Arighi Bianchi the inspiring home interiors store is introducing a number of new ranges for its own label Merit Collection, including sofas, dining sets, beds and bedroom furniture.

The Merit Collection products comply with the store’s well-known design and presentation quality, but at surprisingly reasonable prices.

The initial new range to appear is the typically beautiful Ercol inspired Isola range of dining and occasional pieces, which is defined by its stimulating look and bold styling:

• The range is designed to fit effortlessly into classic and contemporary settings, with high-quality materials and practical finishing touches.

• Products include the Isola console table (£399) lamp table (£199), entertainment unit (£345), wide sideboard (£699), wide mirror (£129), coffee table, in our picture (£349), dining table (£455), upholstered chair (£199) and bookcase (£699) all crafted from a blend of oak veneers and sculpted solid oak legs,

Arighi Bianchi’s Merit Collection embraces over 290 traditional and contemporary design pieces, with a reliable level of quality and style that has become the Arighi Bianchi trademark. All are now available to buy online.

To view the entire collection, please visit the website.

Arighi Bianchi is one of Britain’s great ground breaking businesses and first began selling inspirational interiors from its Cheshire home in 1854.

The celebrated Sixties furniture brand, G Plan has become the latest prize buy among collectors of period possessions for the home.

G Plan furniture is proving to be a popular investment buy, as it is now being snapped up on E-bay and featured on TV programmes such as Boot Sale Challenge.

Said G Plan’s MD, George McGraw: “Original pieces around 40 and 50 years old are still in incredible condition, which just goes to show that investing in quality furniture really does pay in the long run”.

“The vintage look is on-trend and G Plan’s recently launched Classic Collections provide quality, timeless pieces which, as shown on these collectable TV Programmes, are a great investment that can be passed on from generation to generation.”

G Plan has maintained its brand values for design and inexpensive quality, as shown with its Classic Collections, including Matisse, Gainsborough and Heritage living and dining and Heritage and Monet bedroom ranges.

Each collection features an assortment of pieces made from durable veneers with a choice of finishes to suit all tastes and lifestyle requirements.

George added: “We aspire to offer pieces that stand the test of time that create a history and story around them.”

For more information on the G Plan Cabinet collections, please visit the website.

The launch of five new collections of beautiful and interchangeable bedroom furniture has been announced by The French Furniture Company.

The new collections, named Josephine, Venise, Louis, Regence and St Tropez have been carefully sourced by choosing striking pieces within the Ivory and Muted Silver colour pallet, to produce five complimentary ranges that can be mixed and matched to create a perfectly styled and distinctive look.

The Muted Silver finish is meticulously applied by hand, using delicate silver leaf by the craftsmen who make the furniture.

Upholstery in the Ivory ranges is Beige Linen, while the Muted Silver ranges are finished with either Fawn or Purple Dupion Silk and all of the handles on the furniture are of Antiqued Brass.

Pure style with the St Tropez Collection - pictured here:

• This beautiful collection is a fusion of the Regence collection and traditional French design.

• Features include: fluted legs and matching finials on the bed, dressing table and armoire.

• A bed, chest of drawers, bedside cabinets, dressing table and stools, armoire and bedroom chairs are also offered within this range.

To view all of the pieces in the French Furniture Company’s new collections, as well as their complete product range, please visit the website.

Tel:   (08450) 547528

IKEA has announced the launch of their curvy new ISALA range, which has been motivated by Swedish furniture of past-times, with modern details like thicker legs for a fresh appearance.

We all try to add our individual style to our homes, to gratify our desire to live with beautiful fashionable furniture.

IKEA has the perfect pieces to help you realize your ideal style, whether you’re adding a new coffee table to the living room or a laptop table in the bedroom:

• The ISALA colours are of soft and muted lilac and grey tones, which work well with white and various wood finishes. ISALA also co-ordinates well with their HEMNES range of furniture.

• Some pieces in the collection have feature details such as locks, or deep and adjustable shelves and soft-closing drawers.

• The tall legs make cleaning easy and thanks to the additional floor protectors, your floor will be safe from wear and scratching.

• The ISALA range is designed by Johanna Asshoff and Hanna Brogård and would fit easily into any area of your home, from the living room to the hallway.

Prices for ISALA: From the left in our picture are the ISALA cabinet, £179.00; laptop table, £149.00; side table, £159.00; sideboard, £220.00; coffee table, £179.00; another side table, £159.00.

Available from August 2011.

Visit the website to view more of IKEA’s trendy furniture ranges.

G Plan Cabinets, one of the best known brands in British furniture, recommend that you care for your quality wood-crafted furniture from the possibly damaging rays of the sun, in order to maintain its good looks.

Says MD George McGraw: “Strong sunlight can wreak terrible damage on cabinet furniture – whether it’s dining tables and chairs, coffee tables, display cabinets or wardrobes.

“Constant exposure damages furniture by gradually weakening any protective polishes and fading the wood. Over time UV light will bleach the colour from it, beginning with magentas and deep reds and working its way through the spectrum.

“Strong sunlight may also dry the wood out and ultimately cause cracks and ‘bubbling’ which, if not treated in time, can ruin prized pieces.”

G Plan recommends the following action to avoid sun damage to your furniture:

Re-arrange furniture to keep it away from direct sunlight.

Where sunlight is unavoidable, place table cloths over the surface of affected pieces. Another simple solution may be to part draw a curtain to block out the sunlight.

Frequently move display items around to prevent ‘patching’ and extend dining room tables to even out any fading. Tables should also be rotated regularly to ensure all round mellowing of colour; ideally, change room layouts on a regular basis, to ensure no one piece is exposed to the sun more than any other.

Solar films or blinds can be fitted to windows to block out damaging rays. Externally, awnings can help throw shade across a room.

While lacquers offer some protection from the sun, they are not a permanent solution and furniture will need treating at the first sign of sun damage.

If bleaching does occur, get a reputable French polisher in to strip the colour back to its original, natural shade and then completely recoat it. Both solid wood and veneered furniture can be treated in this way.

Said George: “Prevention is always better than a cure, so looking after furniture now is a great way to save money in the long run.”

G Plan Cabinets is a leading maker of quality British furniture and produces a wide range of classically styled living, dining and bedroom cabinet pieces, in a selection of solid and real wood veneer finishes.

For more information on G Plan Cabinets’ furniture ranges, please visit the website.

Featured here is a splendid Ring Leaf Table made to special commission by Rupert Bevan, in his own classic contemporary style.

Manufactured from solid and veneered Fumed Oak, it features bold metal detailing, including decorative feet, finials and a polished metal band around the perimeter of the table.

A central metal disc forms the focal point of a skillfully veneered sunburst pattern on the table.

The table measures 1530mm in diameter when closed, extending with supported leaves to a diameter of 2130mm.

Prices for similar bespoke pieces start from £23,000.

About
Rupert Bevan Ltd has been designing and producing furniture and specialist finishes for more than twenty years creating work for leading interior designers, architects and private clients around the world.

The company is well experienced in restoration giving them an exceptional understanding of different materials, their uses and applications, so that they are well informed on styles of furniture from the 16th Century right through to the present day.

Rupert Bevan employs a team of 16 people, plus a choice of 30 to 40 specialist craftsmen available to work with them on individual projects when required. Their unique skills include leatherwork, stone carving, gilding, lacquer work, glass work, joinery, cabinet making and wood carving.

Rupert Bevan’s London showroom and workshop is located at 40/44 Fulham High Street, London SW6 3LQ.

Visit the website to view Rupert Bevan’s spectacular bespoke furniture commissions.

Tel: (0207) 731 1919

As colour and traditional design enjoy a comeback in the home, one of the most iconic names in British furniture has launched a range of classically-styled living, dining and bedroom collections.

The Classic Collections by G Plan Cabinets are aimed at on-trend homeowners, making the switch from neutrals and no-frills furniture to a richer, more interesting interior.

Inspired by famous artists, G Plan’s new Classic Collections take the famous furniture brand back to its roots of timeless design and quality detail, with the Matisse and Gainsborough living and dining ranges and the Monet and Heritage bedroom ranges

Matisse (featured here.)
Inspired by the French artist, the chic French lines and proportions of Matisse go hand-in-hand with the warm cherry finish. A range of special features are testament to skilled craftsmanship including smoothly expanding dining tables, a velvet lined cutlery tray and the option of subtle down lighting in glass fronted cabinets.

• The comprehensive collection includes a large, three-door display cabinet, two-door display unit, corner display, small and large sideboard and choice of circular or D-end extendable dining tables, a traditional writing desk, plus several occasional pieces.

• Prices are around £1,249 for the large sideboard; £2,445 for the circular dining table and four pad back chairs; and £499 for the coffee table.

Gainsborough

• The Georgian roots of Gainsborough create true classic style with a deep mahogany finish. Each piece is carefully crafted with soft curved edges and the tables feature turned single and double pedestals for that elegant touch.

• Prices start at around £1,125 for the corner display cabinet; £625 for the bookcase and £565 for the console table.

Monet

• A sister collection to the Matisse living and dining range, the Monet Bedroom is, like the 19th century French artist, set to make an impression. A lustrous cherry finish gives the 11-piece collection instant impact, while taking centre stage is a beautifully carved sleigh bed.

• Average retail prices will be around £1499 for the three-door robe to £625 for the dressing table.

Heritage

• The new Heritage bedroom collection is an addition to the already successful Heritage living and dining range. Created to let the natural beauty of the wood speak for itself, the range is made from French style oak with a unique patina in the grain.

• Prices start at around £749 for the bed; £999 for the two door wardrobe and £249 for the bedside cabinet.

To view the new Classic G Plan Cabinet  furniture, or for stockists, please visit the website.

ATG Media is a company with a long and proud record of anticipating the needs of the industry it serves. When it was launched in 1971, the Antiques Trade Gazette transformed the sector, bringing auctioneers and auction buyers together more efficiently than ever before.

Here are seven reasons to visit the Selling Antiques website as presented by ATG Media:

• 1. Sellingantiques.co.uk is the UK’s largest antiques website which gives you a huge variety of options to choose from.

• 2. You can enter your price range so that you’ll only see antiques on budget - all other antiques are hidden from view.

• 3. Each antique is assigned to one of 350 categories (yes, by a human being), which makes the website neat, tidy and well organised into relevant sections.

• 4. You contact the antique dealer directly by telephone or email to ask questions and make the purchase.

• 5. A keyword search tool that actually works!

• 6. All antiques for sale are presented with large clear photos alongside the buying price, so you can see exactly what you’re buying clearly and simply.

• 7. Rather than searching through 100’s of dealers websites, the UK’s antiques dealers upload their stock to this one central website, which saves you hours or trawling time!

ATG Media offers a wide range of services to the auction community, from the highly respected Antiques Trade Gazette newspaper, to a wide range of online services, including world-leading online bidding platforms at the-saleroom.com and i-bidder.com.

Visit the UK’s largest antiques website to view the choice antiques on offer.

A new website, Rue Du Chateau Interiors has just launched offering a wonderful array of decorative and stylish objects dating from 1900-1970, which are all French.

Items on offer include a vast range of furniture such as:

• A Patisserie worktable with carrara marble top, (pictured here), priced at £640.

• An Art Deco Chest of Drawers with chrome ball handles is priced at £830.

• A set of four iconic 1st production Tolix chairs, dating from 1927, has a price of £950.

• Also a 1960s Designer’s Paris bar table and chairs is priced at £1,100.

The founder Dominique Chabernaud, used to live in a Château in the Loire Valley, whose owner was an inspirational antiques dealer in Paris. Now, he and his family have moved from France to the market town of Arundel in West Sussex, and live close to the town’s castle, hence the name of his online boutique.

He said: “As you can imagine, the château was full of fascinating and elegant pieces and this instilled in us a strong sense of the beauty of ‘brocante et bibelots’ put together with an eye for the unique.
He continues; “We have selected each piece on our new website with care and with a sense of what we would love to have in our own home.

“Our constant travels around our home country of France, enable us to spot exciting and unusual pieces, sometimes in the most unlikely of locations. We use our insider knowledge and personal contacts to bring together a range of interesting and iconic ‘objets trouvés’ to fit perfectly with your home and decor.”

As well as the website, the objects can be viewed at Dominique’s premises near Arundel and he is also offering a bespoke search service, so if you have something in mind to complete your décor, let him know and he can look out for it on his travels.

To view the entire range of French decorative and stylish objects, please visit the website.

For more than 100 years Grange has produced beautiful period style French furniture and promises a unique, exclusive collection of cabinetry know-how and continual innovation for 2011.

Perfect for the spring months, Grange adds a splash of pink to its family furniture - hidden pops of colour lie within beautiful vintage style furniture, and electrifying fabrics adorn sumptuous armchairs, chaise longues, and stools.

The Vintage Scriban Chest in our picture, is just one example of the thirty-plus finishes Grange offers for its furniture.

• Featuring a striking Deco ebony on the exterior and Deco pink within, the result is a beautiful contemporary take on the traditional French design.

Using a well-known and much loved style of chair - the Louis XV armchair,

Grange will guide customers in choosing a spectacular fabric to upholster with and pick an accent shade to finish the furniture in.
Whether the customer opts for a bold pink or subtle ivory, there is a finish to suit every home.

Customers can browse Grange’s extensive collection and discuss their own bespoke requirements in any of the 22 retail outlets in the UK, including the flagship showroom in Marylebone High Street, London, as well as studios within specialist furniture stores including Peter Jones.

One of the oldest cabinetmakers in France today, Grange was established in 1904 by Joseph Grange.

Grange manufactures in the French region of Monts du Lyonnais. All of the furniture is handmade, and offered in over thirty finishes in a superb variety of collections.

Visit the Grange website to view this stunning new Vintage furniture range.