Antigua, Aruba and Tobago aren’t just tropical islands, they are also some of the fabulous ranges of garden furniture we have here at Housing Units. Sure they may not be able to magically transport you to a beach somewhere, but they can make you feel like you’re lounging somewhere in the Caribbean, with the added convenience of not having to leave the comfort of your own backyard.

Combining the right elements in your garden can help make it functional to use during the day and at night, as well as give you a good excuse to get your friends and family round for some quality time together.

Mystique Table and Chairs

When it comes to garden furniture, the first place to start is with a seating area. Think about what your area will be used for – alfresco dining perhaps or maybe just for enjoying some fresh air and sunshine? Our Mystique and Antigua table and chair sets are perfect for outdoor dining and entertaining, (they also both come with a free parasol!).

Antigua Table and Chairs

The Mystique, in its elegant champagne colour, features an aluminium design and a synthetic weave finish. The Antigua on the other hand boasts a darker colouring in a lightweight construction that combines an aluminium powder coated frame with a resin flat weave.

Whether you use your lighting to set the mood for cosy evenings under the stars with friends, or if you need some security lighting, one thing you will never need to compromise on is style with our Avenue stainless steel outdoor wall lights.

Bamboo Lanterns

Accessories

Our Bamboo Lanterns, available in yellow, orange, green and blue, are an ideal way to add a splash of colour to your outdoor space. For those going for a more tranquil, serene look, our Taupe Outdoor Planter and Buddha Head are the perfect choice.

For more on our full range of garden furniture click here.

The post How to Choose Garden Furniture appeared first on The Home Furniture Blog.

Avenue Stainless Steel Outdoor Wall Light

Different types of outdoor spaces will require different types of lighting. Task areas, paths and entrances, will all need to be illuminated to ensure everyone can see where they are going and to help make sure you don’t get stuck outside your front door for ages fumbling with your keys.

The right type of lighting will also allow you to enjoy your garden all day and all night. So why not turn it into something spectacular with a wide choice of lamps, security and outdoor wall lights from Housing Units that will make your space practical as well as pleasing to the eye.

Set the mood with outdoor wall lights

Make your garden come alive when the sun goes down with some subtle accent lighting. Outdoor dining or entertainment areas with a soft glow will instantly set the mood for a relaxing evening outside.

Light the way

Although you may want to create an atmosphere, your garden still needs to be light enough to move around easily. Lighting can direct people to or away from certain areas of your garden, for example, if you have a swimming pool or a precious flower garden that you don’t want people walking on or falling into when it’s dark.

Secure the parameter in style

Avenue Stainless Steel Down Light

Your front and back doors as well as areas like steps and paths are obvious spots to use security lights. In addition, they are a proven method of deterring intruders and promoting a safer environment, as they can shed some light on who is at the door, should someone come knocking late at night.

Our stainless steel outdoor wall lights are a stylish option, perfect for any modern home. The down lights come with PIR light sensors, which detect movement and come on should anyone walk past them.

From lampposts and lanterns to LED’s and outdoor wall lights, Housing Units has a wide selection that will light up any home.

The post Outdoor Wall Lights – Which One Do I Need? appeared first on The Home Furniture Blog.

Sealy Dreamworld Polaris Mattress

Recent research has suggested that one in four people in the UK do not get enough sleep, with over a quarter regularly experiencing a poor night’s rest.

In January 2013, The Sleep Council surveyed 5,007 UK adults for its Great British Bedtime Report. The research revealed that almost 70% of Britons sleep for seven hours or less per night and that, the number of Britons getting between five to six hours sleep per night has increased dramatically over the last three years.

However, people are starting to recognise the significance of a good night’s sleep, as well as the importance of a good quality bed, with more than one in five Britons believing that their sleep could improve simply by buying a new mattress.

And they would be right! In, fact, the Sleep Council recommends that we should change our beds at least once every seven years.

So what type of mattress should you get?

From deep pocket spring technology to body conforming memory foam, Housing Units has a selection of top quality mattresses, all designed to promote a good night’s sleep.

Because selecting the right one can be confusing, here is our pick of the top 4 mattresses that will help you get the best night’s sleep possible:

1.    Tempur Cloud 19 Mattress

The Tempur Cloud king size 19cm mattress boasts a combination of softness and support, with a top comfort layer developed especially to create the instant feel of relaxation as you lie down. It is also the perfect complement to the support layer of foam underneath. Together they offer all the quality and durability synonymous with the brand.

2.    Sealy Dreamworld Polaris Mattress

The Sealy Polaris features a weight responsive spring system for full body support that offers pressure point relief and maximum comfort for an improved night’s sleep. The mattress interior combines re-bound polyester with soft Daltex foam and visco elastic memory foam. It is a no turn mattress with non-allergenic properties.

3.    Hypnos Orthocare 10 Mattress

Hypnos Pillowtop Cashmere Mattress

Designed with a reactive pocket spring system, the Hypnos Orthocare promotes full body support. Additional layers of British wool, cashmere and eOlus fibre fillings help to distribute your body weight evenly, for a more comfortable sleep. The borders of the mattress are side stitched by hand for edge-to-edge support. Due to the mattress’s innovative, breathable design, it does not need to be turned and has an anti dust-mite barrier.

4.    Hypnos Pillowtop Cashmere Mattress

The Pilowtops soft, cushioned layer of wool, cashmere and non-allergenic white fibre lie above the supportive mattress for a firm, comfortable surface. The mattress’s construction includes 1,600 reactive pocket springs and is traditionally hand tufted with three rows of genuine hand stitched side mattress borders.

For more information, or to buy one of our top 4 mattresses, visit our website.

Some more sleep facts from The Sleep Council:

•    21p is the average cost per night spent on a new bed
•    11.15pm is the average time a Briton goes to bed
•    31% of Britons have taken medication to tackle sleeping poorly
•    10% have visited their doctor to tackle sleeping poorly
•    31% of Britons have a king size bed
•    48% have a double bed
•    63% have a divan bed, making it the most widely bought bed in Britain

The post How to Pick the Perfect Mattress for a Perfect Night’s Sleep appeared first on The Home Furniture Blog.

Established in 1950, Disselkamp is renowned for its ability to combine functionality and design, for a sophisticated finish that will suit your individual taste as well as your home’s interior. The Coretta range offers a natural, contemporary look that is exclusive to the German brand.

The range consists of a vast selection of solid wood pieces complemented by a mixture of high gloss and mirrored finishes, designed to fit any bedroom perfectly.

Coretta Bedroom Furniture

The engineering of Coretta furniture combines real wood veneered surfaces with solid wood for a unique look that highlights the different shading and rings on the wood. Mix and match pieces from a choice of bedsteads, wardrobes and chests in a choice of Champagne Birch, Wild Oak or Heart Beech wood effect.

Incorporating an over-bed shelf or under-bed drawers will help customise your bedrooms look and functionality, so that it caters to your specific needs. Everything from the drawers and hanging rails to internal shelving and bed height is adjustable, making the Coretta collection both a stylish and versatile option.

Housing Units can help arrange the installation of your chosen Coretta bedroom furniture pieces – visit our website for further details.

The post Wake Up to the Latest Bedroom Trends appeared first on The Home Furniture Blog.

Although there are a number of points surrounding how to choose a hot tub, there is no question as to why you should have one in the first place.

From the soothing effects of the warm bubbling water against your skin as you lie back and relax, to the massaging jets that will help you soak your stress away, a hot tub is the perfect way to turn your garden into your very own, private oasis.

As all the benefits of a hot tub focus around relaxation, it is imperative that you choose a tub that is comfortable to use. A number of factors can come into play here, however, it is mostly down to personal preference.

• Many people believe that the more jets a tub has, the better the experience will be, but this is not always the case. As not all jets are the same, it is often not always down to how many there are, but also their size and where they are in the tub.
• Larger jets tend to provide a stronger massaging effect. The key thing to remember is that we are all different and what some might consider as a relaxing massage experience, others may find uncomfortable.
• The seats in the tubs are another comfort factor to consider. Whilst some incorporate upright seating, others might include a lounger style seat that allows you to sit back and put your feet up. In addition, some hot tubs come with pillows either separately or fitted into the seating for additional comfort and support.
• You will also need to think about how many people will be using your hot tub so that you can choose a size that will accommodate everyone comfortably.
• For added convenience, the placement of the controls should be within easy reach as well as be easy to use. Think about what other features you may want your hot tub to have, for example, a music player, drink holders or waterfalls.
• Another popular feature is to have lighting in the tub itself, which will help set both a relaxing and romantic atmosphere.

Housing Units recommends a Hotspring Spa to transform your garden into the ultimate outdoor retreat. Made in California by one of the top manufacturers in the USA, each Hotspring Spa is finished to the highest quality. Visit the Outdoor Living section of our website for more products from Housing Units and our official Hotspring Spa supplier, Vinyl Solutions.

The post How to Choose a Hot Tub appeared first on The Home Furniture Blog.

DESIGN STUDENTS SHOW CREATIVE FLAIR ON THE COTTONWORKS DEVELOPMENT

Students from Bolton College are putting their creative stamp on a restoration project, helping with the interior design of two apartments at the Grade II listed Holden Mill – The Cottonworks.

The team of interior design students are working in partnership with restoration developers, P J Livesey Group, and the Manchester-based home furnishing store, Housing Units, to assist with apartment designs on the final two floors of the vast 290 apartment building – located on Blackburn Road, in Bolton.

For the past five years, the interior design aspects of the conversion has been handled in-house. However, P J Livesey wanted to gain a different perspective on the final apartments and invited Bolton College students to get involved and showcase their design talents.

Bolton College student, Soonje Kim, said: “This is such a great experience for us – we’re all absolutely thrilled to be involved with the project. The building is such a beautiful place, so we’ve had no problems coming up with some really creative ideas.”

After an inspirational visit to the redeveloped mill, the students will now produce mood boards containing paint colours, fabrics, furniture and furnishings. The winning designs will be selected in April by P J Livesey director Georgina Livesey and sales and marketing director, Craig Lynch and Nick Fox, merchandise and marketing director at Housing Units.

The winning design will then be brought to life with the assistance of home furniture store, Housing Units.

Jillian Watmough, interior design lecturer at Bolton College, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for our HNC students to experience a real life work situation, responding to a brief and to a deadline. It is a great way for them to put into practice the lessons and skills learned in the classroom.”

“Visiting the site was really useful as it gave us a real idea of the true scale of the building, the height of the ceilings on the fifth floor apartments and the clever layouts. We’re very grateful to P J Livesey and Housing Units for partnering with Bolton College on this project.”

Georgina Livesey, at P J Livesey, said: “The apartments at The Cottonworks are unique with tall living spaces, original columns and covered terraces. We’re always looking to innovate and are keen to encourage new talent.”

“We have been restoring and converting for the last five years and it will be interesting to see how the students approach the space with fresh eyes and ideas. We’re very much looking forward to seeing their designs.”

Nick Fox, merchandise and marketing director at Housing Units, said: “Housing Units is delighted to be involved in this interesting collaboration. We stock a vast range of furniture and furnishings, and it will be really interesting to see how the students interpret the brief and their choices. This real life commission will be invaluable to their studies. I’m looking forward to seeing the room designs and the finished apartment.”

The post Housing Units Interior Design Collaboration Project appeared first on The Home Furniture Blog.

These characteristics are not defects, but rather a sign of quality that gives every piece of leather furniture its own, exclusive look.

As a material, leather is extremely durable, however, there are a few special leather care instructions that you should follow to ensure your furniture keeps its appearance for a long time to come.

Here are some easy tips on how to care for leather:

• Too much exposure to sun can make leather fade and even crack over time, so to keep your suites natural colour for longer, be sure to keep it out of direct sunlight.

• On pigmented leather, (which is when a heavy pigment is applied to cover some of the natural imperfections visible on the hide); it is important to use a vacuum or slightly warm, damp cloth and mild soap to remove any dust that gathers.
• Suede, nubuck and aniline leathers require a little more TLC as they do not have the same type of protective coating. Therefore, use only care products designed specifically for these types of finishes. View our furniture cleaning kits on our website, which include leather and other fabric cleaning products.
• Do not place your leather furniture against any type of heating source, such as a radiator.
• If you spill any liquid on your furniture, use an absorbent paper towel to soak up the liquid before gently dabbing the area dry with a clean paper towel.

• To keep their round, comfortable shape, you should regularly plump your furniture’s seat, back and arm cushions. It is also important not to sit on the edges of cushions or the furniture’s arms as this can cause flattening and an uneven appearance.
  
• Zips used on furniture are there for manufacturing reasons so it is unlikely that they will ever need to be unfastened.
• Some non-colourfast clothing, such as denim, can stain light coloured leather if it comes into regular contact. Rubbing the leather can also cause staining.
• Be sure not to use any sharp objects on leather as they can scratch the surface, leaving a visible mark or even a tear.

If you have just invested in a stylish leather sofa, you will notice that over the first few weeks, creases and wrinkles will start to appear. This is completely normal and not a cause for worry as it allows the leather to adopt a softer, more inviting look that is a clear sign of quality, fine leather upholstery.

The post How to Care for Leather Furniture appeared first on The Home Furniture Blog.

Synonymous with high-end fashion and being a first for showcasing the latest trends, what better place for Housing Units to do some home furniture trend spotting than in Milan?

Our buying team has just returned from a successful trip to the city where they attended the Salone del Mobile, International Furniture Show and Euroluce, International Lighting fair. Launched in 1961, these are the two key interior furnishing shows in the world as well as a place where we draw much of our inspiration from when selecting products for our store.

Under the combined name of “i Saloni”, the shows occupy an area of nearly 230,000 square metres at the new Milan Fairgrounds in Rho. They represent the production of more than 2,500 of the most dynamic and creative companies on the international market, not to mention that of the 700 young designers of the SaloneSatellite.

Each year over 290,000 industry professionals flock to i Saloni, (more than 50% of who come from 160 countries around the world), looking for ideas and to eye up the competition.

Here are some of the key trends for this year as spotted by our team:

Leather upholstery is still very much on trend but this time in a selection of soft colours, blue being a clear favourite at the show. Beautiful, natural full aniline leathers in lighter shades are another dominating trend for home interiors.

There is currently a lot of contrast piping detail around – this trend follows through into the dining room where it is emerging on many different styles of dining chairs.

Mixing materials in living and dining furniture with fantastic combinations such as white glass and oak is fast becoming another popular look to achieve. Matt lacquers and wenge woods are also being used together a lot more, particularly on large modular wall systems, as seen below.

We have seen a number of new colours starting to surface, such as this soft, velvet birch. This dining set was a particular favourite of ours at the show, complemented with the white leather seating and glamorous lighting effects.

High glamour remains a highly sought after trend, as seen in this combination of high gloss black dining table with complementary white chairs and stunning “Sultans of Swing” chandelier.

For more details on the shows, visit the official i Saloni website.

The post Milan Home Furniture Trends appeared first on The Home Furniture Blog.

Whether it is a splash of sparkle with a sleek new cushion or a dramatic statement piece like one of our Crystal Animals decorative accessories, there are a number of ways to introduce this sophisticated, Hollywood glam inspired look into your home’s interior.

The idea is to create the wow factor by incorporating feature pieces in your home that will grab everyone’s attention.

What makes our selection products unique is that they are all standard household items, transformed into something a bit more special with the help of some bling. Take these Glass Tablemats for example; a simple touch of shimmer adds a new, shiny element to an otherwise, ordinary accessory.

Bling is beautiful

Silvers, blacks and crystals are the perfect colour combination for the ultimate glam look. They also make the ideal backdrop for elegant lighting, whether you choose a chandelier, candle or a modern floor lamp. Throw in a few brighter shades like blues and pinks as accent colours for a more summery feel.

Small sparkly touches

Another popular way to add a more subtle glam touch is with Swarovski – our red and silver Glitter Tree Mirror Wall Art features real Swarovski crystals set on liquid glass.

Choose from our selection of Star Element Electricals, which combine functionality, glamour and style in their high-grade stainless steel design. Exclusive to the UK, the mirror-black hard glass design is finished off with handset Swarovski elements for a premium, sparkly look.

A diamante or sequinned cushion, paired with a furry throw is a great addition to your lounge or bedroom, and is a simple, affordable touch that will instantly change the look of your entire room.

Our Vivian Gray Luxury Soap Dispensers, body lotions and shower gels will put some bling into your bathroom. Made in Germany, the range of body products boasts a delicate scent, formulated especially for sensitive skin.

For these and more bling-tastic ideas from Housing Units, follow us on Pinterest.

The post Bling into Spring appeared first on The Home Furniture Blog.

Here is a look at Housing Units selection of must-have accessories for spring that will help you spruce up your home’s interior.

Spring storage solutions

Banishing the clutter from your home is one way to make room for some new, stylish storage accessories. However, your bedroom wardrobes are not the only thing that will need sorting, but your kitchen cupboards too. Our Hemmingway Typography Range of vintage inspired kitchen storage jars offers an innovative way to keep your kitchen tidy and trendy.

Just think of all the space you can clear by recycling and binning things you no longer need. So instead of just throwing things away that you will never use or hiding them at the back of your kitchen cabinets, use one of our stylish kitchen bins or fashionable Orla Kiely food storage solutions instead.

Freshen up your furniture

There are many subtle changes that you can make to the rest of your home to get it looking spring ready, from changing your lampshades, curtains or simply adding a few extra scatter cushions on your bed or sofa with a throw, to help you achieve your desired look.

Light a Yankee candle

Leave a lingering scent of spring in the air with our selection of Yankee candles. We recommend White Gardenia, Sun and Sand or Sicilian Lemon for the ultimate fresh, summery feel. We also have a selection of Orla Kiely candles in a retro inspired finish.

By incorporating these tips and accessories into your spring cleaning regime, your home will boast both practicality and style. Keep an eye on our website for more information on our latest Spring Ranges.

The post Get Your Home Ready for Spring by Freshening it up with the Latest Trends appeared first on The Home Furniture Blog.