The latest addition to our ‘Fabulous & Fearless Women’ column is Kerrine Bryan. As well as being a highly accomplished electrical engineer in the energy industry, Kerrine is the co-founder and author of Butterfly Books Limited. Noticing that misconceptions and biases in careers are formed from an early age, Kerrine launched Butterfly Books to publish inspiring career themed children’s picture books for 3 to 7 year olds. Such as their recent collaboration with the British Army for ‘My Mummy is a Soldier’.
Having enjoyed maths and science at school, but not really knowing what career options where out there, Kerrine very nearly trained to become an accountant (like her mum). It was only thanks to her maths teacher sending her on an introductory course called the Headstart Scheme at Glamorgan University, that Kerrine was introduced to engineering, an industry that she has now been working in for 14 years. By raising awareness of careers from a young age, Butterfly Books aims to reduce the national skills gap problems, as well as promote gender equality in all careers.
We’re celebrating the natural world in all its glory with our new spring/summer range at Audenza. All Creatures Great & Small is designed to bedazzle and bewitch in the glory of gold, with shots of colour and texture for glamorous living, with of course, a hefty dose of Audenza quirk.
As you know, we’re rather partial to the more-is-more approach to decorating here at Audenza HQ, but the beauty of this look is that you can add as much, or as little, as you want, to add a playful vibe to your interiors. Layer up with plenty of plants and foliage for a really lush display; it helps to lift any scheme and give it some oomph. If you’re not green fingered, then it’s best to go for faux plants – it works out much more budget friendly, than plant mass-murder!
We Love: Original Style Tiles
22 Mar 2019
Surely, we all love tiles – they give such depth and character to your wall, floor, shower cabinet, whatever, and add texture and warmth, but finding the right ones – the ones that make your heart sing is a difficult one. Well not anymore, ‘Original Style Tiles’ have the most amazing range that will make you want to cover everything in tiles, even the wall behind your cocktail cabinet! Original Style started over 30 years ago as a manufacturer and distributor of tiles for walls and floors and their tiles are sold through a network of independent retailers. Their blog is really inspirational with lots of visual ideas on different ways to use tiles.
It’s not often we come across event venues that stop us in our tracks, but the moment we stumbled upon this wonderfully quirky wedding venue, we just knew we had to share it with you. Not a ‘house tour’ as such, but the ultimate in interior inspiration. Tucked away in the picturesque countryside, lies Charlton Hall, a Grade II, 18th-century stately home, which plays with the interior ‘rules’, fusing the traditional with the contemporary, to create a kaleidoscope of colour and a truly incredible space, which is an utter delight on the senses.
“Inspired by the Alice in Wonderland adage of being entirely bonkers, at Charlton Hall we’ve challenged the norm with its interior design to deliver a show-stopping venue that plays host to fine dining, private parties and licensed weddings for those looking to spend time and celebrate in a grand yet lively stately home, comprising of luxurious interiors.”
Ready to hear more? We interviewed the owner, Richard Shell to find out more about this incredible design.
House tours are among our most popular blog posts, and I guess it’s no surprise really, we all want to have a nosy around other people’s homes, don’t we? Well, curiosity doesn’t need to kill the cat around here, we’ve brought you another eclectic home tour without having to stick your nose up to the window to get a better look.
This week, we’re bringing you an eclectic home with masterful gallery walls and fabulous clashing patterns. The owner Sarah, lives with her family and three dogs in Middlesbrough in the North East of England. Social worker by day and habitual decorator by night!
It’s taken me a long while to go from home office to glam and feminine bedroom, but I’m nearly there, at last! As it’s a spare bedroom I didn’t have to take into account anybody else’s viewpoint – which was a relief as it gave me full rein to do what I wanted, and I knew I wanted it light, airy and with touches of gold, with a very feminine and glamorous vibe – perfect for Audenza products then! My starting point was looking for wallpaper and, as I said to the lady in the shop when asked what I was looking for, “I will know when I see it” and ‘Espinillo’, a gorgeous gold acacia leaf design by Clarissa Hulse for Harlequin was the one.
10 Animal Print Fabrics to Lust Over
25 Jan 2019
Animal print fabrics are the hot news right now, particularly in velvet, so we thought we would bring a few to your attention. Namely because Amelia is hot for this trend, and is busy doing a mood board for her new sitting room – well it’s not new, as in it’s a Victorian terrace, but new to Amelia, and her long-suffering other half who, when presented with swatches of fabric and paint just says ‘Whatever you like, Amelia’. Now that’s my sort of guy!
Obviously 10 animal print fabrics to lust over is only a taster of what’s out there but still, it’s a tasty selection to start you off with and get you exploring.
Super Inspiring Customer Photos
17 Jan 2019
Us ladies at Audenza love interiors, in fact we are mad for them, in all their varying loveliness. And to that end we love seeing what you do with our products, and how you style them. Are you minimalist, eclectic, glamourous, retro or just plain bizarre? We want to see, and be inspired by, your homes and your interior styling.
Which is why we run a twitter and Instagram competition to win a £20 gift voucher to spend with Audenza. All you have to do is share your photos with us of your Audenza styled products and tag @audenzahome and #livefabulousandfearless, and once a month we choose (at great deliberation) a winner. Competition is fierce, as you can see from the images below, so get creative and let us see your images for a chance to win a £20 gift voucher to spend at Audenza.
Inspirational, courageous and brave are just some of the words to describe our next Fabulous and Fearless Woman, Elle Wright. It was back in May 2016, that the happiest event in her life turned into the saddest. After just three days of giving birth to a beautiful baby boy, Teddy, he sadly passed away. Although his time on earth was short, Teddy’s impact has been immense. Since her tragic loss, Elle has remarkably dedicated her time helping other women by fundraising and raising awareness of baby loss in the UK, as well as bravely sharing her own story of loss on her blog, Feathering The Empty Nest and debut book, Ask me His Name.
Want to be inspired by a fab, fun home, or just want to have a nose at somebody else’s décor? You won’t be disappointed with this tour of Lissi’s vibrant home in Leicestershire – strictly for colour lovers though! We’ve been following Lissi’s journey on Instagram (@Oxfordone) as she renovates her barn conversion, moves on from ‘greige’, finds her feet in the world of colour, and creates a fabulously warm, tactile home. We caught up with Lissi to find out a bit more about her fun and colourful family home.
