Category: Style
Crittall..
Well..the Crittall glass is finally in..and has completely changed the room. Hard to describe how – it feels very, very grown up.
Of course it wasn’t all plain sailing, because unless I’m secretly Harry Potter I shouldn’t be able to do this. They need another trip to replace a section of glass that got broken..and another that was defective. Third time lucky hey…
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
Candy Store x
Food for Breakfast..
Things are moving on a pace on the renovation…painting has started on the cellar, lights have gone up and the hallway, which was boarded up for protection by the builders has been opened up again..it now feels twice the size. More paint samples have been bought (I swear this is where paint companies make their profit)…but at least they’re starting to make sense. Pictures will follow soon…
Outside the sky is brilliant blue and it genuinely feels that spring is knocking on the door..hence of the appeal of these spring pics from Toast, suggesting bare foot easy living with simplicity the main ingredient and quality the key.
I want to be here.
Toast also do the best summer scarves..expensive, but worth every penny.
In contrast their Swedish clog shoes are great value – just £65..
Goes to show…there’s always something exciting around the corner…
Laters, Kate x
Bohemian Minimalist?
I’ve been reading Bea Johnson’s book ‘Zero Waste Home’ with interest – it’s fair to say it’s an eye opener. Whilst there’s no doubt she’s taken her chosen style of living to an extreme (her 4 member family produce just one large jar of rubbish a year)..( I confess that’s less than we manage in a day) and despite the fact the book is written for the American market, there’s no denying the hidden gold between the pages…..she genuinely believes that in our fast-paced, modern world we’ve disconnected from the true reality of our commercialism and the consequences of our voracious, unstoppable actions. By shining a light on something as simple as rubbish she aims to change people’s attitudes in a broader, rippling sense..and make a real difference both to the individual and the planet. Impressive ambitions.
The book reminds me of an article I read in the Times by Caitlin Moran where she admitted that as a poor person she was far more creative: No money to buy it equalled make it or fix it. But now with success, she just throws money at the problem…we think because we can have it all, we should have it all. We even deserve to have it all.
Bea thinks differently: She likes to simplify life right down to needs not wants, equalling less hassle, less waste..less stuff.
And that’s where she and I differ. I understand the simplicity of a clutter free, simplified life…but clutter and old stuff are fundamental to my personal lifeblood. All these pics represent interiors I aspire to with their sense of timeless style and soft edges.
A house without books? Soulless.
No artworks and bedspreads?
(All pics Pinterest)
Or knick knacks and beautiful rugs? It would break my little heart.
But I think there are grey areas where we overlap. And I’d really like to explore her world in little steps..doing something different every month. Watch this space…
Laters, Kate x
Free to Roam..
The wander-lust is strong today. Despite spotting my first snowdrops on the way to school drop-off this morning, spring and summer still seem a long way off and the routine feels monotonous.
I just want to pack our bags and head off in a vintage jaguar with crinkled beige leather seats.
I don’t care if it’s a trip to the crisp, cold mountains.
But truth be told, I’d prefer somewhere with colour and sun.
Somewhere where life is simple.
(All pics Pinterest)
It’s probably to much builders dust and not enough vitamin D..
Laters, Kate x
First Step..
There was a brilliant article in the Evening Standard last night about our insatiable appetite for stuff, it described a worker in a plastics factory in China laughing at the crap products being churned out for the international market..only to see the order tripled the following week. It’s all around us..look through a Lakeland catalogue and see some brilliant ideas..but also some entirely superfluous ones, designed just because we think we need them..or (because we always have to show progression) over-engineered designs of something that already worked perfectly fine. But hey, that’s more money for the fat cats economy..particularly when you add in the modern power of build-in-obsolescence..with any luck it’ll break…and we’ll buy it twice!
I’d love to see a move away from vapid accumulation to less is more, quality over substance..and the best changes start at home. The wardrobe is having it’s first attack today…
All nightwear is heading the way of charity or cut up for rags, leaving just two pairs of pajamas and a dressing gown.
It’s a start.
Laters, Kate x
Raw Talent x
Jessica Kramer is my new arthouse-slash-fully-fledged-rockstar (of the jewellery kind) and the maker/owner of Hawkhouse. She’s been a wanderer and traveller, soaking up the sights and sounds of six of the seven continents of the world before love made her drop anchor or as she says ‘Wild woman falls in love with island boy and signs up for Etsy’. Her story and all it’s wonder is ingrained in her pieces.
Her works are frank and forthright without the slightest glint of superficiality, just pure natural beauty shining through.
There’s a visceral feeling of groundedness (is that a word??) straight talking and sincerity.
(All pictures Hawkhouse and Pinterest)
Designer prices? No – everything, even the uncut emeralds above are around the £40 plus shipping; This is outside the brain boil of mainstream madness, brand and oneupmanship, here it’s honesty and integrity that take centre stage and run straight through the middle of every single piece.
Just simply inherently cool.
Laters, Kate x
Bees Knees x
In my virtual world, this is what I look like today.
Exif_JPEG
(All pictures Pinterest)
Proving that old is always new….which gives me endless hope!
Laters, Kate x
Clothes List x
Weather update in London: Drab, grey, definitely cooler than December but still not cuttingly cold – not a true frost to be seen, instead lots of rain, puddles and mud. It’s when I miss the twinkling lights of Christmas and long for spring – which is still a good six weeks away.
Clothes are still transitional – I wore my big winter jumper for the first time today, but that’s probably more because we have no heating as the boiler is being moved. To go out, all I needed was a light wool jacket – which sums up the weirdness of a winter that’s never progressed: It’s a time of mashing up opposites – skinny jeans with giant cardigans, long wool coats with no socks….floaty skirts and enormous jumpers.
(Pics: Pinterest)
Just keep a brolly handy.
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 