When looking at corner sofas on the ScS Website, you may come across some sofas which state they are either LHF or RHF.
March 1st officially marked the start of spring and although the weather might still be chilly, days are getting longer and the sun is starting to make an appearance. While most people get the re-decorating bug around this time of year, a simple spring clean will leave your home gleaming and looking as good as new. We’ve rounded up some easy tips and tricks to spring clean your house, just in time for the summer months.
Winter is here! We are well underway in the winter months, and judging by the weather forecast over the next few days, it’s only going to get worse! With snow blizzards and lots of rain, these dark nights there’s nothing better than coming home to a nice cosy living room and putting your feet up!
While turning up your heating will help with the warmth of your home, it will take a little more effort to give it the snug, cosy feel you crave on a cold winter night.
Here are a few simple suggestions on how you can make your living room as comfortable as possible.
Candles, Candles and more Candles
Lighten up your room and give off some warming aromas with lots of candles! You can never have too many candles, however, we suggest placing them inside a lantern, to make sure accidents don’t happen!
Too many cushions? Impossible!
Snuggling up amongst a massive pile of cushions is the quickest and easiest way to get cosy on a cold winter’s night. For extra snug cushions and sofas, why don’t you browse our fantastic selection of scatter back sofas here?
Lots of Throws and Blankets
Accessorise your home with the latest trends with the help of a blanket or throw, and give your home a cosy feel at the same time. Tartan and checks are all the range this winter, and the thicker the blanket, the cosier your living room!
Thick Shag Pile Rugs
Here at ScS, we know a thing or two about rugs, and we can guarantee that a rug will really help with those winter drafts that floating your home. From hand-woven rugs to contemporary, shaggy designs, we’ve got a wide variety of styles and colours that will give your feet that snug feel on a winter’s night. Check them out here!
Let us know what you plan on doing to your living room this winter to keep it super cosy!
Could a new dining room table help your family spend more mealtimes together?
Following research that revealed 7/10 parents would like to spend more time eating as a family, we have put together some useful tips to help you select the right dining room table for your home.
To get started, just ask yourselves these simple questions:
How much space do you have?
Choosing the ideal dining room table is a big thing, so when you finally settle on a design, you need to make sure that it fits perfectly.
Not only that, but you need to measure around the table to take chair space into account (no one wants to be squashed up against the wall, do they?)
If you feel you may need extra spaces for guests, we have a wide range of extending dining room tables, which allow you to change the length to suit the size of your party.
What is your dining room for?
The dining room sometimes becomes a homework station, craft spot, or a makeshift office, as well as being a fully functioning family room.
In order to fulfil any requirement, dining tables must be durable and wipe clean to make your life a lot easier.
In these cases, a marble topped or a glass dining table may be the ideal fit for your home. They’re extremely sturdy, and (for any accidental spillages) they’re super easy to clean.
Orbit dining table
Will it work in your home?
Considering how you have decorated your dining room is extremely important when picking the furniture you’ll be purchasing for it.
If you need something highly adaptable, which will fit in with any style, you can’t go wrong with our wooden dining tables and chairs.
From rectangular dining tables, to circular, our dining tables styles are timeless.
For the more modern home, our high gloss Soho Extending Dining Table offers a seamless balance between contemporary and classic.
Where will you sit?
Sounds a little obvious, but dining room chairs, are a part of the shopping process that often receives little thought.
If you want something a little different our Harper Small Cross Bench the perfect piece. Comfy, and sturdy, it will fit easily with many different tables (ideally with a width of 150cm).
For more traditional needs, our upholstered dining chairs come in a range of styles, and materials, including chrome.
If you need something luxurious but cost effective, our beautiful Cruz Button Back Dining Chairs blend seamlessly with our wooden table ranges.
Families may prefer to stick to easy-to-clean chairs, and as so many of our dining tables are available as a set (with four and six seater options available) – you will be able to fit everyone around your table to enjoy a meal together.
So by taking the time to truly consider what you need in a dining room before you shop, will help encourage your family to ditch the TV at dinner time, and enjoy some quality time together.
As the festive season approaches, unexpected guests become more prevalent, and extra bed space is a much desired commodity.
Airbeds, futons and sofas can work a last resort, but they won’t offer the same levels of comfort of our stylish sofa beds. To help you get started, our experts are here with some practical hints and tips:
- Measure your living room
Don’t just measure the room the sofa will take up in its standard form, measure how much room it will use when the mattress is unfolded. Our sofa beds come with thick, pocket sprung mattresses designed for comfort, and it’s vital that they can be unfolded properly. Along with this, take into account the amount of space required around the sofa bed when it is unfolded – people need to be able to get in and out of bed with ease, and not having to climb over a partner in the middle of the night!
- What shape should you choose?
Once you’ve measured your room, and worked out the amount of space available, it’s time to decide on the shape and size. At ScS, we offer a variety of large and small corner , 2 seaters and 3 seaters sofa beds in both fabric and leather options.
Corner sofas are great for maximising floor space, and seating a number of people at once, while 2 seaters are an ideal option for a flat, where a more compact sofa bed is required. For more information, read our sofa buying guide, which will provide you with all the information you need.
- Fabric or leather sofa bed?
Do you live in a busy home? Do you have small children? Do you have pets? These are the questions you must ask yourself before deciding on whether you want a fabric or leather sofa bed. While leather is perfect for homes with young kids, it may not be ideal if you let your pets jump up on your sofa, as their nails can catch and tear the leather.
- Standard or scatter back?
If you’ve decided on a fabric sofa bed, the next big question is: standard back or scatter back? Standard backed sofa beds are great for adding extra support, with their fixed, high back cushions, making them ideal for people suffering from back pain. Scatter back sofas are softer by design, but are available in a much wider variety of colours and styles, making them ideal for giving your living room a modern edge.
- Do I want my guests to have a comfortable night’s sleep?
Yes? Then, we’ve got plenty of options to choose from! Our stylish sofa beds don’t just look great as a sofa; they also come complete with an easy to unfold, thick pocket sprung mattress that is guaranteed to give your guests the comfort they crave. And, with up to four years interest free credit available on all sofa beds, your new sofa bed doesn’t have to break the bank!
There’s nothing quite like that ‘new, new’ smell of a brand new carpet. Updating your flooring can be a simple and cost effective way to freshen up and reinvigorate your home, and with a catalogue full of different styles, patterns and types, we’ve compiled our top tips when it comes to choosing or identifying the perfect flooring.
Farren Murphy, Commercial Manager, said: “It’s good to have an idea of budget and the key requirements of the new flooring, whether it is easy clean or uber luxurious, to help identify the best options and ranges, especially as there’s such an array of flooring choices these days. Following our top tips can help weigh up all the options and determine the best choice for you.”
Choose flooring that suits your lifestyle
When choosing new flooring it’s most important to consider its purpose along with lifestyle needs. For instance, families with young children and people with pets, may have different requirements to a more adult environment.
Flooring has evolved somewhat in recent years and can now cater for every day practicalities such as stain resistance, offered by polypropylene carpets, with stylish colour and pattern options, or easy-clean laminate or vinyl tile, which would be better suited to families and pet owners longer-term.
However, in an adult home, our Isense super soft range would be luxurious and sensory-filled treat under foot for bedrooms and main living spaces. The perfect flooring will be one which suits both your home and your lifestyle.
Work out your budget
With so many carpet and flooring options available, it’s possible to get something you love that’s also within your budget. It’s always good to have an idea of what you’re looking to spend as it can help identify best options for you.
Visiting a store will help you determine exactly what’s on offer, and also gives you the chance to ask an assistant about payment options and organise for a flooring surveyor to visit your home to provide a quote.
Make a statement with colours and patterns
From stripes to zig-zags, geo-patterns, different tones and even glittery effects, you can make a real statement with your flooring. Advances in the technology behind carpets have allowed much more choice when it comes to both colour and pattern.
Staircases and hallways are the perfect place to make a fashionable statement and the variety of patterns available means the world is your oyster.
Make sure it is installed properly
Replacing your underlay and gripper rods at the same time as your carpet will ensure that you have a bounce underfoot, give a smooth finish to your new flooring and, most importantly, will make your carpet last and look better for longer.
A professional floor layer will ensure that the pile runs in the correct way and is tensioned correctly, giving it longer lasting durability.
Take care of your flooring
Keeping your floor as clean as possible is the best way to take care of it, we recommend regular vacuuming for carpets and floors, followed by a ‘once-over’ with a damp mop for laminates. Wiping up and treating spills as soon as they happen will avoid unnecessary stains and damage, especially to wooden floors.
We recommend only using cleaning products that are made specifically for carpets and flooring, as appropriate, including our range of specialised kits available for tackling particular spills and stains.
For areas that see lots of traffic, using a mat or rug can trap dirt and stop it from spreading. We also recommend using floor protectors underneath furniture legs and wheels to prevent scratching and avoid leaving indentations.
Brits love nothing more than relaxing on the sofa with a nice cuppa, but have you ever thought about how your living room layout can affect your relaxation?
Some 80%[1] of Brits believe the tidiness of their home impacts stress levels, but it’s not a just a tidy house that can make us feel more zen.
We’ve spoken to feng shui fanatics Wu Wei Wisdom about the importance of living room layout and how to make your sofa the perfect place to relax.
Here are Wu Wei Wisdom’s top tips to make your living room the ultimate relaxing retreat:
Bring nature into the living room
You should arrange your furniture so that it allows plenty of natural light to enter the space. Position your sofa so you can enjoy a great view out over any greenery and enjoy the changing seasons, or use a few carefully chosen houseplants with soft leaves to bring nature into your living room.
Positive flow of energy
Feng shui is the flow of Qi (chi) energy around the home, so it is important to ensure the flow is smooth and harmonious. Qi enters your living room at the doorway, so make sure your sofa and other items of furniture are not blocking the flow by being positioned too close to the door.
Make your living room a relaxing place
By choosing a sofa that is inviting and encourages you to rest, you can make your living room a special place for relaxation. The colours you pick for your walls, furniture and fabrics, will also affect your Qi energy levels. Soft and muted creams, blues, greens, greys, pinks or lilacs particularly bring about calm.
Get mindful on your sofa
You’ll be amazed how much your levels of stress can improve by taking five to 10 minutes a day to practice mindfulness meditation. Sitting comfortably on the sofa can be the perfect place to practice this. Simply close your eyes and focus your attention on your breath, then begin to gently relax every part of your body, from the top of your head to your toes.
Interested in finding out more about feng shui and the flow of energy in your home? Visit http://www.wuweiwisdom.com/.
[1] Survey of 1,018 UK residents in June 2017
Laminate and wood flooring are stylish and durable flooring options that are highly resistant to wear and tear, and much easier to clean than many other types of flooring. To make sure your new flooring stays looking its very best; we advise following these simple steps:
It starts at installation
After your laminate or wood flooring has been fitted in your home, we’d recommend waiting at least 48 hours before mopping your floor. This will allow your floor to ‘settle’, and for any adhesive that we’ve used to fit your floor to dry thoroughly.
Don’t over soak it
Whenever you clean your laminate or wood flooring, be careful not to use too much water. Excessive water can seep into the joins between the floorboards, causing damage which can build up over the years and result in you having to replace your flooring sooner than you’d hoped. Regular vacuuming, followed by a ‘once-over’ with a damp mop will keep your laminate or wood flooring perfectly clean and looking great.
Look out for spills
Make sure you wipe up and treat spills on your flooring, especially liquids, as soon as they happen. As we’ve already mentioned, excessive liquid can damage the floor’s surface and cause further problems in the long-term by seeping down between the joins. Use a paper towel or a clean, dry cloth to gently soak up the moisture, or dampen it slightly to remove tougher spills. Leaving spills for too long can cause permanent staining and affect the beautiful appearance of your flooring.
Use recommended cleaning products only
We recommend that you only use cleaning products that are made specifically for cleaning, treating and maintaining laminate and wood flooring. Regular waxes, bleach, strong solvents and abrasive polishes shouldn’t be used as they can damage your floor’s surface. When using a recommended floor cleaning product, make sure that you dry your floor thoroughly to remove any residue from the surface.
Protect your floors
To protect your flooring from furniture damage, we recommend using floor protectors underneath furniture legs and wheels to prevent scratching and avoid leaving indentations in your floor. Mats or rugs will help to trap dirt and stop it from spreading over your floor on the areas of your floor that get the most traffic such as doorways. For your safety, we would also recommend using anti-slip underlay beneath mats and rugs when using them on laminate or wood flooring, to stop them from slipping around when stepped on.
ScS Commercial Manager, Farren Murphy said: ‘’It is vital that your chosen flooring product is cared for in the correct way using the correct cleaning products. Regular maintenance such as hoovering and mopping from the start, this gives your product the best chance of looking great and performing well for longer.’’
Whether you live in a studio flat or a four bed house, space is a much desired commodity. If you’re struggling to make space in your home; don’t worry, our interior design experts are here with some simple decorating solutions to help you to maximise the space you have.
Sofa beds
Forget the horrific 90s futons, we’re talking about stylish sofa designs like this Cleveland Sofa Bed. The Cleveland sofa collection is the ultimate range for practicality, combining stylish sofas and beds with whilst providing a very contemporary look.
Stylish storage units
Think coffee tables with a drawer to store TV controllers, sideboards or footstools with built in storage. Adding furniture with built in storage can help you keep your home tidier, and reduce the build-up of clutter.
Make books and records a feature
Don’t just hide them away to accumulate dust – books and records can make an eye catching feature provided you get the right bookshelf to store them in. Our Oak Lounge open shelf unit is crafted from solid oak, the timber is seasoned (kiln dried), the natural oak finish sanded smooth, and the chocko finish sanded to leave a more open grain. This sleek, stylish design is the perfect solution for storing records and books in your home.
See through furnishings, mirrors and ceiling to floor curtains
See through furnishings and mirrors have been used by interior designers for years to trick the eye into believing a room is larger and more spacious than it actually is. Floor to ceiling curtains provide a similar effect, making the ceilings seem higher, thus making the room more spacious in the process.
Bold, patterned wallpaper
Making a feature of your walls with bold, patterned wallpaper can add depth to your room and create the illusion of more space. Be careful not to go overboard with standout wallpaper, as to much can work against you – perhaps start with a feature wall.
These decorating tips will help transform your home and allow you to maximise space. If you feel like starting today, why don’t you take advantage of up to 4 years free credit, 0% APR representative on all purchases over £310?
We have carried out research to find out exactly what Brits are losing down the back of their sofas every day, and we’re encouraging people to spring into action and discover what’s hidden in their couch.
The study found that three quarters of Brits have found money in their sofa while cleaning, with more than £3 million hidden down the back of the nation’s sofas. Aside from cash, the most common items Brits have found when cleaning their sofas include uneaten food (27%), car keys (21%), glasses (18%), lost bankcards (15%), and even underwear (8%). Looking at some of the more obscure items found in our sofas, respondents admitted to discovering old chewing gum, scissors, dog chews, a condom and even a couple of mice!
Simon Nicholson, Furniture Buying Director at ScS, said: “According to our research, nearly eight out of 10 (76%) UK adults clean their sofa less than once a month on average, which means there will be plenty of sofas around the country in need of some TLC.
“With the likes of uneaten food and dirty underwear festering in our nation’s sofas, we recommend regularly cleaning and sprucing up your sofa to keep it looking at its best. Here are my tips to help keep your sofa looking new for longer:
Plump up your sofa cushions
“Simply plumping up your cushions and dressing your sofa regularly can make a huge difference to its appearance and longevity, and only takes a couple of minutes to do.”
Vacuum your sofa
“Gently vacuuming your sofa just once a week will remove any dirt, dust, and crumbs, which collect over time and can lead to dulling of the fabric, particularly the front of the arms.”
Avoid direct sunlight
“Turning your cushions around and ensuring your sofa is kept out of direct sunlight, and away from heaters and radiators, will help keep your sofa’s colour consistent, especially fabric sofas.”
Avoid abrasive cleaning products
“Silicone polishes, detergents and other abrasive cleaning products should be avoided when cleaning your sofa. Spillages should be blotted as quickly as possible, ideally with a clean, dry white cloth. We also have a range of specialist cleaning kits available which can help with tackling specific spillages and liquid stains.”
Snags and decorative detailing
“Take extra care with shoes, belt buckles and jewellery on sofas with decorative detailing such as fringing or tassels, and especially with delicate fabrics.”
For more information about caring for your sofa, click here.