Spring 2009

Enquire Within

Spring is traditionally a time for spring cleaning and a time when we often think of re-decoration projects. The recession will see fewer people in a position to move home this year and many will decide that a change of scenery is the next best thing. If you are among them you might like to check out the great range of paints and wallpaper available from Period Features. Since Period Features opened its doors it has stocked the well respected Farrow & Ball range of traditional paints and wallpapers. More than 90% of the Farrow & Ball paint range is eco-friendly. The Farrow & Ball wallpaper uses traditional printing methods to create eco-friendly papers. More information on the Farrow & Ball range can be found at their website www.farrow-ball.com including their new looks for 2009.

More recently Period Features has started to stock paint ranges from The Little Greene Paint Company and Morris & Co. Little Greene offers paints for exterior and interior decorating and its extensive paint palette includes historic colours, extensively researched with English Heritage, and striking contemporary colours. The paint is divided into three collections: The English Heritage Collection takes inspiration from the key periods of interior design from 1760 to the 1950s, The Original Collection is a sophisticated contemporary paint palette designed for modern living and The CATWALK Collection features iconic contemporary paint colours from the world of haute couture. See The Little Greene range here www.thelittlegreene.com

William Morris (1834 - 1896) was the single most influential designer of the nineteenth century. Morris was a political theorist, scholar, translator and publisher, an environmental campaigner, writer and poet as well as an outstanding designer. Under his direction Morris & Co. grew into a flourishing and fashionable decorating firm renowned for its wallpapers and textiles. Originating in the Arts and Crafts movement popular in late Victorian 'artistic homes of taste', the company's designs have never been more widely appreciated than they are now. Today Morris & Co. guarantees authentic versions of those designs alongside new interpretations, using innovations in printing and weaving technology to create up-to-date fabric and wallpaper designs with timeless appeal. Morris & Co paint comprises 48 heritage colours which complement the increasingly popular fabric, wallpaper and bedlinen ranges (New Collections) and stand alone as strong heritage colours. For the full Morris & Co range see their website here www.william-morris.co.uk

Period Features can supply free colour cards, on request, for any of these paint ranges. We also have an upstairs showroom dedicated to our decorating ranges. If you ring or email your order through to us we can have your paint order ready and waiting for you on arrival at our Leek shop (if it is in stock, alternatively we can order it for you for collection at the store in 2-3 days time). We can also arrange to have it delivered to your home for a small charge. For more information or for advice on your room schemes (we love to help our customers) call us on 01538 372202 or email enquiries@periodfeatures.net

Wonderful Websites

We love home and lifestyle magazines at Period Features. We always have a supply of them next to the coffee machine upstairs for our customers to browse through. We are especially fond of Country Living magazine so we were pleased to see its new website at www.allaboutyou.com It's a combined site for a number of titles and describes itself as a site for smart women. It's an attractive site with some handy features so well worth a visit.

We're sure you'll love www.mydeco.com the self-styled 'furniture fix for the decorati'. If you love homes and interiors you will have great fun with this site. There is a great sales and special offers section that lists weekly special offers with top retailers of up to 70% off. There are also some super free features such as an opportunity to use items on the site to make 'mood boards'. You can even submit mood boards to their online competitions with an opportunity to win prizes or plan a room either by uploading your room plan or creating one from sample rooms. Then using 3D tools, real products and photo imports create your perfect room. You can also see other mydeco.com user's rooms and get expert advice.

If you are a fan of car boot sales and enjoying finding treasure amongst other people's trash then you might be pleased to hear about a website that lists car boot sales across the UK. It claims to be the fastest growing car boot sale site and allows you to search for boot sales in your area as well as telling you about opening times and entry fees for buyers and sellers. For the real enthusiast there is even a car boot forum where you can share your car boot experiences, review boot sales and even check if the sale is still running on rainy days! For more information visit carbootjunction.com

If you struggle to find interesting days out that the whole family will enjoy in half terms and holidays check out the National Trust properties near you. At www.nationaltrust.org.uk you can search for properties with family facilities or with mazes and play areas where children can let off steam. More than 60 properties have specially designed children's guides and trails. These are available to help you find different ways to explore a historic house and garden or the open countryside. There are quizzes, colouring activities, clues, secret codes and much more. They will normally be available at the property reception or in the shop. National Trust activity packs - 'Tracker Packs' - are a fun and exciting way of discovering the secrets and stories of National Trust properties. They are interactive and designed to be done by the whole family. House Tracker Packs provide a range of lively and fun activities to help children get more from their visit to a historic house.