Category: Design

June 14, 2017

Labour of Love x

Looking back to last year, I think my kids have both grown a foot, if not 5. It means a new summer wardrobe has become a necessity rather than a want, and whilst one of life’s delights is shopping for children’s clothes, it becomes a nightmare once they develop tastes of their own. You like one thing..they like something else…that is inevitably for someone older..or tackier..

We’re trying a new approach this year. I’ve set up a Pinterest board where we can select our choices and hopefully come up with the crossover clothes we both like.

So far it’s working..we’ve agreed on all of these. Which has slightly blown my mind.

And I’ve allowed a few exceptions to creep in. Normally this swimsuit would not make the cut..But I know Bella will make it work and she loves it. But I didn’t think she’d go for slides…

Or culotte shorts. How wrong was I? (All pics Pinterest)

My girl is growing up. Little sigh.

Laters, Kate x

June 13, 2017

Wish list x

Take a moment and think textured, green, seventies glass.

(All pics Pinterest)

A Joy, no?

Laters, Kate x

June 12, 2017

Trayed x

If less is more than the more has to speak volumes. Which doesn’t apply to our current tea tray. It’s the only one we have – round, crudely painted with white undercoat that literally laughs at me with it’s many stains and unclassable imperfections, too gritty to even rank as boho.

It was bought from Ikea many years ago as a DIY project. But I think I’ve always known that there were better painted trays available than I could ever produce.

(All pics Pinterest)

And so it has languished, used but unloved. The butterfly moment is never going to happen. Time to love a replacement and move on..

Laters, Kate x

June 7, 2017

Hot seat x

If there was a design choice Dessert Island discs the Frank Guhl concrete chair would make the cut. Or if all else failed, a concrete homage..

Which is odd because concrete doesn’t look the most comfortable to sit on. And yet..

There’s a fragility, like the edge of an exotic shell, combined with a brutal, no nonsense strength.

It’s a sculptural piece of practical art.

(All pics Pinterest)

And I’ve decided, if all else fails and they really are all fur and no knickers, there’s always the joy of finding the perfect cushion…

Laters, Kate x

June 6, 2017

Project concrete x

There was a project this half term – to make fairy light stands for the garden, just like these ones.

The aim was to have pure concrete at the bottom rather than a container of any sort. I found these 7 litre tubs in the pound shop and hoped the flex on the sides would mean the hardened concrete would pull out easily. The easiest way to mix the concrete was separately, in each tub. Tip of the day: mix it in layers rather than all at once – put a bit in, add water, mix…add a bit more, otherwise it hard work..and there’s always a bit you’ve missed..otherwise, I didn’t know how easy concrete playing was. Like play doh for grown ups..

The concrete was nothing posh. Bog standard from DIY store.

I had six foot metal poles from homebase (£4.75 each) to go in the middle, held in place with duct tape till they were hardened.

It was surprisingly easy to pull the finished bases out. Ta-dah!

I bought s-hooks from Amazon. The shape of this particular hook was appealing with it’s straight side to fit in the pole and the curvy end to hold the lights.

In position..pic taken today as the rain streams down…the hooks are held in position with window putty. Simple.

The final thing will be to paint them all black – when the weather improves. And then photograph them with their lights. Maybe then I’ll do a post on finished projects because the mirror has finally gone up in the downstairs toilet too….

Laters, Kate x

June 5, 2017

Camping x

It’s been half term already and we’ve been camping with friends.

Living the simple life in a field, blowing giant bubbles.

Can you tell we enjoyed it??

We weren’t far from the coast.

And next to the site was a high ropes playground..

Including a terrifying giant swing!

Truly the stuff of nightmares!

As was our departure. Not a sight you want to see…..we lost the car keys in the long grass on the first day. But it was OK as we kindly got driven back to London to fetch the spare set. Except we got hit by a super-storm…Damp got in (She’s 19 years old) and short circuited the electrics so the spare key wouldn’t work…and the manual key? Was part of master key that got lost! At least once we got in we were able to drive away, which was more than the car behind us – they’d lost all their keys, including their house keys and had to be towed away from the campsite!

Laters, Kate x

May 25, 2017

Bowlful..

Such a pleasure when a sink can be full of colour and visual ideas as well as water.

These sinks from The London Sink Company, a mother and daughter team, are glowingly resplendent in their form and practicality.

Not a cheap option, but a deep one that sings buy less, buy better, buy better but maybe wait longer – but then relish with joy every turn of the tap.

Laters, Kate x

May 24, 2017

The fairest of them all..

Mirrors. The item that always gives back.

Powerful and playful. As illustrated by Leandro Erlich’s Dalston House art installation.

(All pics Pinterest)

It’s all about what you see.

Laters, Kate x

May 22, 2017

Lighten the mood x

The plan for the garden light poles is well under way. The pound shop proved to be a rich source of materials, as did our local DIY store. So far I have £1 trugs for the bases, £4 two metre black poles, 2 bags of cement and some ‘s’ hooks ordered online (I’m hoping they’ll be the perfect shape for one end to sit in the pole, the other to hold the lights. We’ll see). The powers that be have promised summer will return this week, so hopefully it will be a gentle evenings activity putting it all together. Until then, enjoy these interior nods to summer where light and natural wood evoke thoughts of sunbeams and curled cats.