home decor

For the Love of Wood

We live in a decor age whereby wooden furniture has been loved and almost loathed in equal measures, some preferring it in its natural, raw state, whilst others will chalk paint or gloss everything in their path. I suppose when it comes to 1980s orange pine I don’t really blame them, however I do think there are some beautiful woods out there that should be left as they are to shine out as a statement piece in their own right. A perfect example is the walnut and glass china cabinet I have at home that originally belonged to my Great-Grandmother which I simply adore for the way it is. Ms Annie Sloan ain’t getting her hands on that baby!!

Essentially, the choice as to whether you paint a piece of furniture or not mostly boils down to your personal style preference; if you love the French country look then an oversized armoire painted in a dusky hue of Paris Grey will undoubtedly look the part in your home, just as a set of mismatched dining chairs painted in pretty pastel shades or an old china cabinet in a slick of bright green paint will guarantee a vintage style lover that quirky, eclectic look she’s after. Personally, I love wood for the warmth and character that it imbues, but painted pieces can add individuality and a sense of fun, too. And as I’ve shown before now, sometimes there’s a fine line between a trip to the dump and a gorgeously upcycled piece of furniture you can feel a little bit proud of!

For the purpose of this post, it’s all about renewing our love for wood, be it teak, walnut, mahogany or, dare I say it, pine… check out these awesome interiors for ways to work that wood baby…

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My Kitchen Makeover Update #1: Weighing up wall paint, window coverings & what to sit on

Before we had even moved into our new house, one of the things I had decided I would tackle first was the open plan kitchen/living space. We are now three months in and I’ve finally made some firm decisions on the decor, including what colour to paint the 1990s oak kitchen cabinets (I think this colour will be perfect to bounce some light around), as well as what shade to use for the surrounding walls (I’m loving this new colour from Farrow & Ball which looks great alongside the cabinet colour choice).

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A 1970s G plan unit brought up to date

When asked, I often describe my interior style preference as Scandi with a bit of vintage mixed in and it’s funny how when you look back at your Pinterest boards, there is inevitably a visual link between your pinned images that defines your style. If you look at my own Pinterest feed, there’s plenty of old mixed with new, clean lines and varied textures, muted walls with pops of monochrome, a hint of the industrial softened with a vase of flowers or soft wool. Definite Scandinavian influences there, but with a lived in, vintage vibe, too.

In particular, I’m drawn to a bit of Danish midcentury style and love old pieces brought back up to date. I have a pair of Ercol carver chairs that are patiently waiting to be transformed with a length of wool fabric, possibly a soft heather grey herringbone weave or navy blue edged with a striking yellow. I can’t decide which, but their time will come…

It follows then, that when a couple of weeks ago one of my lovely neighbours contacted me to say she thought she had a piece of furniture I’d be interested in, I couldn’t resist popping over for a peek (despite the fact that eldest daughter was imminently heading off to her Spring school concert and we were in the middle of a rather rushed tea – you know that situation when stress levels are kind of high?! – however, some things have to give when it comes to potential new decor finds!!)

For those that know me, I’m never one to turn down a preloved piece of furniture that has every potential to be made loveable once again and this piece was no exception, in fact it was perfect! When I arrived at my neighbour’s house, I was delighted to discover the piece of furniture she was looking rid of was an authentic G plan teak sideboard/wall unit dating back to the 1970s. I just had to take it! Needless to say, my other half immediately deemed it ugly and dated, however thanks to my addiction to the aforementioned Pinterest, I had other ideas…

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Make your New House a Home in 5 Simple Steps

As you probably know, it’s a very exciting time for our family, as we prepare to move into our new home at the beginning of next month! As we have been staying at my mum’s house for the past few months (yes, she deserves a medal!), we have decided to hold off on having our furnishings and belongings (currently in storage) being delivered until the Monday following completion day. This will allow us 48 hours to give the house a deep clean, as we all know that no matter how clean the previous owner leaves a home, we want to put our own stamp on it from day one – and for me, that starts with cleaning the bathroom, kitchen cupboards, built-in appliances, windows…the list goes on! Whether you decide to hire a specialist cleaning company for this task or tackle it yourself, one thing is certain: you will never have as good a chance again to give the house this thorough a once-over whilst there are no sofas to navigate or beds to budge.

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How to create a cosy bedroom sanctuary

With the colder season already creeping in, there is nothing more welcome at the end of a long day trudging to and from school and work than crawling into a well made bed, wrapping yourself up under layer upon layer of snuggly, dreamy softness. The only thing is, there’s more to achieving that wonderfully luxurious and cosy bedroom than simply throwing an extra blanket over the bed, so here are some tips on how to create your perfect autumn/winter bedroom sanctuary… …

How to Create a Home Work Space that Works

More of us than ever before now work from home and regardless of whether it’s on a full or part time basis, plugging away on the computer whilst sitting at the family dining table is definitely not the ideal workplace. It is possible to build a work space into any home, no matter what size, however deciding on the right space does require a little imagination, too!

Today’s home needs a dedicated work space that is both practical and comfortable to ensure optimum productivity, but hey, who said a little style didn’t hurt, either? So, if you are planning on creating a work space for your own home, whether it’s a sewing area, study nook or home office, here are some important aspects you need to consider in order to make your space functional and stylish!…

Simple Home Updates: Doorknobs & Handles

There are fewer easier ways to breathe new life into existing furnishings and doors than to add a set of brand spanking new doorknobs or handles. Be it a newly painted chest of drawers, a little door on a bathroom cabinet or a tired set of kitchen cupboards, carefully chosen doorknobs and handles will professionally finish off a home makeover project and completely revive and rejuvenate a previously unloved piece of furniture. Here are some inspiring examples of where new doorknobs have been totally transformative, along with some of my favourite finds and where to source them……

Children’s Room Decor: Keeping the Fun in Function

If there’s one room in the home I love to spend time planning and decorating, it’s a child’s bedroom. I think it’s the overriding feeling that you have so much freedom with it; you can really go to town on the decor and have a lot of fun in the process! It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s a boy’s den or a little girl’s sanctuary – with sufficient doses of imagination and creativity you can produce some fabulous results (and not necessarily with the price tag to match, believe me!)…

Ready? Get Set! Decorate! How to kickstart a decor scheme

One of the questions I often hear from people wishing to redecorate in their home is “where do I start?” Deciding to redo a room is one thing, but the actual process of doing it is quite another. However, don’t fret, help is at hand! There are a number of ways to approach redecorating, whether it is a complete room overhaul you’re embarking on or a straightforward refresh job. Here I hope to impart some useful tips to get you started down the right track…

Consider your colour scheme

Choosing the base colour of your room scheme is the first step in deciding how to redecorate. Most of us have a particular colour that strongly appeals to us, so opt for something you love as you are more likely to use varying tones of it throughout your home, thus creating a more harmonious, linked up overall feel. Do consider the views out of the room into the hallway, landing or an adjoining room, as it creates a better ‘flow’ to the space if the colour palette is of a similar or complementary tone. Moving from a duck egg painted living room into a deep mustard yellow hallway will only serve to make your home feel disjointed and incohesive. The whole space needs to appear connected and flowing therefore it is important to think of the home in its entirety when decorating. Perhaps the colour you opt for is based on an existing carpet or piece of furnishing that you cannot change and therefore must incorporate into the design. Similarly, you may own a painting that is a real statement piece in a living room – pick one or two colours from it and use them to build up the interior decor scheme….

Front Door Styling

I wanted to write a post about styling your front door because it’s an area of the home that can often be overlooked in terms of maintenance and décor, yet it is so important because it really can transform the entire look of your home. It’s also the first impression a visitor has upon arrival – when we approach a front door we’re already subconsciously forming some sort of opinion about the owner’s home and how it reflects their personality.

Spring is the perfect time to give the front of our home a quick refresh, but with today’s busy schedules, we don’t all have bags of time to spend doing it. So how do we create that fabulous first impression of our home, and quickly? Here are some easy and instant updates you can make over a weekend to show your front door a bit of love and bump up the kerb appeal while you’re at it.

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