Tagged: Renovations

December 11, 2015

The Cellar x

Sigh. This is part of the inspiration for our cellar renovation..a warm, inviting room from epic the Hotel Provinence in Paris.

But before we get to the fun bits (we’re still shovelling soil), the room layout has to be nailed (literally). It’s not the easiest room – there’s got to be lots of multi-functionality but I’ve found a brilliant site – The Make Room – which is the easiest, most practical room planner I’ve ever played with.

You can pull in furniture..and alter their sizes to represent yours..or what’s on the dream list.

Save different layouts. Add in measurements to ensure there’s enough walk space..(Top tip: As a base line the site uses feet and inches, to change – look to the right and click on ‘add all buttons’ then, look to the left, find ‘view’ click and change to centimetres)

You can choose plugs..lights..even slippers.

At the end – oh the joy! – it gives you a list of the sizes of all the furniture you’ve used..is that not heaven on a page?

Then just print off..and hand to nearest Bank Manager…

Laters, Kate x

November 19, 2015

They’re Here!

The kitchen lights in all their milk churn glory have arrived! Including their beautiful wording…

On the flip side are painted typical canal art scenes of castles and mountains.

I’m suspecting they’ll be hung in a row like this..so the cook on the far side has the last laugh..

My cup, it floweth over…

Laters, Kate x

November 18, 2015

Fur coat..

There comes a point in every house renovation when Ikea becomes a must not a want. It’s that line in the concrete dust between Pinterest dreams and harsh reality. Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with Ikea – a huge percentage of what they do verges on the genius. It’s just that, chances are, everything you like will be replicated a hundred times over in millions of homes around the globe, even in your next door neighbours, which as an individual, never sits comfortably. But that’s where Ikea hacks kick in – the idea of taking the basic Ikea form and transforming it into something with Icarus-like wings. A concept the company Superfront has taken a whole leap further..

They design and manufacture fronts, handles, legs, sides and tops that fit Ikea’s most common cabinets.

And they do it with style and panache.

What’s not to love?

Except there’s a mental leap to get over..you’re buying Ikea because it’s cheap..and then you’re going to spend lots of money on it to make it special? Why not cut the middle man out and buy something expensive in the first place?

Or let these designs stand on their own two feet and cut out the Ikea bit? Except then they’d be unhitching from the global gravy train…

Hey ho. At least what they do opens up the opportunity to follow suit and ~~nick~~ pay homage to all their ideas too..and so the dog eat dog world of design continues…

Laters, Kate x

November 12, 2015

Kitchen heaven!

The kitchen light’s are coming! The kitchen light’s are coming!…and I have no real idea what they will look like or whether they will actually work, except that in my head they are totally brilliant.

I needed three pendants to hang over the new island unit but didn’t want to go down the industrial look, not because I don’t like it..I just wanted something very different.

Also, I’ve realised over the years that I have a passion for folk art..an art form we don’t take seriously enough here in the UK. All the images here are typical examples of British canal art – the traditional means of decorating canal boats and barges. I think it is stunning, ingenious and totally covetable.