With Christmas party season in full swing, the competition for best-dressed dinner table is on.
We've put together three Christmas table settings to help you gather ideas and inspiration for this year's festive feast.
Modern Greenery
Our first look focuses on a traditional Christmas colour - green - but with a modern update. We chose a mixture of dinnerware from Mervyn Gers to set the scene and layered in fairy lights and illuminating decorations to create a cosy atmosphere.
The Green Glaze dinnerware is only partially glazed with a glossy, forest green whilst the rest is left as exposed stoneware. We then paired it with the simpler Natural Bronze collection.
With a subtle nod to this year's metallic trend, the plates feature a subtle bronze edging that adds a touch of luxury. Characterful crackers from Nancy and Betty's Studio add a fun finishing touch.
Contemporary Copper
Metallics needn’t feel cold and austere like the winter weather as this contemporary Christmas table setting shows. Whether it’s a candlestick or the finish on a glass, the warmth of copper and rose gold looks beautiful in a low-lit dining room.
Dim the chandelier, light some candles and lay out some fairy lights to get the desired effect - a midnight blue tablecloth will help further accentuate the metallic lustres.
We wanted the copper accessories to really pop so opted for timeless white dinnerware that can be used all year long.
Classic Simplicity
This elegant Christmas table setting is all about subtle finishes and embellishments. A minimal palette of white and grey abounds with marble and polished metal accessories providing accents to the table - not to mention a scattering of glass baubles from The Original Winters Tale for good measure.
The concrete finish of the candleholders and Cooks tabletop provide a textural contrast to clean bone china tableware while the pearlescent finish of LSA glassware adds that extra bit of sparkle.
[ INSPIRATION ]
Tips & advice
Summer is in full swing meaning it’s time to move outdoors and enjoy the sunshine.
Despite the unpredictability of the British climate, we love to spend time in the open air, eat and drink in the sun, and simply enjoy the outdoors, whether it be on our city balconies or country lawns.
How, though, to make the most of our outdoor space when the weather can turn in the blink of any eye? We’ve put together four modern outdoor furniture ideas that will help you find the design perfect for your space, whatever the weather.
Think versatile
Yes, there are a lot of unknowns with British weather. But that doesn’t mean we can’t create a stylish outdoor “room” of our own where we can enjoy the intermittent sunshine. It just means we have to be slightly smarter in our choices.
For starters, consider investing in a design that is just as at home inside as it is out. Kartell has a number of beautiful chairs that can be used around a modern dining table as well as the garden table meaning that the chairs don’t go to waste for half of the year. This is especially handy if you don’t have the luxury of ample storage space to hide away your outdoor furniture during the wet and windy winter months.
The Kartell Masters Chair, £159
The Kartell Masters Chair was designed by Phillip Stark who drew his inspiration from three iconic chairs by legendary 20th-century designers: Arne Jacobsen, Eero Saarinen and Charles Eames.
The result is a thought-provoking design that features beautiful unbroken curves that aren’t spoilt by any awkward joints or screws. In a similar vein, the Piuma chair, also from Kartell, has a simple shape giving it the versatility to be used both indoors and outdoors.
Measuring just a few millimetres thick it is made from an unprecedented mix of materials that make the chair not only light and slender, but also incredibly durable and flexible.
The Kartell Piuma Chair, £277
Think functional
A key function of outdoor furniture is to ensure it can withstand the elements. Therefore, material choice is an important consideration when it comes to choosing the right design for your garden.
Before you opt for traditional wicker or wood pieces, you might want to consider a different material: plastic. Enough to make many design aficionados shudder, plastic tends to get a bad rep but when executed properly, plastic can be just as chic as its natural counterparts. It can be easily moulded into many different shapes giving designers the ability to create truly breath-taking pieces that other materials don’t allow for.
The Vitra Panton Chair, £210
The Panton chair from Vitra has an instantly recognisable cantilevered silhouette that was the creation of legendary Dutch designer Verner Panton. Working in collaboration with Vitra, Panton developed the world’s first chair to be manufactured from a single piece of plastic and its striking shape will act as an eye-catching feature in any garden.
Similarly, the Bubble sofa and club chair from Kartell can withstand all the elements thanks to its plastic material, allowing classic indoor shapes to be introduced to the outside.
Think colourful
Your outdoor space is a great opportunity to add a bit of colour to your home, especially if you’re not quite brave enough to use it inside. Use the colours found in your garden as your starting point and build from there.
The Vitra All Plastics Chair, £135
Designed by Jasper Morrison, the All Plastic Chair is reminiscent of classic wooden chairs but made from resilient plastic. Available in a range of colours, the chair combines chair combines great stability with excellent comfort.
Another colourful option is the Hot Mesh chair by Blu Dot. Inspired by classic wooden steam-bent bistro chairs, the use of steel tube and mesh gives a modern rendition of the interlocking rails and woven seat of the original with this yellow design available in a range of bright colours.
Think iconic
It’s hard not to be driven by trends, but it’s better to invest in something that you love which can evolve rather than be thrown out after a season. New to Heal’s is the Eos range from Case which does just that. Designed by Matthew Hilton, the aim was to produce a simple, clean and functional product that was hard-wearing and well-priced.
The Eos Rectangular Table, £530
The Eos Chaise Longue, £620
A collection of three chairs, three tables, and a chaise longue these designs are almost deceptive in their simplicity. This contemporary outdoor collection is smartly proportioned, exceedingly comfortable, and (perhaps most importantly for English gardens), entirely weatherproof. A future design icon without the price tag.
When it comes to gathering ideas for your home, there’s an almost overwhelming wealth of information out there.
From blogs to magazines, Instagram to Pinterest, imagery and inspiration are endless. If you’re wanting to cut through the noise consider buying a beautifully curated and informative interior design book.
With everything in one place furnishing, styling and coordinating your home becomes much easier. We’ve compiled a list of some of the best interior books for every type of design lover. Read on to find out more.
For the Beginner
The beginning of a design journey is an exciting time for any first-time buyer. The world is truly your oyster, and your home a blank canvas. But where do you start when it comes to putting your style stamp on your new abode?
Styled by Emily Henderson is a great first port of call. Helping you find your style with a ‘style diagnostic’, Emily then takes you through what you should be buying and how to arrange it, helping you create a home that reflects your personality.
Styled by Emily Henderson
Another great read is How to Decorate from Farrow and Ball. Demystifying the use of paint and paper in the home, expert colour consultant Joa Studholme and other members of the F&B creative team share their expertise on the process of home decoration, from the creative potential of floor paint to how light can affect colour.
How To Decorate by Farrow & Ball, Joa Studholme and Charlotte Cosby
For the Renter
More people are renting now than ever before, but the rental market remains surprisingly inflexible. Many tenants are banned from making even the simplest alterations, such as hanging a picture or painting a wall.
Home For Now by Joanna Thornhill acts as a bible for renters, providing a blend of both inspiration and practical advice. This interior design book showcases some of the best rental properties where tenants have managed to transform their temporary abodes into stylish spaces.
Home For Now by Joanna Thornhuill
For the Trend Setter
For those that are always up to speed on the latest fads and trends, an interior design book may not seem necessary. But even the most a-la-mode of homeowners can take inspiration from others, especially when it comes to interiors.
Creative Living London by Emily Wheeler, showcases some of the most imaginative homes across the capital, from Shoreditch to Shepherd’s Bush, London Fields to Hampstead Heath. Thirty-four houses are featured, giving readers an exclusive peek into the personal spaces of some of London’s most ingenious talents.
Creative Living London by Emily Wheeler
For the Colour Lover
As any colour lover will tell you, colour can be completely transformative. But many suffer from colour paralysis, a crippling fear of choosing the wrong shade or not being brave enough to go for something they really love.
Colour by Abigail Ahern is a great antidote to colour procrastination, giving many the confidence to take risks and experiment with hues they may never have considered. Known for her signature dark and moody palette, Abigail reveals how to build a room through colour, showing us how to up the ante with accents and play around with paint, fabric and pattern.
Colour by Abigail Ahern
For admirers of the slightly more bright and bold is A Colorful Home by Susan Habel. Habel shows us how to discover colour in the every day, create dynamic palettes, and translate them into stunning interior spaces using bright and bold hues in a fun and informative way.
A Colourful Home by Susan Hable
For the Minimalist
Colour, pattern and lavish furnishings aren’t for everyone. For the minimalists amongst us, clean lines, simple colour schemes and beautiful finishes are what sets hearts aflutter. But unfortunately, there’s nothing simple about simplicity.
Minimalist living is rooted in the belief that by ridding yourself of life’s excesses you can focus on what’s important helping you find happiness, fulfilment and freedom. Nancy Braithwaite’s Simplicity is a guide to bringing that ideology into the home, staying away from superfluous styling and focusing on the authentic.
Simplicity by Nancy Braithwaite
And whilst minimalism tends to focus on creating a monochrome home, grey is just as popular amongst interior stylists. Despite its popularity, grey is actually one of the hardest colours to get right.
Luckily Kate Watson-Smyth’s Shades of Grey is on hand to help. Full of expert advice and essential information, this interior design book will guide you through the minefield that is choosing the perfect shade of grey paint.
Shades Of Grey by Kate Watson-Smythe
For the Rule Breaker
Sometimes you have to break a few rules to create something unique. Following the whimsy and practicality of your personal space often creates an imperfectly perfect home that can evolve with your tastes and interests.
Undecorate by Christiane Lemieux champions a fresh, unconventional approach to creating a beautiful and comfortable home, emboldening readers to push aside stuffy, professionally-designed décor, showing them, instead, how to infuse their own personality into their home. Expect to see a number of different styles of home, from quirky, rustic log houses to vast, industrial lofts.
Undecorate by Christiane Lemieux
If you’re after something slightly more practical, have a read of Life Unstyled by Emily Henson. This book is about taking inspiration from real homes that are beautiful, creative and inspiring but at the same time a little rough around the edges, with signs of everyday life evident throughout.
Life Unstyled by Emily Henson
For the Classicist
Finally, we have our pick for the best interior design book for, what we call, the classicist – an admirer of great design with a penchant for furniture icons both past and present. Eames: Beautiful Details by Demetrios Eames and Steve Crist ‘celebrates the seamlessness and fluidity in which Charles and Ray Eames operated as both a husband and wife team and as designers unrestricted by traditionally professional boundaries.
Select details of their life and work, from their refined designs to their innovative experiments, and even including images depicting the everyday poetic moments of their lives, and are shared here in this exhibit within a book.’
Eames: Beautiful Details by Demetrios Eames and Steve Crist
Looking for a lamp like no other? Let us enlighten you with our new Mix & Match lighting collection.
Handmade in Suffolk for Heal’s, our bespoke collection of Shades & Bases are designed to be personalised letting you create a unique light that is truly tailored to your interior style.
First, choose your shade from over 130 designer styles by a host of leading fabric houses including Designers Guild, Harlequin, Olicana, Colefax & Fowler, Scion, Sanderson and Morris & Co. plus exclusive collaborations with British print house Étoile Home and textile designer Eleanor Pritchard.
Next, combine with one of our exclusively designed lamp bases including the mid-century Bertie, the mixed material Freja, the industrial-chic Simple Stick base or the contemporary three-legged Baxter, which is available as either a table or floor lamp.
Each of the shades is also available to purchase as a stand-alone ceiling pendant in a choice of four different sizes (20x25cm, 33x20cm, 46x30cm, 60x30cm) with or without a diffuser and ceiling cord.
Talk about being spoilt for choice. To help you get a feel for all the fabrics available, we've picked out a few of our favourite designs from the Mix & Match collection. Launched by Shani Beadle in 2006, Étoile fabrics design fresh takes on retro prints that sing with statement colours.
Pictured below, Betty fabric features an illustrative botanical pattern that is hand screen printed onto a linen and cotton blend.
Founded in 1970 by Tricia Guild, Designers Guild is home to some 9,000 fabrics all of which are made from the finest quality cloth following ethical and sustainable practices. Delahaye fabric, pictured below in cobalt, features a marbled endpaper style design printed onto soft, scoured linen and cotton blend.
British fabric house Harlequin is internationally renowned for its premier fabric collection, which boasts an eclectic fusion of classic and contemporary design. Printed onto a linen and viscose blend, Flores fabric, shown below in ruby and nordic blue, features an overblown abstract interpretation of watercolour flowers.
Founded in the 1930s by interior decorators Sibyl Colefax and John Fowler, Colefax and Fowler is a British design institution renowned for its sophisticated elegance and low-key luxury. Designed by Jane Churchill and shown below in pink and orange, the Lottie is made up of intricate multi-coloured embroidery in a playful swirling shape.
Known for its innovative, stylish and playful approach, British fabric house Scion provides a refreshing take on traditionally woven textiles. Pictured below in rose and mist, the graphic triangular pattern of Modul is printed onto a soft cotton and linen blend.
Founded by Arthur Sanderson in 1860, the quality and quintessentially English character of Sanderson has maintained the fabric houses Royal Warrant since 1923. Shown below in powder blue and pink, Larksong fabric features chain stitch embroidered larks set against a backdrop of abstract forest print.
Founded by William Morris in 1861, Morris & Co. continues the Arts & Crafts designer’s legacy through their faithful reproductions of his iconic patterns. Designed in 1883, Pure Strawberry Thief is a traditional botanical pattern printed onto a soft linen and cotton blend.
The timeless, contemporary design of Eleanor Pritchard’s fabric range is woven by a specialist upholstery mill on the Isle of Bute off the west coast of Scotland. Made from pure wool, Grounds fabric features a subtle zigzag weave and is pictured below in aerial petrol green.
Like nothing else on the market, discover our unique Mix & Match lighting concept in store or shop the full collection of Shades & Bases online.
Know your Arne from your Eames?
To help you spot the difference between a cheap knock-off and the real deal, we’ve put together this handy guide to some of our much-copied classics.
Starting 28th January 2017, a change in copyright law ensures that it is illegal for UK retailers to sell fake replicas of designer furniture, lighting and homeware. A triumph for iconic design, this means that a piece cannot be copied for up to 70 years rather than the previous 25 year gap, protecting the designers legacy and authenticity of the original design.
At Heal’s, we are proud to say that we have always stocked only genuine modern furniture designs from authorised brands and suppliers. Sadly, not all sellers have been as scrupulous as we are, and the UK is still awash with poor quality copies of iconic designs. So what are the things to look out for when searching for a design classic and how do you know if yours is the genuine article?
What is an “original” design?
People are often under the impression that to qualify as an “original,” a piece of furniture has to date back to an early production run. Yet this has no bearing on the design itself providing a legally authorised manufacturer has made it.
For example, the estate of Charles and Ray Eames has granted reproduction of the mid-century DSW chair (pictured above) exclusively to Vitra in Europe and Herman Miller in America. This ensures that the Eames’s iconic chair is made to the same standards of design and manufacture.
Original 1227 Desk Lamp
Still widely regarded as the archetypal Anglepoise lamp, the Original 1227 stems from engineer George Carwardine’s design for a new type of spring that could be moved easily yet remain rigid when held in position. It is these springs that indicate the authenticity of the design with each lamp using three independent springs to provide the arching mechanism. Other giveaways include the lamp’s on/off switch, which is positioned at the top of the shade, and the heavy table base made of cast iron with a steel cover.
The Eames Lounge Chair
The iconic Eames Lounge Chair has been the victim of untold inferior copies. The simplest way to identify a genuine design is by checking the underside of the seat shell where you will find the Vitra or Herman Miller logo (the only authorised manufacturers of Eames products in the world) alongside Charles Eames’ signature.
The base of the seat offers further clues. On a genuine Eames Lounge Chair the base has five legs in a star pattern (the ottoman has four), and is neither too flat to the floor nor too steeply angled. Fakes often have four-legged bases with a spring or rocking mechanism.
Designed to be ergonomic and extremely comfortable, the real the Eames Lounge Chair is set at a constant angle and does not recline. The smooth, seamless look of this chair means there are no visible screws or bolts in the veneered shell and it is instead held together by rubber shock mounts. This technique is expensive and time-consuming, so manufacturers of copies tend to take short cuts, such as using visible screws.
Arco Floor Lamp
Designed by Achille Castiglioni in 1962, to this day the Arco floor lamp is still produced in Italy by Flos. With the exception of an upgrade to the electrical system and a limited black marble base version in 2002, the use of white Carrara marble and stainless steel has remained unchanged since its launch over 50 years ago.
The most obvious form of Arco fakery lies in its base, with many manufacturers opting for a flat marble stand in order to scrimp on costs. Another useful way to identify a genuine Arco is to check the inside of the polished aluminium ring that surrounds the perforated diffuser, where, provided its genuine, you will find a label displaying the Flos logo.
The arm of the Arco lamp can also be cast up to two metres from the base and should feature three settings that allow you to adjust the length of its projection. If ever in doubt as to a designs origin, it is always worth researching and contacting the manufacturer of the certified piece.
Of course, the best way to ensure you never mistake a fake for the genuine article is to visit Heal’s in-store or online where you’ll find a host of classic and contemporary pieces certified by the designers themselves.
An easy and affordable way to redecorate your home, a designer light bulb can set the mood at the flick of a switch. From exposed to diffused, incandescent to decorative LED bulbs , there’s plenty to choose from with each type suited to a particular purpose or style.
The right light bulb will enhance a room, complementing not only the design it is paired with - be it modern pendant lighting , modern table lamp or contemporary wall light - but also the space surrounding it. To prevent your home from feeling dark and dreary or, even worse, clinical in its brightness, we asked our expert lighting team to share their tips and tricks for decorating with light bulbs.
Choose your light bulb according to the temperature of light your room requires. Filament style bulbs, be they a traditional incandescent or a modern LED design, emit a warmer glow that’s perfect for making a space cosy.
Apart from the obvious applications (functional spaces, spotlights and task lighting) brighter bulbs are more commonly used in diffused designs where the brightness of the bulb is softened to create a design feature.
When decorating the home, people often forget that the colour tone of a light bulb can change the whole ambience of a room. As bulbs range from warm to cold, always test your new paint colour with and without a light on to see how the tone changes.
If you’re looking to soften the glow of an energy efficient LED, choose a globe shaped bulb with a golden tint to create a more ambient light. The important point when judging the brightness of a light bulb is not be fooled by the watts. Instead look at the lumens. The higher the lumens the brighter the bulb will be.
More than a passing fad, shadeless designs have remained a permanent feature of contemporary lighting collections for a number of seasons. Taking their cue from industrial inspired spaces, they are the ideal way of showing off a decorative light bulb and adding a quirky focal point to a room.
A slender framed floor lamp will look striking with an oversized filament bulb, while an exposed bulb chandelier is the perfect counterpoint of traditional and cutting edge style. One of the joys of exposed light bulbs is how striking they look when clustered together.
Play around with a simple linear design over a kitchen counter or stagger them at varying heights in a stairwell for a statement lighting installation. Filament bulbs don’t always have to be the sole feature but can instead enhance a lamp design. Utilise them inside a pendant to achieve a completely different look without having to purchase a new piece.
Added to a glass pendant, the filament design will showcase the glass colour in finer detail, whilst a tinted light bulb will completely change the colour of a pendant, creating the perfect update to any room.
While we’ve all changed a light bulb or two, it’s easy to get your wires crossed when it comes to selecting the right type for your space. Different bulbs are suited to particular functions, with three main light bulb types to choose from:
Incandescent: the oldest and most common type, these traditional bulbs can switch to full brightness instantly and are also dimmable.
Fluorescent: energy efficient and affordable, this light bulb emits a bright but slightly cooler light that’s suited to diffused designs.
LED: the best of both worlds, LED bulbs bring together energy efficient technology and the decorative warmth of traditional designs. Another important thing to check before light bulb shopping is whether your light fitting supports a screw (E27, E14) or bayonet (B22) bulb.
So how many light bulbs does it take to change up your space? With a wider variety of shapes, sizes and finishes than ever before the answer is really up to you. Try our collection of traditional, decorative and energy efficient light bulbs to start creating your own unique lighting concept.
Discover more
-
Behind The Design
-
Trends & Lifestyle
-
At Heal's
