I finally have a Bentwood chair

I have been after a Bentwood chair for ages now and the only ones I could find were very worse for wear. Last week I found one on eBay for a reasonable price, not an original Thonet but it will do for now. I know they are dead common but I just love the simplicity of the style. It was a bit tatty so I've given it a makeover - black and gold to match the other furniture in the room. 

I'm done with the gold spray paint now - promise!!

If only I had stairs

As soon as I saw this Chanel advert, I have been longing for a staircase to call my own.

Unfortunately, living in London one will often sacrifice stairs to be near a tube station, which is what I have done. That's not to say I don't love my flat, I really do, I just can't help but wonder how I would decorate a staircase if I had one....

Write a message?

via trendir.com

via bellemaison23.com

Or make a colourful statement?


via thezhush



via house to home

via style-file.com

I love this white staircase with coloured banister, it looks so fresh. 

via housetohome.co.uk

Or something a bit different?

via stumbleupon

Calorie obsession taken to an extreme! via flor

This glass staircase is so elegant but would require a big budget

via house to home

Blank wall dilema

Since moving to our flat two years ago, I have changed my mind several times on what to do with the wall in my living room. Which is slightly frustrating because I've not had this challenge elsewhere in the house:




picture shelf in games room, our "wall of love!" in bedroom, mirrors, photos and pigs in hall and old faithful - the photo wall in living room



The room is used as a chill-out room, it has a big comfy sofa and a big comfy armchair. No TV - just books, magazines, board games and an iPod dock. We also have the dining table in there, which is used mainly when entertaining guests. The wall in question is a large blank space and so the options are endless; unfortunately the budget isn't!

My first plan of action was a large oriental wood carving. I saw one of a buddha in Malaysia on holiday a few years ago, fell in love with it and regret not buying it ever since. It was similar to the one below, I think the colour and texture would go really well in the room as the colour scheme is neutral and calming. Although that idea dwindled after not being able to find one as lovely as the one that inspired me in the first place.

via www.artasiaonline.co.uk

Another idea I had was to use assorted size plywood boxes with the inside painted green to match the accent colour in the room as shelves but I thought this may look untidy.

via Ikea "Prant"

And along a similar vein, I spent a short time longing for this pigeon hole wall shelf unit from Graham and Green

 Other great things you can do to fill a space like this is though wall stickers

via wall and art decor

And plates are making a popular comeback:

via heartfireathome

Despite all these lovely ideas, for one reason or another none of them are for me and my wall.

However, through a recent eBay purchase I may have found a solution. I have recently become the owner of this beautiful gesso frame.

I don't care much for the picture but I contacted the seller before bidding to ensure that it can be easily removed. I haven't received it yet but I have a few ideas on ways to use it so watch this space...

...although, given my track record, I will probably change my mind again so all ideas are welcome!

Bringing the outside in

I've been looking into contemporary furniture for a project I am doing and came across these cool pebble chairs, called Livingstones by Smarin Design.

Such a fun idea - I can see these working as individual pieces in a modern living room or in clusters in a large spacious area with big windows; blurring the border between inside and outside!

Bedroom inspiration

I have been asked by my friend Clare and her fiancé Andy to help with the design of their flat once it has been extended, which is an honour and also gives me a great opportunity to put into practice what I have been studying for the past year.

The extension they are having means the layout will change completely so there is the potential to do the whole place, however I'm starting with the bedroom to make sure they like my ideas!

First off, I have put together a questionnaire that will form part of the initial consultation. In this, I will ask general questions about the intended use of the room, how they want to feel when they spend time in it etc. There will also be some initial questions on colour.

In addition to the questionnaire I have put together inspiration boards based on three design styles. There are lots of different styles, but I have picked the three that I think will be most suitable for their personality and property. My inspiration for these styles are based on themes covered in Holly Becker and Joanna Copestick's book Decorate (which is an amazing read - highly recommended!).

So here are my inspiration boards:



All images via 10 Rooms, House to Home, Daily Express or Elle Decor

My personal favourite is the Simple theme, especially for the bedroom as for me it is a place to relax and be calm, although I also love Modern Glamour. It will be interesting to see how Clare and Andy feel about them - I will keep you posted on my progress.

Small changes

Oh how lovely it has been to have two back to back bank holidays! Made all the more lovely by the fact I had the three days in between off work! In my time off I did some home improvements on our games room (not quite a games room but it is where the TV is as well as my boyfriend's guitars and boys toys).

I bought this table at an antiques fair in January. I love the embossed brass top - so unusual.

However the embossed brass also means it is a pain to polish. The previous owner had tried and failed, and my attempts weren't much better. And so, I gave it a makeover by spraying it gold and painting the legs black, giving it a much more modern look.

Spray painting is fun! I got a bit carried away after this and gave an ikea desk a bit of bling...

before



after

I also added a picture shelf as the walls were looking too plain.

It's amazing what a difference these small changes make to a room.