Q. How can I furnish a traditional sitting room mixing different periods and styles?
A. In our Designers’ Studio, take a look at our Town and Country Room and see how we have successfully mixed many different types of furniture and decorative objects.
A 19th century style sofa sits elegantly alongside simple polished wood side tables with carved and painted wood urn-shaped lamps.
On the matching coffee table we have placed unusual carved marble book-ends, a shining nickel drinks tray with matching ice bucket and a beautiful lacquer box in soft blue with a dragonfly silver finial top.
The sofa’s colours are subtle but we have lifted them with the vibrantly coloured throws and intricately embroidered cushions.
On the walls we have hung imposing, but simple, painted metal, dark red candle sconces, either side of the window sill, where a heavy, hand carved marble flagon sits.
On the floor an ancient design is hand woven into a wool rug in warm autumn colours. We have completed the room with a magnificent Chippendale style polished hardwood chest of drawers with a black painted faux marble top and heavy, solid brass handles, on which sits a crimson red miniature ornamental temple.
The Town & Country Hallway shows again how different styles, periods and origins of furniture and ornaments can be blended together to achieve an unusual and interesting design.
This hallway is traditional in decoration with a white and black stone tiled floor but the furnishings shown would look just as good on almost any style of floor – wooden boards, carpet, flagstones.
Q. Are there any pieces which can be used in more than just one way?
A. 1. The Eaton Console Table in the Town and Country Hallway is part of the same collection (The Eaton Collection) as the side and coffee tables in the Town & Country Room. This is a flexible piece of furniture which can be used in a hall, as here, or in other rooms, as a serving table in a dining room, as a console table in a sitting room or even as a dressing table in a bedroom.
2. The Toulon Console we have used as a Hall Table in the Chateau Life Hallway, teaming it with elegant accessories and flanked by a pair of sophisticated painted metal wall sconces.
We have also used it successfully in the Kitchen/Dining Room room set, showing it as a country dresser base filled with cheeses, bread and garden vegetables.
3. All our side tables are elegantly practical either side of a sofa in the sitting room or as bedside tables.
4. The Lotus Box is an indispensable storage box, looking elegant in a sitting room, bedroom or home office. See it in Blue Lotus.
5. The Lucknow Chairs are superb as a pair in a hall or try eight of them round a plain dining table. We have also used them in a quiet, sophisticated bedroom setting in A Dream in Cream as well as in a sitting room, see Fusion.
6. The Nanjing Chairs are equally dramatic in a hall, sitting room or study. See them featured in The Lure of Lacquer, Indo-Chine and Scarlet and Black.
7. The Shimla Chair we have placed in a hall, see Town and Country Hall and just as effectively in a sitting room, see Oriental Opulence.
8. The Cube Coffee Table is a favourite with flat owners with limited space but also it works so well in a larger sitting room when placed beside another to form a larger coffee table, see The Glow of Gold or alternatively as a pair of side tables either side of a sofa or bed.
9. The Chameleon Stool/Table is the master of versatility, see it as a side table in The Orangery and The Glow of Gold and also as a stool in Indo-Chine.
10. The Tree of Life Throw we have used not only as a bright addition to seating in The Orangery but also as an exquisite and cost effective bedhead in an elegant bedroom in A Dream in Cream.
11. The Marble Carpet Weights we have found so many uses for, including door stops, paper weights and bookends. See them in The Town and Country Drawing Room and The Francophile.
Q. How can I create impact on a budget?
A. We have a golden tip – multiply the same. In many of the room designs we have created you will find pairs, and sometimes more. The Lure of Lacquer illustrates this so well – a pair of Nanjing chairs flank the Annam hall table holding a pair of Façade Lamps and a pair of Stone Buddhas. Under the table parade four Wedding Horses.
Without the pair of Chateau Sconces in The Chateau Life Hallway, some of the visual attraction is immediately lost. Together they create a grandeur and importance to a small space.
We find that more than two candlesticks on a dining table add drama and soft light – see the impact of four on the table in Entertaining.
Another tip is to follow through with a particular colour. Look at Scarlet and Black and you will see the red of the Annam Coffee Table picked up by the red Mirzapur Cushion, the Shiva Temple, the Bubble Lamps with their shades and the shining scarlet Lantern Vase.
In The Glow of Gold yellow and orange are the colours – Chameleon Tables, Tree of Life Throws, the Coral Reef and Burford Cushions and dishes of oranges and lemons, just to emphasise it all.
If you have one important piece, give it space and a contrasting object. In Oriental Opulence we placed the silver Lantern Vase on the floor rather than on a table, as you might expect, and instead of flowers we found some gnarled branches to place in it.
We love to group all our photos together, rather like a gallery for our friends to view. We have shown this in The Frames Collection. The frames are different but the impact is in the number placed together.
Q. Is there anywhere that I can see BTCbyDESIGN’s products?
A. Yes, you can call our Customer Services Team – 0844 557 8882 - who will tell you when the next Special Viewing Date is. These viewing days are held at our warehouse in Gloucestershire. You can order and arrange delivery at the time of your visit.
Towards the end of this year we anticipate opening a showroom in the Cotswolds. News of this opening will be posted on our website.
Q. Can I arrange for a gift to be sent to a friend?
A. Yes, we have a special Gift and Wedding List service. When you visit the site, click on the link listed as Gift & Wedding List at the bottom of the page and read how to choose any of our products as a gift for a friend, bride and groom and we will deliver it to their door from you.
Q. Do you have a catalogue and how can I receive it?
A. Yes, we do have a catalogue and we will be very happy to send you one – and also one to a friend, if you wish – just call our Customer Services Team on 0844 557 8882 or email us at info@btcbydesign.com and we will be sure you receive one.
Q. How do I order a product from BTCbyDESIGN?
A. Either call us on 0844 557 8882 or order on-line at www.btcbydesign.com
Q. When I order from you is my privacy protected?
A. Yes, your privacy is totally protected. Visit our Privacy & Security page on our website (listed at the bottom of each page) where we fully describe this protection.
We hope we have answered your questions. If you have any further queries we would be pleased to hear from you either by telephone on 0844 557 8882 or by email to customerservice@btcbydesign.com
Q. How do I look after the products I buy from you?
A. We have a detailed page of information on Product Care on our website but here are some of the most important suggestions:
Q. How do I know when BTCbyDESIGN is offering any discounts?
A. We always publish our sales and special offers on the Homepage of our website. If you would like to be at the head of the queue just email us at designclub@btcbydesign.com and you can become a member of our Design Club. This membership entitles you to receive forward information on all our sales and special offers before the general public. You will also receive regular emails with information on monthly Designer tips and suggestions on how to change and brighten your home, as well as news of forthcoming additions to our range and a special scheme where you can place individual orders for ‘out of stock’ items, receiving these before anyone else.
Q. What can I do if I want to purchase an item which is currently out of stock?
A. You may Special Order an item which is currently out of stock by telephoning our Customer Services Department on 0844 557 8882. Our Services Team will take all your details and the detail of the item requested, along with a 30% deposit which guarantees a specific order in your name. We will keep in touch with you by email or telephone (your choice) regarding the expected time of delivery to our warehouse and on to your home address.
Please note that certain products may not be included in the Special Order programme.
Q. If I don’t like the product when I receive it, can I return it?
A. We do hope that, like the majority of our customers, you are pleased with your choice and that it exceeds your expectations. If, for some reason you wish to return it, you can, of course do so.
If the product is a heavy item, it will be delivered by our special 2-man delivery team. You are recommended to inspect HEAVY/FRAGILE item(s) immediately on arrival as these can be returned at the point of delivery free of charge but, if you subsequently decide to return the item(s), it may take up to 28 days for a collection (40 days for more remote areas) and a charge of £50 will be made. See below for terms of ‘return items’.
If the product is a standard size/weight (typically 0- 30 kg), it will be delivered by our Home Delivery network service. Please notify us by telephone (0844 557 8882 or email customerservice@btcbydesign.com), within 7 days and return the item(s) to us within 28 days unused and wrapped in the original packaging to ensure safety during delivery. On inspection of the item, if received in original and good condition you will be entitled to a refund or exchange. Please ensure that you enclose the completed Returns Form which is on the back of the dispatch note.
It is at the discretion of the Management of BTCbyDESIGN to agree to a full refund of the purchase price if these simple requests are not followed.
Q. Can you deliver to my house outside the UK?
A. Yes, we already have many customers who live abroad and have received deliveries of our products for their homes. Just call our Customer Services Team on 0844 557 8882 and we will advise you of the cost of delivery to your address and we will be delighted to arrange this for you with our international delivery company.
It is of great importance, due to the distance, that products are checked on arrival, in the unlikely event that there is a problem which requires the product to be returned.
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