Furniture Advice Posts

« Older Entries

Buying bedroom furniture that will last

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

You 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.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in American woods, Furniture Advice, Furniture finishes, Wood Veneers, beds, wooden bedroom furniture, wooden wardrobes | No Comments »

Buying wooden bedroom furniture roomsets

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Wooden 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.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Furniture Advice, Furniture delivery, beds, dressing tables, wooden bedroom furniture, wooden wardrobes | No Comments »

Oak Wardrobes

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

Oak 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.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Furniture Advice, beds, wooden bedroom furniture, wooden wardrobes | No Comments »

Advice on bedroom furniture and mattresses

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

AKKA 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.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Furniture Advice, Mattress, beds, dressing tables, wooden bedroom furniture, wooden wardrobes | No Comments »

Creating your perfect bedroom

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Creating 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: (more…)

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Furniture Advice, beds, dressing tables, wooden bedroom furniture, wooden wardrobes | No Comments »

Blanket box – Different uses

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

Oak and Walnut blanket boxes are not only stylish and a major part of your home decor, but they also serve as a practical and convenient place of home storage. Here are a few of the many uses of the blanket box: (more…)

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in American woods, Furniture Advice, blanket boxes, wooden bedroom furniture | No Comments »

Choosing the best bedroom furniture for you

Friday, May 7th, 2010

A bed room is the peaceful area of your dwelling to have your privacy and be totally relaxed. Everyone loves to sleep in a lovely and cozy bed room, just like they want to have quality in any other rooms in your home. Picking the correct furniture to go in the rooms should be critical. Developing a fine bed room gives a type of security and multiplies your comfort. When you are married then you will have better times together if you could have a comfortable double or king size bed and beautiful home furniture such as dressing tables, bed side tables, cabinets, chests and wardrobes. Bedroom furniture can come in numerous styles of designs. Here i will discuss various good tips on how to choose the most suitable bedroom furniture which will offer you the lovely sleeping experience.

1. Must haves and Desires. Get to know the things you would like and what you might need from the bedroom. It is really better if you talk about it with your husband or wife to get good designs ideas. You have to prioritize on things that you need as opposed to want, when you cater for your needs then is the time to start to think about what which you may desire.

2. Styles and Concepts. Study your bedroom’s structure and dimension and envisage what kind of pieces of furniture would suit it. Why not use our free planner that can be found on the homepage?

3. Decide on Appropriate bedroom furniture. Whenever you’re getting your furniture ensure that it’s hard-wearing, of high quality, and well engineered. You don’t want to waste your cash on poor quality pieces of furniture that can only survive for some months before it falls apart. AKKA furniture only produces timeless bedroom furniture in oak and walnut that will stand the test of time.

4. Deciding on your right website. There are numerous shops and warehouses that retail pieces of furniture but you will need to select the best one. Use the world-wide-web and locate one that supplies the types of furnishings you desire but after that be certain that they have got good credibility and good buyer satisfaction. Why not come down and visit our showroom in Colchester?

5. Enjoy your good quality bedroom furniture. The bedroom is required to be your sanctuary, finish it off with quality furnishings and insure that it is an area you may love sleeping in.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in American woods, Furniture Advice, Furniture finishes, beds, dressing tables, wooden bedroom furniture, wooden wardrobes | No Comments »

Quality products

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

Now I know we’re a bedroom furniture company but I thought I’d share this with you anyway despite the fact that it is clearly kitchen related. As many of you will know, it’s now that time of year: the daffodils have just gone over, the trees have a light fuzz of green, birdsong fills the evening air and the wife has planned a series of DIY shock and awe campaigns for the each of the bank holiday weekends from Easter until August!
Our very own version of Desert Storm I shall rename Melamine Storm! We decided (and you know how I use the word ‘we’) that it was time to redecorate the kitchen. New tiles, new floor, and forty gallons of Farrow & Ball white paint. The final thing in the mix was a bit of extra storage for the kitchen. Now, our kitchen units were out of date and discontinued so we popped off to a certain well-known DIY store and bought the nearest thing we could to match in with our old stuff.
Now the tiles are down and the grout has gone off, it’s time to build the new cupboards. All in all reasonably good fun. It came in kit form, and after following instructions carefully to avoid accidentally building a kitchen shed, the first cupboard was up. I’m not that pleased. It made me realise just how unsatisfying it is to look at something synthetic. There was no natural beauty or craftsmanship. Each day when I look at the chests of drawers in our bedroom, I feel pleased with the way it all looks and feels, especially as we’ve had our furniture for years. The change in colour is about acquiring a beautiful natural patina rather than a yellowing with age that you get with tired kitchen cupboards. Even when our oak stuff does need a little perk-up, we just treat it with some danish oil, which is a pleasure in itself.
As far as I’m concerned, melamine, particle board and MDF belong in the same place as Divans!

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Furniture Advice, Furniture finishes, wooden bedroom furniture | No Comments »

AKKA Furniture – Timber selection

Monday, April 26th, 2010

AKKA FURNITURE uses the best timber on all of it’s products. This is how we select and choose our American white oak and walnut timbers.

 

The FAS grade, which derives from an original grade “First And Seconds”, will provide the user with long, clear cuttings – best suited for high quality furniture, interior joinery and solid wood mouldings. Minimum board size is 6″ and wider and 8′ and longer. The FAS grade includes a range of boards that yield from 831⁄3% (10⁄12ths) to 100% clear-wood cuttings over the entire surface of the board. The clear cuttings must be a minimum size of 3″ wide by 7′ long or 4″ wide by 5′ long. The number of these cuttings permitted depends on the size of the board with most boards permitting one to two. The minimum width and length will vary, depending on species and whether the board is green or kiln dried. Both faces of the board must meet the minimum requirement for FAS.

 

FAS One Face (F1F)

 

This grade is nearly always shipped with FAS. The better face must meet all FAS requirements while the poor face must meet all the requirements of the Number 1 Common grade, thus ensuring the buyer with at least one FAS face. Often export shipments are assembled with an

80-20 mix, 80% being the percentage of FAS boards and 20% being the percentage of F1F boards.

These percentages are strictly left to individual buyer and seller agreement.

 

Selects

 

This grade is virtually the same as F1F except for the minimum board size required. Selects allow

boards 4″ and wider and 6′ and longer in length. The Selects grade is generally associated with the northern regions of the USA and is also shipped in combination with the FAS grade.

Often export shipments of upper grades are simply referred to as FAS. The conventional

business practice for American hardwoods is to ship these upper grades in some combination.

Working closely with the supplier will enable the buyer to be sure that the expected quality will be received. Whether FAS is combined with F1F (Face And Better) or Selects (Sel And Better) every board in the shipment must have a minimum of one

 

FAS face

 

Prime grade: This grade has evolved from the NHLA grade of FAS for the export market. It is

square edged and virtually wane free. The minimum clear yield will be select and better with

appearance being a major factor. Minimum size of the boards varies, depending on the species, region, and supplier.

Comsel grade: This grade has evolved from the NHLA grades of Number 1 Common and Selects.

For the export market the minimum clear yield should be Number 1 Common or slightly better

with appearance a main factor. Minimum size of the boards varies, depending on the species,

region and supplier.

Note: The terms Prime and Comsels are not standard NHLA definitions and therefore fall outside

the official range of the NHLA grading rules.

8″

12′

10′

8″

12′

5′ 5′

Note: Minimum yield 831⁄3% clear wood cuttings on the poor face of the board.

 

Tags: , , ,
Posted in American woods, Furniture Advice | No Comments »

Dodgy Divans Part II

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Dodgy Divans Part II
So, seeing as we’re on the subject of divans I might as well get the rest of the moans out of the way. In for a penny, in for a pound I suppose!
The flaw in the plan
Once, as a child, my parents bought me a brand-new bed, yes, a divan. It was a divan with a difference, the top section lifted open on some sort of sprung mechanism which meant that the entire bottom half of the bed could be used as storage. This was just great, providing you were happy for your ten-year-old son to empty his mattress and bedclothes over the floor every time he wanted to get something out!
A major ‘drawer’ back (groan)
So, we learnt from the flip-top bed experience and moved on. The next step was a more sedate approach involving drawers in a divan base, no more mattress slippage! This time, we found that, not only was the space severely limited, but also, the drawer bottoms were flimsy and generally collapsed once a few blankets had been put in – then they were impossible to open, even when you had managed to claw you way through the fabric hell-hole known as a valance (though I think I’ve already bemoaned valances in a previous post)
Let’s take a look at what we could have done (say in the style of Jim Bowen)
Let’s imagine what life would have been like with a lovely wooden bed. Firstly, we could have done away with any need for flip-top or sliding drawer contraptions. As a child, under the bed would have been a great place to stash a giant bag of lego (which I’m reliably told happens every night at legoland, Windsor). But secondly, there is also a great  ‘grown-up’ solution for neat freaks like me. A couple of beautiful wooden underbed drawers on castors would have been perfect. The bottoms are made out of decent timber, which means they don’t sag and collapse. They slide out easily avoiding the flip-top/drawer collapse/valance issues, and finally, they look great. Not only that, if you ever decide to change your bed and if you buy an akka wooden bed, we don’t see why you’d want to) you don’t have to change your storage at the same time. Simples.

 

Tags: ,
Posted in Furniture Advice, Mattress, beds | No Comments »

« Older Entries