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Featured in Ideal Home Magazine!

ideal home kitchen

 

From our tiny hideaway in Northumberland, the “Nationals” are finding us!  Following on from having one of our handmade, bespoke kitchens featured on The Home Channel, being referenced recently in Real Home magazines for our work, we were thrilled to have a 4 page article in The Ideal Home magazine (ref and link below)in March (I have tried to be grown up about this, not blown our own trumpet and bore friends and neighbours, but a little secret, slightly over excited ‘tra la la’  may have slipped out!)

The article in Ideal Home, features a kitchen that we designed and built (you realise I use ‘we’ loosely here!) for Michelle and Jamie, great clients, who have a stunning home set in a very beautiful location outside Corbridge, Northumberland.

The Plan

The existing kitchen was small and didn’t work for family life, in dialogue with Peter, the couple knocked through two living rooms, one for the kitchen and one for an open living space.  Having thoroughly researched  brochures and magazines for ideas, Michelle and Jamie knew that they wanted a traditional style painted kitchen with a modern twist that would be sympathetic to the period and overall feel of the house.

“Smart Choice”

Like it! The article states how by going for a painted kitchen, the room has both longevity and flexibility as it can be repainted (easily!) when the client’s fancy a change.

“The Hub of the House…Light and Spacious”

A high proportion of our work at Dunham Fitted Furniture comes via recommendation from previous clients, and this was no exception, as a friend recommended our work to Michelle and Jamie.  In conversation with Peter Dunham (Mr D to me!),  the design was drawn up and made good use of the existing pieces of furniture that the couple wanted to incorporate into the kitchen.  The design is classically Peter! Almost Shaker in it’s simple straightforward style, with clean lines, great use of space and light , and a cool, calming colour palette.  From the article

‘So how has the new room worked for the family? “It’s now the hub of the house and is so light and spacious we hardly use our other rooms!” ‘

“Neat Solutions”

ideal home kitchen island unit

I’m pleased too, alongside the fitted kitchen cupboards and island unit, the article mentions other details that we don’t always highlight, such as the mantle surround Peter made for the old inglenook that now creates a “wonderful focal point” for the room, the handmade oak stools to go under the island unit designed specifically to complement the existing dining table.   It’s gratifying to know that items that are quite routine for us to make, make such a difference to client’s homes.

Recommedation and Our Pricing

In the Ideal Home Magazine, the article mentions that the couple were amazed at our prices for a bespoke kitchen, costing less than they thought.

Not the first time we’ve been told this, probably because firstly as part of our ethos, we like to think we are reasonable folk charging sensible prices .  Our work is all individual, bespoke design, hand crafted furniture, fitted with every bit of attention to detail that the making as required, we won’t pretend that it isn’t hard work.  It is. But we are of the honest wage for an honest days work school of thought.  As our daughter would say, that’s how we roll!

Secondly, much of work is by word of mouth, recommendation, return clients and folk just seeing and admiring our furniture in their friends and families’ homes.  This of course  means that we don’t really have need of an expensive showroom…that’s not to say that we won’t spend alot of time talking things through with you, looking at designs and photos but this is actually with Mr Dunham, designer and maker, rather than with a sales person. Start to finish you are talking to the same small team of people, you get a personal, focussed service  we you and your home at the centre of it, and we strive to keep our overheads as low as possible.

So yes, maybe our prices are pleasantly surprising!

 

We, whilst perhaps should take it all in our stride, are of course humble souls, pleasantly surprised to find ourselves featured in Ideal Home!

 

 

Credit: Ideal Home magazine, as featured in March 2015    website www.housetohome.co.uk/idealhomemagazine.

 

Our Office at Home – The Perfect Hideaway Office and Desk For Me!

 

At Dunham Fitted Furniture, requests to create an office at home have increased.  Whether running a business from your home or simply to house the burgeoning family paperwork, provide a work station for the children to complete homework at the PC or laptop, or a student desk, the need for an organised, dedicated space seems to be on the rise.

Hideaway Home Office in Cupboard

This photo was taken before the bookcasing was built in on the right – see photo below.

 

Working from home remains a popular choice for many.  For the self employed, like ourselves,  it is often a given that it is almost impossible not to take work home, if not work full-time from home.   For others, working from home comes with the advantages saving on rising travel costs, flexibility around childcare or just to be able to work in a peaceful, relaxing environment.

The Guardian recently posted 5 golden rules for working from home, mainly I think, sensible advice:

  • Make a sacred space – a pleasant sanctuary away from distractions, in effect, an office at home.
  • Go on a digital diet – I read this as “Put Facebook/Spider Solitaire down”!
  • Schedule your day (just one coffee with friends then…)
  • Arrange some human contact  (Oh great! One more coffee with friends!)
  • Use the flexibility – flexibility of how and when you work is a gift to you and your employer .

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/shortcuts/2013/feb/26/working-from-home-five-golden-rules

Fitted Bookcase

Ta Da! With bookcasing. The hideaway home office is tucked away discretely behind the tall doors on the left.  Internal photo is below.

It can be tricky to find a dedicated space for your office at home,  and not everyone may have or want to use what may be an reception room or spare bedroom.   We decided to put ours, not hidden away in the attic but in the heart of our home, a central hub for all comings and goings at centain times of the day, but peaceful, relaxing and rather crucially warm, during most of the day.  It is also situated where it can also be cunningly (well not that cunningly!) disguised as an elegant alcove cupboard.  Ahh the element of surprise when the doors are folded back!

 

Despite being tremendously busy,  Peter, my resident cabinet maker,  part-time boss and generally lovely husband,  found some time a little while ago to make and fit our hideaway home office.  Situated in an alcove next to the fireplace (yummy wood burner for chilly days with no guilt about heating the whole house),  it is hidden behind folding cupboard doors.  This not only allows a streamline uncluttered space but means that all references are out of sight out of mind when I’m not working.  No glowing, beckoning desktop or correspondence calling me away from family life.

Inside our hideaway home office and desk

Admittedly not always this tidy in our hideaway home office!

Happily Peter has made specifically the office for me with a desk at a height to suit those not quite as long in the leg as they would have quite liked.  It houses my world of work, general home diary and finance, as well as random clobber I like to surround myself with, and all those things Peter doesn’t!!

It’s a dedicated space to house all the IT ‘stuff’ required for life in 21st Century, including the bulky printer (no more banging my knees!) and printer paper of many sorts.  A slide out extension for keyboards or laptops creates extra space and a charging station to charge the aforementioned items  as well as phones, cameras, the stuff of 21st century life.   Shelves hold reference books and magazines as well as the heaps of paperwork that despite all the technology I am totally unable to part with (call me old school!).  There is also little drawers for those strange bits and bobs that find there way into the house, stationery, stamps, business cards, and an endless supply of pens which then go onto wander throughout the house, wherever I go (- I know my weaknesses!).

Being a girl (well give or take a year or too!)  that likes a view, I confess that I was skeptical about sitting for long periods of time without window to gaze out of and generally daydream.  However I was so wrong to be a Doubting Thomas.  My hideaway work station helps me find my zone, my focus, and stick with it.  I confess I have pinned some favourite things around it, a couple of photos of friends and family that always make me smile, a treasured memory of a fab holiday in the shape of small folded map of ski pistes, a collection of bizarrely shaped paper clips including dogs, bicycles, hearts, (which if you’re incredibly lucky, you could receive attached to a quotation!).  I also have my very favourite (and much hinted about birthday present) pigeon lamp by Thorsten Van Elten http://www.thorstenvanelten.com/, which omits a soft, gentle relaxing light.

It’s a  great opportunity to personalise a little space and make it entirely your world.  I am, admittedly a little territorial about my workspace and may be known to hover over interlopers in a not all together attractive fashion!!

I hope that you’ve maybe picked up a little inspiration, or some design ideas for your home office or workstation, be it a simple desk or something more complex.  If you would like to make an enquiry about Dunham Fitted Furniture creating something similar for you, then please don’t hesitate to contact us on info@dunhamfittedfurniture.co.uk, we’ll be happy to hear from you!

glory_hole_cupboard_utility

Britain Needs More Storage Cupboards! The Glory Hole Revolution

Following the first of it’s kind of report, it’s  now official, Britain needs and wants more storage cupboards!   “The Way we live now: What people need and expect from their homes”  is a new IPSOS MORI research report published today for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)*  today.

The report identified eight key features that people need and want  in their homes today, including space for functional items,  and for special personal possessions that are kept for a lifetime and dedicated storage for  domestic items such as the dreaded ironing board or vacuum cleaner as well as space for recycling and rubbish.

New housing it seems is not always blessed with the “glory hole”!

Anecdotally, we all have experience or know someone who favours the “flooredrobe” (and  yes, I am thinking of you, Dunham Juniors!!)

need_wardrobes

Obviously not a Dunham Junior because they probably wouldn’t be smiling whilst picking up their clothes!

Or someone who  uses the vacuum cleaner to hang a clothes on as indicated on the BBC One Breakfast this morning, but the report goes on to highlight real examples of homeowners desperate for more storage, such as storing BOGOF food deals in the back of a car due to lack of kitchen storage in a newly built apartment.

The Glory Hole Revolution

The Glory Hole Revolution

 Peter Dunham of Dunham Fitted Furniture  has 20 years of experience of listening to what people want, drawing up plans, and making every kind of cupboard, wardrobe, shelving unit, bootroom and cloakrooms, welly holders…..   Each item is handmade and therefore can be made specifically to fit those items you don’t know what to do with, or those favourite possessions you want to display.  With a creative eye on good design that will complement the period of your home and a eye on best use of space, you’ll be amazed at the space that can be found, for instance under the stairs, where Peter has built both home offices and housing for tumble dryers, or in bay windows by building in storage for toys, magazines, cleaning materials, camping gear  underneath one of Peter’s beautiful window seats.

Have a glorious cupboard, rather than a glory hole – your home is made to be enjoyed and to relax in, let’s make it that way.

Mrs D.

*http://www.architecture.com//NewsAndPress/News/RIBANews/News/2012/

Henryneedsahometoo!SomeBritishhomeslackstoragespaceforbasichouseholditemsincludingthevacuumcleaner.aspx

http://www.architecture.com/HomeWise/RIBAresearch/RIBAResearch.aspx

Reasonably_priced_luxury_kitchen_in_Corbridge_Northumberland

Hello!

I confess, I, Mrs D, am a closet blogger.  Or to make a terrible carpentry related joke, a cabinet maker’s blogger….I know, Basil Brush would be proud!  Maybe I’ve been married to a cabinet maker for too long when I start making jokes like that.  I’ve also started looking at the woodwork in the interiors of buildings – is that profession or age related? Maybe both!   I’ll stop it now.

Sorry I’ll start again.   Welcome to our Blog.  The purpose of Dunham Fitted Furniture’s Blog is to keep you up to date with our interior projects,   design trends and history, together with a little sprinkling of what is afoot in our world. A similar  thread can be found on our Facebook Page at Dunham Fitted Furniture

At Dunham Fitted Furniture, our aim to provide good quality,  handmade furniture, with a traditional attention to detail and service.  All at a reasonable price.  For us, it’s quite simple.  It’s what we look for when we buy goods and so it’s entirely natural to us to want and expect to do so when providing a service to you.

Hope you enjoy it!

Closet Blogger

Mrs D,