I am often asked by people ‘what is the difference between Old Gold and Antiqued Brass?’ The true answer is that there is quite a significant difference but it all depends on the item you are interested in. I thought I would take the time to share my knowledge of both the finishes to help you decide which one is best suited for you.

Old Gold

After the success of my last post discussing Old Gold and Antiqued Brass I thought I would keep with the same theme and talk about Beeswax and Matt Black finishes. It is one of the most common questions we hear ‘what is the difference between Matt Black and Beeswax?’ Well, all shall be revealed…

Matt Black is our most hard wearing and uniform finish. It involves the process of the product being blasted to smooth out any imperfections and the paint is then baked on to create a heard wearing finish. The advantages of Matt Black are that it is suitable for outdoor use and can withstand all weathers. It is a striking and bold finish and is perfect for creating a simple yet effective look.

Grouping pendant lights over a table in a cluster is very much on trend at the moment. It’s a really clever way to add extra impact and a stunning focal point to your room.

Some of our customers have kindly sent us images showing how they have used groups of our pendants to great effect in their new kitchen designs. I think these pictures really show how this trend for groups of pendants has both great functionality, and can add a charming point of interest to your kitchen..

Barbican Pendant in Matt Black and Butler Pendant in Clay

Lighting your bedroom can be a real challenge. There are so many lighting choices, sometimes its hard to know where to start. We thought it might be useful to share some of our ideas on bedroom lighting to help you on your way…

The perfect compliment to any colour scheme, our new clay paint finish fits into an array of homes, from the chic retro apartment to a modern country home. Neutral most certainly does not have to be boring and we have proved this with the most recent addition to the JL family. Here’s a preview of some of our classic products in our newest finish:

Club Pendant

One of the latest designer trends for your home, featured in many of the interior magazines this autumn, is a slimline architectural look in lighting and furniture. These fine-boned designs create a simple monochrome silhouette within your room.

The weather may have given us a gorgeously hot summer for a change, but if you’ve been busy working the likelihood is that you haven’t actually had a chance to visit the glorious seaside towns this country has to offer. As we’ve had some beautiful coastal-inspired fabrics made up for summer we thought we would give you some tips on how to inject a touch of coastal charm and summer into your own home…

Add a touch of French Riviera chic to your furniture for sophisticated summer evenings out on the decking with subtle neutral colours and delicately illustrated fabrics. We particularly love the Ocean Printed Cotton and Sailboat Printed Cotton here at Jim Lawrence that can be made up into different size cushions, and other soft furnishings.

From work surfaces to islands and sinks we all have areas in the kitchen that could do with some more targeted lighting. A stylish and functional solution to this is using flexible spotlights to really pick out and boost the lighting in specific areas within your kitchen.

Finding a home for the ever growing additions to my household is a constant struggle. I have trawled the internet for ideas that help in arranging, organising and tidying. I have put together a list of some of the most interesting, pretty and practical ideas I have found to make your life a little easier.

A Beautiful Collection of Fabric Notice Boards

These stylish fabric notice boards are a great organisational tool for tidying away all those important pieces of paper we all have lying around. They are a relatively inexpensive way to add instant structure to a room and can be made to match the décor with any fabric.

Take advantage of a bright spring day to get your home sparkling fresh and clean for the summer.

Let’s get the hard work out-of-the-way first! Nothing is going to make more impact in your kitchen than a really good scrub and clean. It’s amazing what a bucket of hot soapy water and a bit of elbow grease can achieve. It’s a really good time to overhaul often forgotten parts of your kitchen; lightly washing down your paint work and kitchen cupboard doors, for example, instantly freshen up your kitchen.

Over time polished brass knobs and handles in your kitchen can become tarnished with grease and finger prints.

Schoolhouse Drawer Pull

There are many dedicated brass cleaning products on the market, but a great natural way to restore their shine is to firstly wash them with warm soapy water, and then create your own gentle cleaning solution. Mix two tablespoons of salt and white wine vinegar with a pint of hot water and allow to cool slightly . Apply this mixture to your brass wear with a clean damp cloth. This should remove more stubborn stains and marks and reveal the sparking beauty of this stunning metal once more…