Real Pine Furniture

2011-02-21T04:38:00.001-08:00

A stylish pine range

2010-09-02T06:06:00.000-07:00

This is an attractive range of pine furniture from Lancashire-based suppliers PD Global. It is sold under the range name Ogee (which relates to the double curve style of the feet) but Right Price Furniture offers it at lower than usual prices under the name Camber.

It is able to do this by getting the furniture from PD Global in bare untreated wood form and then adding a wax or lacquer finish to customer specification in its own workshops - saving up to 30% on the retail compared to the pre-finished items.

Getting contemporary with pine

2010-05-18T01:16:00.000-07:00

It's very easy when trying to create a genuinely contemporary look to get sidetracked into something that's a little less avante garde than originally envisaged. This is a shame because some contemporary pine ranges can work really well in the right setting.

Choose very plain walls and floors - a simple white or off-white for the walls and a fairly plain laminate floor perhaps. Then choose hard shiny surfaces for accessories - glass and chrome for example. This creates a modern minimalist feel but by itself can be very cold and lifeless.

Adding pine furniture introduces a natural element into the mix and the swirls and grain patterns provide a contrast to the smooth lines and uniformity of the glass and chrome. A few 'ethnic' accessories and you've got a fantastic contemporary pine interior.

Pine furniture in Larkrise to Candleford

2010-03-16T02:10:00.000-07:00

I cannot be alone in enjoying the TV series 'Larkrise to Candleford' on Sunday evenings. It is based on the semi-autobiographical books by Flora Thompson about life in a small Oxfordshire village in Victorian times.

Having some knowledge of agriculture, I am a little disappointed by the technical inaccuracies in the latest series, but it is interesting to see the pine furniture in the households of the good folk of Larkrise. In this Sunday's episode, the elderly Queenie illicitly sold the easy chair of her husband Twister to raise funds for the winter. She justified her action by saying that her chair was worth nothing. It would appear that Twister's chair was an upholstered easy chair - probably made of oak or another hardwood - whereas Queenie has a simple pine Windsor chair.

The styles of table, chair and other simple furniture used in the series are still in production today. The Sussex-based manufacturer CPW for example, still produces various similar items without any brand name but called simply 'traditional chairs' or 'traditional tables.' These items are great quality, great value and just perfect for anyone trying to create a period looking interior.

Modern and Traditional pine styles

2010-03-01T01:19:00.000-08:00

One of the effects of modern media such as the internet is that it is now far easier for people to find others who share the same views - and tastes - as them. In the furniture world this diversification has made it far easier than ever before to choose a style because you like it and not be dictated to by those who decide what is fashionable.

The upside is that if you want rough sawn natural looking furniture, reproduction furniture, painted shabby chic, Indian-inspired or the very latest style then there is someone, somewhere, who can supply it. The downside for those who don't spend all their days thinking about furniture(!) is that the breadth of choice can become confusing. Here are a few pointers on using pine furniture:

Victorian/Period style
For the period home look, pine would generally be found 'below stairs' in the kitchens and servants' quarters of grander houses or in workers cottages. The exception might be the famous Welsh dressers (of Wales!) as these were found in the homes of relatively humble folk but were almost always made out of local Welsh oak.

In the 60s and 70s stripped pine became the fashion, with Victorian pieces that were dark with age and grime being stripped back to the lighter-coloured bare wood underneath. In the 80s and 90s this spawned the production of much traditional style furniture that was spoiled only by some very nasty (but removable) stained varnish finishes. Today there are a number of companies that produce traditional-style pine furniture but usually offered in a choice of much more suitable wax or lacquer finishes. See CPW or Devonshire Pine.

Contemporary/natural
Pine is also popular with those seeking a modern, environmentally-aware, look. Pine furniture is made with timber from sustainably managed forests and, unlike some tropical woods, does not have to be shipped half way around the world to reach UK markets. Some of the more contemporary styles - particularly for example, some of the rough sawn styles - work really well when contrasted with chrome, steel, glass or plastic. Styling should be very simple, with clean lines and no fancy decoration or fittings. Light, natural finishes complete the look.

Pine Furniture Buying Tips

2010-01-02T03:51:00.001-08:00

When buying furniture the big things to look for are the words solid or 100% solid wood.

Pine is a relatively cheap wood so unless your shopping right down at the bottom end of the market say at Ikea Furniture, you should in the case of Pine furniture be looking at solid pine only.

The more detailed the photos the better if a company is only showing you a remote shot then you have to ask yourself why?

Ideally furniture companies should be displaying close in pictures of the furniture and interal pictures.

If they don't show this level of detail then don't buy!

Mirror, mirror

2009-12-01T01:59:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick and easy way to add some style and sparkle to a room - add a wall mirror. At this time of year everything can look a bit dull and flat, especially after Christmas when the decorations come down, but a wall mirror placed for example behind a side table adds a definite feeling of lightness and depth to a room. Perfect for brightening up a hallway or giving volume to a living room.

Size is important(!)and its a good idea to get as big a mirror as possible. I've bought mirrors in the past thinking they looked huge in the shop but when you get them home you realise you could have used one 6ins to a foot (that's 150mm to 300mm) bigger. So if in doubt, go for the bigger one. As to the style of mirror, you will find mirrors offered as part of many ranges of furniture so they match the materials and style of the rest of the furniture. Right Price Furniture offer a good selection and their wall mirrors have thoughtfully been listed all in one place.

Alternatively, you can use the mirror to add something more to the room. For example, if you'd really like oak furniture but your budget says no, then get a mirror with a nice oak frame. If you're trying to create more a rustic feel then choose a rustic mirror, for shabby chic a distressed painted mirror and so on. If you want to add a bit of sparkle go for a gold or silver frame. Whatever you choose, have fun!

I've 'rediscovered' Pine Furniture!

2009-11-25T04:15:00.000-08:00

At the weekend I was looking at some pine furniture and it was like meeting an old friend I hadn’t seen for some time. I’d forgotten just how new pine furniture can be so fresh and natural – add a few pebbles and some sisal rope and it feels like the seaside, but add a thick rug and a blazing log fire and it feels like a cabin in the mountains.

For a great choice of pine furniture in traditional and contemporary styles I’d look for pine furniture on Right Price furniture’s website. They have dozens of ranges of genuine solid pine furniture and Right Price Furniture is now one of the biggest and most trusted online furniture retailers in the UK.

Consider Your Options When Buying a Dining Table

2009-09-09T09:02:00.000-07:00

Looking through the different options for dining tables you may find yourself wondering which kind would work best for you and your family. One thing that you should remember when considering all of the different furniture options available is the size of the space where the dining room furniture is going to go. There are many times when people go to the furniture stores and are so caught up with the different styles and options that they completely forget that the sizes of the dining tables vary widely, and if you get one that does not fit into the space you have set aside for it, then there could potentially be problems when you get the furniture home.

To help combat this troubling problem, it is a good idea to write down the exact measurements of the space in which your dining room furniture is going to go. Then, you will need to take these measurements with you to the furniture stores, so that you can compare them against the models that you are looking at. You will also want to take into consideration the size of the chairs that are going to accompany the table as well, because these can also make a difference in the size of the dining tables you should be considering. It would not do you any good to buy dining room furniture that exactly fits the space, only to find later that there is not much room for people to move in and out of their chairs.

It could be that you are also shopping for other forms of dining room furniture in addition to dining tables. For instance, many people like to buy sideboards and display cabinets to match their dining tables so that they can have a place to keep and display the good China and other bulky items that cannot easily be placed in kitchen shelves. If this is the case for you, then you will want to make sure that the room will accommodate these dimensions easily as well. There are plenty of different sizing options, so you should be able to find the one that will work for you rather easily.

In addition to physically going to furniture stores, it might be easier for you to shop from the convenience of your own home by going to an online furniture dealer. This is also good because many times these online displays list the sizes of the dining room furniture directly on the page and you can easily compare them to the size of the room where they will be going because you will still be at home. Plus, you can often find a greater variety of styles and sizes to fit your needs at an online dealer, because they have a limitless amount of space in which to showcase the dining room furniture options that they are offering. Often when you visit furniture stores, you are not getting the best choice and selection, because they only have a certain amount of space in which to set up their displays.

Choosing Bedroom Furniture – Suites or Single Pieces?

2009-09-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

Selecting new bedroom furniture is often a very difficult task. This is because there are many different things that can be included in your bedroom, and you really need to buy them all at once. However, selecting which pieces of furniture you put in your bedroom may not be as easy as you think, so you really have to put some planning into it.

First of all, bedroom furniture is often sold as a suite. This sometimes includes your bed, headboard, footboard, a dresser, a chest of drawers, a nightstand or two, and maybe even a small table or a wardrobe. It really depends on the package. Sometimes you have a choice of which pieces you get, but sometimes it’s an all or nothing inclusive price. This price is often much cheaper than it would be if you purchased each piece individually, but if you don’t need every piece in the package, it may not be worth it.

One of the reasons you may not want a suite is because you may not have room for all of that furniture. This is especially true if you live in a small flat or house and don’t have a large bedroom. Cramming all that furniture in your small room will make it look crowded, and you may not even have room to crowd it all in. In this case, you may want to purchase each piece individually. While you may not get the nice set or the large discount, you will end up with only the enough furniture as your bedroom can hold.

So what type of bedroom furniture should you look for? Well, if you’re on a budget, you may be tempted to purchase some cheap bedroom furniture from a department store. If that’s your first instinct, stop. Those cheap dressers and chest of drawers are often made out of pressed board or other flimsy materials, and chances are, they’ll fall apart in a few years. Instead, look to invest in some very strong oak bedroom furniture. Oak furniture looks great and will survive for years. It isn’t always expensive, either. Think of it in terms of an investment: you’re going to have to replace that cheap dresser at some point, so why not go ahead and buy something that’s going to last three or four times as long?

Pine furniture is another good choice. Like oak, pine has a very elegant look to it, and it’s also quite strong. Pine comes in several different lacquer finishes, and you can even purchase your pine furniture untreated and the finish it yourself so that it matches the rest of your furniture.

No matter what type of bedroom furniture you select or how much of it you purchase, having a nice bedroom collection can make your home feel more complete. You’ll be able to go to sleep at night knowing that everything coordinates and looks great. Plus, with the durability of pine or oak bedroom furniture, you’ll know that you won’t need to replace any of your bedroom furniture for years.

Pine Furniture - The Spiritual Side

2009-05-13T02:12:00.000-07:00

Many followers of pre-Christian religions believe that all living things, including trees, have spiritual powers or influences. These influences are retained by the wood when it is made into furniture so, for example, oak furniture is said to bring strength, good luck, health and protection. Furniture made of pine brings wealth and healing. Cedar offers purification, Cherry for love and Redwood for long life.

Real Pine Furniture

2009-01-30T02:15:00.000-08:00

For years pine was the low cost alternative used to make furniture for the great majority of ordinary people. However, in the latter part of the 20th Century two events happened to make real Pine Furniture an item of choice rather than just a substitute for expensive hardwood furniture.

The first of these was the development of new materials for furniture-making that were either comparable in cost – or cheaper – than solid pine. Such materials included plastic and chipboard. A wider choice meant that pine was no longer the ‘last resort.’ People now had to actively choose Pine Furniture.

The other factor in elevating the status of real pine furniture was the change in fashions that occurred in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1950s the taste for dark-coloured, heavy oak styles of furniture was replaced by a desire for brightness, light homes and light coloured furniture. This found expression in the Scandinavian inspired pine furniture produced by companies such as Habitat. This was also the era that saw the beginnings of a rustic style, so pine furniture – much of it from the Victorian period – was relentlessly stripped and waxed to create a country kitchen look in light, bright colours.

Today the choice between pine furniture and oak furniture is based more on personal taste than economic necessity. Many internet retailers, such as Right Price Furniture offer wide choices of both contemporary and traditional pine styles.