Just as I gazed out of the office window over our 3 acre site, I remember that the BIG FAIRS are just round the corner. First is the Furniture Fair to take place from 24th January to 27th at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) just south of Birmingham on the M6/M42 junction. It's now got a posh name viz ''Interiors'' because in addition to Furniture it embraces flooring, kitchens, bathrooms, lighting, gifts and a plethora of other goods which could vaguely find themselves in your house. The Show has been going for some 10 years at this venue and is recognised as the jumping off point for the New Year.

In theory the Shops and Stores should have had a great Christmas and a strong January Sale leaving them hungry for new lines of which we have an abundance. Sometimes the theory doesn't work and for instance, 2009 saw the customers staying away in droves. Big mistake of course because the year finished very strongly and everybody was short of the best lines.

Following on a fortnight later comes the Spring Fair, erstwhile gift Fair which started in the nineteen - fifties in Harrogate, moved to Blackpool in the Sixties and then to the NEC as soon as it was constructed in the seventies. Febland's have been exhibitors from the beginning and we now deal with the grandchildren of the original customers. Occasionally a wizened old survivor turns up to enjoy a nostalgia fest and remembers the millions of Italian pottery rose bowls we used to sell for half a crown apiece.

But what does it take to take part in such important exhibitions? Some of our competitors seem to spend fortunes on their stand. Massive two storey constructions are common. Hospitality counters are everywhere with flowing champers and smoke salmon sandwiches. Everybody seems to give away smart carrier bags and thick shiny catalogues, many of which are dumped as the visitor struggles though the manifold corridors getting wearier and wearier.

As I write we are unpacking our selection of upholstery items with which we hope to wow the crowds. The first impression is all important and “reliable but dull” is not recommended. We hope to put on the stand some cutting edge pieces to show what we can do in our workshops. Big Dave is working out a pattern for the stands which we build ourselves and carefully work out how many chandeliers we can hang from vantage points over the 90 metre construction. Because of the cost per metre we have to try and maximise the impact and we are always guilty of trying to cram too much on the stand and resultantly a lorry always goes back to Blackpool on the Saturday night before the show laden with good stuff which
we couldn't fit on this time. We try to plan it out but because it is a team effort and everybody in our sales dept tries to put their oar in. Often times we seem to break the rule of 'less is more' and resultantly customers couldn't approach the displays.

Next consideration is timing. When the team arrives at the NEC three days before the show is due to open, the halls are like vast and freezing mausoleums. Dimly lit and repellent in aspect and encumbered with all the wherewithal to construct stands to comply with health and safety standards for the 4 days of the show. Masses of cable litter the floor. One stumbles over pallets of timber and new rolls of flooring. It is not uncommon to find on one's stand a whole pile of other people's exhibits. This is because you cannot build your stand with all the samples plonked in the middle and have to take a chance and leave them nearby while you put up the walls and cover the floor. Hence we try to send one construction team ahead with the stand and another following on with the samples. Sounds simple enough until you start unpacking the cartons and find odd bits missing or complicated lamps which take an eternity to wire up. There is always the possibility of vital pieces being left off or duplicated. Great care must be taken not to overload the capacity of the current space allocated to the stand. One bulb too many and you blow the fuse and plunge the stand into dreaded gloom.

By the Saturday afternoon prior to Opening Day the staff are still battling with what seems like a bomb site but magically around midnight it all falls into place or at least it is as good as it's going to be and the sales staff are able to clean and price each and every sparkling piece.

Having a team construct and later dismantle a big stand involves a lot of local accommodation, a lot of meals and snacks, a lot of transport and many frayed tempers. However much preparation one does, the unexpected always plays a part. Sometimes fortuitously. I recall when we loaded a range of furniture which we did not intend to display at all and it turned out to be a winning range. Let us hope we get off to a good start with your help again this year. I will report later on the blog line as to how it went and give you an update on the subsequent Spring Fair in February.

Staying in is the new black, and popping the lids off a few Bacardi Breezers and a serving a bowl of peanuts just isn’t the way to do it anymore.

A contemporary home bar brings an element of glamour and sophistication to your front room – enveloped in a retro classic design, home bars can be the perfect place to store all your exotic mixers and little umbrellas, they make the ideal place to stand around and chat.

The best action and loudest laughs alway takes place round the bar in the pub, and home bars are no different. It adds a whole new sociable dimension to your gatherings – no longer does everyone have to crowd in the kitchen or shout across the living room – standing round a home bar brings intimacy, closeness and true feeling of camaraderie. Especially once you start working through a cocktail book and making strong drinks with rude sounding names.

Inspired by Hollywood Americana, Italian designers and contemporary furniture designs, home bars offer a choice of beautiful art deco and mirrored designs. Many of them are sturdy, robust, and constructed from high quality materials.

A retro home bar can also be complemented with a modern bar stool – from contemporary wooden to swanky swivel types. Team a set of bar stools with your beautiful new home bar and you can play Tom Cruise any night of the week.
Just mind the lights when you start chucking those bottles round.

Ideal for use as a side table in the lounge or bedroom table. Match it up with other black mirror furniture from our mirrored furniture range.

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