This years early trend is an emergence of soft dusky rose shades accompanying grey blue hues and floral motifs. It's as if Florence and the Machine have been personified as furniture, with a light floaty feel and ethereal touch.

Time will tell whether this trend will continue, and more photos will be shortly available on flickr for you to see what you think.

Day 2 has added some more interesting details to yesterdays observations. There seem to be three emerging styles from this years show. Urban, showing grey ceramic table tops and clinical lines and trestle designs, organic, showcasing branch like supports across under frames on tables and chairs, and faded romance, a name I've come up with for the style described above.

The urban style has hidden edges and deliberately chamfered edges on cabinets to make them appear thinner than they are. Clever use of materials and especially the use of turned light woods like ash, or new metal finishes like aluminium are also in evidence.

The organic style is less noticeable at first, but has its detail exposed in the way the joints emerge from the strut below like the joint of a bow and the trunk of a tree. Further soft curves reinforce this line adding a natural feel with soft natural tones, especially greys and blues.

Faded romance has permeated right through to the most contemporary of manufacturers and even features on uber high end upholstery designers Flexform. Rose and blue and grey hues compliment each other beautifully, and we may be seeing the end of the dominance of cream and brown as upholstery colours. Cabinet colours continue to have strong support with sand and taupe shades still very much in evidence, but newer greys and more natural light finishes have also started to appear.

‘Memories, imagination, old sentiments, and associations are more readily reached through the sense of smell than through any other channel.’ (Oliver Wendell Holmes)

It is often the little details that matter most when putting the finishing touches to an interior. How the light is allowed to flow through the curtains, the bounce of the underlay beneath the carpet and how the desire to breathe deeply and inhale a fresh scent that catches your nose hits you as you enter a room for the first time.

Think of a place you know and try to remember the smell, I would guess that it comes more easily that you imagined, and that you could describe the smell better than the colour of the walls.

Introducing perfumes into your home can add a sense of well being and freshness as much as painting the walls a different colour. Room sprays and diffusers now come in many different styles, and you don’t have to smell of flowers if you don’t want to.

Freshly laundered linen smells, baked bread, and citrus scents have all been faithfully reproduced and packaged attractively so that you can display the jar and the perfume together.

A recent collaboration between interior product specialists Fired Earth and the leading home fragrancing company Wax Lyrical, has blended some scents normally reserved for body perfumes to make up fresh tones like green tea and bergamot which are a million miles from the image of an over powering chemical flower smells of old.

Give scent a chance in your home and you will get immediate results.

Comfort

A bed should be comfortable – a truism if ever there was one, but one that a lot of people fail to realise when looking for a new bed. Comfort is the most important factor when buying a bed, not how many springs it has, whether it has been into space, or how many layers of fillings it has. If it isn’t comfortable, it’s the wrong bed.

Going to bed at night should not be a puritanical experience (unless you really want it to be) so the mattress should welcome you and wrap around your shoulders and hips.
Customers sometimes ask us for a ‘firm’ bed in the mistaken belief that it is somehow a magic cure for lower back pain and other ailments that they suffer from. It may well be that a firmer bed may help their condition, but equally it may be the worst thing for them. If you are buying a bed because of a medical condition, seek advice from a medical professional as to what type of bed will help you before coming to look.

Remember too that you can spend 5 minutes on the floor without being overly uncomfortable but 5 hours would be a different story. Take your time and if the mattress feels a little soft at first, then it’s probably the right one after a couple of hours.

If like most people who are looking for a bed, you are not comfortable with your existing bed, chances are you bought a bed that is too hard for you based on the premise above, and you wake up on your front with lower back pain and sore shoulders as your body has tried (and failed) to get comfortable during the night.

Body movement during sleep is perfectly normal, but should not be caused by a build up of pressure on the joints or by the person next to you getting out of bed, and a good choice of bed will help in minimising this, aiding restful sleep.

Beds are generally made up of two parts, the mattress and the base (or divan as it is also known). The combinations of these two items are what give the bed its overall comfort and a compromise on one will always affect the other, and therefore, the feel of the bed.

The Mattress

Mattresses fall into three main categories as listed below and each has their merits. Generally, the more expensive a mattress, the more it has in it and this continues until it isn’t possible to stuff any more filling in. The mattress will make up about 2/3 of the cost of a bed and as it is the surface in contact with the sleeper, is the vital part to get right. Be very aware when shopping for mattresses how you feel on the day – shop on a Sunday morning after having been out Saturday night and anything will feel comfortable.

Spring Mattresses

These are the traditional mattresses that have been around for over 100 years. Before that a mattress was largely a bag stuffed with an organic material like straw or feathers, but these are rare today and certainly wouldn’t feature in a run of the mill bed shop.

The spring mattress again falls into two main categories – open coil spring, and pocket spring. The open coil as the name suggests is a layer of mesh on the bottom, large springs wired to it in the middle and another layer of mesh on the top like a mesh bread on a spring sandwich. Layers of padding are then added to one or both sides to make the mattress softer. This is the type of mattress that can be easily produced in large quantity and is a very cost effective way of production. It is lightweight and well tailored as the springs make a natural chassis for the cover to sit on. The downside is that as all the springs are attached to each other, any movement on one side of the bed will by the laws of physics, be transmitted across the bed to the other side. It can also be the case that if the ‘filling’ is not sufficiently rigid that the mattress can suffer from lateral movement making it wobble like a giant fabric covered jelly.

Pocket Spring Mattresses

Pocket spring mattresses have individual springs that sit upright in their own fabric sleeve, and can be arranged in a single layer or in double layers (or exceptionally triple layers) for extra comfort. Various fillings are then put above and below the springs and the whole mix is then sewn into a large cover that secures the springs around the edge. This is done using a technique called ‘side stitching’ where the springs around the border are secured to the edges of the mattress and by tufting the mattress by running a series of strings straight through the mattress and attaching wool or felt ‘tufts’ to the surface. The advantages are that the number of springs in the mattress can be greatly increased as a more and more narrow springs can be nested together, and the layers of fillings can add to the spring story to create a sumptuous level of comfort.

The theory is that the more springs there are the better the mattress can conform to the shape of your body, but this is only useful on two conditions: 1) the springs are working by flexing under the weight of your body and 2) they are big enough to provide a level of support when matched with the fillings to make the bed more comfortable. Mattresses can be made firmer or softer simply by using a thicker wire that doesn’t bend as much, but if the wire is too thick, it makes no difference how many springs there are as they are not doing their fundamental job of allowing the body to lay in comfort on the surface of the mattress, hence the reason why weight is an important factor in choosing the right tension for a mattress – the lighter you are, the less impact you will make on a thicker wired spring, the heavier – the more.

The springs are however only half the story, as it is the combination of the spring with the fillings on top of them that make up the feel of the bed. We have three beds on display all with ‘medium’ springing so should all feel very similar, but they don’t because the fillings on top of the springs are all different. Thick layers of luxury fillings like wool and horsehair act like millions of little natural springs on top of the metal ones in the pockets below them and it is these layers that give the mattress a ‘depth’ of comfort that cannot be achieved any other way.

Unfortunately the cost of this type of construction is reflected in the final price, and although there are manufacturing shortcuts that can reduce the price, these are the types of mattress that cost more and can cost in the tens of thousands of pounds if taken to the extreme, and top UK brands like Vi-Spring and Hypnos excel at this type of mattress.

Visco Elastic Mattresses or Memory Foam

Visco elastic foam came about as a result of NASA research into how to create a material that would help astronauts withstand the pressures created during take off in the Space Shuttle programme. This very dense foam like material shapes itself around an object placed upon it and becomes increasingly pliable around body temperature making it feel like soft dough. This makes it ideal for pressure relief on a mattress surface as it can provide support for areas where increased weight is placed upon it, and when the pressure is removed it returns to its original shape. This makes it ideal for use on electric beds where the mattress needs to bend back to its original shape after lifting at the head or foot ends.

First brought to market by Tempur, it has now been made in many different forms in many different qualities that are impossible to gauge with the naked eye, and mixed in with other styles of mattress like springs. If you want a long lasting mattress, buy the best one that you can afford as the quality of the materials used in the manufacture will affect how long it will last.

Latex mattresses

Less popular than they used to be, latex mattresses are as the name suggests are made of naturally occurring latex rubber that is then formed into large blocks, sliced up and put into a cover to make up a mattress. Holes run through the mattress to provide ventilation, and many devotees of these mattresses will seek them out again when their first one has worn out.

Bases
The mattress is however only half the story. What also matters is what lies beneath…
A divan base can be sprung edged, firm edged, or have a solid top.

Sprung edge bases have either an open coil type spring system, or pocket spring system like the mattresses above. The springs reach right to the edges of the base hence the spring edge, and these provide support for the mattress across the entire surface of the base.

Firm edge bases are similar in the middle but have a raised board at the sides providing extra support around the edge of the bed. This can also be called a well spring as the spring section is sunken into the wooden frame.
Solid top bases have a solid board across the surface but this normally would have holes in it for the mattress to ventilate properly and this provides the firmest support for the mattress.

Box bases or bed bases are a traditional shallow frame that can be put onto a metal rail running between a headboard and a footboard to allow an empty space under the bed for storage or aesthetics. Confusingly, they can be sprung, firm or solid just like the full depth base.

Slatted bases came into use as a cheaper alternative to the box base and can have solid or flexible slats running side to side across a bed frame. These are normally made of laminated timber in order to allow some movement and sometimes be tension adjustable by the use of plastic slides across the shoulder or hip areas.

By the principles of the more springing and energy absorption, the better the bed should feel, it follows that the best feel is only achieved by a full divan base or a bed base as slats cannot provide the mattress with the same level of support across the sleeping surface and tend to be rigid and bouncy. However they remain a very cost effective way to provide a sleeping surface and remain very popular in many countries.

Sizes

Always by the biggest bed that you can afford that will fit in your room. As a child you probably had a 3’ standard single bed (90cm), yet as an adult we are expected to fit two people into a 4’6” ‘double’ bed, giving each sleeper half as much room as they had as a child. If you have a bigger bed, you will sleep better. Bedding is readily available for 6’ x 6’6” beds (180 x 200 cm) and the mattress can be made in one or two pieces for ease of access and weight. Try to ask for the bed you want by physical size as terms such as kingsize can mean different sizes to different people in different places and you can easily end up with the wrong size of bed. Bear in mind too that continental bedframes carry continental sizes (140 & 160cm widths) and while these are not unusual nowadays, just run a tape measure over your frame to make sure of the size that you need.

Drawers
Storage in a divan base seems like an obvious idea and is sometimes a necessity. Providing the drawers do not interfere with the springing on the base, there should be no impact on the feel of the bed, but this is not always the case and it is worth checking before adding drawers to your order.

Lifespan

Recommended lifespans for beds vary depending on the quality and use of the mattress. Anything over 8 years and it’s worth having a look at the bed carefully and time to ask yourself if it’s still as comfortable as you remember. Often a bed is purchased as a necessity rather than as an addition to the house, but if you can replace it before it has given way and is damaging your posture, then this must be better in the long run.

Ultimately, buying a bed is a decision based on personal preference. We have the experience to see when you try a mattress whether it is comfortable just by the posture of the body (and often the look on the customers face). As stated at the beginning. comfort is key, and this may not be the most expensive or the prettiest or the one with the most features, but it will be the right one, so invest wisely and buy the bed your body tells you to, because in the end, your head will thank you for it.

For some people the task of choosing furniture is daunting, and it can be said that there is sometimes too much choice, especially if you're having to factor in floor coverings, walls, window dressings, upholstery, cabinets and lighting all at the same time.  It takes alot of practice to get it right every time, and there are a few basic rules that will help along the way:

1. Scale - think about how you use the room.

If you are wanting to refresh your dining room, think about how you use it every day.  If there are only a few of you that eat at the table on a daily basis consider buying a table that fits your needs for the 364 days of the year that you don't have the extended family round rather than trying to cater for every eventuality.  For those occasions that you need a bigger table it can be made larger by using a cloth and a board that can be stored out of the room when not needed.  This will make the choice easier and help make the furniture in proportion to its surroundings.  Remember too that furniture in the store can look alot smaller than it does in your room as we don't have to worry about doors in and out and leaving enough space round the sides for the chairs to be pulled in and out.  The same principle applies in the living room with seating.  It can be very easy to cram a room with sofas and chairs which are never used making the room seem crowded and out of scale.

2. Colour - what goes together?

There are all sorts of colour theories that should be useful in finding a colour scheme that works.  Follow your own taste, it's you that's got to live with it.  We can help and make suggestions from our interior design service, and if you're completely lost, buy some magazines, put the kettle on, and find a style that suits you and your property to at least narrow down some of the choice.  Sometimes your home will push you in a direction that is hard to fight, and it is often the best option to try to design with this in mind rather than to try to impose a style on the architecture.  No matter how much you want your Victorian lounge to look like the set from Big Brother, if you half do it and leave in the coving and deep skirtings, it will look truely awful.

3. Comfort or practicality? - a personal choice.

Sometimes the piece of furniture that you love won't be the most comfortable one that you've ever sat in.  This can be the case with some of the design classics that may look beautiful, but sit like a park bench.  Balance up in your mind what is important to you, and if you can find both in a sofa, then you have found the right piece of furniture for you.  Seat cushion interiors are a perfect example of function versus comfort.  Feather is soft and luxurious, but loses its shape easily, foam is practical and looks great when you get off the chair, but lacks the inviting feel that feather has.  Choose what is important to you and ask us if different options are available for seat cushions as often there is a manufactured option that might suit you better than the one that we have on display.

We have years of experience and can advise you how to choose the right piece of furniture first time.  Furniture is an intensely personal purchase, and many pieces will be kept for years or can be passed on through the family, so it's right to choose cautiously and make the right decision.  When you come into the store, ask us for some help - that's why we're here, and we'll be happy to guide you in the right direction to make you delight in your home.