Oprah Winfrey visited a Danish home and was very impressed with the use of space and furniture, which included white bedroom furniture, white tables, chairs, cabinets and bedside tables. She even commented that it is no wonder Denmark is classed one of the happiest countries in the world, with such a light and airy lifestyle.

“One this is certain – they don’t need all the gratuitous space, something that we have become used to, in order to live happily.” When continuing her tour around the family home, something that stood out to Oprah was how tiny the kid’s room were. She even noted, “whilst there was not much room in there, you never felt like it was small or restrictive”.

In the kitchen the space was used even more resourcefully, with everything that was needed fitted into a compact area. The dining room furniture was also light and made use of well. This is quite common in Danish homes, where limited space means families have to use it intelligently and with a careful choice of colors. “It is very easy to end up having a dark and cluttered room when you have little space” the owner of the home pointed out. “you need to be strict on only having what absolutely needs to be visible in the kitchen, and make sure all else is stored well”.

Oprah suggested that she has been looking for creative ideas for her new Miami home for a while now. She even commented that it is no wonder Denmark is classed one of the happiest countries in the world, with such a light and airy lifestyle. “If I can combine the African look with the clean white look that I saw in Denmark that I will be happy” Oprah stated. Although she admitted that she might need a little help making this work

Very recently the government has announced that they will increase their budget on retirement homes by 10% over the next 5 years. The money will be spent on getting new painted furniture into the homes and improving the overall interior design and decorations to both modernise and brighten up the buildings.

Alister Pride from The Care Trust stated that it definitely wasn’t an issue of not having high enough standards of cleanliness. “We were actually very pleased with the overall cleanliness standard that was being maintained” noted Pride. “We were more concerned that not enough money or effort was being made on making these places look nice”.People living in care homes don’t have a great deal of input into the interior design, despite many not being happy with the current one. He continued to say that they were very happy that the government had listened to their recommendations and they look forward to seeing the improvements.

The way the government has decided to tackle the problem is by creating specialist teams of designers and decorators to visit the homes. “The last thing we wanted was to just give the homes more money and watch it disappear on admin costs” stated a government spokesman. Over the coming five years the teams will actually go to these homes and bring in new furniture like dining furniture. They will also be implementing colour schemes into the buildings and replacing old and decrepit items with new pieces such as bedside tables and dining chairs.

One of the best ways to attract business is to make your hotel unique, offering an excellent experience along with great service.

Boutique hotels are so popular because they are a unique experience, focusing on interior design and excitement.

Choosing the right theme is paramount to the success of your hotel. If you have a large hotel then use a single interesting theme and choose a different theme for each room if you own a small exclusive hotel. Make sure your interior design is something that sets you apart from your competition.

Start looking for your furniture after you have decided on a theme. You can get some great deals at local auction houses, but a wholesaler might be better if you require a larger amount of furniture.

Have a look at the furniture in person before buying the furniture straight from a brochure or website. Make sure they’re a reputable company whoever you buy from, check they are a member of the BFM (British Furniture Manufacturer’s association) as a mark of quality.

When choosing your furniture ensure it is comfortable and practical whilst in-keeping with your decided theme For example, a nice looking chair might be horribly uncomfortable to sit on!

You can customise pieces of furniture by choosing a variety of fabrics or using your own pre-sourced fabric. Choosing one particular furniture set and customising how it looks will save you money because if you ever get any breakages it’s easier to replace than wholly unique items.

Lastly think about the spaces that the hotel furniture will fill. Avoid buying big or bulky furniture as it is difficult to use and fit into a theme but ensure it is sturdy enough to withstand all the use it will endure from your many customers

Boutique hotels are so popular as their focus is predominately on the décor and the whole atmosphere of the hotel and this encourages people to enjoy and remember their stay.
First choose a theme for your hotel to create the right look If you’re running a small, exclusive hotel you can afford to have a different theme for each room, but if your hotel is larger it will be easier to go with a single interesting theme. A good tip is to choose something that sets you apart from your competition.For example if there a lot of traditional country houses in the area, try doing something more modern and stylish to attract a different audience which is not  yet catered for

You can start to look for your furniture once you have chosen your theme There are some great deals to be had at local auction houses, but if you need a large amount of furniture your best bet is a wholesaler.
You can view the furniture via websites and warehouses as most of these companies have them.Make sure they’re a reputable company whoever you buy from, check they are a member of the bfm(british furniture manufacturer’s association. Enquire about their policies ie servicing,repairs and payment. Some manufacturers will allow you to work out a payment plan over time.

In choosing your furniture you need to stick to your theme but also ensure your furniture is comfortable and practical. An example is a chair may look attractive but most uncomfortable to sit in Bedroom furniture should be more comfortable than the furniture in your restaurant so make sure you plan accordingly Any chairs and tables you use in your bar should be wipe-clean as these areas are more prone to spillages.

Customising your furniture with either your own choice of fabrics or that of the manufacturer’s could be a good idea many contract furniture suppliers allow you to do this. You can save money by choosing a specific furniture set and customising how it looks – If any breakages occur it is easier to replace.It also means that you can use different fabrics for different areas of your hotel, to create a different atmosphere in each – easy-clean fabrics for the bar and soft, comfortable fabrics for the reception area for example.

Think about the spaces the furniture will fill. Remember the furniture needs to be sturdy enough to withstand the usage from the many customers coming through the door but not to be too big or bulky

Ideas you might like to take into consideration when making your shopping list  are: You need to establish your customer needs they need to be comfortable and able to relax and have a choice of food whether it is fast food or something a bit different.Guests need to sit in comfort for the duration of the meal. This means that your furniture should have the right amount of padding, offer a good seating position, be the right height and adjustable to the correct distance.Sometimes people make the mistake of buying chunky pieces of furniture that don’t fit very well so are difficult to move.To avoid customers feeling too cramped and invasive on those near to them seating should have generous amounts of space between them.The furniture will need to be moved on occasions so it needs to be light enough to lift but strong enough to seat the larger guest. Choice of materials need to be selected carefully so it is in-keeping with the rest of the hotel lounge but not impractical – for example avoid seating that will squeal on wooden floors when moved.Small details like this influence people’s perception of your hotel lounge and can leave a bad impression even if they’re not sure why.Table sizes need to be the right size and in-keeping with the hotel lounge surroundings so the customer can have a convenient experience.If you have a room with lots of corners, circular tables might be a good option so people can sit in comfort and not feel too cramped. For those who come as a couple or on their own small tables are perfect. Having a table which is too small is annoying as you find you are constantly having too shuffle things around and occasionally knocking something on the floor.

The quality of service the customer receives could be jeopardized by the size of the lounge hotel furniture. Staff could find it difficult to move between groups with large tables and chairs as the space is limited.This makes service slower and can actually cause accidents if spaces become overcrowded.Before purchasing the furniture it would be a good idea to measure it to make sure there will be enough space.It is entirely up to you on the colour and style of the furniture to go into the hotel lounge creating a unique atmosphere.

If you remember the customer in all your decisions you’ll strike the right balance for your business.