Pizzazz continued…

Am staying on the case this morning of injecting pizzazz into spaces. No one does it better than actor and shop owner  Tori Dixon White. Her interiors are beautifully eclectic almost as if she has been pottering around the globe picking up great pices. Yet there is a incredibly laid back vibe to her interiors sophisticated without being stuffy.

Do I need to say  more, Tori’s art  hugely transforms this space. The heap of cushions make it the perfect place to hang out. Very jealous!

Eclectic, quirky and fabulous when you lean art against walls and rest it on floors you create a super laid back nest. Forget that single piece of tiny art on a large wall with a horrid picture light over it (yuk I see it so many times ) and instead layer, mix up, hang, lean and most of all enjoy.

The devil is in the details as they say and flowers faux or otherwise add oodles of personality. I am incredibly lucky with Columbia Road flower market being minutes away from my home so every Sunday  I buy little posies and bunches of whatever is in season to embellish the dining table. Of course the faux flowers hang out everywhere else from the balcony to the garden (yep huge bunches of faux hydrangers  sit on my dining table outside) linking outside with in. Well must dash Maud is coming to work this morning and we have decided to walk in along the canal – here’s hoping there aren’t too many ducks. Maud isn’t so good with them.

Adding pizzazz

How to add some pizzazz to a space is a question I get asked again and again.  Its super easy you just need a big dose of confidence and a few tricks up your sleeve. Imagine for a moment you live in an old stone building where the walls are thick as anything and it all feels a smidge over whelming. Well to lighten the mood one such homeowner has added a causal bright funky little tablecloth, some fab little green chairs and an assortment of personal mementos on the mantle piece. It shouts relaxed,  lived in and totally sweet.

Art is one of the best ways to snazz  up walls and it doesn’t have to cost the earth. Sketches, prints, photographs simply framed  add a unique vibe. Love the image below  it’s a magpie approach  so nothing matches yet it all makes perfect sense. Oversized pillows (you can never have too many) add another layer of comfort .

Reworking vintage finds by re upholstering and giving them a jolt of colour is one of my favourite things to do and nothing makes a statement more than a good old splash of colour. The space below shows how fabulous some sweet little bar stools can look when revamped.  Yellow a colour that scares a lot of people (me included) looks fabulous when used as a detail  I love how it flows throughout this space.

That’s me done happy Wednesday before I forget I must apologise if anyone is having trouble purchasing my book. It seems many stores have run out again – its currently being printed for the third time (WOW) and is due in end of Sept so please bear with us.

Thank you

Sneak Peak

Morning, thought I would give you a sneak peak of our new install At The Shop At Bluebird. Its an Aladin’s cave of fabulous ness in my humble opinion have posted  a few images below (excuse quality of images they are rather bleached out). Our art has been given a tongue in cheek twist, our faux flowers are big, blousy and colourful with deliveries arriving every few weeks so popular are they and the furniture is traditional with a rock n roll twist. So hot pink coffee tables side alongside little loveseats from France.

Gargoyles hang out with mushrooms, poodles peer down on greyhounds and big fat bugs climb the walls. Welcome to our world!

The coolest fixtures and fittings

As another early start is on the cards tomorrow morning thought I would post today as for once I am being super organised. Plus it means I can put off thinking about the heap of paper work that’s growing by the hour around me.

Talking of growing there is a trend  (and its rather a fabulous one) of replacing chrome nickel, pewter and whatever else you want to call them with good old-fashioned brass fixtures and fittings. Far softer and warmer on a space than their silvery counterparts I think it’s a fabulous way to go. Visually I so much prefer and for once no matter if your walls are pale (why may I ask)?? or dark (yay) then brass fixtures give a space a boutique hotel like vibe.

Jenna Lyons has in my opinion nailed what the perfect bathroom should look like. Inky black walls with beautiful reclaimed fixtures in the softest gold. Reclamation yards are a fab place to get a bargain and many bathroom showrooms are now getting in on the bandwagon and producing brass versions, Waterworks being one of them.

If I could I would replace all of mine in a nano second – but the hallway still isn’t finished the front of the house is in dire need of a complete overhaul and there’s an office and bedroom to work on. Oh a car to buy – my windows are now stuck in the open position which is just about okish in the summer but very bad for motorway driving am arriving to clients looking like I have just piled out of bed so bad is the hair with the wind!When that’s all sorted its onto the taps although looking at the image below of Jenna’s place I want to forget all of the above and simply buy old fashioned taps right now.

One of the most beautiful bathrooms on earth I say. Simple, beautiful and fabulous.

New in from Waterworks a beautiful brass tap (not sure I would team it with a copper sink) but hey the tap is great.

Playing around with scale

Scale is one of the most overlooked, forgotten about and under considered pieces in the decorating puzzle. It puzzles me why its so ignored especially as it adds so much to any interior. Its turns a frumpy room into fun and gives any space suffering from a bad dose of seriousitis an electric shock.

Be inspired by Alice in Wonderland and think about teeming super sized pieces or teeny tiny pieces next to standard size furniture. A fab chandelier huge in scale hung over a table for example or as I have done two terribly sweet little tubs chairs sitting alongside a huge 70′s floor lamp. Its all about giving your space an unexpected twist because as I say all the time good taste is sooooo pointless without a little fun.

Images to inspire below both photographed by the fabulous Debi Treloar

So simple but so perfect.

Again super simple but also unexpected – hanging a large chandelier over a standard sized table adds a playful note and turns frumpy as I said above into fun.

Speedy tricks

Having no patience at all I am all for speedy tricks that turn a space from drab to fab in a nano second. Seeking out quirky objects, auction buys, mixed with the odd high street piece and then elevating them to star status by injecting them with pops of colour is whats its all about. I am still working on the hallway – it has taken an age after the wallpaper disaster but we are getting there. I have a large blank wall to fill – a runner to skim the floor and then magic should to start to happen (I hope).

So some speedy trick ideas if you want instant glamour – consider spray painting or taking to your local garage if you want a true rock n roll vibe any old bit of brown furniture, the transformation is truely amazing. Check with the garage first and don’t just rock up with a huge table as I did (you will be met with a lot of raised eyebrows and huffing and puffing). Another fab trick is to create big panels (MDF is great for this) which you then wallpaper – using wallpaper in this way means you can move the boards around and take them with you if you move. Plus it creates a super sweet art installation.

Must dash Maud’s school bus has just arrived to take her to dog school for the day and we haven’t packed her lunch -below is an image that sits top of my inspiration file – a hallway filled with two fabulous images turns this space into something very enchanting.

Turkish style

A few rather early starts has meant lack of posts these last few days – I should prepare the day earlier as they are so good at doing on Blue Peter but I am not that organised I am afraid.

This morning I thought we should whiz over to Istanbul to admire the work of a design company called Autoban. Have banged on about them before I am sure but simply adore their edgy yet functional creations from lighting to furniture to restaurants and hotels. I think where you live as a designer has a huge influence on one’s design – with these guys ornately carved wooden pieces sit alongside octopus shaped chandeliers very emblematic of the many contrasts and paradigms that define Istanbul. They also balance old with the modern beautifully as does the city. Am not sure what our new animal inspired lighting designs say about us or London – tongue in cheek grandiosity (perhaps)–barking (for sure), English stiff upper lip (certainly not). Without further ado some images to inspire from the Autoban library

Eclectic, beautiful and simple. Surfaces are hard and shiny and yet softened by the wooden platters hanging from the wall and dainty chandelier.

Again the palette is simple yet the feeling is eclectic and well travelled

Maximum impact

Am having a few computer problems and fear it might be a trip to the Apple Store this weekend to possibly buy a new one which I really don’t have the time to do. So this is a short post as I am thinking maybe my computer is a little overworked and needs a rest for a few days.

I have posted two shots of a house I photographed in New York for my book which totally blew me away. It’s lively, intense, unique and utterly personal. The strong red tones running throughout the space give maximum impact. Vintage finds from a range of era’s abound, combined with art and lighting to die for. Its a opulent look that delights the eye at every turn. Its not so hard to achieve – if you want maximum impact colour is the way to go as its attention grabbing and anything but static. I love the artistic vibe of this space and whilst it may not be everyone’s cup of tea its deeply personal and quirky which is what everyone’s space should be. Don’t follow any rules just follow your heart.

Photography Graham Atkins Hughes

Photography Graham Atkins Hughes

Finding a fabulous chair

Late, late, late today – spent too long pounding the treadmill whilst watching sky news – oops. Before I move onto favourite topic (chairs) I must tell you guys that our install at The Shop At Bluebird yesterday looks utterly fabulous, the most fabulous it has looked yet if I can say that! The flowers are beyond beautiful, the art ( a new range) very exciting and its all threaded together with our tongue in cheek twist of accessories.

Ok so now chairs, I collect chairs like people collect shoes I am obsessed with them. So obsessed that for the first time ever we will be launching our own chair at Maison Objet think 50′s  style meets New York lounge – its black, its sleek and its got a twist. Its super comfy, can’t infact think of anything worse than an uncomfortable chair – my inspiration was designing something that was comfy enough to lounge in after a large helping of Sunday afternoon pudding (can you see now why I was at the gym). Anyway our chair is  a good few weeks off and in the meantime I leave you with my all time favourite loveseat called the Snooze. Its by Ochre and it ticks every single box I could wish for, sexy, uber comfortable and beautiful.

Chic hallways

Am in a bit of a flounder today so this post is extremely late but it also has to do for tomorrow I hate to say as I have a crack of dawn start. We are changing around our space at The Shop at Bluebird – so imagine curvy beautiful French inspired love seats, concrete mushrooms, big fat bugs crafted out of vintage fabric (which are exclusive to us – yay)   the odd magpie and of course our poodle lamps with their beautiful new taffetta shades.  A new collection of our faux flowers (yep for the first time you can now buy at Bluebird), art, vessels and oodles of other things are being transported at the crack of dawn through sleepy London streets to Chelsea.

Lets now talk interiors, British Elle Dec this month has a fab feature on halls and funky storage. We are on the same wave length as if you recall I was talking last week about how important hallways are as the set the scene for the rest of your pad and yet often times they are neglected .  My favourite beyond favourite idea for a hallway is a storage unit I found whilst researching my book at Ikea for £99 I think it was. Sleek, cheap, and yet fab for storage it looks the bees knees.

Here it is. My all time favourite image of my sister’s pad. The storage unit which opens out is super shiny and from Ikea. Takes up little space and for hallways gets star ratings I say.

Photography Lisa Cohen

Also adore these shelves as they add a totally funky edge to any wall. Fab for  keeping a hallway clutter free and at the same time sexy.

Photography Lisa Cohen

Of course you could ignore storage altogether and just hang a dramatic textile, bold yet super welcoming.