Tagged: Interiors
Black and Right x
The only room that hasn’t been decorated downstairs is the toilet. It’s a conundrum and I’m still butterflying between different ideas, the latest of which is a growing love of irregular patterns and wallpapers, particularly in monochrome.
(For more details on wallpapers click here)
I like to think that small spaces can take big ideas…
Laters, Kate x
Sitting room storage..
Sometimes I dabble, sometimes I dream through half-closed eyes looking at the offending room, or in this case, corner of a room wondering what trick will create the magic. The present corner in question is in the sitting room which is less hipster chic more family mess with the tv balanced on an unloved old side table, multiple plugs, leads and consoles plus a most unattractive plastic box filled with…tat. So instead of chaos I think of clever storage and chic solutions…..and it’s vintage wall units all gently glowing with decades of love and charm that focus into view.
(You can spot the offending item next to the yellow chair in the lefthand corner)
TV’s are always problematic – large, black, ugly they dominate a room. I sorted it in our cellar cinema room (aka The Underworld) by darkening the walls and designing a specially made fireplace that sneakily both hid all the cables and opened up to reveal the dvd player, set boxes as they were needed…the front has a grill that drops down for easy access but also works closed as you can change channels etc through the mesh. It’s been a revelation.
The storage needs to be practical and beautiful so the current thought is to go for a Poul Cadovius style wall unit. The appeal is the simple design and it’s flexibility – the shelves/cabinets can be arranged in any order.
I’m thinking the cabinet with sliding doors, like the one above, could sit with it’s back cunningly removed over the plugs on the wall and hide all the leads and house the dvd/etc (I refuse to get rid of my dvds..one day they’ll be like vinyl. Promise.) And then, because it’s deeper, the TV could also sit on top…even be angled.
The rest of the shelves could be then arranged above.
I think it’s a solution. Can it be a reality?
Laters, Kate x
Holly go brightly..
Today marks the last Monday of term and school prize day – a day to avoid if ever there is one. I swore last year, after three hours of clapping in heavy, muggy heat that I would never go again – and that was after the mornings two hour session. But, there’s no emotional escape from the kids need to know you’re there..in world economics it’s a price too high to pay not to go, so it’s time to slap on the smile and don the nonchalance for one more time. I’ll be sitting there, checking out the colour combinations and trying to work out why some things work that really shouldn’t..and the reverse.
Think of me.
Laters, Kate x
Soak and Sleep x
I’ve never met a cotton pillow case I didn’t like and ever since The White Company ate up the homewares market there’s been a focaccia bunfight for aspirational linen shops. Soak and Sleep is one such company, offering fabulous bed and bath products for a lot less than on the high street.
Like these linen bedspreads from £20.90. Which means they’re both easy on the eye and there are bargains to be had…except check details…the sandstone is available at £20.90 but want the navy? and the price rises to a steep £129.
Even so, with the range on offer they’ve got something: Classic designs with an artisan edge combined with lux textures and products you genuinely feel will age with you (..I think that’s a compliment..)
If you need to buy for a special present/wedding/birthday they’re worth checking out. If you need to buy for yourself…I’m jealous.
Laters, Kate x
The sitting Room x
The advantage of doing all the decorating from our building works myself is there’s been something in the pot to buy a few treats like this Hans Wegner wishbone chair.
A pair of them now sit in pride of places at either end of our dining room table. What love.
The extra bonus were the large boxes the chairs arrived in which were quickly commandeered by the children. Who needs toys?
But it hasn’t all been treats and joy. This was the sitting room on Sunday..
A much needed bookcase went up meaning the final boxes could be unpacked. These are original midcentury tomado shelves – the choice surprised me as well.
Probably a good thing as we have guests for the next two weeks and at last the spare room is liveable in.
The sitting room isn’t finished (check out the plastic storage tub by the yellow chair, part of our sad tv storage) – it still has some organic growth to go – but it’s a huge improvement.
And lots of pictures have finally gone up.
The footstool still doesn’t have it’s cover on – it’s meant to be white, but I’ve got some lavender coloured dye waiting in the wings…
Slowly. But surely.
Laters, Kate x
Exteriors..
As the internal painting on the house starts coming to an end (just the downstairs toilet and some radiator cabinets to go) all thoughts are turning to the outside. It’s a big decision and needs time to mull.
There’s so many options..dramatic and black?
I like it..but I think it might be better on the back of the house…(I just love the way it contrasts with green..)
So at the front..I’m thinking putty coloured windows and woodwork..but the front door? A darker putty shade? or that classic pale blue…
Or even a mallow pink?
Hmmmmmm. There’s no rush – we like the front looking crap as a burglar deterrent over the summer…but the picture needs to come into focus..
Laters, Kate x
I think..
Green…..
….Because it’s mean.
Laters, Kate x
Kilims on my mind..
You can’t beat a good rug. (Except of course you can..)
They work with anything, anywhere, quietly bringing soul and drama to a room.
Traditional or modern. It doesn’t matter.
I’ve been trying to source some as runners for our main stairs and cellar stairs. It hasn’t been easy: No runner is long enough and narrow enough to fit a complete flight, so it’s about finding combinations that work together, fit together in size….and still make the heart sing.
The pair for the cellar have just arrived, prompting a nostalgic glance back at the cellar stair’s upwards progression…from this..
To this.
The kilims still need to be fitted properly…but I think that’s best done once the floor is down (May 3) and possibly after all the furniture is down.
But it’s progress….and I love it.
Laters, Kate x
Progress x
It’s the painful part of the cellar renovation…painting all the bookcases. Probably more so than usual because they started off black…and they’re going..off black. The reason is the shelving is an Ikea Billy hack – using basic Ikea units to look more than the sum of their parts – and that requires a layer of camouflage paint.
At least I have the TV to keep me company.
But it’s still slow progress.
The hunt has been on for the perfect pink for the stair wall.
And I think I’ve found it via the felt our tap came wrapped in.
Now to get it colour matched..
Laters, Kate x
The kitchen: The Reveal
Before: The original kitchen, in a separate room.
Open to the back.
The front sitting room.
The works (basically knocking down the dividing wall and fitting a two storey eight frame)
The result.
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 