Dream Bedroom Furniture - Check out our pics...

Just a quick post today to keep you up to date with all of our latest developments.

If you want inspiration for your fitted bedroom or sliding mirror wardrobe then look no further than our personal photo gallery.

Penny for your thoughts - let us know what you think about our designs.

House prices continue to rise

For a seventh month in a row the UK housing market has grown, according to the Nationwide index.

With mortgage deals starting to become available, job security returning to the employment market and interest rates still at 0.5%, people are beginning to gain confidence in the economy again.

Nobody wants to put a negative slant on this news, but more a realistic approach. Why has this happened?

We have a thought, but let us know what you think...

House builders have struggled due to the economic crisis and this has resulted in many going into administration, thus less companies are building properties.

Home owners have witnessed their asset (their house) drop in value - year on year house prices are down by 2.7%. People don't want to sell if they don't have to and seem determined to hold on.

With more first time buyers, property developers and people looking to 'get a good deal' in the market they are hunting for houses but there are few available.

The issue is supply vs. demand. Supply is down at the moment but demand has increased. This means people will have to pay more money as they compete against more people for fewer properties.

If this changes - more house builders start building houses again or the prices creep up and more people are willing to sell - we can see house prices sharply declining.

What do you think?

Sliding Mirror Wardrobes business analyst team

Reasons to own a Sliding Mirror Wardrobe

Welcome back!

Recently we spoke with a customer who asked "What is the benefit of owning a sliding mirror wardrobe"?

This customer could not see the value in owning a mirror wardrobe and considered it a waste. So, when I heard this I thought perhaps other people are thinking the same thing - "Why would I want one?". As a result, it's helped create our next article.

Sarah, the advisor who spoke to the customer came up with a few of these too. A few reasons to own a sliding mirror wardrobe are;

1. Extra space: Wardrobes built by Improve Your House are custom made to the rooms specifications. If you purchase a stand alone wardrobe you are wasting space either side and above of the furniture. Our wardrobes are made to measure so no space is wasted, allowing you to fully maximise your bedrooms potential.

2. Add value to your house: When you sell your property, estate agents will describe the features of your house. This includes GCH (Gas Central Heating) and DG (double Glazing). However, more often estate agents are recording features such as fitted bedroom and sliding mirror wardrobes. This is because they understand the value and appeal homeowners have with quality fitted bedroom furniture. You can add value to your house by building fitted bedroom furniture or a sliding mirror wardrobe.

3. Storage built around you: If you purchase a flat pack wardrobe from a high street retailer the style, shelves, materials, colours and size will be pre-determined. If you create a sliding mirror wardrobe with Improve Your House then you can custom build it to your standards. Do you want a tie rack? Extra shoe space? How many handbags do you have? Where do you keep them? No matter what your passion is, we have the skills to build you ideal sliding mirror wardrobe.

4. Design can be unique: While our interiors for wardrobes can be custom made, so can the style. Your wardrobe is completely bespoke. It can be built around your current furniture, your style and most importantly, your life. Any material, any colour and any style is available - and with our experienced designers on hand to give your ideas what are you waiting for.

5. A little extra sparkle: As well as the other benefits listed above, a sliding wardrobe is an impressive feature which adds style and elegance to your bedroom. Your friends, family and neighbours will struggle not to compliment you on your new luxury wardrobe.

6. Price: A bespoke wardrobe is more expensive than flat pack. However the quality, durability and enjoyment from your designer wardrobe on a daily basis will be more valuable in the long term. Our sliding wardrobes typically last for 15-20 years with the proper maintenance. What would you spend on flat pack furniture? Perhaps you should find out how much your dream sliding wardrobe would cost - it's probably less than you think with Improve Your House.

We are passionate about bespoke furniture. It's all about the quality at an affordable price - it's what we live for.

Our design, built around your dreams

Our bedroom designs and styles are tailor made to the needs of our customers. We spend a great deal of time asking our customers what they want from their bedroom. We can then use out expertise to make suggestions to benefit the customer experience.

We have acquired a collection of our sliding wardrobe and fitted bedroom designs and placed then on our website. You can find the relevant section below, depending on the home improvement you want to make.

However, while our website displays a wide range of our bedroom furniture and sliding wardrobes, you can see our extended collection on our Flickr page.

Please comment, let us know your thoughts, improvements, ideas and tips on your own bedroom furniture.

It's all about opinions... what are yours?

5 Myths surrounds Sliding Mirror Wardrobes & Fitted Bedroom Furniture

There are hundreds of myths about fitted bedroom and sliding mirror wardrobe furniture. We have listed the top 5. If you have any other good myths or wish for some answers regarding stories you have heard please comment below and we can share these with other people.

1. Too expensive: Many people believe fitted bedroom furniture and sliding mirror wardrobes will cost the earth. The truth is there is a one off expense for fitted bedroom furniture and it is not typically an 'everyday' purchase. The materials, labour and design will be factored into the cost, which is why it can be described as expensive. Generally, the larger brand bedroom companies will be more expensive as they have to factor in marketing & advertising costs too.

A sliding mirror wardrobe could range from £1,000+.

2. Can't be removed: I've heard people say "Once I add this fitted bedroom furniture I can't change it". That is FALSE. You can remove bedroom furniture and start again if you wish. The results are not permanent if you don't want them to be. If you ask when ordering your bedroom furniture the designer or advisor will be able to explain what changes would be permanent.

3. The furniture will date: All furniture will eventually date and some people question whether their sliding mirror wardrobe will be current in 10 years time. Improve Your House work with the latest designers to create modern, cutting edge and futuristic bedroom furniture. If you want to make a change to a design and customise it to your own standards then we can do this. If we expect this will make the style look old fashioned then we will let you know so you are completely aware.

4. It takes month's to create and finish: Fitted bedroom and sliding mirror wardrobe furniture is never rushed. The quality required with each piece of bedroom furniture does take time - but not months. A complicated piece may take 6 weeks. However, typically we can design, create and install your bedroom furniture within 3-4 weeks.

5. The selection of wardrobe & bedroom furniture is small: Some bedroom suppliers only keep a small range of fitted bedroom and sliding mirror wardrobe furniture to help minimise disruption and churn out furniture quickly. This can lead to quality problems.

At Improve Your House we can completely customise your bedroom furniture to your style. We already have an extensive range of contemporary and stylish bedroom furniture ready to help your creative juices flow. You can, if you choose the correct company, customise your bedroom furniture to your own taste or just choose from a much wider range.

For more information click here to see our bedroom designs

Housing Market Update

According to a Nationwide survey, UK house prices in October were on a year on year high for the first time in 19 months.

The average house cost £162,038. As many of you will be home owners this will be good news to see your asset increase in value.

The survey details this recent house price rise is likely to be due to the lack of properties on the market.

The View From Improve Your House

Improve Your House believes we are most likely in the 'eye of the storm' in the sense that if demand increases or supply decreases we will be back to stage one. Typically, over the course of the last 2 recessions the housing market has increased slightly after the fall and then dipped again.

We expect house prices to start recovering in the next 1 1/2 - 2 years.

Increasing Your House Value

If you have spare cash because of low interest rates on your mortgage then put it to good use. A conservatory, kitchen, bathroom, new bedroom design or attic conversion will all add value to your property.

You don't have to wait for your asset to increase in value.

Your View

Do you agree with our opinion?
Will the housing market take over a year to bounce back?
What have you used your spare money on? Would you recommend it to others?

What bedroom company, what style, how much?

There is a variety of different types of bedroom furniture. Some can be cheap and cheerful and others can be more expensive and bespoke to your needs. Firstly, you have to decide what bedroom furniture your need - A bed side table? Mirror / wooden wardrobe? Dressing table? Or another piece of furniture?

Ask yourself 4 questions, this will help establish exactly what you are looking for:

Question 1: How quickly do you need the furniture?
Question 2: What quality should the furniture be?
Question 3: How much are you willing to spend?
Question 4: Do you want to customise your bedroom furniture?

Bedroom Furniture Option 1
Flat pack furniture – You can buy flat pack furniture from a various number of well known outlets – IKEA and Argos, to name a couple. You receive the furniture and assemble it yourself. Some retailers will build the furniture for you but this can cost extra. The furniture can also be purchased from a catalogue or direct from the store.

Pros: Furniture is cheaper than other options. The quality is generally OK and can be purchase quickly from local retailers

Cons: The furniture cannot be customised to your own design taste (different colour etc) and will not be build into your bedroom i.e. freestanding.

Bedroom Furniture Option 2
A high street fitted bedroom – Most fitted bedroom and sliding wardrobe companies will integrate your bedroom furniture into your room and allow you to choose the material from a list. You can choose the design from a range of bedroom ‘sets’ which will represent the range on offer to you. The set you choose would be fitted to your room and fully integrated.

Pros: Bedroom furniture is better quality than flat pack

Cons: Furniture will take weeks to order, deliver and assemble, can sometimes be very expensive if using the wrong company and you can’t customise the bedroom furniture.

Bedroom Furniture Option 3
A bespoke bedroom – bedroom furniture which is completely customisable and fitted to the room specification. The difference between choosing option 2 or 3 is with 3 you make the decisions, you can fully design or change an bedroom style to suit your taste.

Pros: Bedroom furniture is better quality than flat pack, completely customisable, fully integrated, same price as high street brands (if not cheaper) and uses excellent quality materials.

Cons: Furniture will take weeks to order, deliver and assemble, can sometimes be very expensive if using the wrong company and you can’t customise the bedroom furniture.

When you purchase your bedroom furniture have an idea of what you want, have a price in mind and shop around.

You can really find value in smaller, lesser known companies who can customise your bedroom furniture and mirror doors to your design & personal standards.

P.s. I welcome your thoughts back on this article; anybody with good or bad experiences with fitted bedroom furniture please feel free to share your experience. Also, I should mention, if you don’t mind quality, customisation or want to spend a lot of money then I can recommend charity shops, such as the Salvation Army who provide a very worthwhile service.

Hello! Welcome to Sliding Mirror Wardrobe

Hello,

This is first post on the new Sliding Mirror Wardrobes blog. The motivation behind creating this blog is to encourage, inform and build creativity.

Sliding Mirror Wardrobes blog is brought to you by Improve Your House - one of the UKs leading fitted bedroom furniture and sliding mirror wardrobe designers.

We realised many people didn't know what to expect from fitted bedroom furniture, some think it's over priced, some don't like the design and some don't want to spend money on their bedroom. This blog will hopefully enlighten, intrigue and leave you saying 'Oooohhh.... I like that one'

Throughout the course of our blog we want to give you thought provoking discussion, design tips, latest news, the view from our company and over all home improvement ideas. We want to hear back from you too:

What bedroom improvements have you made?
What has been a success which you can share with other people?
What design styles do you enjoy?
Favourite home accessory shops?
Anything and everything to do with bedrooms, your home, sliding mirror wardrobes and home improvement goes...

More to come shortly but in the meantime, let your creative juices flow...