How to add warmth and softness to a monochrome bedroom

I’m not big on bright colours – so much in my life is super hectic that when I come home I want to close the door and feel I’ve entered a calming sanctuary. The problem with black, white and grey rooms though is that they can feel a bit hard or cold. I spotted this bedroom and thought I’d share it to show my fellow monochrome fans it doesn’t need to be that way!

{Carina Olander via 79 Ideas}

When you look closely, there’s subtle texture in almost every area of this room. The wood panelled ceiling, raised wallpaper, rough headboard and embroidered textiles all work together to take the hard edge off the white and grey colour scheme.

Then there are all the wooden elements – painted, waxed and raw which add warmth too. If you chose vintage furniture then that’s even better – like a good wine, wood mellows with age and by adding antique bits and pieces the mellowing effect will transfer to your room too.

Lastly, it helps to have a few different lighting options in every room, especially a bedroom where you want strong natural light for doing your make-up, a directional light for reading and something a bit more romantic too. Although this photo was taken in bright daylight (with no curtains!) you can easily imagine how warm and cosy it would look at night time as well.

Have you got any other good tips for adding softness and warmth to a room?

Cheap and stylish kitchen design? It’s as easy as ply!

Sorry guys, but there’s nothing like a terrible pun to get Wednesday off to a cracking start in my eyes!

In all seriousness though, I’ve long planned for my next kitchen to have basic IKEA carcasses with Little Greene painted MDF doors, but these bare plywood cabinets and shelves take that design idea one step further. And I have to admit, I really, really love it…

{Jason Busch / Megan Morton via Tribe Studio / The Design Files}

As a girl with tastes above my station, finding a simple and stylish design idea that would be cheap to do is a rare occurrence. But knock me down with a feather, this one really is both. I’m sold.

Denim decor: yee-haa or yee-ouch?

The Scandinavians seem to be going mad for the double denim trend, making everything from cushions to rag rugs from the blue stuff. But I can’t make up my mind about whether it’s likely to take off over here…

{Bloomingville / HK Living}

So, denim decor: yee-haa or yee-ouch? Cast your vote in the comments, cowgirl…

Shake your tail feather

I find myself adding more and more natural touches to my rooms at the moment… a delicate seedhead here, a crispy-dried hydrangea head there. Next time I head back to Somerset I’m on the hunt for dramatic pheasant tail feathers to add to my hoard.

{via Home Beautiful}

{via Britta Nickel}

{via Serin & Sorrel}

Sometimes mother nature comes up with the best prints and patterns!

Decorating dilemma: sheepskins on dining chairs

{via Uncovet / Rickshaw Design / Simply Grove /  Line Klein}

For the record, I’m generally against decorating with dead stuff. I abhor those cow hide rugs (the curling edges turn my stomach) and I can’t be doing with taxidermy since I saw a stuffed stoat with fleas. So there’s a strong possibility I’ve completely lost the plot with this one…

I really disliked these when I first saw them, but somehow sheepskin-covered dining chairs are starting to look rather appealing to me.

What do you think?

Have the plunging temperatures done something to my mind or is this yet another symptom of my softening tastes?

Answers on a postcard…

Festive foliage au naturel

After many years of studying Christmas decorating behaviour, it is my theory that we all fall into two camps: magpies and purists. If you’ve been reading my blog for any time at all it won’t come as a surprise to learn I’m the latter. Give me armfuls of holly and pine, a box of candles and the odd plain glass bauble and I’ll happily get to work creating a pared-back festive haven.

{via Greige Design, Blomsterverkstad, Toast, Johanna Vintage, Karen Mordechai, La Petite Cuisine, The Gifts of Life}

Are you a purist or a magpie?

Stripped wood makes a comeback

{Amy Barkow via D*S / unknown via Pinterest}

When I was growing up in the late 1980s, stripped pine furniture was all the rage. I remember sitting in the car with my brother and giggling at name of  ‘Strip ‘n’ Dip’ where my parents regularly dropped off beautiful Victorian trunks and doors that previous owners had caked with gloss. The smell of Briwax still takes me right back to that first house I grew up in – I love it!

{via The Gifts of Life}

A few years later the ’90s arrived. Changing Rooms hit our screens, the term ‘shabby chic’ was coined and painted furniture (painted everything) was firmly back in. Mum went to a paint effects evening class and soon every available surface in our house was rag rolled, stippled and scumble glazed to within an inch of its life. And that was when I fell in love with decorating.

{Lisa Warninger}

Now, it seems we’ve come full circle and rustic bare wood in back in fashion once again. I’m not sure if it’s my changing tastes, nostalgia or something to do with the season, but I’m loving the warmth, texture and unpretentious beauty of stripped wood furniture and accessories. The more mismatched and battered the better.

{Countrystyle}

When I moved into my flat a couple of years I went for a lot of sleek white gloss furniture combined with soft grey for the walls and accessories. I still love grey, but in my next house I think I’ll be embracing natural materials a lot more. Partly because I hope my next move will be out of London and into the countryside so a more rustic look is generally a better a fit, but also because I think my tastes have softened too.

{via Vineet Kaur}

Have you noticed your tastes shifting away from painted furniture recently? How you think you’ll decorate your next home differently?

Weekday baking

I always take a wholesome loaf cake up to the Lake District with me so we can enjoy a slice with a cup of tea after a long day of walking on the fells. This year, I’ll try this Spiced Ginger Cake recipe via the ever mouthwatering Roost.

{Roost}

Time and transport (four hours courtesy of National Rail) don’t allow for beautiful packaging like this unfortunately but I love the idea of putting together a little gift pack to spread some autumn cheer. The accompanying recipe for Rosemary Apple Butter sounds scrummy too. What do you like to have with your tea at this time of year?

Z is for Zinc

Wow, can you believe we actually made it! When I kicked off this series in September last year with A is for Aran we Pinterest fans were in the vanguard. Now it’s the third largest social network in the world and there are more than 20 million of us pinning and re-pinning like crazy people. I wonder how long it will be until ‘repin’ makes it into the Oxford English Dictionary!

So finally, ladies and gentlemen…

Z is for Zinc

{via Svenngården via my Pinterest boards}

{G-Style via my Pinterest boards}

{Salted & Styled via my Pinterest boards}

{via Grange de Charme via my Pinterest boards}

{Dreamy Whites via my Pinterest boards}

I’m going to miss this little Pinterest A-Z series and I hope you’ve enjoyed it and found some inspiration for your own Pinterest boards along the way – you can review the whole series here.

Thankfully my Pinterest obsession doesn’t stop here so why not follow Decorator’s Notebook’s boards for daily ideas, inspiration and visual loveliness?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ethnic geometrics

After pottering around Renegade Craft Fair on Saturday I decided to take a wander along Cheshire Street on the way home. I love the small, independent shops to be discovered there, and Handmade Interiors is a new addition since I last visited. Their ethnic / retro fusion textile designs caught my eye so I thought I’d share them today.

{via Handmade Interiors}

The designs are influenced by both traditional designs from Turkey and bold geometric patterns from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. I’m a big fan of this charcoal / rust combo and think this exotic yellow and purple bedspread is beautiful.

Do you like them too?

If you’re in East London you’ll find Handmade Interiors at 10 Cheshire Street (off Brick Lane) or check out this list for a stockist near you.