I wanted to tweak our living room ready for spring, add a little something to it. So I’ve been working with a couple of brands to add those changes, as well as having a bit of a shuffle round of things I already had. The two companies I’ve been working with are Swoon Editions and Frith Rugs.
Here’s how it looked before the changes:
There were a couple of issues with it. I wanted to lighten up the cushions, to paler more ice cream like shades. The glass coffee table in the middle of the was really big, and interrupted the flow of the room. I’d grown bored of the rug, which was a total bargain but very mass-produced, everyone and their Aunty seems to have it. I wanted something thant anchored the room more, more unusual and better quality.
So here’s the room with the changes :
It’s subtle I know, but it really does work so much better. I mixed in some cushions I had already with some bargain ones I picked up in a sale at John Lewis. I also added the most amazing rug, changed my coffee table to a retro G-Plan one I’ve had for years and added a gin bar cart, ready for those spring summer evenings when its warm enough to throw open the double doors and let the summer breeze in whilst relaxing with a G&T.
A couple of weeks ago I went to Birmingham to see the Swoon Editions pop-up shop in Central Station. I must admit I was a little unfamiliar with the brand so it was a great introduction to what they offer, and to learn a little history about the company too.
I would describe Swoon Editions as a place to find very competitively priced modern furniture, accessories and lighting. Swoon was founded in 2012 by Brian Harrison and Debbie Williamson, homeowners whom were fed up with the excessively priced designer furniture. They take their designers initial sketches, then find craftsman from around the globe to take those sketches and bring them to life. One thing I found really interesting is they release those new designs (usually in batches of 25) and once they’ve been bought, that when they order more.
I was given a voucher for attending the event, and decided to buy a couple of items, a gorgeous blue glass ceiling light which I’ll show you in another post, and this bar cart. To be honest I was considering using it in my bedroom as a place to store my makeup, lotions and potions but completely underestimated how many of those I had, so the gin bar was born!
It sits very neatly in this corner. Its closeness to the radiator doesn’t worry me, as it currently doesn’t work.
It the perfect size! Also a really good price at £179.
- Dimensions: W: 41 cm D: 31 cm H: 64 cm
- Weight: 7 kg
- Materials: iron
- Finish: hand-painted in Gold
- Number of shelves: two, fixed
- Assembly: none
When I shared the bar cart on Instagram, I did get a few messages asking me about delivery. I found it to be really prompt, it actually arrived 2 days after I ordered it and the delivery man kindly brought it into my house, as the box was heavy. I loved that there was a label on it telling me I had the 17th one of 25 and who made it.
So onto the rug. Oh how I love this rug! It’s from Frith Rugs, and is in beautiful shades of navy dark red and gold.
It does feel like a complete change to the rug we previously had in the living room. I love the gold in the rug, it’s a very similar shade to the sofas and the oak flooring, and add a real warmth to the look. This gorgeous rug is made in Western Afghanistan – Afghan Mushwani Tribal rug – this type of tribal rug usually comes in these smaller sizes or runners, and you can see lots of examples of those on the site.
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Pile Content:100% WoolPile Height: 8mm
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Country of Origin: AfghanistanColour Family: Red
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Type of Manufacture: Handknotted
It was delivered the following day after I ordered it, and was well packaged. As soon as I unrolled it, I just knew it was perfect, I love the fact its handmade, it feels like a quality piece to add to the living room, giving it the character I’d hoped it would. I think because it’s so well made from 100% wool it seemed to (once rolled out) lay completely flat straight away. It might seem like a small point, but my last rug took weeks to flatten and it was really frustrating.
I tried it with a couple of different coffee tables and settle with this G-Plan one as I think it fitted the space perfectly. I like that the angles of the base work well with the patterns in the rug. Also the oval design is a good contrast to the square rug.
So what do you think, do you like the changes I’ve made?
This post contains gifted items.
Sarah | A Few Favourite Things says
A beautiful refresh to your room. I love the bar cart, it’s a great size without being too overpowering.
Micheal Ross says
Those shelves facing each other at the corners are pretty useful. I should get one of those.
Ned Hallett says
Interesting read. Looks amazing.