Friday, February 11, 2011

Large Area Rugs Are Great For Big Houses

If you have a large home with lots of open spaces, area rugs are a really good way of adding some extra style and charm. They look really good in any kind of home with an open floor plan. They can be purchased in lots of different styles and colors so you can always find one that suits your home. Large area rugs have lots more benefits too that can benefit any kind of home.

There are many good reasons why people choose to place large area rugs in their living rooms and dining rooms. When they are used correctly, large area rugs can actually change the entire look and feel of a room. They also offer comfort and can also help reduce the noise that is sometimes associated with bigger rooms.

For some reason lots of people think that area rugs don't look right when placed over normal carpeting but that just is not the case. They look as wonderful on carpets as on hardwood floors as long as you choose the right kind of rug for your own particular home.

Before making any purchases make sure you always take into consideration the actual size of the area that you would like to cover. You should always leave a fairly big gap between the edge of the carpet and the walls so keep this in mind when doing your measurements.

These kinds of rugs are a great asset to any kind of large room. They help to create a focal point and really add some warmth to the room. However the only downside is that they can be quite costly, particularly if you choose a high-end manufacturer that uses high-quality materials.

Having said that, there are still some places where you can find cheaper ones. As you can expect, the best place to find large area rugs is on the internet, where it's possible to find a huge variety of rugs for sale. There are numerous websites which offer a massive variety of rugs at varying prices.

You can also find a lot of cheap area rugs for sale at some great prices but what you should keep in mind is that buying cheaper ones they will tend to degrade a lot quicker. You should really think long and hard before buying such rugs.

It really is easy to shop online for large area rugs. You'll find that many vendors provide free shipping which can be a big advantage because of the size and weight of such items. If this service is not offered, you should do some comparisons of different websites as many times you can find the same rug cheaper at another site.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Alstons Furniture - A Brief History

The History Of Alstons Furniture

The Alston family has been involved with furniture for over two centuries. As far back as 1776 there were Alstons repairing furniture in their Chelsea workshop.

The present family's direct ancestors started the business that became the Alstons Furniture business we know today in Sudbury, Suffolk. William Alston (1839-1919) and his brother Ambrose (1834 - 1902) were both master cabinet makers during the middle of the 19th century. William Alston later became a furniture dealer as well, selling from premises in 95 North Street, Sudbury. The Alstons Furniture business prospered and moved to 9 Old Market Place, Sudbury in 1875 Both of William Alston's sons, Hammond and Percy worked in the business and together they then created one of the first all electric workshops.

The premises at Old Market Place became a retail furniture shop as well, with additional workshops. One of which was to eventually form the beginnings of the Alstons Furniture Upholstery operation much later on. In 1921 Percy Alston's son Leslie started an apprenticeship with his father and then completed this at Fisher Trade Woodworking in London's East End.

In 1937 Leslie started his own manufacturing business at a redundant coconut matting factory in Long Melford. The business was set up with a £6,000 bank loan. Leslie's brother Roy joined him there to help run the new venture. The company later adopted the trade mark Albro as an abbreviation of Alston brothers, this continued into the 1980's.

During the Second World War, the factory in Long Melford switched its production to 'utility' bedroom and dining furniture. Extra work was also taken on to manufacture coffins for the war effort.

Later in the war, the Long Melford factory was burnt out and new premises were sought in Ipswich. Initially production was resumed within Wrinch's factory in Nacton Road, Ipswich. Land was also purchased adjacent to Wrinch's and a factory was built by joining war surplus Nissen huts together to form a linear building and a continuous furniture production line was created within it. This temporary structure survived until 1971 when a new building was erected over the old huts ensuring that not an hour of production was lost.

The Alstons Furniture cabinet business has remained at this site to this day. During this time a new head office had been built and a programme of continuous investment in machinery maintained. Alstons Furniture has manufactured almost exclusively bedroom furniture during this period. In the 1950's and 60's this was centered on suites of bedroom furniture of veneered teak, walnut and mahogany finish (a suite comprised a ladies wardrobe, a gents wardrobe and a dressing table). The 1970's saw the introduction of modular bedroom furniture ranges in veneered and painted finishes.In more recent years the Alstons have become a market leader in the production of traditional and contemporary bedroom ranges of laminate and painted finish.

Leslie Alston remained in charge of the business until his death in 1976 at which point his oldest son Rex (John) took over as Managing Director with Leslie's brother Percy (Roy) as Chairman. In 1979 Alan, Leslie's other son became Chairman and Managing Director of Alstons Furniture, assisted by his bother Rex and with their cousin Noel (Percy's son) as Sales Director. John P Alston joined the family business, Alstons Furniture, in 1974 becoming a Director in 1987 and Managing Director in 1995. In 2008 David Alston became Chairman of Alstons Furniture, taking on this role directly from his father. Also in this year John's daughter Jessica Alston joined Alstons Furniture as a design assistant.

The Upholstery business flourished and within 10 years, further satellite factories were opened in Hadleigh, Suffolk and Clacton, Essex.

The recession of the early 1980's saw a contraction of Alstons Furniture and the satellite factories were closed down and production and investment consolidated at the Colchester site. Up until 1995 Alan Alston continued to be responsible for the running of Alstons Furniture. In 1995 David Alston, Alan's youngest son became Managing Director of the company and the responsibility passed on.In 2008 John Alston took on the role of chairman of Alstons Furniture from his father.

During the life of the company it has manufactured sofas, sofa beds, chairs and recliner chairs.

Alstons Furniture continues to make all its production from its factory in Colchester and is now one of the leading producers of upholstery in the UK.


Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Secrets To A Good Nights Sleep With Simmons Beautyrest Mattresses

Life has become a vicious circle for many people which is just circling around work and family. Such people remain stressed and anxious thinking about working harder and getting over problems of life. People involved in so much of thinking could possibly suffer from sleeping problems. A sound sleep is very essential as it gives your mental and physical health a chance to relax, undergo restoration and rejuvenate for the next day activities. The Simmons Beautyrest Classic is one of Simmons mattress that can help you with that. Now, Let us explore the secrets to a good nights sleep.

The secret to having a good night sleep is a matter of having a harmonious relationship between your brain and body. Do not let your brain overpower the needs of your body. If your body wants to relax and sleep let it go. Moreover, your sleep schedule, bedtime habits, and day-to-day lifestyle choices make an enormous difference in the quality of your nightly rest.

Create a bedtime routine: Try and synchronize your body's natural sleep and wake cycle. Schedule your sleeping and waking up time, as this will train your body to remain active and sleep on time.

Never over sleep: Avoid sleeping for more than 8 hours just to catch on the lost sleep. This could worsen the problem leading to restless nights.

Exercise: Keep yourself physically active throughout the day so by the evening your body feels exhausted and demand good night sleep.

Develop a bedtime routine: Activities that make you feel drowsy, like soothing music or reading a dull book, can help you unwind from a busy day and prepare you for an undisturbed night.

Eat light: Keep your dinner light and avoid eating before going to sleep. This is because the process of digestion is slower during night and sleeping on a full stomach can have you feel bloated and uneasy making it difficult to sleep.

Warm bath: A warm bath 4 to 5 hours before bedtime is relaxing. And although it temporarily raises your body temperature, as you cool down you'll feel more and more drowsy.

Get a comfortable mattress to sleep, as many a times it is the mattress causing the entire problem.

In addition to above tips, keep your bedroom light dim as light stimulates the brain and awakens you. Sudden and loud noises can disrupt your sleep so, close all the windows. However, steady, whirring sounds, such as those of a fan or air conditioner, are conducive to sleep. A room that is too hot or too cold can also affect your ability to sleep. The ideal bedroom temperature is between 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Following these secrets and also have one of The Simmons Beautyrest Classic will make a good nights sleep that has many advantages as it slows down the ageing process, improves your concentration and memory formation, keeps you alert and thinking sharp, helps in maintaining a strong immune system, restores your physical and mental health and makes you feel happy and rejuvenated.