Furniture -Beds
September 1st, 2010Beds have been around since before the Egyptians, who also used the bed as a place where you could eat as well as sleep.
The Romans often decorated their beds in precious metals such as gold and silver. Mattresses in those days featured materials such as wool, feathers, hay and reeds.
The 18th Century saw a big jump in terms of sleeping because cotton was used for the mattresses. This meant that the vermin would not cohabitate your bed! Iron bedframes became quite popular at this time.
In the 1940’s the Futon bed started to make an appearance in North America, whilst in the 1960’s water beds came to the market. The 1970’s saw the bunkbed become popular with children and the 1980’s saw the introduction of air beds.
The bed has been seen by many people as the most important piece of furniture in the household. Everyone feels more revived after a good nights’ sleep.
Nowadays beds are available in all shapes and sizes and can be constructed from numerous different materials, i.e. wood, metal, plastic, upholstered fabric or painted. Standard sizes range from 3ft, 4ft 6″, 5ft and 6ft, however many local companies can make beds and mattresses to any required size. Todays market is competitive and customers will often try to haggle on price whether the item is on sale or not!
Contemporary Furniture
August 23rd, 2010What is contemporary furniture you may well ask? The way this can be answered is that the emphasis is on concept and design ideas that can be made into full size furniture. Contemporary furniture designers have to be able to create new and original designs and techniques to produce a stunning piece of furniture that the buyers of big furniture chains will want to showcase on their shopfloors. Once this step is made hopefully the public will be seduced into buying the furniture.
Contemporary furniture can be put into various rooms in the home.
Living room – there are many pieces that can fit into this space. Examples of what objects and their materials used are
Sofas – ergonomic in design, architectual style and usually only the best leathers and fabrics used.
Bookcases and shelves - these can be found in many forms and designs. Materials vary from metal, glass and solid wood.
Sidetables – again a piece of furniture that takes many forms and colours. Frameworks are created and then sprayed to a high gloss finish in many colours.
Bedroom furniture
Beds – leather is a prominent feature with contemporary bed design. Designers use metalwork cromed structures and then add leather to the surrounds. Metal can be designed to make many shapes for the headboard. This is a contemporary take on the classic original metal bed. Contemporary wooden beds generally come in simple designs and forms but are made in the very highest quality woods such as oak, cherry, black walnut and maple.
Bedside cabinets – these vary greatly. They can be round, square or rectangular. Materials such as wood, leather, glass, mirrored can be used. Bedroom cabinets can also be made in matching materials.
Bedroom Furniture Sets
August 17th, 2010Bedroom furniture sets have been bourne out of the need people have to match all of their bedroom furniture. There can be a number of reasons for this:
1. All of the furniture will match.
2. One delivery – Minimum disruption to the household and customers having to take time off work to accept delivery.
3. Customers can haggle on price.
4. Takes away the worry that the company might discontinue that bedroom furniture range that you might have been collecting over months or years.
5. Worst case of all , the supplier / manufacturer going out of business in these troubled high street times.
Companies and manufacturers offer various types of bedroom furniture sets
1. Bed with two bedside cabinets.
2. Bed with two bedside cabinets and a chest of drawers.
3. Bed with two bedside cabinets , chest of drawers and a free standing wardrobe.
However most shops will work around the customers needs for a room set as everyone’s needs vary so much.
Taste’s can be influenced by what is on display at any one time in the shop. Customer’s come in with a vision of what they have seen on a television programme or in a magazine and can be deviated by another display in a totally different wood type plus a higher price point. At AKKA Bedroom Furniture we have seen this many times. We have a design of Shaker bedroom furniture that we manufacture in both american white oak and american black walnut. Customers come into the showroom looking for oak but their eye is often drawn to the walnut.
Walnut has a real elegance , with it’s rich dark grain. Why not book an appointment and come and view our walnut furniture for yourself, were sure that you won’t be disappointed.
We can also show you bedroom furniture roomsets in oak and our totally new range called Toulouse whichis our take on the the Louis Phillipe style of furniture.
Oak Furniture
August 1st, 2010Oak furniture, which is very popular in the british home is generally made from either European oak or American white oak.
European oak is found in Slovenia, France, Yugoslavia and many countries from the Baltic region. American white oak is found in the east of the USA and South Eastern Canada.
Britain as a nation have fallen in love with oak furniture, and many furnish several rooms in this wood, including dining rooms, living rooms and bedrooms.
Manufacturers usually use two main finishes on oak furniture, either an oil finish such as danish oil or lacquers which show the true wood. There are trends towards staining oak with a light white painted finish that allows the strong grain to show through. The same can be said of staining oak with a dark walnut stain, which will replicate American black walnut. This method reduces cost as this wood in its natural finish is very expensive. At AKKA furniture we only use solid American black walnut but are able to offer our products at very competitive prices.
A word of caution when buying painted furniture is to ask what type of wood is being used. Generally the wood used is hemlock or birch. These trees are then cut down before they have fully matured, thus meaning several small pieces of wood are glued together resulting in a wider piece of timber. The manufacturer then applies a base undercoat and then a top finishing coat. If a piece of furniture is only treated with oil, you can see the true quality and beauty of the wood.
Buying bedroom furniture that will last
July 29th, 2010You have finally found the vision on how you want your bedroom to look after researching the internet for months. Now down to the hard work of stripping the walls, filling in the imperfections and finally painting or wallpapering.
Have you done enough research about the quality of your bedroom furniture? No, then let me lend a hand.
Oak or walnut wooden beds
Try to buy a bed that is solid wood. Key factors to look for are no small finger pointed laminations on the siderails, head and tail rails. Look for signs of white sapwood showing towards the outside of the bed. Whilst this is not crucial to the construction, it shows that the manufacturer has taken time to put the sap face to the inside of the bed with the pure oak tones showing.
Oak and walnut wooden chests
The main construction of the chests should feature solid wooden legs all round. The top should be solid wood also with no man made products. The drawers should be dovetailed all round and solid in construction and strength. Are the drawer fronts made out of one piece of wood? Many manufacturers joint their drawer fronts whereas quality manufacturers use one piece of timber. The backs of the drawer should be grooved into the back legs and no screws, nails or pins used to hold the back panel in place.
Oak and walnut wooden wardrobes
Wooden legs should be used in all wardrobes, the back panels again should be grooved into the back legs. The veneered back panel should be veneered both internally and externally. Whilst this is not compulsary, it shows the manufacturer puts high emphasis on a consistent finish. Internally, the hanging rail should not be of cheap metal, it is far better to have a solid turned rail and brackets. If the wardrobe has drawers, again the drawers should be dovetailed and made of one piece of solid wood.
Furnishing your Bedroom
July 26th, 2010You bought your house a few years ago now and you have gradually decorated room by room, finally reaching your bedroom. This room need to feel tranquil and releaxed, so getting the mood right is important.
An important point to remember is you shouldn’t try to cram too much furniture into your bedroom space as this will ruin the look and feel. The immediate concern will be the bed, followed by storage needs. In a double bedroom a bedside cabinet either side of the bed is a good idea, particularly if you like to read at night as bedside lamps can be placed on them. A chest of drawers is a must along with wardrobes. The furniture can then be added to create the individual mood with bedding, curtains, pictures and accessories, thus adding style and personality.
Beds are available in two common types, divans or bedsteads. At AKKA Bedroom Furniture we specialise in solid wooden bedsteads in both American White Oak and American Black Walnut. Sizes of beds vary depending on your room size. The key is to ensure you have enough room to walk round your bed comfortably and that you have enough space to open wardrobe doors and and cabinet drawers.
Our wooden chests are variable in size both in width and height. One tip is to maximise the height for the amount of floor space available. Wardrobes can be free standing or built in. Free standing wardrobes may be able to fit into an alcove or small space but it is important to double check dimensions.
Buying wooden bedroom furniture roomsets
July 7th, 2010Wooden bedroom furniture roomsets are sold in order to minimize the amount of time it takes to purchase furnishings. By buying furniture for the bedroom separately (that is, buying each piece individually), not only do you run the risk of breaking the design theme but you also may end up paying more in the long run. Buying roomsets may help offset cost in the same way that buying anything in bulk ends up cheaper. Many suppliers , manufacturers and retailers are willing to make deals and lower prices when consumers decide to purchase a package deal that includes all of the bedroom furniture for a specific part of the home. Doing this for a bedroom makes more sense as bedroom furniture is very functional. There are decorative pieces available, but it is likely that everything in a set will be used some way or another.
Wooden bedside cabinets and dressing tables for example, are frequently sold in sets. This is due to the fact that every bedroom needs them, and they might as well match. When all of the furniture in a bedroom matches, the appearance is one of uniformity and cohesion. All of the items will be necessary at some point or another, so why not purchase them all together at once? Sets guarantee consistent style as each piece of furniture has been designed with all the others in mind. As the central piece of every bedroom set, the bed should be priority and the starting point to the theme and decor of your bedroom. For example, should you go with a divan, a four poster bed, or an upholstered bed? Having the right bed can make all the difference when it comes to deciding how you want the rest of your bedroom decor to look and feel.
Bedroom furniture sets may seem expensive at first glance, it is important to consider the number of items as well. If purchased separately, it is almost guaranteed that you will pay more in the end. Add to this the benefit of possibly receiving every item for your bedroom at once. It is very likely that the furniture will arrive in one large shipment depending on the retailer. Roomsets make it possible to immediately have a fully furnished bedroom. There won’t be excessive waiting for those individual pieces of furniture to complete the look.
Look no further for your one stop QUALITY bedroom supplier.
AKKA FURNIURE.
Oak Wardrobes
June 24th, 2010Oak wardrobes can be traced back to the 17th century. Oak as widely used for the construction of wardrobes because it was widely available all over the country. Wooden chests and wardrobes would be made to order and size for individual needs. Such pieces were commissioned to celebrate a birth or marriage; carvings were added to commemorate this. The quality of these oak beds, oak bedsides, oak chest of drawers and oak wardrobes was such that they can still be purchased today on the open market or auction houses from £1000 to over £15,000.
In today’s oak bedroom market you can purchase a number of different styles; shaker, louis phillipe, painted, four poster and upholstered bedroom furniture. The choice is so varied and the price points or bedroom furniture can accommodate everyone’s budgets.
The downside of the cheaper end of the wooden bedroom market is that the quality drops dramatically and the longevity suffers. At AKKA Bedroom Furniture we don’t cut corners. We produce high quality bedroom furniture that we guarantee will be cheaper than the high street equivalent.
Advice on bedroom furniture and mattresses
June 8th, 2010AKKA Furniture’s beds and mattresses are often said to be among the finest available. Combining craftsmanship with the best of contemporary design has been our aim since we started the company. AKKA Furniture began as a bed making firm in 2007 and we’ve been designing and making quality bedroom furniture, including beds,chests, wardrobes, wardrobes and mirrors ever since. A third of your life is spent in bed, so it’s very important that you choose the right bed for you and your partner.
Size?
You need to consider the size of your bedroom when deciding on bed size. You need enough room to walk around the bed, and don’t forget the rest of your bedroom furniture needs to fit in too. Leave plenty of space for bedroom and wardrobe doors to open if space is tight.
Take into account that most sleep experts (including the Sleep Council) agree the bigger the bed, the better the sleep.
The width of the bed is particularly important if you sleep with a partner. A standard double bed (135cm) gives each person just 69cm of space which is much narrower than a single bed. Also, the average person tosses and turns up to 70 times a night, therefore a wider bed ensures you are both more likely to get a good night’s sleep.
The length of the bed is also important. We recommend that your bed should be 10 – 15cm longer than the tallest partner. As a guide if you are over 6ft tall we recommend a kingsize bed to ensure that you don’t end up sleeping diagonally across the bed which is uncomfortable for you and your partner, as well as bad for you back.
Which Mattress?
Choosing the correct mattress is extremely important to ensure comfort. In 1988, sleep expert Dr Chris Idzikowski conducted a study which found that swapping an uncomfortable old bed for a comfortable new one could account for an average of 42 minutes extra sleep per night – four times that achieved by over the counter sleep aids.
We can supply Dreamworks matresses at AKKA Furniture, delivery time is normally two weeks.
Creating your perfect bedroom
May 27th, 2010Creating a room plan can help you decide where to place your bedroom furniture. At AKKA Furniture we have a free bedroom planner with all of our furniture sized up to scale. This will help you decide if certain pieces will fit comfortably within your bedroom space. Placing the bed is the main hurdle when planning the layout for a bedroom and a number of issues will influence the choice of spot: Read the rest of this entry »