In her recent column in the New York Times, Alice Rawsthorn the ex-director of London’s Design Museum told its American readers, “Modern British design is often not very good”, she goes on to say that she can see the “change and decay all round”.

Rawsthorn then further criticises our telephone kiosks, London buses and the “achingly embarrassing” 2012 London Olympics logo – well she is probably right about the Olympics Logo. But London buses are iconic. Let’s be honest, no matter where you go in the world people associate London Buses as part of British culture.
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Let’s face it with today’s economical climate many of us have not got much to smile about and with many people worried about the future of their own work place sleeping seems to be the last thing on people’s minds. When we don’t get enough sleep our mood can change from calm and collected to irritable and grumpy, in a recent survey carried out by National Sleep Foundation (NSF) around 40 million people suffer from some type of sleeping disorder.
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When decorating we can spend weeks even months contemplating which pieces will look best in our homes, then there’s the accessories such as tables, lamps, pictures and carpets. Well, in most modern homes we have opted for the laminate flooring or that real wood floor finish, these look great but some times we need that something special to set it off.
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In most modern homes people are restricted by size, so we try to maximise space by buying items that are smaller and more compact, this does not mean compromising on standards or quality. With many of our modern kitchens and dining rooms becoming more compact we have to find modern furniture that will suit our lifestyles.

Trendy bar stools are traditional in style, versatile, and comfortable and will fit into most modern surroundings. There are many different contemporary designs on the market to choose from and these are all made from materials such as chrome, perspex, faux leather and micro fibre … these bar stools are functional as well as elegant and classy, some of the better ones are as follows:
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With the emphasis clearly on minimalist, designers and homeowners alike have really got to get it right when it comes to designing and choosing traditionally larger pieces of furniture for their homes. Pieces such as sofas, armchairs, coffee tables and dining tables all have all been revolutionised using modern materials and techniques to meet today’s high standards for quality and durability.
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A modern day suite is often the largest single item in your living space; it can often make or break your room. Many years ago these big and bulky furniture pieces were made from cast iron, wood and leather and took 3 or 4 grown men to move them, now we have lightweight plastics, microfiber, wood and silk. Modern furniture designers have taken the concept of sitting down and come up with there own interpretation of ‘being comfortable’, having trolled through the ‘net’ I have found some interesting concepts in seating.
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All to often when we buy a piece of furniture because we like the look of it, it looked great in the showroom, we buy it take it home sit it down and it doesn’t quite fit! Sometimes a piece is just not right for the room, but more than often it is because the rooms lighting is all wrong.

Gone are the big, hang down chandeliers (better suited to a stately home than a 2 up 2 down semi) and gone are the heavy big lamps made in cast iron with their large flowery silk shades. Nowadays, we prefer soft back lights, gentle up-lighters and low wattage spotlights (eco-friendly as well). Each light has the ability to completely change the ambiance in a room.

Proper placed and thought out lighting can make your living space more inviting, even pleasant, it has the ability to show off a rooms potential. Modern lighting should be chosen carefully, it should be an extension of your personality, complimenting your modern furniture not showing it up.

Modern living is tough on all of us, we worry about everything and majority of times stress over nothing, so it’s no wonder when we get home from another hectic working day we just want a place to kick off the shoes and relax. There is one piece of furniture that is the unequalable for relaxation… ladies and gentlepeople I give you the Chaise Lounge.
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