[Your] Place: A winter update, That's not just for Christmas

It's officially winter here in Blighty; December is in full swing, festive lights are twinkling and the parties are in full swing.

So it seemed very timely to have been encouraged by Jordan at Douglas Elliman’s Florida office to write a blog post that would inspire people to cosy up their homes for the oncoming season.

This post has been conjugating in my mind since we first decorated our lounge (you can see the original decor here) which has been designed with a neutral base to allow us to change it up seasonally. 

Many people decorate their homes exclusively for Christmas festivities, but I wanted to create a scheme with a big more longevity that celebrates the beauty of the winter season, lasts well beyond the month of December and could just as easily be implemented in warmer (than freezing) climates.

My first step is always a mood board, a collection of images, textures, materials and photographs that start to shape the feel of the scheme I want to create. Pintrest is such great platform for this. You can see the full board here [Your] Place: Winter Wonderland.

I wanted to create a relaxing colour scheme, inspired by the colours of winter. A palette which creates a feeling of cosy, refined opulence through the use of natural materials and variety in texture. 

I also wanted to bring some of the freshness of the outdoors inside, to create a connection bring in some of the evergreen life and beautiful muted blues and greens of Eucalyptus. 

So here are my easy updates...

1) Cushions & Textiles

One of the easiest updates, with the most impact, is to change the textiles.

When coming up with the original scheme for the lounge I kept the base monochrome and of colour limited to throw cushions and artwork for exactly this reason. 

I've kept our teal cushions but removed the mustard yellow and bright pink for the time being. I've introduced a more muted colour palette of pinks and greys, inspired by the mood board above, and introduced a wider range of texture to keep things interesting and feeling sumptuous. Choosing to mix up textures in a simple colourway really gives a lot of freedom to just pick up the things that appeal to you, without worrying about clashes or mismatches. 

2) Plants, flowers and greenery

There are many studies into the positive and uplifting effects that a connection with nature has on the human psyche. I used a lot of greenery in the scheme as a cost effective and sustainable way to resist the stuffiness that can come with winter. 

My home is full or succulents a year round, as they are easy to maintain (I've got previous as a plant killer), and come in a vast variety of shapes and colours. 



Introducing seasonal evergreens connects the existing succulent plants with the seasonal update and brings a fresh fragrance into the home. The use of similar evergreens in each space is a cost effective way to create a cohesive look throughout your home and a chance to get a bit creative. I used two bunches of Eucalyptus from our local flower market [£15] but you could just as easily go foraging in your garden. 

3) Accessories

I've introduced some marble accessories into the lounge area to build on the muted natural colour palette and texture. The coasters and tray were from Home Sense but I have found a similar tray and coasters from Olivia Bonas 

4) Lighting

Lighting is one of the most powerful tools to change the way a space feels. I'm a great believer in levels of lighting, table, floor lamps and candles are a permanent feature in our home. 

For the winter update I've used white, cream and grey candles in every room. I've also added a wooden garland with fairy lights in the lounge.

The antler candle holders on the mantle piece were from H&M last year but I found a similar Branch Candle Holder this year.

5) The Tree

Our tree is a mixture of metallics and white, every year I buy a new ornament (or two) this years additions was from our new John Lewis store, available here and from Olivia Bonas available here 

6) Table settings

Food and drink is a big focus of the festive period, and they say you eat with your eyes so the table setting deserves some good attention. 

Every year we lose at least a couple of glasses, due to my chaotic demeanour, so this year we recycled the odd ones and stocked up with cheap and (I think) stylishly cheerful glasses from Ikea, suitable for a range of cocktails. The tall tumblers are my particular favourite. The stopper bottles are to avoid that last minute 'who needs a drink?' as you're trying to get all the food to the table.



The washed linen table runner is from H&M which not only provides variety in texture but also protects the table from hot dishes. The paper napkins are also from Ikea and the napkin holder is from H&M

The total cost of the lounge update was around £155 and will (mostly) last well beyond Christmas. For me its about creating a home that you long to be in without breaking the bank.

Happy Holidays!

[Our] Place; For the Love of Dogs

Inspiration- Monochrome & Graphic prints-Osborne and Little’s best in Show Wallpaper [£55 per roll]

Best Find- Centre footstool in TKMaxx [£86]

 I love our lounge; Once a separate Lounge and Dining Room it was been knocked through into one big space when the kitchen was extended by the previous owners. 
This is great for floor area but it made it a little difficult to decide how to furnish it…as it is essentially a very long thin room with one source of natural light from the window at one end.

After

Before

After much consideration we decided to give each end of the lounge distinct purpose and feel but with a cohesive undertone to the colour scheme so it still feels like a single space. We kept the furniture arrangement flexible so we can adapt when entertaining.

Most of the base finishes, for example the floor and the neutral wall colour have been kept the same- its amazing the difference a few highlight colours and patterns and some new furniture can make to how a space feels.

We’ve created the TV end and the Snug OR if we want to be more slightly more pretentious The Lounge and The Drawing Room.

The Snug

The Snug is free from the distractions of TV and allows us a more social side to our living space, its focal point is the fireplace. It also gives me a cosy place to read and blog in comfort away from constant infliction of Top Gear.

The existing fire place influenced the tone for the space; I love its ornate detail contrasting with its antiqued pewter finish.

We enhanced the focus on the fireplace with a large angled mirror mounted above it. The angled frame reflects light and external views into this, the darker end of the lounge.

Angled Mirror from Homebase and Candle Holders from H&M Home

We painted the chimney breast Dulux Perfectly Taupe to complement the pewter fireplace and either side we wallpapered the alcoves in a textured silver paper by Art House Vintage to enhance the feeling of symetry (in non symetrical shapes- one is a rectangular recess and one is an arch).

Original Artwork By Eturpart [My super talented sister]

White Ikea Besta unit creates a bar area with original Artwork of my favorite drink by my very talented sister.

The distinction between the Snug and the Lounge is defined by a painted charcoal line, on the inside of the wall opening between the spaces. The same treatment has been used on the inside of the arch between the lounge and kitchen diner to create a visual link and flow between the spaces.

The Lounge

The Osborne and Little; Best in Show wallpaper is the defining finish. It’s strong graphic print in monochrome tones which is absolutely perfect for making a statement without committing to a feature colour. 

The L-shaped sofa is designed to create a social setting allowing the three seater to be swung around to face the window for more than four guests.

Slate grey curtains reflect the dark painted lines inside the wall opening and frame the window.

The rug, which I searched high and low for but eventually found in B&Q, has the same strength of pattern and monochrome shades as the wallpaper, creating a pattern clash that doesn't directly compete with the wallpaper. [I will be doing a blog post on geometric rugs soon as requested by my good friend Rob]

The monochrome palette for the big ticket items provides the perfect base for an injection of colour, provided in this case from the rich and vibrant velvet cushions from H&M- which I raved about here. 

The cushion colours were selected to bring rich colours and metallics together in the canvas I created.

Cushions from H&M Home

 Finally accessories are, well... quite bling! Bold colours, sumptuous fabrics and metallic shine.

Artwork by me

Creating Visual Links

• There are a few strong themes in this room, graphic patterns, metallics and bright feature colours- but they work together because I've matched fabric tones and textures, and kept the patterns monochrome.
• The snug has more metallic finishes and the lounge has more pattern but my making sure there are consistant colour tones and materials it forms a quirky cohesive scheme. The canvas I created ties all of the themes together and was easy peasy to do.
• Painted charcoal wall openings are echoed by the charcoal curtains framing the windows.
• The charcoal colour and strong graphic prints which bright contrasting colours are continued in the kitchen. [Post to follow]
• The lampshades in both rooms are consistent and we choose large fittings close to the ceiling to maximise the visual impact and effectiveness of the lighting- these are a firm favorite also used in A Place to Entertain for Victoria Hale
• Cushions and sofa fabrics are velvet which provides the same depth of colour and sheen.

Doggy Wallpaper inspired by Milo- our dearly departed best bud

[Our] Place: Lounge Update

Whilst taking photos of [Our] Place for the blog, and mentally comparing them to the schemes I'm currently designing, our house came up short, very short.

The Lounge was one of the first rooms we did and on a tight budget. Five years on and our hand-me-down table and chairs are beyond tired, our 'cheap as chips' sofas are sheading bolts faster than our dog sheds fur and our mis-matched storage is cramping our layout. This is not the home of a interior design business.

However we are planning to move house soon to a place that we can really develop the way we want to with extensions and knocking out walls, so I'm not going to start replacing all the furniture just yet.

In the interim I am planning a few minor updates to maximise the impact with items we can take with us when we move.


The red tones and pattern of the feature fabric [a hug piece of remenant fabric which made two curtain panels, covered six dining room chairs, made two cushions and customised a nest of coffe tables] from Feran Fabrics need updating.

The Theatre Spread, in the John Lewis magazine, featuring metallic lighting spurned my recent metallic obsession and I find myself focused on bringing out the subtle metallics in the Graham and Brown feature wall paper, which I still absolutley love.

The Theatre Spread from the John Lewis Magazine

I intend to do this by replacing the ‘upcycled’ coffee table nest, incorporating the deep pink paint and the red feature fabric and replacing them with, what I consider to be a brilliant and very reasonably priced white coffee table nest from Habitat.

  

The Kilo Table nest is a sleek thin oak frame with a formed powder coated metal top give the apperance of a modern product with a nostalgic nod to 1950’s design. Kilo is avliable as a nest of three or a single table which allows us to inject a bit of symmetry into the lounge and have plenty of flexibility for when guests come round.

The tables are avliable in a range of colours, we have selected white to echo the white in the light fittings we installed when we first did up the lounge which also have a bit of retro appeal.

To make the space feel larger and seat more people we bought an Poang Arm Chair from Ikea for £55. Its so light and versitile we'll be able to find it a new place in which ever home we end up. It is now Milo's favorite new spot.

To accessorise the scheme I bought a neutral dog tooth pattern throw from TK Maxx and the Yves table lamp from Habitat with Grande black and copper lamp shade, also from habitat.

At a total cost of less than £300 the lounge updated has neutralised and updated the lounge ready for potencial buyers.

This is the joy of designing in a neutral base, something I often encourage clients to do, it’s easy to change and won’t break the bank, which is especially important if, like me, redecorating is a professional hazard.