When should you lay in the sun?

Posted on May 20, 2013 by admin

Some from the UK may well answer, ‘as often as you can’. We have all been told about the health risks of lying in the sun and have on many occasion been told to use high factor sun creams. Never stay in the sun for more than 20 minutes and always avoid the midday sun as that it when it can cause the most damage.
There are also some great benefits of lying in the sun which we forget about!

When the sun does show it’s face we all feel better but did you know that the sun’s rays encourage your body to produce vitamin D, which is essential to your health and well-being.

The main benefits are:

Lowers blood pressure levels – We could all do with some of that!
Prevents weight gain – I know I need that!
Helps prevent Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Helps alleviates depression.
Prevents Osteoporosis
Promotes healthy hair and nail growth.

So not only is the sun good for your health it makes you look better too!

Why not buy some fantastic sun loungers to improve your experience! www.rattanfurnitureuk.co.uk

We are No1 For Rattan Garden Furniture

Posted on April 18, 2013 by admin

We are delighted that Google has ranked us No1 for rattan garden furniture. We have worked very hard to achieve this natural ranking and believe that we deserve to be ranked the No1 rattan furniture company. But why do we believe we deserve this?

We offer a variety of rattan garden furniture to suit all budgets. We have our amazing budget rattan furniture range which is great for the garden, the synthetic rattan will last for years and the furniture will serve the purpose of having something to sit on in the garden that looks nice. However if your looking for something a little more comfortable with thicker showerproof cushions our zebrano collection is just fantastic value for money. Add to this collection the interest free credit available and you have a great quality garden suite for an affordable amount. Newly launched this year Zebrano rattan has teamed up with Norfolk Leisure and created the Premier rattan collection with zebrano life cushions. These cushions are fully weatherproof so can be left outdoors in all weathers even the snow, pure luxury.

Last year we received recognition from the online retail awards for our website. We were awarded the winner of the “garden and Gardening” section. We were absolutely delighted to win such an award, this is what the judges said:

Judges’comment: “You don’t expect a furniture company to win the Garden & Gardening category, but then you look at what Zebrano has achieved in 12 months and why this category is so relevant to them, and it all becomes crystal clear. Outstanding progress.”

Since then we have continued to improve our whole shopping experience from start to finish. This year we have new imagery and detailed descriptions to help our customers get a real feel for what they are buying. We aim to offer our customers the best shopping experience backed up but a great customer service.

So if you looking for a great company to buy your rattan garden furniture from then look no further! We will look after you!

www.rattanfurnitureuk.co.uk

Do our corner sofas have clips to connect each section?

Posted on April 13, 2013 by admin

Here is another question I have just had about the Macassar Corner Sofa. The Macassar is a modular sofa which means that it is made up of seven different sections. These sections or modules as we call them can be arranged in various different ways to make up the corner sofa. As you can see from our video clip here the Macassar is a very versatile piece of furniture.

One question we do get asked quite often is whether there are any clips to secure the different modules in place once you have set the sofa up in your preferred configuration. The answer is yes we do have some plastic clips which are used to hold each module in place. To be honest for many years we did not have these clips and we found that there was no issue as far as movement of each section was concerned. That said we often got asked the question so we have decided to include them from now on.

The general consensus was that people like the idea of being able to connect each module and whilst we never hand any issues of the suite moving when people sat on them it was more for piece of mind. Not all of our rattan garden sofas have these clips so give us a call if you want to make sure that the suite you are interested in has them or not.

What are the feet on our rattan garden sofas made from?

Posted on April 12, 2013 by admin

Just had this question from a customer enquiring about our Macassar Rattan Garden Corner suite so I thought I would share the answer on the blog just in case anyone else wanted to know. First up we need to understand that the whole suite is made from aluminium. By that I mean the frame of the sofa is aluminum. The all weather rattan is then hand woven around this frame to create the finished product.

As you can see from the photo the feet on the sofas are aluminum with a plastic stopper underneath. This aluminum part is left uncoated so that it is a shiny silver colour. This is purely a design feature and gives the furniture that modern look. The plastic stoppers are there to stop any scratching when the furniture is in use. The rest of the aluminum frame is powder coated to give extra protection against the elements.

Most of our furniture is manufactured in the same way as described above but if you want to know the specifics of any of our range of rattan garden furniture just give us a shout and we will be more than happy to help.

What next in the world of Rattan Garden Furniture?

Posted on April 11, 2013 by admin

Rattan Garden Furniture has been around now for several years now and over this time designs and colours have changed quite a lot. It all began with the straight clean lines of the Madrid sofa set and the timeless dining classic, the Cadiz arm chair. To be honest these two designs are still our most popular to this day but they are now being rivaled by a much more curvaceous look. The Bilbao is going toe to toe with the Cadiz as far as sales performance is concerned in the dining department and the Opal Corner suite is this season must have.

The colours have also changed a lot since the early days when the mixed brown weave was really the only colour available. Over the past few years we have introduced the biscuit coloured Hamilton weave which seems to be a hit for the more traditional market. The sleek black finish has always had a smaller following, particularly with the younger, trendy couples as it does lend itself to a more contemporary look. This year the black seems to be even more popular and is eating into the sales of the mixed brown. The Grey is the big winner this year and seems to be growing in popularity. We introduced the grey weave last year and whilst it did sell relatively well we can already see that for the 2013 season we will defiantly sell out of the grey.

It is never easy to see into the future and ordering for the upcoming seasons is very difficult. We have been fortunate here at Zebrano as one of our Managing Directors has a soft spot for the Grey and despite the relatively slow sales last year she nevertheless decided to order a few containers. That said we have not ordered enough so if it is grey you are looking for get in there quick. In general we have lots of stock in the mixed brown weave but the stocks of the black are running low and the grey are sure to sell out by the end of April.

So what’s next in the world of Rattan Garden Furniture? Who knows is the honest answer. I still like the mixed brown and as far as total sales are concerned the mixed brown still outsells all other colours. The brown picks up on the other colours in the garden and lends itself to almost any outdoor space. The black is set to stay but will always be a harder or harsher colour which is more appropriate to an apartment or ultra modern home. What of the grey? Well the grey is set to compete with both the black and the brown as the grey is a two tone or mixed weave and not only looks very modern but also has more of a chance to fit into a traditional home environment.

I’ll key you posted on upcoming trends in the rattan garden furniture world!

Mobile phones are 40 years old!

Posted on April 8, 2013 by admin

Zebrano Rattan went mobile six months ago now and we are always fascinated by improvements in technology and try to keep pace with the fast moving sector. You can now view our site on all smart phones and tablets and hopefully it’s an enjoyable experience.

It was 40 years ago since the very first mobile phone call took place. On the 3rd April 1973 a Motorola employee Martin Cooper made the first mobile phone call in New York. A lot has changed since then of course and many of the young adults today would be unable to remember a time without mobiles. Some of them can’t remember a time without smart phones even.

The arrival of the mobile phone has certainly had a large impact on the way we communicate and also on the way we shop. Who would have thought that we would be able to order garden furniture on the bus on the way home from work? We have worked hard to try and provide a mobile website so that you can order your rattan garden furniture on the move and with a touch of a button.

Who knows what will be the next big thing but I did see a Horizon program the other day talking about a new metal that can be folded up and put it your pocket. Apparently this metal will be able to be used in the computer industry and you will be able to unfold the metal to reveal a full size computer! This does sound a bit far fetched I know but we could be unfolding computers and reading them like newspapers before you know it! Didn’t Harry Potter have a computerized newspaper type thing? Anyway stranger things have happened.

Here at Zebrano Rattan we will endeavor to keep pace with the times and offer the best quality rattan garden furniture at the best prices no matter what type of mobile computer you are using.

Is It Really British Summer Time already?

Posted on March 29, 2013 by admin

Easter has come so early this year that it is still winter time! My four year old boy asked me if it was nearly Christmas the other day! He was devastated to find out that it was some time away yet. Thank goodness. Not sure I could handle another festive extravaganza just yet. Here at Zebrano rattan furniture we love the sun so it’s spring and summer that we crave. Spring appears to have deserted us this year and British summer time officially starts this weekend! Or is it next weekend? Either way it doesn’t give spring long to get sprung.

We are all praying that we get a long hot summer to try and enjoy the longer nights now that the clocks are about to go forward. Lets hope we have one of those ‘Indian Summer’ at the end of our summer so that we get to enjoy the great outdoors for a few months. Last summer was such a wash out we are surely due some good weather. My rattan cube was in use a few weeks back but sadly it has been closed back up in hibernation mode again since then.

As Billy Connelly used to say ‘there is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes’. Therefore wrap up warm, get outside and get some fresh air. Hope you all have a great Easter break.

Prices set to move on up as the US Dollar stays strong against the Pound.

Posted on March 28, 2013 by admin

We are not exactly Bloomberg around these parts but we do have to keep a keen eye on the currency markets as all our Rattan Garden Furniture is imported. This means the low pound equates to us paying more for all our goods. Due to the fact that low prices is a big part of the Zebrano offer we do our upmost to soak up these Dollar pound fluctuations so that they have no negative effect on the prices you pay. We can only soak it up for so long and inevitably there will be price increases coming soon.

With all that said we are just about to enter into the Easter weekend and with snow still on the ground we still have pre season sale prices on all our furniture. There will be no price increases this weekend so grab a bargain while you still can.

We caught a glimpse of the sun here at the Zebrano offices today and at one point it was quiet warm! I believe there is some good weather on the way so fingers crossed for a nice Easter weekend.

Everyone here at Zebrano would like to wise all our customers (and future customers) a happy Easter.

Jamie Oliver has arrived!

Posted on March 7, 2013 by admin

It may have been raining today but the Zebrano team was happy to see the arrival of our latest Jamie Oliver Dome60 Pizza Oven. Even the box looked great! We have not yet put it on display in the showroom as it is VERY heavy and we need some extra burly lads in to help us put it in place.

I did open the box to ensure that the colour was correct as our original oven had come in the terracotta colour. The girls in the office have assured me that the correct colour is in fact the cream. You have a choice of the two colours so whatever one looks good to you is now available for immediate delivery.

I can’t wait to get the oven set up as I intend to give it a road test as soon as possible. I’ll wait for a sunny day and then through a few pizzas in. According to Jamie the pizzas will only take a couple of minutes at the very high temperatures these ovens get up to. You can also cook lots of other items in this oven. Roast dinner for example!

I will dust down my recipe book and get to work on the Dome60 oven and then let you know how I get on. My wife told me today that she would draw me a map to the kitchen as I seem to have forgotten the way! I think she was insinuating that I don’t do enough cooking at home. Maybe this Dome60 is just what I need to recapture my culinary prowess!

Rattan Garden Furniture Hitting the headlines in the big USA.

Posted on March 6, 2013 by admin

Little old Zebrano Rattan Garden Furniture are hitting the headings across the world due to our new 100% all weather cushions. The new Zebrano Life range has been well received by our regular customers when they have visited our showrooms and they seem to have been well received online. Of course the online community is somewhat larger then our showroom can handle and we often receive interest in our product range from across the globe. That said it’s nice to see that the press in the USA are interested in Zebrano and in particular our Zebrano Life range.

As you know our Zebrano life range is new for 2013 and what really set’s it apart from anything else on the marketplace is the fantastic cushions. These new cushions have been manufactured using some fancy technology that allows the water to travel straight through the foam without being trapped inside. This in itself may not sound too revolutionary but the impact is very big. Without the water becoming trapped inside the cushion there is never any question of moss or mold growing on the cushions. The lack of water means that nothing can grow and therefore nothing can damage the cushions. After a massive downpour our cushions are dry and ready for use just 20 minutes after the rain.

So who’s been talking about us? Well I’ve found our story in several places including:

Chicago Business Journal.
Los Angeles Business
New Mexico Business Weekly
Pittsburgh Business Times
San Francisco Business Times

And the list goes on. I know the internet is an amazing place and once someone has picked up on a story it can spread like wildfire but never the less we are delighted to be featured around the globe. Check out the website for info on the new Zebrano Life range.