INTERIOR DESIGN CHATTER : February 2011

Hotels with a Designer Touch

Here we are Monday again & my weekend flew past way to quickly. I had a fantastic time in london with Neil, Ive been very spoilt. My highlight was dinner & a show at Wam Bams Burlesque Show at Cafe Paris. I had never been to anything like that before but it was fantastic & Madame Alex was by far the star of the show she was hilarious. I recommend the show to anyone who has a chance to visit the city.

Lady Alex Performing Sex Bomb

We stayed in The Blakemore Hotel by Hyde Park. It was a lovely hotel, the boy definatley did good when he found this one. My camera isnt uploading my photos for some crazy reason so I cannot share with you presently so instead Ill let you take a sneak peak at some designer hotels instead that I found at Elle Decor recently. This stylish retreat Round Hill Hotel in Jamaica was designed by Ralph Lauren. Dont you just love the mahogony four poster bed its gorgeous. The crisp white walls, plush furnishings & white stone floors are incredibly dreamy & romantic.

Giogio Armani designed this stunning hotel, named the Armani Hotel. The orange & chocolate colour pallette is very elegant. The stripes are a bold statement but it works well. The question is which Designer Hotel do you prefer?

Breakfast in bed

Thought I would share these cute crossiant napkins with you that I found over on Charlotte Macey Textiles

My gorgeous boyfriend is whisking me off to London for the weekend & has booked us into a hotel in Hyde Park. When I saw these gorgeous little napkin designs it made me think of breakfast in bed in a beautiful hotel. Im not sure if breakfast in bed is on the cards for my weekend but the thought is nice. I would love my breakfast tray to be set with these cute napkins wouldnt you? along with some croisants with home made strawberry jam, some fresh strawberrys, a pot of tea & some freshly squeezed orange juice, .....am I pushing my luck, maybe!!

Dont you just love this union jack pillow its so cute

Anyway I wont be posting now until Monday I shall be enjoying the company of my gorgeous man for the next few days, we have booked to see a show & we are hoping to maybe visit Madame Tussards or the London Dungeons...hopefully he wont leave me caged somewhere, if you dont hear a post from me by Tuesday there is cause for concern!!!!! He has a few suprises up his sleeve for me, I can hardly contain my excitement. I am a very lucky girl this I know :) Any whooo peps have a lovely weekend & in the mean time why not blog hop over to http://www.charlottemacey.co.uk/& take a look at her other lovely pieces from her etsy shop xx

Cute Bow Cushions

Look at these cute bow cushions that Kellie over at Ada & Darcy has just posted. Loving the bow & the stripes, this wouldnt look misplaced with my nautical theme that I posted on Monday. I love it. Pop over to Kellies page now for my cute cushions.

http://adaanddarcy.blogspot.com/

Coastal Charm

You dont have to live by sunny shores to take on a coastal theme, with all this cold, bleak weather a touch of the seaside is a perfect look to update your home & brighten your spirits.

Sourced from Costal Living

Be inspired by the elements with blues, aquas & neutral tones like beige & sand. Whether you choose pale blues with crisp whites for a calming influence or pops of bright blues & aquas to perk up a tired looking room, its not all about the beach themed bathroom. This year soft beiges paired with blues & chocolate browns make a beautiful modern lounge & cool blue walls with soft white linens make for a classic vintage feel bedroom.

Folding shutter doors are a big thing this year & give that feeling of being shut away in an island santurary. Wicker furniture or natural chunky wood for larger furniture pieces sets a perfect mood. But if your not looking to invest in big pieces why not update furniture with a lick of paint in blues or aquas to add some charm.

Accessories like distressed wood picture frames & mirrors add to a vintage beach feel. Choose wooden blinds to dress your windows or hang white voile curtain panels for a softer finish. Mosquito netting above the bed along with white linens gives a romantic touch.

Nautical themed accesories like blue & white striped pillows & fabrics are typically associated with a classic coastal theme but you can opt for fabrics in bright pops of colour for a more tropical feel. Add palms & other greenery to add tropical elements & give the feeling of a far away oasis.

You can give a romantic getaway feeling to the outside of your home as well. Escape to a corner of your garden & pretend to be on distant shores. Add a canopy above a bench to make a quiet place to read a book. Opt for these clever water proof cushions from www.oilyragfabrics.com/ & you dont even have to worry about the tricky British weather catching you out. They certainly glam up the garden dont they.

Cute Chair Ideas

Thanks for the feed back on the chairs. I quite like the idea of the courdroy as it would ware well but I am still undecided & open to ideas. I had been thinking about using a patterned fabric but I rather like the bright block colour of these yellow chairs that I found over on Elle Decor. I think I am definatley going to be painting the wood work white though. I love these chairs they are so fresh & cheerful. I shall be collecting some ideas over the coming weeks & put them to you as would love your feed back. Its a special chair Im updating after all so want to get it right. What do you think?

Chair Upholstering

I am looking for some ideas on restoring this little childrens chair that I had as a little girl. It has been in my family for many years as it once belonged to my dad as a little boy, so as you can imagine its very sentimental & I cant bare to get rid of it in the big move. But as you can see it needs quite a bit of TLC...any ideas anyone? ..........................................

.......I havnt decided yet what to do with it, my son has completely out grown it & its on the brink of falling apart. I have never under taken upholstering but would love to give it ago, but this chair means a lot to me & I want to get it right. My Grandad did upholstery as a living (sadly he has passed away many years ago). I have his old sewing tin at home, so this little project is very special in many ways.

Well thankfully good old Kirstie with her Homemade Homes has a little section in her book on upholstering, thats rather handy dont you think!. Meanwhile any ideas please leave me a little note at the bottom, I would love to hear your opinions on this little project. Im thinking of staining the wood or painting it white & distressing it to give it a vintage feel. What do you think? x

....................................please excuse my sons messy carpet!!!!!!

I dont think my bottom would ever fit in this now in a millon years its teeny tiny (not my bottom obviously the chair haha)

Kirstie's Homemade Home

I didnt get to see the whole series of Kirsties Homemade home as I came in virtually towards the end & was completely miffed that I hadnt known about the series earlier as I really enjoyed the episodes I did see. So when I saw her book on the stand at WHSmiths it found its way into my hands & onto the cash desk! well a girls aloud to treat herself every now & again hasnt she & its kind of for work purposes, really!

There is some great ideas in there on all things homemade (as you may have already guessed from the title) from pillow making to glass blowing. Its a really inspiring read I totally recommend it, its over on Amazon at a fraction of the price of what I paid (grrrr I should have been more patient).
Its got me thinking (yes my little brain does use battery power sometimes) about all the fabulous blogs I read with home made homewares. I have blogged a couple of times on the lovely Erin McCathy over on the smallest sparrow with all her fabulous crafty ideas. Theres been some great ideas also from Bellas Rose Cottage & Fishtail Cottage. I also discovered a fabulous blog the other day called savvysouternstyle with some fabulous furniture makeovers.Well between you all & a bit of Kirsties homemade homes its got me thinking about a few projects I would like to try out & maybe a little link party is on the cards (if I can work out all this linked in malarky...watch this space the cogs are turning in my little brain, dangerous I know. Anyway I hope lots of you would like to join in & share your fabulous handy work :)

Shirt Pillow from Smallest Sparrow

http://smallestsparrow.blogspot.com/

http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

Charlotte Hupfield Ceramics

Meet Charlotte of Charlotte Hupfield Ceramics. Charlotte graduated in 2008 & now runs a successful workshop in Northamptonshire. She is a Ceramic Designer/Maker, & makes individual hand made items ranging from vases, bowls, sculptural vessels, coasters, clocks, wall plaques, magnets, brooches plus other pieces to suit your requirements. Her ceramics are displayed and sold in 5 different galleries in the UK. Charlotte also takes part in a number of exhibitions & craft fairs & also sells her products on her own Etsy shop.

Her work is inspired by nature and all things organic.

Charlottes inspiration

Some of Charlottes pieces

Why not blog hop now & take a look for yourself at some of Charlottes beautiful pieces.

http://charlottehupfieldceramics.blogspot.com/

CORAL CRUSH

Happy valentines day everyone xx

I found these pretty pictures over on Scrapbook
http://scrapbook-melissah.blogspot.com/
& they were my inspiration for todays moodboard. Soft corals are a gorgeous alternative to pink. Soft, femine & classic yet mixed with aqua becomes completely tropical. I am a girl who likes a bit of pink, but Melissah has really got me thinking about coral, this picture really caught my eye it oozes style & sophistication doesnt it. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for these dreamy coral tones. It has a really vintage feel about it, I love it :)

RACE FOR LIFE 2011

Sarah Gibbs is fundraising for Cancer Research UK

I will be joining millions of other women from all over the country in June to do the 5K race for life to raise funds for Cancer Research. Please feel free to click on the badge above or the one at the right hand side of my blog page to take you to my online sponser page for the event.

Me & my friend Christine at a Race for life event in 2009

Race for Life began in 1994 as one event in London’s Battersea Park with 680 participants. In 2010 over 690,000 women walked, jogged and ran at over 230 events across the UK.
Race for Life is the largest series of women-only fundraising events in the UK.
Since Race For Life began, an incredible 5.4 million participants across the UK have raised over £362 million to fund Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work.

(Below are some pictures taken last year by Heart Radio Cambridge!)

Race for life participants photo care of Heart Radio

Race for Life participants 2010, photos care of Heart Radio

A lick of paint

Spending money decorating a house you are leaving behind may feel frustrating but it could potentially stop your house sitting on the market for a long period of time or getting much less than the asking price. You need to make the house appealing to potential buyers & forget about your personal taste as buyers want to be able to visualize themselves within the space. The easiest & most affordable way to update any home is with paint.

A lick of paint can completely change the atmosphere of a room. Neutral colours are very popular for properties for sale as they are easy colours to live with and a perfect blank canvas. As well as creating a calm, relaxed atmosphere they are also ageless. Light neutral colours also give the illusion of a room being more spacious. White is a hugely popular colour right now for many homes including those not even considering going on the market. White walls & white furniture is very vintage & is gracing many a magazine or blog page presently.

beach cottage balloons bedrrom anthropologie quilt

photo care of Sarah at beech cottage

But not everything has to be magnolia or white when home styling for sale. White & cream are a blank airy canvas but you can team them with warm neutrals such as brown, tan and beige which also create a welcoming feeling & add a bit more interest to a room. Always paint ceilings first & go for a lighter colour than the walls painting from the picture rail up. Don’t forget the interior woodwork. Choose Eggshell or Gloss & pick in a hue that compliments the colours you have for the walls, its not all about white gloss. The Little Green Paint Company do a very handy Colour scales card to help match tones.

sources country living - stone walls teamed with warm neutrals

If your not looking to sell but just revamp you can allow to be a bit more adventerous. You could consider going for a two-tone scheme by painting an accent wall to make a room a little more interesting. For example a fireplace would make a great accent wall as the fireplace would become the focal point of the room. The same could be said for a window wall to make the blinds or curtains stand out. Think about what the most interesting focal point of the room is & work from this. You dont have to stick to neutrals, pop some personality into your home. If your personality is bold go with bright colours to express that, matching in with wallpapers with bright prints.

sourced from livingetc

Ok so this is very adventerous painting giant circles on the walls but I love the choice of nude pinks & soft greys here and its a fun look isnt it!!

A taste of morrocco

On Twitter last week Terrys fabrics tweeted this gorgeous Morrocoon themed lounge. This room comes alive with the rich colours of exotic lands. The look is easy to copy and doesnt have to be costly just by adding a rich abundance of textiles and accesories to a neural painted room. Paint colours such as camel, ecru and sand compliment these rich coloured textiles. The morroccon look is very ecclectic with throws, an abundance of cushions, hanging lantens and mosiac bowls and vases. A mix of vibrant colours from reds, oranges and golden yellows to hot pinks and deep purples to hues of lilacs or corals. Themed with old or new furnishing its a look that can work and doesnt date. So do you like the vibrant taste of the exotic?

Celebrity Bedrooms

Elle Decor featured several celebrity bedrooms recently & I thought I would narrow it down to my favourite 5 to share with you. I love being nosy at how the rich & famous live dont you?

Firstly I'll show you may favourite that of Sarah Jessica Parker. Its crisp & bright. Both simple & sophisticated just as you would imagine a bedroom of hers would be! I love the colourful accessories that bring the room to life, like the gorgeous aqua lamp. Theres enough subtle pops of colour to compliment this light & airy feeling room. The vintage chairs add a cute touch.

Cindy Crawfords bedroom has a wonderfully soft warm feeling to it with the creamy tones of the walls & curtains & the luxurious rugs to the contrast of the dark wood & the red & gold bed throw. I love the chaise, I could imagine being curled up there with a book with the fire burning. Its both cosy & elegant.

Ellen Pompeo (star of Greys Anatomy) has a mix of culture going on with her bedroom from the indian throw & the african pillows to the morrocoon brass lamps. I love the Egyptian wall hanging above the bed with its rich colours that stand out against the crisp white walls. It has a very sophisticated vibe.

I was pleasently suprised by the bedroom of Donatella Versace. I expected it to be far more vibrant like her known personality. Infact the ecclectic feel & the rich creams & gold of this bedroom are very understated for what I imagined. Im not sure about the metal bed but over all I really like the finished feel to this room its very beautiful.

This is designer Ralph Laurens master bedroom. It has a very tropical feel about it with the rattan furniture, wood floors & the the breezy cotton curtains hanging from the bed. The curtains are from his own Ralph Lauren home brand as is the floor lamp. Very beech chic!

So whats your favourite or do none of these tickle your fancy?

(Sources care of - Elle Decor)

Stylish blogger Award!!!!

Thank you so much Allie from desire*design*delight for the stylish blogger award. I am a big fan of Allies blog page as you already know & have also followed her for sometime on Olioboard & so its a real honour that she would select me for this award.

http://desiredesigndelight.blogspot.com/ is a blog page dedictaed to fashion & interior design. Allie often features her own fabulous moodboards (as featured on my own blog last month), why not blog hop over & take a look.

Well the rules of excepting this award are that I have to firstly share 7 things about myself & then pass the award on to my 10 most stylish bloggers. So here goes.....

1. Firstly I am a mum to the most gorgeous 11 year old boy, Joseph. He is my most favourite person in the whole world, hes bright, funny, handsome & makes me laugh when things are tough. He's my little ray of sunshine & I am so proud of him.

Joe last summer

me & Joe a couple of years ago in Spain

2. I'm a complete chatterbox, I just cant stop myself from talking. I am even worse when I am nervous I just ramble on. Theres nothing better than a good old chat with the girls over a latte & a cupcake.

3. I'm a teensy 5 ft 2 inches tall (or small even) which has earnt me the nickname Polly Pocket from my gorgeous, leggy (ex model) friend Tracie. Her nickname in turn is Tink (Tinkerbell) as she lives at the bottom of my garden, quite literally as our gardens meet back to back. We often text to say meet at the mushrooms! This is the one thing I will miss the most when I move this year.

Me & (Tink) on a girls night out

4. My favourite food is roast beef with all the trimmings, yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes & veg followed by apple pie & custard. There's nothing better on a rainy, miserable sunday than cooking & enjoying a yummy roast dinner before flaking on the sofa & watching movies with Neil & the kids.

5. I like to go running, (I used to run for my school very very many years ago) & have got back into it again with my gorgeous boyfriend Neil, we did a 10k run together for Cancer reserach last year. I also enjoy going to the gym a few times a week & I love horse riding although I sadly havnt been in a long time.

Me & Neil at my suprise party in november that he arranged for my birthday

6. Not a lot of people know this but Im good at story writing. When I lived with my friends years back I used to write silly short stories about them that made them laugh. I would love to do a creative writing course & maybe one day right a childrens book for fun. I am a huge fan of Harry Potter & if I pick up one of the books I just cant put it down again.

7. My favourie place is by the seaside. The whole corny thing with the amusement archades & the rides. I love sitting on the beach smelling the salty sea air & watching the waves. There is a cute little bay in Gorlstone near Yarmouth we go to. Its quiet & doesnt have lots of tourists. Theres a row of little promanade shops selling ice creams, fish & chips & little gift nick knacks. Joe likes to take his little fishing net to catch some crabs or take his little dingy into the sea. Its our happy place.