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The office is a place where you spend almost a third of your day yet most offices look very unwelcoming and extremely depressing. Studies show that your office furniture and desk space can affect your productivity which is why it is important to create a positive work environment. Check out our guide to creating the perfect office environment.

1. Desk – introducing a solid oak or pine desk into your office can help to add a natural feel to the office. The desk you choose needs to be functional with plenty of storage options such as drawers and cupboards, which allow you to keep all of your documents and stationary neatly stored and not left on your desk in a mess. Visit the full PineSolutions range of office desks.

2. Chair – The Herman Miller Aeron chair is a seriously cool chair with its modern looks and superb functionality this chair is what every office needs. The contours of the chair adjust with your body as you move which has been designed to help improve circulation. This chair is also a bit of a TV star after being featured on the big and small screen. Visit the Herman Miller website for more info.

3. Plants – Add some colourful plants to your desk and office to improve the aesthetics and your health whilst you are at work. Having a plant on your desk will require some care, visit the Greenplants.co.uk blog for more information on choosing the perfect office plant.

4. Gadgets – Having the coolest kit on your desk is essential. The my cuppa mugs from firebox.com will allow whoever is making your tea or coffee to get the strength exactly right with its handy colour guide which is displayed on the inside of the mug.


5. Desk Fan – With the UK experiencing this strange phenomenon of ‘hot weather’ many offices around the UK are quite literally baking. Investing in a small desk fan is becoming a necessity for all offices without air conditioning.

After buying your shiny new Plasma/LCD flat screen TV that would rival a cinema screen, the next step is to find the perfect TV stand. At PineSolutions we stock a wide range of solid oak and pine TV stands in a variety of styles including corner stands, wide stands and stands with storage. TV stands have become one of our most popular pieces of furniture so we here we have created the complete TV stand guide with all the information you will need when choosing your new TV stand.

TV Size

One of the most common questions that a customer needs answering is ‘will my TV actually fit on this TV stand?’ With TV’s getting bigger and bigger (the biggest commercial TV available to buy is a staggering 152”) it is important that your TV sits comfortably in the centre of your stand.
Here we have the manufacturer’s recommendations for the perfect combination of stand and TV size.

Straight TV Stand

1050mm width – Maximum flat screen size up to 42"
1200mm width – Maximum flat screen size up to 50"

Corner TV Stand

800mm width - Maximum flat screen size up to 32"
1050mm width - Maximum flat screen size up to 42"

When buying a corner TV stand it is important to factor in the size of the TV and how much space there is between each wall in relation to the widest points of the TV.

Visit our collection for a wide range of TV stands.

Optimum Viewing Distance

As the quality of TV’s increases and the picture quality becomes better, it is vital to factor in the position of your TV and stand in relation to where you will be viewing it from. With high definition viewing it is important to be sitting at the ideal distance to enable you to take in all of the clarity and rich detail that the TV has to offer. If you sit too far away you will be missing out on this impressive viewing and not gain all the benefits from a HD TV.

Here is our guide to the optimum viewing distances for average TV sizes found in many UK households.

TV Size	720p Resolution	1080p Resolution
32"	6'	4'
37"	7'	5'
40"	8'	5'
42"	8'	5.5'
46"	9'	6'
50"	10'	5.5'

*These guidelines are not definitive and can differ between different types of TV (eg Plasma, LCD, LED, 3D etc)

Solid Oak furniture offers you a high quality wood finish with looks and character that will last for many generations. The quality is unsurpassed and is increasingly becoming a popular choice in households across the country. A solid oak furniture set looks distinctive and brings a timeless, elegant look that will retain its beauty for many years.

Oak furniture is available in various ranges and can fit effortlessly into any room. The quality look can be achieved by complimenting several pieces with each other for that complete look. The dining room is the perfect place to showcase your oak furniture. The dining table is the most popular piece as it is where families relax and eat together every day, which requires a strong and durable wood such as oak to withstand a hectic family lifestyle.

After a long week at work, winding down in your bedroom is the perfect way to enjoy the start to the weekend and. The warmth and character of oak bedroom furniture will give your room that welcoming feel and provide you with the perfect retreat to get away from the daily grind.

The majority of good quality oak comes pre-assembled which takes out the stress of having to build your furniture and ensures that the furniture has been expertly crafted. Oak furniture does require some care and attention to ensure that it retains its superior quality look and feel. You should dust your furniture with a soft cloth at least once a week to remove any build up of dust, and then apply a good quality oil product to the surface to maintain the oaks quality feel.

Your solid oak furniture can last you a lifetime with a little care and attention allowing you to enjoy your furniture for generation after generation. Visit our entire collection of Solid Oak Furniture.

Home saunas have become far more accessible in recent years and it was only a matter of time before they were given a high tech makeover. This Far Infrared E Series sauna features a flat panel TV (which drops down from the ceiling), LCD screen with DVD player and a radio/cd player. Now you can watch the whole of the 2010 World Cup from the comfort and warmth of your sauna. Sitting in a hot sauna has never been so much fun! Via Furniture Fashion.

You live with your furniture every day so it is important to protect and maintain the quality look and feel of the furniture for as long as possible. Because your furniture is used every day it can become susceptible to spills and damage. Here are the PineSolutions top tips for protecting and maintaining your furniture.

- Wooden furniture expands and shrinks with the variations in temperatures and humidity. Be careful not to place your furniture directly next to a radiator or in full view of direct sunlight, this can cause the wood to split and crack and the rich colours of the wood to fade.
- If you accidently spill any liquids such as coffee, tea, coke and wine onto your wooden furniture, this should be cleaned up immediately with a clean dry cloth. Do not rub the wood until it is dry, this will spread the spill and cause further damage to the wax finish.
- Apply a natural oil (oak furniture) or wax product, depending on what your furniture is made from once or twice a year. This will add an extra level of protection to your furniture and can protect the wood from moisture damage. Ensure the product is applied to a cloth and not directly onto the wood.
- Never place hot dishes or cups directly onto the surface of the wood. Use coasters and placemats to avoid this scenario.
- Don’t slide objects across the surface of the wood. This can scratch the surface and will damage the wax finish of the wood.

By maintaining a regular routine of cleaning and caring for your wood you can prolong the beauty of the wax/oil finish and leave the furniture looking like new for many years. Read the full guide at the PineSolutions website.

With the biggest sporting event of the summer only a few days away, the 2010 World Cup brings a huge buzz to many homes across the country, many of whom will be praying that England make it past the quarter finals this year under the guidance of Mr Capello. With Rooney and co already in South Africa preparing for their first game on June 12th, now is the time to start preparing your living room to host every game in your very own home stadium. Here are our top-tips on how to bring the stadium atmosphere into your living room.

1. To make the most of the game and to truly immerse you into the atmosphere and tension of the game, hardcore fans across the country are transforming their living rooms into home football stands. What better way to put yourself in the thick of the action then with a home built stand where you can sing your favourite terrace songs and cheer England onto victory. A simple two-tiered stand can seat eight of your friends just like this amazing home built stand below.

2. Now that you have got the seating sorted it is vital to be able to see the game on a big screen. Investing in a crystal clear HD television is the only way to watch your sporting heroes this summer.

3. To do your big screen justice, a decent sound system is the perfect way to complete the set. A sub-woofer and surround sound speakers are essential to deliver stadium like acoustics.

4. To keep your guests hydrated throughout the game a fridge stocked full of cold beverages is the perfect accompaniment to your world cup party. Combine this with a healthy selection of snacks to ensure no one gets hungry during a nail biting 90 minutes (don’t forget to stock up for extra time and the inevitable penalty shoot out).

5. It’s time to show your true colours and show your support for your favourite team. Replica shirts, face paints, foam hands, flags and scarves are all essential items to truly get involved in the spirit of the occasion. Why not? The World Cup only comes around once every four years!

Many households in the UK would benefit from some extra space in their home, but selling up and moving to a bigger house is not an option. An ideal way to not only gain some extra living space but a whole new room is to invest in a loft conversion. This extra room could be used to give one of your children a new bedroom or be converted into a fully functioning office for you your new business, there really aren’t many limitations for the ways in which you could use a loft conversion. Statistics even suggest that a loft conversion can add as much as 20% to the value of your home.

Once you have completed your loft conversion it is time to furnish your new room. One obstacle you may have to overcome will be space and the height of the ceilings. The dimensions of the loft will restrict whether some pieces can be added to the room. This can be overcome by varying the range of furniture that is included in the room. If a wardrobe is too tall then replace this with an extra chest of drawers which can be used to store all your clothes. Small items such as bookcases, blanket boxes, chest of drawers and dressing tables are all pieces that can make the most of a tight space or low ceiling. Your clothes can be stored in blanket boxes and chest of drawers, books and DVD’s can be stored neatly in a bookcase. With a little bit of planning and utilising what space you do have, you can turn your loft conversion into anything you like, without having to throw away any of your favourite things.

Ever wanted to have your name up in lights wood? Well now you can with these super cool custom wooden name puzzles. Nuzzles allow you to have your name or phrase created using solid wood, with its own unique typographic style. These are very cool and would look great in the office or in the kids bedroom. Via Freshome.