Picture of the Month!!
We are here!
Something for the kids.....
After an exhausting day of present opening the kids need somewhere to rest their weary head!!
Home Staging and what the estate agents don't tell you!!
If your lucky enough to have your home in the latest up and coming area or your just in that right price bracket that your house can sell itself then our services won't appeal!
However, if your home has been on the market for a number weeks and your estate agent is using excuse's like it's the time of year or it's the price then please give us a call what can you lose by our free evaluation of your homes curb appeal, because all homes are sold within a few seconds of the potential purchaser stepping through your door so what are you doing to make your home so appealing!
However, if your home has been on the market for a number weeks and your estate agent is using excuse's like it's the time of year or it's the price then please give us a call what can you lose by our free evaluation of your homes curb appeal, because all homes are sold within a few seconds of the potential purchaser stepping through your door so what are you doing to make your home so appealing!
Clearly your home is one of your most expensive assets and its competing with many others on the internet, so what makes its stand out from the rest! We all expect people to be able to look past the clutter or that extra armchair squeezed into the living room, but if you was going for that job of a life time you would make every effort to present yourself to the very best, then you should do nothing less for your home!
Its time to stop putting the price up so we have a knock down fund and present your home to the very best and hopefully achieve the full asking price!
Call us 01702 204115 what can you gain!
Christmas Shop now Open!!
Our Christmas shop is now open, but expand your mind not everything is for Christmas, our new range in LED lights on silver wire can be used all year round from parties to decorative lighting!
Small Spaces
I'm always surfing the internet for design images and every now again I find something inspiring!
At one time or another we are confounded by the small box room and how do we make it a good usable space!
Well this image inspired me! With the clever use of horizontal stripes to widen the feel of the room and the advantage of fitted furniture to use the space to its optimum potential, illustrates how a small box room can double up as decent double bedroom for those weekend house guests or teenage slumber parties!!
With a fresh, bright and airy colour pallet it looks just stunning by using a cool citrus green, so simple but effective....
now if your struggling with the small room lurking in the corner of your
house, now's the time to think outside the box!!
house, now's the time to think outside the box!!
Christmas Grotto
I've had many enquiries as to whether we will be having our fabulous Christmas Dec's back and we will be opening the Christmas Grotto in October, we will be holding a preview evening Thursday 3rd October, so if you don't want to miss out then please come to this evening to be first in line!
And if you register to our loyal customer database, we will forward a discount voucher that can be used on that evening, just email urbanhomeanddesign@gmail.com with loyal customer in the subject line, and be entered into our prize draw for the chance to win a £15 voucher, draw date 31/10/2013.
And if you register to our loyal customer database, we will forward a discount voucher that can be used on that evening, just email urbanhomeanddesign@gmail.com with loyal customer in the subject line, and be entered into our prize draw for the chance to win a £15 voucher, draw date 31/10/2013.
Chapter 4 - Five Weeks Open....
Now opening a few weeks before the summer holidays was never going to be easy, however, it has given us the opportunity to recognise the area's that need tweaking.
The launch of Simply Entertaining has now been postponed until 2014, trying to launch two businesses simultaneously has proved to be a tad difficult and costly.
All attention is being made to Urban Home and what it can bring to you....
The website www.urbanhomeanddesign.com is under construction and hopefully will be up and running by the end of this month, it will keep you up to date of all the stock we currently hold and new product lines. Offers, vouchers and discounts will be found on the blog only!
We are also making some small changes to our showroom, watch this space for further information and launch dates!
Opening Day
So it may be grey and wet today,
but tomorrow it will be great no matter what!
Finally the day has come and will be opening our doors
to the public for the very first time...
Doll Clothes handmade by Mo
As well as her stunning range in cards, we now have
a fabulous collection of beautifully hand knitted dolls clothes.
mini replicas of traditional baby clothes for your daughters doll,
in an array of sizes, you should be able to find something to fit...
however, if you want a particular style but can't find the size,
it can be made for you!
Chapter 3 - Monday 6th May
Paint, paint and more paint!
The trades have been in and have done a fantastic job! The paint is going on the walls and I'm so glad its just the showroom and offices I have to do, as the warehouse would be like painting the forth bridge!
However, anyone who's started their own business will know how crazy it all is at the beginning, all the excitement, and when it's your first business you believe your invincible, that nothing can stop you, your running on adrenaline and its full steam a head!
It's not much different on the third time except there's a little more experience and knowledge, and although it is immensely scary, it is so exciting I can not begin to put into words because this is my passion, so many idea's!
To settle my brain and calm things a little I decided to potter in the garden this weekend, usual thing dig out the boarders, do some weeding, mow the lawn, pull the ivy (that's taking control of the house) off the wall and to hell with it, lets rip off a huge chunk of render whilst we're at it! So what started off as a little gutter clearing exercise has ended up being a minor repair job, but the silver lining and there is one, is that it is only a minor repair! And that is the beginning of my week, plain sailing for the rest of it then.
So back to biz....
The thing about Urban Home is that it's not just a shop, it's a concept, everything to do with your home! From decorating to entertaining. This blog may be a little slow at the moment but as we get going it will start to fill up with handy tips to help around the home, design ideas, even ideas on how to make the best of your space, or even extend verses move (which I will be able to help with that decision process too!).
I will be posting when we have new stock releases, and this is not based on spring summer or autumn winter, it's not fashion we don't all have the funds to redress our home for the various seasons, however, you can tweak a few accessories if you prefer a more light and airy feel in the summer opposed to the warm and cosy ambiance in the colder months!
Keep us on your favorites and check in every now and then, contact details will be posted shortly. Unfortunately due to stock deliveries the doors won't be opening until June.
The trades have been in and have done a fantastic job! The paint is going on the walls and I'm so glad its just the showroom and offices I have to do, as the warehouse would be like painting the forth bridge!
However, anyone who's started their own business will know how crazy it all is at the beginning, all the excitement, and when it's your first business you believe your invincible, that nothing can stop you, your running on adrenaline and its full steam a head!
It's not much different on the third time except there's a little more experience and knowledge, and although it is immensely scary, it is so exciting I can not begin to put into words because this is my passion, so many idea's!
To settle my brain and calm things a little I decided to potter in the garden this weekend, usual thing dig out the boarders, do some weeding, mow the lawn, pull the ivy (that's taking control of the house) off the wall and to hell with it, lets rip off a huge chunk of render whilst we're at it! So what started off as a little gutter clearing exercise has ended up being a minor repair job, but the silver lining and there is one, is that it is only a minor repair! And that is the beginning of my week, plain sailing for the rest of it then.
So back to biz....
The thing about Urban Home is that it's not just a shop, it's a concept, everything to do with your home! From decorating to entertaining. This blog may be a little slow at the moment but as we get going it will start to fill up with handy tips to help around the home, design ideas, even ideas on how to make the best of your space, or even extend verses move (which I will be able to help with that decision process too!).
I will be posting when we have new stock releases, and this is not based on spring summer or autumn winter, it's not fashion we don't all have the funds to redress our home for the various seasons, however, you can tweak a few accessories if you prefer a more light and airy feel in the summer opposed to the warm and cosy ambiance in the colder months!
Keep us on your favorites and check in every now and then, contact details will be posted shortly. Unfortunately due to stock deliveries the doors won't be opening until June.
Warehouse sneeky peek photo's
So I suppose I should wait for when we open to reveal the new look, but a sneeky peek won't hurt...
Tip 2 - Flooring
Laminate and wood flooring has become a popular choice of flooring and its great for so many reasons the common one is its durability!
However, although this flooring is great with most interiors it can be a little cold and hollow, rugs are a good option to resolving this but can work out quite costly, a cheaper option is to buy carpet and have the edges whipped, in the image below you will notice the rug is almost the size of the room and co-ordinates beautifully with the rooms decor.
Large carpet rugs are also a great way of zoning open plan living spaces, and with such great designs available it can really enhance your final look!
However, although this flooring is great with most interiors it can be a little cold and hollow, rugs are a good option to resolving this but can work out quite costly, a cheaper option is to buy carpet and have the edges whipped, in the image below you will notice the rug is almost the size of the room and co-ordinates beautifully with the rooms decor.
Large carpet rugs are also a great way of zoning open plan living spaces, and with such great designs available it can really enhance your final look!
Inspirational Images
Anyone who knows me will know my love for America, my love for interior design is hugely influenced by New England, most of the images that I will be posting will be from the great US of A! However, one thing I've never been able to understand is how the Americans do fitted units so well, when we do them they look so tacky and 80's, yet when they do it it looks like fantastic pieces of carpentry!
A fantastic site for American Design http://www.houzz.com/
A fantastic site for American Design http://www.houzz.com/
Warehouse before photo's
Back and forth to the warehouse, this is the bit I enjoy the most get things organised, flooring, signs, plumbing and electric's, holidays are not helping and on quite a tight deadline, and today snow!
But here's some pic's to give you the before's...
But here's some pic's to give you the before's...
It actually doesn't look that bad in the photo, but the bar's up the windows are leaning the design towards a prison theme rather than shaker!
Tip 1 - Linen Organisation
This is an awesome tip from Martha Stewart's book on organising!
If you find bed linen gets all jumbled then try storing your bed linen in one of the pillow cases to keep it all together, this book is full of neat idea's for organisation, I highly recommend it!
Chapter 2 - Saturday 30th March
Saturday morning and its 2 days after I got the keys to
my warehouse, my daughter who is 8 lays beside me in bed, gently snoring as
snow flakes lightly fall outside my window, it's an awesome start to the day!
But what I haven't done is finished decorating my house
or spent quality time with my daughter, dog or guinea pig!
The last few weeks have been fraught and I'm not ashamed
to share that I have been on a roller coaster through hell, panic attacks,
constantly fighting off the overwhelming feelings to just pack up and run, but
now the commitment is made those feelings have subsided and now, the challenge
begins!
I have a minuscule budget and a enormous warehouse, the
test of my interior design skills will be proven!
I have mapped out the structure of the new business, I
have a role out plan for the various components and I have created a business
forecast, and whilst doing this I am still trying to run my other business the
cafe bar.
But what I haven't done is finished decorating my house
or spent quality time with my daughter, dog or guinea pig!
Spreading myself so thinly that something has got to
give, and it will, but believe it or not I am preparing myself for that too,
I'm not super woman and I can't do it all.
Know your limitations!
So what is the future of Urban? .... That's tomorrow's
problem because today is about making pancakes and rice crispy nests with my
daughter.
Chapter 1 - Thursday 28th March
Do you read articles in magazines and get totally
enthusiastic, but then roll out of bed and forget everything you've read!
In the last decade I have transcended from a
small home furnishings shop to a cafe bar, which has over the years tested my
will to live, it has tested almost every relationship from family,
friend and lover! But I wouldn't change
a thing, in fact I'm about to embark again and from this point is where you will
join my life!
Well if your like me, the busy lazy person, then this
blog may inspire you to get up and do something!
Follow me down the road of my new adventure, having owned
and run a cafe bar for the past 4 years, I'm now on a journey of old...
A little over 10 years ago I was made redundant from a
mundane administrative job, since then
my life has been anything but mundane or administrative, I opened a little home
furnishings business, called 'Urban Home' it was lovely, slightly modern and
quite homely! My joy was the day I burst
in to my parents home and said... "I have a shop!" my Dads response
"what are you going to sell?" my breathless and excited reaction "I
have no idea, but I have a shop!" as many would say the rest is history,
but in truth that history has been a number of lessons based on business, life
and the truth about myself!
You have to believe that in life, everything happens for
a reason, and its all a journey, people come and go from our lives, some appear
for a moment to help us through some momentary crisis, others are there more
for the long haul, but don't grip on to these people to tightly as nothing is
forever, appreciate them for the time you spend together and learn from what
they bring to your life... Even if sometimes it's not always pleasant!
Urban Home's new location!
Here's were we will be, opposite CJ's bowling right on the corner, you won't be able to miss us.
It may not be a pretty little Brighton street, yet I am hoping you will find it an Aladdin's cave of beautiful things!
I will bring the same quality as before, yet I hope to instill design idea's and help you make the best of your home.
We all scream for Ice Cream!
Even though we bought the machine before Christmas, we have now fired it up.
Exciting times, with or without a flake, the cone still brings back fond memory's of my childhood! But for those little tykes who can't stand the ice cream running down their hands, we have a little cup (with or without the flake!).
And if nothing else its good for a laugh to watch us try and pull one of these things, its really not as easy as it looks.
However, the fun part was when we all got together for our night of training, this combined with making up the Alcoshakes made for an interesting evening.
We hope that you love our fabulous range in Ice Cream Milkshakes, the Apple Pie Milkshake, truly a little piece of heaven, and we haven't even got the Rossi's yet!
But we have a selection of sprinkle, syrups, nuts and other goodies, come and check it out
What's in store for 2013!
It's taking a while but eventually we will get there....
Urban Bar Café has undergone some minor changes, with the introduction of some more comfortable seating and the installation of an ice cream whippy machine, which will see some exciting new ranges to be added to our menu's from the traditional cones and knicker bocker glories to the more trendy alcoshakes!
And with the upcoming launch of Urban Home & Design in new premises on Eldon way, 2013 will prove to a very busy and exciting year!
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