The presents are all opened and you have just spent the last half hour picking up wrapping paper from every inch of the living room carpet. About the house, the kids are playing with their new toys and games, your guests have arrived and everyone is laughing and joking. Every so often, you get an aroma of turkey, stuffing and roast potatoes wafting through from the kitchen which seem to be teasing your taste buds. Don’t you just love Christmas?

Later, as you all sit around the dining room table the Christmas dinner is laid before you. Turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings, each person getting just the right amount of meat, vegetables and roast potatoes. Eagerly, you tuck into your meal, the kids are pulling crackers, telling cheesy jokes and arguing over the gifts inside, everyone is having a great time.

Why is it at Christmas we always have second and third helpings? Are we frightened that someone is going to get more turkey than us?

Then as you sit back on your seat stuffed from your meal the in-laws are congratulating you on such a spectacular meal. As you sit there with your belt on another notch everyone starts to eat off the cheese board filled with crackers and exotic cheese that only get bought at this time of year.

Just then you glance into the living room and see your Christmas present to yourself, your easy chair, you just want everyone to go so you can sit down and relax watching the usual Christmas movie or even better fall asleep and let your dinner settle.

Let’s face it when it comes to having a party no one likes to be left standing, if we are honest with ourselves, thirty minutes standing in the kitchen talking to friends is ok, then you have to find somewhere to sit down. Many people simply don’t have enough seating to accommodate all their invited guests to their get together. It can become a game of musical chairs.

With the traditional Christmas party season edging closer many people will be debating whether to stay in or go out and ‘paint the town red’. They may even spend a few minutes going through the pros and cons of each. One of the main factors for not having a party in your home is too many people and lack of seating.

This may be the perfect time to look at some extra seating, something that will not only fit in with your decor but will enhance the atmosphere of a particular space. Modern Bar Stools fit in to that category, they not only look great but will brighten up that dull area at the back of your room. Back in the 50’s Bar Stools were a bit of a fashion statement now they are a modern essential, functional ergonomic seating arrangement.

When people decide to decorate their rooms it helps to have a slight idea of what they are looking for, for instance they will get colour charts to help with colour schemes and material swatches from manufactures to help choose the look which will enhance the look of their room.

What’s more importantly when it comes to the choice of furniture; it always helps to know what style will be used, Modern, Traditional, or Contemporary. Identifying these separate styles will help give you an understanding of how the pieces will look when placed in your room.

Modern furniture follows no dictated style relating to the past, designers will often use clean sweeping lines, unusual materials, shape and use bright colours to create that styles that is modern in look and feel.

Traditional furniture originated in England and France and is probably the most seen furniture in homes today. Traditional furniture is always functional and will withstand the test of time. This type of furniture is always functional and is always good for people that are setting up their first home.

Contemporary furniture designers like to take older styles and add their own features to give an updated version of the original piece. Contemporary furniture merges the new with the old to give a functional piece that will fit into many living areas. Whether in a new construction, family homes, or London flat contemporary furniture will always be found to be just right.

Holidays are coming … holidays are coming … sorry for sounding like a tooth decaying, oil eating, American fizzy drinks TV ad but it is coming to that time of year. Know what reminded myself that it’s getting near the festive hols? No, not the overnight appearance of xmas deccies in shop windows but the call from the sister-in-law telling meyself that her and her delightful brood are coming to stay. Our house is maxed out, as it is, but I guess there is always room for family.

One of the best investments within the furniture market today is a Modern Sofa Bed, these contemporary pieces add flair and sophistication to any home plus the added benefit that they transform into a sound and comfy bed almost instantly which means we always have room for family and friends to stay over without chaos descending on the household come sleeping time.

As we all know modern built homes are more compact and bijou than the traditional older style homes, this can present many problems to people when they decide to downsize. They have to be careful when it comes to positioning all their possessions in their new homes as many of the older, traditional style cabinets and sofas were made to be showcased in much larger living spaces.

Problems can begin at the front door as many of the larger pieces may struggle to fit through, when or if they manage to get them through the door and get them into position, only then can you ask yourself does it look right or is it too large and bulky for its new environment?

One piece of furniture that may fit into that category is the older style TV stands they tend to be large and obstructive, and with their large wooden doors which hide the television they will look out of place in any modern home.

Modern day televisions are made to be shown off as they are now thinner, sleeker and more stylish then ever. So why sit it in an old fashioned closed cabinet, place it on a modern multi shelved glass display cabinet. These modern TV display cabinets are made to take all your multimedia and gaming consoles whilst retaining the modern look in your home.

Examples of Modern and Contemporary TV Stands :

Since this inter webby-thing took off, everyone seems to be in such a hurry, it feels as though no-one has time to chat to each other. It’s all texts and e-mails. When was the last time that we actually sat and had a conversation with the person that sits next to you at work? Much easier to e-mail them or even talk to them on social networking sites but actually chat face-to-face? No! That’s so 20th Century.

The same can be said about our eating habits, where we used to sit down and enjoy a family dinner nowadays we’re either at work, at meetings or down the local gym where you can run 5 miles on a treadmill with your iPod plugged in, talking to no-one.

Wouldn’t it be nice to actually sit down and have a family meal, no matter if it’s for two people or a family of six? Just the fact that everyone is seated round your new Terrestre Dining room table enjoying good food and chatting and taking an interest in each others life’s.

If however you are missing your little bit of technology and finding it hard conversing – you can always sit with your new smart phone and email those around the dining room table and ask them if they are enjoying their meals.

We all have our own perception of how a chair should be some like to sit straight up while others like to be laid down, some like plain while others like patterned, leather or modern microfiber finishing in the end it’s purely down to personal taste.

When choosing a chair for your own house you have to pick one that will not only fit in with your decor but one which will fit in with your way of life.

Originally designed around the middle of the swinging 60’s the Pod Chair quickly became one of those timeless, classic seating arrangements which fitted perfectly into everyone’s fast paced way of life. Pod chairs are beautifully crafted and with their fibreglass body and soft furnishing thus ensuring that the person seated will enjoy the full seating experience.

For that something special why not try a hanging Pod these will not only provoke conversation at most parties but will brighten up an other wise boring corner of your home turning it into something really special. After a stressful day at work there is nothing better than relaxing in your chair with a glass of your favourite drink.

Good nights are so hard to come by, everyone seems to be either far too busy or have other commitments to come and visit. So when we organise a party for family and friends we have to ensure that they get on first, you don’t want to be hearing those immortal words, “Well I’m not coming if he is,” many a good hour has been spent deciding who may attend dinner parties.

As a nation we love to entertain it gives us a sense of belonging, all your family and friends round enjoying your company. One thing seems to be missing, we do love sitting, chatting and drinking at the table but lets be honest after a three course meal and a few drinks we often start to feel worse for wear, that’s when you retire to the lounge.

There your guests will get the chance to relax in your Gomma Armchair this is one of the most relaxing pieces of furniture on the market today, as they relax on the smooth Italian leather, their body is hugged by the smooth contours giving you that feeling of being hugged. As you stand there watching your guests relaxing, it’s at that moment you realise that your night was a success.

I had a discussion the other day regarding my all-time favourite books. Now we all have heard of coffee table books meant either to impress or to strike up conversation (this is a great ice breaker if your inviting people over whom your not too familiar with). So, I thought I’d post my favourite Easy Chair books, for those of us that want to relax after a hard day’s work and can’t be bothered by being zombified by the TV schedule. My choice might suprise a few who read this blog on a regular basis, then again, perhaps not.

I’ve stayed clear from being too pretentious and made my choice from books which I myself would pick up again and read whilst relaxing.

Here’s my selection…

10. Ash Road : reminds me of my childhood and the first book I ever read from start to finish.

9. Along Came A Spider : I love thrillers and James Patterson is THE expert at keeping you guessing till the very end.

8. Jurassic Park : Much better than the film as your mind’s eye paints the terrifying image of being chased by a dinosaur.

7. Outsiders : A great tale of social class divide in 60’s America with gang warfare between the Greasers and the Socs.

6. If you like Terry Pratchett then you’ll love Good Omens. Very funny and very clever take on the anti-christ.

5. IT : Classic horror from Stephen King, again let’s the inner-eye create frightening imagery thanks to the vivid writing skills of King.

4. Trainspotting : I had read this before the film was released and thoroughly enjoyed them both.

3. 1984 : Classic, George Orwell, peeks into the future with uncanny accuracy and depicts a totalitarian society.

2. Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha : A wonderful story of a young boy growing up in Ireland having to cope with the archaic world of a 10 year old plus the seperation of his parents.

1. The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw : Most people have heard of George Best, but how many have heard of Robin Friday? Tragic true story of a wonderful, gifted footballer whose hedonistic lifestyle would end his playing career and his young life.

There you have it! 10 personal choices of books to get comfortable with in your Easy Chair. Now, what’s your choice?

Traditionally in this country at the start of a night-out, we sit in each others homes for a few drinks before heading out to the local bars and clubs, so why should this year be any different? Well, according to the economists, by the time we buy in our weekly shopping, pay household bills, fuel for the car, we have very little left to spend on ourselves. What do they know?

Well, probably more than we give them credit for, as the party season draws closer we’ll be having our traditional party drinks in our home and for most of us. that where our night ends. As many will have other financial commitments.

If we cannot go to our local bar then why not bring the local bar to you! Home bars are now becoming more popular as people prefer to drink in their own homes. Gone are the traditional large pine surroundings with the usual ‘free beer tomorrow’ brass signs. Modern home bars are now constructed with sleek curved lines which will grace any home decor. Add some stylish bar stools and ‘hey’, you’ll forget all about the ‘George and The Dragon’ at the end of the road. So this year why not treat yourself to one of these new modern ‘must have’ accessories.