Home accessories Leicestershire

The Best Home Accessories Leicester

A home with the right accessories, decorations and furnishing is a living haven to the family and the visitors. Having the right home decoration starts from making use of the right home accessories.

Homeowners can have an urban and unique styled home with the proper mix of modern home accessories with some classical pieces. There are numbers of ways in which this can be achieved, through installation of retro light fixtures that will accentuate and brighten all the rooms in the house. But when applying accessories in the home, comfort should be of high priority, you should take your comfort serious and add the accessories accordingly. Budget is another factor that needs to be considered when adding home accessories to your home; you should keep your budget in mind to guide you against going over the board when shopping for the right home accessories.

For a guide on the most appropriate home accessories in Leicester for a beautiful home, here are some of the accessories you should be looking at adding to your Leicester home.

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Light Fixtures

Lighting fixtures are some of the awesome home accessories that will give your home a new lift if they are properly chosen and installed. To give you Leicester home a retro urban look, the lightening fixtures should be rightly maximized. The use of candles around the house will create a romantic and modern look. If you have a big budget, you can go for chandeliers to add more life to your room. Lightening fixture of the rustic types such as iron or brass can give your modern house a country style effect. There are other lightening fixtures that will give your home a face lift if it is properly selected.

Drapes and Curtains

A nice way of adding character, elegance and charm to a home is adorning your windows, hallways and walls with curtains and drapes. There is no limit to how stylist and luxurious your home can be when you choose the right prints, patterns and fabrics of curtains and drapes to use in your home. Using the right colours and designs of curtains will add elegance and gorgeous look to the living room and bedrooms of the house. Drapes and curtain don’t add appeal to the interiors of a house but will also create a visual appeal to the exterior view of the house.

Carpets and Rugs

All homes have different types of carpets and rugs that fit with each rooms of the home. For instance, an antique rug will be a good choice for the living room of a house. The choice of rugs and carpets for the living depends on the homeowner, individuals differs in their choice of colour. Some may want a different colour for their rugs and carpets from everything else in the room in order to draw attention to it, while some will go for a matching colour with the scheme in the room.

Installing mirrors in the walls of a room with little space will create the illusion of having more space and also brighten up the room.

Styling up the home is really easy; a well-planned installation of these accessories will create a warm atmosphere for the family and visitors to the house. For Workwear Clothing feel free to visit workwear wardrobe

How to design a teenage boy’s room

Teenage boys use their rooms for many different things, not just sleeping. For many of them it’s a refuge, somewhere that they can genuinely be themselves. It’s important that the décor reflects who your teenage boy is at the core.

It’s also important that it’s suitable for all the ways that he’ll use it, sleeping, studying, and hanging out with his friends. So try to steer them towards things that are flexible enough to be included in more than one interior décor scheme.

Sports Fans

Those who support or are passionate about a sports team, for example Manchester United might want to decorate their room with images of their favourite players, and choose to paint the walls the same colours as the strip.

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Film fans

A lot of boys can get fascinated by one particular film, or a genre of film. Star Wars is a favourite for many teenage boys, maybe because they are influenced by their parent, or a older male relative. If so they might want to use a lot of film memorabilia in decorating their room, such as posters, or action figures.

Cool and colourful

Your teenager may choose to keep their room cool and airy, with a light paint and patterned accessories. A possibility could be cream walls, and geometric patterned home accessories such as cushions or rugs.

Ultra-organised

Some boys place storage options, and the chance to keep everything private to be their top priority. It will create a clean décor, and might be achieved by having a bed with drawers beneath it.

Monochrome

They might choose to have a black and white colour scheme, rather than going bright and colourful. It will take the impact away from the walls, and means that the focus is on whatever furniture they choose to place in the room.

Music fans

Regardless of their personal taste in music, many boys choose to have images of their favourite performers. If they are musicians themselves, then they will have to find ways to store the instruments as well.

Storage solutions for small bedrooms

Some bedrooms are particularly tricky to decorate due to the small space. If your teenage boy claims that he has to leave things on the floor, because there’s no room for his possessions why not invest in some clever storage options?

To stop his floor becoming his wardrobe, buy some hanging drawers instead so there’s loads of room for folded clothes, without a chest of drawers taking up space.

Elegant lighting solutions that will enhance your home’s ambience

Lighting solutions are not always at the forefront of our minds. We may have a central light with a single bulb in each room and neutral light shades encasing them. This might be convenient when conducting home refurbishments in Leicester because neutral shades will suit any colour scheme. However, the same source of light might become tiresome year after year. There are many options which can change the mood of your room according to your mindset. Lighting solutions are a perfect way to provide light and shade to your home renovations in Leicester, and enhance your interiors for the better.

Wall lamps

Wall lamps are an attractive option which will provide subtle lighting. You can turn off your main light and allow lamps to fill your room with a romantic light similar to that of a candle. Wall lamps are available in many shapes and styles which will manipulate the strength and quality of the light. You might invest in lamps with a cut out silhouette which cast intricate shadows across your room. You might also choose LED wall lamps which will provide a bright and more contemporary light source. The diverse wall lamps, which are available to purchase, guarantee that you will find a suitable style for your room’s aesthetic.

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Fairy Lights

Fairy lights are fun and frivolous which are ideal for a child’s bedroom. You can fuel their imagination with novelty fairy lights which represent various cartoon characters or animals. Fairy lights are popular with children but they are not exclusive to them. Over the last few years, fairy lights have become more sophisticated in their design. You can choose fairy lights which look like Chinese lanterns or twine spheres. These add a touch of class as well as providing an alternative light source.

Stand alone lamps

Lamps that stand alone in the corner of rooms are perfect if you want to engage with an activity such as reading a book without needing an obtrusive light source. Stand alone lamps are available in many styles, from antique and traditional to minimalist and contemporary. You can also buy lamps that mimic organic structures, such as trees and flowers, and provide a striking feature to your home. Stand alone lamps are widely available and there is one to suit every price range.

Desk lamps

Desk lamps are often used for work because they provide a better quality of light which is helpful for your eyesight. However, they can also be used as a design feature. Desk lamps come in many different forms and can provide a useful way to light up small spaces such as bookcases and shelving under the stairs because of their compact size. They are portable which makes them highly versatile and useful. You can buy several and distribute them around the room to create subtle pockets of light. Desk lamps are normally inexpensive and can be bought from a variety of online and high-street retailers.

Floor lighting

Floor lighting can be achieved by LED strips which can fix under cabinets. LED strips can also be cut and attached to staircases, where the step meets the wall. This provides a very subtle and modern light source which is highly beneficial. Floor lighting can be used at night when one needs to visit the toilet but does not want to wake the entire household by turning on numerous lights. Floor lighting is still quite rare and therefore will be admired by your guests for its innovative and forward-thinking design.

There are many alternative ways to light your room without switching on your central light. These solutions will provide enough light to achieve your designated task, without causing light pollution. They will also create a tranquil and restful ambience which you will appreciate after a hard day’s work. Read more for more details.

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Inexpensive ideas for your garden

Your home’s garden is one of the most important places of your property. If maintained well, it can turn your house into a diamond in disguise.

The most beautiful gardens in the magazines aren’t created with lots of money, but with great ideas from experienced designers.

The first thing you should do is to consider how big your backyard is and what do you want to use it for. Knowing what you want will help you pick everything needed to turn your gardens into a small private paradise.

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Pavers and Ground Cover

Using pavers and ground cover is both a cheap and very nice idea. They can be put in different patterns and then used as a fancy pathway.

Get cuttings from friends

If you like a plant from your neighbors, you can ask them polite for a small cutting from their plant. Asking friends for cutting will reduce the costs of going to the nursery and buying plants from there. Note that, not all cuttings will live enough to grow.

Use cheaper plantings

It can be expensive to buy beds or planters from the gardening store, but it’s not needed too! You can use wine crates, barrels, and tires to create your own planters for your lovely flowers to flourish.

Check the stores for perennials

These are types of plants that flourish every season and return year after year, which means that they won’t live only for a season and die. They are colorful, beautiful and budget-friendly so go ahead!

Use grasses for a luxurious garden

Grasses can be combined in many ways. They come in different shapes and colors, providing your home with a lovely and expensive look. Check out the website here.

Home Accessories Leicester

Do you want to turn your house into a uniquely stylish home? Then you need to add the right home accessories! Accessories transform your home and ensure that it looks the way you’ve always imagined it. Unfortunately it is often much harder than you would imagine to find the accessories that you want.

Which is where Craven and Hargreaves come in!

We have the experience and contacts to find you the items that you need when you want to create the home you have always desired. By utilising our expertise you can sit back happy in the knowledge that we will work to find the home accessories you’re looking for without you needing to life a finger.

It isn’t just our expertise which you will be able to take advantage of when you use Craven and Hargreaves, you’ll also get our enthusiasm. We love to shop! We’ll be happy to search high and low for that one item you need that gives your room the feel you’re looking for.

If you’re looking for pinboards or doorstops then pick up the phone and call straight away. We can make either of them in your choice of fabric to perfectly co-ordinate them with your room décor.

If you are looking for that perfect home accessory then you’re in the right place. Whether you are looking for furniture, decorative objects, wall art or something else completely we will find it for you. Give Craven and Hargreaves a call today for a free consultation and we will start looking for the accessories for your home.

Mixed Material Accents – an Introduction

If you keep up with the latest Pinterest design trends then you might have noticed the increasing presence of mixed material accents to create statements in the home. With a modicum of thought and inspiration it is amazing the results you can achieve, especially if you take advantage of the advice and expertise of those at the heart of sourcing home accessories Leicestershire. This little article will introduce two of the more prominent examples how this phenomenon is infiltrating the living spaces of those who keep up with the design innovation.

Marble and Brass: This combination is becoming all the rage, especially in the bathroom. Marble tiles and bathroom surfaces are being combined with gorgeous round brass sinks, taps and fixtures, with mirrors hanging from brass fixtures the icing on the cake of this particular example. As you can see, this stunning bathroom even takes the mixed material trend a further step by using wood flooring to add a bit of a rustic and warmer feel, which works beautifully. And, as one blogger commented, ‘brass is the new black.’ Cutting edge furniture design companies have taken up the challenge of integrating this particular set of mixed materials, with this coffee table, one example of how you can get on board without wholesale decorative change. Chopping boards, light fixtures, trays and mirrors all offer opportunities for exploration in mixed materials. Time to explore!

Concrete and Copper: Perhaps an even bolder development has seen the increasing use of copper and concrete accents in the home, lending an industrial feel to the interior, perhaps originating from the trend-setting apartments in old warehouses in the East of London. It is no coincidence, for example, that Dulux’s colour of the year for 2015 is copper blush. Concrete look wallpaper has even emerged to offer a virtual way of integrating the mixed material vibe in your home, without the weight of real concrete to contend with! This can be stunningly offset by hanging pendant light fixtures in copper and mirrors and table ornaments as well. The department stores and boutiques alike have joined in the fun, with lamps of concrete and various metallic contrasts popping up all over the place, offering another chance to explore the many possibilities for exciting mixed materials in the home. Again, the potential for adding a splash of colour is there, just look at how the addition of an orange cushion and visually striking orange egg chair gives a beautiful contrast to the stark grey concrete feel in this room.

Let there be Light in my Kitchen!

Whether yours is an open plan kitchen or a smaller room, we all have areas in our kitchen from islands to units to corner cupboards that suffer from poor lighting. Fortunately with the enormous range of solutions on the market there is an answer for every lighting issue.

A very clever and reasonably priced solution, especially for those kitchens whose dark spots change with the weather and time of day, is to introduce flexible spotlights. From spot lights with shades that rotate 90 degrees each side to clamp-on, moveable spotlights with long, flexible, scissor arms that can follow the darkness around, perhaps on a seasonal basis, such lighting options represent a great, flexible and inexpensive option.

As open plan kitchens have prevailed as our kitchen of choice, so the question has arisen as to what constitutes the best lighting for such a room. It may be that generalised ceiling spotlighting provides the main light to the room and other options fill in the gaps. Recessed halogen spotlights are unobtrusive and efficient and can be spread evenly across the ceiling giving good universal coverage. However there will likely still be areas that need augmenting.

In larger kitchens a centrepiece hanging light feature like a chandelier or pendant light for a more modern touch, above the island, breakfast bar or dining table can look great and provide character as well as a welcome mood-lighting option. In larger kitchens benefiting from a nice dresser against a wall, perhaps a gorgeous free standing period table lamp could be the answer – with a wall-mounted mirror above the dresser this can be a real coup.

For the more modern kitchen, LED is an option that cannot be ignored for its potential to add real panache. When incorporated below the kickboards of your kitchen units, waterproof, self-adhesive LED tape or strips can be a wonderful addition to a 21st century kitchen. Whether they are applied below the kickboards, in the recesses of handle-less kitchen drawer fascia or above large cabinets, these fun, low energy lights are a superb option. LED tape is also available with colour changing for the more adventurous among us.

What often infuriates me is searching around in the back of those hard to reach corner cupboards for the one thing that I need that has happened to fall down the back and it is impossible to see where. To avoid this frustration, for the gadget lovers amongst us, motion sensitive surface mounted lights can be placed inside the cupboard and only activate as we open it. What makes these nifty gadgets even cooler is that as they run out of battery you simply remove them and charge them via a USB cable with your laptop or PC!

Never has there been a better time to shed some light on the darker recesses of your kitchen spaces and the kitchen refurbishment Leicestershire team are more than happy to show you the way.

Inviting Spring into Your Home

As the winter months become a cold memory and the snowdrops and bluebells warm our hearts with news of spring, it is time to look at our homes in a new light and think of how we can re-energise them with the vibrancy of this season of change. With a little thought your home can be transformed.

Spring clean

It may not be the glamorous option, but a top to bottom spring clean of your home will not only leave your house looking wonderful, but it will leave you feeling energised and you will become fully re-acquainted with your home, helping the ideas as to how to revamp and re-style your property flow. With the car boot season ready to rock now is the time to turn up the music and get those boxes filled with unwanted knickknacks that will free up valuable space.

New carpets or wooden flooring

There’s nothing quite like the satisfying smell of a new carpet and with all those scintillating colour and textile options, new carpets can provide a breathtaking platform for change. Perhaps, on the other hand you’ve always dreamt of that stylish, dust-free wooden floor. A super stylish option is a distressed oak floor, which may have you embarking on a mission to find those statement furniture pieces to do up in a shabby chic style to match.

Bright statements

Nothing says fresh and spring-friendly like a splash of life-affirming green or ocean blue. A bright tiling or wallpaper revamp in the bathroom may seem drastic but those energising blues and greens can make a bold spring statement. This principle can be carried on into the kitchen with whites and greens sure to brighten up your space. Perhaps some green and white chairs for the breakfast bar and a nice shade for that pendant light above the bar might to the trick?

Into the bedroom

For that splash of spring life in the bedroom, now is the time to add that feature wall. There are so many wonderful wallpapers out there that enable you to add a feature tailored to your tastes to your boudoir. With spring in mind, perhaps you could choose from some of those wonderful butterfly-themed pieces or opt for something with those garden birds that have kept you company through the winter and will flourish with the advent of spring.

The fresh spring vibe can be channelled throughout the home with a bit of a clean-up and a splash of colour and the interior design company in Leicester is ready to help you on your journey.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Choosing Curtains and Blinds

With such a wide variety of window treatments now available, making the right choice for your home can be confusing. Here are a few guidelines to help you make your decision when choosing curtains and blinds Leicestershire.

DO think about whether curtains or blinds would work best with your interior scheme. By using an interior designer you’ll get the best advice and be sure that your chosen treatment fits seamlessly with the rest of your room. This may mean using colours which complement your wall treatment or could mean using stand out contrast colours. If you have patterned walls, you could opt for a plain fabric in a colour which tones with shades elsewhere in the room, or continue the pattern ‘theme’ of the walls into your curtains or blinds.

DO think about the size of your room too. Choosing a large pattern, particularly in a room with patterned walls, will make the room appear smaller.

DO let your curtains reach the floor. If you have a radiator beneath the window, think about using a roman blind but still framing the window with floor length curtains for an elegant finish.

DO think about the practicalities of curtains versus blinds when redecorating a child’s room. Safety rods are now standard on blinds but repeated ‘enthusiastic’ pulling may mean blinds have a shorter life than curtains. Look for washable fabrics and consider blackout lining if your child finds getting to sleep difficult.

DO make sure, when calculating your costings that you allow for extras such as wall fixings, curtain rods etc. If your new window treatment is part of a refurbishment project, a professional interior design company, such as Craven & Hargreaves, will make sure that everything has been thought about and included, as part of their project management service.

DON’T be afraid to combine two window treatments. For example, hanging curtains over a roller blind gives a luxury ‘layered’ look. In a room with a sunny aspect, consider having sheer voile curtains for the summer and replacing them with a heavier fabric for winter. Don’t forget to include both choices in your budget.

DON’T go for the cheapest option when choosing curtain or blind fabric. Remember that your curtains will be pulled at least twice daily – more often if the room faces south or west and attracts strong sunlight – so you need a strong fabric. Consider using cords to operate the curtains, to reduce wear.

DON’T forget to check the care instructions for your new curtains or blinds. Most curtains will need to be dry cleaned, while blinds will need regular dusting or hoovering with an upholstery attachment and may need sponging to remove stains.

Selecting the right curtains and blinds will complete any interior scheme, offering good looks as well as sound insulation and privacy and will last for many years, so enjoy choosing the most beautiful and practical window treatment solution for your home.

Upcycling Ideas for Any Room in Your Home

We want our homes to reflect who we are and we’re increasingly turning away from buying massed produced items and going in search of more individual pieces. This, coupled with a surge in the popularity of all things vintage, means that upcycling continues to grow as an interiors trend, as it not only gives you a totally unique look but is also great for the environment and your home decorating budget.

If you like the idea, you’ll find plenty of inspiration on blogs and in magazines, then start looking in antique markets, auctions, salvage yards and car boot sales to find suitable furniture, home accessories and fabrics in reasonable condition and just let your imagination take over. Avoid anything with signs of woodworm, but almost anything in reasonable condition can be transformed. Why not treat yourself to a course on upholstery, staining or paint techniques at a local college if you need pieces for several rooms? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

An old stepladder rubbed down and stained or painted makes a great bookshelf or towel rail for a guest room.
Cover a school desk, coffee or side table in vintage tiles or decoupage made from old magazines or comics (ideal for a child’s room) sealed with several coats of varnish. Use the same technique for kitchen trays, using pages from old recipe books. Or use blackboard paint to make an ideal play table for a nursery.
Old wardrobes, with or without doors, make great storage. Add recycled timber shelves and drawers to make bespoke storage units for your kitchen, bathroom, utility room or hall. An old dresser works well too. If drawers are missing, fill the gaps with storage baskets.
Line old drawers with paper to match or contrast with your walls, wall mount them and use as individual shelves. Alternatively, paint them, inside and out, to match your walls and use them to frame pictures, photos or mirrors. Or, by adding castors to them, you can create mobile storage units or magazine racks.
Hang spoons or forks from a metal ring (an old bicycle wheel could work) as an eye catching ‘chandelier’ to hang above a dining table.
If you’ve got reasonable DIY skills, you can take on more adventurous projects such as removing the top of a cabinet and installing a basin to make a vanity unit or combining a bed head and timber chest to make seating for your hallway.

If you’d like to embrace the upcycling trend but would rather use readymade pieces, an interior designer will have lots of ideas for home accessories Leicestershire which have been upcycled, which will add unique touches to your home and be much admired for their ingenuity.

Treat Your Staircase to an Upgrade

At one time a staircase was simply a means of getting from one level of your home to another; not any more though. Now a staircase can make a design statement too. Whether you want to update your staircase as part of a refurbishment or renovation project or are having a new staircase installed in an extension, East Midlands interior design companies will offer advice on a range of treatments and help you find the best look for your interior and your budget.

If you’re renovating a period property, professionals will be able to replace either just damaged and worn sections, or all non structural sections of the staircase – such as the steps or banister spindles – in wood, coloured and turned to match the original, or wrought iron.

In a home with a contemporary style, you’ll find lots of design options including the use of glass with light coloured woods to bring a welcoming sense of light and space to your hallway, stairs and landing. You may decide to keep the leave the treads uncarpeted to show off the natural beauty of the wood. If you would rather use carpet to minimise noise, consider just laying it over the centre of each tread with the natural wood showing at the margins. Using a plain carpet will give a better appearance than a large design, which can appear disjointed.

Another option for updating to an on trend look is to combine materials such as glass and metal, which fit well with a ‘loft’ living/industrial vibe. You could replace the risers with glass, which gives the impression that the staircase is floating and makes the hall area lighter too. If you’re having a new staircase built, you might be able to have one which is cantilevered from a supporting wall and, though you will need a balustrade to comply with building regulations, this could be glass and therefore wouldn’t spoil the effect.

Many of the latest staircase treatments open up the whole area and, if you live in an older property with an under stairs cupboard, removing the cupboard wall and replacing a wooden balustrade with glass, would really update the hallway. If you need the storage space, you’ll find units available to fit under stairs or you could commission a bespoke system from an experienced interior design company. If the area is large enough, you could have it fitted as a home office.

When deciding on what changes to make to your staircase, consider the safety aspects carefully. Older people become less confident at using stairs and may dislike glass risers or banisters and, together with young children, may feel particularly unsafe on a spiral staircase.

Having a staircase renovated – or a new one built – is not a project to undertake lightly but by taking expert advice, you can make an investment that will be an eye catching addition to your home for years to come.

Finding the Right Finishing Touches

Whatever style, colours or furnishings you choose for your home, the things that make it really individual and truly ‘yours’ are the home accessories. Picking the accessories that will both complement your décor and reflect your personality is an exciting final stage in any refurbishment project.

In order to get the best result, ideally you need to allocate part of the project budget for accessories but you may find that you already have favourite items which you can incorporate into your new interior. For example, perhaps you have a favourite picture which isn’t currently displayed whose colours blend perfectly with the colour scheme of your newly designed room? An interior design company experienced in helping clients chooses home accessories Leicestershire will be able to make suggestions to help you get the most from your budget.

In living areas, accessories will include artwork, lights, lamps, vases and cushions and the colours and styles you use can blend with, or act as a contrast to, your colour scheme. If your style is contemporary with plain walls and floor, look for lamps and vases both in toning shades and bright zingy colours. Pile a mix of plain coloured cushions topped with a few in eye catching patterns onto your sofas. Metallics are another key trend. So look for metallic hanging lights, floor lamps, and lamp bases, occasional tables with metal legs, plant holders, clocks and dramatic wall sculptures.

For a retro scheme, source vintage lights, lamps and posters and look out for old school desks, small tables or individual chairs at antique fairs which can be renovated or recovered. If you enjoy upcycling, you’ll find plenty of ideas in magazines and on the internet for quirky uses of old furniture, containers, even pianos made into tables!

It’s not just living areas that benefit from well chosen accessories. For bathrooms, buy the largest mirror you can afford or use one or more mirrored cabinets to increase storage. Natural materials can be introduced through wooden bath racks, towel rails and folding stools, while wicker baskets in a range of sizes keep clutter under control. In a period bathroom, antique glass dishes and shaving equipment make great accessories.

In a kitchen, open baskets and plain or decorated tins work well for storage. If your kitchen has a plain, uncluttered colour palette, arrange matching white or glass vases or planters along the windowsill for single blooms or herbs. Use a Perspex or white trolley for additional storage alongside an island unit. Vintage and retro kitchen utensils and accessories are widely available and your designer should be able to suggest sources.

Whatever the look you want for your home, you’ll find plenty of choice in accessories. Take your time, enjoy choosing and continue to look for items to add to the scheme in the future; subtle changes will keep your interior fresh and vibrant for years to come.

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