Mango Furniture

June 7, 2010

Article Category: Guides,Mango Wood Furniture > Tags: interior design, mango furniture, mango wood bedroom furniture, mango wood furniture

Baku Light Mango Sideboard

Introducing Mango Furniture

Mango furniture is relatively rare when compared to oak furniture or mahogany furniture. This should not lead you to believe that it is in any way inferior to its more popular hardwood furniture cousins.

How do You Make Mango Furniture From Fruit?!

One of the questions that we are often asked is, ‘mangos are fruit, how can you make furniture out of fruit?’ The answer is quite simple – we don’t!

Mango wood is indeed the wood from a similar cultivar of mango tree as the fruit is harvested from, but rather than harvesting the fruit, the mango trees are grown specifically for their high quality furniture making properties. After all, virtually every tree produces fruit; it’s just that we don’t eat the samara from the mahogany tree, or acorns from the oak tree.

Mango Furniture is High Quality Furniture

Unlike inferior quality furniture made from pine, mango is a hardwood like oak, and is just as sturdy and hardwearing. Therefore you can be sure that when buying our mango furniture you will be getting the same high quality as if you were buying oak furniture.

In fact, when you see the beautiful grain patterns and colours that naturally occur in mango wood you’ll be amazed that mango furniture isn’t more popular.

Tokyo Teak Mango Dining Set

The Many Finishes of Mango Furniture

When unstained and finished only in clear beeswax, this variegated wood is, on the whole, slightly darker than oak with a more pronounced grain, but it also takes stain incredibly well, so at Oak Furniture Land we also make dark stained mango furniture and teak oiled mango furniture, each giving its own individual exotic charm.

Whilst unstained mango furniture makes a great alternative to oak furniture, dark mango furniture can bring a striking contrast to a white room or one that has a lot of bright natural light, whereas the warm glow of teak oiled mango furniture will instantly make a room cosier, making it ideal bedroom furniture.

The Charm of Rustic Mango Furniture

We also apply a rustic finish to our mango furniture. This can involve various forms of distressing, to give a ‘lived-in’ look. This can be very desirable when making a room look homely, or when adding a new piece to a room that already has older or antique furniture in. (a room filled with high gloss lacquered furniture can easily start to look like a furniture showroom rather than a place you want to relax!).

At Oak Furniture Land we make several ranges of mango furniture in various finishes and styles to suite any home. Each mango furniture range includes bedroom furniture, living room furniture and dining room furniture.

The Magic of Mirrors

January 27, 2010

Article Category: Mirrors > Tags: Bedroom Furniture, Dining Room Furniture, dressing tables, interior design, Living Room Furniture, Mirrors

Mirrors are all too easy to overlook when it comes to furnishing a room.

The possibilities of mirrors throughout the home should never be underestimated.

There are, of course, the practical uses for mirrors – most especially in the bathroom, where virtually everyone has a mirror. Many people have a mirror on a dressing table as part of your bedroom furniture for applying makeup and a mirror in the hallway. All of these applications for mirrors could be seen as purely practical. However, when you look at them from a home decor point of view you will notice the benefits mirrors have in their given rooms, and apply that to the rest of your home.

Mirrors – simple mind control!

Mirrors and Space

Of course, you may just want to use it to look at yourself in, but the use of mirrors around the house is also a wonderful way of creating the illusion of space.

Obviously, unless you’re standing directly in front of a mirror the reflection you’re seeing is a general image of the room, and when the eye is drawn away from the mirror this image is perceived by the brain as being just another part of the room, which in turn makes your subconciuos think that the room is larger than it is.

1200mm x 600mm Cosmopolitan Mirror with Solid Oak Frame

Mirrors and Light

Another great way of using the natural properties of mirrors is to throw light into dark spaces of your home.

How many of us have at least one room in the house that has a dull corner where the natural light struggles to reach? You can’t even liven it up with a vase of flowers! I’d say most of us.

One way of reinvigorating it is to put a lamp in there. This then takes up space and you end up illuminating an area of limited use, even during the day. You also need to run mains power there if there isn’t any already. This is not only a poor solution, but it’s not very environmentally friendly either!

By far the simpler solution is to hang a mirror so that the ambient light from the rest of the room is reflected into the dreary area. The mirror will give you a more balanced feel to the room and make it look bigger at the same time.

A nifty way of softening this effect is to put a small, leafy pot plat directly in front of the mirror, making the plant seem bigger than it is whilst also shedding a little dappled shade at floor level.

These are great tricks that interior designers use all the time, and are well worth remembering if you’re selling your house.

Buy Mirrors at Oak Furnitureland

The New Year has seen the introduction of a whole new selection of mirrors at Oak Furniture Land. With a wide variety of solid oak mirrors and solid mahogany mirrors in various sizes to choose from, you’re sure to find the ideal finishing touch to your room.

Interior Design

May 15, 2009

Article Category: General > Tags: Bedroom Furniture, Dining Room Furniture, hall furniture, interior design, Living Room Furniture, oak furniture, tub chair

What is interior design?

Interior design is a term that has recently become synonymous with the rich and famous bringing in professional designers to makeover their mansions, or daytime TV programmes that often come up with some questionable ideas!

The idea of interior design should not be ignored though. It’s always good to have a final goal and a plan to work to. By doing this you are being an interior designer. There are some simple steps that need to be thought about before you even think about picking up a paint brush, so here I’ve laid out a few tips: It’s not just choosing a theme or a colour scheme for a specific room that is important when designing your house. An equally vital ingredient is the choice of furniture, making sure that it blends succinctly with your aspirations and purpose for the room in question. Solid hardwood furniture is an excellent investment, majestic, aesthetically pleasing, yet robust enough for every day use for years to come. Never compromise on quality when designing the room of your choice. Install superior quality solid hardwood such as oak, mahogany or mango (both light and dark should be considered) for a varied but complementary effect. Whether you select from modern bedroom furniture to help transform your personal space into a stylish sanctuary, rustic furniture for a relaxing feel distinct individual pieces such as a magnificent bed or a stunning sideboard with its dovetailed joint drawers, there is sure to be a special piece that compliments your design perfectly.

It’s not all about paint and cushions

Whilst interior design can be described as the art of selecting and organising room furnishings such as curtains, carpets and corresponding comfy cushions, not forgetting some unusual ornaments, a major aspect that ‘pulls’ the room together is the furniture itself. Whether it is the geometric shapes of cubism, fresh charm of rustic country cottage designs, or an exotic Asian style that you aspire to, with such a wide selection of solid hardwood pieces to choose from, there is bound to be a furniture item that will give your room the wow factor. All Oak Furniture Land pieces offer solidity and longevity, with solid hardwood backs and intricate dovetail joints for the drawers. Practicality and an attractive room lay out is a major consideration when developing a successful design, in order to achieve a simple balanced living environment is created that is suitable for the type of room.

Take it one room at a time

Choosing complimentary furniture that is solid, strong and hard wearing yet elegant and beautiful too, is a vital ingredient to creating your perfect room. Care needs to be taken when choosing the correct colour and style of a piece of furniture – an airy room or where light is important, such as in a hall or a conservatory would best suit simple, light furniture, whilst if it is a sense of elegance that is desired, notably in a dining room or bedroom, chunkier pieces in darker hues might be more suitable. This is always a personal thing, and you’re often drawn to a certain design. No matter what you choose, don’t be tempted by flat-pack furniture or furniture that is built using veneers. Always ensure that you are buying high quality, even if it means buying in stages or taking advantage of interest free credit.

Designing a Dining Room

March 18, 2009

Article Category: General > Tags: dining chair, Dining Room Furniture, dining table, interior design, office furniture, tub chair

Despite the basic principles of design when planning a dining room, a fundamental aspect is selecting and choosing the right dining room furniture that supports and enhances the ambiance of the dining room itself. Whilst dining rooms have tended to be formal in style with a sense of quality and luxury emanating from the choice of dining furniture, nowadays, they are being designed to incorporate a whole spectrum of styles, from ornate and grandiose schemes to modern minimalism with corresponding furniture in the desired style, too.

Naturally, if you plan to entertain regularly, then solid wooden furniture would serve you best, whether it’s the clear cut lines of a solid oak dining table and six matching chairs or the more traditional Corsica Brown Teak Dining Set. Some dining sets come in light or dark shades like the stunningly stylish Mantis dark or light solid mango six foot Indian dining sets with its six elegant high back grass chairs. Like wise the Baku Mango Indian Dining Table and accompanying comfortable chairs also has the choice of dark stain or natural waxed finish. Another option is to choose one of our ash furniture ranges. What ever your colour scheme or theme, make sure the dining furniture you choose compliments the impression you wish to achive.

Room space is a vital primary consideration when planning a dining room. Not only is the size of the table important for the number of guests you wish to entertain, but equally important is that there is enough room to allow your guests to pull out chairs and move around comfortably. Whilst lighter dining room furniture helps make the room lighter and more spacious, if it is a large dining room you are designing, then darker wood would perhaps be more appropriate. If space allows, then don’t forget a wine rack. Having a wine rack that matches the dining room furniture creates a sense of harmony and coherence. Examples include the beautiful Baku dark or light mango wine cabinet with a rack on one side to display the wine and a handy storage cupboard on the other. Contemporary living means that the dining room isn’t used just for entertaining, but for hobbies and as a home office too, in which case, durable solid wooden furniture would be the ideal choice especially since it lends itself well to the demands of daily living. The multitude of uses for the modern dining room thus require more than just a table and chairs. Storage plays a vital part, so it’s worth considering pieces of solid wooden furniture such as sideboards and dressers in which you can safely store miscellaneous items when not in use. The Tokyo Solid Oak Glazed Dresser provides excellent storage and is ideal for both keeping clutter at bay as well as for serving drinks from. The Baku three shelf display unit is another prime example of a stylish storage solution. Why not relax following your meal by reclining in the ultimate in style and class – a leather solid oak tub chair available in brown and made using top grade leather. Take the dining experience to another level and make a statement with the ageless elegance and ensuring quality of solid wooden furniture. Put the specialness back in to dining at home. Happy dining!