Styling stuff

If I were a proper or very professional interior designer today’s post would be entitled ‘how to arrange the perfect tablescape or shelf”, but I’m not so instead were talking about stuff and how to style it!

Easiest thing to do in the world (and the most fun) as our possessions  inject  instant personality into a space. First up – amass what you have all those  decorative items  like paintings, prints, sculptures, figurines, bookends, vases and so on. Ditch the rule book and all that mumbo jumbo about negative space between items and style in a relaxed manner. I should say that negative space is important but only if it isn’t contrived – we don’t want vase, space, cluster of objects, space, candle, space. I am making sense? Tiny objects tend to get lost so if you can’t see them from the other side of the room then eliminate I would say.

Flowers are always good as they pack a visual punch and you get to really play with height (always important), having everything on the same level is super dull. When it comes to arranging think balance not symmetry, you don’t want to much matching going on nor do you want one end covered with objects and the other empty.  Balance the colour too, the safest bet and one I generally stick too when amassing lots or things is to restrict the colour palette to a few hues otherwise it can feel a little crazy. One more thing before today’s lesson ends – try not (please please try not) to line things up on shelves or tables. Put things in front, layer it up as we want beautiful, eclectic not boring solider like lines. Oh and just one other little teeny tiny point  the more varieties in scale and texture you have the more energy you create.

 

This is a simple simple tablescape and yet totally effective , except you have to look at it as a whole. The painting above the mirror, the dark walls and the simple arrangement on the table. Its fab but simple.

Below is a different story altogether, this space belongs to Marie-France Cohen, owner of one of the coolest stores in the world, Merci in Paris. Paintings prop up against bookshelves, books tumble out of everywhere, objects and lamps sit alongside more books. Its a mish mash but an effective one.

OK I’m done, happy I’ve got those points off my chest now we can all go forward and enjoy Wednesday – have a good one x

Finding inspiration

Forgive the lack of posts recently its been a little crazy to say the least. We still have no back garden wall although ten 3-meter jasmines arrive to day, yay hay to that. Not enough but it will plug a bit of a hole.  We still haven’t finished decorating but the master bedroom is nearly there. I need so much stuff to make my interiors pulse with style its unbelievable. I’ve pinched from other rooms; lamps, art, rugs and still I need more.

Never mind that for the first time in 13 years I slept in a room I’ve only passed through (its was a junk room of the worst kind) lit the biggest fire and lay in bed with the kids while it crackled and roared away. Heavenly none of us want to leave this room, infact I’ve set up a desk in the corner by the window and here I sit and work, in my pyjama’s coffee in hand, happy as Larry. There are no curtains or blinds yet, getting undressed and dressed involves a lot of ducking and diving but being the impatient soul I am I couldn’t wait! I will post before and after pictures shortly just waiting for a chandelier to arrive from South African, bedding from Paris which I have to zoom over and get, and some other bits and bobs. We’ve also now moved onto decorating the school, inky black walls, bookcase wallpaper, super size lamps and rugs, big zinc table and lots more. Cannot wait for the school to start although having said that there is still so much to do I worry that we don’t get it done in time.

I was looking at Ines de La Fressange’s home recently for a tad of inspiration. Its one of those spaces that you don’t know quite where to look there is so much to tantalise the eye and yet it doesn’t feel crazy. The more layers you create the more interesting your space becomes simple as that. Lamps, rugs, personal mementoes, art, its a fabulous space and a great inspiration. It helps when decorating, I must say if you have some visual reference , or many visual references that inspire as it kind of focuses thoughts. It could be anything, a painting for a great colour palette, a tear sheet anything. For me its Ines’s pad, I need as many layers as she has here in order  to bring my rooms alive.

 

Decorating changes lives

So the builders chopped down the majority of foliage but have left three old trunks of wisteria which the architect wants gone and we are all hoping to persuade not to. I don’t have any faith it will mean they will have to fence around the trunks rather than going in a straight line and seeing what they did opposite to those other poor neighbours gardens verges on the criminal. Am going to try and not focus on it as its far too upsetting.  It couldn’t be crazier with work and I now have to run to nurseries to buy big established plants to plant side by side to give us some privacy back and what’s more the water ban starts tomorrow. God Dam!! Poor Mungs and Maud can only go outside on leads as there is literally no back wall until the fence goes in sometime in the next two weeks as they will escape so they are super cranky. Double God Dam, it’s not the happiest household right now!

On a more positive note 3rd episode of Get Your House in Order is on tonight (8pm Channel 4) and we’re in Manchester in a super cool loft apartment. I’ve got to come up with a scheme that changes this couple’s lives, that makes them love their home as much as I love mine, and will hopefully take the focus off their mindlessly spending. Will I be able to pull if off, suspense; suspense shall leave you guys to find out!

I actually whole-heartedly believe that decorating changes lives. If you live in a pad that you’re proud of it gives you the greatest buzz, its makes you instantly happy no matter how rough the day the moment you open the door you won’t want to leave. Home is where the heart is as the saying goes, and I believe stuff like cooking, cleaning, working and relaxing is so much more enjoyable if you love your surroundings. Maybe I should become a preacher and stand on stage with a great big mike and a choir and preach this message.

Enough I here you cry!! OK, OK  I am off, to meetings, to nurseries and to a full on crazy working Easter, back on Tuesday, happy Easter everyone.

This is the kind of dense foliage I am after. How I’m going to find something this tall in 2 hours (its all the time I can spare) in central London is another thing coming. Hey ho if you see a crazy woman in a white van zooming all over town this afternoon its me, on the hunt for established plants. How such plants even if I can find them will go into the van is a far too practical problem for me to worry about right now!

Small space living

Today is a scary day, at the back of our garden is a Jehovah Witness building of which they are revamping. The revamp includes cutting away all boundary wall foliage and putting up a 6-foot fence. Bearing in mind that the foliage at the back of our garden includes the oldest, most beautiful wisteria that is 25feet high ( I sit under it in the summer eating breakfast) plus a ton of ivy I fear trouble a head.  I don’t want to see my neighbours opposite (sorry neighbours) its like we have a walled garden here, its so private you feel like you are in a secret little secure world and I adore it. My plan A, first talk nicely to builders and try try try to persuade them not to cut down the whole lot as they have done opposite. I kind of tried that not so long ago and I ended up threatening to shoot all of them from my roof top (not good). If that fails, Mungo, Maud and I are chaining ourselves to the fence and I do not care if they call the police. Graham being the practical sensible one who won’t scream, cry, stamp or shoot anyone has suggested I walk the kids along the canal and breakfast at the Tow Path. Heavenly except I know his plan – get her out of the house otherwise trouble will ensue!

Enough about my problems lets talk interiors oh and if there is no post tomorrow I am probably in jail!

I was looking on line at Real Living Magazine recently (a lovely Australian glossy) and came across this Brisbane cottage which struck a cord. Its small and yet its gone dark yay hay, its in a hot hot country and still its gone dark  (double yay hay) and more importantly you don’t even register its small as its been beautifully designed. I adore small spaces, I love the intimacy and cosiness of them and if you accessorise as these guys have done with fab colours and cool art then no one, repeat no one will even clock how small the space is.

 

I’m always on the hunt for art in my pad and need the hugest piece to go on my bedroom wall – if anyone has any ideas please let me know.  Back to the cottage – you don’t quite know where to look when you first see the space as the eye is drawn to both the art and  the rug and although there is alot going on it doesn’t scream crazy as the colour palette is restricted.

Again a beautiful palette of hues, simple yet totally effective.

I am the biggest fan of turning nooks and disused areas into functioning spaces – under stairs, in hallways anywhere there is a space I will shove a little table and plonk something on it. Take my landing I have a little rug, a yellow chair a painting  so it doesn’t feel empty, every area has something.This nook under the stairs is a totally cool home office.

Happy Wednesday, wish me luck!!

 

New stuff in store

Super quick one from me this morning, early start in the store with a ton of new stuff just in which is super exciting. Here goes in no particular order:

Amazing art, particularly loving the Soho sign want one on the back of the loo door if I can sneak one out!

Super cool lamps, say it a million times and will continue to bang on about it until I am at least 90. You can never ever ever have enough lamps in a room, the more lamps the more interest simple as that.

Oh and some cute pots for our fabulous fauxs.

Gotta run, takes 20 mins for the Merc to warm up before we can even go anywhere, not that I should complain it takes me far longer!

 

 

Colour inspiration

People often ask where I get my colour inspiration from and more than anything else I would probably say it’s through travel. From trips to Morocco, to a weekend in Paris to a quick zip over to NY travel inspires. Buildings, big huge skies, billboards, graffiti on a wall, when you open your eyes the possibilities are indeed endless.

Obviously I am a lover of deep inky hues but it’s those colours that feed off of them, that pop out and zing that I am constantly on the look out for. Sometimes I get if wrong this weekend in fact prime example. Our new bedroom is painted out in London Clay (F&B) floors, walls and ceilings. For those of you not familiar with the hue its taupeish its pinkish and its a bit plumish all rolled into one. I thought a beautiful red tribal rug would look fab on the floor to bring in a shot of colour. WRONG. OK so maybe a burnt orange rug I picked up from Anthropologie not so long ago. WRONG. Its too strong its needs a soft earthy hued rug not a vibrant singing and dancing one. Sounds odd but seeing how London Clay is literally the colour of our soil here in London out I went into the garden and started noting all the colours of nature and how beautiful they looked with the earth. The lilac  just beginning to blossom (intense purple) beautiful, cherry blossom also beautiful against London Clay, lavender again lovely, white roses beautiful. So there in a nutshell is my palette sometimes you don’t need to travel that far inspiration is literally on the doorstep.

The city of New York below inspires in so many ways – colour inspiration being one (photography Andrea Ferrari). Yellow cabs/ dark grey roads – beautiful.

Crazy busy day today – have to hit the outdoor pool before anything else, its barely light and freezing and would much rather bit sitting at my studio sipping coffee, but gotta get into shape one way or another.

Have a good Monday x