Talking rugs

It’s a little after 3.30am and off for another epic day in the store. The builders are gone and now it’s just a case of unwrapping lots of new products and getting everything sorted and out. Not totally finished with the build there is still the back to do, but you can’t even get to the back it’s a little crazy. School is fully booked so the two M’s are in with me and Gem today (that should be fun) not so sure I need two unpacking managers sticking noses into everything but I guess the more hands the easier right? Yesterday when I whizzed back to collect them at the school gates  ‘the report of the day’, from their teacher, Mung’s was a dream, Maud a little vocal !

Have to be super quick as I leave any second and sitting here in pjs without a coffee even! So rugs we’re talking rugs this morning, yes this early, as it’s never, repeat never to early to yabber about them. One of the most transformative things you can do is lay a rug on your floors; it transforms a space to a whole other level. The trick is no matter how small the pattern  try if you can to have some sort of pattern going on as I find it enlivens the space way more then if you opt for one solid colour – which is a little to carpet like for me.

If you happen to have more than one rug going on in a room as I do, restrict the colour palette and then you can mix far more easily. Oh and ignore on those rules about should the sofa be on, off, to the side of the rug blah blah blah. If you like the rug (for me they are one of the hardest things to find) buy it and make it work, as Tim Gun says in project runway. That is what I do. So a small but cool rag rug skims a floor in front of my kitcehn units, a long runner skims the other side of the kitchen, a zebra hangs out in the TV nook, tribal rugs are elsewhere and I’m just talking the basement. Forget measuring, umming and arring if you love the rug buy the thing and make it work.

Talking of work a super quick coffee and then I’ve gotta fly.

Happy Thursday!

 

 

Kicking ass

Today I am kicking ass. I’m in the store project managing the buildings. Progress is slower than anticipated with the revamp of the store in fact its in chaos complete and utter bedlam and we are behind schedule big time. So unlike the last few days (which I have been told have been long and full on) right, I’m in.  What a lovely day everyone is about to have.  No time for tea or scratching of heads, no pondering, deliberating or thinking we are on deadline and we are working to a list.

So excuse the rushed post, I have to leave any second to meet the boys. I suggested by the way a 4am start but that got laughed at for a full 5 minutes (hey ho) that’s tomorrow when Gem and I are in styling the whole thing!

Before leaving   I thought I would quickly chuck in a point or two about finishing touches. Finishing touches are like a 5-minute facelift. Suddenly in no time at all you can elevate a shelf, a mantle, a table your sofa from drab to fab by accessorising it beautifully and in no time. I’ve spoken before about my hate of putting things in rows, rows of lights over a counter, rows of things on a shelf, for me (and its personal) its to boring, to easy, takes no skill. I prefer to go down the harder route and display my stuff in a more 3 dimensional way (but I’ve spoken on that subject before) today we are talking trays.

Yes trays, and the Americans do this so very well. Anything small, itty bitty or teeny-weeny plonk on a tray or platter not only will it ground it, it will make your collection feel a little more sophisticated and less cluttered. You only need to do this if you happen to have a lot of small stuff;  the odd thing no worries let that hang out with everything else. So I’m talking little things paper weights, keys, candles, bottles plonk on a tray and suddenly you’ve elevated the whole thing. Talking of trays one of my decorating tricks is to go to builders yard and buy for a couple of quid roof slate which I then use as platters. Platters for plonking things on like small accessories but even more amazing food. We have the coolest caterers that make all the food for the Design School and they serve the food on the most beautiful slate platters. When I asked them where they got them from as they are the perfect size they said the builders yard! Genius no so off I went and did the exactly same thing!

Photography Graham Atkins Hughes

Right I’m off wish me luck!

 

 

Going outside

Ten hours can you believe we all slept last night, no midnight dashes out to the garden for potty or fox barking straight through. Amazing! I would have slept for longer if I hadn’t been woken up with Maud on her back prodding her foot in my ear.

By the way if the weather doesn’t improve soon I’m moving to LA – watched most of the series of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on the plane to Oz a few weeks back and now I’m hooked. I want to be a housewife in LA. If anyone in LA needs a wife email me, I have a few little (only little) requirements but other than that I’m pretty easy and relaxed to live with, I reckon!

Right talking LA or at least sunshine I wanted to spend a little time this morning yabbering about outside spaces because in this country at least we are often times a little neglectful. Whether you have a balcony, small backyard or grand lawn the trick with outside areas is to treat them like inside areas. I create little vignettes all over our garden, plus I took the plunge and starting planting trees in the middle of the lawn (actually pebbles) to break up the doctor’s waiting room style garden I previously had with everything planted around the perimeter. So in spring (if it ever arrives) you can’t quite see what is in front of you and subconsciously your senses are more excited. We have a big old olive tree right at the end (which will have to come with me if I’m relocating to LA, told you there were a few little requirements), and two quite large eucalyptuses nearer the front of the house. So when they grow the plan is that they touch providing a lovely canopy to sit under when the sun comes out (if the sun comes out).

Outdoor furniture is a fright,  I find its so bloody awful to look at, can’t go near so I mix old with new. Starck’s Toy Chairs and old French cafe chairs  hang out with a couple of lounging plastic Marc Newson chairs.  My plan was to create an outdoor room as cool as my indoor ones so the eye doesn’t stop at the garden. Lighting is key, as fundamental out as it is in. B&Q sell cheap but very good outdoor lights which highlight our trees and jasmine, looks magical at night.  I’ve got fakes in jugs all over the place because I need a bit of colour, but you can just as easily use grape hyacinth which I adore, and the smell – intoxicating. If you are London based go to Petersham nurseries, amazing pots, plants and super cool stuff for outside and in, even if you use it as inspiration. And this year I am researching window boxes (I know they get a bad wrap for being a tad suburban) but I reckon we can do something about that. I need anything that hides the (how to be polite) ugly building adjoining us!

I use this image all the time (forgive me) but it takes outdoor rooms to a whole other level!

Me done, have to walk the two M’s, whizz up a smoothie and get the house in order for a photo shoot at ten. Busy, busy busy

 

Make mischief

Morning, I must begin with a big huge thank you to everyone who attended the master classes this past weekend. Such a fabulous group of people and I had the best time, thank you all again.

Monday, Monday I happen to love Monday’s never quite know where the week is going even though it’s pretty much planned out. The store is closed for 4 days major internal overhaul, cannot wait to get in there and place all the new products as well as the new spring flowers, new furniture etc etc so its a crazy busy week.

I get asked alot about how to make interiors magical, the weird thing is I never intend it, it just sort of happens organically. I don’t sit down and think lets infuse this room with energy, or intentionally make mischief it really just works out that way. I guess the biggest component, or the biggest bit of mischief I make is  a trick I use time and time again – playing around with scale. its bedazzling its takes a space from drab to fab by throwing into the mix this shot of oddball. You don’t want your home  to make perfect sense, perfectly co-ordinated, everything the same height reads as a big yawn. You want to throw in a curve ball, knock the room out of the park.  to the next level so to speak and one of the easiest ways of doing that is as I say in the title to make mischief. Life can be dull enough, interiors don’t need to be!

Ditch decorating rules (rules constrain and hinder us) and instead sprinkle a little fairy dust magic on your space by putting things that are to big on things that are to small. Its the easiest decorating trick in the book I shall give you a few examples. Here at home mirrors that are to big flank walls that are to small; jugs of foliage or faux blooms that are pretty huge get plonked on tables that are to small; same goes for lamps extra large table lamps even floor lamps in this house get hitched up onto tables, so they almost topple over.  You don’t want to over do it mind because my ultimate goal is to create spaces that are beautiful not gimmicky so one of two little touches kind of nails it. Then just sit back and watch as guests and family come through the door, they won’t quite know where to look and they won’t quite know what makes the room so intriguing and tantalising. Love it

Vases that are soooo tall sit on teeny tiny little tables in my bedroom

Floor lamps sit on ostrich tables in my lower ground floor distorting the scheme and adding that element of magical intrigue.

 

 

Talking confidence

Morning, its Design School Weekend this weekend, so today and tomorrow I’ll be yabbering all about how to create your dream home, how to figure out your style, along with some fab ideas on finishing touches, decorating for less and of course thrown into the mix a whole load of rule breaking. I say it a zillion times and I shall say it again unless you dare to be different you just won’t get interiors that are memorable, tantalising and intriguing. If you don’t take risks you don’t get anywhere – pretty true in life I would say as well. You may fail, you may land flat on your face but, big big BUT here the most important lesson I have learnt is to not be put off. Learn by your mistakes, they make you stronger, figure out exactly what went wrong and then move on. No lingering, pondering, procrastinating – move on, move up.

The biggest thing we lack I think is confidence when it comes to decorating, and the mistake we all make is asking for to many opinions when it comes to decision making. Listen to your heart, your gut and if no one likes what you’ve done but you don’t worry about it. Not so long ago, last year in fact an online site sent a photographer round to my house to shoot it ‘their style’. The pictures were the worst I have ever seen, overly lit, badly shot, hideous, I was literally shocked when I saw them, especially when I pointed them in Todd Selby’s direction who has taken the most beautiful pics of the house. Anyways the comments surrounding these images were bad, ‘how does she live here, to cluttered, dark ‘ yadda, yadda, yadda on and on they went. Did it make me change anything, NOPE, did I worry that the vast majority of people looking at those images didn’t like them, NOPE. They don’t live here I do, plus the way it was shot didn’t help but my point, my long rambling point is don’t listen to anyone but yourself and the people that live in the house with you. If your house is decorated with confidence guests will feel that the minute they walk through the door. If it’s decorated in a safe, dullish way guests will also feel that the minute they walk through the door.

Take risks, push boundaries and tantalise I say, then you will never want to leave. Seriously its true there is nowhere in the world I would rather be than here!

I leave you with an image of Mr Adler’s bathroom in Manhattan. Jonathan totally and utterly follows his own path and I respect that. Orange shower curtain anyone, gold fittings and fixtures. WHY NOT, do as you please its your pad no one elses!

Spring news

Have to be quick this morning, due in store nowish as the new Spring flowers have just arrived and although we are not putting in the complete collection (the store closes for 3 days next week from Monday for a big over haul) we are putting in some and I cannot wait. We have literally sold out for the last few weeks and both Gem and I have been biting our nails desperate for the new collection to arrive which includes amazing blossom, gelda, roses, hydrangea and so much more. The power flowers have are unbelievable. The thing I love most about our faux’s is quite simply the fact people cannot believe they are fake. They get such a bad wrap; fake flowers are a bit like pot pouri and some people can be soooo snooty about them. So I love absolutely love how we are breaking down barriers and showing just how cool they can look. AND just wait for next week (the end of next week I should say) when the flower section gets expanded and enhanced, won’t reveal too much but there might even be the odd faux tree in store. Blimey I here you cry have they lost the plot? Wait and see, just wait and see, am very excited as you can probably tell!

Along with our store revamp some other changes ahead, our new website launches the end of next week with an expanded product section, our e-zine (launches mid March with some amazing names on the Style Panel) and if I get my act together some videos a little later in the year. Gem my sister, an amazing florist who has worked for the biggest and the best in London and all over the world is going to be in house every Thursday until around 3 so if you have any flower dilemmas, or have an event, wedding, dinner party, and want to pop in and yabber to her she is there on site making up bouquets that we send all over the world. To wineries in California, yachts, A list celebs even the Vatican, I kid you not!

As for myself I plan to be in store every Friday afternoon (apart from when I am teaching like this coming Friday) so if you have any decorating dilemmas feel free to run them past me. If you are making a special trip to see me its always worth calling or emailing ahead of time so the guys can check my diary as with the book launching in the next few weeks there are quite alot of events happening around town. We also have a new fabulous store manager  (Craig) who is a brilliant addition to our team and not only will make sure I am in every Friday, is also highly qualified to help you out with any decorating dilemmas. On the weekends Rose (as some of you guys know I am sure) is around and again is more than happy to help out on- flowers, decorating or otherwise!

Happy days. Have a lovely Thursday and for anyone coming to the design classes tomorrow or over the weekend, see you then. Be prepared to be tantalised! x

These are last year’s Spring flowers will post some pictures on fb as soon as we have completed the install. Also all flowers will be online by the end of next week on our new site.

Hosting a free Spring Master class at Anthropologie

Hugely excited to announce that to celebrate the release of my new book Decorating with Style I will be holding a free master class at Anthropologie. I’ll be breaking rules, pushing the design envelope and making you think differently about interiors! Prepare to be tantalised. Plus I will be hanging out in Anthropologie afterwards yabbering and book signing.

Hope to see you there

Trend Alert

At this time of year we here alot about trends. What’s in what’s out, things come, things go. For me a home that is ‘hot’ has got nothing to do with the latest, coolest something or other, a home that is hot has an air confidence about it, it packs a visual punch, stands out from the crowd and dares to be different.

Unlike fashion with interiors we’re not over hauling our living rooms every six months because animal print is out and tapestry is in, with interiors we’re constantly adding things or shuffling things around. Now as much as I don’t follow trends I am aware of them, they seep into your consciousness and the next thing you know you’ll be having supper in a restaurant like I was and suddenly blurting out ‘I want to replace all the taps in my house with brass ones, I want brass splash backs, brass furniture, brass kitchen cabinets, a brass bed, brass wallpaper’. Out of nowhere this came, we were in the middle of discussing the economy I think!   It starts having an effect, seeping into your consciousness and suddenly before you know it you’re overloading on it and can’t quite figure out how you lived without it. Some of our amazing new finds are starting to come into the warehouse (we’re not putting them in the store yet as we are closing for a few days next week for a big over haul) and you know what quite a few of them are crafted from this most beautiful metal of the moment. Think beautiful wall lights, table lights, vases not forgetting our amazing pineapple sconces of course.

A brass image below to inspire, its such a warm material and no matter you’re style, boho, classic, eclectic, rock n roll it works a treat:

Other trends worth taking note of; faux bois which I mentioned the other day showing up in surprising guises including furniture, crockery, wallpaper, fabric, carpets, you name it. Birds are big (didn’t you know), green is huge (huge I am telling you), as is tribal motifs, exotic beasts, wallpaper.  It’s a minefield out there.  I guess what I am trying to say in a round about fashion, don’t dismiss trends, be aware of them, they can and will make you look at your space in a slightly different light and possibly introduce a new dimension. Only buy into what you love, after all the plan is to keep things until we are at least 90 right, at least that is my rule of thumb.

Wallpaper, chairs, rugs, high heels even (will I love until I’m 90) if so bag it, buy it and enjoy it!

 

 

 

 

 

Layers, layers, layers

Late one this morning, team drinks in a pub in Islington after work last night ended up with walking home in the swirling misty streets of London with Mungy and Maud at midnight banging on about how fun it is to tip toe home when the streets are quiet and the roads so thick with fog, you could almost cut them with a knife. Felt I was in some sort of Dickens novel as I sticky beaked my long way home peering into people’s home’s who were still up and running into foxes that sent the two M’s off into crazy barking mode.

Now I’m going to talk about layers again (please not again I here you shout) but listen they are sooooo very important and I reckon I should talk about them at least once a week until I see some changes happening! Walking back through Islington at midnight quite a few of the homes (being polite here) were minimally decorated by that I mean I could clock them in a second. Living rooms looked like so; single pendant, furniture around the perimeter, coffee table (if I am lucky) big TV over mantle or on wall. That’s it. That was it, promise not exaggerating. Now that is perfectly OK if you are happy with that scenario but I’m thinking NO ONE repeat no one could be happy with that scenario unless some sort of medication is being taken, no?

The thing about layers is that they are so transformative, they elevate a space to another level because as you will see in the image below your eye doesn’t quite know where to look. It darts from the painting, to the bar, to the yellow chair, to the corner of the coffee table,.  Consciously or subconsciously your senses are more engaged and you feel intrigued, excited and tantalised! So easy to do no?

Right then I need coffee, times that by hundred and something to eat like a little home made granola, Greek yoghurt and poached fruits. Actually I need a chief a full time live in chief because the only thing in the house right now is apple juice, and a banana unless I tuck into the food of the two M’s, organic fishy pie anyone?

Talking curtains

Had the first lunch of the year outside on the terrace yesterday. It was just, only just warm enough. Home made pizza, Sunday papers, good strong coffee and happy as Larry! The whole weekend was spent messing around with the garden (more neighbour problems. different neighbour this time with a different set of problems). One side at the back of the garden has been exposed (and you know how funny I am about seeing even a roof top) so trellis had to go up, and a whizz to the nursery where I brought the quickest growing climber on earth and that is only half of it. Won’t bore you with everything else that has to be done.

Down to business, I thought I would talk about curtains this morning, something I rarely touch upon since for ages I’ve had an aversion to them. However I am coming round slowly but surely and whilst I am not about to put curtains up in any of my rooms (apart from possibly the bedroom) I know many people have them and love them so lets discuss. Obviously this is personal and you don’t have to listen to me but I prefer curtains with clean lines so literally no frills, minimal puddles, no swags or god forbid lambrequins (decorative valances), just simple simple. I generally go for a solid hue without pattern, although my parents brought some bookcase curtains from H&M recently and they look fab! The unfussier you go, the unfussier your room will look. So I tend to think of them as a lovely embellishment, like a piece of jewellery that doesn’t overwhelm what’s going on  just subtlety enhances it.

A couple of images below of curtains which I happen to adore.

This is made from burlap a super cheap material (burlap) and I have to say  looks pretty amazing, particularly against the dark hue.

Same house but different room and a more expensive material. Cashmere, solid in hue and extremely elegant adds a layer of softness and luxury that you just wouldn’t get if you left unadorned.

We’ve got (as some of you know I am sure) a double height glass wall at the back of house with no window treatment, which is why getting back to gardens I am obsessive about the back since its like one big curtain with jasmine, bamboo and huge trees screening us not from just neighbours but also from any odd ugly building. I shall say no more on that front, other than I’m planting the hell out of our garden so never again will I have to deal with it!