Monthly Archives: September 2009

Lighting

Posted on by
Reply

With autumn drawing in and dusk falling earlier and earlier each evening I have decided this year to revamp my outside lighting situation. A few t-lights in jam jars no longer cuts the mustard and whilst I don’t want planes to mistake my outside pad for one of Heathrows runways I do want an interesting mix of light!

Even if you don’t have a double height glass wall like mine I do think bare trees lit up and shrubs sparkling in a soft white glow makes the dark evenings seductive rather than depressing. Most DIY stores sell a good selection of outdoors lighting the key is to mix it up. Habitat sells some lovely fairy lights (promise) which when wrapped around trees look magical and we have just brought for my store and of course home (since anything in the store gets sneaked out for home) a moose head which doubles up as a outside light. I have positioned him on an outside fireplace we have just had built but he also works brilliantly on fences and walls.

Outdoor spaces

Posted on by
Reply

With Summer upon us lets turn our attention to outside spaces. Too often outside spaces don’t reflect our inside spaces. We save, scour markets or covet some hugely expensive buy to make our living rooms ooze with style but when it comes to the garden, balcony or terrace forget all about personalising it with wit.

Humour in the garden is as equally important as humour in the home. Think about adding some surreal sculpture or a bit of striking iron work, flea markets and boot fairs are fab for this. Source vibrant textiles and pots for a smart boho feel and mix it all up a bit. Play with scale, house a small plant in a oversized pot or a large plant in a tiny pot and before you know it you will be following in the footsteps of design god Philippe Stark!

Decorating with mirrors

Posted on by
1

Follow in the footsteps of the great and fill your space with light reflecting mirrors. Louis X1V loved them filling the royal palace at Versailles with a huge hall of mirrors. And ok you may not live in a palace but you can make your pad a glittering, sexy space by expanding, reflecting and deflecting light – all through the use of mirrors.

Place them in a small space and they immediately open it up doubling the feeling of the space. They work even better when reflecting something fabulous back so say a beautiful bunch of flowers or a family portrait. Also consider lining walls with bevelled mirror tiles – super cool in an interior room or rooms with no windows or poor light.

Don’t forget to consider the frame so think sustainably harvested cherry wood, a vintage ornate frame that can then be sprayed a funky colour, or a super sized frame for an instant style statement. All choices will enliven the simplest of walls.