Category: 2016
Winter Warmers x
Spare Room part 2
Bedside tables are a great richness in a small space. They’re the earrings of a bedroom, framing the focal point as well providing great function…and I need to chose a pair for the spare room.
If money was no object I’d be pulled, without fail, to the antique option: Timeless, chic, classic (but they’d be a little (big) voice in my head whispering but where would you put your cup of morning tea??) (fitted glass on the top for protection?)(would it be enough??)
And besides, modern designs can work: There’s a sense of simplicity and space to them – an avoidance of clutter where less is more.
If your bed is your nest, as mine is, then taking a leaf out of hospital design could be the way to go. Wouldn’t it be nice if someone made a brass version of this with hidden wheels in the base and maybe a marble top?
Love the function here, but the mdf style presentation? Needs to be better.
But this is a super clever idea for those with a thin, narrow bedroom. Genius.
An interesting picture: The colours, the velvet, the sheepskin all draw the eye in. The mirrors add that touch of glamour..
And then you see this photo and realise how much better the proportions balance when the mirrors are smaller than the headboard: Little things.
And as I only have a little space……I’m thinking an old fashioned wall sconce might be just the thing: Cheap, simple, effective. Maybe with a smaller mirror above them.
(All pics from Pinterest)
Or even use a pair of upcycled corbels…
Watch this space.
Laters, Kate x
Rejina Pyo x
There’s a quiet freshness about Rejina Pyo’s clothes.
She says herself ‘When it comes to clothes, I prefer a subtler approach and an element of surprise’.
With that in mind she resists the temptation for disposable, seasonal pieces.
Which makes her clothes familiar yet special.
Less is more: It’s feeding into my subconscious.
Laters, Kate x
Doubling up..
It was a long night last night – after birthday celebrations it was home late to a very sick Charlie with projectile vomiting and diarrhoea..in his sleep..you can just imagine the amount of bed linen/antiseptic spray we got through. Finally we both went to sleep on the bathroom floor – the easiest place to keep clean. So it feels appropriate to look at clever, space saving beds – for which I have to thank the Sunday Times for coming up with these finds – but they’re just too good not to pass on. The bed above is from Noa and Nani – a really good, affordable £129 brucie bargain, chic choice.
They do other designs too, including this very cunning one at £249..
There’s storage..
with a trundle bed above. Genius.
Or what about a space saving bed for three? A bunk bed with a simple trundle you can add for a mere £59.
Or just a trundle you can keep out of sight?
I heart this bed. Disguised as an ottoman it comes up trumps with a padded headboard. From Sofa.com. Although a little bit more expensive at £530.
An Ikea classic. At £349?
Or this one at £499 – apparently flips open to make a double. Check out Made.com for more information.
I’m liking the smaller size option of a chair-bed. This ‘ched’ (my word..) is from Willow and Hall at a currently reduced price of £393
I like the chunkiness of this option…but I’m never sure of the design virtue of armrests shaped as wheels….but if it floats your boat it’s from Loaf at £875.
Maybe you will be able to squeeze that extra guest in this Christmas..ho ho!
Laters, Kate x
Why?
It’s dark and raining heavily today as though even the Gods are crying.
And Donald Trump will be the next leader of the free world and President of America.
How? Why?
You’ve really chosen a fascist over…a woman?
The man who epitomises ‘if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail..’?
(All cartoons from Google)
For all the grieving people in the States – we empathise: This is what it feels like not to recognise your country any more.
Who ever thought Isis could win via democracy?
Laters, Kate x
Head Space x
The spare room has definitely been unquestionably subservient to the rest of the house. Not surprising as it’s the least used space. But I’m starting to think it needs to be finished with it’s own injection of glamour.
It needs four elements to complete it – a headboard as the focal point, a rug to ground it, a wardrobe for storage and 2 bedside tables for practicality.
Which way to go? Dramatic contrast? quiet luxury? or boho bliss?
Spoilt for choice..
Laters, Kate x
Vika Gazinskaya x
It started with this dress spotted in Pintrest. So simple yet beautifully crafted – the flow on the placket, the upright collar, the slouch on the shoulder, the choice of colours, the block of colours..the clever, subtle curve on the blocks..
And so the journey starts discovering a new label and what other delights to feast on.
That blue at the bottom..
You’re either a volume person, or you’re not. I love it. I love the sense of intrigue that’s added when a person steps inside. Vita Gazinskaya has it down to a tee.
Not that volume is the only choice.
It’s clever cutting and ingenuity.
A simple palette with bold designs. Mi piace.
Laters, Kate x
Toolally ho ho ho..
Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say and not giving a damn. So says Gore Vidal. And Mags from Toolally jewellery…
Her pieces are handcrafted in her Yorkshire studio and designed to make maximum impact.
They are the perfect partner if you want your clothes to simmer gently and your bling to take all the limelight.
I never thought I’d find perspex to be so attractive again, but these blaze the line between cool retro and hot modern.
I smell a trend.
Laters, Kate x
Mwaohahahaaaaaaaa!
We embraced the chaos of Halloween last night..so much so I have very few pictures, hence this is a montage produced from various sources with thanks to all who had their fingers – severed or otherwise – on the button!
Until next year!
Laters, Kate x
Taste Wars x
First day back to school after the two week half term holiday and bizarrely it’s Halloween…an oxymoronic combination which will probably leave the rest of the week in tatters with the children trying to recover juggling routine and school. But hey, at least we gained an hour this week… it’ll be put to good use carving pumpkins and slapping on the grease paint later. Sigh. But leaving blood dripping knives and the prospect of tired kids aside, I need to actually write a post so I’m going with something that struck a nerve whilst we were away in Hastings.
We stayed in a little wooden lodge that was very pleasant….but didn’t look like anything in these pictures. Which has become a bit of a bug bear – in England, when you go away to a resort setting, chances are you are either paying a fortune for a properly imagined rustic aesthetic (casing point: Soho Farmhouse) or you’re having your tastes dictated to by a narrow number of bulk buying, short sighted, cheap loving, tight fisted suits that think modern always means good.
But the rub is rustic isn’t about expense. It’s roots lie in making the best use of the materials available in the best way possible, given the space available.
It’s about finding elements that are both practical and will stand the test of time, yet still look good: Re-using, re-thinking, re-energising.
It’s not generic canvas’s from Ikea but vintage pictures from a charity shop. Not ready made velour curtains but re-imagined blankets and kantha quilts. Not shiny carpets but wooden floors and battered rugs.
Does taste cost more? Sometimes…but mostly it just takes a bit more thought.
And how often is it that those thought out things cast the longest shadows?
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 