Creating An Inviting Family Kitchen

It can be hard to keep your family in the kitchen, and especially if you love to cook, it can get awfully lonely in there.

That's why it's important, if you have the space at your disposal, to make your kitchen an inspiring and inviting space where your family will naturally congregate to help you prepare meals, do homework at the table, or even just hang out and play board games after a hard day. But to ensure that you make a truly sociable kitchen, you'll need to pay careful and close attention to the furniture you choose.

Make sure you pick out some comfortable chairs, so that all the family will enjoy sitting around the dining table, and will have no reason not to linger. It's very important that you don't forget about accessories, as it is always the smallest touches that make the biggest difference. Try some new prints for the walls, a new tablecloth, or even a fresh and funky lighting scheme to shake things up and bring a feeling of novelty to the room.

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Furnishing A Traditional Home

With the market filled with ultra-modern pieces, characterized by clean, sometimes harsh lines and unbroken expanses, sometimes it can be nice to be reminded of a simpler time, and a great way to achieve this in your home is to choose a traditional range of furniture with which to transform your home.

While modern rooms can often feel cold, there is something very special about traditional design that makes it exude warmth and a charming rustic glow, so why not take advantage of the unique properties of traditional furniture and give yourself and your family a treat today.

Traditional furniture is characterised by time-honoured design that evokes the warmth and simplicity of times gone by, and uses materials like solid oak and pine to bring an air of solidity and permanence to a room. Check out the great range of solid wood furniture that's available online, and soon you'll be filling your home with pieces that bring a charming, warm presence and with radiate a simple and unfussy beauty.

Once you've picked your furniture, try accessorising with traditional rugs, tablecloths and other textiles for that classic rustic look.

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A Beautifully Eclectic Sitting Room

With everything that's going on in this room, it can be difficult to pick out exactly what makes it so stylish and elegant, and yet so relaxing and unpretentious - it is the choice of an eclectic style, incorporating elements from many different looks and themes to bring a slightly chaotic, but totally stylish, new feel to any home.

By carefully mixing and matching pieces and styles from across history, you can create a room that is not just a stylish place to entertain guests or simply to spend time with your family, but which is also a totally unique expression of your personality.

One of the best things about going for an eclectic style is that you can shop virtually anywhere, from the charity shop to the high-end boutique, choosing pieces that appeal to you and which really demonstrate the way your mind works. It's a great idea to mix and match, as this only magnifies the off-the-wall effect of an eclectic room and turns it into a fascinating Aladdin's cave, filled with stunning pieces.

So get your imagination going, and start collecting unusual and quirky items to create that wonderful, appealing eclectic look.

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Check Out This Opulent Traditional Sitting Room

With the sumptuously elegant furniture on display here, it's easy to overlook the simple touches that go into the rest of the room, giving it its exclusive, refined feel and making it a truly impressive living space.

Note the curtains, which, with their pale gold accents both reflect warm light and also match the understated tones of the upholstery, creating a unified look that smiles warmly on gold colours. Also note the carpet, with its unusual design and white background, which together work to incorporate the sofas and footrests into the scheme of the room, making sure that nothing looks at all out of place.

If you want to create a similar look on a budget, then there a few easy things you can try: go for some rich coloured fabrics to dress the room, and invest in some solid wooden furniture to really bring home the traditional grandeur that you are seeking.

With a little imagination, any room can feel like a sumptuous palace, so get creative and see what's available online and soon you will find yourself relaxing in beautiful, opulent surroundings.

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A Beautiful Retro-Modern Kitchen

If you hanker after the look of years gone by, but are addicted to the sleek elegance of contemporary styles, then this stunning retro-modern kitchen is the perfect inspiration for you.

Notice how the layering of different textured surfaces, from rich, characterful wood to sleek marble worktops to smooth vinyl for the cupboard doors, all set off by brushed stainless steel sinkware, oven and stools. This effect can easily be duplicated by carefully combining wooden furniture with more modern materials, allowing you to create a highly varied look that will never get old.

The key to this look is also evident in the shelves – the more clutter that appears on them, the less the beautiful surfaces will stand out, so it's very important for this look that you have properly thought out your kitchen storage, as nothing ruins a style like clutter.

So if you want to recreate this look, then carefully pick the textures that you want, and then ensure that you have the storage that you need to maintain the cool minimalist look.

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Exciting New Ideas For Your Dining Room

So you've decorated your dining room in beautiful colours, bought and installed stunningly elegant new furniture, but you just need those tiny extra touches to really bring the room to life? Well, look no further for inspiration – there are so many little ways to accessorise a dining room, from an innovative table display to a creative lighting scheme, that you'll have total control over your dining room, and as a result your dinner parties will never have been so stylish.

If you are after something that is just that little bit different, why not try dressing your table with an exciting and daring new table arrangement? Invest in a designer centrepiece to provide a great conversation starter and create a great focal point to the room. You could also look into some new tableware – if you're feeling bold you may wish to opt for something funky and fresh like rectangular plates in bright colours so that you can make absolutely sure that your dinner parties will be totally unique and unforgettable.

So let your mind go to work, and soon you'll come up with some fantastic ideas to give your dining room a little extra lift.

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Don't Overlook Your Hall

Even in the most beautifully furnished homes, the hall can often be neglected, despite the fact that it's the first room that visitors see, so it's important to make sure that you get your hall looking just right. If you're short of storage around the home, you can also find handy pieces of furniture that will allow you to make the most of this often overlooked space.

A great paint job is the obvious starting point, so get some paint samples from your local DIY centre and come up with a refreshing colour scheme that will welcome guests and family members as they cross the threshold. Traditional colours like ivory or lemon yellow work great, but so do bold, modern colours like eggplant or lime green. The key is to experiment, and who knows what amazing discoveries you'll make.

Once you've picked your colours, get some furniture to accessorise the room. A console table or small chest of drawers also gives you a little extra storage, so see if you can find a piece that will both add to the atmosphere of the hall and also give you some great practical function.

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Use Colour To Revolutionise A Room

It can be so easy to allow a room to fall into a boring, staid and tired state, but one look at this sumptuous room with its repeated notes of lime green tied together by a beautifully simplistic ivory is enough to inspire you to bring an extra splash of colour to your home, and to create a room that is truly special, and which will retain its power to impress well into the future.

Try a bold lemon yellow to bathe your room in sunny blissful light, combined with the naturally radiant hues of solid pine furniture, and you'll really maximise the sense of space in your home. If you're feeling bold, why not go for three white walls, with a feature wall around a fireplace painted a deep crimson, to give you a sophisticated, mellow feel, which you can take to gloriously elegant heights by incorporating dark stained oak furniture.

The key is to never compromise in your desire, so be bold and pick a colour that truly expresses your personality, and you'll transform your home into an elegant and refined space.

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Look at This Beautiful, Moody Lounge

With its sombre tones and imposing lighting centrepiece, this lounge has a dark and stormy appeal all of its own, while the soft furnishings and beautifully chosen rug make it welcoming and warm, so that its intense style doesn't get in the way of the comfort of you and your family.

Note the designer wallpaper, which gives the room a fantastic, woodland feel while also ensuring that the sense of space is maximised. If you're sick of the same old four walls, a creative approach to wallpaper can really make a difference, so why not let this stunning room inspire you to create something extra special.

One of the other beautiful touches in this room is in the furniture choices – by choosing modern, pale toned upholstery, the owner has ensured that there will be an airy, free-floating atmosphere that really sets off the wallpaper. Note the cupboard, though, with its dark woodstain which brings a hint of the traditional to the space and underscores the moody feel of the room. So let this stunning room inspire you and you'll soon be resting in beautifully designed surroundings.

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Can’t Think What To Do With That Spare Room? What About A Kids’ Playroom?

We've all been there - your spare room, far from being a useful part of the house, is just where the clutter gets relegated to, where your kids chuck their stuff, and where nobody ever tidies. It can be a real shame to waste a room in your house, so it's really worth your while to come up with creative approaches to the clutter in your house, and to what use you put your various rooms to. A great idea for a spare room is a getaway for your kids - remember, that as well as giving them a space of their own, you're also securing a bit more space for yourself, perfect if the little terrors are monopolising your free time.

All you need is some storage for their toys and games to get started, so why not think about a big blanket box as a stylish alternative to a toybox? Bookshelves for their DVDs and computer games will help them to keep themselves organised. Think about a sturdy TV stand as well, and make sure you tidy the wires away to prevent tripping hazards. Bean bags make for great affordable seating too.

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See What You Can Achieve With A Feature Wall

One of the simplest, yet most effective tools in the interior designer's arsenal is the feature wall. It sounds simple, but by painting or papering one wall differently to the rest, the line of the walls is disrupted, often resulting in a room that feels bigger, more open, and which will take bold style choices like up-to-the-minute modern furniture, allowing you to truly use your imagination to its limits and create the room that you have always dreamed about.

When deciding on a feature wall, it's vital that you make sure that the colours you choose will have the desired effect and not simply create a clash. The best way to do this is to get some paint samples and paint up the inside of an old shoebox so that you can see the effect in action. Broadly speaking, however, a feature wall should be darker than its neighbours, and to maximise the impact, it can be a good idea to have the three normal walls painted white.

The key here is experimentation, so before you commit to painting your room, make sure that you have found a scheme that really reflects your intentions.

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Choosing A Colour Scheme To Match Your New Furniture

When you buy new furniture, it can sometimes make the rest of the room look tired and drab by comparison, so it can be worth your while to introduce a fresh new colour scheme to refresh your home and provide a great atmosphere that family and friends will love.

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If you've opted for wooden furniture, you have many options, as different colour schemes will accentuate different tones in the wood's natural grain. If you pick a light lemon yellow or ivory, your furniture's dark tones will stand out, whereas if you choose earth tones in terracotta or umber, the highlights of the wood will stand out, bringing a cool glow to the whole room.

It's worth considering using one wall as a feature wall, either by painting it a contrasting colour or by finding some striking wallpaper to cover it with. This allows you to accentuate more of the tones and colours of your furniture, giving you amazing control over the feel of the room and letting you create exactly the atmosphere that you want to.

So be bold, and find a colour scheme that truly expresses your personality, and soon your home will be radiant with colour and style.

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Picking The Perfect Dining Table

There are some things in life that you really shouldn't skimp on, and making sure you have a dining table that you love is most definitely in that category. A dining table is not just an ordinary piece of furniture, but in many ways is the heart of your home, where friends and family come together to eat scrumptious meals and share conversation and fun times, so it's vital that you get a table that allows you to make the most of your dining area, and which won't get in the way of you having a good time.

The worst mistake you can make with a dining table is to get one that is just too small. If your dining are is limited in space or if you need access that prevents you from getting a full sized table, why not think about investing in an extending dining table, so that your plans can be flexible – after all, if you have extra guests, you don't want to cram them into the corners.

So measure up your room and find the biggest table you can, and soon you'll be dining in style.

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Be Inspired By This Sophisticated Sitting Room Colour Scheme

It can be so hard to create a sitting room that is both comfortable and welcoming and which also has a truly sophisticated vibe that will impress any visitor with your exceptional taste. So if you've been searching in vain for inspiration, check out the colours at work in this fantastic sitting room with its amazing fusion of traditional and modern styles.

First let's look at the paint work on the walls - by picking out the smaller surfaces with a bold and refreshing lime green, contrasted with a beautiful ivory shade for the more expansive walls, an illusion of space is achieved that really allows you to breathe and appreciate your room. The lime green ensures that whatever plants you have in the room will have a sympathetic shade, making them a real part of your colour scheme and allowing you to subtly alter the mood of the room as the occasion demands.

Set off the walls by using a black and white colour palette for the furniture, and you will easily create a room that has a real sense of harmony while also being filled with bold, refreshing colours that will inspire and delight your guests.

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Get the look for less

If you know where to look, it can be easy to recreate a designer look for less.

Contemporary Bed Frame

A sleek urban look is a fantastic way to give your bedroom a contemporary feel. The Meridian Bed Frame from Heals is simple yet elegant. Get the look for less with the dark stained Metro Bed made from solid oak, and save a massive £716!

Heals Meridian Bed Frame £1095

Painted Chest of Drawers

White painted furniture will never go out of style and makes a versatile backdrop for your bedroom. Whether you choose rich, berry coloured soft furnishings or a crisp monochrome look, a white chest of drawers will stand the test of time. Get the same look as Feather and Black's Olivia Chest of Drawers with the Cameo Chest of Drawers and save a huge £453.

Feather and Black's Olivia Chest of Drawers £625

Oak Dining Chairs

High quality oak dining chairs don’t have to cost the earth. Get the simple elegant look of the Ardennes Dining Chairs from John Lewis with the Ladderback chair from PineSolutions and save £180 per chair!

John Lewis Ardennes Dining Chair £249 each.

Mirrored Furniture

Mirrored furniture exudes glamour and decadence. Graham and Green’s striking Josephine bedside table will be a fantastic focal point of any room. Get the look for less with the Venetian Two Drawer Bedside Table from PineSolutions and save £209.50!

Graham and Green's Josephine Bedside Table £295.

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Check Out This Quirky Contemporary Sitting Room

Ultra modern design can often make a room into a cold and uninviting space where you never feel you can truly relax, but as you can see in this beautiful sitting room, by being a bit creative you can create a space that has a fresh modern feel, but which also is filled with the soothing tones of traditional materials.

By incorporating the delightful woven chair, a little of the warmth and character of a more simple time is introduced into the modern minimalist environment, making this stunning room a perfect fusion of styles.

The thick rug both provides an exceptional level of comfort as you walk around, but also unites the varying textures and colours, creating a harmony out of an eclectic mix of styles.

If you want to create a similar effect on a budget, why not combine a traditional set of wooden furniture with a modern paint and lighting scheme, all linked by a thick, luxurious rug and an innovative lighting scheme, to create a room that unites the best parts of the modern and traditional worlds.

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Accessorise Your Dining Room

Every dining room needs a little extra touch to make it truly special, whether it is a beautiful chandelier to serve as a captivating centrepiece or a range of plants to bring in some fresh character. With a bit of imagination you can turn a great dining room into a stunning one, perfect for a sophisticated evening of fine dining.

Lighting is a great way to bring a new touch to a room, so check out what's available online and bring in something special, like a chandelier or set of lamps to really set the scene.

Plants can also make the difference, especially if they have inviting;y coloured flowers. Look for plants that don't shed leaves so that you never have to worry about them making a mess and you'll be well on the way to the dining room of your dreams.

A rug can also make a huge difference, providing some extra comfort for your guests and really helping to bring the room together, so browse online and find something that really expresses your personality.

Remember that it's the small details that really make a difference, and pay close attention to the overall style of the room and you'll easily add that little extra special touch to your dining experience.

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Great Ideas For A Contemporary Bedroom

If you're looking for a few ways to accessorise and improve a contemporary bedroom, then you're in luck. With the vast range of amazing extras available online, there's never been a better time to fix up a room that needs a little TLC than now, so here's a few tips to get you started, and soon you'll be able to create a bedroom that is filled with a luxuriant and inviting atmosphere as well as all the cool sophistication of contemporary style.

If you want to bring a little warmth and character to a modern bedroom, the cheapest and easiest way to start is with a few plants. A rubber plant has wide, thick, lustrous leaves that provide a great textural counterpoint to the sleek surfaces of modern furniture, and for smaller plants a banana lily makes a bold style statement. Of course, you'll need to get some beautiful pots and vases if you're going to do this, so have an explore online and see what you can turn up.

As with the plants, it's the small details that really bring character to a room, so keep your eye out for ornaments and accessories, and you'll soon create a room that is built for luxurious sleep.

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Great Ideas For Your Front Room

Is your front room starting to get you down? If you've got a great sitting room, then the front room can often seem dull and unwelcoming, and if you already have a separate dining room, then it may seem as though it has no useful function, but with a few bright ideas, you can make sure that it has everything it needs to be a delightful space in its own right.

First you need to decide what you want the room to be - will it be a smart reception room for visitors, with a more formal atmosphere than the sitting room, perfect for serving coffee to acquaintances, or will you go the other direction, and make it into a super-comfy room where the whole family can veg out if they need to, while preserving your sitting room as a more public space? The choice is yours, but it is vital that you make a firm choice so that you don't end up with a muddled mess.

Once you've decided what you want to create, explore the amazing selection of furniture available online and discover for yourself the perfect bunch of pieces to really transform your front room into a space you can be proud of.

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