Furniture Blog

Getting the right cookware

There is a pot in my kitchen that could tell its own story – it was passed down from my grandmother’s kitchen. It may seem like a strange heirloom to pass down, but my granny was a great cook and she understood the importance of good, solid cookware – because this pot is still going strong after 20 plus years, and you’d still think to look at it that it was brand new.

I’ve bought cookware in recent years that I thought would be as solid and long-lasting as this thing and they couldn’t touch it, so it definitely helps to have the right products for the right jobs in the kitchen – it may not help you become the next Jamie or Nigella, but it’ll make your life a lot easier.

When you’ve had a hard day at work, the last thing you want to do sometimes is go home and cook, and when you do, it can be tempting to just lift the first pot in the cupboard. But there are different pots out there for a reason, and they all do something different. Generally you’ll need two or three saucepans of different sizes, a milk pan and a good frying pan. You may ask why, well they all have their own uses:

• Saucepans – the workhorse of your cookware, saucepans can be used for a lot of jobs, including heating and boiling foods and making sauces (the clue’s in the name after all). If you buy a good set of cookware, they will usually contain 3 or more saucepans.
• Milk pan – technically another saucepan, a milkpan can also be used to make or heat sauces.
• Frying pan – usually used for searing, browning and frying foods. Most frying pans are now made of stainless steel or aluminium, and most are coated with a non-stick surface.

There’s a wealth of cookware out there on the market, so take your time and shop around before you buy anything. I found a great Stellar cookware set online at Sterling Furniture, which includes 3 saucepans, a 26cm frying pan and a milk pan.

Being a slightly lazy cook, I was attracted to this set because the pots are stainless steel. Stainless steel cookware has a number of advantages which are a godsend to cooks like me who don’t necessarily want to spend hours in the kitchen, but still want a decent meal at the end of it.

The main benefit of stainless steel cookware is that it’s durable and doesn’t scratch or burn easily and doesn’t rust either. It’s also really easy to clean, which is a blessing for someone who doesn’t enjoy washing up – which could be roughly 99% of us to be honest!

Round the Corner

Corner Sofas

Aaah, the corner sofa. I fondly remember my parents having one of these back in the early 80's in a (for the 80's anyway) rather luxurious chocolate brown cord velvet. It looked great, but if you fell asleep on it you woke up with a rather fetching cross hatching effect all over one side of your face. 

Corner groups fell out of fashion for a while, but today they are back with a bang and not only look great, but can also offer better alternatives forliving rooms which might not be conventionally shaped.

You spend a lot of time in your living room, so it's only natural you'll want to make it as stylish as possible. Design trends for 2013 have revealed that we want to be surrounded by luxury in our homes, taking cues for furnishing from the textures and lines of nature, and corner group sofas can certainly help you to achieve this trend in your home.

Whether you live in a flat or a larger house, corner sofas can also help you to use the space you have to the best of its advantage, whether you choose a petite style to complement a smaller space, or a larger, wider group to take advantage of a larger living space.

Corner sofas are now available in a range of styles and fabrics, and with the variety on the market you can really define your sense of style by choosing one.

New Pantone colours for the year include rich tones of red, pink and yellow, with mouth-watering names including Cinnamon Stick, Marmalade and Solar Power. So, if you're in the mood for sticking on some overalls and redecorating for spring/summer, why not revamp your living room with a corner group in neutral shades, and highlight it with soft furnishings in these tones. The weather in the UK has been dismal for long enough so it's high time we had some bright colours around!

There are some fantastic and stylish examples to be found online, including these corner sofas which are available from Sterling Furniture. They have a selection of sizes, fabrics and styles to suit you no matter the size or shape of your living room. Have a look and you might just find some spring inspiration!

 

Reviving your bedroom!

You look around your bedroom and it just doesn’t fill you with joy anymore! What do you do?

Well if your bedroom furniture is still in good condition you could give it a simple makeover by focusing on your bedding, curtains and a few accessories. Choosing a combination of the right bedding, curtains and accessories to that will go with your décor isn’t always easy but can give your room a new lease of life without breaking the bank.

The best place to start is to evaluate the colours already in your room and then choose a colour code to match. In my room at home, I have black coloured furniture such as my Provence styled bed, glass TV stand, bedside cabinet and wardrobe. Before this, I had a chocolate brown scheme going on but I started to grow tired of it after a while.

I have a colour scheme similar to this.

I myself had to purchase the bed to fit how I wanted my bedroom to look but hopefully readers of this post will have a combination of bedroom furniture already in place that are well co-ordinated. If this is the case, there are some simple steps you can take to make your bedroom feel a bit more luxurious without having to pay a fortune.

An easy way to lift things straight away would be to choose a luxurious looking duvet set. Once you have chosen my desired bedspread, you can look to add some matching cushions or a bed throw. This seems to be quite popular these days. Here is an example of how the right choice of bedding can have a dramatic impact on the feel of the room, making the bed a focal point.

Now you have picked your colour scheme and made the bed the focal point of the room, it’s now time to look for the accessories to lift the rest of the room. A simple pair of black curtains would work well with this colour scheme as would this table lamp sitting on the bedside cabinet. Why not even try a rug if you have some floor space?

Of course, I can’t tell you how you should decorate your bedroom, there are too many variables; one person’s style is another person’s tackiness! The real purpose of this post is just to give some ideas, get the creativeness flowing, and show that just a few simple changes can really transform your bedroom without too much effort and spend. Good luck!

 

 

A christmas list for your home

Okay, we all know at Christmas most of us like to exchange gifts. But what about your home? Shouldn't it get a gift too? I would of course be happy to receive some homewares at Christmas, but aside from the odd photo frame, no one really does this. They don't want to offend apparently. Outrage at being given an iron or a washing machine I can understand, but I can't understand why anyone would be offended at a beautiful new piece of design for their home. I suppose it could be risky when personal taste comes into the equation though.

Which is why this year, I have come up with a new concept - I'm going to treat my house with a few new purchases BEFORE christmas. That way I can enjoy them when I have time off for the big day, and the house will be looking its best for guests over the Christmas period. So what's on my (ahem I mean my homes) Christmas list this year?

Well first off, I think it deserves a nespresso coffee maker. Cups of watery tea just aren't cutting it when guest are over anymore, and don't get me started on instant coffee. Imagine offering guests luxury Italian coffee after Christmas dinner. It would go down a lot better with the After Eight mints I'm sure.

Secondly, I think my house deserves a new dining table. Huddling everyone around in deck chairs isn't great, but a grand new table laden with turkey and all the rest would be great.

Now to move on to something non food related, I think curtains are another great buy before Christmas, as it's often very cold - not good at a time of year that was made for staying warm in the house. Curtains provide extra insulation and can give a whole new feel to a room - making it look as if you've recently redecorated.

What's on your home's Christmas list?

Flea markets: Hidden treasures?

I recently visited a flea market, with the hopes of finding some furniture treasures. And while I was aprhensive at first, it turned out to be a great experience for me - with some buys that have turned into much loved items, taking pride of place in my own.

Now I know what you might be thinking - if no one else wants it, why should I? And while I have to admit that upon arrival of stall after stall of disgarded furniture, I was a little intimidated. I didn't trust the rock bottom prices either - It's too cheap to be good, I though suspiciously. But after spending some time looking around a few stalls I started to warm up to the idea....maybe I could sell my old things in the same manner. Thinking of all the items put away in my attic and garage after yet another decorating session, I realised that just because they no longer fit in your house, doesn't mean they are worthless, and it certainly doesn't mean they wont be useful for someone else. One mans rubbish really can become another mans treasure. Here's a rundown of what i got:

Globe - a beautiful wooden globe, handpainted to mark out the countries. This has an antique feel, and looks amazing on the windowsill of my nautical themed dining room.

Chair - A simple wooden chair. This cost about £4 and was the real hidden treasure. With some sanding paper and a tin of varnish this chair has been restored to it's original state and with the addition of a cushion, adds some interest to the corner of the bedroom.

Welcome mat - A quirky unused welcome mat was my fun buy of the day - and looks extrememly retro since it could possibly be from the 1970s. It was still in it's packaging though! This just goes to show how long things can go unused, when they could be of perfectly good use to someone else.

Do you ever buy furniture or homewares from thrift stores or flea markets?

 

 

Deciding Which Sofa to Buy

The sofa is undoubtedly the most important part of any living room - so deciding which one to choose is a big decision.

After all, it has several requirements to meet and needs to suit everyone in the house. Because this choice can be stressful, and it is far to easy to impulse buy the cheapest or comfiest one available, here is a handy check list for your tour of the sofa stores:

Design: Does it match your current decor? And do you like to decorate often? A sofa that clashes with your colour scheme can set the whole room off - even if it misses by a few shades. Take pictures of your living room to avoid choosing the wrong couch in the shop. And if you like to decorate often its best to choose a sofa which has a neautral tone - this way you can get a few more years out of it.

Shape and Size: Always take measurements, never rely on guesswork. Think about the size and dimensions of your living room and consider where the other furniture needs to go. No one likes to sit on a sofa that doesn't have a good view of the TV.

Comfort: Test in the shop. Most people have this bit covered, but we thought we'd remind you anyway. It's also worth thinking about how many people will normally sitting at once.

Price: Many sofa stores have year round promotions - but dont just impulse buy the cheapest sofa, this can often lead to disaster. Instead determine which types of sofa you like for a few weeks before visiting the sofa stores. This means that if you see one you like on sale it will be a true bargain.

Inside Out: Outdoor Space in the City

It's a tough life for urban dwellers in the summer - things do tend to feel a little claustrophobic with little to no garden space and over crowded parks.

But an article in Stylist magazine has got us thinking about how fun it could be to make the most out the outdoor space you have, and aim to expand your living area into the outdoors.

Making Use of Your Garden Space

If you are lucky enough to have a balcony, roof garden or patio in your city pad, there are clever ways to help maximise your enjoyment of the space. Firstly, it is important to stop thinking about the area as completely separate from your house or flat - design the area to match your home and keep the doors open all summer.Except when it is raining or you are out of course, that would be foolish.

Sophisticated Outdoor Furniture

Garden furniture is no longer just about flimsy patio sets and a rusty BBQ in the corner - now we can benefit from stylish designs that wouldn't look out of place in your living room and durable outdoor kitchens that complement your indoor decor. With the doors open, some well planned space and the right furniture you can create a whole extra room to use come the warmer weather. Just take a look at a Kartell Papurus Chair (pictured below) which would look just as good indoors as it would outdoors. Invest in pieces like this and you will be cancelling your trip to the beer garden - why leave when you can enjoy the outdoors at home?

Dining room - crockery and cutlery

 

Crockery and cutlery are both things that we often take too long to replace - how many times have you been to a dinner party and been served great food on plates that obviously came from a 1980s edition of the Argos catalogue, with funny patterns and a slight loss fo glaze due them spending many many hours in the dishwasher?

 

Same goes for cutlery - back in the day, Yorkshire (Sheffield) was famous for its steel industry and many a wedding gift was a beautiful boxed set of knives, forks spoons and whatnot. But these things were often so well made that they were still in use long after their actual style had begun to look kind of dowdy and dull.

If you've got a load of crockery and cutlery then the best thing to do is upgrade now - don't feel guilty if there's life in the old stuff yet - you can take it to the charity shop or if it's collectable you can ebay it. 

For an example of good quality, classically styled crockery we like the range by Denby Linen - 

Garden furniture vibe

Now that the snow's gone, and we've been snow free for a week here at Furniture Blog, it's time to think about garden furniture.

The sine qua non of a decent garden furniture set up is of course the barbecue. The barbecue speaks to something powerfully atavistic in the human mind, satisfying the eyes, ears and olfactory system as much as the belly. 

Other than that, a decent set of chairs and table for the garden should do the trick. Try to avoid making the classic mistake though of leaving them outside in the garden all winter though - they'll end up all mossy and looking like verdigris.

In a future post I'm going to talk about stuff like gazebos, decking, and summerhouses. So stay tuned. We're in for a great summer even if it does rain a bit. 

The ideal room - what furniture would you choose?

Imagine you've suddenly been given an unlimited budget to refurnish your living room but that you have to choose it all online in the next half hour...

What do you pick? Do you go for something contemporary or do you get something more classic? Do you get a massive leather corner sofa or a fabric one? Then there's stuff like sideboards, displays and so on. 

The only problem with this scenario is that it wouild be all too easy to buy more designer furniture than you needed then end up not being able to make room fo it all. 

I'd go for a classical look - and for the sofa I would definitely choose leather, cos for me, home is where the leather sofa is. And the television remote too, of course.