Materials and Environment

One of our main aims as a company has been to create quality furniture that will last. Materials and resources are of finite supply, so we believe that by producing good quality furniture and accessories, the product will have a long lifespan.

Obviously to produce good quality products, you need to use good quality materials. Each of our products will have different requirements depending on its use and the demands of the environment. We will try to break these down below.

Indoor Furniture

Teak – Primarily used in our outdoor furniture, we also use teak on a lot of our indoor furniture and lighting. Teak is an extremely strong and durable hardwood and in its natural state it has a subtle warm finish. Like Meh wood, it works well with a number of timbers, especially oak.With the Teak we use, there can be some subtle grain variation, as is the case with a lot of woods. Our furniture comes in its natural state with a smooth sanded finish; additional timber treatments are available should you require them.

Wood –  We use three main wood types on our interior wooden furniture:

Meh wood –  Sometimes known as Suar or Trembesi – This is an Indonesian hardwood that is perhaps not that well known to the layman. We use this wood as it’s strong and fairly neutral in colour. The tones of the wood work well with a variety of timbers such as teak or oak. Meh wood can have a large grain variation from dark to fairly light, which we are happy to work with, as it leans into the nature of the material. Although there can be grain variation, all of our products are finished to a high standard, with a smooth sanded finish.

Oak – We use oiled oak, sourced from the EU on our Rib chairs and Kinsale and Tenby ranges. An ever popular timber, oak is strong, durable and aesthetically timeless. Our oak items are sealed with a top coat of oil, given a smooth matt finish.

Our hardwood i.e. teak and meh (trembesi) wood are all sourced from sustainable forests in Indonesia.

Any wooden items imported from Indonesia need to comply with strict FLEGT (or EUTR) laws, which ensure the legality of the wood. This is something that Indonesia has voluntarily entered into.

Our oak items such as the Tenby range and Rib chair are made from Oak, sourced from the EU.

Other materials used on Indoor furniture

Stone – We use two types of stone as dining table tops; Carrara marble and Sardo granite.

Carrara marble has been widely used in furniture for centuries for its strength, looks and durability. Carrara is white in colour, with varying degrees or grey grain running throughout it, as it is a natural product, each top will have its own unique grain and characteristic.

Sardo Granite is denser and more durable than marble (even though marble is very durable!). It’s also heat resistant. Sardo is grey in colour with a fairly uniform speckled pattern of varying shades of grey.

Aluminium – A fantastic material for both inside and out, our Pigalle table bases are made in powder coated aluminium. This great material is strong, lightweight and rust resistant. Our Pigalle bases are available in two standard colours, however we also offer a service where we can have a number of items powder coated to a RAL colour of your choice (minimum order of 10 items).

Woven furniture – Woven furniture is part of our company heritage, we initially started out importing cane and rattan furniture back in 1989. These days we generally use synthetic weaves on our outdoor furniture, however we still produce indoor items in rattan and pulut.

Rattan and pulut are traditional weaving materials made from types of vine and are widely used in furniture due to their strength and malleability. Excellent for creating organic and curvaceous shapes, we generally use them in seating for a supportive and contoured seat. Rattan is slightly paler than pulut, however both tone well with a variety of timbers such as teak, oak and meh / trembesi.

Outdoor Furniture

As our outdoor furniture is aimed at both the domestic and commercial market, the quality of the materials that we use is paramount.

Teak – All of our wooden outdoor furniture is made from plantation teak. This fantastic timber has a naturally high oil content so is ideal for outdoor use and requires little maintenance.

All of our outdoor teak is supplied in its natural state so will turn a silver grey colour after exposure to the elements. This is normal for the timber and does not affect the strength of the wood. Should you wish to try and retain the original colour of the wood, you can use teak oil or similar, this would have to be done every few months, so does require more upkeep.

For more details on outdoor furniture maintenance, have a look here

Synthetic weave – This is an extremely strong, man made material that bears all the characteristics of natural weave but it is also weather and UV resistant and can be left out all year round, requiring only a little maintenance; an annual clean with soapy water or a jet wash will suffice.

Although synthetic weaves have become more ubiquitous in recent years, there are differing levels of quality in the weave available. We only use the best synthetic weave possible, so they have a high tensile strength and do not go brittle after a relatively short amount of time.

The main types of synthetic weaves we use are either peel, core or synthetic rope;

Peel is the broader flat weave. Core is the round, strand type weave, and rope is a tactile synthetic rope that’s softer to the touch. Each has their own individual merits but they are all very strong and durable. 

Powder Coated Aluminium & Stainless Steel

We use two types of metal for their all weather qualities:

The majority of our woven chairs and a large percentage of our table bases are made in powder coated aluminium, which is an extremely strong and durable weatherproof material without being overtly heavy.

We use high grade stainless steel on a number of our chairs. On chairs such as our Genoa, we use powder-coated stainless steel bar on the chair legs to create a strong structure with a thin profile. On chairs such as the Tangiers and Tripoli, the entire chair frame is made from uncoated stainless steel. Please note that uncoated stainless steel is not suitable for coastal locations.

Upholstered Furniture

We have a carefully selected range of upholstery fabrics that compliment our range of furniture. In the main, we source fabrics based on strength and longevity as well as the look of the fabric and how it will perform on our furniture.

Our upholstered furniture is supplied to domestic FR as standard however we regularly supply commercial projects where the upholstery fabric is supplied to Crib 5.

Although primarily used on our furniture, our fabrics can be purchased by the metre. Just contact the office on sales@prhome.co.uk for details.

Recycled Fabrics

We have recently launched new fabric ranges, such as Pelage and Terrain that are produced using recycled, or upcycled, materials. The Terrain range is not only recycled but it is inherently dirt repellant and can be cleaned by simply using soap and water. Unlike a lot of other easily cleanable fabrics, the Terrain uses no PFC chemicals.

Mattresses and Divans

Our range of high quality mattresses and divans are all made in the UK.

We use superior quality divan bases that offer more strength and structure to the humble divan base. In conjunction with this we have a range of integrated headboards which can be made in the same fabric as the divan, to create a unified look. 

With our mattresses we only offer pocket-sprung mattresses in either 1,000 or 2,000 count.

These are made using high quality springs, foams and stuffing to create an evenly supported sleeping surface.

Rugs & Dhurries

Our Rugs and Dhurries are manufactured in India, by one of our most long standing suppliers.

We have a variety of styles of rug in our range, all are made from 100% wool tufted onto a cotton canvas backing.

Our Dhurries are flat woven cotton rugs that are a lightweight and flexible solution for floor coverings.

Lighting

We have a wide range of contemporary lighting using a variety of materials across our range of table lamps, floor lamps, pendants and shades.

Wood – We have several solid wood floor lamps (or standard lamps) and table lamps across our range. Lamps such as our Cross Floor Lamp are made in teak and have to conform to the same FLEGT/EUTR regulations as our indoor furniture.

Metal –  Asides from wood, the most common material used in our lighting is metal, or colour coated metal to be more precise; we have carefully chosen a range of matt painted finishes to compliment the rest of the pr home range.

Shades –  Our shades are all made in a cotton/linen union fabric. The fabric has a slub texture to it with very slightly uneven strands, this helps to create a subtle and warming light.

Glassware

Most of our glassware has been imported from Europe, from a variety of companies.

Many of our items are manufactured in Poland from factories with a long tradition of high quality handmade glassware.