If you're looking for a new wooden floor in 2015, be sure to pick up the current issue of Beautiful Kitchens magazine, featuring expert advice from Ecora and some stunning interior inspiration pics.

"Choosing the rIght wood is essential – hardwoods such as Oak, Maple and Ash are the most durable and best suited for the demands of a kitchen floor" advises Jeandré du Toit, sales director at Ecora.

The article also features expertise on choosing solid or engineered wood, the types of finishes and treatments on the market, and how to lay your wood to maximise the particular size of your interior.

A short post this week from the Ecora team to simply wish you all a truly happy Christmas and a wonderful new year!

2014 has been a great year for Ecora, with some exceptional interior projects completed, fabulous new woods added to our collection and a huge expansion of our Ecora Home range - and we want to thank all of our customers for their continued support!

Have a wonderful festive season from Ecora!

As part of our new blog features, we take a look at some of the leading figures in the British design world, and discuss how they have inspired the Ecora team with their style leadership.

First up, we look at designer, entrepreneur and TV personality Kelly Hoppen MBE, whose taste and style we hugely admire here at Ecora. Here’s the three top things we love about Kelly and her work, as illustrated by some of her inspirational quotes.

“I am convinced that a calm, quiet and harmonious interior can be as beneficial to health as a sensible diet and regular exercise”

A Kelly Hoppen interior is all about balance - a yin-yang scheme of dark and pale, using a palette of neutral colours and contrasting textures. Beware too much oppressive or dark colours to imitate Kelly Hoppen style.

"The detail in our projects is so couture it's like going to Chanel for a gown” (from a 2007 interview with the Telegraph)

While she may be know as the Queen of Taupe, Kelly’s netural colour schemes never fall flat thanks to the inclusion of specially selected texture, for example quality linens, crushed velvet, fur rugs or the juxtaposition of antiques alongside glossy new furniture. The key is to keep these as focus features, not overpowering the sense of calm within an interior.

“A home should be where you feel joy and happiness. It should feel like your own space, reflective of the spirit, life and loves of the people who live there”

A known appreciator of energy flows within a home, Kelly advocates the use of natural light and fresh air within a living space, as well as incorporating natural elements such as wood carvings or metals to encourage a positive flow of energy. Ensure to keep work and living spaces clutter free to truly enjoy the space and energy too.

Looking to imitate the style of Kelly Hoppen for your own home? Take a look at some of Ecora's glossy black woods, or pale brushed greys floors, as a great neutral base. Add flair and style with quality accessories from our home range. Call into our London showroom any time to find a style perfectly suited to your tastes! 

Above from L-R: Our Oak Long Acre, one of the darkest floors in our range, brushed it to enhance the grain, our delicious grey of our Oak Hampstead White wood, and stylish features from our Ecora Home range

This Saturday 13^th December only we offer a massive 20% discount on the entire Ecora Home range!

It’s the perfect time to stock up on beautiful homeware gifts for Christmas, choosing from our wide range of exceptional pieces.

Choose colourful presents to brighten up the winter home with these fabulous fabrics.

Or combine a personal photograph or print with one of our unique frames for a truly thoughtful gift. 

Other gems include candlesticks, glass-topped wooden jewellery boxes and hand-made tea light holders - something for every home! We look forward to welcoming you in store this weekend!

Ecora are delighted to add an incredibly beautiful selection of La Montaña candles to our Home Range – just in time for the festive season!

These luxury scented candles are truly heavenly, and are created by local Londoners Cassandra and Jonathan Hall, who are also based in Belsize. This creative couple spent a number of years living in Spain and were enthralled with the invigorating new scents of the Spanish countryside, and were inspired to create the a range of candles that incorporate the fabulous fragrances of the Mediterranean.

The candles not only smell wonderful, but also look great on the mantelpiece – each candle bears its own unique and collectable label in the style of a nostalgic 1930’s travel poster. 

Enliven your home with winter scents such as Winter Oranges, a warm, spicy blend of Valencia orange, cinnamon, red apple and clove, or Galán de Noche, an intoxicating night-scented jasmine, with tantalising hints of rose, orange blossom, and ylang yang.

Candles retail at £35, and Ecora are the only North West London stockists for this exclusive range.

Be inspired this season by snow whites and pale greys of winter skies to transform your home into a cool and calm sanctuary all year round.

Lighter-toned wood floors are a showstopping feature in a home, and now come without the headache of cleaning issues due to vast improvements in sealing and treatments that will keep a stylish white floor resplendent all year round.

Above: From L-R, Ecora's Oak Firenze, Oak Hampstead and Oak Brendan Brushed.

Paints in a white palette create a crisp contemporary base for your home, with its subtlety allowing artwork and furniture to stand supreme.

This colourway also helps to create a sense of calm and peace throughout an interior. Not to mention a white foundation in a home visually expands the space and is arguably the most flexible base colour for future style changes.

Above: A selection within the pale palette from Earthborn Natural Paints, featuring (L-R): White, Fresh Air, Wood Smoke, Feather Pillow, Lily Lily Rose

Think through the full palette to find your perfect shade – from crisp and clean whites to tranquil moonlight greys and cosy creams.

And don’t forget to accessorise with white to add stylish accents without breaking the bank, and ideally choose quality items such as those available from Ecora Home (below) which are flexible enough to use both within kitchen or living areas.

Above L-R: Les Guimards Pottery Sugar Bowl, Enamel two-piece food carrier with handle and Light Green Stool

Although the autumn leaves are falling as quickly as the temperature, there is no excuse to stay indoors with some of the fabulous events planned this month in the capital!

World War 1 Tribute at the Tower of London

We're sure you've seen the pictures in the media of the truly incredible Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London, but it really needs to be seen in person for full impact.

A tide of 88,246 ceramic poppies, one for each British and colonial fatality during World War I, seeps across the dry moat of the Tower of London in a dramatic but ultimately very touching tribute to those who gave their lives. Each evening at twilight crowds gather to listen as a lone bugler plays the Last Post.

If you can't make it, you can view the making of the installation on the Tower of London homepage here.

 Lord Mayor's Show and Fireworks - Sat 8 November

Coming up quick (tomorrow!) is this fabulous free event at the Guildhall. The Lord Mayor's Show has marched  through and incredible 799 years of London history, arriving in the modern day as one of the best loved events on the annual calendar.

A procession of some 7,000 people and 180 horses, along with dancers, drummers and floats, sees the gilded state coach (normally on display at the Museum of London) winding its way through London with much pomp and splendour. Festivities end at 5.15pm with a spectacular fireworks display over the Thames.

More info here: http://lordmayorsshow.london

The Real Food Market - Southbank Centre Square

Autumn brings a delicious cuisine all of its own, with hearty, warming meals featuring root vegetables, slow cooked meats and delights such as apples and pears. If you want to get a slice of the freshest seasonal produce there is no better place to visit than the Real Food Market in Southbank. Now weekly, the market features around 40 food and drink producers selling seasonal produce directly to the public.

Warm yourself with a spicy Ghanian stew from Spinach and Agusi, wash it down with a London-made beer from the Meantime Brewing Company or select ingredients for your own home made creation from the fruit and vegetables on display at Ash Green Organics.

More info here: http://www.realfoodfestival.co.uk/markets 

It’s become almost a design buzz word over the past decade, with lots of our customers telling us it inspires their interior, but what exactly is Scandinavian style?

Well, here at Ecora we interpret the Nordic aesthetic as clean and confident, bright, light and simple, with a definite appreciation of quality over quantity.

'Scandi style' typically embraces white, with pops of colour used as a feature rather than the basis for an entire colour scheme. Furniture is functional and well-made, with clean lines and a nod to mid-century designs.

An eco ethos is very much insisted upon, with wood a major feature within Scandi interiors, as well as an appreciation and understanding of sustainable practices.

The phrase “messy bed messy head” comes to mind – in that a Scandinavian interior allows for the exact opposite. Its clean simplicity creates a restful and clutter-free interior that is both relaxing when it needs to be, but focussed and functional too.

On the Ecora site we have a gallery of woods that we recommend for creating a Scandinavian style interior, featuring plenty of dusty greys, pale oaty browns and also our dark Oak Langham wood with its unique grey veined finish. 

Our Homewares range also has plenty of quality pieces to help bring a Nordic style to your own home.

We believe Scandinavian style is absolutely adaptable for British interiors, and its modern, pared-back look means future style changes and updates are easy to make. 

For more info on any of our products featured, or how to adapt this style for your home, feel free to drop into our showroom or contact the Ecora team!