Simple Ways to Make Your Home a Little More Festive.

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Christmas is fast approaching and while the kids are jumping for joy, the grown-ups know all the real work (and money) that goes into making this holiday extra special. While some of you might groan at the prospect of decorating the house and getting in the Christmas spirit, there are some simple and fun ways to add a little magic into your home to help get you in the mood.

Fairy lights! – You can never go wrong with fairy lights. They instantly add some magic to any space, indoors or outdoors. If you get the right ones you can use them all year round so it doesn’t have to feel like a waste of money for just one day. Here are some alternative ways to use them.

Light Box.Stair Lights.Tree Lights.

Candles. – Like Fairy Lights, it’s easy to add some festive feeling to your home with candles. With a little creativity and a few inexpensive things that you might even find about your house, candles are a perfect way to add some character.

Cake Stand Candle Holder. Wine Glass Candles. Jar candles.

 

‘Foliage’. – As you can see in the above pictures, ‘foliage’ can contribute the the festivities. I’m using the term ‘foliage’ in quite a broad way here, basically anything nature might donate to us! If, however, you don’t fancy rummaging in the back garden or local forest, or if you live in London like me where nature is a little scarce, you can find these bits in stores as well.

Lights and greenery. Staircase foliage. Twigs and Branches.

So there you have it, some very simple ways to get in the festive mood. There really isn’t an excuse now!

 

Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

Just wanted to say Thanks – Ali

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Stone & Wood Shop’s Journey

This is officially my first blog! It’s been quite a journey these past 2 years and to say that it’s been an interesting ride would be an understatement. We’ve gone from a showroom in the “sticks” of Kent to a bustling corner of Stanmore, North West London where customers come far and wide to visit us and see our beautiful displays. We’ll be writing up a blog in the coming weeks about our showroom how we think it is the best thing since sliced bread!

ALI-EDITEDblogStone and Wood Shop is today one of the leading natural stone, porcelain and bespoke wood flooring specialists in the country with a wide variety of Travertine, Limestone, Marble, Polished and Matt Porcelain tiles as well as Engineered Oak Flooring. Importing directly from the likes of Turkey, Egypt, India, Italy and Spain we have been able to stay ahead of the rest when it comes to being the best in terms or price, quality and service. We take a lot of pride in this which is why we offer a price match guarantee on all like for like products. Also, if you can’t find what you’re looking for in our range just give us the spec and we’ll go and find it for you.

I wanted to however take this opportunity to show off one of our bestselling products of the year, the Farley Ratin Antiqued Limestone. Available in both an Opus Pattern and 500 x Free Length, this 20mm tile has been used in all jobs both big and small, rustic and contemporary. With a beautiful brushed finish and weathered edges, the pale faded yellow makes it the perfect feature for hallways, kitchens, living areas and patio areas.

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To top it off, at £36.50m2 including VAT its been a massive hit with customers up and down the country.

Both the Farley Ratin and Grey are available to see in our Stanmore showroom as well as the rest of our natural stone and porcelain tiles range.

We absolutely love what we do and the products that we offer, so please feel free to call one of our Sales Specialists for anything you may need or for advice.

Follow us on Twitter at @stonewoodshop and be sure to “like” us on Facebook here

Redesign your home from the comfort of your sofa

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That’s it ladies and gent’s, the future is here. Following last weeks blog about the design festival and the introduction of mass made flatpack housing, it has left us in quite a stir and a worry. But fear not!

Not all technology is our enemy, and this week we are looking at new applications on your mobile phone or tablets which will actually help you design and envision your house as your ideal home by just a few clicks of a button. Together they allow you to decorate, re-arrange and even change the colours of your walls to give you a better understanding of what will work best in your home ( and lets face it, most of the time what’s in our heads isn’t necessarily how it comes out! ). Enjoy!

1.Dulux Visualizer

This app is brought to you by the famous Dulux, and helps you see your own room in any colour right in front of you on the application. Using unique augmented reality technology, you can see realistic Dulux paint colours appear on your walls with just a tap of the screen. You can experiment with bolder colours or narrow down your colour choices with confidence.

The experts at Dulux also give you a choice of colour schemes to go with your chosen paint colours or existing furnishings. You can also order paint testers to be delivered direct to your door and find your nearest paint stockists.

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Platform : Android, iOS

Price : £free

2. Virtual Plan 3D

We will warn you, this is an app in development, so don’t get too excited, but it won’t be long.  It’s an augmented reality app ( don’t worry, we had to google it too ) that turns 2D architectural drawings into 3D models on the screen. For now you can only use it with some demo drawings, but in time, you will be able to see your blueprints come to life in front of your very eyes.

Platform : Android

Price : £free

3. Homestyler Interior Design

So this app takes a little bit more effort, and maybe more ideal for when you move into a new home, but it’s not to be brushed to the side. in this app you take a picture of your room, import the picture into the app,  and then layout all positionings of the walls and recesses etc. Once you have done that ( surprisingly easy! ) then you can choose from an array of furnishings to create your ideal room layout in 3D.

Platform : Android, iOS

Price : £free

Follow us on Twitter at @stonewoodshop and be sure to “like” us on Facebook here

London Design Week 2015 introduces Flat Pack Housing

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Forget London Fashion Week, next week its all about the London Design Festival #LDF15

Taking place at the historic Syon Park between the 19th to the 27th September, London Design week is a concept thats been created to promote the city’s creativity by drawing in the greatest thinkers, practitioners, retailers and educators to deliver an unmissable celebration of design.

And it’s not just about art and fashion, this years event will see the launch of innovative solutions for small-space living in our ever growing capital. We have been digging the internet about forward thinkers in terms of living, and all arrows point to the Decorex trade interiors exhibition ( September 20 – 23 ) who will be showcasing Bert & May’s first “box house”.

With building time of only 14 weeks start to finish, the “Bigger Box” is just a small fraction of the interior design companies modular home range. So all you need to do, is find the land!

600-little-box

Lee Thornley of Bert & May’s says;
“We wanted to recognise that space itself is the big thing. And Prefab has had the association of being cheap and lacking in design. The boxes were born out of a desire to provide really amazing prefabricated living spaces”
Is this the begging of a new form of home living in London? Already in Bloomsbury, two recycled shipping containers have been converted into energy saving “smart houses” offering 310 sq ft of living space and is expected to cost only £25,000 to build.

I think we here at Stone & Wood will always be a fan of brick walls and of course, the finest Stone & wood flooring.

Order your FREE samples today at http://bit.ly/1CrapLE

 
Follow us on Twitter at @stonewoodshop and be sure to “like” us on Facebook here

Travertine Flooring

About Tumbled Travertine

By | Posted in: Travertine Flooring |

Travertine is a natural stone with a porosity that has been created by carbonate materials in surface and ground waters and hot springs. Tumbled Travertine has all the beauty of natural Travertine but with that added extra weather beaten quality that gives it its character. Tumbled Travertine goes through a rigorous process with Travertine being placed in a tank where water and abrasives are added. This is then vibrated to produce a chipped weather look to the surface of the Travertine, creating that tumbled look. Tumbled Travertine is left unpolished and unfilled producing a Jurassic weathered look that adds the character, charm and rustic qualities that is loved by interior designers. Tumbled Travertine will become more appealing with age as wear will enhance its aged beauty and increase its individual charm.

Tumbled Travertine is widely used both inside and outside the home but due to its unfilled holes can be more vulnerable to breakage. To increase Tumbled Travertine’s durability, the holes and cavities in the stone can be filled with grout during installation. By filling Tumbled Travertine, the tiles will become stronger and also prevent debris building up within the stone.

Widely used in outside areas, especially around swimming pools, balcony areas and pathways, Tumbled Travertine is perfect for avoiding water pooling and stagnation as water will drain through its natural cavities creating a safe, water and slip free area as well as a truly stunning feature. Travertine has the added quality and the ability to reject heat from the sun and trapping coolness. Tumbled Travertine acts as a great insulator and is the perfect choice for outside areas. Tumbled Travertine creates both comfortable and easy to walk or lie areas being both durable as well as aesthetically pleasing.

Bringing with it all the colours imparted by nature itself, Tumbled Travertine comes in a range of colour options to suit all tastes and decoration options. From soft, gentle colours of beige through to the dramatic dark browns, Tumbled Travertine can transform any room and give a charm and old world feel that sits alongside decor that is both traditional and ultra modern contemporary with the rustic complimenting the modern in a way that enhances the qualities of both.

Tumbled Travertine comes in a range of size options, leaving you to create your own individual pattern. Whether you want the classic look by using uniform one size tiles to the random created by using a mix of different sized tiles to produce a antique look full of history and charm, the choice is there for you to create your own individual magic.

Have you ever considered mosaic tiles? Tumbled Travertine mosaic tiles are the ideal way of creating a wall or floor that has both character as well as designer flair. Tumbled Travertine mosaic tiles are mesh backed to enable easy installation to create a look of ancient Greece with a decadence and sophistication that has been admired for centuries.

So, if you prefer a traditional, ancient finish, you cannot find a better choice than Tumbled Travertine. Lasting a lifetime, never dating and only looking better with age, Tumbled Travertine is inspired by nature to be created by you.