Friday, January 31, 2014

B and Q SS14 Press Show

Just back from very busy London and press releases (I'll show you the second one later). These are my photos from the B&Q Spring / Summer 2014 press show.  

It was raining and pretty grey in London, but inside it felt like Summer. There were green plants in pots, garden furniture, lanterns, purple wheelbarrows (!) and barbeques. I know this is garden furniture, but really I would be quite happy with this rocking chair in my living room. 


There were also cool lamps, more accessories than previously, new wallpapers and even kitchens. 



I also really like these 2mm thin slate tiles. They would be fantastic for covering up uneven or tired looking tiles. They come in different colours and look very good. 


I discovered a very exciting new product - Valspar paint. I know paint isn't new, but there's a new way of getting exactly the colour you want. You can bring in any colour and B&Q will match it for you. I have to say it makes choosing a colour a whole lot easier. So if you have a bag, a dress or a picture from a magazine that you really like and want to paint something in that particular colour - you now can. 


I didn't just take photos of course. I also talked on camera for the first time. It was really scary, but fun trying something new. Here I am on vine

If you want to see more new items check out the Spring / Summer Look book

I'll show you more of what I saw in  London soon. 
Happy Friday!!
hx

#BandQSS14

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Pastel favourites - Mint Green

You might have noticed that pastels are very in at the moment and mint green is my favourite pastel colour. Hot off the press from Denmark - the Arne Jacobsen vintage collection from Design Letters

1. Hay Mint tray 2. and 3. NEW Arne Jacobsen Vintage Collection Design Letters 4. Made

Which pastel colour is your favourite?!
hx

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Tuesday Tips - Small spaces and stools

If you live in a small place it's really important to be organised. Having too much furniture can make a small space feel even smaller, but also cluttered and impractical. 

Now, let's start with the tips.. There's more than one today.

The wooden stools in the photo below don't take up any extra space. They are simply put under a unit when not in use. This is a great way of hiding furniture you don't use every day.

photo by Heikki Vahtola

Here a stool is being used as bed side table. 

photo by Heikki Vahtola

If you have friends over you simply have to bring the stools from your bedroom and you instantly have more seats. This will help on a daily basis as you will have more room instead of cluttering up your place with too many chairs.

photo by Heikki Vahtola


Stools can even be stacked away. Here they've been turned into a side table. Here we have three shades mint. You would only need three different tester pots of paint to create this effect, so it would be inexpensive to do. 

photo by Nalle's house

With help of some masking tape you could get creative.


photos by Trendenser


You can read all my Tuesday Tips posts by clicking on the link.  
Hope you like reading them. I really enjoy writing them. 
hx


Monday, January 27, 2014

London here I come

Tomorrow I'm off to London for a quick 24 hours and I'm just getting organised. It's been years since I've been to London, so I've got my destinations all worked out. I'm going down to see a press release and I'm quite excited about it. I'll show you more soon. 

photo by Hire Space

photo by unknown

I'll be very busy, but I'll try to find a cute coffee shop to show you.

photo by Timberyard

I've scheduled a few posts and a Tuesday Tip for you. Hope you'll like them. 
See you soon!
hx


Sunday, January 26, 2014

Light bulbs

Who would have thought that some light bulbs would actually make a great decoration.. Elv's did. Recycle / upcycle / re-use.. call it what you like, but cool it is. 




photos by Elv's

The winner of the little giveaway is ...

Caroline B

Congrats! Just send me your address and I'll ship it to you. 


Have a nice evening!
hx


Friday, January 24, 2014

Faking it

This is a real slate wall.. No, I'm only kidding. It's actually not, but it looks real. It's a really good alternative to real slate and also very affordable. This wall only costs £29.99 and makes a pretty cool statement. Like it? 

photo by The Hut

Happy Friday!
hx

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Give Away - Hush

One of my readers will receive a Heart mug and Lemon & Ginger teabags from Hush. A nice little winter warmer on a cold night or maybe for a break at work?

photo by me

To win - all you have to do is leave a quick comment below this post.

This give away is now closed.
hx

Monday, January 20, 2014

Tuesday Tips - A creative way to hide your TV

We've all got one, but sometimes it's nice to hide it. I'm talking about a television of course. As TVs are getting flatter and flatter, and are no longer referred to as the box, we can also be more creative in ways of hiding them.

Gallery walls are increasingly popular. By hanging photos and artwork around your television, you shift the focus away from the TV and it looks like it's apart of something. Quite clever, isn't it?


photo by Skona hem

It can even work really well with the tv placed on a unit.

photo by Sarah Sherman Samuel via Design Sponge

I'll be back with more Tips next Tuesday. 
Hope to see you then.
hx

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Concrete houses

It's funny how things change.. This time last year we hadn't even started talking about moving. Here we are a year later, quite settled after five whole months, in Scotland. 

photo by Cox & Cox

photo by Cox & Cox

Hope you've all had a great weekend! 
hx

Friday, January 17, 2014

Weekend DIYs

If you've got some spare time this weekend - why not spend it making something fab?! Here are two cool DIYs from some two very cool bloggers.. The projects have one thing in common - black cord. (#needblackcordnow)

DIY magazine hanger

DIY string shelves

I think this is a good excuse to go off to a DIY shop tomorrow for some string and a few bits of wood, don't you?!

Happy Weekend!!!
hx

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Kinky vintage

Today I've been styling and taking photos of a recent bedroom I've done. The owners wanted a vintage feel with an industrial touch. I've used Graham & Brown wallpaper Kinky Vintage. The wallpaper is beautiful and textured with velvet. It's got a nice sheen to it. 


I added bedside lamps Drop from Gong.  The lamps have an industrial feel with their cement finish. I really like adding hanging lamps instead of table lamps. 

I found the vintage style bed Ruben in Tesco. I was quite surprised and it was also a bargain. You could of course also spray paint it to change the colour. 


The old zinc bucket I found at a bric-à-brac. I turned it upside down and it instantly became a bedside table. The chunky knitted blanket is from B&Q. I'm also a huge fan of green plants in the bedroom. This is simply an off cut of a green plant. Put in water it lasts for weeks. 


Hope you like it! 
hx

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

A visit to Anthropologie

Yesterday I went to meet lovely Alison from Her Indoors and we had relaxing day out in Edinburgh. We had coffee in The Dome which has been changed since I was there last and it's now very Gatsby inspired and grand. In addition to inspiring each other and giving each other ideas, we also visited Anthropologie. Here are some of my favourite things... 


Hope you're all well! 
hx


Monday, January 13, 2014

Tuesday Tips - Picture walls

There are many ways of hanging pictures and we see picture walls everywhere these days. I recently came across this photo and really like the sophisticated way the pictures are displayed. 


It's quite simple. To have all your pictures at the same level you need a spirit level a pencil. In fact I would suggest using masking tape too as it can be removed without a trace. This needs to be executed with a lot of precision or it will simply look terrible. Don't rush a job like this. 

Check out my Picture Wall Pinterest board with 200+ images for more ideas on how to make your own picture wall. 

I'll be back next Tuesday with another Tuesday Tips post. 

hx

Inspiring workspace

What a wonderful space to work from with lots of nice inspiration.




photos by Julia Manchik

After a nice weekend with lots of coffee and visiting new places,
I'm having one of those days or should I say Mondays.. 
hx

Friday, January 10, 2014

Visible wires..

Just love the fact all the cables on the wall haven't been covered up, but have been made into a feature.. Very now!


Happy Weekend!
hx

Thursday, January 9, 2014

My contribution to 91 Magazine

The new issue of 91 Magazine is a Craft Special and very hot off the press. I am of course very eager and excited to show you my contribution. 


You've probably noticed that origami is the next big thing and that is exactly what I did my tutorial on. I made a geometric inspired vase with nice sharp edges. 


Like I mentioned, this issue of 91 Magazine is a craft special so there are plenty of DIYs and lovely ideas for your homes. Hope you'll all go and discover the magazine and sign up for new issues to come. 





I also hope you'll enjoy my tutorial, which you can find in the magazine.

hx



Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Tuesday Tips - Favs 2013

So today there's no new tip, but a round up of the most viewed tips in 2013. I leisurely mentioned to somebody the other day that I've been writing a weekly column on my blog for a few months.. Wrong - I actually started early February 2013, so it's almost a whole year! Anyway, here goes.. The 10 most viewed Tuesday Tips from 2013.


Shelves infront of windows


Feathers instead of polyester inner cushions

Add large boards (this one is still my favourite)
photo by Anne de Leeuw

photos credit Bolaget

photo by William Abranowicz

photo by Lina Östling VINTAGE


Make it float Mount units on walls




photo by Livet Hemma Ikea

Hope you've enjoyed reading the Tuesday Tips as much as I have enjoyed creating them.
hx