Refresh for less
The January Sales are in full swing – and have never been more needed. Here’s how to ...
RAreLy have the January sales provided such an opportunity to breathe fresh life into your home, allowing you to invest in more substantial items or experiment with some of the latest trends. New items are being added to sales as retailers tempt cost- conscious shoppers. As a result, regularly checking websites and High Street shops for fresh offers will pay off.
Here are some great bargains to make living more comfortable, stylish and less cluttered in 2023 . . .
LIVING & DINING
SOFAS can transform a room, so now could be the time to invest. Marks & Spencer’s four- seater Connie velvet sofa — which would be ideal for a larger household — has been reduced by 40 per cent to £689.40.
Its subtle mid-century styling means that it would blend well with almost any decor, especially since it comes in 19 different shades of deep blues, greys, greens and yellows ( marksandspencer.com).
Meanwhile, the three-seater Oregon sofa from robert Dyas, available in charcoal, navy and putty, has more of a New york loft apartment vibe — although it’s named after a U.S. state with a dramatic rural landscape. Its price is down 20 per cent to £419.99 ( robertdyas.co.uk). The two-seater Martha padded-button, vintage velvet sofa from Dunelm combines an antique design with latterday ease; its price has been cut by 20 per cent to £639.20.
If your living room is cluttered, extra storage is the answer, allowing you to display the things that please the eye and hide the rest. Dunelm’s sleek Carson cabinet, which mixes shelves and cupboards, has been reduced by 50 per cent to £124.50 ( dunelm.com).
If you would like to arrange books, plants and vases in a corner that needs enlivening, Habitat’s Jessie black ladder shelf, which is down by one-third to £79, could be the answer ( habitat.co.uk).
A coffee table with storage is another option. Wayfair’s range includes something for every taste. The Palomo has a drawer, a shelf and would allow several people to enjoy a TV supper. It was £315 and is now £234.99 ( wayfair.co.uk). Top with an indoor plant to bring nature inside and add colour. The Suelo Green Ceramic Plant Pot at Oliver Bonas (pictured below) has dropped from £18 to £9.50 ( oliverbonas.com).
Like to entertain but limited on space? An extending dining table is a wise choice for foodies. The price of the
Oxford drop-leaf oak table from Oak Furniture Superstore has dropped from £369 to £258 ( oakfurnituresuper store.co.uk).
New lights can revitalise a space for next-to-nothing. At B&M, the copper and black tripod floor lamp has been reduced from £40 to £30 (and is also available in matte black), while the Paloma Mercury table lamp with a silver base and grey shade is down from £12 to just £1 ( bmstores.co.uk).
The Wild pendant light ( pictured below) from Maisons du Monde — down from £241 to £120.50 — is a larger investment, but the rattan material will add interest to a room ( maisons dumonde.com).
RELAXING & SLEEPING
A reCeNT report suggested that even an extra
15 minutes of sleep can boost your health, so when buying a bed and mattress they should have aesthetic and personal benefits.
John Lewis is offering savings of 20 to 30 per cent on bed frames, from its Anyday Wilton in three colours ( now £ 174.30 to £ 249, depending on size), to the king- sized Louis High end Sleigh oak bed — which costs £1,239.20, even after a reduction of 20 per cent, but looks gloriously Versailles
( johnlewis.com).
At Land Of Beds there are reductions of up to 50 per cent on mattresses, with seemingly every preference catered for.
For some, the Harrison Spinks Aphrodite at £1,424 for a double, down from £2,169, will be money well-spent. Others may be more comfortable with the Silentnight elizabeth Miracoil Spring at £379 for a king size, against £539 ( landofbeds.co.uk).
An armchair you can sink into after a long day turns a bedroom into a relaxing second living room. DFS has the Dwell Modena in natural and storm grey boucle fabric, whose price has been cut by £100 to £399 ( dfs.co.uk). And if you are experimenting with adding a chair in the bedroom, the wide-armed, velvet-feel Homcom Luxe Accent chair from robert Dyas, now priced at £112.99, should add a touch of sophisticated chic.
Those entirely convinced of this furniture choice may choose to splash out on Loaf’s Squishmeister, £1,385, down from £1,445, available in 137 different fabrics. This price may not seem relaxing, but it works out at £3.79 a day over a year ( loaf.com).
If you have to use your bedroom for work, rather than repose, the console- style threedrawer Oakland dressing table from Cotswold Company could also be used as a desk, or moved to the hall if you need a console table. It is now £210, down from £350 ( cotswoldco.com).
A new bedside table can make a bedroom seem smarter at a low outlay. La redoute has the half-price Volga at £ 67.50 among other styles ( laredoute.co.uk) with substantial reductions in price. New bedding and rugs can also transform the feel of a bedroom. Maisons du Monde is offering 70 per cent of f its dusty pink, hand- knotted wool rug with ecru embroidery, which is now £65.70 ( maisons dumonde.com).
This could be teamed with some of its elegantly rumpled natural hemp bedding, also half- price at £ 115 for a king- size set.
If you want something far less subtle, Asda has an exotic leaf duvet in black and purple. Now £15 for a king-size set, it would allow you a flirtation with the 1970s revival ( asda.com).
H&M Home has a round cream cotton rug with a map of the world motif at £20, down from £34.99, which should produce dreams of wonderful travels. And its fauxfur blanket, reduced from £59.99 to £35, will ensure that you are snug, wherever your dreams take you. And it’ll look stylish draped over a sofa or bed (2hm.com).