Love Is In The Air

A maybe predictable title and predictable blog piece for this time of year, but nevertheless I am going with it.

Yes as February hits, so too does Valentine's Day and everything around seems to be rosey and red.  So let's join in the fun.  Many restaurants get booked up, and their prices go up too.  Now as much as a I love a nice meal out, I love nothing better than being at home with a good meal (preferable one I haven't had to cook - even if that means take out!).  So let's say we are staying in, this is more about the top thing's I have spotted over the last few weeks that you can buy to add that touch of romance to your home.

Rise and Shine - start the day with a bit of breakfast in bed.....a little egg on toast? Oh not just any egg on toast let's have heart shaped eggs with the Fried Egg Heart Mould from Hunkydory Home

Set the romantic tone with breakfast

Don't forget that morning coffee wake me up.  Absolute essential start to the day in our house.  Here's the ideal coffee mug from Red Candy.



Coffee Mugs, cappuccino and espresso cups also available @ Red Candy

Candle Lit Dinner - There are some fab products out there to create you own romantic evening.  Be it chilling on the sofa, then set the scene with heart cushions, fab choices out there.  Have some little cup cakes perfectly placed on your heart cake stand.

Cake stand from Hunkydory Home

 

If you are going all out there for the true candle lit dinner then you are going to need a few pieces to set that mood.  Here is a selection of my favourite finds. 

Matchbox Art @ Rockett St. George

Adorn your wall with beautiful wall flowers, a fab feature to keep up afterwards too
Available from Lorna Syson

Love Place Settings @ Red Candy

 

 

Serving up love with Anthropologie

 

All these sites have plenty of other ideas too and some great gift ideas too.  Whatever you choose to do, spending time with your loved ones, be they friends, family, partners.  Enjoy!





Retro Red

I've recently gone back to doing a bit of part time study, just online and it's all about interiors.  It's great fun, and hard work but I'm looking around thinking where am I most productive with this work.  Sitting on the bed or the sofa are not working.  It was sitting at my kitchen table however I felt inspired.  I've already designed an office for my other half, but what if it was my office space what would I want. 

Well it took little time to decide, staring at my green Sanderson Mobile's Wallpaper.  I decided I'd have the red version.  A strong colour for an office space, but I'd want my space to feel welcoming and not so clinically office!



Sandersons Mobile's 1950s design

If the red isn't your colour, they do 4 other colour options, all with matching fabric available that you can mix and match.  The black version of fabric would work well with this wallpaper.

Paper the wall that will be behind you while you are at the desk.....this means the strong colours will add a great vibe to the room without hurting your eyes if you are looking at it for too long.  And if you are not a wallpapering fan, don't forget you can still use this design by framing large pieces of it to create great art work.  This also allows for easy change in the future.

Add a functional, yet equally stylish desk, courtesy of Made, and if you have a desk top, consider getting a wall mountable screen to keep the space on your desk.  Desk also available in red or white.



Graphix desk from Made.com

In a world of mobile phones, it's great but what about a little mid century style from Red Candy.  They have a bunch of cool mid century, retro phones.  For this 1950s inspired room though I've picked these two, the silver tone being my preferred option to pick out the grey in the wallpaper.



Phones at Red Candy

Give yourself a bit of luxury in this fab chair from Rockett St. George and in the corner add a second chair, for when you need to just back away from that screen and catch up on the latest interiors magazine (Ideal Home in my case).

Black Leather Chair at Rockett St. George

Replica Eames RAR chair from Plush Deco

Keep an eye on your time and set the alarm for that coffee break with a little more help from Red Candy and their Newgate clock.

Tick Tock at Red Candy

Don't forget to add a few floating shelves above the desk for all your books and files, tidy them up in filing boxes, using colours from the wallpaper.  Make sure your shelves are the same colour as the wall so they kind of disappear into it.  Even with books and files on them this helps keeps the space feel open.

In The Mighty Jungle

I recently came across a company called A Shade Wilder, and boy am I pleased I did.  Their products are fabulous.  Something a little different and I can only imagine would be a real talking point if you had any of their products in your home (I'll let you know when I eventually get round to having at least something in my house!).  I requested some samples of their wallpaper and when they arrived, they were even more fabulous than online.  Now my usual black and white style was going to work well with their black and white monkey wallpaper, but I also received the orange/grey version and quite frankly this week I feel like mixing it up!



Treetops Wallpaper from A Shade Wilder

If you do want a less vibrant but still just as WOW factor in this style look at their black/white or dusk version.

Alternative colours of the Treetops design

Now these designs would be great for a kids bedroom, but seeing as though us grown ups are just big kids anyway, let's put this in the lounge.  Yes I know the rules state a living room should be warm, cosy and inviting but this does not mean we have to stick with red tones and wooden furniture.  We can make this living room cosy but totally quirky.  Besides I have a canvas of a cow and another of the Joker from Batman in my living room.....rules? what rules?

Ok so we have our wallpaper and for the purpose of this blog I'm going with the orange/grey as my focus, they are my current colour combination obsession.  Fortunately clever A Shade Wilder also have cushions available you can mix into this décor including coordinating Monkey's or Zebra's and Giraffe's!  You love this already don't you?!

Mix and match at A Shade Wilder

Their cushions are available in a perfect range of mixing and matching with the wallpapers.  For this I want to go back to black and white, but if you have gone with the black/white or dusk shaded wallpaper, use the brighter colours to add that pop!

 

Don't necessarily wallpaper the fireplace wall as a feature wall, look at doing the facing wall, or the wall opposite the window.  If you do the wall facing the fireplace, then above the fireplace you could look at adding a selection of mirrors, they will then reflect the wallpaper creating their own piece of art.

Let your mirrors reflecdt for added art work

And look who has provided just what I need!  That'd be A Shade Wilder.

Lighting should not be forgotten here and one of my favourites, Rockett St. George have just the piece I am looking for.  Shown here with a fab vase by A Shade Wilder.  Remember sometimes in these blogs it's about showing you what is available, then pick the items you want to include, you certainly don't have to put in everything but I like to show you what you can find out there.

VAse at A Shade Wilder Light at Rockett St. George (photo courtesy of Jane Rockett)

Happy decorating everyone! :-)

Rock 'n' Roll

As much as anyone I love a good sale in January, but I also love to see what the new year and new season will bring.

So when I came across the new lights that Made were selling I thought......oh INSPIRED!

You could adapt this look for a bedroom (adult or perfect for a teenager) rather than a living room if you like, but if I keep it to the living room, we can look at a fabulous get together with family and friends.  These lights add to the concert party vibe too, hence their name Bowie Lights.

There's two ways this look could go and I'll give you ideas for both options.

Option 1

Bowie Lights @ Made.com

I cant exactly pick a preferred style of the lights right now, so I'm showing you them all.  Whether you have a large space or smaller living area you can see there is a light (or two) to fit your room.  Maybe the 9 in the square design could sit down one side of your sofa, angled into the room, or you could have the smaller ones as bed side table lamps if you are using this as a bedroom scheme.

Now I'd be lying if I didn't say I want this sofa in the room, (perfect for parties, lets some of the merrier guests stop over as is a easy fold out sofa bed).  I also have a lovely bass guitar that wouldn't look out of place in this room.

Jack Sofa bed also @ Made.com

Give the room the all over gig feel and paint it dark, yes ceiling, walls, skirting and doors, with a dark carpet.  Sanderson's have a lovely few colours I'd love to pick from, and it still almost keeps my adored black and white colour scheme.  If dark scares you at first get some old wallpaper and paint the back of it your chosen colour, this helps you get a better idea of the colours in the room before it goes on the walls.



Indigo Blue, Graphite & Fine Black from Sanderson's

 I love this print from Maison Privee for a bit of wall décor.  Also available as a canvas.



Marilyn Monroe Print @ Maison Privee

 

Now there isn't a product I don't love on Quirk & Rescue (as you will notice in option 2 of this design), but I do have a favourite item and that's the nest of tables.  Perfectly matching red, white and blue for the sofa.



Nest of Table @ Quirk & Resuce

Add some fabulous black and white images of your favourite stars (or photos of you and your friends in black and white from nights out you may have had, it's just been Christmas and New Year so you are bound to have some) and accessorise with shiny metalics and bold colours.



Option 2

You want something with the same fun vibe but a little less in your face shall we say.  No problems.  Go again with the lights as they are my main piece in the room and instead of a loud sofa, go for black leather or charcoal.  You could keep the room white rather than all dark but maybe think about doing one wall in something like the Sanderson colours above.  Then add the following cushions to your sofa from Quirk & Rescue (told you I loved them).

Disco and Isosine cushions @ Quirk & Rescue

Add a mid-century chair in the corner for that switch off time when the party is over and keep your music magazines handy in the orange rack from Red Candy.



Mid-century chair @ Rockett St. George and Magazine Rack @ Red Candy



 I do love a design that makes me want to recreate it and redecorate.

Make An Entrance

It's the age old saying "first impressions count" and this phrase is well suited when you are thinking of how to decorate your hallway.  It's a part of my home I know I haven't got right yet and I am constantly trying to decide what to do with it to give the impression it should do to people when they walk into my home.  My new years resolution is to sort the hallway!

I was told not so long that you should treat your hallway like a living space.  Just because you may not spend time in it as such, you probably find it's one of the most used spaces in your home, after all unless I spend all my days just going from my living room to my kitchen, I can't get to any other room in my home without going through the hallway.

Our hallway is quite narrow and not at all spacious for storage.  I don't really have the ability to have an entrance table with accessories and lighting to give that living room appeal, we don't even have space stand a coat rack!  But that doesn't mean to say we can't create the look of all this. 

Think about how you use, or would like to use the space, do you want to throw today's coat on a hook as you come in, there for you to grab the next time you pop out, with a quick check in the mirror that you are ready for the world?  Somewhere which shouts this is my home and place for my family? I thought as much (at least for the purpose of this blog).

Picking your hallway colour is essential at this stage because once the wall stickers go up, though they do come off very easily, you cant always reapply them.

So here's a few quick ideas to make that entrance feel like home.

Family Home

I take inspiration for this from a show home I recently visited.  They had a lovely large entrance hallway and along the longest wall had placed a dado rail, then underneath 4 fake panels were created.  The panels and lower part of the wall were all painted the same colour.  But it made me think, what if each of those panels were used as photo frames for silhouettes of each family member.  Above the dado rail add nice personal quote that you can get created at a variety of sites including Vinyl Impression


London

A favourite place of mine as you all know, so taking a little thought about the large grandfather clocks that used to sit in hallways, well if your hallway isn't grand enough, then visit my Big Ben wall sticker and create a contemporary version

Coloured Big Ben's available at Rockett St. George
Photos both courtesy of Jane Rockett

If you have space and a long wall why not really go London with their London Skyline sticker.   And yes as much as I love my white walls, I want to add WOW so I have images of this wall being red, maybe the facing wall blue and then doors white and black gloss frameworks, it's the hallway, have fun!  Pick up some black and white London images for the blue wall, or better still if you can print your own images from time spent there and get them framed, it keeps that personal touch.

Available at Rockett St George


 

Narrow Hall

No room for a coat rack?  The key with this type of entrance is mirrors.  Try to place one where opposite you can also hang a piece of wall art, as a mirrors job is to reflect an image, so when it's not your image it's reflecting make sure it mirrors something else to add interest.  If possible you could place the mirror where the wall angles to the stairs so it creates the illusion of more space by reflecting that larger space.

Coat rack you say, of course there is always room, and I don't mean that block of wood with hooks on it from the DIY store.  I mean a coat rack, check out Zazous for their ready made one as a wall decal.  It's available in a wide variety of colours.  Then you will need a few DIY store hooks :-)

Coat Rack wall decal from Zazous

If you are looking for something more creative, don't forget just because it is not called a coat rack doesn't mean it cant be one.  Some of their wall decals of trees and branches such as this could easily be used as an alternative rack.

Abstract tree branches

Console Table

It could be cost, or it could be space but added that console table, or appearance of can really add to your entrance hall.  Again look at site like Zazouz whose table wall sticker comes in two styles, allows you to even hang a plain mirror above as it also comes with the mirror wall sticker!  If you can try and get a narrow floating shelf, place that at the console top so you really can add some decorative accessories.  A floating shelf in the same colour as the decal will become part of it, and will be narrower and cheaper than a table itself.

Roccoco Quartet at Zazous

Colour block

Lastly, if you are not into wall stickers and have a largest hallway for the likes of proper coats racks and telephone tables but still want a little more life, why not colour block.  Take a couple of colours, or shades of the same colour and on each wall paint a different colour, or paint half that wall one colour and half another.  I'm looking at this as an option for my hall so I'll let you see how I get on.