A White Palette

People in the UK love going abroad. We might be subject to lashings of stereotypes about our preferred holiday dress (football shirts and interestingly printed shorts - you know who you are), our preferred holiday behaviour (drinking and wallowing by the pool) and our preferred holiday food (fish and chips) but we do love getting away to hotter places, particularly the mediterranean. When we return from a holiday it takes, on average (science shows), 14 days for the holiday spirit to disappear again.

We can't do anything about the weather but we can suggest bringing a little of that mediterranean vibe into your home by taking inspiration from their interiors. The look is simple and efficient, yet charming too. The one rule is to use a white, light palette.

There are some fantastic advantages to such a simple colour. White is obviously a very bright, light colour and using it is going to make the space seem much larger and open. It isn't a rich or creamy colour and can look sterile, but with the right dressing up a white wall can be a great start to a light, airy home.

You need to make sure that plenty of light will reach the walls. This should preferably include natural light, but if there aren't any nicely positioned windows, then a stylish light fitting would serve. Its important to consider how the light will fal on the room - if you have white walls and a harsh light, the room may end up looking like a hospital ward.

You needn't be afraid of introducing other colours to the room. A room of pure white looks sterile. Any other light colours will work well but the trick in whatever colour scheme you pick is consistency.




Furnishings-Direct is an online retailer of interior decor.

Shabby Chic Interiors

One style of interior design that has been very popular for a few decades is  Shabby Chic. The basic idea is simple: furniture and furnishings are chosen for their weathered, aged appearance and then contrasted with minimalist or cottage decor. This differentiates the style from genuine period decor.

How to get the look? The first step is finding 'shabby' furniture. You could look in antique and vintage shops, searching out elegant pieces that look like they've seen a bit of wear-and-tear. You can keep them in their traditional colour, or paint over them in white. Either way, its important that the furniture looks distressed - you could do this, for example, through sanding the corners. However you go about it, the distressed, aged furniture is key. You could also rest kooky or vintage items on your furniture to accent the look.
If you look at the image to the left, the designer has used old, rustic wooden furniture with a very distressed and unsymmetrical style. Accents from other cultures pepper the room - a chinese tapestry, a morrocan floor-cushion, a central american vase.

With your furniture chosen, the next step is to cover the room in white. This evokes minimalist style, but the decorative accents stop it from looking like a white box. This paint scheme creates a sense of lightness in the room.

The floor should be similarly light. In the example to the left, the designer has kept a white floor. However, any light colours would be permissible. You could use a cream carpet or white floorboards etc.

The final step is further accentuation. To finish your room you should use soft pastel colours, which bring focus and a slightly feminine feel to the design.

 Furnishings-Direct is an online retailer of paints, wallpapers and decor.  

Exclusive Collection Preview

Today I'm very excited to present you all with a sneak peek at a new range of products, soon to be launched on Furnishings Direct.  We've encountered a great deal of demand for rugs and, as ever, we are committed to offering our customers products that are both great quality and on trend. 

These Shimmer rugs will be available in a range of colours. They are individually hand tufted and feature a colour graduated design.

The Hong Kong range of rugs, again offering different sizes, patterns and colours, are also hand tufted. They are brighter and bolder than the shimmer designs, featuring floral or geometric motifs as opposed to the colour graduation.

Also from the Hong Kong range; the entire collection is 100% handmade, assuring high quality. This is a great look at some of the stylish designs in the collection.

The polypropene graphic design range also present some interesting themed rugs. These are particularly sharp and modern.







So that's just a quick look at some of our exciting new designs in the upcoming rug range. Stayed tuned to this blog and the website for more details coming soon.

Furnishings Direct is an online retailer of designer wallpaper and household furnishings.

2012 Design Trends: The Nordic Influence

Nordic culture is all the rage. In the last year  we have seen the continued influence of Stieg Larsson's Millenium Trilogy in the release of English-language film of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, starring Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig. It was so critically acclaimed that the studio have signed off on the two sequel films already. Danish TV has also proved popular - acclaimed dramas Borgen and The Killing have been shown on the BBC. Equally, mid-century style was hot last spring and the Scandinavians practically invented mid-century style. The people of Norway are, on average, the happiest in Europe. All in all it really is no surprise that the influence of Norway, Sweden and Denmark is so noticable this year.

The Home Tradeshow took place last week. There 25% of exhibitors were from the nordic countries. The tradeshow attracts buyers from both the high street and design/interior stores. This means that some of what they saw last week will hit the shops in the next few months.

Ferm Living were one company exhibiting. Their manager says nordic design is "retro meets modern...clean and honest, the colours are complimentary - less is more, and everything is functional." This is the guideline for the trend then. The Guardian describes the range as "It's all very stylish and very graphic; fresh colours, clean geometric patterns repeated all over cushions and throws, tea pots and tumblers in minty greens and a bright, bold nursery range featuring fox cushions."

The promotional material for the show featured a range of teapots designed by Swedish designer Lotta Odelius, and these were high on everyone's wishlist.Verso Design from Finland featured a range of heavy textiles and throws.

Nordic design wasn't the only trend developing, but it was certainly prominent.

So, to attain the nordic style just follow these simple tips:

• Mix retro styles with modern influences.
• A pallette of fresh colours. This thinking can be applied to everything - from wallpaper and paint, to bed covers. They are bright and airy and give an uplifting feel of enlightenment to a room.
•  Geometric patterning - again wallpapers are a great way to bring this into your home.

Furnishings Direct is an online retailer of bedding, wallpaper and paint.

Moroccan Design

Morocco has a distinct flavour in its culture, its food and its architecture. Its look is bright and vibrant, yet warm and welcoming, exotic. These reasons combined make it an excellent style to feature in your home.



African, Mediterranean, European and Moorish styles have all influenced the decorative look of Morocco.

The style is exotic and is created through the use of expressive, rich colours and earthly textures. These seem warm and welcoming, and so a Moroccan look is brilliant in areas like hallways, porches and living room where you will entertain.

When painting your walls, don't be afraid of using rich, energising colours: oranges and blues. Mixing in sand with the paint can create texture, which is another feature of this style.

Tiles are a key feature of this style, often in shades of blue and green or turquoise. Tiles can be used on the floor, the walls, or on tables.

When it comes to furniture, a simple and rustic style is necessary - dark woods with iron decorations, for example. If you wish to combine european furniture with the moroccan style, think of items like this folding screen. The colours are very moroccan, but the product itself is of european design and the style would not traditionally be found in Africa. For fabrics look for vivid colors and rich, opulent, sensuous patterns like this Cuzco Spice Duvet Set. When accessorising the room, use pottery with geometric designs, wall art and iron lamps.

Furnishings Direct sells designer wallpaper at reduced prices and other homewares.