House Tour: relaxed loft living in Philadelphia

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.

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.

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.

{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.

//

Time for the picture round… a quiz!

I have a reputation amongst my friends and family for being the least competitive individual on the planet. They’re nearly right, except I love a quiz!

So I’m kicking off the week with a little treat for you (well ok, me). Litographs make lovely posters where the design is made up from the complete text of the book it depicts.

But can you work out which books these are?

Answers in the comments – or cheat and buy one of these for yourself by visiting the Litographs website.

One-step craft idea: washi tape photo frames

Washi tape has to be the biggest trend to hit crafting in years and I love the innovative ideas people come up with for using it. So, today’s simple craft idea is these washi tape picture frames. No instructions – simply cut, stick and away you go.

{Trendenser}

I’m wondering about running a little mini series of oh so simple crafting ideas like this… would that go down well do you think?

Behind closed doors

I’m a real sucker for architectural salvage (I can spend hours on eBay scrolling through brass taps, Bakelite light switches, chipped marble fireplaces and rusted metal grilles) and love seeing innovative ways of turning functional cast-offs into decorative objects. I think that’s why the recent trend for using doors as wall art, headboards and cladding appeals.

{Amy Gilbert via Rue}

Isn’t this headboard lovely? Personally though, I’d choose a divan bed so the doors formed the headboard itself.

{via La Vie Des Anges}

Maybe using doors as wall cladding is more suitable for a cool hotel or restaurant than a home but I can see it working in a dining room maybe. Perhaps with a dark, gloomy grey on the other walls and a sparkling crystal chandelier? Yum!

{Dreamywhites}

Ah ha! Did someone say chandelier? I’ve had this lovely bedroom on my Pinterest board for a while and have only just noticed that it has those tin ceiling tiles I’ve been lusting after…

{via Design*Sponge}

I reckon that if you’re not lucky enough to have nice wooden floorboards this could be another way to add some warmth to your home. Or what about a patterned glass window or a peeling painted shutter instead?

Have you come up with any unusual or clever ways to add interest to your walls?

How to hang a display of vintage mirrors

At last, the forest green walls in my bathroom have been transformed into a nice cool grey. Time to finally hang the 1930s mirror collection I’ve had in the cupboard under the stairs for the last five years! Creating a frameless mirror display is harder than it looks so I thought I’d put together a little ‘how to’ with some tips and tricks.

Boring before…

Beautiful after…

How to hang a display of frameless vintage mirrors

YOU WILL NEED:

• Mirrors
• Roll of parcel paper or large offcuts of wallpaper
• Pencil
• Masking tape
• Heavy duty picture hooks with at least two screw holes
• Screws and rawlplugs suitable for your wall type
• Tape measure / ruler
• Drill
• Screwdriver

1) Check the fixings on the back of each mirror are secure (frameless mirrors can be very heavy) and tighten them if necessary. I thought my display would look neater if the chains were hidden so I shortened some of them by adjusting the positions of the fixings and clipping off the excess chain with wire cutters.

2) Trace around each mirror on the parcel paper and cut out to make a template. Sketch on the position of any patterns and mark the top/bottom if necessary.

3) Lay all the templates out on the floor and move them around the create an arrangement you like. Take a photo to act as a reference.

4) Use masking tape to fix the templates onto the wall in the same positions, tweaking the arrangement if necessary. I  swapped the bottom right-hand and left-hand mirrors over as I could see that would fit better once I had the templates up on the wall.

5) Start with the mirror that will hang in the bottom centre position. Lay it face down on the floor and loop your hook under the chain. Pull the chain taught and measure how far down the lower screw hole is from the top of the mirror.

6) Place the hook on top of the corresponding paper template, measure the same distance from the top and mark the position of the screw hole on the wall. You should be able mark through the paper with the template still in place. Then mark the position of the other screw hole, using the hook as your guide.

7) Remove the template and drill holes in the marked positions. Tap in rawlplugs and securely screw in the hook. The easiest way to do this is to start the screw off with a manual screwdriver then finish it off tightly with an electric screwdriver if you have one.

8) Repeat for all the mirrors making any small adjustments to the positions as you go along. Stand back and admire your handiwork!

{all Decorator’s Notebook}

I’m really happy with how it’s turned out and my bathroom looks so much lighter and more spacious now.

If you found my post useful, please share it! Buttons below…

Write more handwritten letters

Remember the sentiment of this Pinterest A-Z post? Last week I came across this appropriate print by Mary Kate McDevitt and have really enjoyed browsing her work. She’s one designer who definitely practices what she preaches!

I’ve always enjoyed messing around with my handwriting… adding my own little loops and twirls to the regulation joined-up writing we were taught at school was about as rebellious as I got during my early years! I love the idea that someone can build a career around a passion for writing and have the title ‘Illustrator and Letterer’ on their CV.

Mary Kate McDevitt lives in Portland, Oregon and mixes creating prints and cards for her Etsy shop with commissions for magazines, shops, restaurants and designing posters for events.

I often toy with the idea of making a blackboard wall / door / panel somewhere in Le Flat… I reckon I’d be much more inclined to go ahead if I could write like this!

{all Mary Kate McDevitt}

There are lots more examples of Mary Kate’s illustrations on her website and a selection of designs are for sale here on Etsy.

Tin ceiling tiles: the answer to my living room dilemma?

So, the dilemma of what to hang above my sofa continues and eight months after I wrote this post the wall in question is exactly the same.

Until now. Well, perhaps.

{Pale & Interesting}

{Gigi & Flo}

I’ve seen a few rooms decorated with these lovely embossed panels on Pinterest but have only recently found out what they are and, therefore, how to search for them. They’re tin ceiling tiles that were used in grand old houses in the American south.

{via Lavender & Ash}

Needless to say, they’re rather too blingy for me when used as intended, but search out rusty painted ones, divide them up and beautiful, subtle wall art is born.

{via Dishfuntional Designs}

Some people have thought of clever alternative uses for them – they look gorgeous as cladding for these kitchen units in photographer Debi Treloar’s home and left shiny they make an unusual glam headboard.

{Debi Treloar}

{via Dishfunctional Designs}

So, what do you think? Would a collection of these look really great here? And if you agree, do you think I should go for a regular grid or a more haphazard display of different sized tiles above my sofa?

{Decorator’s Notebook}

New screenprints by Bold & Noble

I’ve been a fan of Bold & Noble for years. I ordered a British Isles map within moments of the press release popping into my inbox and have two of their limited edition prints in my living room too. I have to be honest though and say that as time’s gone on and almost everyone seems to have a Bold & Noble map of one country or another on their wall, it’s the small, intricate prints I’ve come to prefer. So, I was very excited to hear about three gorgeous new botanical designs: Sea Holly, Meadow and Wild Wood.

These prints are a relatively dinky 30cm x 40cm which means they fit neatly into off-the-peg frames and would look lovely hung in pairs or a group. Across the three designs there are four colours to choose from: Dark Mulberry, Sheer Slate, Duck Egg Blue and Warm Grey.

If you fancy one, they’re £33 each and you can order directly from the Bold & Noble online shop. I think Sea Holly (at the top of this post) is my favourite… you?

Like mother, like daughter

If you follow A Few Things From My Life you’ll already know that Veronika (the artist behind Sarah & Bendrix) is one creative lady. But this week, it was this charming family portrait painted by her young daughter Anya that caught my attention…

{both A Few Things From My Life}

I’ve posted before about how much I love to see children’s paintings displayed as genuine artwork and think giving a child a proper canvas and quality paints to work with is a great idea. It takes a bit of bravery on the grown-up’s part, but children are naturally unselfconscious when it comes to art (when did you ever hear a child say “I can’t draw”?) and by giving them the chance to experiment and just a little guidance you might just end up with an abstract masterpiece like this one.

If you want to have a go, Veronika’s written a lovely post describing how she and Anya created their special family portrait here and you can buy inexpensive canvases here.

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You should put something really great here

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Thinking outside the box-frame

This post was nearly titled The Ultimate Gallery Wall. Here’s why…

I decided against it because gallery wall hardly does justice to the part art installation, part anthropological collection, part collage in this extraordinary home. It belongs to Tokyo hairstylist Katsuya Kamo – I’ll hazard that you won’t find many hairdresser’s homes in the UK that look like this!

I’ve long been fascinated by old boxes of butterflies and insects… the one with the little white moths and ivory chess piece here has an eerie beauty about it. I love the box of heart-shaped pebbles too.

{all Todd Selby via The Selby}

Now I’ve been known to stick the odd random object in the odd RIBBA frame in my time (Penguin classics, stamps, old maps and paper butterflies to name but a few) but Katsuya Kamo’s collection is on another level altogether. It’s amazing to think of the memories hung up on this wall, not only about the origins of everything but where each item or frame was bought or found too.

You can explore the rest of the house courtesy of The Selby and if a cutting-edge Japanese hairdo is on your wish list, look no further than this.

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Lovely black and white photos from my family archive

I really should get around to putting something great here