Alfresco Eating

Imagine the scene – London is pulling one out of the hat and after a belter of a day the Indian summer settles into a fragrant dusk with twinkling lights and a warm breeze that wafts mouth-watering smells of BBQs being lit across the roof terrace.  Most of us don’t have the luxury of a large garden attached to our city apartments, but when days like this arrive we should, nay we have a duty, to make the most of them.

Images courtesy of Pinterest

Being short of space is an opportunity to get creative with your garden furniture, after all when the food is finished but the fun hasn’t stopped why should your single friend who has her sights on your husband’s devilishly handsome and unattached former rowing buddy be stopped mid flow? With a properly planned space, there’s no need to change settings from dinner to digestifs.

L – R clockwise: Courtesy of Pinterest  //Anthropologie // Courtesy of Pinterest // Courtesy of Pinterest // Summerill & Bishop // Akula Living @ TDE

Firstly, your garden furniture needs to be considered for its shape, size and weather durability. Rattan is an excellent option for a modern, chic look that has year round action. A glass top protects your table further, and smartens up the look removing the need for a table cloth. Set your table with placemats and aquamarine plates, clear tumblers and vases full of sweetpeas.

Food images courtesy of Pinterest // Bodum BBQ

These Bodum barbeques are perfect partners for city living. They are compact, portable and come in a variety of fun colours. Create a delicious menu for your guests , fill their glasses with delicious cocktails and your evening will be a sure fire hit.

Desirable Acquirables ~ Dressing Table Ideas

Once in a while you come across something that is truly spectacular in a least expected place, and there’s something almost romantic about falling for a unique piece made by a designer you know nothing about.   This is the way that I felt when I was standing in Simon Orrell’s workshop in Chelsea, hidden away at the back of an industrial estate.  If you are ever lucky enough to be invited to his workshop, do not be fooled by the stacks of raw shagreen (shagreen is the precious skin of a shark) and sawdust on the floor.  Simon produces exquisite furniture and accessories for his range, Simon Orrell Designs, as well as creating bespoke solutions for interiors ~ from shagreen panels for a Jeddah palace, parchment walls for a Moscow apartment to gilding the dome of a private house and extensive work on private yachts.

An example of black died shagreen

Simon loves experimenting with materials that have not been commonly used in furniture, and his delight in the application of gesso (a traditional paint made from rabbit skin glue and chalk that is the base for gilding), violet oyster, paua shell, shagreen and parchment is evident in the expertly crafted designs that emerge from his workshop.  They are one of the very few workshops in Europe working with raw shagreen, and they mix the colours specially for each piece of furniture creating a bespoke solution that can become a modern day heirloom. 

His jewellery boxes are gems to keep your baubles in, and you certainly won’t want to hide one away in a drawer. We’ve got our eye on his range of cameos, which we would frame in gilt and hang over our dressing table.

If you like the idea of Simon, head on over to our showcase where we have his ethereal jewellery available exclusively for our members.

Over Propped or Just Right?

We live in such a visual world, and how it has changed since Shakespeare or Byron’s days when your command of the English language as a wordsmith garnered more respect or success than any image could conjure.

Naturally things change and move on.  We live in the digital age, and the proliferation of design led sites, such as Pinterest and the plethora of design blogs like Apartment Therapy and Décor8 are demonstrating that everyone is dabbling in design.

As an interior designer, the last and often the most enjoyable part of a project is seeing it come alive after the final installation and styling.  What amazes me more however is when I visit the same clients again, even years later, and nothing has been changed or moved.  When I asked a client once about this (as you can if you develop a strong relationship with your client), she blinked and looked surprised that I even had asked.  She answered that she loved how we had styled it, and that she was worried that if she moved items around they wouldn’t look as good.

Reese Witherspoon getting it right, Elle Decor Septebmer 2012

That response has stuck with me.  When you buy glossy home and design magazines, all the beautiful room shots – and they are beautiful – are propped with perfect art books and artfully placed accents. To the trained eye, it’s so obvious that they are homes that have been styled by someone else other than their occupants.  This was the preserve of the rich and famous, but now it seems we are all at it.  Millions all over the world are now “amateur stylists”, scrupulously attending to and documenting, as never before, the details and meanings of the design and decoration of their homes, their clothes, appliances, hobbies and more.  Frankly, I’m all for living and dressing better and if this is the means with which to do it then so be it.  I always say that it takes as much energy to dress badly as it does to dress well, and the same can be applied to home decoration.  That being said, it’s important to approach with balance.  Don’t try to keep up with the Jones’s on the next Pinterest board, as what you see is usually only a beautiful snapshot of a fraction of their life.

You can create a beautiful home and a stylised way of life without too much fuss.  It’s important to use the space to promote your interests and lifestyle preferences, not to be hampered by them.  A wonderfully smelling candle placed on a console table creates warmth and atmosphere (and we just love the ‘Lulu in Provence’ candle by Jonathan Ward that we have currently showcased), or a blanket thrown over the edge of a sofa looks casual, chic and stylish.  You can use cashmere blankets, linen sheets for a beachy look, or think outside the box and use an oversized pashmina which looks just as good on your designer sofa as it does on a little black dress. 

London 2012 Olympics – Vintage Poster

The year 2012 carries with it a special significance for many people throughout the world, whether it’s radical prophecies forecasting changes for the planet and humanity to our collective hopes and fears.   Amidst the confusion and uncertainty, Britain has had national events that have shone like beacons amongst the darkness of uncertainty. The Jubilee concert earlier this year demonstrated just how well we can put on a party as it showcased our wealth of musical talent and our collective homage to a Queen who is a true role model for integrity, hard work and social responsibility.

Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 

The Olympic Games opened last Friday evening in style, with design playing an integral part of the orchestration of the set which moved and changed as the ceremony progressed.  The culmination of the ceremony was the lighting of Thomas Heatherwick’s cauldron with the Olympic flame.

Heatherwick Studio designed the cauldron with 204 copper petals, each one representing the competing nations which was lit by seven young athletes chosen by British Olympic champions.   Once each petal was ablaze, the pipes rose up to join them as one, in a culmination of actions that sent out a strong message of unity, strength and forward movement whilst also supporting the official slogan of this year’s games – Inspire A Generation.

Petals in production at the Heathwick Studio (Photograph: Olympic Official Tumblr)

The petals lifting up as the pipes rise to form the cauldron (Photograph: Olympic Official Tumblr) 

An exhibition about the Olympic Cauldron has been added to Heatherwick Studio’s on going exhibition at the V&A.  Whilst there are many of us who might like to get our hands on one of those gorgeous copper petals, it will be quite a remarkable feat to do so.  As an alternative, why not get your hands one of our vintage Olympic prints of the second London Olympic games in 1948? The 1948 games (the second out of three, the first being in 1908) were known as the austerity games due to the post war rationing and stark economic climate.

Not only is this print a tasteful souvenir of our historical past, it combines the symbolism of the ancient games with the sculpture of Discobolus with the 5 interlocking rings of the modern games.  The monarchy still play an important role in the Games, from this print’s Big Ben’s clock showing 4pm, which was the time that King George VI would proclaim the Games open, to our Queen Elizabeth II’s appearance in Danny Boyle’s spoof film, a review of which you can read here if you missed it.

As for the games, all we can hope for is gold.  Go team GB!

Design Detail ~ How To

Your Home Wants Me

Designer Showcase

Design Detail ~ Colour Moment

Inspired by these Moroccan tiles from Fired Earth, I’m inspired to wear this outfit by Burberry.  Get this look by mixing geometric pattern tiles with a colour palette consisting of light and dark shades of blue and aqua, military green, aubergine and/or terracotta paints.

What colours do you love mixing?

Room Gallery ~ Life Without Colour?

I’m having a colour moment today.  Perhaps it’s the drab and dreary grey day (has anyone else had enough with this rain already?!), and so I thought I’d treat my eyes to some wonderful colour from my design library, and share with you not one but four featured rooms of the week, all with different layers of colour, texture and feel.

Colour encompasses life, with all its feelings and moods. It has infinite possibilities and manifestations and it can awaken or subdue our desires. It can refresh or it can relax. Not many of us think in depth about colour. Yes, we often have our favourite colour or a colour we naturally gravitate to, but few take time to understand the complexities of colour.

{via eastmanimages.com}

Colour can play hide and seek between the candid and the vulnerable, it can be both nostalgic and noble, luxurious and sophisticated. The complexity of colour can be explored through its multiple layers of shade, tone, and saturation.

{via chateaudemoissac.fr}

The absence of colour creates an immense void ~ imagine a white sheet of paper. It contains every possibility and flirts at what could be, and is a foundation on which to build up your scheme.

{via housetohome.co.uk}

A singular colour can be powerful, dazzling, striking and intense – often monochromatic schemes are very masculine. Paired with a complimentary colour, you can create a balances or you can also ‘clash it up’ to make a loud statement.

{via coco+kelly}

How does colour revive your life and influence your lifestyle?

Room Gallery

I just love mixing and matching surfaces. If done correctly, you can create a dramatic visual impact with very little fuss. DKOR Interiors created this bathroom with blue agate.  Agate is known for its interesting strata formations, fineness of grain and bright colours.  Pair with a warm wood as they have done here to get you started.  I’ve highlighted some areas for this room that can be upgraded to make a really chic look.

What other hard surfaces do you like mixing?