Sometimes the thought of redecorating can seem all a bit much like hard work, especially this close to the festive season!  But this time of year more than ever your dining room in particular could benefit from a quick sprucing up!  And what easier way to do it than choosing a brand new set of dining chair covers!  You’d be amazed at what a difference they could make to your room!

Loose Covers are an easy and effective way to transform any room, and the dining room is no exception.  Take a look at just some of the ways you could create an instant new look with  these made to measure dining chair covers.

Co-ordinating your textiles can bring a whole room together.  We chose to combine the subtle tones of Elegant Rose – Soft Green & Cream, with Curtains in Strata – Sauterne & Francesca – Gold Blind.

A classic floral design is the perfect partner for a traditional dining room.  Opt for plain walls and simple decor to offset busier patterns like this Tamana – Blue/Cream from Crowson.

Rich, luxurious fabrics like this Mandalay – Rich Terracotta help to add a sense of occassion to your dining room.  Remember, loose dining chair covers don’t need to be permanent.  You could simply use them to transform your room for special guests!

Even simple plain fabrics can make a huge difference to your dining room.  You can even play around with the skirt options to transform the shape of your chairs.  We’ve chosen a half skirt to show off the beautiful wood.

Your dining chair covers need not be all the same fabric.  We had great fun mixing and matching these fabrics together.  The plain Hampstead – Fucushia helps to break up the striking stripes.

What’s your favourite dining room style?

For me a change in season always has me itching for a fresh new look in the home.  I like chunky blankets and warming tones in winter, and fresh zesty florals in the summer months.  One easy and effective way to get an instant seasonal update in the home is to choose loose furniture covers!  It’s a great idea to have an extra set of covers for your sofa or suite, making it easy to change the whole look and feel of your home!

Let’s see it in action.  Here we have the same sofa and chair with beautiful loose covers for a different look all through the year…

Autumn

Here we are at the most spectacular time of the year for colour inspiration!  The world is awash with stunning, rich and warm tones and I cannot wait to bring them into my home.  These loose covers would be my number one choice! Introducing the strong green and orange hues here gives this look a lovely warm feel.  Remember that you can swap and change your accessories to suit the season too; why not add a cosy blanket and an interesting footstool for putting your feet up on cool autumn evenings!

Winter

When the days are cold and short, I like nothing more than curling up on my sofa, so to be surrounded by beautiful fabrics is a must!  I tend to lean toward darker shades to give a cosier feel to the home.  I love the wintry feel created by this aquamarine and snow combination.  A great look for a winter wonderland!

Spring/Summer

As the weather warms up I often like to invite fresh, light colours into the home to bring some vibrancy and life after the winter period.  Pinks and greens are a popular choice and a classic floral like this is the perfect way to reflect the blossoming world outside!

We all love to bring a little of the outdoors into our homes, which is why floral designs have long been popular in soft furnishings and interior design.  With each passing year the world’s designers bring us fresh new takes on the floral trend, with recent years focussing on big, bold and beautiful flowers!

This year however, more and more often I am seeing simple, leaf designs.  Top names, such as Sanderson are looking at the cleaner lines of leaves to create simple yet striking designs for the home.  So with Autumn just around the corner, and the beauty of leaves taking precedence this season, what better time to celebrate the wonderful possibilities of foliage in your home…

The simplicity of the leaf alongside the stark contrast of colour gives this design a modern, abstract feel.  Inspired by the paintings of Henri Matisse, Sanderson have created an exciting design, perfect for a feature wall in the home.

The botanical approach is also increasing popular this year, with the fresh green and white palette being an ideal choice for kitchens, conservatories and garden rooms.

You can choose a warmer colour scheme for a more autumnal feel.  Remember, as with floral designs, you can mix and match your leaf patterns to cement your theme.

PLUMBS ON TREND!

Discover our own collection of Autumn inspired fabric designs.  I love these different takes on the leaf design – which is your favourite?

The latest instalment in our Featured Fabric supplier series looks today at Ross Fabrics, and in particular their beautiful velvets. Ross are one of the leading suppliers of upholstery fabrics in the UK, and have almost 80 years experience in the fabric industry!  Their collection includes chenilles, weaves and velvets in both traditional and contemporary designs and colourways.

At this time of year velvets can be incredibly inviting.  There’s nothing I’d like more this week than to be snuggled up in the reassuring folds of my sofa, so my ideal fabric would have to be soft to touch, smooth and comfortable.  Velvet it is then!  But as well as the sensory benefits of these smoother fabrics, velvets can also add a touch of grandeur and sophistication to our furniture.

Bijoux Crushed Velvet is a popular Ross fabric here at Plumbs!  With a subtle sheen this fabric oozes luxury and gives an elegant feel.  Plus, it’s shimmering quality can keep furniture sparkling all year round.  You could choose a neutral colourway and simply change your curtains for a new look for Autumn-Winter, and another for Spring-Summer.

Well we did it!  After a year of cloak and dagger, our theme for the 2012 Preston Guild Trades Procession was unveiled in all it’s glory this weekend!  We went with an Alice in Wonderland inspired float as the perfect way to showcase our popular motto: “We Can Cover Almost Anything!”  The star of the show, Alice herself, came riding along the streets of Preston in a giant armchair covered in our popular English Poppyfields fabric.

The chair measuring 4.5m high and 3m wide, was followed by a float depicting the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, with different size and shape furniture, tea cups and even the Queen of Hearts!  The procession was helped along by friends and employees of Plumbs all happily clad in Union Jack colours to carry on this Summer’s Great British patriotism and celebrate Great British craft!

Love Alice’s chosen fabric?  Find out more about English Poppyfields and how it could look in your home…

The world of fabrics can be a tricky place to navigate!  With damasks, scrolls, jacquards and trails, it’s sometimes hard to keep track of what means what.  So today I wanted to shed some light one of our most popular fabric styles: the Jacquard.

Originally named after French inventor, Joseph Marie Jacquard in1801, a Jacquard fabric consists of an intricately woven pattern that is raised from the background as opposed to simply printed on. A true jacquard fabric is made using a special Jacquard loom, but the jacquard style or effect can be created in other ways too, giving the same raised look as the jacquard.

This style is great for adding texture and interest to your home textiles.  Let’s explore a few of our top Jacquard style fabrics that could add that something special to your home…

A TRUE Jacquard fabric, Belgravia Garden has a subtle floral design which brings texture to the neutral fabric.  Indulge in the luxury of this fabric by teaming with sumptuous golds.

The jacquard style used on this fabric helps to strengthen the contrast between the elaborate design and the background – making for a striking focal point.

A traditional floral incorporating the jacquard style, this tapestry like fabric looks sophisticated and grand.  Perfect for the more traditional home.

Other Jacquard-style fabrics from Plumbs

We have 33 Jacquard style fabric designs in a number of colourways, and 5 true jacquard fabrics for that extra added luxury feel.

Which is your favourite?

Over the past few weeks we’ve been showcasing the very best in British fabric design, and today sees the focus lie with long established company, Crowson.

Based in Uckfield, East Sussex this design house has over 30 years experience in the fabrics industry and have produced some beautiful designs over the years.  Take Tamana – Blue, for example.  A traditional, yet delicate floral in a refreshing blue and green colourway.  Crowson shows that a traditional floral design isn’t always overbearing.  The cool palette and the soft lines in the design go together to produce this elegant fabric.

The nature of the design means that it is quite versatile in that it looks beautiful as part of a bright, fresh living room, or used to bring light and colour to a dark dining room.  Tamana also goes beautifully in the conservatory, as an extension of the flora in your own garden!

A truely timeless design with great verstaility!  Click here to find out more about our other branded fabrics, or see Tamana – Blue for free in your own home by requesting your no-obligation Home Visit!

The fourth edition of our featured Fabric Supplier series sees beautiful, co-ordinated designs from British company, Prestigious Textiles.   Founded in 1988 and based in West Yorkshire, the company now supply their exciting designs worldwide where their fine reputation continues to grow.

Their range includes a delectable mix of florals, stripes, damasks and semi-plain fabrics specifically produced to work in harmony creating beautiful statements in the home.  We think the PT range is ideal for creating an eye-catching window display.  The co-ordinating designs lends themselves perfectly to a curtains, blinds and cushions for that extra finishing touch!  Take a look at some of our favourite Prestigious Textiles combinations…

An elegant design in a sophisticated palette.  Octavia and Oracle are available in 4 neutral colourways, each creating a beautiful opulent look. This combination would look stunning in the bedroom.

A fresh, modern take on the traditional floral, Rosella is a delicate pretty design which can be complemented beautifully by the striking stripes of Rosella Stripe.  Both fabrics are available from Plumbs in 4 on-trend colourways including Duck Egg and Lavender.

Another bold statement as floral meets stripe.  Emilia is a striking fabric that draws the eye, perfect for floor to ceiling curtains!  Twinned with Fiore Mini Stripe in matching colourway really brings out the pops of purple in this design.  A winning combination.

It can be fun to play around with co-ordinating fabrics, so take your time and mix and match fabrics to create  a look that’s perfect for you.  You could even request a free visit from a local Plumbs consultant and try out many different fabric combinations in your home?

With the weather forecast looking bleak for most of the UK again this week, it doesn’t look hopeful for a trip to the seaside.  But why should that stop us?!  With the beach hut look overtaking the high street this season, what better time to bring the seaside into your home!  We love the combination of rustic chic with beach hut buys to give a calming, nostalgic feel to your home.  We think these finds would look stunning in a light and airy hallway….what do you think?

1) Distressed Beach Hut Trinket Boxes -bronterose.co.uk

2) Tide & Time Clock -  coastalhome.co.uk

3) Hudson Valley Groton Nautical Light Sconce – uk.sotmau.com

4) Reclaimed Wood Heart Wall Shelf – The Orchard Home & Gifts

5) Pale Blue distressed Wood Beach Sign – Debenhams

6) Co-ordinating fabrics Knole & Fiore Mini Stripe for loose covers, curtains, blinds or re-upholstery – Plumbs

7) Wicker Storage Seat – The Orchard Home & Gifts

It can often be difficult to pin-point exactly how you want your living space to look.  And with the living rooms of today being a versatile hub of activity, it’s hard to know how to best decorate for all occasions.  When the family is together and their is that wonderful bustle of life, you may want your living room to be alive with vibrancy and colour.  On the other hand, on a quiet Sunday afternoon you may want nothing more than to curl up with a good book and feel quietly peaceful surrounded by soft, delicate textiles.

Have you ever considered trying to merge both?  Mixing and matching your living room textiles and colours could give you the best of both worlds.  A little bit of everything you love could go wonderfully together to create a personlised look in your home.  Plus, different fabrics will add texture and depth to your room.

When choosing fabrics, remember to try to use complementing colours and designs.   We’ve teamed our beautiful Belinda – Raspberry with the delicate floral design of Chrysanthemum.  The rich, raspberry colour picks out the pink hues of the flowers, bringing them to life.