CLIENT PROFILE:
Single professional male; first home he has owned; South West London two bedroom ground floor Victorian apartment; east facing.
The client had no furniture when he moved in except a deck chair! The whole apartment needed to be painted, decorated and filled with furniture and accessories. His brief was for a stylish and comfortable design as his previous abode had been a real bachelor pad! And all on a very small budget.
Read moreHello everyone. Just a very quick post before I rush out the door.
I recently did a Q&A interview for one of my favourite lighting stores Pooky Lighting and I thought you might be interested in reading it.
Read moreFind out how I helped the owners of this newly renovated South West London Victorian home to come up with colour schemes and finishes, working with the existing furniture to give a contemporary edge to the original period features.
Read moreHi everyone. Firstly I must apologise for the lack of blog posts in the last few weeks; in fact since 5 March when I posted the last one. I've had a manically busy few weeks having taken on a number of new clients. Also, I am preparing for a photo shoot of my flat in mid April which has been stressing me out somewhat. So I've been furiously upcycling some of my furniture with Annie Sloan paint (separate blog post shortly) and changing lampshades on all my table lamps.
Table lamps can be so boring and serve no other purpose than to provide a lighting source. Gone are the days when you only had a limited choice of shades, mainly 50 shades of beige or cream!! Now you can buy the most divine shades and make a real statement, a wow factor, even if the lamp base is a bit "meh". The reverse is a statement lamp base with a plain shade that doesn't compete. However, beware as you can spend hundreds of pounds on a lamp shade and even thousands of pounds on a lamp base. It's a matter of finding something affordable and you really love.
There is a great shop in London called Pooky Lighting which sells affordable and fun lamp bases and shades so I popped in and bought three pairs of lampshades for the bedrooms and kitchen. What a difference they have made to the rooms; the lighting has transformed the spaces from "meh" to "tah-dah" !!!
Neutral lamp bases and shades. I painted the bases in Annie Sloan 'Aubusson Blue' and changed the shades to these gorgeous pleated ones with a delicate fern pattern
Before the lampshades were just beige linen. Now they are a pleated shade with a funky gold and purple pattern
In the kitchen I changed the shades from plain taupe coloured silk to these gorgeous silk Ikat pleated shades by Pooky Lights. In the sitting room I replaced a pair of beige linen shades in the alcoves with black & white Ikat ones which really draw the eye in.
And finally, I bought a rather expensive but absolutely divine lamp base from Nicholas Haslam designed by Paolo Moschino. It is my piece de resistance but one of those items that you see and just have to have!! It is solid handcarved brass and it was the way it opened up like a flower and had such beautiful flowing lines that made me fall in love with it. The jury is out on whether any of my friends like it !!
I would love to hear what sort of table lamps you have and would be happy to offer some advice if you are thinking of changing them so do contact me.
Every home needs to create an impact as soon as you open the front door, to draw the eye in and make you want to enter. It creates that feelgood factor that is so important when you open the front door.
Further to a previous blog post about the Clapham mews house, I’ve completed the work and the house is now on the market. Yesterday, Friday 10th May 2019, the property was featured in The Times as House of the Week ! Sadly I’m not mentioned in the article as the interior designer neither Shelley Hugh-Jones who I used to design the courtyard garden and terrace planting, but it’s great to see the house featured in the newspaper.
January started with a vengeance from a work perspective but I managed to squeeze in some outings. First up, a day of sourcing for clients started with a visit to the Decorative Fair in Battersea Park and then to one of my favourite haunts for client sourcing, Golborne Road.
From where to start, how to choose a brand and a colour, through to adding little pops of colour to a grey-themed room, here are my tips on how to lighten up.
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).
Create the optimum look for your room, no matter which way it faces. Here are my tips for north-, south-, east- and west-facing rooms.
I’m delighted to announce that my home is featured in the latest issue of Homes & Antiques magazine’s Art Issue. The beautiful images were taken by the brilliant photographer Mark Bolton. His wife Sarah Bolton wrote the feature.
CLIENT PROFILE:
Large Edwardian family home in Tooting, South West London, with a well established bed & breakfast Parklands Bed & Breakfast.
I was contacted by the client to revamp the guest suites and communal areas with new colour schemes and to restyle each room with different accessories. In most instances I was able to recycle all the accessories in the property.
CLIENT PROFILE:
Single professional male; first home he has owned; South West London two bedroom ground floor Victorian apartment; east facing.
The client had no furniture when he moved in except a deck chair! The whole apartment needed to be painted, decorated and filled with furniture and accessories. His brief was for a stylish and comfortable design as his previous abode had been a real bachelor pad! And all on a very small budget.
Hi everyone. I had the pleasure of being invited by India Jane to an exclusive blogger preview event today, Tuesday 1st December, at their flagship store in Kings Road, Chelsea, London. For those of you not familiar with India Jane, it's a family-owned home interiors business which was founded in 1992. Their signature style embodies the understated elegance of updated classics and sleek lines of contemporary sophistication. They have ten stores in the UK but none abroad, at least not that I'm aware of. There were five of us (all ladies!) handpicked discerning bloggers of interiors!! We were given a talk by their head of Marketing and PR, the very charming James Neil, on the key trends and latest products of India Jane while being offered bubbly and nibbles. We were also offered 15% discount on everything we purchased and it was very much the embarrassment of the choice as to what to buy as it all looked so incredibly inviting, beautiful and luxurious. And if that wasn't sufficient, they offered us a goodie bag when we left which I discovered this evening when I got home, contained a selection of gorgeous India Jane homewares. I know Christmas hasn't come yet but I felt as if all my Christmases had come at once!
I adore this time of year when the shops are dressed and styled to the hilt. Indian Jane is certainly no exception! I'm no stranger to India Jane; I have a house full of their furniture, mirrors, soft furnishings, accessories and lighting (I have no less than five of their chandeliers in my home!). However I never tire of browsing one of their stores as they are styled within an inch of their lives but with the utmost taste. Glitz and glamour but understated and refined. What more could you want?!
I took some photos on my iPhone but they aren't the greatest quality (says the gal who has just done a course in DSLR photography!) so do excuse the poor quality of some of the shots. I think I was overcome with the emotion of trying to decide what I could afford to buy when all I wanted to do was transport the entire shop to my home!
India Jane is one of those shops, you have to buy something. I've never left empty handed! I'd love to hear about any interiors local shop that you frequent and the things they sell that you cannot live without.
January started with a vengeance from a work perspective but I managed to squeeze in some outings. First up, a day of sourcing for clients started with a visit to the Decorative Fair in Battersea Park and then to one of my favourite haunts for client sourcing, Golborne Road.
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).
Petersham is a wonderful place to appreciate the changing of the seasons. I particularly love the way the shop is styled with a mix of items for the home and plants & flowers. Their styling is superb and always a great inspiration. Take a look.
Well, I'm not sure what season this really is as it's nearly as warm as late summer and we are already at the end of October. Talk about Indian Summer - it's last way beyond the end of September. This weather is unprecedented - warm (up to 20C) and no wind or rain. The trees are the most incredible colours, the best autumn colours in many years due to this late warmth.
It was a stunning, sunny day up to 19C last week so I decided it was time for another pilgrimage to Petersham Nurseries which is one of the most inspiring places in London for me. I get trigger happy with both my iPhone camera andmy compact Panasonic camera as there are so many beautiful things to photograph. The shop displays are styled so well and the use of plants and flowers in the styling is superb.
And of course the food in the cafe is wonderful so my friend and I arrived in time for morning coffee and a huge slab of cake, browsed the gardens, glasshouses and shop for two hours and then returned to the cafe for a tray of lunch dishes to share.
I've decided to devote most of this blog post to images, a veritable optical feast. Most of the images speak for themselves. I hope you derive as much pleasure and enjoyment from the images as I did seeing everything in person. There's lots to learn about styling in the home from these images so take note!!
I'll start with a selection of photos of how they styled some of the public spaces - the cafe where you queue to get your food, the loos (!) and the glasshouses where you can take your food on trays to eat.
Trough of plants on the counter in the cafe. Did you notice the lovely white French soup bowls on the shelf behind?
My friend Nick in the glasshouse where we were having coffee and cake. I am not a lover of marigolds but a terracotta pot of them on the table looked gorgeous
These gems of vintage framed prints are actually in one of the loos!!! I so want to have them in my house!!!!
This beautiful trough of plants is outside the loos to welcome you! Look at the stunning mix of greens including the silvery greens and the way they complement each other and work so well with the purple violas
An urn of my favourite combination of colours - purple and orange - which sits in the glasshouse where you can sit and eat
This is a Plectranthus and was grown from three tiny plants back in May !!! It is absolutely beautiful
The zinc-topped tables in the glasshouses are beautifully and simply styled with a mixture of plants, cut flowers and a few Halloween pumpkins. See also next two images
Note the cyclamen plant at the bottom of the image. Its cleverly been wrapped in sphagnum moss and chicken wire. Very effective.
Another group of images follows:
This is the garden where they grow vegetables for the kitchen and also some of the flowers used to decorate the restaurant and glasshouses
Ginormous lemons growing in a tub!!
The most enormous dahlia flower in their gardens.
These are the gorgeous rustic vintage tables and chairs that they have in the glasshouses and outside where you can sit and eat
I love these mini carafes that they use to serve a glass of wine (really equivalent to two glasses!)
I bought these two small Heucherella Tapestry plants and a red one also (separate image)
The other Heucherella that I bought. Isn't the colour amazing?
Clever display of plants which are wrapped in Sphagnum moss and chicken wire or twine to hold the soil and moss in place.
And the most mouth-watering photos I'll leave until last - the shop which is my favourite part of the whole Petersham experience. Check out the vintage chandeliers, they absolutely gorgeous. It is so beautifully styled and full of items/objects that I covet. I never leave empty handed!
A wall of Christmas decorations
This post is for all you garden lovers. If you are lucky enough to live in London you have the chance to see the gardens of Petersham House, the home of the owners of Petersham Nurseries, Gael and Francesco Boglione. Their home is adjacent to the Nurseries and is a stunning Georgian house with extensive gardens, swimming pool and tennis court. They have a substantial vegetable garden which is used for the restaurant in the Nurseries.
Petersham Nurseries is one of those places that is good for the soul. It is all about beauty and style, both outside and inside. I'm there at least three times a month and have rarely left there empty handed!
It's a half hour drive from my home which takes me across Richmond Park, another place that is good for the soul. It's hard to believe that you are in a big city when you are in the middle of the park surrounded by trees, bracken and deer.
s many of you know, I love Petersham Nurseries and am a frequent visitor. It's described on their website as "Internationally prized garden centre, Petersham Nurseries is a tranquil oasis
and seedbed of inspiration" and that about sums it up. The highlight is always the shop which is in one of the glasshouses. The styling of the furniture, accessories, plants & flowers is superb and I find it a real inspiration. I love to wander around admiring and of course buying one or two things as it's very difficult to leave empty handed!
The stunning azaleas & rhododendrons in the Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park followed by tea & cake at Petersham Nurseries
Petersham is a wonderful place to appreciate the changing of the seasons. I particularly love the way the shop is styled with a mix of items for the home and plants & flowers. Their styling is superb and always a great inspiration. Take a look.
Here are a few of my highlights of the lighting on display at Decorex. Some of these are totally extravagant, others quirky or simple yet beautiful.
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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.