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Our Bodaciously Beautiful Bonobo Chair has Arrived!

Hello Bonobo!

Just in time for spring, our brand new Bonobo armchair has arrived in to our showroom. We have it upholstered in a beautiful purple velvet with a berry tone, which gives it a glam and chic look. We're all in love with Bonobo here at Amode HQ!

You can see more on the Bonobo chair here: https://www.amode.co.uk/bonobo-modern-leather-italian-armchair.html

Do You Know Your Divan from Your Bedstead?

We spend roughly a third of our lives in bed, so it is important to invest in the right bed and mattress to ensure a fulfilling and comfortable night’s sleep. There are a few different options for bed frames, and here we will explain the differences between the frame options available.

Platform Bed

Most contemporary beds, especially those made in Italy, are platform beds. A platform bed is similar to a bedstead in the way that the headboard and footboard are attached to the bed frame, and the mattress would also sit on top of slats, however the main difference with a platform bed is that the foot board does not rise over the mattress and will always be the same height as the side panels which gives a cleaner look and allows you to sit on your mattress at the foot of your bed. Modern platform beds can be made in a range of contemporary materials from wood, high gloss or matt lacquers or upholstered in fabric. There is a very large range of modern styles to choose from when looking for a platform bed, and as they tend to be lower down than Divan or Bedstead frames they offer a more minimal, contemporary look.

Divan Base Beds

A divan base is essentially a rectangular shaped box, usually with a box-spring inside, that you place your mattress on top of. This Divan base usually does not come with a headboard attached, so that would be a separate purchase. Divan bases are a more traditional type of bed base and the style options are very limited.

Bedstead

A bed stead is a bed which has a headboard and foot board which are attached to the bed side panels. This style of bed frame has more style options than a Divan base, but still is a more traditional style due to the foot board rising over the mattress. The mattress rests on a slatted base, which is usually made from either flat or sprung wooden slats. This style of bed frame is more popular in metal or wood material options, and a typical design style of the bedstead would be the sleigh bed. 

Storage Bed

A storage bed is a bed base which has integrated internal storage. In less expensive bed models the storage is accessed by drawers that are within the base of the bed. In higher quality storage beds the storage area is accessed via a gas-lift piston mechanism that lifts the entire mattress and slat system to give you access to the inside of the bed base. Storage beds are great for additional storage where space is at a premium, and is ideally used for storing away bed linen, suitcases and seasonal clothing.

Can Making Your Bed Really Improve Your State of Mind?

As we’re in the limbo stage between winter and spring, attention is divided in the media between the big de-clutter and combatting the effects of lower moods due to a lack of sunlight.

It’s a fact that many of us actually experience lower moods in the winter as the shortened days, financial pressures and weather leave us feeling down. However, spring is on the way and soon we’ll be harnessing our energies to refreshing our home environments but before then there is one small task you can do daily to lift your mood!
 

What Difference Does Making your Bed Make?

“The State of Your Bed is the State of Your Head”

The Results from the Guinea Pigs

The Science and the Statistics

If making your bed can make you happier, we wonder what updating an old bed to a new modern bed could do? Probably a more sleek and simple style would go a long way towards creating the ideal bedroom sanctuary.

10 Awesome Tips for a Happier Home

Everyone loves to be happy, don't they? Happiness is fun, reduces stress and brings satisfaction and richness to all aspects of your life. And it's great to find new and quirky ways to bring extra joy to your home. So with that in mind we share some quick and easy tips on how to make your home life even better with a few easy to implement tweaks and lifestyle changes.

Happiness Tip #1: Let your interior style evolve

Don’t get stuck in a style rut. Just as you would update your wardrobe, your home too should have a style that stays true to your taste, but evolves with time. This can be done inexpensively by simply updating your curtains or cushion covers every few years, or by applying a fresh lick of paint in a more current colour. Keeping your decor fresh makes your house feel more alive and current, which will have a great impact on your home life.

Happiness Tip #2: The importance of storage

The more storage space you have, the neater your home will be. Investing in some clever storage solutions - such as installing a cupboard under your staircase, a storage base bed, a shoe cabinet or using wardrobes in the living room to be used as a large storage cupboard - will give you the right amount of storage space needed to allow you to neatly organise your home so that it is less cluttered and chaotic, and more well ordered and structured.

Steve was delighted that he now had the space to add
even more white things to his ever growing collection.

Happiness Tip #3: Make Your Bed

'A messy bed, is a messy head'. Or so the saying goes. Making your bed every morning is a simple way that will immediately change your mind set for the day. Make you bed as soon as you wake up - just do it! This simple morning routine has two benefits: 1.) That basic task will start to make you feel more alert and awake and put you in a more proactive, organised state of mind for the day ahead. 2.) Making your bed will immediately make your bedroom look neater and tidy, which will give you an immediate positive mood-boost. We are such passionate believers in morning bed making that we have even dedicated an entire article on its benefits.

Happiness Tip #4: Having dinner at the dinner table

There are numerous benefits to eating your dinner at the dinner table as opposed to snacking over the kitchen counter or sitting in front of the TV. For those with families sitting at the dinner table gives everyone a chance to meet together and discuss the days events while bonding over a nice meal. Eating dinner at the table also allows you to practice mindful eating, which means you will be more aware of the flavours, textures and aromas, allowing you to better enjoy what you are eating. Being mindful of your meals also gets you more in tune with your body so you are more aware when you are feeling full, which in turn stops you from over eating. Benefits all round!

Claudia was banished to the patio after suggesting that the dining table
could be used for purposes other than looking at cat videos online. 

Happiness Tip #5: Spring clean

Earlier we mentioned the importance of adequate storage to create a neater, happier home. But there is no point in storing away items that you will almost never use – which brings us to the joy of spring cleaning. Set aside one day in your diary to dedicate to a full spring clean – and get the whole family involved. Start with your wardrobe and take out every piece of clothing that you have not worn in the last 8 months.  Create two piles: the ‘get rid of’ pile for pieces you definitely don’t want and a ‘maybe’ pile for any items that you may have second thoughts about. Then take this system and apply it to everything else in your house from your pantry, toys, books, games, electricals, kitchen and household items. At the end of the day go through that ‘maybe’ pile and really scrutinise those items. Ask yourself when will you really use that item and if you can’t come up with a reasonable answer consign that item to the ‘get rid’ pile. Send any usable clothing or household items to a charity like Oxfam, and any unusable items for recycling.

Happiness Tip #6: Don’t leave the cleaning till last minute

Don’t allow dishes to build up by the sink or for your laundry basket to overflow – this creates a big unnecessary mess that will eventually have to be tidied up, so rather than let things escalate tackle your household tasks in smaller but more frequent bursts and your home will look cleaner and your mind will thank you for it.

Happiness Tip #7: Fresh flowers

Treat your home to some fresh flowers every now and then. Research conducted at The State University of New Jersey found that being around fresh flowers immediately elevated happiness levels in individuals and led to an increased level of contact with friends and family. Plus they look pretty too.

Happiness Tip #8: Wonderful aromas

Smells have an instant effect on your mood – from the scent of freshly brewed coffee to the delightful aroma of freshly baked bread. To get some pleasant aromas billowing through your home invest in an incense burner and some scented essentials oils (Rose geranium and lavender oils are soothing and pleasant while making your home smell clean and inviting). Again, these are relatively inexpensive and essentials oils are completely natural, so are much healthier than synthetic fragrance sprays. Or simply light your favourite scented candle to let in some pleasant, mood enhancing smells.

Happiness Tip #9: Tackle those ‘some other day’ tasks

Get started on those household tasks that you have been putting off for so long. Those tasks that you put to one side and tell yourself that you will do ‘some other day’. Well make today that day! Put aside a time in your diary to do all those bothersome tasks that we all love to hate. Things like deep cleaning the fridge, repairing that hole in your favourite jumper, changing the batteries in your remote controls, de-frosting the freezer, removing lime scale build-up on your taps, sorting through the pantry, bleeding the radiator, etc.
Yes, it’ll be hard work but once you get into it you’ll be wondering 'why didn't I do this earlier!'. Then afterwards reward yourself with a cup of tea and a pat on the back while you sit back and feel great about all you have accomplished.

Happiness Tip #10: Wake up 30 minutes earlier than usual

And last but not least: Forget hitting your snooze button over and over until you have to wake up in a hurry and rush out the front door. How are you supposed to enjoy your mornings with all that rushing around? Getting up at least 30 minutes earlier allows you to enjoy your home in the morning instead of frantically rushing around before the day begins. Use that extra time to enjoy a nice breakfast or read your morning paper without feeling rushed. This will put you in a great mood for the rest of the day.

We hope these tips bring some extra joy to your home. Share any of your happiness-boosting tips in the comment section below!

Things to consider before buying a TV unit

Over the course of the years we have sold many TV units, and with that we have found at that there is more than meets the eye when purchasing the right unit that meets all of your needs. Usually people will want a stylish TV table, and that is their number one priority initially. However there are so many other considerations other than looks, so we thought we’d put together the common questions that should be considered before choosing a TV unit.

What is the size of your largest piece of a/v equipment?

This is very important, as there is no point investing on a brand new beautiful TV unit, only to find that your very expensive audio equipment will not fit inside. When measuring your largest piece you need to size up the height, width and the depth. When measuring the depth also make sure that you include extra clearance space for the cables that come out from the back of the unit. Once you know the full dimensions of the largest pieces of a/v equipment you will then be able to order the correct sized TV table.

What will you be storing inside?

Another important factor. If you have a vast collection of a/v equipment you might want more drop-down doors or even open shelf units to accommodate these so that you will be able to use your remote control to operate the equipment. Or if you only have a single sky box you might wish to place this on the top of your TV unit and just have a run of doors and drawers for storing miscellaneous household items.

What is the minimum/maximum length that you would like the TV unit to be?

This seems quite obvious, but sometimes this step can become an afterthought. Before you even start to search for a TV unit it is always best to know the minimum and maximum lengths in order to find the right size TV unit for your space, and also will help to narrow down your options.

How do you want to access your a/v equipment?

If you need to access you’re a/v equipment by remote control then it is advisable to choose a drop-down door opening or an open shelf – it is also not advisable to put any a/v equipment inside of drawers as the wires will not be able to feed through the back of the unit (due to the drawer carcass). If, however, you have a video sender or magic eye device you will have more flexibility with your door options.

Do you want it floor standing or wall mounting?

This is more of an aesthetic choice, but an important one nonetheless. If choosing a wall mounted TV unit it is important to check the stability of the wall, and the weight of the a/v equipment to be placed inside. As a rule of thumb it is advisable only to mount TV units onto brick walls.

Do you have young children?

You may wonder why is this relevant, but it is important when selecting various options. For example, we would not recommend choosing a wall mounted TV unit as young toddlers have been known to climb onto these which might cause damage to the wall fixings, and in extreme circumstances may cause injury if the unit were to fall. Also we would recommend not going for darker high gloss colours (such as black, dark brown etc) as these tend to show up fingerprints a lot more, so are slightly higher maintenance when there are little fingers around.

Do you need cable management?

When you choose your TV unit you need to plan ahead for which sections will store your a/v equipment – this then allows you to add in cable holes in the back of those areas to feed through wires and cables.

There are many other considerations, such as colour, design, budget or finish, however the above points are the most common questions that it helps to know the answers for before beginning your search. Hopefully the above answers will make the task of finding the right TV unit a little simpler.

To view our selection of Italian tv tables click here.