Unusual Uses for Everyday Items – Period Living
14 Aug 2015
Today I’d like to share with you a post Jacqui wrote for Period Living magazine as the first in her new 3 part series: Unusual Uses for Everyday Items. Which, you may have guessed, is all about reinventing and repurposing things which we all have in the home and giving them a new lease of life in a completely different way.
Most objects have several uses if you think outside the box a little and it makes your home just that little bit different and quirkier, as well as making great presents. We all use calendars and teacups so I thought let’s start with a couple of ideas for their alternative uses.
Greening Grey Britain Campaign
31 Jul 2015
The Royal Horticultural Society has launched a new campaign called Greening Grey Britain. According to surveys carried out in 2015 three times as many front gardens are now paved over compared to ten years ago which means over five million front gardens now have no plants growing in them. What a sorry state for all of us as not only does it mean an increased risk of flooding because of drainage problems it’s also detrimental to bees and insects. The other main environmental issue is that vegetation helps to regulate urban temperatures. Hard surfaces absorb heat in the day and release it at night creating a heat trap. Greenery helps to absorb the heat and also absorbs pollutants in the air making our air cleaner.
How to Make a Chair Planter
24 Jul 2015
When is a chair not a chair? When it’s filled with a dazzling array of colourful plants. B&Q kindly gave us a gift card to try their new range of 100% recyclable easyGrow bedding plants with teabag technology, so I was browsing Pinterest for some creative ideas when I spotted a chair that had been turned into a planter. I love to see objects that have been repurposed and given a new lease of life, so I thought this was a great idea.
5 Key Ingredients for the Perfect Garden
13 Jul 2015
Summer is really here – at last ! We have had some lovely warm days to enjoy the garden so I thought it would be a good idea to give my 5 key ingredients for the perfect garden. Get out there and enjoy your outdoor space and think up new ways to give it a bit of extra style and drama.
1. Let there be Light
Alfresco dining has to be one of the joys of summer and what better way to light up the garden than candles strategically placed to give a soft glow. Whatever your style, from French country to stylish brass, lanterns are the perfect answer for adding ambience to the outdoors.
House Tour- Carnival Interiors
26 Jun 2015
Following on from our blog last week about eclectic interiors we so fell in love with the palm tree floor lamp that we decided to interview its lucky owner Rebecca Davies of Carnival Interiors for her thoughts on style. Rebecca is an interior designer with an amazing use of colour and her collection of quirky objects make for a really unique and inspiring home.
1. Describe your style
I embrace so many different styles when decorating, but I think the common thread linking them all is they all nod to the past, with retro, vintage and antique pieces scattered around to give each room individual character. I love the fact that they’re unique and nobody else will have them in their home. Textiles are a must, as is a riot of colour, and I like to use layers of pattern and textures, and wallpapers, and ornaments, so there is always something beautiful to look at. I’m a complete maximalist. My sister calls them dust collectors, but without them, I think I’d feel a bit cold and lonely!
3 Tips for Eclectic Home Styling
19 Jun 2015
Eclecticism is about choosing from different sources, different countries and different historical eras and mixing things up. It’s a gathering together of things you love and bringing them together in a cohesive whole to create something individual to you. My 3 tips for eclectic home styling are about embracing colour, scale and vintage to create a unique home.
1. Colour
Hits of colour are needed for eclectic styling, whether it’s colourful accessories or going the whole way, as in these two rooms. The colour combinations are so striking and individual that they form the basis of true eclectic style. Don’t worry about perceived tasteful colour combinations – be daring. Start gently by adding cushions and lamps in a striking colour contrast and move on from there.
Urban Jungle Bloggers- Plant Gang
23 May 2015
Urban Jungle Bloggers is a monthly series hosted by Igor and Judith to encourage us all to bring a little more green into our lives. Each month they, plus many bloggers worldwide, share ideas to create an urban jungle through styling ideas, DIYs and green tips & tricks and this month the theme is ‘show your gang.’ Where to start! My plants move around on a weekly basis, on a whim, as I like to see different vignettes and let them make new friends haha.
This old white ironwork table is a favourite find. It was in the garden of a house my son bought to renovate and just had to come home with me and it’s always covered in plants. I do love a spider plant – virtually indestructible – and this one looks very regal in a beautiful old brass pot from the brass factory in Hong Kong. Surrounded by other green beauties I can almost imagine I am in the orangery!
Interiors Trends: Ancient Greece
19 May 2015
Now we can all aspire to the Grand Tour we take influences for our interior styling from all over the world and the latest trend for all things classical has never really left us. Ancient Greece is a rich archive of inspiration and is easy to assimilate into our own décor, from marble table tops to plaster busts of gods, without going full on classical.
Plaster, stone and marble, with the key colours of soft greys and whites, are pleasing on the eye and give a feeling of antiquity and of days gone by when craftsmen sought to enrich our lives with their skill and expertise. Think of wall rosettes, busts and stone plaques to add a touch of the classical to your décor.
Jacqui has contributed to the Period Living Magazine blog again and this month is the final instalment in the 3 part series on styling current interiors trends using vintage pieces. This one is my favourite so far- I love the images and both trends are very big at the moment- Jacqui looks at how to style animal inspired pieces and arguably THE biggest trend of the season- house plants.
First up- Animal Inspired Interiors:
Animals and birds are everywhere – from vases to lamps to statues to bookends, and they are such fun and bring a touch of whimsy to your home. This collection is a mixture of vintage and new, mainly birds, but Fred the dog gets a look in as he is hard to resist, and is always popping up in my vignettes.
Spring Shelfies
22 Apr 2015
In honour of spring I re-styled the black shelves in my hallway recently. I find spring so exciting with all the lovely shoots bursting forth in the garden that it makes me want to blow away the cobwebs inside and celebrate by creating a new look.
All the paintwork in my hallway is black so these shelves make a striking backdrop for some of my vintage china collection. I particularly love combinations of red and green, probably because it reminds me of the garden, add some off white (the colour of my gravel paths) and a few houseplants, and I feel I have brought the outdoors in. Ah warmth and sunshine indoors and out – what bliss!
