How To Create The Perfect Curtain Pole

Today, we'd like to tell you about our beautiful curtain poles and show how they can be easily further enhanced by using paint and then gilt cream to bring their understated elegance to life.

These poles start their lives at a wood-turning workshop in rural Shropshire, which was established in 1981 and are manufactured using solid timber from sustainable sources.

We love the versatility of this approach to buying curtain poles, which makes it possible to create a completely bespoke look at a fraction of the usual cost.

The poles come in three diameters (38mm, 47mm and 58mm) with options for finials, brackets and holdbacks too. A huge amount of care has gone into their design and creation, which are inspired by classical form and traditional patterns.

They are of excellent quality too, as we hope you've come to expect from any product we supply at Relics: solid and sturdy.

We've given three poles and finials different treatments, using paint and gilt cream to demonstrate the freedom this approach gives in producing a finish which will be uniquely yours.

First, we primed and painted using Farrow and Ball's Lamp Room Grey, Mizzle and Old White.

When choosing colours for your pole, it's worth picking a paint that's a shade or two darker than you might originally be drawn to, as the light bounces off these curves beautifully.

Ours looked so lovely that we wouldn't be surprised if you were thoroughly tempted to leave them simply like that.

However, once the paint had dried, we applied Liberon's Gilt Cream in Chantilly...

 and Trianon...

...to the finials using three very different techniques.

In our December post, we'll be showing you, in a step-by-step guide, how Liberon's versatile Gilt Cream can be used to bring Christmas warmth to a whole host of household items.

Now that the clocks have gone back, and the nights have well-and-truly drawn in, it's time to be honest:

are your curtains looking their best?

Contact Relics for more details, or pop in to see for yourself how gorgeous these poles really are.

Have a wonderful November!

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Farrow and Ball's "10 Ways With Wallpaper" Window Display

This month, we've decorated our shop front to tie in with

Farrow and Ball's 10 Ways With Wallpaper.

As our display shows, there's no need to limit yourself to using the paper on your walls. Get stuck in with these easy projects to give your home the wow-factor. 

Here are our 10 Ways With Wallpaper....

  

Lampshades

By using spray-glue to attach wallpaper, we gave these tired lampshades a new lease of life.

Clipboard

A simple stripe changed this budget clipboard into something really special.

Drawers

We applied paint, added squares of wallpaper plus some of our favourite small door knobs, and have been bowled over at the complete transformation of this chest.

Book-Covers

 Protect the covers of your books by carefully attaching your favourite design.

  

Bookmarks

We've made way for some very stylish reading by laminating small strips of wallpaper.

Clock

Creating a stunning clock to tie in perfectly with your colour scheme has never been easier.

Storage Pot

Our stunning tin started life as a humble paint can. A thorough clean and a few scraps of wallpaper led to the creation of this statement piece.

Wrapping Paper

Using wallpaper as gift wrap is a very effective way to add the wow-factor to any present. 

Gift Bag

This was so simple to make, and a fraction of the cost of bought versions. Farrow and Ball's wallpapers are good quality, which means that these bags are built to last.

Pictures

We've used different wallpapers to create these small-scale pieces of decoupage art. 

We'd love to hear if you can think of any other ideas? 

Come to Relics to let us help you bring your ideas to life.

  

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How To Pick The Perfect Front Door Paint

Choosing the right front door colour for your home is not a matter of succumbing to the latest fashions. We want you to have a house frontage that makes your heart skip a beat every time you return from a long day at work, and that means putting aside other people's ideas of what's on-trend and focusing on what makes you happy.





This is easier said than done with the myriad of paint shades available but that shouldn't make you feel despondent. We're here to help ensure that the colour you end up with is one you really love. With that in mind, here are some questions to set you on the way to your perfect front door.

Are you drawn to warm or cool colours?

Don't restrict yourself to colours that are typically linked to 'hot' or 'cold' climates. Every colour can have cooler or warmer undertones, (or, for that matter, be thoroughly neutral).

For example, here is a picture of a front door painted in Little Greene's Celestial Blue. Although blue is traditionally thought of as a cool colour, this particular shade is warm and lively.

Conversely, see how this front door leans towards the cooler end of the red spectrum, with its blueish undertones. Try Farrow and Ball's Brinjal for a similar look.

Do you want your front door to stand out or to blend in? 

If you're stuck with a not-so-pretty look then we can help you pick out a colour which blends in with your exterior walls so that there is no stark contrast between the different surfaces.

This effectively means that the eye can move seamlessly over the front of your house, without noticing specific details, but taking it in as a whole. Try Paint and Paper Library's Estuary for the toning look below.

Or is your front door particularly lovely? If so, make the most of it by picking a brighter shade. For a smart, bright red, perfect against pale walls, choose Farrow and Ball's Blazer.

How often do you plan to repaint?

This is time to be frank with yourself. If the answer is infrequently then we would definitely advise choosing a classic colour that won't date, such as Dulux Gloss Black, which is hard-wearing and timeless. You'd certainly be in good company...

However, if you're happy to redecorate often then why not choose something a little more daring? We love it that these owners have created a look they adore by picked out Little Greene's Eau De Nil and Little Greene's Garden. 

Our last paint-picking question for you is this:

When looking at other people's front doors, which are the houses that make you want to stop and stare?

Search out beautifully decorated houses that are built from similar materials to yours, and, if possible, face the same direction (as we said here, paint can look surprisingly different depending on the quality of light it receives).

Be brave! Knock and ask the owners which paint they have used....though it's always worth trying a sample size out before committing to a full tin.

Of course, we are well aware that these questions overly simplify the whole angst of picking the perfect paint for your front door but we hope they have given you a good starting point, as well as an idea of the general assistance we can offer.

For a more personal discussion, with our highly trained staff, drop in to Relics, or contact us, for the front door colour of your dreams.

Images via Farrow and Ball, Little Greene, Farrow and Ball, London Door, Interior Domain Designs, Maison Classique, Welsh Heritage, Sanderson, Relics of Witney

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Bringing the inside outside...and back again!

It cannot be denied that we have had a great deal of rain this year. Call us eternal optimists if you must but, at Relics of Witney, we think that makes the balmy evenings we've been having of late, all the more special, calling for the perfect outdoor setting (remember this post where we discussed how to pull the essentials together?).

We love making these occasions into a bit of an event. Warm nights see us taking out cushions, throws and candles into the garden.

However, because of the dreadful weather we've been having, we wanted to show you that those elements which make al fresco dining such a pleasure, can also be used just as effectively inside.

These lanterns are the perfect example. Used outside, they are perfect for creating a warm, ambient glow to accompany late evenings. 

If the weather just happens to turn, and the rain drops start to fall, simply gather them up, place them in small groups on your table, or around your hearth as a roaring fire substitute and carry on the pleasures of evening company unimpeded.

They needn't ever cause a storage issue as the lanterns can be left on display when not in use. We like to leave the candles in situ so that there needs to be no long search for tea lights before they can be lit. Matches can be left in one of our rattan baskets nearby (try our grey rattan beauties for size...).

As we hope you've come to expect, these lanterns are of exceptional quality. These smaller lanterns perfectly complement each other. They are cast in solid iron and given a protective coating for durability. The larger latern features delicately rusted detailing.

Have a look at the way there is no fragile welding that is often seen on similar items:

Whatever the weather brings us this month, we hope you enjoy the rest of the summer
...inside or out!

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Rattan Chairs: The Height of Effortless Style

   Once the haunt of cheap students digs everywhere, a new style of wicker has emerged and revealed itself as so much more than a passing trend. This breed of wicker uses rattan, a climbing palm reknowned for its long stems, to enable pieces, such as the chairs we're focussing on today, to be produced that are thicker, greyer and infinitely more stylish.

Rattan is strong, durable and fits perfectly into a whole host of different interior and exterior schemes. Gone are the dated flimsy strandings, the cumbersome shapes and the orange tint usually associated with wicker. These chairs are sensuously curvy, endlessly elegant and utterly sturdy.

The new-breed wicker manages to create a look that is both a firm nod to the dizzying heights of interior fashion, yet also to create a timeless style that is classic and homely.

Wicker has been a popular material for literally centuries.Archaeologists have uncovered wicker items from the time of ancient Egypt, from where it spread, in various guises, throughout Europe, where wicker baskets were found at Pompeii, and beyond.

We believe our beautiful rattan chairs would have had the Pharoahs smiling:

As always, we looked long and hard to source the very best design for our customers. So what is it that makes these particular ones so special?

The rattan chairs are thoroughly comfortable, with strong arm supports and a deep seat. They look perfect with or without seat cushions. Equally at home inside or out, our wicker chairs are relaxing to lounge in, with perhaps a cup of tea in the garden...

 ...or lingering around the dining table over a meal with friends.

We love these chairs when paired with natural materials. Nubby silk, cool stone and soft woollen throws and cushions all bring out the gentle hues of the rattan, as well as enhancing its beautfiul texture.

As you can see, its shapely curves look fantastic against a backdrop of limed, bare or painted wooden furniture.

As well as seeking out tremendous quality in any product that we stock at Relics, we also want to find the best value for our customers so were thrilled with these rattan chairs, which combine beautiful craftsmanship with a reasonable price.

Drop by to see for yourselves, or browse online, where we have our standard p and p of £8 for UK delivery.

Images via Room Envy, Relics, Tumblr, Relics, Relics,

Relics, Relics, Roses and Rust, Relics, Nest Egg, Relics

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