Continuing with our series focussing on great British fabric design, the spotlight for today lands on Peterborough based design house, Swaffer.

Establised in 1973, Swaffer have since been providing high quality decorative fabrics to over 40 countries worldwide!  Reknowned for their mix of modern and classic styles, Swaffer produce some of today’s most stunning jacards and innovative floral designs.

Below are a sample of our favourite Swaffer designs, available from Plumbs…

Bold and beautiful florals are fast making a come back in interior design, and this modern take on the English Poppyfield from Swaffer is up there with the best!  Particularly striking for blinds and curtains.

A fresh palette is used for this stunning ‘Vista’ fabric.  Favouring foliage over florals, this contemporary fabric is highly popular for the modern home.

This striking design certainly has the wow factor! Ideal for adding personality to your home as a statement chair.

This stunning designs that emerge from Swaffer each year aren’t just pretty to look at!  The company stress the other important qualities they strive to achieve with their fabrics: “Product quality and durability are as important to us as design and colour.”

Stay in touch for more featured fabric designers.  What’s your favourite Swaffer design?

The flower show season is just around the corner and we’re giving away 2 tickets to the RHS Flower Show at Hampton Court to one lucky winner.  Head over to our facebook page for your chance to play and win!  While you’re there why not have a look at some inspiring design images and tips, or drop us a quick message – we’d love to hear from you!

Don’t forget, Plumbs will be exhibiting at many shows across the UK – click here to see when we will be visiting a venue near you.  Enjoy a great day out and pop over to say hello!

It may not seem like it, but summer is just round the corner and May is the perfect time of year for preparing your home for the months ahead! As the days grow warmer (fingers crossed that will start soon!) and the sun shines for longer, think bright, clean and fresh and you’ll soon be on your way to discovering an island paradise in your very own home!

Amongst the mundane rituals of painting fences, sweeping out cobwebs and scrubbing down patio furniture, get your home ready for summer by breathing a whole new lease of life into your main entertaining rooms.

Whether you want to bring the outdoors into your living room, or spruce up your conservatory for its grand reopening after the cooler months, consider how small changes can really boost the appeal of your home.

Living Room

Bring the sunshine into your living room with a bold yellow colour scheme. Choose accents of red for maximum impact, but remember to offset with simple furniture.  We’ve mixed our classic Elegant Rose design with the fun, bold pattern of our Jacobean Opulence cushions.

Conservatory

Having stood abandoned and unused through the winter months, your conservatory deserves a little TLC this season.  Updating your conservatory furniture is the best way to give the room a dramatic uplift! Opt for a fresh new look with cool, plain covers or be inspired by the garden with a classic floral like Vicentio.

Dining Room

For those not so warm summer nights, bring the al fresco feel into your living room with a fresh, new look.  Use natural tones of brown and green to bring the outdoors in!  We love this Strata – Sauterne curtain which looks beautifully fresh againt the plain, Francesca blind.

How do you like to prepare your home for summer?  We’d love to hear your tips!

I don’t know about you, but I get tongue tied even talking about Art Deco and Art Nouveau.  Both were popular early 20th Century movements which became popular interior design trends that have slowly made a come back over recent years.  But what’s the difference?  Can you tell your Klimt from your Erte?

The number one rule to remember is Art Nouveau is fancy and decorative, Art Deco is sleek and clean….

Art Nouveau

A popular movement ranging from 1880 to before World War I, Art Nouveau was the aesthetic answer to Europe’s new industrial age.  Adopting geometric shapes such as arcs and semi-circles, design is elaborately stylised.

Inspiration was taken from insects and mythical woodland, with Tiffany Lamp Fairies epitomising the trend.

Bring Art Nouveau style into your 21^st century home with intricate, curved lines and natural woodland features like ivy and twigs.  Take inspiration from the Tiffany colour palette, or add finishing touches with beautifully crafted mythical figurines.

Art Deco

In its prime throughout the 1920’s and 30’s, Art Deco challenged the intricacy of Art Nouveau design, opting for sleeker, streamlined shapes and geometric patterns.  The movement saw more zigzags and sunbursts shapes as a result.  Paying attention to more modern materials like chrome, stainless steel and inlaid wood, the movement used natural materials more sparingly, with Zebra skins and fern leaves as popular choices.

Elements of Art Deco can look wonderful in today’s interiors with the use of sleek lines, and a monochrome palette.  Popular designers from the age such as Erte and Mackintosh can still be called upon for inspiration.

Following a disappointingly overcast bank holiday weekend, I’m feeling inspired to bring my own bit of sunshine into the home!  Who says we have to wait until summer to enjoy the cheerful hues of yellow?!   In recent years we have seen yellow increase in popularity, being mixed with various and imaginative palettes to add fun and vibrancy to our homes.

Yellow and Grey is fast becoming a popular choice in family homes.  Neither too feminie or too masculine, the colour scheme appeals to all members of the household.  Choose bold yellow walls and small acceessories to bring the look together.  We’ve teamed the beautiful Country Deco and Country Stripe in Gunmetal here for added texture and co-ordination.

Pale Yellow and similar subtle shades work well with neutral palettes to create a peaceful, calm scheme.  Be sure to add interest with floral or patterned fabrics to break up solid blocks of colour.  We’ve chosen Catherine’s Garden Curtains with Catherine’s Stripe Blind in Soft Gold.

Yellow & Purple create a stunning contrast that oozes luxury.  Think Quality Streets and opt for strong, jewel like shades for maximum impact.  Ensure your bold scheme stands out at its best with a neutral, plain backdrop.  For inspiration have a look at how we’ve deocarted with new fabric Royal Romance – Soft Gold.

So how about it?  Would you use yellow as a key colour in your living room?

Though the rain has taken over the majority of the country this week, here at Plumbs we like to be optimistic that the sunny days are just around the corner. So that means airing our conservatories and getting them ship shape for the coming season. Check out our top 5 conservatory designs for a spot of afternoon inspiration…

Filling your conservatory with foliage and opting for a cool green and white palette will add instant freshness. Draw the eye with dark grey or black rattan furniture to complete the monochrome base of the room.

Move out the clutter and bring in fun, retro furniture for a modern take on your conservatory. Keep it warm with a red and brown colour scheme.

Want that island resort feel?  Opt for bright, cheery colours and exotic plants for a tropical touch. Bright pinks and greens are great for adding life and soul to your conservatory!

If you love al fresco dining but our ‘Great British Summer’ rears it’s rainy head, compromise with a conservatory dining room. A lovely garden view while staying warm and dry.

Experiment with fresh, bold colour schemes to add vibrancy and life into your conservatory. You can freshen up old conservatory cushion covers with a fabric like Paradise, available from Plumbs.

On the anniversary of last year’s Royal Wedding, the nation gears up once again to fly the flag for Britain with Jubilee Fever beginning to raise it’s head. The high street has been awash with union jacks, crowns, corgis and all things British. And the world of home decor is no exception! Top designers and small boutiques alike are embracing the patriotic trend to the full, delivering quirky and contemporary products for a true British home!

We’ve pulled out a few of our favourites:

Graham & Brown offer up these eye-catching wallpapers. Bring a regal touch to your home with the monochrome crowns and coronet design, or give a nod to the capital with this mix of London landmarks. Both are perfect for feature walls statements!

Adorn your furnishings with a flurry of British inspired cushions!  John Lewis’s Celebration of British Cushion Collection has a great range of classic and quirky designs to choose from.  We love the King & Queen matching sets!

Anyone for tea?  The ultimate British past-time sees a similar patritoic overhaul with many tea set designs emerging for the occassion.  Check out this lovely commemorative set from Not on the High Street.

What do you think of the growing Patriotic trend?

This week’s blog delves into the wonderful world of fabric design.  Searching for inspiration this morning, I found myself surrounded by swatchbooks containing some of the most unique and beautiful fabrics from our current range.  We pride ourselves on sourcing fabrics from today’s best designers, so I say it’s time to pay homage to the creative genius behind the contemporary florals and classic damasks.  Over a series of blogs we will be celebrating some of today’s top fabric designers!  Starting with one of the UK’s best known design houses… Sanderson.

With over 150 years experience in the design industry, it’s no suprise that Sanderson are one of the UK’s leading design houses today.  Culminating quintessentially Bristish design with new and modern elements, their designs attract all ages.
They explain more about their style and ethos on their website: “We draw on the creativity of young contemporary designers, alongside the work of artists and historical documents. This mix creates new and directional designs for modern living.”

One of Sanderson’s most recent popular designs Dandelion Clocks has been greatly received by the Bristish public and home decor industry alike,  with the fun, simple design cropping up everywhere from teacups to wallpaper.  As a result, Dandelion Clocks is one of our most popular Sanderson designs for loose covers, re-upholstery and curtains.  An alternative, blackcurrent colourway is also available, alongside 4 more famous Sanderson designs including Pondicherry and Pangbourne.

To find out more about our other fabric suppliers click here, or check back for more Featured Fabric Supplier posts!  In the meantime we’d love to hear from you:

What’s you favourite Sanderson design?

As promised on our blog a couple of months ago, Plumbs are working to raise awareness of our local reupholstery services available across the UK. This weeks place of focus, the beautiful Isle of Wight. Check out our new website about Re-upholstery in Isle of Wight to find out more about Plumbs in your area, or arrange your FREE home visit here.

Plumbs also have local sites for Re-upholstery in Birmingham, Re-upholstery in Bristol and Re-upholstery in Oxford. More to follow soon…

What is the best design feature in your home?  Is it a beautiful Chesterfield couch, a stunning sculpture or a zanny colour scheme?  How many of you said, my mirrors!  I know what you must be thinking: mirrors are a necessity not a design feature.  Whether you sneak a quick glance every time you walk past or avoid your mirrors at all costs, be sure not to underestimate them when it comes to creating wow factor in your home.

Create a sense of grandeur with oversized mirrors.  Positioned in your dining room, a large elaborate mirror will bounce back plenty of light, leaving the room feeling spacious and airey.  Not to mention it makes a great pre-starter talking point!

We all like to be able to see what we’re doing as we get ready in the morning, but does this take things to the extreme?  Not at all, a stunning statement and practical too! Combine with monochrome, minimalist decor for maximum impact!

Forget the dreary family timeline ascending the stairs and opt for a variety of mirrors instead.  They will instantly brighten the space and add extra interest.  Choose matching, neutral colours for a subtle statement or mix and match sizes, shapes and colours for a fun,  ‘off the wall’ approach!

A growing trend at the moment are collage wall displays, with photo frames and clocks featuring highly.  Use mirrors of all different shapes and sizes, but ensure they have something in common to fit in with your room’s decor.  Mixing and matching metallic frames are a great way to add that luxury feel to this living room.

The humble mirror: a stylish, yet practical home decor solution!