“The front door is the touch point between your interior and the rest of the world.”

‘Interior design’ has become an iconic phrase and thanks to social media platforms such as Pinterest we now have access to beautiful inspiration and imagery at our fingertips. The idea of interior design itself has become so iconic that you can now even go to university to study in the field. Lately it has got everyone in the Jim Lawrence office thinking… what about exterior design? This is not a phrase that we hear so often but isn’t it just as important? We feel that the exterior of your home should be a teasing taster of the beauty that is within. So, we have handpicked some of our classic and period exterior product range  to help you create a lasting first impression…

Our Heart Door Knocker has become one of our most popular products and we are thrilled that our customers love it as much as we do. It is hand cast in solid brass and then treated in antiquing solution to give it our signature Antiqued Brass finish. It can tackle anything our unpredictable British weather throws at it and will provide a unique look to your front door for many years.

We listen to our customer’s feedback over the years and this is one of the amazing products to come out of that. The fabulous Yale Lock Surround. This adds a touch of class to that run of the mill Yale Lock and allows for combing a modern locking system with a traditional finish.

This rather clever little cover sits on top of your existing doorbell allowing for an easy changeover. It sits neatly against the wall is available in a range of finishes to match the rest of your exterior. We just love the simplicity yet beauty of this product.

We love seeing how effortlessly these little touches create a big difference. Why not take a look at our full range of exterior lighting and door furniture to complete your exterior design.

What exactly is our Antiqued Brass finish? Is it Lacquered? These are questions that many of our customers ask, so we thought we would stop you wondering any further and discuss the beauty of this amazing material.

If we look back over the years of craftsmanship of brass furnishings then you will see that brassware never used be lacquered. The Victorians kept it highly polished and you would often see the beautifully gleaming door knockers and letter plates on approach to their front doors. If you never polished your un-lacquered brassware then eventually it would tarnish naturally.

So, what is different about our brassware? Well we love that beautiful aged look so much and we want brass to be exactly how our forebears produced it and that is without lacquer! So, we take our solid brass and treat it with an antiquing solution which simply speeds up the natural tarnishing process. This means that your brass lights and door handles not only arrive with a subtle tarnished look but will also age along with you, your family and home.

Bromley Handle in Antiqued Brass

Why would you choose lacquered brass? Well this has come about to suit our modern lifestyle as it believed that it requires zero upkeep. However, don’t be fooled as even the highest quality lacquer and brass can start to tarnish over time – especially if it is an item of heavy use such as a door handle. In fact, having brassware that is not lacquered is easier to maintain as there truly is zero upkeep, you simply let it age and it will reward you with a beautiful natural tarnished look. This means that it truly is the best metal for external use as it is completely non-corrosive. Therefore, our external brass lights such as the beautiful Ship’s Light and our brand-new Bulkhead Light will stand the test of time no matter what the British weather throws at it.

Heart Door Knocker in Antiqued Brass

Whether you are looking to create a beautiful first impression with our Brass Heart Door Knocker or bring sophistication into the home with the stunning Brass Ava Pendant – our Antiqued Brass finish will not disappoint.

We would love to see our Antiqued Brass is your home. Please send any images to press@jim-lawrence.co.uk.

We know that when it comes to choosing the perfect lighting for your home, you want to get things just right. So we want to make life a little easier by helping you decide which wall light back plate is best suited for your needs.

Cottage Wall Light

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.