August 4, 2010 by admin.

Do people really know what the term ‘retro’ means. It is used a lot these days but n=many don’t actually know the meaning of the expression. To go retro means delving into the past and looking at the impressions of people living in those times. Retro is short for retrospect. And now we have a chance to bring the substance of the past in our homes with the introduction of retro furniture.

Retro furniture is furniture that looks right from the old times, but unmistakably has that attitude of carrying impressions for the future. Basically, the furniture from the times of the sixties through the eighties (the Baby Boomer generation) is hot property. And that includes gramophones, retro loveseats and sofas, retro coffee tables, retro jukeboxes, entertainment centers, bars and stools and retro dance floors. Most retro furniture that can be obtained these days are basic household items and often not in good condition. But we at Elemental in London hunt down these valuable and interesting pieces and then lovingly restore them to something like their former glory. Visit our shop in London and if you don’t have the retro furniture bug before you arrive you will before you leave. Nostalgia has a way of drawing us in.

How does Retro Furniture look?
Let us not make a mistake here. Most retro furniture that you get today in the market place is not actually old furniture. It is made presently, but is designed just to look like the furniture that was popular in the 40’s 50’s and 60’s etc times. You will have dinner tables and chairs, chaise lounges, fireplaces with mantelpieces, carpets and rugs, grandfather clocks and those pesky but adorable canary clocks, everything that will take our grandparents down Nostalgiaville. Even the colors are the bright ones used in those times, and not the placid colors people prefer nowadays. And you will find that back in your retro furniture time, people wanted their furniture to make sure it stood up and take notice when visitors came in. Today’s retro furniture tries to achieve the same thing. But in reality it never quite makes it. There is no substitute for the real old thing and you will notice this difference when you touch an authentic piece.

Wood was the material of choice in making retro furniture, because that was the era of wood. Other materials were certainly used but wood prevailed. Retro furniture often has futuristic designs for the era they are made, but you must consider that those designs will still be outdated in today’s times.

Retro Furniture for a Whole New Ambience within the Home
People of all walks of life are now considering adding retro pieces and often a whole room to their houses. Although making the whole home a retro home may not be such a good idea, a single retro room is what many people are doing. And it works great as a theme room. Packed with retro furniture, it is the place you can go to if you want some solace from your routine times. Or, you can call your friends over and have a retro party . You will certainly be exposed to an extensive choice at our shop, or visit our site at www.elemental.uk.com to get an idea what we have to offer.

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July 2, 2009 by admin.

Perhaps a lesser-known style than retro or vintage, nowadays more and more chic interior designers are incorporating the usage of industrial furniture into their designs. It is common knowledge that, as a society, we are well adept at making that which is old new again. This is oft demonstrated when people are willing to spend copious amounts of time and money to find and obtain antique and vintage furniture pieces to complete and/or compliment their home décor. This tendency to recycle old ideas and incorporate the past into the present is rarely as apparent as when discussing the phenomenon of industrial furniture.
With industrial furniture, many items that may have once been considered unsalvageable or even to be junk can be recycled into attractive and fashionable furnishings. Items that were once destined to rust away in a scrap yard are now being salvaged, restored, and incorporated into beautiful and distinctive pieces of furniture, many so unique they could easily be considered art in and unto themselves.
They key to beautiful industrial furniture is to utilize old industrial machinery in a way that is both eye catching and functional. Some of the most attractive and sought after pieces of industrial furnishings are old industrial light fixtures and bases of large industrial machinery. You may find the bases recycled into table, chair, or lamp bases. They are always cleaned up and beautifully restored. There are many companies out there that make and sell custom industrial furniture. While the price may be higher that other contemporary forms of home furnishing, you are always guaranteed a unique and eye catching piece.
An alternative to purchasing premade industrial furniture is to seek out and find old industrial machinery scraps yourself, and use them as a starting point to create your own designs. Many times, you will be able to find a reputable restoring company that specializes in making these old pieces like-new. After you have beautified your industrial machinery find, you can then choose to either incorporate it into a piece of your own design and construction or contract the design and construction of your new industrial furniture to an individual or company that specializes in such work.
To see examples of this phenomenon please visit www.elemental.uk.com

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July 2, 2009 by admin.

If you are looking for a new look for your home, you may be considering vintage or retro furniture. But, what is the difference between the two? In order to ensure that you get the best deals available when shopping for vintage furniture or retro furniture, it is important to understand what each one is and how to distinguish between the two.
Vintage furniture is furniture that is less than 100 years old (as opposed to antique furniture which is over 100 years old). On the other hand, “retro” refers to things associated with or revived from the past. This means that retro furniture is generally copied from vintage furniture, while not necessarily being vintage itself. Basically, in order to be considered vintage furniture an item must be from the 1980’s or earlier (but not more than 100 years old), while in order to be considered retro furniture, and item needs only look like an item from an earlier decade.
In fact, most “retro furniture” items are merely brand-new reproductions of true vintage furniture. This explains the large variations in price between seemingly similar vintage and retro furniture items. Generally speaking, items that are truly “vintage” will be more costly than items that are simply labeled “retro.”
When visiting furniture stores or galleries, one of the surest ways to ensure that you are getting a fair price on an item (other than doing your homework beforehand) is to ask the salesman or gallery owner to specify whether the piece is truly vintage furniture, or if it may be more accurately described as retro furniture. It is possible for an item to be vintage as well as retro, or retro as well as vintage, but that is not always the case, and assuming that a furniture item is both rather than either/or may cause you to spend unnecessarily on something just because you do not fully understand what you are looking at.
One of the best ways to fully understand the differences between retro furniture and vintage furniture is to check out the web sites of reputable vintage furniture or retro furniture dealers. Most of them have clear descriptions of both types of furniture, as well as links to external sites and sources that can help clear up your confusion. Or, you could simply make a trip to a local vintage or retro furniture dealer.
To view a comprehensive collection of both, you must go to www.elemental.uk.com

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October 15, 2008 by admin.

BEAU BELLES
The Beau Belles site is great for browsing through the various weddings they have done and to read the feed bac fom their clients.

If you are planning to get married and don’t know where to begin, or you need some independent advice to put everything together, then the Beau Belles site is the right place to begin. They understand the importance of your wedding day, how daunting the planning can seem, the problems that can arise and the excitement a wedding brings.

Whether you simply need an extra pair of hands on the day or a fully designed and organised wedding, They provide a personal and flexible service adapted to your needs, saving you money, time and stress along the way.

Beau Belles wedding planning, designing and co-ordinating business is based in Birstwith, 5 miles from Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Being so centrally situated I cover weddings throughout Yorkshire and the North of England
www.beaubelles.co.uk

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