[This post contains some gifted items]

Palmaria Wallpaper by Osborne & Little [Gifted*] | Pink Tiles by Tons of Tiles [Gifted*] | Black Shower Enclosure & Tray by Big Bathroom Shop [Gifted*] | Black Shower Head by Big Bathroom Shop [Gifted*] | Paint colour, Sea Urchin 1 by Dulux

Just to refresh your memory in this long saga, take a look at my moodboard of ideas before I started, I think it’s turned out just as I imagined it.

This is the original bathroom – a good size but very bland, and definitely not my style.  I really liked the panelling as it adds texture, but the bright blue was a big no no for me.  I decided to keep the existing bath, basin and loo – in an ideal world, I would have replaced them for something a bit more exciting and modern, but since they were all in good condition, it helped to keep the costs down. But the shower had to go – grimy and outdated!

Pink Tiles by Tons of Tiles [Gifted*] 

The pink tiles* from Tons of Tiles up and waiting to be grouted.  Very exciting moment.  I decided to go for grey grout in the hope that it won’t get that discoloured, dirty look so familiar with white grouting.

Pink Tiles by Tons of Tiles [Gifted*] | Black Shower Enclosure & Tray by Big Bathroom Shop [Gifted*] | Black Shower Head by Big Bathroom Shop [Gifted*] 

The black shower enclosure* and white slate shower tray from Big Bathroom Shop being fitted – I’m absolutely in love with it!  An element of black works in any room, and I feel it works especially well contrasted with the pink tiles to stop it looking so girly. I also chose a black shower head* from Big Bathroom Shop to complete the black streamlined theme.

Palmaria Wallpaper by Osborne & Little [Gifted*]  | With Polyvine Decorators Varnish applied over the top to help it withstand the moisture in the bathroom

The panelling has been painted in Sea Urchin 1 by Dulux.  I originally choose a Zoffany colour for it, but decided to go for a slightly lighter version.  As the fabulous extravagant Palmaria wallpaper* from Osborne & Little was going up, I could start to see the mood board I’d created of my dream tropical paradise bathroom coming to life.

Now on to the finished bathroom…

Faux Trailing String of Pearls | Go Ape Plant Pot | Palmaria Wallpaper by Osborne & Little [Gifted*] 

Palmaria Wallpaper by Osborne & Little [Gifted*] | Gold Monkey | Artificial Philo Plant | Dripping Gold Plant Pot | Gold Rock On Hand | Peacock Vase | Toucan Candle Holder | Artificial Fan Palm | Artificial Orchid | Artificial Trailing Fern | Go Ape Plant Pot

Now that it’s finally finished I love it so much.  It’s just what I imagined and hoped for.  Fully accessorized by Audenza, of course. Continuing the tropical theme with a colourful toucan pillar candle holder and a gold long tailed monkey.  I did have real plants in here but they were getting a bit frazzled by the sun, so I’ve moved onto faux plants and flowers, with our ever popular dripping gold effect concrete plant pot and a majestic petrol peacock vase.  I love having such a deep windowsill, it gives me so much scope for decorative pieces to complement the look.

Gold Monkey | Artificial Philo Plant | Dripping Gold Plant Pot | Gold Rock On Hand

Peacock Vase | Toucan Candle Holder | Artificial Fan Palm | Artificial Orchid | Artificial Trailing Fern

Faux Trailing String of Pearls | Go Ape Plant Pot

And the final touch is the black and white vinyl flooring which has a conservatory vibe to it.  It looks fabulous but it was a bit of a disaster at the time due to being badly fitted, but we won’t go into that here!  Now it’s time to relax with a long hot soak in a candlelit bath in my tropical paradise.  What do you think?

*Gifted – the starred items have very kindly been gifted for this project.

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I’ve posted before about the progression in my garden from its conception and promised more photos for this season, so Amelia took a few shots for me of my favourite bits – mainly seating areas as I do like a vignette with a seat – even though I don’t sit down often as I’m too busy deadheading etc. When I do sit down its usually to decide how to change the planting and improve the vignette.

This is the terrace next to the house with box hedged borders that I change seasonally from tulips in spring to dahlias, and whatever else takes my fancy in summer. It’s quite labour intensive to do this but I love dahlias and tulips so much it’s the best way to really get my fill of them. And a lovely metal chair to sit and admire the view.

A close up of the garden mirror my mother gave me for my birthday – doesn’t it look fabulous with the flowers reflected in it?

The other side of the terrace with yet more seats! A bench for displaying my lovely cushions and a little grey bistro set for that morning coffee.

Further down the garden is the larger table and chairs for when we want to eat alfresco – or just sit with a glass of wine and enjoy the view.

Another chair hidden away at the bottom of the garden behind the summer house. You can’t have too many seats I say! There are more tucked away in the garden in odd places in case I want to sit and contemplate life for a moment. What do you think, too many seats or do you have even more? And what do you think to Modern Gardens? Even my girls enjoy looking through it for ideas and they are not gardeners so I think it appeals to quite a broad range of, shall we say, design savvy people.

Jacqui x

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Photography: Amelia Brooks

Image credit: Schulzes Farben- und Tapetenhaus

How fab is this room, it looks like a colonial bolt hole with its layers of green, tall palms that sway to the breeze, and parrots in the background.

The key points for nailing the tropical rainforest vibe are:

–     The trend now is definitely more Amazonian rainforest, than tropical paradise; so go really wild, exuberant and leafy, with tall layers of palms, bamboo and ferns.

–     Colour: think verdant and definitely green on green, but more muted, natural shades than the previous look. If you want to add some colour, blues work really well with this look (despite the ridiculous old adage, ‘blue and green should never be seen).

–     Release the animals into this wild new jungle. It’s all about the exotic animals you bring into the décor, never mind where their natural habitat is, from monkeys to elephants to zebra.

–     Pattern: think of the patterns of wild animals and their wonderful markings, and then add a layer of tropical flowers for a bit of excitement.

–     Jaguars are the King of the Jungle and we have some brand new leopard vases, yes we know a leopard is not a jaguar, but to the untrained eye, they’re going to give the jungle rainforest look!

Image credit: Alexander Owen Architecture

Bathrooms are always the easiest place to go wild with your décor and this one certainly fulfils that brief with fantastical wallpaper, layers of lush greenery, and striking colours.

Monkeys are the new pineapple and they’re showing up everywhere – from bookends to cushions – who can resist a monkey or two? Especially when surrounded by palm fronds!

Shop the tropical trend >>

The easiest way to add greenery is to fake it and this tall faux areca palm tree looks the part, with no TLC required, and an elephant side table to add to the exotic jungle look, albeit in an understated way.

So now you have the key points it’s up to you whether you go the whole rainforest look, or just add some touches to your décor to give you a hint of the steamy jungle.

Jacqui x

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I’ve been nurturing this Aeonium balsamiferum for several years now and despite my haphazard neglect it’s still thriving, and quite my favourite house plant, so had to be the star of this show.

Bit of a jungle boho glam look going on here with plenty of brass thrown in for a touch of dazzle.

Pretty in pink and turquoise and perfect for a bedroom.

Another bit of boho glam but more subdued. I can do subdued but I do find it difficult as I always want to throw everything in!

Take a look at Urban Jungle for plenty more styling ideas for your indoor jungle. Have a lovely weekend.

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Photography: Amelia Brooks/ Styling: Jacqui & Amelia Brooks

A mood board of feathers, crochet, woven wicker and lots and lots of lush greenery in shades of green and black to give you the look. Incorporate as much or as little as takes your fancy to give your interior the new boho vibe.

How to create a bohemian interior:

1.  Add emerald green – lots of it, in soft velvets preferably.

2.  Lots of lush house plants scattered about, in various shapes and heights are an absolute must for this look.

3.  Add splashes of colour, but the key here is to keep it looking quite natural.  So greens and blues are perfect and then chuck in some black to make it more contemporary.

4.  Pattern is your friend! Think aztec type prints – the image below is a great example of the sort of patterns to mix in – and don’t be afraid to mix different patterns all together.

5.  Last but not least – you need texture! So add natural materials like rattan and wicker, natural flooring with rugs (this Jute Circular Rug would be perfect) and add lots of interest with fringing and crochet.

If you add all of those elements, you’ll get a harmonious and welcoming boho vibe, redolent of the 70’s, but with a modernist twist.  But of course, you don’t have to add them all. You can always just take a few bits from this look, to give a hint of bohemian.

Image Credit: The Jungalow Blog

If you are a big fan of bohemian interiors then take a look at The Jungalow Blog for lots of ideas and inspiration for a truly bohemian outlook which glows with energy. The images make you want to inhabit this world of the exotic and dream of sun drenched climes.

Get the Look: Faux Areca Palm Tree | Pink Tibetan Sheepskin Rug | Rustic Wooden Bar Stool

Jacqui x

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Photography: Amelia Brooks/ Styling: Jacqui & Amelia Brooks

I have some lovely little Moroccan tea glasses that I use to show off individual flower heads but they can get a bit lost being so small but by popping one into a brass terrarium they suddenly take centre stage and it really shows off the blooms.

As a terrarium they make a lovely display for small plants like sempervivums which can be nestled on a bed of moss or gravel. They need lining with plastic first to make them waterproof and it is advisable to use plants that don’t need a lot of watering.

As a candle holder it makes a perfect table decoration for parties inside or out and it has a hook so you can hang them up outside from a bracket for extra atmosphere (although it can’t be left outside). Or hang it up inside for a change from a hanging plant.

There are plenty more ways to style these pentagon brass terrariums, and I’m sure there are more uses for them as well, but my favourite is as a display case for whatever large bloom I have to hand so I can admire them in their brief flowering.

Jacqui x

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Photography: Amelia Brooks/ Styling: Jacqui & Amelia Brooks

My garden was built from scratch 3 years ago and is now maturing and looking luscious so thought you might like to see some photos of its progression, although I need to take more this summer to see the current changes.   A garden should fit in with your lifestyle and your capabilities so plan out how you want to use the space, how much gardening you want to do and how much entertaining you want to do in the garden. My 6 top tips when redesigning your garden are:

September 2012

1. Position your terrace (or terraces) to make the most of the sunshine for alfresco dining. Check out where the sun rises and sets on your garden. Mine faces south east so I get sun from early morning until about 4pm and then it starts to move around the side of the houses so in the evening I only get sun at the bottom of the garden.   To be able to eat outside in the sunshine I have two terraces, both with a table and chairs – one by the back door and one near the bottom of the garden so I can catch the sun at any time. I don’t think there is anything more distressing than eating in the shade in this cold climate.

September 2012

2. Check out your fences! I made this mistake as I knew one of my fences wasn’t very sturdy but ignored it, to my cost. I now have to have a new fence put in and it will create havoc in my flower beds and will have to be replanted with climbing plants that were starting to establish.

January 2013

3. Add height to your garden – a flat garden is a boring garden. Trees, pergolas, arches and trellis all add height and create more interest. If you are going to plant trees it’s essential to do the research and plant appropriate sized trees, my son the tree surgeon spends a lot of his life cutting down overgrown trees due to their unsuitability for their allotted space. Another pet hate of his is ivy, which I have to say I love for its ability to clothe walls and fences which makes for a gorgeous green backdrop, but again, choose wisely. There are so many varieties available online and if they are kept in check there is nothing more attractive than a green wall. A mistake I made was to plant two climbing roses over an arch that grew too big for the space so we could hardly get through the middle of the arch (and they had wicked thorns) so they have just come out and I will have a small climbing rose and a clematis to flower through it instead.

May 2013

4. I think every garden should have a summerhouse, not only because it’s more available space to grow climbers up but for their peaceful retreat feeling. My aunt and uncle play scrabble and drink wine in theirs in the evening sunshine – isn’t that lovely? Again think about positioning for the sunshine, there is nothing worse than a dismal shady summerhouse.

May 2014

5. Plant plenty of evergreens otherwise your garden is going to look desolate in the winter. A good back drop of carefully chosen evergreens gives a green structure to a garden all year round and allows perennials and annuals to glow against the green. I have a boxwood parterre that has finally grown enough to look stunning planted with tulips in the spring and annuals in the summer and it’s still a joy in the winter.

May 2014

6. Research your terrace materials carefully. Mine is Chinese sandstone (I think) and looked stunning for a couple of years with a golden glow to it but is now so porous that everything marks it – even a muddy footprint can’t be washed off! Consequently I have to pressure wash it several times a year which is only increasing the problem and still I can’t remove algae from the shady areas. So the moral of the story is buy the best you can afford but make sure it’s durable. And to me decking is a no go as it has a short life span, is slippery in the wet and needs constant recoating of varnish or paint.

August 2014

August 2014

Well that concludes my little lecture for the day. I have plenty more to say, particularly about plants, but I’ve been told not to write another essay so I hope you enjoy the photos of my garden progression and I will post more later in the summer as it’s maturing.

Otherwise, if your garden is already a bit more mature and you’re looking to furnish it, do have a browse of our garden decor and furniture.

Jacqui x

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Photography: Amelia Brooks

As you may know, our decorating style isn’t for the faint hearted, so if we were to do this look it’d be full on and OTT. It’s the perfect trend for colour loving maximalists to go wild… But there’s also plenty of ways to bring in the look without feeling like your home’s been overtaken by rainforest.

Get the look: palm wallpaper | tropical inspired homewares | ‘pampas’ cotton fabric.

Key ways to incorporate the tropical trend in your home:

House plants– Group different sizes, shapes and textures of greenery together for a stunning display. For instant impact and ease of maintenance mix in some faux house plants, and if you want a splash of colour you can’t beat an orchid or two nestled in there, or a pot of scented hyacinths for a spring like feel.

Quirky animal pieces– no jungle is complete without it’s wildlife; think parrots, monkeys and gold insects for a dash of humour and eccentricity.

Colours– needless to say green features pretty heavily here, add blush pinks and plenty of brass and golds to bring a lux vibe.

Rattan is a great way to balance all of the colours and metallics and add some natural texture.

Palms and tropical motifs– House of Hackney do some seriously gorgeous tropical prints for both wallpaper and fabrics.

And remember– pineapples are a girls best tropical friend!

Get the look: tropical inspired home accessories | palmeral ‘marlborough’ chair | coconut grove wallpaper | palmeral wallpaper.

Personally, we love this look… it’s exuberant, flamboyant and a little bit eccentric. Everything interior design (to us) should be and a great excuse to have fun with your decor. But what do you think? Will you be bringing in a few quirky elements or going the full Caribbean hog?

Hollie x

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So this is the perfect opportunity for my pair of roaring lions to take centre stage and wow the audience! I bought them a few months ago at a vintage fair just because they make me smile, despite missing a few teeth each! The jungle always makes me think of Africa so I have included this lovely carved lady as she is from my childhood years in Kenya and looks statuesque as she watches the lions.

Take a look at the Urban Jungle website for more jungle animal and plant combos to make you smile. Have a good weekend.

Jacqui x

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Photography: Amelia Brooks/ Styling: Jacqui Brooks

The book is broken up into six chapters that lead you through the design process and also the necessary thought processes for getting the garden you want, and a garden that suits your lifestyle. The image below taken from the chapter on ‘Texture & Surfaces’ shows the inspired use of different materials in the garden that complement each other and create harmony. Also the idea of ‘rooms’ in a garden – one area for dining and another for relaxing. Who would have thought to make a rug effect under the table with an inset panel of timber decking?

Another image from the same chapter reveals a suburban plot with large scale pots for drama, and again divided into rooms, which creates more interest and the element of surprise. Both of these gardens still work well in the winter because of their architectural quality and the use of evergreen’s helps to soften the winter starkness.

Now this is a terrace to die for is it not? Simple and uncluttered urban living at its best.   Not that I could ever leave it at that with my propensity for more is best! I am too much of a plant person to be able to simplify in such a way but I can admire the sheer beauty of the design.

These gardens are not your average plot but there is much that can be taken from them to be used by us lesser mortals. And it’s not just a coffee table book as the text is informative and thought provoking, as in helping you to understand the design process, and to make you think about what you want to achieve. I am particularly inspired by the use of different materials and how you can achieve texture and interest with hard landscaping.

Jacqui x

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Images from‘Garden Design Solutions’ by Stephen Woodhams, published by Jacqui Small.

Image 2 by Heiner Orth. Image 3 by Stephen Woodhams. Image 4 by James Merrell.