VR Flowers

Having recently attended the January Furniture Show, delayed until April due to Covid restrictions, I took it upon myself to do some trend spotting. Being the UK’s largest and most prominent furniture show, where better place to do it?

Although it was delayed and far smaller than previous years, the 2022 show was still well worth attending. Based in Birmingham’s NEC, ordinarily taking up 5 large halls, it is a fair distance from little Seaford but worth the long drive once a year. Some of the more prominent manufacturers such as Parker Knoll, G-Plan and TCH were not in attendance, but this gave greater provenance to the smaller, sometimes overlooked, manufacturers. There was a pleasure in this as I discovered some new suppliers worth considering in the future. There’s no harm in bringing new and exciting products to our customers!

Bring colour back to your home

Many of the latest trends were displayed in a variety of colours. Stylistically, there was not a great deal of ‘mould breaking’ this year, but that is to be expected when you consider that we are not long out of Covid restrictions and, some countries, are still experiencing it. That said, there was some stand out colours moving forward into the 22-23 season. A heavy focus on deep bottle green was featured across many stands. The colour is a favourite of mine. Dusky pinks seem to still have a position but to a lesser extent than in previous years. A pleasant surprise would have to be some more earthy colour options appearing, such as terracotta and pastel greens. Brighter blues and even the occasional yellow also featured, something I didn’t expect but was pleased to see some new and exciting colours on the stands. Dare I say it, grey has somewhat faded off into the distance, which is a welcomed change. It would be fair to say that the pallet of colours available to consumers is growing. I regret not photographing this, but one stand was full of paisley patterned furniture – the whole stand! Whilst I wouldn’t want to comment on the desire for that cover style, it was definitely a standout in my view.

Cabinet furniture

Upholstery aside, the cabinet furniture section remained relatively unchanged. It seems the UK has settled on the styles they like, and that’s that. The familiar oak options were plentiful and in varying degrees of qualities and shades; there’s no surprise there. Some more ‘Nordic’ options were coming to the forefront with ash-coloured tops, but these are not revolutionary. I had noticed a trend in the switch from bulky oak options to a more minimalistic approach; more on that below. Pleasingly, there were some more modern designs around, which is a big step for cabinet furniture.

Accessories for the home

Accessories wise, JFS did not disappoint. The Kettle Interiors stand was the busiest stand by far, although this may have had something to do with the fact they had a fully stocked bar – not that I indulged, of course. Cold beverages aside, they did have some wonderful accessories – everything from small lamps for side tables to full-length mirrors. It really did give me some excellent inspiration for dressing up our 4 floors of furniture. Likewise, exhibitors such as Gallery had suitable offerings of accessories for your home. Geometrical shapes, splashes of gold, bronzed items, and some marvellous ‘trinkets’ were all on display. Truthfully, I could have spent the whole day and a considerable sum of money in just the accessory hall. Luckily, I had another member of staff to reign me in.

Designed room sets

With the 2022 Furniture Show over, I think the next 12 months of trading will be interesting. A definite shift from ‘just’ displaying furniture in groups to designing full-blown room sets is evident for all to see. This allows exhibitors and retailers to not be qualified interior designers to get the best out of their stores. In turn, this gives customers that much-needed inspiration. Adding a small splash of gold or a few accessories makes the home feel far more luxurious for not too much money.

See you in 2023, JFS!

Will

V R Flowers and Son are looking for an additional floor layer to join our team.

We are a family run business since 1948 and supply a variety of carpet, sheet vinyl and vinyl tiles for our customers in the Sussex area.We pride ourselves on providing customers with an excellent level of customer service and high-quality of fitting to ensure repeat business.

You will be working along side our flooring department who will organise the days work for yourself. All we need you to do is fit it! We would ideally like someone who has had multiple years experience in the floor laying trade as we require someone to start immediately.

Carpet and sheet vinyl experience is a must but we do not necessarily require someone who has experience in LVT fitting. We would also ideally like someone who has their own tools but this can be discussed at point of interview.

We run 2 vehicles and so, most days, a vehicle will be available to you. You must hold a full clean UK driving license in order to be insured under our fleet policy. We pay competitive rates and you will be paid per square meter plus additional for certain aspects of the job – for example stair charge premiums. We also pay our fitters as promptly as possible once the job is completed.

Please call Will Flowers on 01323 892040 to find out more.

Due to new stock arriving, we have some amazing offers on four Hypnos divan sets and beds. Why not take advantage of immediate delivery, when normally you would be looking at a 12-week wait.

Hypnos beds are found in the world’s best hotels, made in GB from natural and sustainable products; they are truly fabulous beds. Once you have sampled the comfort of a Hypnos bed, you will never want to change!

Hypnos Melody Pillow Top King size Divan set

The Melody pillow top boasts a sumptuously soft layer of wool, natural Talalay latex and Solotex™, together with Adaptiv™ springs, which sense and flex to your shape. Featuring 37.5® active technology which helps to regulate temperature and moisture. This luxury no turn mattress features a ReActive™ 8-turn pocket spring system that independently senses your shape and weight distribution to provide total spinal and body support.

The cover is naturally chemical-free for a soft sleep surface and added peace of mind. Tailored with three rows of hand side-stitching for edge-to-edge support, and hand-tufted for long-lasting comfort.

Special offer £2,699, down from £3,651

Hypnos Clarence Sublime 5’ Divan Set

The Clarence Sublime has ultra-sensitive pocket springs and is made from layers of wool, pashmina, bamboo yarn and alpaca.

This amazing divan has a hidden safe, drawers and comes complete with headboard as part of this luxury package of unparalleled comfort.

Described on the Hypnos website as ‘Luxurious, top quality pocket sprung mattress with naturally soft and breathable layers of pashmina, organic wool, bamboo yarn and alpaca for breathability and blissful sleep comfort.’

To clear £4,499 reduced from £7,288.

Hypnos Hampton Sublime 4’6” Divan Set

The Hampton Sublime is another luxury bed with a mattress featuring Hypnos’s intelligent UltraSens™ 15 pocket spring system providing seamless progressive-support and a comfort level that is unmatched with other makes.

The Hampton Divan Set includes headboard and is reduced from £4,437 to £3,299 in our showroom bed clearance.

Hypnos Cypress deluxe 4’ 6” divan set with headboard

The Cypress is a fairly firm mattress made with layers of natural New Zealand wood. The pocket springs have 8 active turns and the mattress, like all from Hypnos, has hand side-stitching and all-natural fibres.

Special offer of £1,599 reduced from £2,124.

As we are sure you have heard by now, all non-essential shops must close for a second lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19. As such, we will have no option but to close our doors once again and do our part to save our community.

However, this time we are more prepared, and we all know what to expect. We want to thank everyone, including our customers and staff. We couldn’t go on without you all!

As per the government guidelines, we will be shut as of Thursday this week (5 November). We will endeavour to be contactable over the period of lockdown, so please email or call us and we will get back to you. Regrettably, this does mean that lots of orders will be temporarily postponed, but we will contact you shortly if your order is to be affected.

Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to welcoming you back as soon as possible!

The Flowers Team.

To ensure the safety of our customers and staff, we have carried out a lot of work in the store and followed the government’s best practice in social distancing, the use of hand sanitisers and masks.

Read our recent Shop Safely guidelines from V R Flowers and Son.

Our guidelines will be posted on our doors for those people who may not have read this blog or, our Facebook page.

We can’t wait to see you all and help you choose some lovely furniture, beds and carpets to brighten up your homes and make them more comfortable. We ask that you understand our near 10 week break has meant that we will be running behind with some things and many of our suppliers have also only just returned to their workplaces.

We are doing everything we can to make things safe and to get everyone their products as quickly as possible.

STORE GUIDELINES FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING

• If you have ANY symptoms, please do NOT come and see us. As much as we love seeing you all, we must stay safe.
• We will be closing for lunch from 1 – 2pm every day. This is due to lower than usual staff levels and it ensures our lovely people are available to help you.
• Please adhere to our 2 metre distancing rules. Tape is on the floor in the main areas to help. (Tape in an ‘X’ indicates an area not to access)
• Our FRONT DOOR is staying closed. We will be open but to limit people in the building, we have ONLY opened the rear door.
• Hand sanitiser and masks are available. Please use the hand sanitiser when you enter.
• Screens have been put up at each desk. As much as we would love to talk face-to-face, these are for everyone’s safety.
• Flooring and furniture samples will not be able to be removed from the store. This is to reduce the risk of cross infection within the store and the community. Mail order samples are available – so please just ask.
• Our top floor will remain by appointment only. This is so we can ensure our guidelines are met and we don’t have customers bumping into each other.
• Deliveries are an ongoing challenge. Please bear with us in regards to logistics. Each customer will be emailed or sent a document that will outline what we need them to do in order to complete a delivery.
• Please understand that our removal service is currently unavailable for mattresses. Its a difficult decision as we know many of our customers cannot remove their existing mattresses by themselves. However, from a safety and hygene perspective, its a challenge we are yet to overcome. Rest assured, we are working on it.
• Lastly: All of the above are a shortened version of our Risk Assessment. As with any safety measures, they are subject to change. If you have any questions regarding the above or you think we have missed something, please get in contact with Mark or Will Flowers who will be happy to discuss it further.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to phone on 01323 892040 or ask when you arrive at the store.

How do you go about choosing a sofa which is right for you with so many styles and colours to choose from? You may think you know what you want, but once you start browsing the internet and walking around the sales, the styles, shapes and alternatives seem endless.

The first consideration must be the size. After all, how much space in your living can your sofa take up? Do you want a coffee table or an L-shaped sofa or one which makes a statement and becomes the focal point of your living room?

If your living room is more compact, you will be looking for a smaller settee, and it’s better to be more practical and choose a style and fabric to complement the rest of your room.

Think about how you use your living room. Is it for your family to lounge in and relax? Do you have multiple seating areas where a large group can sit around and chat or is it more for sitting down in front of the TV?

Consider your areas and the shape of your room. Do you need the sofa to act as a divider?

Think also about the upholstery materials – fabric, velvet, leather and whether you need them resistant to fading, and to be stain-resistant.

Choose a style that complements your home – sleek and modern will call for clean lines and perhaps dramatic colours or do you have an eclectic mix of styles, fabrics and patterns. Are you more traditional? If so, the classic sofa will work well and complement the rest of your furniture. Don’t be afraid to add your personal touches, for example, why not use your sense of fun and accessorise a more everyday sofa with quirky, modern cushions or throws.

Rebecca (above) has been styled on the well-loved classic Chesterfield. This stylish button-back sofa is available in dark blue velvet, in two sizes and an armchair.

2.5 seat sofa £1079, 2-seat sofa £999, Armchair £669 (prices correct until 15 February 2020)

Roxie is a stunning new addition to the V R Flowers range. Available in dusky pink or navy-blue velvet upholstery, it’s a neat sofa that fits in any modern setting.

Perfect for those looking to utilise their space, the petite dimensions mean it would fit anywhere. It would even make a fantastic feature in a larger bedroom. Roxie two-seat sofa at £599 while stocks available.

See more of our range here or check out our clearance pages for a real bargain.