Flower Power

Apologises for the lack of posts these last few days I have the craziest schedule for the next few months just to warn so might miss the odd post.  Yesterday up at 3 am back at 10 so its a little full on. Also a big big thank you to all of those of you who came along to the master classes this weekend it was fabulous meeting you all, thoroughly enjoyable weekend.

Flowers are something on everybody’s mind this time of year, how to do something that’s cheap, looks stunning and gets visitors and guests gasping. The simplest tip is to colour block, rather than mixing up your posies stick to one colour, it tends to look far more expensive that way. Also don’t show the stems, let flowers such as roses, hydrangeas, carnations, parrot tulips etc. skim the top of the vessel they are in, again they look far more expensive. If you are short of a few vases use jars,  do as I do and line them with foliage, think big fat leaves as below.

Those French glass yoghurt pots make excellent containers for little sprigs of berries, herbs etc. and double up beautifully as t-light holders.  Its much better to have smaller bunches than one big ta da bunch in the centre of the dining table, and talking of t-light holders they are the perfect vessel for small posies of flowers.

Flower markets are fabulous at this time of year with the hugest selection to buy from just go early to get the best selection. We generally go at 4 which is unearthly I agree but once you’re up and whizzing through London with no traffic around its so worth it.

Tra La La

Thank you for all the lovely sweet messages cheering me up, it worked no end and although it’s barely nudged 5 am much happier today.  Am sure all that is required is a day off which looking at the diary is 23rd December – so not so long away.

Thought we would talk a little bit about holiday decorating today as I’ve come downstairs the house is infused with the scent of pine and it’s gotten me in a festive mood. The neighbours don’t know about the master classes and think I am sure  some Christmas nut who decorates her house early, wreaths on the door, Christmas trees outside and in – there’s been a few funny looks! Because I have a lot of stuff at home and because I love every single little thing clearing mantles down, moving out furniture for trees causes (as nuts as this sounds) much anxiety. What to move, do I have to move,  should we not just build an extension (Graham)  so I don’t have to move things- that sort of thing. There are ways round it though – if you’ve got heaps of stuff like me or if you simply don’t have the room here are a couple of sweet alternative ideas for trees. I should also mention although I am obsessed with faux flowers I am not a fan of faux trees. I’ve got tinselly ones plonked on shelves but the large ones no no no no no.

When I was at the flower market, the new Covent Garden one that is  (which I would encourage anyone who lives in London to go to) I came across wonderful amounts of foliage which look stunning as tree replacements. Plop on a table if its small it looks fab and decorate away.  Bay trees also make fab trees, the scent is heavenly, scatter with fairy lights and then plant outside when Christmas is over.

Simple hey, of course you can go bigger and more dramatic like so and particularly fabulous if you position over a table.

That’s me done – shower then an hour no doubt throwing things onto the floor I have nothing repeat nothing to wear. Also a  little worried about leaving Mung’s he howled yesterday as I was barely around and not sure G is the most comforting of parents, he doesn’t quite understand the word snuggle! Haven’t quite got to the bottom of it  but I came home to find the wrong lights yesterday, no radio 4 or music in the background for the guys, no fire crackling away in the grate on and on I could go. So I’ve booked them into school which they love and written a long list for G on what to do when they get home!

News Flash

Two cancellations on Saturday mean there is now 2 spaces available for my master class on the 26th. Held in my home in East London I will be sharing tips and tricks on how to turn your home from ordinary to extraordinary, doing some festive stuff, with a catered lunch, mulled wine and mince pies around the fire and a question and answer session on any dilemma’s (decorating wise) you may have. It’s a jam packed  fun fabulous day – hope a couple more of you guys will be able to join us. Its on a first come first serve basis so please either email the store; contact@atelierbypost.com or call +44 20 7354 8181. xx

Inspirational new interiors tome

I don’t buy as many interior tomes as I used too, I find there are very few out there that I love. I want to see pages of unstuffy, laid back  interiors a la Selby or indeed this very new release by the fab photog Martyn Thompson, entitled Interiors by Martyn Thompson.

Martin’s work has been gracing the pages of many of the glosses for years now and in this new release he profiles homes that he particularly loves as seen below:

There is nothing pretentious or formulaic  with the interiors in this tome and as I bang on about in my master classes the more layers you create the more appealing you make an interior. The plan or at least my plan is to bedazzle myself and visitors the moment they walk through the door. I want senses to be activated  and you do that (or at least I’ve done that )through colour, scale, pattern, texture and scent not forgetting a twist of the unexpected.

I leave you with another page from Mr Thompson’s book – crazy day ahead and feeling a little blue, sure it will pass but sometimes I wish I just kept bees in the country, made jam and pottered around with Mungo and Maud rather than getting up at 5 and working till who knows when. The joys of one’s own business I guess xx

5 minute face lift

One of the easiest things you can do to add warmth to your pad is add textiles. I  recently brought some sheepskin rugs the plan to drape over cold white dining chairs. Except Maud and Mungo were having none of it, dragged them off and now they skim the floors and one of  Maud’s alternate sleeping chairs. They LOVE then and I being an utter softy don’t have the heart to take them away. They are so versatile, enlivening chairs, adding a fluffy dimension to floor boards I am becoming a little obsessed. Any textile for that matter will transform your pad instantly – heaps of cushions, floor cushions, rugs I call them the 5 minute face lifts of the decorating world. If you can mix up the texture and or pattern or indeed both you’ll have a pretty amazing space on your hands. The key is to create as much tension as you can, sounds a little odd I know. In the master classes I wander people around my pad where metallic star cushions hang out with merino woven cushions, or a little plush velvet thing sits on a leather clubby chair. The more friction you create the more interesting a space becomes. Talking of friction if the tiniest loo or the planet has not been clad by the end of this day much tension will occur!

Below an image of Hilary Swank’s NY pad softened with textiles – her back wall by the way panelled with old barn wood is the exact look I’m going for in my bijou loo

One more thing thank you so much to everyone for their comments on the blog who attended the master class. Made everything so worth while and to get that kind of feed back – amazing. Thank you x

 

Tis the season

Hugest hugest thank you to all those who came to the master classes this weekend. It was so much fun meeting everyone, and unbelievably everyone liked the house (which was my hugest worry), Maud and Mungo were sooo well behaved we couldn’t quite believe it. Apart from Maud throwing up in front of everybody (few to many nibbles I think) it was a fabulous weekend. Loved hearing about people’s decorating dilemma’s and hopefully solved a few. Time and time again the layering issue came up be that surfaces or walls and luckily this house is quite a good case study as there is stuff on every surface.One of my top top tips would be the use of mirrors, whether you plonk them on a wall or prop them up they expand horizons and totally bring a space together. The key is to make sure what you are reflecting is desirable, I’m a fan of the supersized variety add a larger mirror than you ought and its almost as if someone has come in and sprinkled some pixie magic dust around the space.

A fab alternative to art my favorite places to plonk them are entrance ways (so often neglected and often times lacking light) you will find they automatically open them up. Living rooms and dining rooms also look fabulous when you add mirrors, particularly if you start reflecting chandeliers, fairly lights and candle light.

No rest for the wicked I am off the store we have had so many deliveries in over the last few days which I have totally neglected that I need to get in there and sort. Maud and Mung’s are off the school, the builder is BACK to finish paneling the loo if its not done for this weekends master class I may have to let the tires down on his vehicle so he doesn’t leave.

Oh and before I go a big thank you to Red Magazine for mentioning the new design school launching here in the New Year – very exciting! One more little thing last week I lost my phone with EVERYONE’S number on which I hadn’t of course backed up. Have got a replacement and am on the same number so guys if you can email me in telephone numbers shall this time back up promise!

You can never have enough mirrors as seen here in this NY pad recently featured in Rue Magazine. If you happen to have a lot of small ones consider grouping multiple ones on the same wall for a fab effect.

New global style

Days are crazy, yesterday up at 3.30 today the same so apologises for lack of post yesterday. I got up an extra half an hour early to write the post (we were off to the flower market at 4) but the coffee machine decided to pack up and I can’t do I thing (not a thing) without a cup of coffee. So I shoved the tool box on a sleeping Graham and asked (actually I think I may have yelled that there is enough stress going on without coffee stress, which I should add superseeds all the other stresses, and please can he fix NOW). Which he did and peace luckily has been restored.

Lets talk interiors I was flicking through an old copy of Vogue and was come across an article on new global style. Global  style but giving it an urban twist if you will. I am a huge fan – and have peppered my pad with the odd African stool, Morrocan rugs, glassware from Italy, mirrors from Belgium. I adore African batik prints, Pueruvian alpaca knits, hand thrown tableware. What knocks this kind of look out of the park is when you plonk it in an urban setting. Of course you don’t need to travel to find these kind of pieces, the internet, flea markets, auction houses are all fabulous resources the key I think it to layer the home with some simple finds which then lets the global finds be the star. For example I’ve layered an Ikea console (which everyone who comes to the house thinks I got it from B&B Italia) with a superzixed table lamp, some wonky vases from Aftica and a heap of mags. Its simple stuff and its so easy to create magic. In a nutshell its all about creatiing as much visual tension as you can. So for example on my laxquered Ikea console (super shiny) my lamp has the hugest base in bronze, hand thrown and hand glazed it contrastas beuatifullfy with the table. The wonky pots from Ikea also look amazing on the Ikea piece they elevate it actually to B&B Italia status. Style has nothing to do with money which is a pretty exciting thing to know going into the weekend hey. I’m master classing all weekend so final preperations here today on cleaning the house and running around like a headless thing – but the coffee mahcine is working the birds are singing so all is good. Time now to wake the sleeping three, Maud, Mungo and Graham up as they need to get into action its nearly 5am already!

This is what I am talking about – filling your pad with finds from all over the place. Photographs Todd Selby

Entertaining the easy way

As I open my house up to scrutiny it got me to thinking how many other people this holiday season might be going through the same worries and concerns. Does the house look good enough for entertaining in, will the Jones’s sneer at the tattered chair in the corner, and you know the snort of thing? How do I even make the space look like a glamour den of adorableness? That part is pretty easy I must say (the worst part is going around on hands and knees searching out  scratches and knocks on the paint work and bits of old bone that the dogs have left about).

In order to create the perfect entertaining space first up use the type of restaurants, bars and cafes you regularly go to as a point of reference. Do you like small intimate settings, that are laid back, glam or rustic? Observe the layout of the furniture the kind of decoration that is used, colours, textures and so forth and then  try and emulate  at home. You don’t have to encompass the whole vibe just use it as inspiration. I am more of a small gathering type – one long huge table in a dining room with a load of chairs plonked round sends a shiver down my spine. I’m way more informal and prefer tables that are smaller, round or oval. If a whole ton of people are coming over then I’ll bring in a table from another room but my day-to-day table is small. Positioned near the fireplace it doubles up as an impromptu desk when I need a change of scene as well as a meeting place. The trick about entertaining is to create an environment that entices guests to linger, so lighting should always be on dimmers where possible and there should be lots of it. I kind of ignore all the rules about serving wine in such and such a glass and instead use little recycled tumblers from Morocco for almost any drink. Tableware is hand thrown in the colours of the English countryside – candles abound and there are flowers everywhere. Intimate little seating areas are all over the house; hell there is even a chair outside the bathroom in case you just happen to want to sit a while. The key she says (freaking out) is not to freak out, be relaxed, dim the lights, add oodles of candles, some seasonal flowers and you’ve pretty much nailed it. Will let you know if that theory works after the weekend when the feedback is in!

Kate and Andy Spade’s apartment in uptown New York pretty much nails for me how I like a space to look. Chairs everywhere – stuff everywhere it feels lived in and loved, cosy and warm. If you happen to be a guest its the kind of place where you automatically feel at home, and don’t have to take your shoes off? Do people do that anymore by the way ask visitors to take off their shoes?

Last few days remaining on the 13th December

Couple of cancellations on the 13th December for one of my masterclasses means there are a few spaces left. So if you want to up the style ratings in your pad for the holidays and learn some fab tricks of the trade you will need to either email or call the store (+44 207 354 8181, contact@atelierbypost.coom) to bag a place. They are limited as they are held in my home and as it’s the last one it might be a little boozy or loony or quite possibly both (just to warn)! Am off the West End on the search for glitter, hairspray and some deep dark roses all to be explained on the days -and very much look forward to meeting some of you guys soon.   Four days till the first one  and I’ve still got the most of the house to paint, the loo to panel, Christmas trees to buy, mulled wine to make  a truck load of logs to be delivered and Maud, Mungo and I an appointment with the hairdresser – since mine seems booked we might be doing a job lot at the groomers (just as well I don’t have a beard otherwise that would be styled into the neatest little point like Maud’s )!

 

Displaying stuff

Apologises for the lack of post yesterday – a night of no sleep and a crazy day shoved me off kilter, coupled with a night shift in the store on the weekend displaying all the new stuff and so many problems with paneling the tiniest loo or earth I was feeling a little sorry for myself.  Today as they say is another day and onwards and upwards we go!

I’ve been thinking quite a bit recently about the art of displaying stuff, you know those possessions you own, collect and plonk around the place and the powerful, emotional effect they have upon a room- expanding it both visually and emotionally. They give us the visitor a window to your world as well as adding depth, colour, intrigue and oodles of personality. No matter how large or small your pad the bits and bobs you scatter around the place are the finishing touches turning rooms from ordinary to extraordinary. My approach to displaying stuff is rather ad hoc – there isn’t a lot of symmetry going on it tends to come from the gut, so I’ve got a bunch of faux gelda on my mantle piece next to a bronze head which hangs out next to a porcelain parrot. Crazy?  Sounds it but it actually works as those coming along to the master classes will see. For me its about diversity and following your own identity, one of the reasons I am so excited about launching my new alternative design school next year is because I want to bang on (till the cows come home probably) just how easy it is to decorate in this way. I’m not interested in trends follow your own trend ignore everyone else’s its individuality that is important. A few things to point you in the right direction are as follows – vary the height, on shelves, mantles, tables you want different heights otherwise its uber boring, flat and unimaginative.

Depending upon your colour palette (remember mine is inky and sludgy with big shots of colour in lamps and furniture) so I keep many of my accessories quite neutral or at least to a restricted palette – I think on the mantle in question I’ve three things in varying tones of bronze (actually four) and a big burst of lime green in the flowers. I don’t want anyone coming in here feeling anxious I want to tantalise seduce and get the heart rate beating just that little bit faster but at the end of the day I want my space to feel lived in, comfortable and relaxed!

Some design schools and books will bang on about negative space when displaying stuff in order to give your collections room to breathe. I tend to ignore this too, varying the height I find adds enough negative space and creates a gentle interesting rhythm.

And here is what I am talking about-  the display feels relaxed, paintings of varying sizes are propped against the wall on a console in a vary relaxed fashion, heaps of books on a table with a sculpture plonked in the middle. Yes this interior is an expensive one but that’s not my point, forget the amazing stuff and instead concentrate on the accessories. They are laid back nothing repeat nothing is worse than uptight displays (are you listening US Elle Decor  the days of the perfectly styled home where everything is just so is over). Life, style, design is all about being easy going, uplifting a little tongue in cheek even to put us all at ease.

Hang a crazy picture on a wall, prop art against the floor the best homes show life going on, show the personality of the  people living there – are spirited, charming and fill me with joy.