e2alei, Author at Leisure Lounge

Lounge Makeover: Expectation vs Reality

Posted on October 15, 2018 by e2alei

A lounge makeover is an exciting and stressful time as homeowners try to juggle their design vision, budget, materials and time, to create a chic and functional space. Unfortunately, expectation and reality are often two very different things! We suggest you browse the blog below to find out what realities may be waiting for you, and how you can prepare for the perfect lounge makeover…

Painting the Living Room

Expectation: Taking down this old wallpaper won’t be too difficult, then we can put a fresh coat of paint on the walls and begin our lounge makeover! Speaking of painting: my partner and I will divide and conquer and our living will be looking like a dream in no time.

Reality: The wallpaper is off but there is glue and half-ripped paper strewn across the floor, and clinging to the walls. The cat has gone missing behind a ball of old, smelly wallpaper, and the paint colour doesn’t look like the colour I ordered.

Our Tips: Think carefully before you decide to paint your living room walls. Assess the natural light, the colours that will complement your new design, and the preparation you will need to do before any painting takes place. Painting is not as ‘fun’ as everyone thinks, it requires a lot of hard work and dedication to achieve the result you are after.

New Lounge Furniture and Cabinetry

Expectation: We are buying some new fine furniture for our lounge, including a new couch, accent chair and cabinets to stand the television on. Our new furniture will look great and take our living room to the next level!

Reality: The furniture is only going to look amazing in your home if you remember to measure your space correctly! The couch is halfway out the door, the cabinet is three times too large for your lounge, and you are sitting on the floor feeling very sorry for yourself, and your wallet.

Our Tips: The old adage goes ‘Measure twice, cut once’. Whilst we don’t want you to be chopping up any furniture, we do want you to measure your space and wish list pieces very carefully to ensure a good fit. Your hard-earned cash is worth it!

Furnishing Your Space3

Expectation: I saved a ton of Pinterest boards about lounge makeovers, and I have a pretty good vision of the space I want to create. Most upmarket places will stock the furniture that my heart desires, and I will be able to create the perfect lounge in a weekend.

Reality: Without doing your research and sourcing the pieces of furniture that make your heart sing, you may have trouble scrounging a lounge suite together in a weekend. The pieces you choose could overwhelm your space, or worse, end up as a collection of Pinterest ideas rather than a cohesive space!

Our Tips: Whilst Leisure Lounge can completely provide you with fine furniture, we suggest taking measurements and planning your lounge well to ensure that enough space for everyday life is afforded. Plan out the elements of furniture that you want to include, and how they will complement one another.

All in all, it is most important to remember the planning process when thinking about a lounge makeover, so that you can avoid situations like the above. Make your lounge the heart of your home with Leisure Lounge: our fine furniture caters to a variety of preferences, and we can match you up with the suites of your dreams. Contact us to chat about what your perfect lounge makeover looks like, and how we can help.

Must Have Occasional Chairs This Season

Posted on April 26, 2018 by e2alei

From lounge to bedroom to entrance hall, occasional chairs – otherwise known as accent chairs – are perfect for adding oomph to a space whilst also serving as additional seating should the need arise. There are a number of ways to incorporate an occasional chair into your space; Leisure Lounge has compiled a roundup of occasional and accent chair trends to keep your space current this season.

When to Buy and Where to Put an Occasional Chair

When: If you have a big family or entertain a lot, it’s likely that you have had gatherings before where you have run out of seating. If this rings a bell, you may benefit from an occasional chair not only for aesthetic purposes, but for functional purposes as well. Occasional chairs complement your living space by introducing more colours or textures, augmenting your existing design.
Where: If extra seating is your main requirement, then framing the sideboard in your dining room with plush chairs might be suitable to you. Alternatively, filling up a bare looking corner or accenting your couch with a complementary occasional chair increases seating options in your living space. If you don’t require extra seating, then your occasional chair can be put practically anywhere, so long as it compliments your colour scheme and doesn’t clutter the space.

Accent Chair Trends in the Dining Room

You’ve created the most amazing dining room set up, but there is something missing. You have your stylish dining room chairs, but each end of the dining room table seems a bit bland.
Before you make the mistake of buying all your chairs without thinking about the heads of the table, have a look at our amazing Boxy and Cortina Carvers.
A huge trend this year is mismatched dining chairs, with one or two kinds of occasional chairs alternating between some simpler dining chairs. This design feature allows you to have a fun yet sophisticated space wherein you can showcase your taste and be on-trend.


Cortina Carver	Boxy Carver

Bring Back the Luxe Study

In a study, there is nothing more classy and timeless than a leather wingback chair. More and more, studies are being set up in small or shared spaces in the home – these studies typically call for lighter, more spindly chairs and tables so as not to overpower the space. However, if you have the space, nothing makes quite the same regal statement as a classic wingback such as our Kensington Deep-Buttoned chair.

Occasional Chairs in the Bedrooom

We all know that grey is all the rage right now in every room of the house. In the bedroom, the new neutral is calming but still interesting, and provides a welcome change from the warm neutrals that a lot of us may be tired of. To complement this colour scheme, try an occasional chair in an off-white or cream, with a grey print on it. Take a look at our Boudoir chair with its delicate botanical print…

Occasional chairs come in a variety of shapes and styles to suit any space. Whether you require additional seating for your family gatherings, or need to fluff up that empty corner, occasional chairs have a functional and aesthetic advantage, with the added benefit of being fairly easily portable. For a full look at our occasional chairs, browse our website here.

New Furniture Trends to Try in 2020

Posted on January 6, 2020 by e2alei

At Leisure Lounge, The start of a new decade signifies change and what says ‘change’ better than a little bit of ‘out with the old, in with the new’. Change up your home’s interior by trying out a few of 2020’s new furniture trends.

Top 5 Furniture Trends for 2020

The top new furniture trends in 2020 are stylish, unique and absolutely perfect for the whirlwind new decade that is upon us! Change up your home’s interior décor by trying a few of the 5 furniture trends for 2020 that you will find in this blog.

1. Bold Colours & Patterns

This trend is sure to make your home more vibrant than ever! A popular 2020 furniture trend sees an increase in furniture that is bold in colour and pattern. Forget the neutrally safe couches, instead embrace the arrival of colour in the home. From bright, comfy couches to eye-catching decorative chairs, this year it is all about colour and pattern. Besides being super pleasing on the eye, you can also enjoy searching for the perfect, cold pieces for your new look!

Now Read Your Luxury Dining Room Furniture Guide

2. Metal Furniture

If you are looking for some unique furniture for your home, metal pieces are becoming more and more popular. Metal furniture includes any item made from copper, tin, silver or gold. If you are wanting a space to be extra trendy, try using two different metals together, such as copper and tin- it is important to not mix more than three to prevent your room looking mismatched. Side tables, outside chairs and tables are all items that look great when made of metal.

3. Vintage Furniture

What is a furniture trend list without vintage? This timeless trend is (yet again) on our radar simply because you cannot go wrong with vintage. Additionally, collecting vintage pieces for your home is a sustainable way to decorate your home too, as buying pre-loved items is a great way to lessen your carbon footprint. Cabinets, coffee tables and decorative chairs are all great vintage additions to the home, as this trend does not seem to ever go out of style.

4. Be Eco-Friendly

Speaking of lessening your carbon footprint, eco-friendly furniture pieces are becoming steadily more popular amongst homeowners. Using materials that are less harmful to our planet is a trend every individual should fully support- it’s just an added bonus that it looks great too! Materials such as bamboo and concrete are just two of the many alternatives used for stunningly unique pieces.

Next time you are in the market for a furniture piece, consider the environment and other material that can be used instead of the more common materials.

5. Sculptural Furniture

If you are wanting unique furniture pieces for your home, sculptural pieces are for you. These pieces are extremely unique and artsy made from a variety of weird and wonderful materials such as boiled wool or natural materials. The final product is simply wonderful, as your unique furniture piece may look like an exhibit in an art museum rather than a piece of furniture in your living room. If you are a risk-taken than sculptural furniture is for you!

Get Your 2020 Trendy Furniture from Leisure Lounge

Now that we have given you a small insight into some of 2020’s top trends, it is time for you to decide what you want for your home. Bold and bright, or timeless vintage, customize your furniture pieces with the help of our team at Leisure Lounge. View our online range or contact us today with any questions or queries.

Now Read 3 Vibrant Décor Trends for Summer

New Year’s Resolutions for Your Home

Posted on January 15, 2019 by e2alei

Your family is happy and healthy and your kids are doing well at school. Your career is looking promising and your finances are in good order – even your pets are living their best life… But you know there is always room for improvement – especially home improvement – and the beginning of the year is an excellent time to rethink how you treat your home. We at Leisure Lounge have put together some New Year’s Resolutions to inspire your 2019 tidy up and habit transformation.

4 New Years Resolutions for 2019 that Benefit Your Home

If you have been inspired by the dawning of the new year to make positive changes around the house, take a look at our useful guide and home maintenance goals to tackle in the coming months.

Get Organized & Get Rid of That Clutter

Admit it, you’ve been putting it off for ages and the time has come to stop procrastinating and clear up the clutter that has been accruing over the past few months or even years. You don’t even have to discard it, just learn how to store it stealthily.

You have a lot more storage space than you think, the secret is to learn how to stack in lesser-used spots. You’ve probably heard of shoe organisers, but did you realise that they conveniently store anything from stationery to clothes or accessories? A few extra small shelves in every room are cheap and easy to install and can provide a bit of extra surface space that can help you display your ornaments safely and keep your counters clear.

Get the Whole Family Involved In Home Improvement Projects

It may not always be easy for everyone in the house to make time to spend altogether as a family, but if you can do it, the benefits are priceless. Get the family working together on some DIY projects around the house or garden. A great bonding experience is to plant a tree together. From choosing the tree to digging the hole and watering the plant, the experience will be a memorable one, and a gift that can keep on giving for generations. Think really far ahead by planting the tree in a spot where it will shade the house in future, as this can drastically drive your cooling costs down.

Reduce Your Home’s Energy Consumption

Your house is a greedy energy-eating machine, and it uses additional energy during the very hot and cold months. The easiest way to reduce energy costs is to maintain your windows, your insulation systems, your air-conditioning system, and your ventilation systems regularly. Attending to clogged vents, leaky windows and faulty aircons can reduce your home’s heating and cooling costs by 20% or more. Installing power-saving lights, solar panels, and a jojo tank are just a few examples of proactive ways you can reduce your family’s carbon footprint and limit the negative impact your home has on the environment.

”New Year, New Me!” – Your Home

A change is as good as a holiday, and you will be surprised to find how much difference these resolutions can make to our home’s comfort levels and maintenance expenses overall. Enjoy your brand new home!

Occasional Tables Your Home Will LOVE

Posted on February 20, 2018 by e2alei

Coffee tables, side tables, entrance way counters and serving stations – these can all be considered occasional tables. So, what should you be looking for when choosing occasional tables for your home? We’ve got a few we think you’re going to LOVE…

Berlin Coffee Table

Every lounge needs a coffee table – we’re sure everyone can agree on that. Though it’s not every day you come across a coffee table as trendy as our gorgeous Berlin Coffee Table shown here! Prefer a lighter wood? Let us know an we’ll see if we can source it! Our Berlin Coffee Table measures 1400mm by 700mm, and we can make side table versions of the Berlin measuring 700mm by 700mm.

Caesar Stone Plasma Unit

You could put your new 80-inch plasma screen television on a regular, plywood TV unit – or you could put it on a television unit fit for royalty! Our stunning Caesar Stone Plasma Unit is minimalist in design, with stone surfaces that are effortless to clean. The Caesar measures 1610mm by 400mm, with a height of 620mm. We wouldn’t mind having this beauty in front of us come the nightly TV time!

Berlin Server

We’ve called it the Berlin Server, but you can call it your home’s next occasional table! This striking piece of furniture is ideal for entrance halls, dining rooms, and even outdoor living areas. The Berlin Server measures 1800mm by 400mm, and you can choose your perfect wooden finish from our solid wood samples page!

Custom Furniture in Durban

When ordering furniture from Leisure Lounge, you’re not just choosing a piece and that’s that – we give you total control over the look and feel of your home’s new furniture. Choose your preferred fabric and wood from our range of furniture finishes, and make your next piece of furniture as special as your home is – with Leisure Lounge!

Our stunning NEW Umhlanga Showroom

Posted on December 2, 2016 by e2alei

A massive thank you to everyone involved in getting this off the ground – it is quite unbelievable how much goes into a new showroom such as this, but the end result is amazing and I am so proud!

We have certainly set the bench mark now, so next task is to get Hillcrest and Mayville up to the same level – sorry if I’ve been ignoring you girls up in Hillcrest, but now that we are back to normal, I will ensure you are looked after!

Protecting Leather Furniture When Moving House

Posted on January 31, 2017 by e2alei

Your leather furniture is probably some of the most valuable household goods you own. For this reason, when it comes time to move house, you want to make sure your leather furniture is packed up, transported, and installed with the utmost care! Whether you’re moving up the road, to another town, or across the ocean to a far-flung land, Leisure Lounge has advice on how to protect your leather furniture when moving house..

Packing Your Leather Furniture

When it comes to preparing your leather furniture for storage or moving, plastic is a taboo! Covering your leather couches, chairs or ottomans in plastic sheeting will trap condensation which can cause mildew and result in expensive damage to your leather furniture. Instead, use furniture blankets to protect against scratches, scuffs, and soiling –just make sure the blankets being used are moisture free and as clean as possible! Once your blankets are covering your leather furniture, tape them down with packing tape to prevent unwanted chafing when being moved. Be sure to prevent packing tape, or any other kind of tape, from touching the surface of your leather furniture. This could cause damage and even cause discolouration. With that, your leather furniture is ready for the next step!

Safely Moving Leather Furniture

Phase two of protecting your leather furniture when moving house is the most stressful. This is when your pride and joy gets loaded onto a moving truck and taken to your new home, or placed in a storage container ready to be loaded onto a ship. Begin by planning the route your leather furniture will take from where it is in your home to the moving vehicle outside. Will it fit through your doorways without being scraped? Look for any potential hazards along the way, and remove them if possible. Should you opt to remove the feet from your leather furniture, never drag it along the floor. This could cause serious damage to both your leather and your flooring!

Storing Leather Furniture for Shipping

Moving leather furniture intercontinentally can seem like a daunting task to some, and it is understandable! The stress of not being present to prevent any mishaps while your favourite leather couch sails across the ocean in a shipping container is borderline debilitating. There are, however, steps you can take to make sure your leather loungers arrive in one piece. Try and ensure that the storage container has climate control. If it’s hot and dry, your leather could start peeling and cracking –if it’s too humid and damp, mould and unwanted pests could greet you as the container doors swing open. Consider covering the container floor with sheets of plastic or raise your furniture onto wooden planks to prevent damage from condensation and unwanted vermin. Lastly, whether moving by road truck or shipping container, never pack moving boxes on top of your leather furniture. The weight could leave permanent indentations or scratches.

Leather Furniture Product Care

The best way to protect your leather furniture is to ensure it remains in the best condition possible all year round! Leisure Lounge is absolutely crazy about all things leather, and we understand the importance of correct leather care to enhance longevity and durability of leather furniture. Read through our leather product care tips for a wealth of information on caring for your leather!

Save the Date: Leisure Lounge Umhlanga

Posted on October 21, 2016 by e2alei

Exciting news for Leisure Lounge fans on the North Coast who’ve had to travel into Durban when they need a furniture fix…we’re opening an uMhlanga furniture showroom on 1 December 2016. Save the date, and we’ll see you there!

Scandi Style: Nordic Living Room Ideas

Posted on August 14, 2017 by e2alei

What is it about Scandinavian décor that makes it so effortlessly chic? Inspired by these cool countries from the far Northern hemisphere, we explore how to create the ultimate Scandinavian space – so flop onto your soft Scandi couch (if you don’t have one yet – that’s what this article’s all about!), and read on…

What is Scandi Style?

Post World War II, sweeping socio-cultural changes resulted in radical design transformations, from fashion to architecture and interior décor. One of these brave new schools of design was Scandi style, a design style characteristic of the Scandinavian countries – Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Scandinavian design swept across the world in the 1950s, establishing Scandinavia as a design centre to rival the traditional style powerhouses of France and Italy. Scandi style has remained a staple of the seriously stylish ever since.

Characteristics of Scandinavian Style

Scandinavian design is summed up in one word – simple. It’s minimalist, clean and modern – form follows function for the Scandinavians, and accessories are kept to a minimum. Colours are either monochrome – stark black and white, perhaps with pops of blue – or muted, with greys and neutrals, to maximise light. Pale wood features prominently – for furniture, wall cladding, and flooring (no wall-to-wall carpets here!). Warmth is injected into a space by low lighting, with copper light fittings being the number one choice for a Scandi home. Creating a space which is not only practical, but cosy and comfortable is paramount – see hygge and lagom, below.

The Concepts of Hygge and Lagom

If you enjoy scrolling through Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or clicking and flicking your way through interior style blogs or mags, this style buzzword won’t have escaped you – hygge. Pronounced ‘hoo-guh’, it’s a Danish word that sums up what Scandi style is all about. There’s no one English word that’s an adequate equivalent – perhaps it’s best summed up by English terms such as ‘cosiness’ or ‘kinship’. Hygge is this, and more – with Scandinavians describing it as the essence of the Scandinavian soul. As Visit Denmark, Denmark’s official tourism website tell us, hygge means ‘creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people’ – a way of enduring the dank and dark of a Scandinavian winter, if you will. Bring hygge to your home by:

• Installing a fireplace in your living room – and actually using it in the cold months!
• Arranging clusters of candles in different sizes and shapes – candles scented with cinnamon and vanilla add to the hygge
• Using overhead, dimmer lighting or lamps to create a warm and cosy ambiance
• Having plenty of soft, textured blankets or faux fur throws on hand – on a Scandi couch, of course!
• Throwing shaggy rugs onto floors, not only to give off a cosy vibe but to keep the cold from seeping into a room
• Decorating your living space with a few, well-chosen accessories that hold special meaning for you or your family.

Another Scandi concept trending currently is lagom. Pronounced with a hard ‘g’, this concept emphasises moderation, balance, adequacy and sufficiency – ‘not too little, and not too much, just right’, as the Swedes explain it. Frugality and sustainability are key here – the quintessential pared-down Scandi look, with eco-friendliness playing a central role.

Scandinavian Furniture

In keeping with Scandi design principles, Scandinavian furniture emphasises high quality and expert craftsmanship – principles with which Leisure Lounge strongly identifies! A Scandi couch is the highlight of a Nordic-inspired lounge – featuring clean lines, pale wood, and neutral fabrics, our Oslo or Stockholm corner suites are just the ticket for a super Scandi space!