Archive for Furniture

Researching And Buying Contract Furniture

Owning your own hotel can be a daunting experience, especially if you’re new to the business.

Make your hotel stand out from the rest by offering great service and an excellent experience and you will be sure to get business.

To encourage people to enjoy and remember their stay boutique hotels put their focus on interior design and atmosphere hence why they are so popular.

Your hotel needs to have a theme to be memorable. If you have a large hotel then use a single interesting theme and choose a different theme for each room if you own a small exclusive hotel. A good idea is to select something different to you competition as this will set you apart.

When you have decided on your theme you can then start to source your furniture. You can get some great deals at local auction houses, but a wholesaler might be better if you require a larger amount of furniture.

Many have warehouses or websites you can view in person to see the furniture before making a large order on pieces you have never seen.Members of the BFM (British Furniture Manufacturer’s association) are guaranteed to be reputable furniture suppliers.

When choosing your furniture ensure it is comfortable and practical whilst in-keeping with your decided theme For example, a nice looking chair might be horribly uncomfortable to sit on!

You can customise pieces of furniture by choosing a variety of fabrics or using your own pre-sourced fabric. Choosing one particular furniture set and customising how it looks will save you money because if you ever get any breakages it’s easier to replace than wholly unique items.

Lastly think about the spaces that the hotel furniture will fill. Remember the furniture needs to be sturdy enough to withstand the usage from the many customers coming through the door but not to be too big or bulky which is poorly designed and will not fit in with your theme.

Is A Modern Sectional Useful Or A Hassle?

Things are getting cramped these days. The economy, yes, is getting tighter, but just look around. We don’t have as much space as we used to. There are plenty of reasons why. The population keeps growing, that’s already known, and of course there are other reasons. In modern society, there are more single people living in their own places now than have ever in history. More independent singles and students instead of families are wanting to live on their own But with everybody wanting his or her own space now, it’s getting harder to come by. So what do you do when you suddenly find yourself with a less than spacious space to stuff your modern sectional in?

The key is using an illusion. Anyone can give the impression of having more space in their home, just with simple adjustments to a living style. If the living room is cluttered with extra chairs, game systems, tables, and plants, it may be hard to see the room as ever being spacious. But don’t give up hope; reorganizing a few things can unlock hidden beauty in the space. It may be as simple as merely repositioning your chairs to corners of the room, or to situating book shelves at different angles. The truth is, there is always more space, whether or not there is less stuff. Give your modern sofa bed a shove to the wall and see how much more space it gives you. If you’re brave enough to try new visions, and roll up your sleeves for some grunt work, the possibilities are endless.

For others with less stuff than too much, your needs are different. A studio apartment, with a joined bedroom and living room, may never seem big to you. A modern furniture can be one solution to making space. It divides a room into two with simple 90-degree angles and symmetry. But sectionals aren’t just for people wanting two rooms out of one. People with large home could use sectionals to make their huge living rooms have more function. A great piece of furniture may continue to give possibilities throughout its cushy life. There is no limit to the power of furniture.

So don’t hastily throw things away if they don’t fit. Creativity is the key. But if you desperately need some sort of furniture to fill your space effectively, a modern sectional might be just what you are looking for.

Choosing the Right Fixtures and Fittings for Your New Bathroom

If you’ve just redesigned a bathroom, make sure you don’t bi-pass fixtures and fittings. Okay, so it might not be your highest priority, but when it comes to function and form, your choice of taps, wastes and other fittings can make quite an impact.

Where would a bath or basin be without a waste? You’d be wasting water right, left and centre, whilst bathing would be more than a little challenging. A waste, therefore is an essential, if slightly unglamorous for bathrooms, even modern, state of the art luxury bathroom suites. But whilst a waste is certainly all about function, that being the preventing of any water seepage, it shouldn’t be treated as a mere utility part.

Just like so many things in the bathroom, a waste can come in all kinds of weird, wonderful and mundane designs. For example, if you’ve had enough of the conventions of a circular plughole, why not go square? It might sound a little odd, but if you’re going for an ultra-modern, angular design, this small touch could provide the perfect complement to the more prominent surrounding bathroom furniture.

A waste isn’t just a plug on a chain anymore, far from it. You can find pop up, lever operated and beautifully titled click clack wastes that will add a certain sense of user-friendliness and remove the archaic traditions of the older styling.

But why get hung up on wastes when there are bigger fish to fry. Yes, where there is water in the bathroom, there has to be a tap to control it. But for an haute couture bathroom, you don’t want taps – or any of your furnishings for that matter – to look like they have been prised from a public restroom. You want something special, you want something different, but most of all you want something that matches the general aesthetic of your room.

Bathroom taps, like their waste counterparts, are far from just being a one trick pony with little or no diversity. You’ll certainly not be short of options, each of which will provide its own unique style and presence in your bathroom. If curves are your thing then there are some stunning chrome fixtures that feature seamless curves that will mould into your basin, shower or bath. However, for those who are of a more angular persuasion, there are more than enough cubic designs available to provide the ideal finishing touch to your bathroom. Ensuring coordination amongst bathroom fittings is understandably important. You wouldn’t have a bath, basin and bidet all in different colours, so why settle for odds and sods when it comes to your taps? Manufacturers now typically make taps and wastes to coordinate with one another; whether they’re for use in the shower, bath or sink you need to keep a theme going throughout, which shouldn’t cause too much of a problem – at least in most instances.

Your fixtures and fittings might not get the same focus as your more major decorative/functional bathroom furniture, but they shouldn’t get overlooked as a result. You need to go out and take some time to look at what options are available to you and what would work best with your new design. The Internet is a fantastic for researching and buying bathroom fittings. You don’t need to waste time finding near matches, instead you can find exactly what you want and coordinate it with others in the same style. This should ultimately ensure that you get the fittings that you want, and not just the fittings that are available.

All You Must Know About Home Furnishings

Change the furnishings in your home and you will feel like having entered a completely new home. Such is the impact of furniture in our homes. There are numerous types of furnishings that one can avail of in the furniture market. The options available these days are shooting up by the minute. Innovations in furniture have now acquired forms of art and technology. Be it the ethnic and antique furniture or their modern counterparts like Bauhaus furniture and Modloft furniture, you will be baffled by the choice. There are diverse factors that will help you determine the kind of furniture you wish to invest in. You can even take the suggestion of kith and kin. It is you who will decide the look you wish to achieve with your new furniture.

Modern furnishings is in vogue these days. People are investing in modernistic furnishing for numerous reasons. Our likings have changed over the years. There was a time when intricate carvings in wood was awe-inspiring and were though appropriate for the drawing rooms. Such pieces of art still inspire awe but are no longer considered to be rational options for modern homes. The style used in modern furnishings is such that they save a lot of space in our homes. The hues and styles are innovative and impart a fresh feel to our apartments. Modern furnishings is often light-weight owing to the use of steel, plastic and other synthetic materials. The bottom-line is, contemporary furniture makes a lot of sense in modern day homes.

There are more than one way of using furniture to give a new look to your home. You could consider reusing furnishings rather than purchasing the entire set. You may be fortunate enough to find some old piece of furniture that you thought was a misfit for your modern home. Use your creativity and you can bring forth some really innovative ideas. For instance, the wooden top of an outmoded coffee table could be substituted with a glass top and could look as good as new. Re-paint an old cabinet with vibrant colors and even flowered prints and see how well it fits into your daughter’s room. Your opportunity for re-using for old furnishings is only limited by your creativity.

An entire set of new furniture can be financially burdensome, especially when you are on a budget constraint. Do not lose heart. There are several ways and means that you can use to change the furniture and look of your home without spending a fortune on it. You may consider buying furniture when stores offer discounts. This is common during festivals. End-of-season sales are also good alternatives for the same reason. Buying a second-hand set may also work for you. Check stores which sell used furnishings. You may even think of renting some pieces of furnishings to ease the burden of expenses. You may retain some old furniture items and combine them with the modern pieces that you will be purchasing. One old piece in a room could form the centre of attraction of the room.

Ensure that you consider all important factors before purchasing furniture for your home. Check several sellers and their offers in order to get the best deal. Get ideas from a variety of sources while planning the new setup. Seek the advice of an interior designer for expert advice on modern design. There is no substitute for a professional expert.

NHS Furniture

Thoughtful furniture design and calm neutral decor have a significant effect on patient response in healthcare environments, and could also be responsible for influencing patient behaviour. This is apparent in both the encouragement of recovery and in the promotion of respect for working and living environments. A positive ambiance is also reported to encourage a sense of social responsibility and community cohesion.

Most people talk about the cold sterility of hospitals of yesteryear when asked to recall their memories of hospital treatment. The first thing that sprung to mind was an impression of the décor, and particularly of the hospitals’ furniture. The way it looked, the way it felt and even its unique aroma possessed a distinctive character, typified by hard chairs, tacky surfaces, garish fabrics and mismatched designs.

Aesthetics were not high in the list of priorities back then, and the idea of creating an ambient tone was unheard of. Thankfully things are changing for the better, and the benefits of a more holistic and patient-centered approach to hospital interior decoration are increasingly being recognised. Some forward-thinking hospitals have been known to consult psychologists in order to ascertain which colours provoke positive moods, and feelings of joy and serenity.

Interior designers working across the full range of healthcare projects, including hospitals, nursing/care homes and mental health units, now consider furniture to be an essential element within an overall scheme. And it’s not just patients who are being considered. The comfort and general well-being of patient visitors is also being considered by interior designers, particularly when selecting hospital furniture. The provision of tasteful, comfortable seating for visitors is a key factor in reducing stress and helping to maintain a calm ambiance.

Specialist healthcare furniture manufacturer Knightsbridge Furniture has been working with architects Nightingale Associates in this hitherto largely unexplored area, gaining some interesting results. Both companies are working together to ensure a careful balance of colour, fabric, structure, style and function to meet individual needs and expectations.

Bradford based Knightsbridge Furniture have been producing specialist furniture for the Healthcare industry for a number of years, and have consequently become a trusted NHS Furniture supplier. Their understanding of the individual furniture constraints and requirements of each sector of the healthcare industry makes them both an authority on the subject, and a valuable source of reliable advice.

One example of Knightsbridge putting their extensive knowledge into practice was in the production of a range of Extreme furniture for challenging or high-stress environments, such as secure units and mental health facilities. The incorporation of special weighting and the exclusion of metal components or visible stitching are just two of the ways in which the seating has been designed with the aim of preventing it from being used in a threatening or self-harming context. The manufacturer has also ensured that there is no spacing between arms and seat, to avoid potential concealment pockets. Yet the furniture is far from utilitarian in visual appeal: the club chairs, for example, have been covered in warm, luxurious leather, and subsequently, have been treated with respect and dignity.

Hotel Furniture Strategy

The use of furniture in Hotels greatly affects the environment and ambiance within. Colour, texture and shape are important elements for interior designers seeking to imbue bedrooms, bars, reception areas and dining rooms with moods appropriate to their function.

Of course the primary goal of all hotels is to create a comfortable, stylish environment for their guests, but there is more to designing a hotel Furniture scheme than merely selecting lots of pieces that look nice.

Each area within the hotel needs to be addressed separately, taking into account the frequency of use, function of the area, amount of space, likelihood of spillage etc.  This therefore creates the need for a carefully planned Furniture strategy.

Hotel reception areas are generally large open areas offering guests and visitors their first exposure to the venue.  Creating the best possible first impression is therefore essential, and most hotels will invest heavily in furnishing their reception areas in order to do this.  Fabric choice is important both from a design perspective and a wear and tear point of view. Guests may prefer to have drinks and light snacks in front of house areas, which means upholstery may be prone to spillage.  Comfort is of the utmost importance as well, with reception areas often hosting business meetings, afternoon teas, and other social gatherings.

Hotel function rooms require a completely different furniture scheme. Flexibility is the most crucial factor here, as the rooms could be used for Balls, Parties, Conferences, or possibly as an Overspill restaurant. Tables will therefore need to be foldable and chairs stackable so that the rooms can be rearranged quickly and furniture stored away in as small a space as possible. Both will also have to be hardwearing due to the rough treatment they are likely to receive.

Bar furniture needs to be incredibly robust as it is usually the most harshly treated of all hotel furniture.  Chairs are often knocked over or dragged from place to place by guests, and spillage is inevitable. Dark, stain resistant fabric is recommended, and removable machine washable covers are a sensible option. Tables are likely to suffer similarly rough treatment with guests sitting on, standing on and resting their feet on them at times, emphasising the need for strength and durability.

Furniture within hotel rooms is less frequently used than in other areas of hotels so the need for hard-wearing durable designs is lessened. Here the emphasis will be on comfort, and utilising decorative pieces that compliment the bedroom decor. Spillage is also less likely so light coloured fabrics are more acceptable.

Restaurant furniture has its own individual requirements as well. As in most restaurants, dining chairs are designed to be comfortable for only a certain amount of time – usually long enough for the average person to enjoy a meal – but no longer. This is so that diners are not tempted to linger long after their meal, and instead move on to other areas of the venue eg. The Bar, giving staff enough time to reset the restaurant ready for the next sitting

Handmade Furniture

These days almost all furniture is mass produced. Even furniture pieces at the higher end of the market generally come off a production line. This mass-production has obvious benefits in terms of both cost and flexibility of course, but there’s something a little impersonal about knowing that thousands of other people have the same bed, three-piece suite or dining furniture as you.  The alternative is to buy handcrafted furniture from a specialist furniture manufacturer. Although significantly more expensive than a mass-produced alternative, and generally more old-fashioned in appearance hand crafted furniture does offer unrivaled quality and exclusivity.

Once upon a time, all furniture was handmade. You have seen this furniture of old in the homes of your grandparents or in antique stores. Each piece was lovingly crafted according to the desires of the craftsman and client, resulting in furniture that was wholly unique. Designs were intricate and often used more than one type of wood.

When you find a handmade antique table, for example, you know that there is no other table in the world quite like it. Old-fashioned standards for making furniture were rigorous, and the furniture of our ancestors was built to last. That is why so much of it continues to be handed down through the generations.

Arne Jacobsen’s Egg Chair

The original Egg chair is as in demand today as it always has been. Still manufactured by Fritz Hansen of Denmark the design has remained completely true to the original. In fact, so true is today’s egg chair to its original design that to the untrained eye it is indistinguishable from a 1950’s version.

Like all style icons, the Egg chair has spawned an entire genre of similar chair designs. It’s groundbreaking look was the inspiration behind other design classics, the best of which have to be Eero Arnio’s 1960s range of futuristic seating, including the Ball Chair, Bubble Chair and Pastil Chair.

The egg chair is still influencing furniture design to this day and this is evident in the manufacture and supply of hotel furniture by companies such as Design-at-Knightsbridge. Modern Retro swivel chairs are common place in homes, bars and nightclubs throughout the country and figure hugging tub chairs, reminiscent of this 50 year old style icon, have become a common feature in slick city centre hotels.

Egg chair inspired modern design