Happy New Year…again!  As China sets to welcome the Year of the Dragon today, be inspired by the Orient in your own home.  Carrying on our theme of the feature wall from last week, there are an abundance of great designs which can really give that relaxed, Eastern feel to your home.  We’ve opted for a simple trailing floral design with subtle leaves, paired with a modern red and black palette.  Turin – Claret is a great, plain fabric choice to compliment the look.

For that wow factor you could be a little more daring and opt for a vibrant pink and soft yellow colour scheme.  We’ve used our very own Elana – Lipstick fabric to create these striking curtains.  Accessorise with exotic orchids and simple straight-lined furniture.  Adding a few Oriental design ornaments, such as the lantern featured will bring the whole mood together.

Paint manufacturer Dulux have unveiled their colour trends for 2012/13.  Their six distinct palettes are set to take interior design by storm, so here at Plumbs we’ve been busily preparing ideas for how you can stay on trend this year!

The great thing about colour trends is that you can pick and just choose exactly which hues you want. You could utilise the entire palette or choose the shades that will be right for you and your home.

Appropriately named Carnivale, this pretty selection of pink and lilac will give an ultra feminine feel to your room. For a more subtle approach, you could leave out the darker pink shades. Plumbs’ fabric choice: Sorrento Stripe and Summer, Soft Aubergine.

A more masculine palette can be found with Re-set, a contemporary monochrome set of blacks, whites and greys. Try patterned fabrics to break up blocks of solid colour when adopting this trend. Plumbs’ fabric choice: Chelsea Velvet – Steel with Jacobean Opulence – Black/White.

A warmer look can be created with Time-Honoured. Twinned with dark wood, these orange and red hues are sure to brighten any room. We’ve added a dash of green here to bring out an earthier feel. Plumbs’ fabric choice: Vista – Terracotta.

If the natural look is more for you, take inspiration for Dulux’s zesty Nurture trend. Mix vibrant greens with soft creams for a fresh, Spring look all year round. Plumbs’ fabric choice: Lily – Pistachio.

Raw is the slightly subtler version of this outdoor trend. Combining slate and grey/green tones gives a softer,  more neutral approach. Plumbs’ fabric choice: Fiore Check – Linen.

Finally, Immerse yourself in relaxing blues. No longer a colour scheme set aside for bathrooms, the calming tones of blue can bring tranquillity to your living space. Plumbs’ fabric choice: Floral Brocade – Turquoise.

With so much inspiration it’s time to  get the sample paint pots and the wallpaper clippings and browse Plumbs fabrics online by clicking here, or click here to arrange your Free Home Visit to see our whole range of fabrics in your own home!  We’ll be back soon with more decorating inspiration.

6 days to go – who’s excited?  With Christmas looming and the sound of sleigh bells circling our neighbourhoods it’s time to get prepared!  And I don’t mean putting the finishing touches on the Christmas cake or wrapping those last few presents.  We need to prepare our homes for the inevitable high traffic of family and friends coming and going, (not to mention Father Christmas and his reindeer!).

The hallway is likely to see the most increase in footfall over the festive weekend, so protect flooring with long runners or assorted rugs.  If weather is particularly poor, you could also ask your guests to remove their shoes.  If you do however, ensure that you have a shoe rack to hand and that your home is lovely and warm to invite cold feet!

Ensure that there is plenty of space to hang coats to prevent them being strewn across your furniture.  Similarly, make a designated space where umbrellas can be left to dry.  If you have a porch, this is ideal.

Prevent any spills by having side or coffee tables within easy reach.  If though, during the jollity of Christmas, there happens to be a spillage, clean this immediately.  It is more likely to stain if left to settle into your carpet.  To be on the safe side, ensure you have plenty of kitchen roll, stain remover and sponges on stand-by.

Use blankets or throws to protect soft furnishings whilst adding a cosy feel to your home.  For more permanent protection, consider loose furniture covers that you can remove, wash and re-fit with ease, as often as you like.  At Plumbs, we also offer a range of anti-macassars and arm covers for added protection for your furniture.  You could also use loose covers to protect your dining chairs.

To find out more about loose furniture covers, click here. Now that your home is protected, you can sit back and relax with a mince pie.  Why not browse the blog for more great tips!

There are many things we associate with the build up to Christmas.  First come the dazzling shop windows, next the office party invites, perhaps even the odd jingle bells may start to be heard.  For me it’s the adverts on TV!  Every year Coca-Cola does not fail to insight festive spirit when their iconic advert plays out during an episode of Coronation Street, for example!

Another clear sign that Christmas is coming is the abundance of commercials advertising the benefits of buying a new sofa.  This time of year we are inundated with suggestions of buying a new sofa just in time for Christmas.  But is buying new our only option to true comfort this festive season?

Of course not!  Consider this.  You’ve shopped around for the perfect sofa or suite to fit your home.  It’s the right size, the right shape, the right style.  Over time the fabric has become worn or your taste has altered.  It happens!  No problem.  Before throwing your much loved furniture on the tip and going through the whole process again, you may be interested to know of a much better, hassle-free way of transforming your furniture.

Loose Covers can be tailor made in any fabric, colour and design of your choice.  You get to keep all of the benefits of your current furniture and can change the whole look and feel. You can even restore and repair any areas of your furniture with reupholstery – so it’s like having a brand new sofa!  Below are a couple of before and after transformations to whet your appetite.

So before you’re convinced to discard your furniture and buy new this Christmas, it could be worth considering all of your options.  You can click here to find out more information of how Plumbs can transform your furniture with Loose Covers, or click here for reupholstery.

This must be one of our best customer stories:

A Plumbs Tale

Once upon a time on a dark wintry night a fairy princess in the guise of Plumbs consultant Jan Bone came to sprinkle some fairy dust on a tired old suite. She worked her magic with samples of every colour and finally with a flourish produced the cardinal rouge velvet. Yes please! Cried the owner and off Jan went in her four wheeled vehicle.

Soon prince Alan arrived with his trusty tape measure and then he too disappeared sending measurements across the land.

Many a long month went by as plasterers and painters prepared the room ready for the arrival of the red velvet and Plumbs were asked to wait” just a little while longer” so that everything could be right for the occasion. And then the day arrived, and so did Jan Bone carrying her wondrous boxes of covers.

With a flick and a pull the old suite was transformed into something magical – a suite to be proud of – a blaze of colour and just as comfortable as it had always been. And the moral of the story? ” always judge a suite by it’s Plumbs cover”

Mrs. Bevan – Portsmouth

One of the easiest ways to update the look of your living room without having to spend money on new furniture is to buy loose covers. Here are our top 5 reasons why furniture covers can make your life so much easier and breathe new life into your existing furniture.

1)      No need to buy new furniture

As Mr Osbourne announces his much awaited budget cuts, everyone is finding it more and more important to save money. And shelling out £2000 or more on a new suite is just not in everyone’s budget. With loose covers there is no need to anyway, you can extend the life of your sofa for years because the damage and stains caused by everyday life are no longer there for everyone to see!

2)      Give your living room a brand new look

Nothing can make your room look more weary than furniture that looks like it has seen better days. With loose covers you can liven up your furniture in a whole new way.  Plumbs have a wide selection of fabrics in plains, florals, stripes and mini designs in a whole array of colours. With everything from classic to contemporary, you’ll be able to find the perfect fabric, which will instantly breathe life into your living room.

Loose covers also enable you to match up all your mismatched furniture. I’ve collected different pieces of furniture over time and therefore they all have a different ‘look’. You may have bought a recliner one year and then a sofa a year or two later and they just don’t match. Loose covers mean that you can now match all of these odd pieces together.

3)      Protect your furniture from everyday mishaps

If you have children, pets or have witnessed the dangers of red wine then you’ll know that accidents tend to happen. Drinks will be spilled, food will be dropped and furniture will look tired after being jumped or slumped on by children and teenagers. By using loose covers you can protect your original, and often expensive furniture from these everyday mishaps. This ties in nicely with point 4…

4)      Easy to care for

This is one of the big reason why people purchase loose furniture covers, they are just so easy to care for. When they become dirty (just see the above!) you simply put them in your washing machine and they will come out looking as good as new. It’s that easy!

5)      Help protect the Environment

By choosing to buy loose furniture covers and not a new sofa, you are saving your current furniture from landfill. Not only that, but all of Plumbs products, be that loose covers, curtains or reupholstery are made in the UK with many of the fabrics being locally sourced too.

These are Plumbs top 5 reasons for using loose covers, we would love to hear yours if you have any!

We have just launched this brand new ‘Luxury Cord Velour’ fabric, which is the softest fabric we’ve ever sold. The whole family will just love snuggling up together on this sumptuous chenille fabric.

Available now in a choice of 15 beautiful colours, there is everything from vibrant lilac, passionate purple, cool natural, capaccino coffee right the way through to ravishing mulberry and even masculine black .

You simply won’t be able to stop yourself from stroking and touching – the feel and handle really is just so soft. Here is a comment from one of our consultants:

I had my first order in this fabric today and could the customer leave it alone, would she eck! She kept stroking it on her lap as if it were a cat! At this rate we will need new books as they’ll become bald with all this stroking. I’m going to get a pair of trousers made in it if thats the effect it gets!!!

Best of all though is the outstanding washability. Most fabrics lose their life and body after a visit to the washing machine. The new luxury cord velour comes out looking brand new, fluffy soft and vibrant. With no shrinkage, this fully washable fabric is quick dry making it practically perfect for a busy home.

Right now, the cost of covering any chair is £159 while a sofa is either £289 or £339 depending on the sofa size. Save even more by covering any sofa plus two chairs at just £599.

You will be impressed and tempted to cover your sofa and chairs in this brand new luxury fabric from Plumbs. Find out what all the fuss is about by requesting a visit from a Plumbs local consultant. They’ll bring the fabric to your home!

Request a visit here…

Transform your living room this Spring with loose covers from Plumbs. With hundreds of fabrics to choose from including cottons, linens, chenilles, easy care stretch fabrics plus luxury velvets, loose covers are ideal if you’re looking for a slightly more informal way to update your furniture.

Offering an alternative solution to replacing a tired sofa or chair, Plumbs loose covers are hand crafted from start to finish and made to measure, which means that they look, fit and feel as good, if not better, than the original upholstery. Plumbs even offer co-ordinating curtains!

From on-trend botanical prints and opulent purples and deep reds to countryside-inspired florals and natural fabrics, Plumbs diverse loose cover collections offer something for everyone.

If your furniture is over ten years old then re-upholstery could be the perfect way to bring a well-loved sofa or chair back to life. Re-upholstery allows you to keep all the original features of your existing furniture, including the shape, comfort and style, but in a brand new fabric.

Plumbs upholstering services range from standard recovering to complete reupholstery including any wooden features, studded work and button backs.

Latest government figures say we in the UK send more than half our waste to landfill. That is a huge 62 million tonnes a year in England alone. Now the aim is to reduce landfill by at least 50% over the next 10 years…..

Read More Here…

There’s more to life than sopping up yet another grape juice puddle from a cotton sofa cushion — and that’s why sofa covers are a popular choice for busy families on the go. Toss ‘em in the washing machine and that stain is no more.

However, the slouchy, ill-fitting look some sofa covers create means living rooms may look more shabby than chic. But a snug-fitting cover in a modern design can transform a plain room into a stylish one, with little cost or effort.

Made to fit a variety of sofas, chairs and ottomans, loose furniture covers come in a range of colours and patterns to suit different decorating styles.

“With sofa covers, you can protect your much loved peice of furniture from wear and tear, your little angels and hairy four-legged friends,” says Chris Plumb.