Shelf Ideas

Photography Graham Atkins Hughes

Am a bit of a fan of shelves as I think they add great personality to walls. Whether tucked in alcoves or hung on a feature wall shelving is fabulous for maximizing space. They can be works of art in their own right and look fabulous when accessorised with stacks of books, personal mementos and all sorts of bits and bobs.

The shelf on the left is something I brought from a Ikea – it doubles up as as storage unit housing remote controls, candles and a whole host of other untidy stuff I don’t want on display. I love its simplicity and the fact that its lacquered makes it super sexy and in the evening the light from the candles shimmers and bounces of it. I also love that is rather inexpensive – thank you Ikea.

The shelf on the right is also Ikea but my sister boxed around it with MDF to make her shelf super chunky and galleresq.This adds far greater visual impact I think plus those Ikea floating shelves are so easily recognised these days – its fun to play around with it a bit. Which ever option you choose the greatest fun comes  when you start adding all those personal details. Its a fab weekend DIY project to undertake – your walls like your home will all of sudden start telling a story about you, the lifestyle you lead and the things that you love. You can guess what I will be getting up to this weekend!

New Magazine Lonny launches

Having spent the day before last moaning that  some of the interior magazines out there are tres boring – (sorry Elle Décor USA)! I was rather delighted to find Lonny – check out lonnymag.com.  Its very domino -ish in feel.  Accessible,  non stuffy and  great to see a replacement for Domino that is so sorely missed. Here are a few images from their new online magazine.

Looking good hey!

Please excuse the shortness of this post – today I am taking the day off to go clothes shopping which I used to love but since being so incredibly busy have hated for the last year or so. Probably because I never give myself enough time to have a good mooch around so consequently for the last year have looked a right old scruff. All that hopefully is about to change.

Its sunny, its cold and the air smells of autumn and I am heading out the door with the latest copy of Elle Dec under my arms to read as I go! Have a great day everyone

Thrifty Chic

This months British Vogue has a fab feature about three women who without a big budget have beautified their homes with clever styling tricks and canny ideas.

It seems whether we have oodles of money or very little we all want our homes to look personal and individual. Mixing  a little bit of high street, a ton of vintage and the odd one off piece creates quirky individual spaces. When I was shooting my book in New York last fall two homes blew me away with their creativity, First up Rita Konig’s hallway (see below). It was a teeny tiny space but rather than painting it in a neutral to supposedly expand the space Rita went in the other direction and wallpapered in the inkiest, darkest hue. She also created an impromptu mini bar – totally unexpected and I have to say I loved it.

Photography Graham Atkins Hughes

Next up Lorraine Kirk’s brownstone in the West Village. It was amazing, crammed full of vintage with a strong sense of colour. Every room had a dramatic energy no matter how big or small. It felt relaxed, homely, personal and offbeat. If you are ever in New York please visit Lorraine’s store its a litte gem of a store called Geminola. Vintage dresses, skirts tops are all crafted from vintage fabrics (pre 1950) and given a magical re invention – think SJP and Sex in the City (infact I believe Sarah Jessica wore a number of outfits on the show from Lorraine’s boutique).

Photography Graham Atkins Hughes

A bathroom that doesn’t look or feel anything like a bathroom – clever, clever, clever.

Photography Graham Atkins Hughes

Pieces just pop out against the dark colour palette and unusual artefacts found in junk shops and flea markets add immediate interest and intrigue. The whole house felt super glamourous even though most of the pieces were from thrift stores – genius!

Love your things

I believe every little thing in your house should be something that you love and have a special meaning and is therefore personal. So often in interior mags I won’t name them- ok maybe I will name one American Elle Decor  what are you doing? The homes featured are so uptight, gracious and perfect yes but my god uptight. All the objects (furniture, accessories, textiles and so on) look as if they have been picked up by a decorator and are bland, soulless and  lifeless.

If you want atmosphere surround yourself with objects that are personal – unusual bit and bobs. As a designer I follow my heart not what the Jones’s down the road are doing. I haunt thift stores in search of brown furniture that I can spray in super glossy car paint, and I jump up and down for joy when I find a gem – my 1950′s  Gnome that came from an amusement park and doubles up as a light. Roughly thrown ceramics, old 60′s chairs that I have just covered in a super sexy slubby electric blue. Yes its a personal vision but I love the stuff that surrounds me and hopefully that comes across in all my designs.

Below my pad – taken from a wide angle lens so the perspectives look a bit odd – but hopefully you get the idea.

Something for the weekend

Very excited this morning as the inflatable chesterfields we saw in Paris a few weeks ago have just arrived.

Two have immediately been placed in the store (one outside) and a few of them are being taken home for my outside terrace (don’t tell hubby trying to figure out a way to sneak them in). Such a genius idea – and am totally surprised how good they look inside as well as out – fabulous for all those places with small stairwells and loft rooms where conventional furniture won’t fit.

Even more exciting our poodle table lights have just landed in store. We are beginning to design our own product range (as I can’t seem to find the things that I love these days) so designing our own. At this stage each poodle has its own individual vintage lamp shade but we are on the hunt for lampshade makers to make a uniform shade for all of them.  I love these poodle lights – (ok I am biased) but they have such attitude. Sneaking one of these home as well  - it’s a  little easier than the sofa mind as I can pop him in my bag and justify it as being a new friend for our puppy Maud!

Photography Polly Eltes

Big Ideas Small Budget

This months interior mags are awash with ideas for filling your pad with stuff that makes you happy – whether that’s personal photographs, books, a favourite toy its all about bringing your room alive with objects that lift your spirits and add intrigue and interest

For me books/magazines and a rag tag collection of art (often picked up in from ebay, etsy or flea markets) bring my space alive. You don’t need a grand display of books – magazines arranged in aesthetically pleasing rhythms do the job – its all about how the eye flows from one object to the next. This is what gives a home a heart and a soul.

Photography Graham Atkins Hughes

Stacks of magazines on tables, books piled onto window sills and under tables create an unpredictable effect. They don’t look unsightly or muddled because they are arranged in a way that taunts the eye – the height of the stacks are all similar in each grouping which helps eliminate the clutter bug effect.

Stacks of books and black and white photographs create interesting decorative details. Am loving black and white photography right now in fact my sisters boyfriend has just purchased for me a print by JR which I cannot wait to get on my walls.  I think the  moody vibe of the photography creates a soft layer to walls.