Les Sables d’Olonne is a superb place for a beach holiday. The curve of the bay is almost as large as Morecambe’s but forget mudflats and perishing paddling, this is perfect golden sand and temperatures to go with it.
Slinking along the promenade trying to escape from the scorching heat, amazed it was too hot for the beach, I was astonished to find, tucked in between the postcards and the bucket and spades, a shop that would have been more at home in Chelsea. The first thing that caught my eye was a fabulous cutlery chandelier. Now, I know this chandelier....
Having just returned from a short break in La Rochelle, one of my favourite places on the French Atlantic coast, I have to report that the Vieux Port looked much the same as I remembered apart from one fact. On every café and restaurant terrace the chairs are almost exclusively, rattan.
This should not of course be surprising given what a fantastic product the new synthetic rattan is! Hard wearing, weatherproof, comfortable, and able to be cleaned with a jet of water … the French may not be the first to embrace a new trend, but they always recognise quality when they see it and make use of it well.
We sell a lot of rattan furniture at Out There Interiors, so I was interested to view what was selling well in France. I found it a little disappointing.......
Do you really want to move but are trapped in a house you can’t sell? Have you decided to stay where you are, as you cannot afford, or are not prepared, to sell at a loss?
If so, you are probably asking yourself what you can do to make your house more saleable. Should you be redecorating, revamping the kitchen, converting the loft? It is not long ago that the answer to all these would have been yes, of course, but it is much less of a given today. In an era of static (if you are lucky) house prices, the advice is to be cautious. The houses that are selling at the moment are the ones that are realistically priced. No longer are buyers keen to pay a premium for the fact that your house is better appointed than the one down the road. Prudence is the name of the game and the cheaper one almost always sells first.
So, what is the best way to cope with this situation?
Many of us are faced with occupying spaces that we feel are not large enough, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the bedroom. Builders of new homes create small bedrooms in their desire to pack in all the features required by the modern family and still turn in a profit. Even those occupying older homes are not immune as often bedroom space has been sacrificed on the altar of the en suite.
So how do we make the most of this most valuable of assets? We think out of the box of course.
For those of you who don't know, Out There Interiors have been preparing for a big move over the past eight weeks.
Having always had our showroom and offices separate from our warehouse has meant that us girls have been spared the humping of boxes and driving of forklift trucks…. until now.
Although I'm often in awe of pristine, sophisticated interiors the child inside will never grow old of rainbow coloured graffiti furniture. I'm longing for the day I can afford a Jimmy Martin or have something unique commissioned by an admired artist. The armoire in the top left of the pictures below has to be my absolute favourite piece, it looks so bold against the white wall - the ultimate statement wardrobe by Burke and Hazelden. But there's other ways of utilising street art on furniture. The beautiful white, Louis style sofa above for example, has been given a quirky twist by interior designer Lucy Lonergagan; the back and sides emblazoned with bold, urban graffiti. Personally I love the juxtaposition of classic French design and modern street art, but if it's all a bit too extravagant for you, why not take inspiration from California-based designer Ilan Dei who adds colourful graffiti to the interior of neutral pieces.
Above are some more examples of graffiti furniture. The fabulous but extortionate Jimmy Martin cabinet, a couple more armoires by Burke and Hazelden and some other gorgeous creations I found via Pinterest.
Am I alone in my love of graffiti furniture? If we had some designed to sell on Out There Interiors would it only be me who admired it? Would love to hear your thoughts...
There really is nothing worse than tacky decorations which appear in abundance at moments of national celebration, and although I avoid them like the plague, I can't help but feel just a tad square when I attend the Union Jack sponsored BBQ that my happy-go-lucky friend throws, rain or shine every St Georges Day.
I've never been particularly patriotic, nor am I a royalist. But I am an interiors addict.
And for someone who appreciates colour, pattern and aesthetics, it would be impossible (and quite frankly wrong) for me to disregard some of patriotic accessories which have appeared on Out There Interiors.com over the past few months:
Queen of Sales Support Kate Dixon was presented with flowers, chocolates and a bottle wine in our showroom this afternoon, by a lovely customer she pulled out the stops for.
It's not everyday her efforts are so acknowledged, and she was thrilled. (So were we as she shared out the chocs).
We're forever stumbling upon our furniture in TV and film, adverts and stylish window displays, but today we found a piece in a wedding photograph by Sam Hayword of samhaywordphotography.com. This gorgeous picture depicts a bride sitting at our "Racquel" white French dressing table, getting ready for her big day. We think both the bride and the dresser look stunning, not to mention the cornflower panelling.
We couldn't resist naming a new product Harper-Seven today in celebration of the Beckham's new daughter. And what better product than this awesome silver and white throne armchair from our French Furniture collection. This large and highly decorative throne chair has a gloss white frame and shiny silver, crocodile print upholstery. The ultimate statement piece. We love ostentatious furniture like this, so go on, splash out on Harper-Seven today. You won't regret it!
10 reasons to avoid high street furniture stores this January.
A new year, a new you, a new home. Many of us get this feeling in January, and with the prospect of all the 'high-street give-aways' out there, run out into the cold in search of that bargain bedroom furniture buying into the hype that we have been force fed since Boxing Day. But it's unnecessary, uncomfortable and expensive. Here's why.
In the Middle Ages Venice was the glassmaking centre of the Western world. By the end of the 13th century the government had moved the glass industry to the island of Murano. The name of this island is synonymous with high quality glass of beautiful design. So not only does Venetian glass have a long and illustrious history, it also embodies style, elegance, sophistication and luxury.
Venetian mirrored furniture
The Venetian mirrored furniture style that is so popular today dates from the 18th and 19th century. The elaborate ,ornate style that we associate with venetian mirrored furniture has a baroque influence. It is opulent and luxurious making venetian mirrored furniture a striking choice. Whenever a style is revisited a new modern twist is added and Venetian mirrored furniture is no exception. As well as the ornate rococco styles found in the Venetian mirror designs, modern taste also dictates more sleek clean lines (these are evident in our cabinets and console tables) The combination of these 2 opposing styles is one of the most striking and appealing elements of contemporary interior design.
An article on the history of Venetian glass furniture
If you happen to be as obsessed with glass furniture as we are, you may be interested in the following article. We explore how glass came about, how it was shaped and refined to fulfil different uses, and finally how the Venetian glass furniture you see today evolved throughout the ages. It is fascinating to find out how the decorative glass furniture, with which we adorn our homes today, has its origins in the mists of time.
How glass began
A form of glass, created by volcanic action on certain types of rock has existed since the beginnings of time itself. It is believed that some Stone Age tribes made use of this naturally occurring glass, to make tools and other objects. (Believe it or not they weren’t making glass furniture at this stage, although we like to think there was the odd Gay Stone Age couple boasting a cave full of mirrored furniture).
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Les Sables d’Olonne is a superb place for a beach holiday. The curve of the bay is almost as large as Morecambe’s but forget mudflats and perishing paddling, this is perfect golden sand and temperatures to go with it.
Having just returned from a short break in La Rochelle, one of my favourite places on the French Atlantic coast, I have to report that the Vieux Port looked much the same as I remembered apart from one fact. On every café and restaurant terrace the chairs are almost exclusively, rattan.
Do you really want to move but are trapped in a house you can’t sell? Have you decided to stay where you are, as you cannot afford, or are not prepared, to sell at a loss?
Rising to the challenge of the small bedroom.
But there's other ways of utilising street art on furniture. The beautiful white, Louis style sofa above for example, has been given a quirky twist by interior designer Lucy Lonergagan; the back and sides emblazoned with bold, urban graffiti. Personally I love the juxtaposition of classic French design and modern street art, but if it's all a bit too extravagant for you, why not take inspiration from California-based designer Ilan Dei who adds colourful graffiti to the interior of neutral pieces.
Above are some more examples of graffiti furniture. The fabulous but extortionate Jimmy Martin cabinet, a couple more armoires by Burke and Hazelden and some other gorgeous creations I found via Pinterest. 
Kim Cattrall put on a stunning performance along side Out There Interiors lanterns. 
About Venetian Mirrored Furniture
An article on the history of Venetian glass furniture