Win a luxury Boeboes dog bed to celebrate International Day of Happiness

As 20th March 2024 was the International Day of Happiness, Audrey Johns Showroom has teamed up with Boeboes, our ‘24/7‘ online brand of soft furnishings, who would like to make one of our lucky customers even happier! You could win a custom-made, luxury Boeboes dog bed by clicking here. You will need to be subscribed to both the Audrey Johns Showroom newsletter and the Boeboes newsletter to be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize. And a second lucky winner will receive a luxury, handcrafted Boeboes cushion. All competition terms and conditions are on our website.

Boeboes’ range of dog beds can be browsed here. Audrey Johns Showroom is an exclusive stockist of Boeboes products. Good luck!

A brief history lesson on Roman blinds

Where do Roman blinds come from?
Roman blinds, originating in ancient Rome, were made of silk for the wealthy. Evidence from Pompeii in 79 AD shows linen and wood slat blinds held together by metal rings. This style was popular in Europe until the Middle Ages when wooden shutters became more common.

What were they used For?
Early Roman blinds allowed light adjustment through a cord system. They provided privacy and sunlight protection. Romans left them open at night for light and ventilation, while ensuring privacy during the day.

Modern Roman blinds
In 1808, Thomas Harris invented the first modern Roman blind, later improved by Samuel Worsdell with an automatic lifting mechanism. Rufus Porter developed the current version in 1892, using the more popular metal slats instead of cloth strips, leading to the opening of his New York City shop until his death in 1922.

Browse our website or get in touch with our Roman blinds team today!

Five free fabric samples

Our team at Boeboes often get asked by customers about the fabrics we use in our products. Here is their wise advice: “If you are looking for quality, bespoke soft furnishings but can’t decide which shade or type of fabric to go for, you can order fabric samples of your shortlisted favourites from our website 24/7. Take a look at our wide online range of fabrics available for our Roman blinds, cushions, bed dressings and dog beds. Then select up to five of your favourites and we will send them to you free of charge.

Having these samples in your own home means that you can see, feel and experience the high quality and luxurious texture of our specially selected fabrics. Hold them up against your other furnishings in the room you are looking to revamp. Does it look fantastic alongside your existing belongings and décor? Just another way Boeboes can help with some of the decisions on your home improvement journey.” 

Let the light in! British Summer Time (BST) is here

At last the days are starting to feel a bit longer and brighter after a dark, wet winter. So with BST beginning this weekend (on Sunday 31st March) what a perfect time of year to reconsider your window coverings – check out Boeboes beautiful, made to measure Roman blinds. This year the date even coincides with Easter Sunday so although we lose an hour, we could spend some time enjoying a chocolate egg or two!

William Willett proposed daylight saving time in 1907 to utilise morning daylight better and have brighter evenings in summer. British Summer Time was established in 1916 through an Act of Parliament, with clocks moving forward annually in March and back in October, except for a couple of# instances like during World War II.

Daylight is good for our immune system and for regulating hormones. It helps us sleep and can help with depression. So enjoy the extra daylight when the clocks go forward this weekend.