princess-obsessed little girl.

Will it stay? Possibly but there are also some stronger colours making their way into the home this coming year, although we are yet to see what the Pantone Colour of the Year 2018 is yet…

Local Materials

The other trend that we loved was the growing movement to buy local, whether this was from smaller artisan craftspeople or sourcing companies that used British designers and materials.

There was also a growing trend for upcycling and recycling, with our reclaimed wood furniture becoming increasingly popular too. Customers love the romance of reclaimed wood, the fact that as a table, the English beams have a story that they will never tell…

Black-Finish Metals

Metal is always a popular material but black-finish metal has placed industrial furniture back in the eye of the creative homeowner over the year.

At one time, bright, polished stainless steel or aluminium was a must, and then came the brass-effect look. But 2017 saw us embrace the black-finish metal with its satisfying heaviness, without being too clunky or demanding.

The industrial style Maddox dining table is a fine example or this exquisite piece, the Luxe Kensington console table with it cross legs and reclaimed wood top.

Moody, Jewel-Colour Interiors

For depth, there was no doubt that 2017 was the year for strong, moody, earthy colours. And we loved the jewel tones that once again graced dining rooms, living rooms, bedrooms and hallways of the modern home.

As well as jewel-coloured dining chairs – think plush velvet in amethyst and turquoise blue, the colour of the depth of the ocean – adding coloured rugs to a space was a great way of switching things up. This striped Louise de Poortere green rug is the perfect addition to any room and any style, from the modern to the rustic.

What didn’t quite make it…

The signs were there but the beach effect was a difficult trend to pull off, especially in a way that was more adult than child’s bedroom. But we did love the nods to the beach or oceanscape theme with deep blue rugs and the occasional reference to all things maritime.

What will 2018 hold for us in terms of interior décor and style, we wonder?

Party games to try this year

Parties are tremendous fun, a great way to relax and enjoy the company of others. However, there’s no reason to sit around the dining room furniture making small talk all evening. With these great party game ideas, no matter whether it is an adult-only party or a Christmas celebration with adults and children, we have some great party game ideas!

Suitable for…

Mixed parties: Baubles on the Tree

A quick game to welcome guests as they arrive. Ask them how many baubles they think are on your tree. Works exactly the same as ‘number of sweets in a jar’. Get your guests to write their name and guess on a piece of paper and keep it in a jar on the rustic coffee table until you announce the winner.

Child-focused parties: Christmas scavenger hunt

For some children (and adults too!) a big party gathering can be overwhelming and party games can be the activities they need to help them mix and mingle.

You can either create your own hunting cards or download pre-printed ones and make sure you have all the items hidden around your home. You can bring the game into the 21^st century and ask your guests to photograph the item in situ. Give prizes to those who have all the items photographed on their phone!

Mixed parties: Draw a Christmas scene

When your guests are gathered around your reclaimed wood dining table, give them a pen or pencil and a piece of paper each. You will now give instructions, without discussing and your guests are to draw on the paper what you say…

INSTRUCTIONS

Draw a line for a floor
Draw a Christmas tree and add decorations as you like
Draw a star on top of the tree
Draw a fireplace with a mantelpiece next to the tree
Draw a stocking hanging from the mantelpiece
Draw a present below the tree

You may think you can’t go wrong with instructions but as you continue the game, you will realise the different interpretations people will have put on the instructions given.

Award points as follows:

2 points if their tree is touching the floor
2 points if the stocking is touching the mantelpiece
1 point if the star touches the tree
1 point if the star is above the tree
4 points if they drew more than 4 baubles on the tree
1 point if they included tinsel on their Christmas tree
1 point if your tree is a safe distance from the fireplace!
2 points if you drew a cute motif on the Christmas stocking
2 points if your present is under the tree

What other suggestions can you think of? The idea is to award the prize to the person with the most artistic picture and the most points too.

Adult party game: Global Christmas traditions quiz

Sometimes, you need a quiz with a difference and for this one, you will need to do your research. Take a look at some of the weird and wonderful Christmas traditions practised in countries across the world, creating a quiz that will both educate and provide plenty of laughs.

The harder you can make it the better. Have bonus questions worth triple points and simply enjoy the laughter this kind of quiz brings. Great for smaller parties, with guests lounging in a comfy armchair or two and for New Year parties, bring a few New Year traditions into it too.

Whatever the get together, throwing a few games into the mix is sure to make it memorable. Enjoy the party!