If you opt for a piece of furniture which can blend effortlessly with all design colours and styles then you can change your décor or even the overall design without having to go out and start the searching process all over again.



Furniture which has been designed and created from recycled materials is very in-vogue at the moment. A trend which is set to remain with us for many years as people are looking for alternative ways to help beat the credit crunch.

This is fine for those who are creative and have the inspiration and time to create bespoke furniture and soft furnishings, however for most these notions remain purely ideas!

Using reclaimed wood is a great way to create bespoke furniture. This week at IMM- Cologne one of the most popular displays was Community Chest designed by Rob Southcott.

Rob showed his design and creativity talent with this series of chest which can be assembled in a variety of different ways to provide a host of storage space which is adaptable to interior shapes and sizes.

The individual chests have been made using a variety reclaimed wood. Each one uses at least two different style of wood, these colour and grain variations have been skilfully combined to create unique pieces which can be stacked and re-stacked as needed.

Each chest has its own style of handle, each providing its own focal point. All of the chests are different sizes of squares and rectangular shapes which would look equally as good used on their own as they do with the numerous combination possibilities. A great way to store all manner of bits and pieces- suiting this year's ‘no clutter' interior design theme brilliantly.

One great advantage of having furniture which incorporates different coloured wood is the possibility of coordinating it with existing interior furnishings. Community Chest would look great in a room which has wood blinds made in any colour natural wood.

It would be really funky if a wooden Venetian blind was created with a different type and colour of wood for each slat…Maybe someone has already created such a blind?

And of course, any furniture made from wood looks great with stripped floorboards as well as a combination of different soft furnishings.

If you like the idea of using reclaimed materials for your interior design style this year promises to be an exciting time. Look out for all manner of different textures and colours in fabrics, curtains, cushions and throws to transform your interior into an beautiful mix of old and new.

Designers continue to produce some wonderful, unique pieces of furniture to suit modern living styles and provide inspiration to those of us that like to think creatively but simply don't have the time or the ability to put our thoughts into fruition!

Keep in style with this year's design trends and bring your home into 2009 in style and help reduce your carbon footprint by choosing furniture which has been made from reclaimed materials.