Tag Archives: home

House tour: butter factory turned toasty home

20 May

Originally built as a butter factory and most recently used as a candle maker’s workshop, owners Greg Hatton and Lucy Marx had to melt an inch-thick coating of candle wax from the walls of their future home with boiling water before their renovation could begin. And I thought stripping wallpaper was bad…

red brick factory conversion

vintage dining room with rough plaster walls

vintage living room
relaxed vintage interior
row of vintage chairs
vintage house tour
vintage bedroom ideas
vegetable garden Australia
Maybe the interior is a little too rough and ready for everyday living, but as a place to visit I think this home looks idyllic. I love the relaxed vintage vibe and the way the patina of the building has been retained in the peeling plaster and chipped tiles, not the mention the dream vegetable plot and homemade honey.
Not sure I’ll be copying the marrow centrepiece idea though!!!

Join The Room Debate!

10 May

Morning all! It’s my birthday today and what better way to celebrate than with the world famous Decorator’s Notebook Room Debate (humour me, just for today?). It’s a Scandinavian style white bedroom with natural touches for our perusal today…

To join in, just take a good look at the photo below and leave a comment with your answers to these two questions:

One thing I like most about this room is…

One thing I like least about this room is…

white bedroom with natural touches{Simon Bajada via 79 Ideas}

To me this room is a mixed bag so I’m looking forward to hearing which bits you love and loathe.

In other news, I’m off to West Dean for the weekend to learn how to throw pots. Hopefully I will have a few wobbly efforts to share with you on my return!

Fresh new colour combination: sage and gorse

1 May

How’s this for a lovely new colour combination? Softest sage with an unexpected splash of gorse yellow in the fireplace.

yellow fireplace tiles{sorry, unknown}

I’ve blogged loads in the past about my love of yellow and grey, but I feel like I’ve been getting a little sick of that combo recently and this seems a much more sophisticated, grown-up twist. Prettier somehow.

Also, I’ve looked everywhere for the source of this image to no avail – if you know whose home this is please let me know via the comments or email. I would love to make sure the owner of this home is credited for their fabulous eye for colour!

10 dreamiest vintage bathrooms

29 Apr

When I move out of my flat in a few months time, I’m really going to miss my bathroom. Even though I much prefer showers to baths, there’s something about the freestanding tub that really adds wow factor. I think it will probably be a long while before I own such a lovely bathroom again, but I’ve still been collecting lots of vintage bathroom inspiration recently and thought you might like to soak up (boom boom) some of my favourites.

reclaimed bathroom with metro tiles and brassware{William Abranowicz for The New York Times}

So, a mirror above the basin might’ve been a more practical choice but I completely respect the owner of this East Village apartment for taking the aesthetic option. The colours in the painting highlight the reclaimed brassware perfectly. I love it.

white vintage bathroom with freestanding bathtub{Jason Busch for The Design Files}

If I was staying in my flat I’d definitely have a go at painting the outside of my bathtub. This metallic, slightly plummy grey looks really sophisticated, but I love the idea of adding a bit of punch to my pale grey walls with a vibrant coral or pretty rose pink. Maybe the new owner will decide to have a go!

bathroom with patterned moroccan tiles

{via Remodelista}

It’s the bathroom tiles I go mad for here. These patterned Moroccan tiles are perfect proof that just a little of something really luxurious can go a long way.

old zinc bathtub and corrugated iron splashback

{via Lantliv i Norregård}

You’ll definitely have spotted the trend for using building materials like plywood and OSB in interiors at the moment, but I haven’t seen corrugated metal used as a splashback like this before. Unusual… but teamed with the bare zinc tub and part-stripped wood I think it works.

period style bathroom

{Gardener & Marks}

I appreciate that rust isn’t usually a desirable feature in a bathroom, but I can’t help liking the faded grandeur of this beautifully battered rolltop. I’m not sure how much I fancy bathing on stage, but everything else (especially that dresser) looks great to me.
luxury white bathroom with freestanding bath
Now, if I’m ever lucky enough to get my dream Provencal farmhouse, this is the bathroom I’d love to have there. Restful, vintage and fresh. So lovely.
Space for a freestanding bathtub is obviously a luxury, so I wanted to include this tongue and groove panelled bath to show you can still create a vintage smart style room without one. I hadn’t thought of painting window frames in off-white paint before but I think it looks nicely subtle against the pure white tiles and soft grey painted bath.
There it is, that calamine pink again. I think I actually prefer slipper baths like this to double-ended tubs… maybe it’s those feminine curves (or the fact you don’t have to share!)
I’ve seen a lot of non-bathroom furniture used as washstands recently (including this ingenious IKEA hack). I think adapting antique pieces lends a warm ‘living-y’ feel rather than looking completely sleek and bathroom-like. If you know what I mean!
blue and white period bathroom with fireplace{sorry, unknown}
Finally, what looks like the typical London ‘bedroom into bathroom’. The dusky blue painted linen cabinet, fireplace and painted floorboards with warm rug are gorgeous.
Which is your favourite?
If you’re looking for more bathroom decorating ideas, my Pinterest board is a good place to start.

Join The Room Debate!

26 Apr

After a couple of weeks The Room Debate is back with a rustic kitchen up for discussion today!

Everyone’s welcome to join in – simply take a good look at the photo below and leave a comment with your answers to these two questions:

One thing I like most about this room is…

One thing I like least about this room is…

rustic kitchen with reclaimed wood cupboards House to Home{Heather Hobhouse via House to Home}

There are some things I really love about this room and others that niggle me. What do you think? Which elements are to your taste?

Have a lovely weekend!

House tour: light and airy French apartment (with just a little colour)

23 Apr

Do you remember a while ago I posted some gorgeous details from Le Dans La? Recently photographer Melanie Rodriguez did a photo shoot there and the resulting pictures give a wonderful insight into how Aurelie’s home looks as a whole.

light and bright kitchen in French home

kitchen shelf with plant

large windows in French apartment

The windows in this place are amazing. It looks like it might be a converted factory or something. Yet another home to get me dreaming of loft living!

pink wall

wordspace with inspiration wall

pink wall and bertoia chairs

The more I see it, the more I like this dusky pink wall colour. Not something I thought I would say in my adult life. It looks rather like Calamine by Farrow & Ball. One of my personal favourite paint names… every time I think about it I can smell that smell!

chair with sheepskin

dark grey half wall

vintage framed photograph

dark grey wall with picture frames

hallway with group of paper lampshades

rustic hallway with paper light shades

Very pleasant use of dark grey in this home, don’t you think… and there’s something really quite cool about the group of paper lampshades hanging from the wooden beamed ceiling too. A touch of fun, but  in a grown-up way. The children’s bedrooms are really very grown-up too. A little too much perhaps?

dark grey kids bedroom

grey child's bedroom with string lights

{Home of Aurelie Lecuyer by Melanie Rodriguez for The Socialite Family}

What a beauty. This home is just the right blend of calming and interesting for me. For more inspiration from Aurelie’s home have a look at her blog, Le Dans La.

//

House Tour: relaxed loft living in Philadelphia

18 Apr

vintage-living-room-velvet-couch-exposed-brick-wall

I’m not really into fashion blogs, especially ones attached to commercial brands, but despite being both of those things there’s something lovely about The Free People. The mix of fashion and beauty mixed with horoscopes and expert hula-hooping tips is kind of offbeat and charming… in a too-cool-for-school American way.

Anyway, the owner of this welcoming loft apartment is the company’s graphic designer. I’ve always fancied a warehouse home one day (I love the high wooden ceilings and exposed brick) and this mix-and-matchy decorating style is perfect for the space.

red-loft-kitchen

printed-fringe-shawl-curtain

plant-on-vintage-chest

I’m not sure I would’ve been clever enough to add deep red furniture to a room with so much brick, but actually I think it works beautifully, creating a comfortable and ever so slightly seedy vibe. In a bohemian French way I mean.

bedroom-corner

loft mezzanine bedroom

jewellery-brick-wall-books-shelf

You might expect an apartment like this to have a pokey internal bathroom built into a corner somewhere but this bright white bathroom is a most pleasant surprise.

plant-in-bathroom

vintage-white-tiled-bathroom

bathroom-alcove-shelves

bedroom-mirror-reflection{all Brigette for The Free People blog}

There are a few more snaps of this apartment over on The Free People blog – I recommend you have a browse of their other posts and see what you think. Although you might want to wait until Coachella’s over. Yaaaawn.

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My blogging view (out with the old, in with the new)

15 Apr

Times are changing. My flat is getting a new owner. I hope she will like it here but it will be hard to say goodbye to this little place of mine. I always sit and write my blog in the same spot on the sofa and this is what I see. I will miss this view. It always looks so pretty in the early evening light.

tulip table with flowers

daffodils and hydrangeas

daffodils and hydrangeas{all Decorator’s Notebook}

These dried hydrangeas (liberated from the council flats around the corner) mixed with eucalyptus and pussy willow have served me well all winter. But the daffodils are finally blooming now and it’s time to embrace freshness and newness again. Even when there is brightness on the horizon, leaving the safe and familiar things can still be hard to do.

Just realised how badly the first photo is on the piss. Must get over my annoyance at putting up my tripod :-)

My perfect hallway (just add dog)

11 Apr

I found this gorgeously grey country style hallway on Pinterest a while ago, but didn’t share it because I struggled to find the original source. I’ve now tracked it down (I should’ve guessed really – it’s the wonderful Ben Kendrick and Brent Darby for Country Living) so can post it last and we can all drool over it together.

country style hallway with tongue and groove{Brent Darby for Country Living}

I love it all – the contrast of the soft grey and red brick, the rough linen bench cushion, the touches of seagrass and rattan. It will be many moons before I have any hope of having my dream country home (although I’m happy to report I’m one baby step closer) but when I do, I would love to welcome my visitors into a hallway like this. All that’s missing is a dog!

Join The Room Debate!

5 Apr

I love Room Debate time and I have an unusual candidate for today’s discussion!

Everyone’s welcome to join in – simply take a good look at the photo below and leave a comment with your answers to these two questions:

One thing I like most about this room is…

One thing I like least about this room is…

modern living room with yellow rug{Matthew Williams via House to Home}

I have kind of mixed feelings about this living room so I’m interested to hear what you think. Not sure whether I’d use yellow clogs as an accessory in my flat but each to their own!

Hope you have a fun weekend planned – I’m going to be looking for a new flat. More on that soon :-)

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