This week has been action packed. I’m furiously trying to finish a two-bedroom flat which the owners want to put on the market asap (they are moving out of London and already put in an offer on a house). Their flat could have gone on the market without any changes but they felt they wanted to give a fresh new look. It even had an old hot tub on the roof terrace which they have are having rebuilt and landscaped (images of that in a later post). I’ve had my decorator there for over a month painting every room and he’s still painting despite the carpets having been laid this week and the blinds & curtains being fitted on Monday. It’s all a logistical nightmare and at this rate we shall have the landscapers traipsing through the flat with plants and pots for the roof terrace - welcome to the world of an interior designer! I’ve kept the scheme fairly neutral since the property is going to be sold. I’ve chosen a warm, light grey scheme - Farrow & Ball ‘Ammonite’ on the walls in every room except the bedrooms which are Farrow & Ball ‘Skimming Stone’. The carpet is light grey and I’ve used a Roger Oates runner (Flaxman Quartz) on the stairs. The client even wanted to add stair rods which I normally don’t bother with as it’s an extra expense. However the rods do add a touch of je ne sais quoi to the stairs as you can see from these images.
I decided to use a faux silk carpet in the master bedroom as the clients wanted a more luxurious feel for that room. I’m not a huge fan of faux silk but I must admit it feels soft and luxurious when you pad around it with bare feet. Window dressing will be Roman blinds on the windows and full length curtains on the three sets of French doors. All the fabrics are Nina Campbell for Osborne & Little. I’ll write a separate blog post for these fabrics once the curtains and blinds have been fitted next week but below are the sample boards to give you an idea of each fabric.
On Thursday morning I invited three Instagrammers to my home for a coffee networking session - Roz, one half of the artist due TipperleyHill, Mary Darch and artist and candle maker, and Martha Roberts who recently published a book about how to declutter and style your shelves and other surfaces – Shelfie. It’s a handy little book full of lots of advice, ideas and tips. I highly recommend it so grab yourself a copy. We had a very enjoyable couple of hours discussing interiors and brain storming ideas for each other’s businesses. The joy of like-minded creatives - you can’t beat it !
The best thing about Instagram is the lovely people I’ve met, some of whom have become firm friends. On Friday I met up with an Instagrammer, Julia Alexander, who is a fellow interior designer. She’s actually the first interior designer I’ve met through IG and it was so refreshing to be able to talk to someone who has the same experiences and challenges. It was our first meeting and I chose to meet in my favourite haunt, Golborne Road which crosses the top of Portobello Road. We chatted for several hours over lunch at Pizza East putting the interiors world to rights and then wandered along Golborne Road and that end of Portobello Road.
Saturday was a dreary day with torrential rain. I took my neighours to one of my favourite local shops, Lola & Sidney a shop crammed with the most amazing assortment of vintage items. It’s a veritable treasure trove and great prices. Phil, the owner, is a delightful chap and loves a good natter and a laugh. I often pop in for a good old chinwag and usually end up buying something.
Today is Sunday and it’s a glorious, sunny, autumn day and where am I - stuck inside working all day after a long client meeting. Hey ho, I’ll be out and about this week so keep following my blog! Have a great week everyone.
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It's so important to create an instant visual impact because people form an opinion of your home within the first 20 seconds of entering. Here's another beautiful stair runner I created.