Shiny, Happy People!

You can always tell that if a trend hits the catwalk it will be sure to hit our homes as well. A trend which is set to take the interior world by storm in 2015, is metallic! From urban to traditional and even glamorous the metallic trend can be added to many homes with ease from a few accessories to an accent wall.

There are many items of furniture available on the market that are in a metallic finish such as the Taj coffee table. Part of the Casa Couture collection which is exclusive to House of Fraser.

Check out www.tomdixon.net for some inspirational metallic lighting ideas to bring the trend to your home. Established in 2002, Tom Dixon is a British product design brand, designs can also be purchased through the Heal's store at Redbrick.

For an over the top expression of luxury go for the gold and create a first class room with golden accents, furnishings, wall coverings, and fixtures. By contrast to gold, silver is a softer, sleeker yet equally luxurious and complimentary but can also look and feel cooler.

There are many metallic wallpapers on the market to transform a room and still keep the rest of your furniture.

Or if you do not want to go bold straight away but still want a piece of the metallic action, why not add some metallic cushions to a room?

How to get a cosy living room...

I know for sure that my living room is one of the cosiest places in my house....minus my bed of course. There is nothing more inviting for visitors in your home than a cosy living room.

With it being one of the most used rooms of the house, finding a balance between a cosy and functional living room can take some trial and error. Have a look at some of the tips below for making it a successful cosy haven first time...

1. Throw Blankets and Cushions – By placing one or two throw blankets in your living room you are inviting everyone to curl up and get comfy in your living room. The added extra cushions are great for cuddling up to on a cold evening!

2.  Floor to Ceiling Curtains – A bonus of this is they are good for helping with your heating bills too keeping all the heat in!

3. Footstools – Footstools are on the rise! Not only does it mean you can put your feet up and really snuggle down on the sofa, they are an extra seat if you have visitors and can also make a great coffee table!

4. Lamps – Lighting is one of the most important parts of achieving a cosy environment. Be it table lamps or floor lamps, explore both options to see what works best with your space.

5. Rugs – Even on carpeted floors, rugs can define your space. Under foot having a soft squishy pile is always going to feel cosier than a bare floor!

6. Knick-Knacks – These little items can make or break a cosy feeling. Try not to over use and mix styles - pick a theme and run with it!

Using any of these ideas can help your living room go from stark and cold to warm and inviting. Keep the amount of space you have available in mind!

LOVE your home this Valentines!

With Valentines just around the corner - Who says it should just be about loving your other half? Here are some great ideas to show your home you love it too....

Garston Love seat from made.com - £499

                     

  Petal Lighshade from Habitat - £60             Slate Coasters from Design55 - £12.50

            

Framed prints from made.com - From £69

Pretty Flamingo Wqallpaper - £20 from Laura Ashley

Emma Bridgewater Mug - £17.95, Spotty Padded Heart - £6.50, Sweet Pea Seeds - £4.00
from John Lewis

Stitch Leaf Pink Wallpaper from Habitat - £15

                
Heart Flutes - £35, Heart Felt Cushion - £30,  Le Creuset Ramekins - £30
from House of Fraser

Cream Heart Shelf - £26 from Laura Ashley




Patchwork Cushions - £9.95 each from Dotcomgiftshop

Let your ideas grow...

It always seems to be the case that when I am searching the internet for new images or ideas on one topic I fall across a totally different idea that stops me in my tracks.

This post was meant to be about a cobalt and white theme, but as ever I got distracted! When looking for some great design images to show you I came across.....

design-seeds.com

This site is great for design and colour inspiration. By taking images of nature and every day situations, design-seeds takes the main colour and adds them to your palette.

Take a look below - click on the image to take you back to source.

Vintage Tones

    

Blue Tones

Artisan Tones

Coral Dream

   

Nature Reserve

   

Expect to see the design-seeds images on the blog in the future - I love how they show colour palettes working in real life!

Furniture and Accessories UNICHE and you!

So in my quest to find some amazing lighting to share with you I stumbled across this little gem of a website -

Uniche Interior Furnishings

They have some amazing industrial looking lighting, furniture and accessories - I AM IN LOVE!
The styling photos have been taken to perfection showing the products in the perfect setting and giving you lots of inspiration.


Have a look at some of the great things they have to offer...

Glass and Metal drop Pendant Light - £75

Perfect Little Copper Light - £75

Industrial Glass Pendant - £70

http://www.unicheinteriorfurnishings.co.uk/

The unique pieces brought to you by the Uniche team have a rustic edge about them that can be added with minimal effort into existing decor. Painted brickwork and wooden floorboards are great for completing the look.

'Uniche came about from our desire to step away from the ordinary and furnish homes with truly unique pieces that blend with your lifestyle and dare to be different.' - Mark Bentham and Laura Lane

All this has also got me thinking waaay too much about cowhide rugs! They look great on the pictures above and I think are so under used. I have pulled together some of my favourites for you below...

Midas Touch Patchwork Hide in Gold £845 - Furnish.co.uk

LARGE REINDEER HIDE RUG LR179 - Citycows.co.uk

COWHIDE RUG CHR503 £239- Cowhiderugs.co.uk

KOLDBY Cow hide, brown £180 - Ikea.com

COWHIDE RUG CHR143 £219 -Cowhiderugs.co.uk

Parquet Rug £349 - Made.com

Photo credit:  southshoredecoratingblog.com , unicheinteriorfurnishings.co.uk

Baby it's cold outside!

With the cold weather definitely setting in it is time to snuggle up in from of the telly with a nice cuppa and wrap up in some of our favourite throws and cushions!

Cable knit is a big trend at the moment for both throws and cushions. As ever mixing and matching textures looks great when it comes to interiors so try mixing a knitted throw with a furry cushion to add a cosy feel to the room.

1. Cream Knit Cushion - RJR - John Rocha - £40
2. Silver Candle Stick - Wilkinsons - £5
3. Knitted Throw - George Home - £25
4. Fur Heart Cushion - Matalan - £10
5. Cream Wide Knit Cushion - Dunelm Mill - £14.99
6. Fur Throw - Heal's - £240
7. Grey Knit Cushion - Made.com - £28

Create a cosy environment and get ready for Christmas with some candles too! Scented candles are great at this time of year to really get those Christmas aromas in the house.
Here are some festive candles holders from Tesco.

1. Knit Effect Resin Tea Light Holder - £8.99

2. Wooden Christmas Tree Cut Out Lantern - £8.99

3. Knitted Tea Light Holder - £5.99

Up Cycling

There are so many amazing furniture retailers out there at the moment offering original designs but they normally come with a hefty price tag.

Upcycling is a growing trend in the UK with many people grabbing the paint brush to add a new lease of life to their current pieces of furniture.

Here at Redbrick we have he wonderful Rhubarb and Ginger who will breath a new lease of life into anything you have lying about your house! Check out some of their amazing creations below.

Here are some of our top tips for upcycling:

• Pick you colour(s) - if you are going to sand some of the edges pick a complimentary colour.
• Make sure you prepare the piece you are upcycling - if you are using chalk paint you don't need to prime and sand. We love Annie Sloan!
• Add wax to painted items once dry. This will seal and protect the paint, a clear wax with a lint free cloth will do the trick.
• Why not add a design with a stencil and really make it your own?
• Adding fabric or paper to a chest of drawers can make a truly unique piece.
• Don’t always upholster a chair in matching fabric – why not change it up with a different pattern on the back?
• If you are not feeling up to much hard work but want to revamp - why not just change the handles?

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Wax

Also if you get chance visit - www.royaldesignstudio.com - They have some amazing stencils! Check out some of the cremes that they have that you can add on top of your newly painted piece.

Let me know if you decide to give up cycling a go and post your pictures below!