La vie est belle

“Journalist abandons city in favour of tumbledown French farmhouse.”

One day – please god – let someone write those words about me!

Just imagine cooking in a kitchen flooded with as much light as this! Despite the basic concrete floor this rooms looks so welcoming and warm. Who wouldn’t want to fling open those doors and sit down and tuck into a stack of brioche here?

I must admit that I still think the French do relaxed country style better than anyone. There’s not much going on in this room but it has exactly the right balance of simplicity and interest for me. The stack of nude paintings in the corner is my favourite touch.

{El Meuble via Graine & Ficelle / Poppytalk}

When Isabella took on her new home it was nothing more than a weedy wasteland – today though she lives the good life doing B&B and running cookery lessons where guests can pick their vegetable and gather their eggs from the (now cultivated) surrounding farmland, while the kids can get back to nature and help out with feeding time. Even the name of the farm is perfect… Graine & Ficelle – Grain & Twine.

Put another log on the fire for me

Brrrrrrr, it’s getting nippy out!

{via Bonytt / Planete Deco / Devon Fires / Living Agency}

Every house I grew up in had a roaring open fire, so when the weather turns, central heating just doesn’t do it for me. Nothing feels cosier than gathering around the hearth on a chilly evening and to my mind, living rooms just don’t have a natural focal point without one.

{via HK Living / Keltainen Talo Rannalla / Oh, Pioneer / Bo Bedre}

Looking at these welcoming open fires makes me feel that a working fireplace has to be on the ‘must haves’ list for my next home. In the meantime, I’ll have to make the most of the woodburner at my parent’s house while I’m home for Christmas… if I can wrestle the dog out of prime position on the rug that is!

Stay warm peeps xxx

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?

W is for Windows

There aren’t many things that are unchangeable about a home. A new wall colour, different flooring, beautiful wallpaper and tasteful furniture can transform even the grottiest of rooms. Frankly, if that wasn’t the case, I’d be out of a job and Decorator’s Notebook would be a very boring place indeed!

But however hard you try, natural light is almost impossible to add or simulate, which is why it’s always top of my must-have list when choosing where I live. I’m lucky to have a big south-facing bay window in my living room which bathes everything in warm sunlight and always brings a smile to my face. My flat is a million miles from perfect, but I wouldn’t change that window for anything.

W is for Windows

{Pieter Estersohn via my Pinterest boards}

{House of Brinson via my Pinterest boards}

{Patrick Cline for Lonny via my Pinterest boards}

{Laura Resen via my Pinterest boards}

{via Life is Beautiful via my Pinterest boards}

Which of these beautiful rooms / windows is your favourite? Don’t forget to follow Decorator’s Notebook on Pinterest for even more decorating inspiration and ideas.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

Ps – The observant amongst you will probably have realised that my Pinterest A-Z reaches ‘X’ next time and are quietly sniggering at my folly. I have a back-up plan but if you have any bright suggestions please do let me know!

If I died and went to vintage grey heaven…

…there’s a strong possibility I’d end up here:

Hope House describes itself as ‘straight from the pages of an interiors magazine’ and given that this charming former fisherman’s cottage belongs to top-notch interiors photographer Paul Massey, it was never going to be long before that was the case.

As well as starring in the June issue of Living etc and being rented out as a photo shoot location, the good news is that Hope House is a holiday let too, meaning that everyone can have a taste of living here. Or rather, everyone with £2,000 a week to spare, that is!

{all Paul Massey via Hope House and House to Home}

Really, there’s nothing more to say because there isn’t a single thing about this house that I don’t think is utterly perfect. The white and grey interior furnished with vintage finds is beautiful and comfortable at the same time; the Grade II listed building itself (a C17th net loft) is full of charm and character, and the location on the quayside in the pretty Cornish fishing village of Mousehole is right up my cobbled street.

I hope you love Hope House as much as I do!

Join The Room Debate!

Thinking caps at the ready? It’s a bedroom today – I picked it because I felt it was quite a challenging room with lots to get our critical juices flowing!

As always, it’s easy to take part. Just have a good look at the room 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…

{Living etc via House to Home}

I’ll kick the discussion off in the comments below. Remember, it’s about finding both the good and bad so don’t feel afraid to add your thoughts.

Have a lovely long weekend – I’ll be back here on Tuesday!