All in Interior Design
If you know me, you’ll know I have a penchant for gloss paint! I’ve wanted to create a red study/library/creative space/very bold room for some time, so having the opportunity to do that in my back bedroom has been a real trip! Although the box bedroom is exactly that (just over 2 meters squared pre- bookcases), I knew that designed well, the wall to wall glossy bookcases would really work in here, regardless of it’s size.
I think that’s the vibe Dulux were going for when they selected the colour of the year for 2022. This bright, fresh, subtle blue portrays optimism, joy, space and calm; all of the good things,
Eating cake and drinking tea is a favourite pastime, so I’ve wanted to try what I imaged to be the ultimate afternoon tea at Sketch in London for some time.
As an interiors stylist and a lover of nosying around the homes of others, guilt free, the Living Etc House Tours is THE event of my interiors calendar, and one that I really missed in 2020.
As individuals, we are intuitively drawn to certain colours, but where do we start when selecting ‘the right colours’ to decorate with, to reflect our true selves in our home? Choosing colours for the home is an overwhelming process for many of us, which could be easier if we just had a jumping off point?
The Standard, London is housed in the former Camden Town Hall Annex built in 1974 in true Brutalist style, and it’s been on my hotel wish list since it opened in 2019. With it’s jaw-droppingly cool interior, sympathetic to its 1970’s exterior, great restaurants and bars within its shell, and bedrooms with a view of my favourite building in London - I thought it was time to visit The Standard.
I came across Eleanor Bowmer’s work last year when researching independent, local businesses for my Indie Christmas Gift Guide. I quickly found myself in a rabbit hole of manic ordering when I discovered her retro inspired Christmas designs - Christmas stockings, Santa sacks, cards and wrap (and that was just for me) were fast being added to cart.
I have a thing for rugs, but I equate the researching and purchasing of rugs to the same stress involved in buying the ‘big coat’ for the winter season. Because it’s such an investment piece, it needs to be everything; durable, well-made, great value, transformative, statement, BEAUTIFUL and most importantly, work with everything you have.
Growing up, many young girls fantasise about their perfect fairytale wedding day; the dress, the cake, the venue… but my dream was always to own my own home, actually, it was to own a Victorian home with beautiful period features.
Meet the brand new and fantastical LLG packaging, delivering interior samples to your door, in style. Ta-da!
Poodle & Blonde is a favourite luxury interior brand of mine which I’ve fallen head over heals in love with. Launched in 2018, headed up by creatives Whinnie Williams and Kierra Campbell, (who first met on Instagram!) their homewear brand is built on and inspired by times-gone-by, nostalgia, vintage, sometimes with a pet motif and oftentimes with a heap of of whimsy, kitsch and fun.
It’s funny how inspiration really can come from anywhere. It’s not like I’ve been able to visit grand houses, museums or art galleries of late, like you, I’ve been making my own fun.
As well as the usual ‘physical’ side of trends, in my opinion, 2020-2021, more than previous years have given rise to what I’m calling ‘emotional’ trends. These are what I believe to be the common sentiments and attitudes of the public, in terms of how we’re approaching general life, working life and home life as a result of Covid-19.
2020 just may have cancelled the ‘trend’ as we know it and for many months to come, but as the very meaning of the word trend is ‘a general direction in which something is developing or changing’, I think there’s a whole new way of looking at the direction of things, in general.
Deeper into lockdown we go, and my mid-January birthday is on the horizon. All I want to do is eat comfort food, but I’m trying to impose a health kick on myself to boost my system post festive season richness. The daily walk is helping my sanity and I’m appreciating the air in my face, even if today’s was fuzzy rain.
