Category: Design
At Last!
And as if from nowhere the weather in London has changed to summer – 27 degrees predicted for today which proves we are a nation of extremes: No time to wear-in sandals or pack away winter woollies before the clouds clear and brilliant sunshine pours down which means discovering where the best summer dresses are hiding is a no-brainer.
First port of call for me is always Freepeople because they manage hit a particular sweet spot and offer a high summer aesthetic that still looks good in a City or on a beach.
Their boho ranges from just thrown on hand embroidered artisan creations to the more structured you-could-even-wear-this-as-a-wedding-dress gorgeous offerings.
(All pics Freepeople, all links Pinterest)
Just pass me the sunscreen and a credit card…
Laters, Kate x
Light it up x
In the back of my mind I’ve been thinking about these lights ever since my sister-in-law Sue said they had a problem with the lights over their kitchen table because there’s no way to put a pendant in. Their attraction is multilayered: Many are fixed to the wall rather than a ceiling, there’s the brooding statement wow factor, the multidirectional angles plus playful shadows and that cunning ability to move the arms at whim.
(All pics Pinterest)
Add in a dimmer switch and I’m sold.
Laters, Kate x
Bright White Light x
There was this article I read last week that on initial skimming was talking my artisanal language – it’s message was make sure it’s the stuff you hold and use every day are your investment pieces because this is where quality and appreciation will sing. Except that’s when I had a lightbulb moment because it’s so not true – in fact, the real truth is the very opposite: We need the stuff we use every day to be simple and replaceable because their constant use means the chances of them being broken wracks up and who wants to shed tears on a daily basis? I know we have a white mismatched dinner service that I’m sure started off as a two bogoffs from Tesco. It’s been added to over the years, but it’s core has remained the same: mismatched but matched simplicity with a lack of drama when a piece inevitably breaks.
(From Argos £7.99 for 12 piece set)
I’ve been noticing this boomerang effect a lot lately, where you think one thing leads to a certain consequence when in fact, the opposite happens: Take the row over Facebook…the premise is we’re all connected. But in truth is it segregation with the tribes who share our views leading to intolerance, division and stress? It’s food for thought.
(From Argos £58 for a 18 piece set)
(From Habitat reduced from £60 to £30 for a 12 piece set)
Maybe we need to be more careful where real value lies, but what I do know is taking a walk on the cheap side of the tracks means there’s so much more left in the kitty for the real stars to shine: The ones that get used every day but have no danger of being dropped..
Laters, Kate x
Handling it..
The designing of the kitchen actually started on Friday – Alleluia! Naturellement it’s not a new kitchen per se but a hotch potch of the old kitchen units (we like recycling) and new additions that somehow all need to be brought together, but this picture represents the inspiration (I only wish I could have that island unit…but sadly it’s the only space for the sink/dishwasher/bin/cutlery so the carcasses need to hit the floor..maybe in another life..) But we’ve been working on how to line up the sight lines, even up the variety of widths and unify the look.
Which is never easy..go for industrial raw edge?
Or embrace industrial engineering with these beauties from Buster & Punch?…
(There’s something very tactile about that surface..)
The potential fly in the soup is the mixing in of an old french glazed bookcase (a bit like this one) I have to hold my crockery. The thinking goes that to pull them together by using that same handles on at least some of the other units.
It helps I like a variety of handles.
But it’s still a matter of balance..too many would just be wrong – so which ones to choose?….lovely brass handles?
Delicious little catches?..
(All pictures Pinterest)
Or just subtle, understated cup handles and little brass knobs?
The thinking cap is on.
Laters, Kate x
Up lift..
This is one to add to the thought book….remember this post regarding upcycled Ikea furniture? Well, the Swedish company Bemz has taken that concept, combined it with soft furnishings and sprinted with it round the proverbial fabric park.
Now your basic Ikea sofa, arm chair, dining chair can have it’s very own facelift in a huge variety of colours, fabrics and textures…including the trend of the hour..velvet.
Eco friendly and kind on the pocket? It’s a modern day romance made in heaven.
It’s just up to you to marry them together.
(All pictures Pinterest)
(And did you notice the feet?? More on that tomorrow..)
Laters, Kate x
Hard style x
This post is a blast from the past, in recognition of the summer that’s surely around the corner..
It’s hot here in London. Silly hot – sun fat dying insects hot where the air is a physical wall of heat rising up from the baking pavements and stumbling off buildings and glass.
So why am I thinking a bit of hard landscaping is in order? Mad. But it’s not something for today but to be chewed over, slowly.
We have a pinch point in the garden just where the table is. If the flowerbed there was taken back a couple of feet it would make much spatial sense.
Besides, who does’t love a bit of cobbling? Chosen carefully it can transform the mundane and put heaven in a backyard.
Laters, Kate x
Tara x
Tara Button and her website Buymeonce are a blast of fresh, spring air.
Tara’s concept is simple – our lives have been stuffed full of things we’re told we need that lets us down so she has been on a mission to track down the best quality and investment pieces that every house actually needs.
This resonates so much it almost hurts: I too am tired of this modern life that believes it can tell me who I am through the purchase of a skin cream, what I need: permanent upgrades and who I should be: spending lots of money, constantly implying that the real me isn’t good enough.
Just open your eyes to the insistent message of the season: Spring clean your wardrobes/house/family/life – it’s time to refresh!…The underlying, insidious message being that we will make you insecure to make you buy more.
(All pics Buymeonce)
Is it norm corm in the extreme? I don’t know. But what I do know is that we can’t spend our way to happiness and something needs to change. This seems a very good place to start.
Laters, Kate x
Easter Project x
So the big plan this Easter is to start putting Bella’s room renovation into action and our proposed make are floor-sofa cushions: How hard can it be??
Except the last time I took out my sewing machine, there was a definite smell of burning..
Wish us luck.
Laters, Kate x
Peek x
There’s an undeniable delight about being able to step behind the curtains and into the spaces of other people, particularly when theres more than one room. This is the New York townhouse of Monique Gibson, renowned interior designer, courtesy of Architectural Digest.
(All pics Architectural Digest)
Just look at this one makes me long for summer..
Laters, Kate x
Pin it x
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 