TIME AND DISTANCE – THE FURNISHINGS AND INTERIORS TRENDS FOR 2011.

HOUSING UNITS

PRESS RELEASE

February 23, 2011.

TIME AND DISTANCE – THE FURNISHINGS AND INTERIORS TRENDS FOR 2011.

Photos here.

Spring and summer 2011 interior design trends will travel through time and distance according to the buying teams at one of the north west’s most influential home furnishings stores.

Designers and department heads at Housing Units know exactly where the horizons will be when homeowners home-in on their house style for this year.

“Outdoor will be particularly notable this year – designers across the board seem to be homing in on mixing cultures and heritage; this trend will use traditional craft and hand-drawn imagery inspired by a vast range of countries and cultures,” said Nick Fox of north Manchester-based Housing Units.

“We’re seeing a mix of African, Russian, Scandinavian and Indian influences across fabrics, metal work and ceramics. This includes well crafted pieces of furniture, while adding embroidered or patterned textiles for understated warmth, and tables will be dressed in hot summer colours – oranges, reds and pinks.

“At Housing Units we’re referring to it as ‘Folkloric’.

“Spring will be big in the house and home this year, where flowers, fabrics and homewares will be in a broad range of yellows and soft greens including khaki, moss and olive shades.

“There’ll also be white lacquer pieces and white porcelain, a look to bring brightness to the home. It’ll all be complemented with rattan garden furniture and natural wood furniture, a theme we’re calling ‘So Fresh’.

“Interiors are going to travel back in time perhaps more distinctly than ever before, with a clear 50s influence. Faded red, jade green and harvest gold are the key colours for this trend. Retro prints and mid–20^th century furniture shapes and styles are a prominent theme.

“But we’re also looking at a ‘Granny Chic’ trend, which will take a fresh direction this spring with contemporary graphics, updates on florals, crochet, china and all things quintessentially British and homespun.

“The main theme is of flowers on tableware, cushions in teal, maroon and muted gold and a real mix of nostalgic flowery wallpapers.

“Chalky Pastels will remain big in 2011 as they were in 2010, with dusty pink, mint green and pale blue becoming a key palette for spring/summer 2011.  Subtle hints of colours will be added to tableware and hard accessories, and the colour palette is combined with matt finishes. “

Housing Units – known for its top-hatted doormen - was established in 1947. It is a family-owned furnishings retailer based in Wickentree Lane, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9BA, next to Junction 22 of the M60. It stocks 30,000 high-quality lines across a range of departments in two buildings and prides itself on its unique style of customer service, the value of its goods and the shopping experience it provides.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

0161 929 0446/07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.housingunits.co.uk

HOUSING UNITS - AND HOW TO GET AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW.

HOUSING UNITS

PRESS RELEASE

August 2, 2010.

HOUSING UNITS - AND HOW TO GET AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW.

 View videos. View photos.

If you want to be a star of the show, then get an exclusive interview – that’s the message from one of the most-approached recruitment heads in the Oldham and north Manchester area.

Claire Washbrook, Personnel Manager at Housing Units, one of the UK’s leading home furnishings stores, says that those who impress when applying for a role at the store or in its support and logistics operations are the interviewees who know almost as much about the business as the interviewer.

“To stand out, you have to show knowledge and interest – and there’s so much knowledge available online these days that anybody and everybody should be able to arrive at an interview with a good understanding of a business,” said Claire.

“But where as some businesses might throw up obstructions, at Housing Units we want to be positive and to encourage – so while there’s plenty of material out there about the retail aspect of the business, we’ve decided to put some key pieces of information into video form. (View videos).

“The videos explain something about the business, our people, their approach, their rewards and incentives – the sorts of things that are not necessarily in the public domain, but which we are happy to share with people who want to join our business.”

Housing Units – known for its top-hatted doormen - was established in 1947. It is a family-owned furnishings retailer based in Wickentree Lane, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9BA, next to Junction 22 of the M60. It stocks 30,000 high-quality lines across a range of departments in two buildings and a crescent of specialist shops, and prides itself on its unique style of customer service, the value of its goods and the shopping experience it provides.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

0161 929 0446/07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.housingunits.co.uk

Housing Units and other photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pressrelations

HOUSING UNITS SCOOPS AWARD

http://www.thebusinessdesk.com/northwest/news/25410-awaiting-pic-housing-units-scoops-top-national-award.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NorthWest_25th_May_2010_-_Daily_E-mail

OUTDOOR FURNITURE: HOUSING UNITS STARTS SUMMER EARLY

http://www.cabinet-maker.co.uk/news/view/id/1353

“SIX-SEASON YEAR” DRIVES EARLY AND DOUBLED-SIZED OUTDOOR FURNISHINGS LAUNCH.

HOUSING UNITS

PRESS RELEASE

March 23, 2010.

“SIX-SEASON YEAR” DRIVES EARLY AND DOUBLED-SIZED OUTDOOR FURNISHINGS LAUNCH.

Home furnishings retailer Housing Units has brought forward the launch of its 2010 outdoor range, and doubled the floor space of the department as it plans for what it expects to be yet another “six season” year.

Failsworth, Manchester, -based Housing Units sold out of outdoor and gardening furnishings ahead of forecast in 2009 – with sales in the department up 15% on 2008. The UK outdoor furniture retail sector is expected to grow by 2% in 2010.

“The past few years we seem to have seen six seasons in 12 months – Winter, Spring, Summer 1, Autumn-in-August, Summer 2 and then Autumn. Customers want their outdoor furniture earlier because of this seemingly now consistent weather trend, and they want to spread the cost when they buy extended sets,” said Nick Fox, director of Housing Units.

“Trading can still sometimes be challenging – although we’re actually in pretty good shape - so we’ll listen to anything and everything our customers say, and they’ve been saying they want outdoor furnishings sooner rather than later.

“It’s been a little like our Christmas approach: we opened the Christmas department in September 2009, and overall sales figures were higher over a longer period because people spread their spending.

“That’s what we expect to happen in our outdoor department, which has been doubled in size to 3,500 square feet. People are fed up with the weather, are cautious about planning a holiday or house move, and so are investing in the new generation of outdoor furniture which is both extremely hardy, and stylish enough to be used indoors as well – although not always with the parasol, of course.”

Housing Units – known for its top-hatted doormen - was established in 1947. It is a family-owned furnishings retailer based in Wickentree Lane, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9BA, next to Junction 22 of the M60. It stocks 30,000 high-quality lines across a range of departments in two buildings and prides itself on its unique style of customer service, the value of its goods and the shopping experience it provides.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

0161 929 0446/07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.housingunits.co.uk