Winter is coming… but don’t worry we’ve got you covered! This is the ideal time to dress your windows ready for the winter months ahead!
Over the last year we have written a few blogs around the advantages of having Curtains, Blinds and Shutters, but we have mainly focussed on the customisable aspect!
But for this blog I wanted to focus on the best types of window dressing for the winter, so let’s get stuck in.
- CURTAINS -
When it comes to Curtains we would suggest that you either have thermal lining or that you have interlined curtains.
When paired with a heavy fabric, you will be sure to keep out any drafts!
Floor Length Curtains are particularly effective on Doors and Tall Windows, and can be removed once the warmer months come around!
- BLINDS -
The most effective blinds to keep the cold out and the heat in are Roman Blinds. Similarly to Curtains, we would also suggest having thermal lining or having your Roman Blinds interlined.
Romans can fit very snugly to your window, which makes them great if you have radiators under your window.
- SHUTTERS -
When it comes to Shutters for Winter, we would suggest Full Height and Tier on Tier Shutters. They are fitted perfectly to your window frame, and so when closed, they’re great for keeping out unwelcome drafts.
Shutters create an air gap similar to that which double glazed windows do, which is great for eliminating any heat loss.
I hope this has helped you with choosing the best winter window dressing for your home. If you do have any questions about these window treatments, leave us a message in the comments, and we’ll see if we can help you!
Tiles will never date or go out of fashion. They are a staple in any home to add a bit of character and elegance. Sure, tile styles may change from year to year, but I think we can safely say that tiles will always be welcome in our homes – whether in the hallway, kitchen or bathroom, they add a certain something that can put the finishing touches on the theme you’re going for.
However, not only do tiles improve the look of your home, making it warm and welcoming, they are also durable and extremely low maintenance. When it comes to tiles there are various styles, colours, shapes and installation patterns to choose from, but if you’re looking to redecorate, there are some trends you may want to read up on to achieve this season’s must have looks.
Styles
Tile styles dominating the interior design world this season are major throwbacks to the trends of one of the most iconic decades. That’s right, seventies home décor is making a comeback.
Bringing seventies trends of bold coloured, textured and unusually shaped tiles in to your home this season will give your interiors a fashion–forward retro vibe.
Another huge trend in tiling styles this season is designing your kitchen and bathroom from the ground up with statement floor tiles to add impact. Design your kitchen or bathroom with your tiles in mind, and ensure everything works around the tile.
Colours
As mentioned, bold colours are really in this season but there are some colours which are particularly popular. Green and bronze are the main colours influencing current interior designs and are the perfect colour choices if you’re looking to update your tiles or simply inject some on trend shades in to your kitchen or bathroom.
Another colour dominating the interior design scene is grey. You’ve probably seen this colour make an appearance in every interior magazine or website you’ve visited lately – whether it’s a dark charcoal grey or a light and airy dove grey, there are so many shades to choose from to give your room the desired outcome – what’s not to love?!
Shapes
Geometric tiles are the most common tile shape trends this season and the most prevalent is hexagon shaped tiles. Seventies shapes like hexagons and circles incorporated in to kitchen and bathroom tiles are effective in adding interest to your home interiors.
There are other playful shapes that are huge right now such as the unique fish scale tile and with these scalloped designs you can welcome the mermaid craze in to your home. Rather than the regular square tiles, less daring shapes are the large brick shaped tiles and the long narrow subway tile.
Patterns
You can truly bring the seventies vibe in to your home with the classical Terracotta pattern. Terracotta pays homage to the creative layouts which are really on trend for kitchen and bathroom tiles this season. You can have fun experimenting with which tile layouts would suit your room space or be extra daring and try some patterned tiles to make a bolder statement.
Whilst tile trends tend to come and go, tiling floors or walls in your kitchen. bathroom and hallway is always going to be an interior design staple.
Thanks for reading!
Cheryl Christer
Managing Director and Interior Design Expert at Glamorgan Tiles
We hope that you enjoyed reading about the latest Tile Trends! We welcome your comments below.
In Part 1 of Rug Rules, we covered positioning and sizes of rugs in the living room. Part 2 of our ‘Rug Rules’ series will be covering some useful tips that a lot of designers are using in bedrooms and dining rooms.
This guide has pulled together a lot of clever ‘rug rules’ we have come across over the years that help give your living rooms that expensive and finished look. If you haven’t already bought a rug, these tips will help you decide on what size rug you need.
Bedroom (18 inch rule)
- Around the Bed -
To help balance out an area rug which is placed under a bed, it must be large enough to extend on both sides of the bed. The general rule which is used, is that the rug should extend at least 18 inches (which is roughly 45cm for us Brits) either side. The same rule applies whether it is a large rug, or a rug just at the foot of the bed.
- From the Walls -
For a smaller room, this tip may work better for you. By placing just the front legs of your furniture onto your rug, it will give the room a good sense of proportion. This option is also practical, the furniture will still keep the rug in place.
Dining Room (24 inch rule)
- Around the Table -
The rules change slightly when it comes to the dining room. It is suggested that there is at least 24 inches (around 60cm) around the whole dining table to allow space to move your chairs without the back legs coming off the rug. It is also more pleasing to the eye when you have a rug the same shape as your dining table.
That’s us done on rug rules for now. We hope that you feel more confident for when you buy your next rug! If you are having any troubles with your furniture layouts and rugs, leave us a message in the comments, and we’ll see if we can help you!
Are you looking to buy a new rug or unsure how you should be making the most of the rug you have? Keep reading Part 1 of ‘Rug Rules’ to learn some useful tips that a lot of designers are using in living rooms.
This guide has pulled together a lot of clever ‘rug rules’ we have come across over the years that help give your living rooms that expensive and finished look. If you haven’t already bought a rug, these tips will help you decide on what size rug you need.
Living Room (Placement of Legs)
THE DO'S
- All on -
It generally looks very smart if all your furniture legs (sofas, chairs, side tables) are all on the rug. This is not only visually great, but it is also a practical option, as the furniture weighs the rug down, keeping it in place. This tip works the best in a particularly large room.
- Front on, back off -
For a smaller room, this tip may work better for you. By placing just the front legs of your furniture onto your rug, it will give the room a good sense of proportion. This option is also practical, the furniture will still keep the rug in place.
THE DON'TS
- None on -
This is a controversial point. It is rare that this one works well within a design, and is often where people go wrong with their rugs. Rugs without any furniture on it generally looks awkward, as if it is floating in the room, and also the rug is very likely to move as people walk on it.
Hopefully, you will have learnt something new about furniture positioning, if you are having any troubles with your furniture layouts and rugs, leave us a message in the comments, and we’ll see if we can help you!
In Part 2 we will be covering ‘Rug Rules’ in your Bedrooms and Dining Rooms.
Blinds are great because they are such a flexible window treatment, keep reading to learn more about having your own Blinds made.
1. CHOICE
The great thing with blinds, is that there is such a great choice. There are many different types of blinds, and all of them are customisable. These are the ones we currently supply:
Roman Blinds can be made in almost any fabric, making them a very customisable choice.
Vertical Blinds come in many different colours, making them suitable for a traditional or modern home.
Roller Blinds are made of a lighter fabric than romans, but again are very customisable, coming in voile fabric, black outs, plain fabrics, or even have your own design printed onto fabric!
Venetian Blinds are the closest choice to shutters, giving them a very slick, clean finish. Venetians come in a wide variety of colours, and can vary from aluminium to wood.
‘Perfect Fit’ blinds are either Roller or Venetian blinds that fit perfectly within the frame of your window or door.
Don’t forget that blinds can also be combined with curtains to achieve this gorgeous look!
2. QUALITY
It is important to buy your blinds through a trusted supplier. All the blinds we supply, other than our roman blinds, are ordered through our suppliers. We are very fortunate to work with great suppliers and fitters who will ensure that the jobs are carried out in great time and very professionally.
As I mentioned, we don’t use a supplier for our roman blinds, that;s because our roman blinds are handmade by my mum, Pauline who has over 25 years’ experience. Which means that not only can you can be assured that they will be of high quality but they will also be bespoke!
3. CHILD SAFETY
As the years have gone by, blinds have undergone many safety tests, it is now a legal requirement that blinds are made child friendly. It’s very important when you are buying blinds, that you get them from a trusted supplier that follows these regulations.
As a supplier ourselves, we must ensure that all the potential hazards regarding the cords and chains are eliminated.
Your home should be a place that you can leave your children explore, and know that they’re going to be completely safe.
We hope you enjoyed reading; “Beautiful Blinds”
If you would like to arrange a FREE Consultation, please contact us
Shutters are a simple addition to your windows which make a world of difference, keep reading to learn more about the benefits of having your own made to measure shutters.
1. PRACTICAL & BEAUTIFUL
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
I love that quote from William Morris, it’s a great place to begin when designing your home, and if one item can tick both boxes.. even better!
Their classic yet minimalistic design makes them a timeless addition to your home! Shutters are also useful all year round, they will keep the suns glare out in the summer, and they will keep the heat in during the winter months (and boy do we have a lot of those in Wales!).
On top of that their simple design also makes them very easy to clean, and that is always a bonus.
2. INSTANT LUXURY
Elegant, Bespoke and Timeless… and you don’t have to lift a finger!
Made to measure Shutters are tailored not only to fit your windows perfectly but also your personal style. They come in many different colours, styles, and materials. They can even be made to fit the most awkward windows!
Once you have decided on what style you like, our fitter will come and measure your window, the order will be put in, and once they’ve been made, our fitter will come back to install them, it really doesn’t get much easier than that!
3. ADDS VALUE TO YOUR HOME
Yes it just keeps getting better right!
As mentioned earlier, shutters help act as a layer of insulation in the winter months by keeping the heat in, and have been proven to reduce heating costs!
Shutters can last up to 20 years when cared for properly, and you’ll want to care for them when I tell you the next benefit… they add value to your property!
So, if you are looking to sell in a few years, not only will you be able to treat yourself by installing Shutters, but your property will have real curb appeal.
Shutters come with so many benefits, and though the price tag may be higher than blinds or curtains, they are an investment that you can enjoy for many more years to come!
We hope you enjoyed reading; “Showstopping Shutters”
If you would like to arrange a FREE Consultation, please contact us
There are many methods designers adopt to help clients achieve the most
out of their spaces, here’s a couple of our tricks..
1. PLAN, PLAN AND PLAN SOME MORE
Planning sounds boring and time consuming, but it’ll save a lot of hassle later on.
Spatial planning is so important to making the most out of the space you have, the easiest method in doing this in with a floor plan.
A floor plan is a bird’s eye view of your space; it’s very easy to do one of these, just pop out a tape measure and get drawing. It’s very important that floor plans are drawn to scale in order for it to be an accurate representation of your space.
Floor plans not only help us visualise the space better, but they are a great visual tool for us to communicate our ideas with our clients. Once the floor plans are drawn, we can then go ahead and source the furniture and arrange it within this space.
2. SMART SOURCING
Because we all know someone who bought furniture that didn’t fit through the door!
Having the wrong sized furniture will have a terrible visual impact on your room. You may have found the most beautiful sofa ever, and then when you come to put it in the space, it just overpowers the room, and then you’re either stuck with a beautiful but large sofa, or you have to deal with the hassle of returning it and go back to the drawing board.
When we find the furniture we’re going to source, we measure them up and draw them into our plan to ensure that it will all fit and that the layout will work for our clients’ needs.
The arrangement of your furniture also has an enormous impact on your space, it influences how people experience it and what path they with walk along. You may have realised that IKEA have masterfully planned their stores to make you walk the whole way around it so that you see everything. There is power in planning.
3. IT PAYS TO BE ORGANISED
Quite literally, it could save you money in future.
When you are in the first stages of your design, electrical points, such as the location of a plug socket need to be factored in, that way you can make sure they are concealed and won’t ruin your final design.
This is also a problem in the kitchen where appliances aren’t in a convenient location due to the plug sockets limiting our freedom. Or our phones won’t reach the bedside table because the cables are so far away. Factoring the location of electrical items in the early stages of planning and design really will make your life much easier.
Spatial planning impacts the way we live every day, and if it is done well, it can really enhance your life
and help make the most out of your existing spaces.
We hope you enjoyed reading; “How to make the most of your space”
If you would like to arrange a FREE Consultation, please contact us
There is always this debate between redesigning our homes ourselves or to hire a professional to do it for us. I’m here to give you a little insight into the benefits of hiring an interior designer.
1. Secret Services
No it’s not what you’re thinking, but it’s still pretty cool.
By using an Interior Designer, you are not only gaining access to their expertise, but also to all of their contacts. They have connections with many companies who supply to trade only and have furniture and furnishings you would never see otherwise, maybe even that exact fabric you’ve been searching everywhere for.
2. Saves Money
Believe it or not, in the long run it will.
Whenever ‘Interior Designer’ is mentioned, you will often hear people saying “Oh I wish I could afford to have one”.
There is often a misconception that Interior Designers are just out to steal your money, but that’s really not the case, we promise.
When we design for our own homes, we usually spread the design costs over a number of months or years, yet with an Interior Designer it seems like a lot, as it is usually paid all at once.
The difference is that when you design yourself, you don’t usually set a budget as such, and you will keep adding and altering your space which you may never be entirely happy with. Yet with an Interior Designer, they will work within a set budget, and will use their expertise to source the best items available within that budget. You’re not only paying the Interior Designer to design the space and source the items, but you pay for an entire scheme from concept to completion (that includes all the other trades people who may be involved).
3. Saves Time
Talking about tradespeople, they’ll save you a lot of time and hassle too.
As previously mentioned, when we design for ourselves, we see no hurry to get things done, or may not even have the time to get anything done.
Deadlines are so important; it ensures that things get done at a timely pace.
You can either set them for your Interior Designer, or they can set them if you are unsure about how the process works, but they can guarantee you a finished job.
Interior Designers are you designers and project managers. They use their knowledge within the industry to source all the fabric, furniture and anything else you will need. They will order all of your items and plan out the best layouts for your space. They will do all the chasing for you to ensure that everything arrives on time and within budget, and will be there to see the project through to completion.
We hope you enjoyed reading; “Designer vs DIY”
If you would like to arrange a FREE Consultation, please contact us
Have a read to find out how digital mood boards have become the vital communication tool between designer and client.
A mood board also known as an inspiration board or design board helps the designer and the client to visualise the design concepts and ideas you’ve discussed prior to committing to specific colours, products, and layouts. Basically it is a collection of images organised in some fashion that help explore the desired overall look and feel of a project.
Mood boards are also formed as collages that take time to put together. They are fun to look at but when it comes to making changes – which is often the case when deciding on the final look of your room – it becomes difficult to move things around, or try out a different colour or a different style of furniture, for example.
That’s where digital mood boards become the answer and the vital communication tool between designer and client. As its simplicity to change its aspects, make it the perfect way to trial and error ideas and does not restrict any decisions. It can be easily sent to the client on which ever device they choose. This freedom to change ideas is key to the end result being simply the perfect scheme for the client.
If you were concerned about exploring the textures of the fabrics included in the mood board, Emily is able to show you first-hand what fabric will be used by showing you the wide range of fabric display books. This will allow you to explore other varieties at the same time. Enabling changes to be made easily to your scheme.
Get in touch to arrange your initial consultation where we can discuss ideas and take measurements and from there send you a no obligation quote.
We hope you enjoyed reading; “Why use a digital mood board?”
If you would like to arrange a FREE Consultation, please contact us
Made to measure curtains are similar to a handmade bespoke dress; they are tailored perfectly to your style and required shape.
Read on to find out more advantages of having made to measure curtains..
Homes come in all shapes and sizes and thus can often prove tricky when finding ready-made curtains to fit. Whether your design is opulent or understated, your personal style dictates how you want your curtains to look in your room. No matter whether you like plain, patterned, short or long, curtains finish a room completely. So why not spend that little bit extra to buy bespoke made to measure rather than something off the shelf?
Your property maybe bursting with character or be a well-proportioned new home, but ready-made curtains often don’t give us our desired finish as they come in inflexible standard sizes. I make sure your curtains work with all your homes quirks; they will be crafted to the length and volume you want and turn your window into a feature.
Have you ever seen a pattern you love or spent hours searching for curtains to match a particular colour. This is where I can turn your vision into reality. I’m a little obsessed when it comes to textiles, I know how a particular fabric will hang and able to advise you what will work best for your home. Often the desired look you are seeking requires a certain type of fabric. I feel so proud when I see a pair of my made-to-measure curtains decorating your home, I love my job!
A couple of weeks ago I was put in touch with a client who immediately said, “I know I can’t afford made to measure curtains but I am struggling to find what I am looking for, I need help!” I couldn’t let this cry for help go unnoticed and started to talk through what she was looking for. I instantly remembered a gorgeous fabric that would work perfectly; so I made sure the right pattern book was in my car before I set off to meet her. I measured the window and we talked in detail about style and length that would complete her living room. I never want a client to feel under pressure or that they are being sold to, so I always go away to price each project. Before I left I explained that this really was an achievable option and we both agreed that they would look amazing. On receiving the quote, she was shocked at the price as it was far less than she had envisaged and ordered them on the spot.
This client was not uncommon but her struggle for the right curtain is!
Made to measure curtains I like to think are perfectly fitting, lovingly crafted and designed exclusively for you. Made to measure curtains make you and your home feel special just as it should be.
We hope you enjoyed reading; “The advantage of having made to measure curtains”
If you would like to arrange a FREE Consultation, please contact us
To help balance out an area rug which is placed under a bed, it must be large enough to extend on both sides of the bed. The general rule which is used, is that the rug should extend at least 18 inches (which is roughly 45cm for us Brits) either side. The same rule applies whether it is a large rug, or a rug just at the foot of the bed.
The rules change slightly when it comes to the dining room. It is suggested that there is at least 24 inches (around 60cm) around the whole dining table to allow space to move your chairs without the back legs coming off the rug. It is also more pleasing to the eye when you have a rug the same shape as your dining table.
