Kitchen Inspiration

Im loving the gorgeous tones of this vennered wood look walnut kitchen. The island unit certainly makes a bold statement & works to divide the kitchen area from the rest of the space. Its a fresh & spacious feeling open planned kitchen/conservatory that is perfect for entertaining in. A comfy seating area is also incorporated into the space.

Another spacious feeling open plan space with fresh white walls but this time we see a kitchen with light coloured units  with a wood flooring to bring some depth the the colour pallette. Like the previous kitchen it boosts an island unit & a seating area.



This is a stunning example of an open plan kitchen/dinning space. The beautiful wood tones look gorgeous against th cream painted walls. An island unit becomes a central cooking space with the dinning table coming off it so the space is used in unism instead of being seperated out into different areas.



To make an open plan kitchen area like these work well you should keep walls light & bright to give the illusion of space & stick to one flooring type so that everything blends together to flow smoothly as one space instead of trying to divide the areas up.

Rain Rain Go Away Come Again another Day!!!!!

I have to say I am most disapointed that the weather has changed from sunny to rainy so quickly. I was really hoping to get out into the garden & get some potting done. I have sweet peppers, cheery tomatoes & strawberries to make a start on. I have been getting a little excited as our patio slabs arrived yesterday & I am so keen to get going on a few garden projects. Looks like it will be potting herbs for the kitchen window instead....

I'm still searching for inspiration as I still have potted plants to think about for the patio area & with a fairly small area I have been thinking about creative ideas to utilise my space. Remember the ladder idea from my previous post, well here's lots more inspiration thanks to my fabulous Facebook friends 'Love For All Seasons' ....
                                                        lets have some ladder love....

Cosy Conservatory Space

Ok so I have already started blabbering on about my garden & all this excitement with a little sunshine has got me searching for gorgeous gardens & cute conservatory spaces. This has got to be the best pick of the bunch by far, its cosy with a fire to warm up a chilly evening & I adore the pretty coloured lanterns. Its an adorable & fun space thats for sure & it would certainly be a lovely place to curl up with a good book on a summer evening.

Spring Garden Ideas

So we have had a little tease of sunshine this week  & I feel a sudden excitedment that spring is actually here. My other half has been busy in the garden & finally its coming together (its now ready for the patio to be laid) so now my enthusiasm for a spot of gardening is back. Ill be honest gardening is not my fotay but seeing the garden come together sure makes me want to get out there & give it ago. We havent got the biggest garden space & it may be a litle while before we have our decking area as well but it has got me to thinking about doing some potted plants for the new patio area. Being quite new to this I have been browing for some inspiration & heres a little of my favourite ideas, I am loving the miss mash of pretty jugs.....



These steps are also a great idea for creating a display of plants.....


I also love these hanging buckets it will certainly jazz up some wall or fence space & I am loving the cute hanging votives I have a few of these boxed up they will look great mixed in with flower displays.....





I also want to do some herb buckets so I have fresh ingredients for my cooking. I gave this ago for the first time last year with some mini window planters & want to do this again this year. A few assorted buckets like this is a great idea & will give me a little more space. I want to give some tomatoes ago too...

vintage house tour

Todays house tour features a vintage home in which much of the furniture  has been handmade from reclaimed materials. Painted white throughout it has a really tranquil & spacious feel. Its a beautifully designed home made home with some stunning features, lets take a look.....

The industrial style kitchen/ diner was built by the owners by recylcing fruit crates for doors & planting them on basic carcasses.They have used reclaimed shelving instead of wall cupboards giving a very open, light filled space. Vintage accessories give this space some charm & I adore the grand father clock.





Underneath the stairs they have created a cubbyhole with built in drawers for storgae with a cushion over the top to create a cosy seating area too



The sofa base is also made out of salvaged fruit crates like the ones used in the kitchen with some comfy cushions added on top. Other handmade pieces include the mirror frame which was created from a door frame. Reclaimed materials are a huge theme in theis beautiful handmade home.





The main bedroom gets a splash of colour with a patchwork throw on the bed. This space features a vinatge suitcase & wall mounted antlers to give it some personality.




A little boys room is a claming & tranquil space with very subtle accents of blue. They have kept the origional fireplace as a feature to the room.




The bathroom space features a vanity unit beneath the basin built by the owners. Painted like the rest of the house in a calming white pallette.

house tour

Today we are going to take a littled snoop at the manhatten apartment of Christopher Gow,  the British owner of Ruzzetti and Gow, a shop on Madison Avenue specializing in one-of-a-kind textiles and decorative accessories. Christopher lives with his partner Henrique Faria in a lower Park Avenue rental that is filled with a combination of Latin American art and unusual finds from his many shopping trips abroad.

 

bathroom inspiration

This spa-like bathroom retreat belong's to the talented designer Bev Adams the President/CEO of Interior Intuitions located in Cherry Creek, Colorado. A cool, white colour pallette gives a bright & airy feel, while splashes of pink give a femine twist. Classic marble on the countertops, shower surrounds & walls gives this space a very luxurious feel.

 

Boutique Pick Of The Week

I have picked these quintessentially British cushions for my boutique pick of the week before but I love them so much I just had to pick them again for a little show & tell. These beautiful hand stitched union jack cushions from The Charlotte Macey range are the most popular from my boutique & you can see why.

The gorgeous union jack style is also available in a tea cosy...

To view more textiles from the Charlotte Macey Range pop on over to my online shop FINISHING TOUCH INTERIORS BOUTIQUE

Spot Light On - Kelly Wearstler

Kelly Wearstler is an American interior designer and fashion designer born in South Carolina.  
In 1995 Wearstler opened her design firm, Kelly Wearstler Interior Design. In the late 1990s she decorated the house of real estate developer Brad Korzen who she went on to marry in 2002. Kelly provided design services for residential properties owned by Korzen's Kor Realty Group & went on to redo the interior of the Avalon, a late 1940s-era hotel in Beverly Hills also owned by Korzen. This launched her foray into hotel interior design. Her work within the hotel industry built her reputation as a notable west coast designer. She also designed the restaurant and lounge, BG, at the Manhattan Bergdorf Goodman store.
In addition to her commercial work, Wearstler continuously creates grand residential interiors for some of the most prominent players in the worlds of art, business and entertainment. Kelly also has a 2,400-square-foot flagship boutique on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.  Her collections are also available at st luxury retailer stores worldwide and on her very own online store, KellyWearstler.com. She designed a line of decorative home goods for New York-based department store Bergadorf Goodman, desinged rugs for The Rug company as well as fine china for Pickard china among other lines for wallpaper & bedsheets. If all this wasnt enough in spring 2011 Kelly launched her own fashion line 'Kelly Wearstler', the first collection was four years in the making, incoroparting patterns & design aesthetics seen within Werstlers design work. Recently she debuted a collection of ready to wear jewellery. Is there no stopping this lady?









 

vintage moodboard

I recently did some plans for a customers bedroom with a vintage feel. The client already has a beautiful chest of drawers that have been painted & distressed at the shabby barn in a gorgeous green/blue paint from Farrow & Ball so I have designed the bedroom around this beautiful piece of furniture, using it as the base for the colour pallette. The customer has chosen built in wardrobes & bedside cabinets in a traditional oyster painted finish from a range I sell in my showroom, this leaves the dresser as a stand out feature. A vintage clock is to hangover the gorgeous dresser & we have squeezed in a vintage dress makets dummy, perfect for hanging scarfs & other accessories. 

Below the Arianne luxurious oyster painted bedroom collection with a subtle woodgrain texture as chosen for this design.

a little vintage bedroom inspiration to get you swooning........

Beautiful Designs By Brabantialife

I was recently interviewed over on Brabantialife for Design Insights
Click here to read the interview




Brabantia designs 'beautifully & useful' homewares including some super gorgeous timeless vintage designs..