A Fresh New Look For Spring
Conservatories are one of the most popular improvements homeowners can make to their properties. Not only do they add value, they also offer a pleasant, sunny space in which to work or play.
Yet, conservatories are often forgotten when it comes to interior design, with shabby, sun-damaged furnishings dulling what could be a cheerful, airy room. As the transitional space between home and garden, conservatory furniture faces much more wear and tear than in other rooms and is easily stained by mud or grass. And no matter how effective your blinds are, furnishings can quickly become faded or bleached by the sun. Conservatory furniture has to be hard wearing and functional to survive, but that doesn’t mean you have to compromise on style.
This spring, why not breathe new life into your room with made to measure furniture covers that instantly transform the look of your space. There are many suppliers such as Plumbs, that can cover loose seat and back cushion covers are perfect for wicker and rattan furniture.
If you don’t currently have rattan furniture then now is a good time buy as more and more natural fibers are making their way into our homes, in light of our desire to become more eco-friendly. It is best to choose natural surfaces and materials for our home furnishings, fabrics and finishes wherever possible. Not only do they look chic and trendy, but they wear brilliantly and have minimal environmental impact. Choosing natural products for our homes is not only imperative for the homes atheistic appeal, but also for our homes health.
You could even replace your iron coffee and end tables with natural rattan tables. This fabulous summer texture and earthy material will give an entirely new look and feel to the room. Remember, the very best rooms always employ a diverse use of textures.
Make sure you don’t get carried away with the addition of rattan, you could leave your room feeling like a tiki tiki hut, which probably isn’t the best idea. Adding rattan to your rooms brings the outdoors in – as our desire to blur the line between exterior and interior spaces continues.
Fresh floral cottons are massive this spring and are perfect for conservatories, as they emphasise the link between nature and the inside space. For a classic spring-time look, opt for pretty florals in pinks and blues and for a more contemporary feel, go for bold geometric prints on scatter cushions and accessories.
Make the most of your conservatory, so that you can get back to enjoying the long awaited spring sunshine.
Recession Tips – How to Save Money As You Decorate Your Home
You can have a classy home on a modest budget. A beautifully modern home, tastefully done, is possible. Even on a prudent budget. Start your home makeover with simplicity. A crowded, cluttered up room full of decorations and furnishings and furniture looks tacky in comparison to a simple, almost spartan home.
The trick is to go minimalist.
The time for lavish spending on white elephants is over. Now is the time to learn from the Shakers and go simple. Form and function. Everything should have a reason to be in a room. Everything in the room should go with the decor and the color scheme. Pare down your furniture and furnishings to the bare minimum. Keep only the best items which go with your color scheme and with the style of your home.
To deal with a smaller budget, you can do two things:
1. Cut costs by buying only the best. The best meaning, what looks best in your home, which is the most useful and fits best with your lifestyle and home decor. If anything does not fit all these criteria, walk away. Spend only on the very best things — furniture and furnishings, for your home.
2. Bring in more money by selling off the clutter. Pare down your decor. Go simple. Get rid of clutter to reveal space. Your room will look more spacious and classier when the surfaces are bare. When the mismatched furniture and furnishing are gone. Better to have less in pared down room that looks simply chic, than to have more in a cluttered up room that feels crowded and makes everyone in it feel claustrophobic. The money from selling off the excess will come in handy during the recession.
Start by selling away the excess. Hold a garage sale to sell off all the white elephants as well as anything that does not fit in with your intended decor.
Join ebay and auction off all the clutter in your home. From the old rugs that just don’t match the decor, to the old sofa that looks like an eyesore. Hey, it is an antique right? So it should fetch some money on ebay.
All those white elephants– well meaning gifts from friends and family, impulse buys and all, sitting on the shelf or hidden in the store room can be sold for cash.
With the proceeds of all these sales, and having gotten rid of the clutter, you can now buy key items for your home, that actually go well with your decor and which you will actually use.
Take stock of your now less crowded home.
Choose your color scheme. Should it be warm and woody? White and spacious? Pink and girly? Floral and feminine? Green, brown and masculine?
Give the walls a fresh coat of paint that will go with your intended color scheme.
What else do you need?
What else does not go with your color scheme?
Conduct a second round of garage sales and ebay auctions to pare down your home even further.
Is your home strewn with books, magazines and newspapers?
Would a classy magazine rack be enough? Or would you need bookshelves and cupboards as well? Don’t settle for something third rate. Go for something you really love. Fewer items, but really good ones, will still cost less than lots and lots of cheap stuff you don’t like that much.
What kind of chairs and tables would you prefer?
A leather sofa and wooden tables?
A fabric sofa?
Rattan furniture?
Glass table tops?
Pick a theme that goes with your home and stick to it.
Pare down your home, sell off the excess and go for lasting items of great quality which you love. That would make your home something you would be really proud of, even as you stay within your budget.
Natural Wicker & Rattan for the Deck – The Original Eco-Friendly Furniture
Wicker and rattan furniture are made of natural materials found in Southeast
Asia, and both make popular outdoor patio furniture. Because they are not
derived from the scarce resources of wood, both rattan and wicker are good for
the environment.
Rattan is the name of a particular plant that grows to several hundred feet high
in tropical forests. It is extremely strong and will not splinter or break.
Rattan is easily molded into the desired shape for furniture and once it dries,
the shape is retained permanently. The outer peel of the rattan pole is used to
wrap joints securely.
A whole rattan pole may be used to create spiral designs for arm rests, legs or
backs of furniture. The outer part of the rattan is peeled off, then heated and
bent into shape. Rattan poles can also form the frame of a couch or chair with
wicker weave panels as a finishing touch.
Wicker is considered a type of rattan weave, but it can also be produced from
cane, reed, willow, rush, and other natural materials. It is pliable when wet so
the strands can be woven tightly together. When dry, the finished product is
sealed, sanded, and then stained and lacquered to the desired color.
Wicker furniture is available in many of the same colors and stains as wood. The
most common colors include natural, pewter, honey wheat, sage and bronze. Add
colorful cushions to make the furniture bright, cheerful – and softer to sit on.
Maintaining rattan and wicker deck furniture is easy. All it requires is
regular, light dusting with a damp cloth, or vacuuming with a brush attachment.
Any spill should be immediately wiped up with a mild detergent and a minimum
amount of water.
Furniture made of rattan and wicker include chairs, tables, footstools, and bar
sets. Because it is such a versatile material, chairs range from broad,
low-sitting styles with high backs and arm rests to basic dining-room styled
chairs. Table tops are made of wood, metal, or glass and occasionally rattan.
Rattan and wicker furniture add class to any deck, but depending on the style,
it is not always very comfortable. Cushions will solve that problem. Some sets
come complete with cushions in your choice of style, color and fabric.
Floral patterns, stripes and solid colors are common for outdoor cushions.
Florals have an advantage over solids as they do not show the dirt as readily.
However, all fabrics fade in the sun, and solid colors retain a more attractive
appearance as they fade.
With the exception of cushions, wicker and rattan furniture is durable and can
easily stay outside all year around. It is not susceptible to rust, mildew or
rotting, and paint will not chip. Rattan and wicker material expands and
contracts with a change in temperature – without damage – so it works well in a
variety of environments.
Discounts and environmentally friendly materials make wicker and rattan furniture
a good choice for any family.
