Category: Design
Re-entry x
I made a discovery yesterday. In fact I made several. Firstly, I am genuinely getting old – the proof came in an unexpected moment when I found myself looking for and using a different attachment for the hoover.
Afterwards I needed a full fat caffeine filled coffee to recover: I’d taken it upon myself to have an autumn-clean; a cathartic move to put away the summer and embrace the coming cold. Part of this meant pulling everything out from under the bed and doing a proper job, because our bedroom has exposed floorboards and the brass bed sits on a vintage rug, provided as a welcome mat to any hungry moths in the neighbourhood. Discovery no.2: There is a Dust Monster, and this is where he lives, along with his neighbour, the Sock Monster. (I believe these are the protectors of said moths)
But none of the negatives will stop my meshed love and appreciation of the aesthetic quality of a perfectly placed rug, whether in a bedroom or partnered with a sofa.
(All pics Pinterest)
There’s something about a rug that pulls a room together, anchors the furniture and solidifies all the opposing elements. I was reminded of this whilst watching the latest interior design competition (Interior Design Masters) on the BBC. The joy of these programmes is considering what you’d do in their position. And often I find myself shouting ‘rug’, and sometimes other words, at the screen. But the truth is, seeing where contestants go wrong is easy, particularly with the addition of retrospect. The hardest thing is always to narrow the choices and come up with original ideas in the first place. And that’s without cameras and a time limit.
Laters, Kate x
Patios x
(Still away – another re-post – because the summer should be about creativity)
Saw this on Pinterest and thought, what a brilliant idea for a Garden Patio, particularly when the budget doesn’t stretch to tiles, but even when it does – because tiles crack and fashions change but paint is cheap and cheerful.
Particularly like the white on dark..
And you can even make your own..
Laters, Kate x
The power of the written word..
Itching x
I’m meant to be doing something else today, so of course all I can think of is painting faces. Weird, wonderful faces with many loose lines yet inherent simplicity. They should play with media – the sharpness of a black pen against the contrast of chalk pastels, spreading on the wind, sitting on a solid flick of acrylic with the wobble of a lead pencil. The colours should be muddy, yet poignant – diluted pinks, distilled greys, a touch of yellow, a hint of blue. The back doors should be open with the sun shining, a cool breeze, music quietly playing – Maurice Ravel’s Deau Melodies heraiques sung by Victoria de los Angeles – and a strong cup of tea in a flat bottomed chine cup at one degree above blood temperature.
Until then, I’ll just eat the inspiration.
Laters, Kate x
Design Hero x
A hero: Admired for their courage, their stance against the odds, outstanding achievements and noble qualities; victor, winner, conqueror and lion heart.
We now live in a disposable culture where things are cheaper to replace than mend. Except there are a few companies who still regard service as part of their service…
Meet Dualit, a company started in the 1940s in a factory in Camberwell, London. It’s ethos is no frills, no gimmicks, no compromise and with it’s roots in commercial restaurants and hotels means you can add reliability and integrity to its list of credentials.
And the sleek retro looks with shiny chrome means aesthetics are another easy box to tick.
(All pics Dualit and Pinterest)
But it’s the simple, practical fact that all the parts of a Dualit toaster can be replaced that is the real clincher and thrill of this praise party: Buy once, buy well.
Sometimes the old ones are the best.
Laters, Kate x
Midsummer x
Midsummer’s day on Friday and the weather finely got the message, though looking out of the window now, the air is thick enough to slice and grey storm clouds are gathering. Which probably explains the English fascination with tents and gazebos: a place to escape from life and rain, somewhere full of hope and nostalgia that remains a little bit of summer no matter what.
(All pics Pinterest)
These are all from the Raj Tent Club – the creme de la creme of canopies, but I’ve always had the urge to create my own…
Laters, Kate x
Silver Lining x
I remember at Christmas being drawn to coloured fairy lights over the classic, style leading, Scandi simplistic white and that pull to colour is still strong: In the opening episode of Tales of the City on Netflix, there’s an outdoor party in San Fransisco festooned with every kind of light, shape, size and colour and it was an eclectic, mad, happy joy to see. When the weather is grey, the politics greyer and the country feels like it’s going to the dogs, we need colour….and the bigger, the brighter, the more ebullient, the better.
(All pics Pinterest)
Simple pleasures.
Laters, Kate x
Centre Half: Scarf
Friday marks midsummer. Try telling that to the clouds, the rain, the wind and the temperature. It’s the pay back and karma for last summer. But it still hurts. Maybe that’s why I’m loving the colour, the fluidity and the fun of men wearing silk scarves.
(All pics pinterest)
It just brightens the day.
Laters, Kate x
I C U….
Australian artist, Jennifer Allnutt, has been painting rocks and stones with eyes to then return them to the landscape from whence they came with the wish that they can be found or lost forever.
(All pics Pinterest)
Kindness, magic, setting something free, message in a bottle, transformation, reaching out to strangers, giving something we take for granted another story: There’s something here that catches a special zeitgeist and pulls on the heart.
Laters, Kate x
Smile x
Borastapeter wallpaper take classic designs and interpret them in a contemporary way.
Because there’s great joy in taking an accepted pleasure spot and moving the boundaries just enough to find the riches inbetween.
The joy moves up a notch further when the price point is a sensible one.
(All pics Pinterest)
Then the heat it attracts is both warming and thrilling.
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 