Category: All Blogposts

Our homes are our personal sanctuaries, even more so during the current situation we are living in. It is a place of peace, calm and tranquility. While spending so much more time in our homes we have been conjuring up decorating ideas, finishing off those decorating jobs we have been meaning to get around to and wanting to progress on to other tasks around the home that we have been eagerly waiting to begin.

If choosing new window dressings such as blinds, is the one task you are wanting to tick off the list but have no idea what to choose or where to start, then we can help you.

There is no doubt that there are so many options available for window blinds, it can be daunting choosing the correct style, fabric and colour for each room. So, sit back and relax while we take you through some of the options, helping you to move forward with your design choice.

Roman Blinds have become increasingly popular. They are the ultimate in style and sophistication. They provide a soft, dreamy and luxurious feel to a room. They sit neatly folded allowing you to show as much of the fabric as you wish, and once closed fully add a cosy, stylish feel. They are suitable for most rooms and can be made up from most fabrics. Although, it is not advisable to use linen in an environment where there is moisture, such as bathroom and kitchens. There are an array of fabric patterns and textures available for Roman Blinds, you will be spoilt for choice, but we can help narrow down your choices to suit the colour scheme and desired feel of each room.

A Roller Blind is a little more formal looking, they are the simplest way to transform a room but are very stylish as well as practical. Suitable for any room in the house, with blackout or dim out options for bedrooms, wipe able fabrics for kitchens or bathrooms and UV proof fabrics for conservatories. They can be motorised and set up to your smart home systems, while being practically maintenance free. There are a vast selection of colours, patterns and trims if required, to choose from, so you can design your blind to your own specific design ideas.

The same applies for Vertical Blinds, which have come along way from being used in just office spaces. They have become a favourite with many homeowners and are mostly used in Living Room spaces and are especially good for large windows and doors. They are fully functional, using the tilt and turn option or fully closed and open. Available in plain and patterned fabrics with the option of sewn in weights, so no need for the chain to hold them in place.

Have you heard of the Perfect Fit Blind? These blinds are measured and installed into the frame of the window, which provides a fuss free and contemporary finish. They are ideal for conservatories, or doors, avoiding the blind to hang loosely and clatter on each use of the door. The installation is a simple process and there is no need for drilling into surrounding window frames. Available in wood, metal and roller blind options.

The other alternative you could consider is a Venetian Blind. If you have ever considered shutters but these are not within your budgetary requirements, then a Venetian Blind will offer a similar look, but are a more cost-effective alternative. They come in a variety of wood finishes and colours to suit the room and colour frame of the windows. Versatile too, as they can be placed in any room and like the Vertical Blind offer tilt and turn movements for privacy and shade.

Have we helped with your decision of which blind would most suit the room and the look you are wanting to achieve? It is important to think of what you need from your new window dressing, ensuring you make the right choice, realising that each room has a different functionality. With the added help of our input on fabric choices you will be well on your way to creating the desired look as well as ticking that task from your to do list.

The decision to hire an interior designer is a personal one and one that should be well thought out. If you are unsure if it is beneficial for your next project, then here are some tips to consider before you embark on your project. Many people would not even contemplate beginning a project without an interior designer to hand.

If like many, you know what you like, how you want your home to look, have an abundance of ideas, but you are finding it difficult slotting all them all into place, then hiring an interior designer could be just what you need.

You may think it costly to involve an interior designer, and that such a service is expensive and financially out of reach. However, there are factors to consider such as, input and knowledge that they can offer that will save you time, as they will hunt out pieces for the design. Resources are readily available to the designer, saving you endless time locating products and comparing prices. They carry out all the research, so you don’t have to.

There will be less headaches from decision making, as they can offer you their skill of tying the design together. A designer is trained to think differently and see things that the client cannot. It is then their job to express these designs and their thought process onto a mood board, allowing the client to have a visual representation of what the finished result will be.

It also prevents the dreaded feeling of not being entirely happy with your project on completion. It can be more difficult than many think to relay your ideas into reality, but your interior designer can offer you solutions and choices you may never have thought of or put together. It can open your mind, to fabrics, furniture, accessories etc that you never knew existed, but in a calm and enjoyable process as they guide you along the way, helping you to bring your ideas to life.

If you have just moved home, bought your very first home, wanting to invest into your existing home, or you are even trying to sell your home but are unsure where to start with the interiors, then contacting an interior designer is the first step. If you already have a few ideas about what you want, what kind of style you are looking for and are unsure where to find the right pieces of furniture, they can help you without completely taking over the design. If you are selling your home, they can help add value and more appeal to potential buyers, helping it stand out from the competition and therefore helping to reduce the amount of time to sell. No matter how big or small your home an interior designer can add that wow factor you have been searching for. Creating a home that provides a lasting first impression.

If your requirements happen to be on a larger scale and you are building or renovating your own home, the input and strong relationship between client and the designer are of the same level, with the possible addition of project managing the design, trust in your designer is vital. It is an inevitable fact that renovating a house can be an enormous amount of stress added to you, so to lessen this burden, involving a designer can save you time and stress trying to locate reliable, contractors, plumbers and electricians for your project. Not always as easy task.

Do not think that an interior designer will go completely overboard and make the end result extremely ostentatious, unless that happens to be the look you are going for. Maybe you have the idea they will take over your vision and ideas of the design and not fully involve you or listen to the brief you have provided.

For interior designer’s communication is key and they will ensure and make the effort to get to know you, understand your needs, requirements and style. Designers will offer suggestions that you had maybe not even considered or even thought you would like but once demonstrated how these feature within the design, can open your mind to new possibilities, tying it all together perfectly. The simplest way to make sure you are happy with the end result is by having a firm idea of the aesthetics that appeal to you, or sometimes just knowing what you don’t like can be a big help too!

Your designer is there to offer input and is trained to help you to see things that may not be so obvious to the client. They have the skill to balance aesthetics and functionality while also considering how each item will fit together. You will need to give your final approval before moving forward throughout the process and the designer will greatly appreciate all feedback. Whether negative or positive all feedback is the only way to secure a happy ending. The need to decision make is not only left up to the designer, so do be prepared to air your opinion and share your thoughts, as this is your home after all.

Yes, you may be surprised to hear but they can save you money. It may sound strange that hiring an interior professional will help you save money, as there will be designers fees to consider, but it can be financially helpful as it reduces the unnecessary spending and prevents you from making costly mistakes. There are no hidden costs and hence will encourage spending more efficiently. This will provide a positive impact on the overall budget. An interior designer knows how to manage the expenditure for arranging and organising the house, depending upon the budget of the customer.

Working to the client’s brief and budget is of great importance. Establishing the budgetary requirements is one of the first stages of the process and discussing if any pieces of furniture, wall art etc are to be kept and used to tie into the design. You may have family heirlooms that you wish to incorporate, and your designer will continue to stick to the budget and ideas discussed throughout the whole process. Buying items through an interior designer is more beneficial than having to buy from multiple shops too as each item will be quality checked before being sent to site. Any damaged pieces of furniture will not be sent to the property, saving you time and unnecessary stress. The cost of purchasing through your interior designer is no greater than if you bought it yourself, which many people seem to think is not the case. Some people love having the workload taken out of their hands, just agree the items you require for the project and let the designer do all the work for you.

There’s so many different types of hard flooring on the market these days, it can get very over-whelming with all the different choices and advice you are given. As we are an independent supplier and fitter in Pembrokeshire, and regularly give advice to our clients on this subject, we’ve decided to put together a short guide to the benefits and drawbacks of some of the different types to help you see the wood for the trees (or the engineered from the solid!)

This is a fast-growing industry at the moment, and for very good reason. Vinyl tiles, or more commonly known by the brand names of Karndean, Amtico & Harvey Maria, are both stylish and practical. Karndean and Harvey Maria are our favourite brands because of the excellent long guarantees that they come with, as long as they are fitted by an approved installer. A flooring fitter should always check the damp levels of the floor, and provide sound advice on prepping it ready for a perfect finish when the final and top layer of flooring goes down. This will ensure that the floor won’t fail in months and years to come.

Vinyl tiles are easy to clean, and waterproof, great for homes with pets and children, warmer underfoot than ceramics and generally a very hard-wearing product.

Look out for anything less than a 0.55mm wear layer as it won’t be very hard wearing.

If you’re working on an old renovation or trying to add in some character to a building then stone floors could be the way to go. From slate to limestone to marble, these organic and raw materials are extremely tactile and will never wear out. If you want something more contemporary then you could go for a polished or honed finish which will give you a smooth surface. If you’re looking for something a little more rustic then you can go for tumbled or etched, which will give you the rough edges and more traditional look. Stone floors are a little bit less practical with children as it’s a harder surface. Very little maintenance is required with stone, as long as it’s sealed properly when installed. Stone is a natural product, there will be some variety in colour, tone and texture. This is part of the beauty of the material and should be expected. If you want a consistent colour and finish, a man made product would suit you better.

Things to look out for

Where the stone tiles have come from has an impact on quality, for both the stone itself and for consistency of quality control as it leaves the quarry. The depth of the tiles and the density. The deeper in the quarry they come from, the more dense and higher quality it will be. Also check if the palettes are taken from the same slab. This will ensure the colour variation is as close as it can be.

A great budget option for bathrooms and small kitchens. Warm underfoot and available in hundreds of ceramic & wood plank designs available. Cushioned vinyl or roll vinyl flooring is perfect for lightly used areas with low footfall.

Things to look out for

This type of flooring is usually a great short-term option as it will puncture with high pressure such as walking on it with heels. It’s still easy to clean but won’t stand up to dog claws very well.

Laminates are steadily being replaced by vinyl tile flooring. Laminates have a top printed layer which wears away very quickly in high and medium footfall areas. Any water contact will make the planks expand and very quickly ruin the floor. Laminate has always been a great budget option, but can also be noisy and doesn’t last very long. Try to stick to well known brands such as Quickstep, and look out for the Hydroseal version as this is a much better quality product.

This is another product that is slowly being replaced by vinyl tiles in the market because the vinyl is much easier to clean. There are still some great design options in ceramic & porcelain tiles and they work particularly well in bathrooms where you can match the wall and floor tiles for a consistent finish. Ceramics are perfect for kitchen splashbacks, although cleaning grout is always a little bit tricky. It’s worth looking at underfloor heating with these tiles because it can be quite cold underfoot.

Solid Wood

If you already have a solid wood floor, then it’s usually worth restoring. Because it’s solid all the way through, it can be sanded several times throughout it’s lifetime. Solid wood does dent and scratch, and is particularly expensive to buy new.

Engineered wood

A great alternative to solid wood if you are putting a new floor in. It’s much more cost effective than solid wood and gives a lovely natural finish. Oiled floors are relatively high maintenance and will need oiling every couple of years. Lacquered finished are also available and will last much longer without any maintenance. Again, these floors will dent and scratch, it’s part of the natural material so you’ll need to embrace the look of a not quite perfect finish.