If you travel frequently, you might often see furniture which is just a little bit out of the ordinary and which you could just imagine sitting in pride of place in your lounge if only you could take it back. There are in fact many companies specialising in shipping furniture overseas and it is possible to take a little part of another country back with you relatively cheaply.

I have been furnishing my home with furniture and knock knacks from my travels for several years now and I have fond memories of buying every single piece. The extravagant wooden coffee table and chairs with brass fittings that I brought back in a container from India remind me every day of my stay there.

The over-sized mirror in the hall brings back memories of a business trip to Pakistan; and the beautiful inlaid Syrian boxes and chairs bring back a little piece of that magical country. (more...)

In a world where so much furniture is made cheaply and designed to be thrown away after a couple of years' use, it makes sense to invest in timeless classics that are designed and manufactured to be used for year upon year, such as oak or teak furniture.

We have sadly grown so used to flat pack and cheap furniture that we have often forgotten how to appreciate the finer things in life. We compare on the price tag alone, forgetting that a well crafted piece of furniture will outlive its cheaper cousins by three or four times or more.

A good piece of furniture will improve not deteriorate over time. I have some well worn pieces that were my mother's and her mother's before that, and they have not lost their sense of elegance and style. They look as classic today as they did one hundred years ago. (more...)