Category: 2016
Little Things x
We finally have coat hooks! These are midcentury Ukrainian curtesy of Etsy…cost £14, postage £15..but I love them..they’re the perfect size to avoid coat overload – what can’t hang here has to go down in the cellar to the dedicated coat cupboard (and yes, it’s full already..)
And Mr Fish, who used to be above our cooker has found a new lair.
Most importantly, the children have hooks for their endless school bits. That daily hurricane has finally been contained! The mess was driving me mad and our drill is still lurking in the spare room..
Which currently looks like this…it’s going to be some time before we were reunited, so a big thank you to Al for helping us…come pick up your child from a playdate and bring your drill with you! but it was appreciated..now…if you’re free next weekend..
Must start unpacking..
Laters, Kate x
It’s Mabes babes..
And so the yearly hunt for towelling beachwear starts..
(Personally I now blame Sean Connery, not lycra for it’s demise.)
But I know it’s just waiting to have it’s cool moment again.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel..new on the block is Mabes, a British label purely obsessed with towelling shirts.
From double pocketed chunky large buttoned plain classics..
To retro prints with an edge.
For guys, girls and even little ones…and the prices are sensible (£35 for kids to £74 for adults). So that’s Charlie and The Husband sorted.
(All pictures Mabes and Pinterest)
Now I just need this dress in a white, light towelling please..
Laters, Kate x
Ace & Jig x
Ace and Jig is a fusion of street cred and hippy, contemporary and classic folded together with indian cottons and hand dyed fabrics.
The label was started by Cary Vaughan and Jenna Wilson and is based in Brooklyn, New York. The two met more than 10 years ago as fashion design interns and instantly bonded over their shared love of antique textiles..from ancient, french feedsack bags to Japanese boro quilts.
They believe in the power of the stripe.
And they believe in being different. Just delicious.
Laters, Kate x
O.M.G.
So the sissal carpet was successfully laid in the cellar, meaning the big rug currently residing in our bedroom and all the furniture scattered around the house could go down. Except I couldn’t do the manual work by myself which meant waiting till late last night when the husband got in (poor husband)..and the big rug had 6 months of builders dust ingrained into it (attractive)(it was sitting on the floorboards where the wall was taken down)…so the only sensible option was to man-handle it down to the kitchen, move everything out of the way there and steam clean it..
Then it went down into the cellar…I love big rugs..but they are buggers to manoeuvre..
Next the sofas were dismantled.
And reassembled..with new covers.
Which was great..
Except my house now looked like a bomb had hit it.
(Molly saying piss off and let me sleep)
(Even our bedroom at midnight last night looked like a scrap yard)
Tomorrow is Charlie’s seventh birthday and I’m hosting 13 children for a Harry Potter party. Why??
Laters, Kate x
Collecting projects for the summer..
Bank holiday x
What a difference a day makes..from snow to sun burn. Righting the wrongs of too many Bank Holiday weekends the weather was glorious and a siren call for the outdoors. We headed to Morden Hall Park, a National Trust property at the end of the Northern line which provides a beautiful link between urban and wild. Look closely..and you can see a heron…(really closely – he was bigger in real life..honest)
Or bee keepers tending their hives.
We were there for the May Fayre, a wonderful mash of mystique and rural from terrier racing to sheep sheering to duck herding and tie dye t-shirts. It’s a bit of a favourite.
(Charlie running off to race against the terriers. The terriers won..)
A bit of fence wattling?
Or just watch from the shade..
Charlie holding his wallet. Yes, that be a sock with a knot..
There were also some great stalls, from food to alpaca blankets. I fell for these Chinese shoes..
They have that folksy vibe but with a cool cut: The wedge heel with the ankle tie just make them. The red ones had a slight heel but come much further up the ankle. Super cool and super comfy..win win.
Meanwhile today is the day the flooring goes down in the cellar..and then it gets transformed. At the mo all the shelves are still filled with the residue from all the decorating..this will go…very soon..Of course I’m still waiting for the fitter to arrive. I do my friend Pauline’s shopping for her on a Tuesday as she’s house bound..and I have a friend coming round for lunch that I would love to buy supplies for…. but why would a workman ever be prompt?? Except my wonderful Polish builders who proved that it’s possible…
Not that we haven’t been using the cinema room – we couldn’t miss Game of Thrones – all hail John Snow! But camping chairs really don’t cut it..
Laters, Kate x
Damn x
The crittall glass people arrived here yesterday and the only glass they left is the sort related to the Emperor’s new clothes: It didn’t fit through the front door…one centimetre out, so it’s been returned to the factory. Apparently the main frame was supposed to be designed in two parts but it wasn’t. Their bad. But it leaves me to explain the situation to Building Control and delay our final sign off again..there’s always something.
I’m distracting the frustration with a search for the perfect table lamp..something utterly ugly and totally wonderful.
They give such bones to a room..an intriguing combination of height, light and ambience.
It’s a ploy that’s working…
Laters, Kate x
Sensi x
Poor kids. Summer uniform became compulsory on Monday, all light cotton and ankle socks…and it actually snowed here last night. Not like an alpine blizzard but it actually settled…cars were covered. It’s an issue: Within one day we can experience a years weather: Spring, summer, autumn and winter…it certainly makes for interesting times.
An ideal outfit would be this dress from Sensi Studio for the summer sun, teamed with a pair of wide legged trousers for the autumn drop (replace or remove as required)..and a duvet for the cold.
Sensi Studio is a new label for me…I like the fact it utilises Ecuadorian artisans and their many skills with simple lines and interesting additions.
Love!
They also make mean raffia bags and panamas.
(All pictures Sensi Studio and Net-a-porter)
One to watch.
Laters, Kate x
RE x
If I was a shop I’d be RE: A magical place where global unloved items hit emotional science and are transformed into objects of desire…like these laundry baskets and washing up bowls made from recycled plastic in Senegal.
Pure fireworks for the kitchen.
How delicious? These baskets are made by the Mixtec people of Mexican mashing traditional palm weaving with unwanted plastic.
And there are recycled tin cans from Peru, all given new life. A plant pot – or a pen pot? The choice is yours.
You head to the site for storage ideas..and end up being amazed by cunning delights like these lights…designed to hold a tea-light and convert any bottle into a table lamp…genius.
Or these candlesticks holders..spiked to stand in flower pots..or hammered into a log.
Thank God they’re not based in London. Now where’s the credit card…
Laters, Kate x
More Stairs..Because..
The main kilim has arrived!
And the one for the very top of the stairs..it’s amazing how much carpet you need for a flight of stairs..over 5 meters. The idea is to sew these all together to make one long run.
Someone asked the other day if I was worried that they weren’t official stair carpets. It highlighted the fact that we’re a generation brought up on hype and brand – instead of seeing products for what they are we now believe we need a specific shampoo for almost blonde hair or a cleaner for our pink toilets. It’s all clever labelling and marketing just to part us from our hard earned cash because the truth is, as soon as these carpets are fitted to the stairs, that’s what they become.
This is the final one to add to the patchwork…I’d post a picture of what they all look like but I’m still effing suffering from f*&*ing problems with the cr*p software update that Apple has inflicted on my s*dding computer: Another modern disease…built in obsolescence: updating what already works just because you can and to make more money. I need to become a hippy.
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 