All about wood furniture - the basics you should know

When it comes to furnishing a house, many home owners opt for wooden furniture to provide both a traditional and elegant environment. It has been a popular material for many years, okay, for always,  for both furniture and for use in construction – and this is mainly down to its durability.

Pieces of wooden furniture often get handed down from generation to generation, becoming valuable antiques and cherished family heirlooms. Wood is not only timeless, but it is also adaptable to any style.

via Adore Home

via Schuyler Samperton

When choosing your furniture, you will need to decide between hardwoods and softwoods (the former come from deciduous trees whereas the latter come from coniferous or ‘evergreen’ trees). Oak furniture is a popular hardwood choice, as it is incredibly strong and long-lasting, with other popular options being walnut furniture and teak furniture, both of which create a high-end look that some homeowners prefer.

A stunning dark oak French Key chest.

Wood happily accepts paint and new upholstery can make any piece match your style.
via Rue Mag

via Covet Garden

Softwoods are generally more affordable, with cedar and pine being the most popular. For people who want a light, attractive wood for their furniture, pine ranges from a pale yellow colour to a medium brown, and its fresh fragrance makes it a highly desirable option. Pine is also particularly suitable for painting and varnishing, giving more options to create different styles.

Antique pine.

Dark woods – such as mahogany, walnut and rosewood – can be used to create a rich, expensive-looking décor whereas light woods – such as pine, ash and maple – can often create a cottagey feel, say for a country kitchen.

Solid oak furniture is one of the most popular options at the moment due to its durability and versatility, and it comes in various different types and finishes. Choose a reclaimed or reproduction piece to fit in with a traditional or rustic style house, or furnish your modern, contemporary home with weathered or limed oak furniture to give it a subtle vintage look.

*disclosure: This post in partnership with HarveysFurniture.co.uk

Make it yours - bring your style into your home!

Most of us would probably like to be described as stylish, though not everyone has the same opinion of what is stylish.  All the same, here are some ways to bring out or attain your style in your home.

The Entertainer
 Some people earn the title of a stylish person by throwing unforgettable dinner parties, backyard soirees, etc. We’ve seen in movies or real-life examples how someone hosts guests in their amazingly stylish dining room with such grace, it’s impossible not to admire them.

When we break their skill down into separate elements, we realize their success lies in smart choice of their styling their home, wardrobe, music and conversation. It takes a talent to juggle all that successfully!

via Ariel Yve Design

via viage


It tends to be little details that make an event memorable, like berry and herb infused ice cubes for guests' glasses!

The Bold 

Brave use of bold color is a great way to make your stamp. Vibrant colors can detract from what might otherwise be considered a shabby (and not the good shabby) piece of furniture.  Painting a distressed chair or dresser in a bold shade is a great way to express your fabulous eye for color and your bold style!

via Accent on Design

An otherwise okay console table make stylish with coral paint. via Picklee

Likewise, if you don’t have the means to redecorate your home to look like it fell out of a fancy home decoration magazine, you can paint your walls with bold colors can make them fun, cheerful and attention-grabbing.

The Creative

Sometimes your creativity dictates how stylish you are. Consider yourself worldly, cultured, or a connoisseur of something? Why not decorate your home to reflect that fabulous brain? Your space, after all,  should reflect your personality and your imagination.

via Apartment Therapy

via Zar Studio

Create a gallery wall of your favorite paintings, or paintings you've seen in person.  Can't forget your trip to Morocco?  Bring Moroccan tile and woodwork into your bathroom...you're sure to get compliments!

The Modern Vintage

Since vintage has become fairly popular and trendy as of late, make sure that if it's your aesthetic, that you carefully edit your choices so your home doesn't look haphazard. Since a lot of people are decorating their homes in this way, maybe you want to to stand out as the expert "vintage" eye that you are.

via Glo

via Adore Home


Instead of having whole sets of vintage furniture, you can have one charming vintage detail to draw attention to itself. Check sites like Shop 4 Furniture for elegant furniture collection.



Feel good in your home

Remember that being stylish is not only about the appearances, but about feeling good in your own skin and your own home. There is no point in impressing others if you are not comfortable with what you have. You should decorate your home with what impresses you! There is nothing like returning home from work, to a warm place that is both beautiful and gives us a sense of belonging.

This post is in partnership with Shop4furniture.net

Unusual and fun ways to add a little flair and personality to your home

It's tempting to always play it safe when decorating your home - I know I will try something a bit off-beat, but then doubt myself and try something more traditional. And while safe can be beautiful, it doesn't usually have that "WOW" factor. Here are a few ideas, some drastic, some not, for getting a reaction when people step inside your home...

We've all seen or used our own fridges to showcase photos, but how about covering the ENTIRE fridge in photos that make you smile?  Especially when contrasted with the super sleek lines of this kitchen, I think it looks pretty cool!

Hang something BIG not typically used as art in an artistic way.  Lying in a rubbish pile you may not see the potential of a worn plank of wood, but hang it like an expensive piece of art and it can make a beautiful impact (at low cost).

Use one oversized print in an oversized way!  This sofa is beautiful, but would I ever have the guts to put it in my home?  I don't know... maybe if you're nervous, try a big print in just one or two colors... 

You've seen inspiration boards, well how about an inspiration WALL?  Love it.

Fancy yourself a wordsmith?  Chalkboard paint a piece of furniture otherwise in need of TLC, and practice your craft!  This would be helpful anywhere you need to make a lot of notes, too.

Put your furniture on diagonals.  This may sound weird, but I think furniture placed diagonally can really add movement to a space, and open it up and add a welcoming feeling.  Maybe start by just putting your bed at a diagonal in the far corner of your bedroom?


So, what do you think?  Any of these you love? hate? tried before?

1. Interiors Porn 2. Covet Garden 3. Home Spun Style 4. Interiors Porn 5. Sweet Home Style 6. Small Space Style

Absolutely stunning bedrooms

Maybe most of the time spent in your bedroom is with your eyes closed, but it sure is nice opening them to a beautiful view! The coolest part about the bedrooms below is that they are all from real homes!

I love the chandelier over the bed, I want to know though, how often people actually use them...do they make good bedroom light?

This is so pretty, but I don't think boyfriend would go for the fuchsia...

Which is your fav?

via BHG

Furniture wishlist

So I don't have space for most of these beauties, but maybe one day I'll be able to add a few to my collection..

A color statement dresser.  I kid you not my dresser as a kid was extremely similar.  Like most of the furniture in my bedroom I assumed my grandfather had made it.  Being that the dresser was shared among four small children though, the dresser was pretty banged up and covered in stickers...
via Ivy and Piper

The french chic upholstered piece.  Works in so many spaces
via Pinterest

This porcupine quill-framed mirror.  Need I say more?!?
via Real Simple

via The Nest Mag

The Scandinavian sideboard or console.  The mother of all clean design.
via BHG

The bold print chair.  I don't care for the frame being painted blue.  But I'm loving all the bold upholstery I've been seeing.
via Country Living

The velvet chaise lounge.  What girl secretly (or openly) doesn't want one
via Crate and Barrel