Autumn Fun

If you are looking for a little light relief from all that is happening in the world how about a spot of Halloween fun? These activities are a sure way to keep your little ones (or just you!) entertained during half term. Who says Autumn decor needs to be bright orange pumpkins and fake cobwebs, try our pumpkin painting activity to create your very own elegant autumn decorations.

Painted pumpkins

Head down to your local pumpkin picking spot (another great way to entertain the kids) and pick out a host of different sized pumpkins. If you have lots of tester pots of paint leftover from any room renovations this is a great way to use them up. Paint the pumpkins in an array of colours or stick to a particular palette that matches your interior. We love all white pumpkins with painted spots or drips on. Arrange at your front door with faux candles or use as a beautiful Halloween tablescape ready for a spooky family feast.

Halloween Bakes

From ghostly biscuits to a spiders nest cake there are plenty of ways to bring the some spookiness to your half term bakes. Why not create lots of Halloween party food so you can host your own family scarefest? One of our favourite & easiest recipes are spider cupcakes. Simply make a batch of your favourite cupcakes, when cooled spoon over smooth white icing then with a black (or chocolate icing) pipe on 3 circles, carefully run a toothpick from the centre of the cake to outerconer to create a cobweb effect.

Get organised with IDEAS

With programmes such as the home edit and tidying up with Marie Kondo becoming so popular, we look at the most savvy ways to organise your new kitchen.

From pantry canisters to spice racks there are many clever ways to help organise your kitchen and enable you to live a simpler, more concise life free of clutter. Organising your kitchen is also a great way of eradicating surplus food, meaning less waste.

Here are our favourite products for an organised kitchen that is Pinterest worthy!

Canisters

Kitchen canisters are everywhere now and we love them. Simple clear air tight jars are best for most types of food storage and you can customise them with an array of labels describing the contents. Use

Tiered kitchen organiser

These are great little storage ‘stairs’ that maximise the height inside your cupboards, they also make seeing the contents a lot easier as products such as tins are stacked rather than in front of each other. You can pick up fixed or expandable ones so they can be suited to the size of your cabs.

Fridge compartments

We absolutely love fridge compartments, they help group fridge products together such as ‘meat’, ‘dairy’ etc so things are easy to grab. They are a lot easier to clean than fridge shelves so when it is time to clean the fridge its a lot quicker and less hassle overall.

Cutlery organisers

One thing we always recommend for all our customers, whether they are custom fitted to your drawers or a cheaper alternative from somewhere such as IKEA are cutlery inserts. They help keep cutlery separate and stop any large utensils getting stuck, locking your drawers.

We love wooden cutlery inserts to give your kitchen a more premium look.

Wooden storage shelving for pantries

We usually recommend in built storage shelving within pantry spaces to maximise the space within whilst also keeping any spices, jars or tins neat and tucked away. These shelves are easily drilled onto the inside of your pantry doors so can be added on later if you wish.

Bathroom Trends 2021

Well 2020 hasn’t quite been the year we have all been expecting, everything feels very much up in the air but with a new year dawning on us and hopefully a much needed ‘new year, new start’ we look at the trend forecast in bathrooms for 2021.

1. Calming Neutrals

Bathrooms have always had the intention of being relaxing but have often ended up feeling cold & uninviting when using only white so why not warm it up by using a oatmeal, blush pink or blue. Add in natural elements such as oak wood vanity units and plants for a more spa like feel mixed with lots of texture using rattan, linens and wood.

2. Traditional Luxury

Want something a little more dramatic than a calming bathroom? Black might just be your friend. This look is not for the faint hearted, to achieve this look to the fullest paint the skirtings, walls and architraves all in the same colour. Pair this with brushed brass and a traditional roll top bath for the ultimate in luxury.

3. Paired down tiles

The trend for quite a few years now has been bold, patterned tiles but 2021 sees the return of the paired down sophisticated tile. Think marble herringbone or scallop shape for a behind bath feature wall, giving the room some depth & interest without being overwhelming.

4. Bold Block colours

This look can be achieved on any colour scale, from light to dark the key is to keep the same hue throughout. This could be a beautiful blush pink, using tiles, a sink and accessories all to a similar tone creating a block colour effect. For an even bolder look you could add in another stark colour way like black or navy blue.

5. Black accessories

Black bathroom fixtures have been around for a while and they look to be staying. This style can be achieved with a few accessories such as the mirror, toilet roll holder and dispensers to black taps and shower screens for a bolder look.

5 Reasons to choose your local kitchen retailer

2020 has been a strange year to say the least and as a small local business we are thankful more than ever for all your support, it really does mean the world to us.

We feel so lucky that we continue to be so busy creating such beautiful spaces for all our lovely customers, we think all that time spent in lockdown has made people look at their homes and how they use them in a whole new light!

If you are looking to transform your kitchen this year we are sharing 5 reasons why we think you should choose us your local independent retailer….

1.      You are supporting the local economy

Did you know for every £10 you spend with an independent retailer means £50 towards the local economy? Your kitchen is not only supporting us its also helping our trusted traders, our suppliers, delivery drivers and Helen’s baking skills! The list is endless meaning your kitchen is making a huge impact on the local economy.

2.      You are getting a truly bespoke kitchen, tailored to you

When choosing IDEAS to design your kitchen, you are getting one of our dedicated designers who will listen to all your likes, dislikes, wants and needs to come up with a design that’s truly bespoke to you. There is no ‘standard’ design here, whatever your heart desires we can make happen.

3.      A full turn-key service

We not only design and fit your kitchen we can also help with everything from recommending a builder, plumber, electrician to helping you choose matching paint and accessories leaving you more time to think about the small details rather than the bigger picture.

4.      No gimmicks or ‘sales’

As a small business we never have ‘sales’ but aim to provide fair and decent prices all year round, we know sometimes larger retailers can appear cheaper but we offer a higher quality product with the peace of mind of being local if you have any questions during your job.

5.      Local recommendations

Word of mouth is our biggest source of new business and we love that so many of you recommend us to your friends and family. We go above and beyond to ensure you have a positive kitchen buying experience and in turn hopefully you spread the word

Colour Mixing In the Kitchen

Lusting over all those navy kitchens on Pinterest? We don’t blame you they always look so stunning! Navy, dark green and black are all big trends in interiors, they look stunning with gold and copper accent touches and bring a luxurious vibe to any space in your house.

But how do you bring this look into your kitchen without it feeling overpowering or too heavy? There are a few things to consider before heading to the dark side, here are a few of our top tips.

Lighting in your room

First things first are you planning your new kitchen to be in a large light filled extension or is it in a smaller, darker space? We find most of our customers are looking to maximise the light that flows into their kitchen so that is something to consider when thinking of a darker kitchen. We always recommend taking home a sample door or colour you are considering and placing it in your room, how does the colour change depending on the time of day? Often customers will change their minds several times once various samples are placed in their own home and that is all part of design process. Have fun with it!

Go bold or go home?

So do you go all out with one shade of colour or combine a few colours for a nod to the dark hues? One of the softer ways to add in a pop of darker colour is by mixing your door colours, it could be a dark navy with a porcelain to balance the two beautifully. If you have room for an island, you could consider having the doors in one solid statement colour and the surrounding kitchen units in a lighter shade. If you feel having a dark shade on the kitchen cabinets is a trend too far, how about painting the walls in a rich green to compliment a chalk white in a striking yet changeable way.

We have doors in a vast array of colours to suit your individual style, tastes and home. Contact us at the showroom to book an appointment, we can’t wait to see you!

Exciting New Door Ranges

Hope and Helen took a recent trip up to Durham to the PWS showroom and amazing factory. PWS are one of our door manufacturers who bring you the beautiful likes of Second Nature and 1909 kitchens.

Not only were we there to see the always fabulous array of beautiful updated display sets, we were also treated to being some of the first people to view two brand new door families by Second Nature ‘The Hunton’ and the stunning inframe ‘Clarendon’.

The Hunton

The Hunton is a sleek, versatile shaker door which is perfect for any modern or classic design. It features a smooth painted shaker door with a slim frame giving it a more contemporary edge on the classic shaker. The door lends itself to a sophisticated colour palette of Dark hues, contrasting neutrals and on trend brass finishes but looks equally beautiful toned down for a more traditional look with the use of cup handles and the addition of a butlers sink.

The Clarendon

Wanting to add serious style points to your house but on a budget? The Clarendon is the perfect combination of classic period furniture with a woodgrain finish paired with delicate Ovolo beading. This kitchen oozes character and sophistication and allows for complete customisation in a large array of paint to order colours, plenty of accessory options like traditional mantels, glass dresser units and even a gin bar!

Contact us today or pop into the showroom to enquire about our two new kitchen ranges or to find out about any of the other kitchen families we offer. Cake and coffee is waiting!

Sophisticated Shaker Kitchens

Classic, timeless and so elegant, the Shaker style kitchen has been a go to for decades but for a short time went out of style with high gloss, handless ranges taking centre stage. However in the last year or so we have seen a peak in shaker popularity with our customers looking for a more classic kitchen with contemporary detailing such as quartz worktops and ironmongery in golds and rose gold.

Depending on your individual style and house look and feel we can adapt the shaker kitchen to match your lifestyle perfectly, whether that’s a country style kitchen with classic details like Corbels underneath open shelving to a more contemporary feel with matt black handles. One of the best things about all these finishes are they are changeable, so if in 5 years you decide rose gold is no longer your thing simply change the handles and accessories.

We offer a vast range of styles and colours in our Shaker doors to accommodate all budgets and individual tastes. Pop in to see us today to create your dream kitchen or contact us via the link below.