Monthly Archives: June 2010

Belgian style

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I trawl the world for interesting stuff for my store and time and time again come back to Belgian and their understated sophisticated take on the interiors scene. Its a fabulous look to buy into or create at home if you want to  up the style ratings and ditch convention. You have to think like the Belgians so over scaled accessories are key, anything from a super sized light to a giant vase. Couple this with some teeny tiny pieces and you will create a truly dynamic rhythm.

Floors (and I adore Belgian floors) are often times limed, rough and rustic softened with beautiful rugs in sombre tones. Like the French they are not scared to add whimsical touches to lighten the mood, think ostrich tables, penguins with light bulbs on their head that sort of thing. Scary stuff but if you can pull it off you will never look back.

Comfy Beanbags

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As the world cup grabs our attention, it would be fairly safe to assume, that we want to be comfy watching England play, even if our nerves don’t hold up well under the pressure.

Big sporting events tend to gather everybody around the TV and sometimes there just doesn’t seem to be enough room for everyone to sit down. A great idea is to invest in some bean bags, ideal for kids to flop on, freeing up the sofa for the adults.

Once the beanbags have served their purpose, then they are great in kids bedrooms, not forgetting their comfortable and cosy enough to go into adult bedrooms. They come in a great range of colours, so choosing one will be easy.

Purple Garden

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If you thought design trends just happened in the home, then welcome to the purple garden, the hottest colour for this summer.

Violets, lilacs, lavenders and gorgeous irises should all feature in the garden, if not throughout entire garden then flowers planted in pots on the patio will add a rich velvet of colour for this season.

Not forgetting how wonderful purple can look against wrought iron garden furniture, you can even use trellis to grow the queen of climbers, clematis. There are many purple shades to choose from and clematis is great for disguising unsightly walls.

If you prefer structural plants then try incorporating a painted wall in a shade of purple, to highlight the architecture of broad or spiked leafed plants.

Design is about experimenting to see what works and with so many flowers to choose from and a wide range of outdoors furniture, you won’t be able to keep yourself out of the garden this summer.

Take Action on a Work Space

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If you have a spare room then creating your ideal home office is easy. However the likelihood is you will be sharing space in a room, but overhauling a bedroom for a total office refurbishment is not normally going to happen, however with a little forethought you can create a home office virtually anywhere.

  • Add plenty of storage; never underestimate how much storage you will need. List all the items you are currently going to need to store and increase, as there will always be new items added and also items you have forgotten. Storage solutions could be wall shelves to divan drawers if your office space is in the bedroom.
  • Ensure your desk is large enough for your needs; ideally your desk will be home to your computer and also contain drawers and other storage needs. Look for functionality, the more it can hold, the less space you will need overall.
  • Your chair is also an important area to consider, firstly if you are going to spending a lot of time at your desk make sure you choose a supportive chair with good back support. Secondly, if the chair is going to be used by other members of the family, make sure it is adjustable to suit all heights and leg length.
  • Ideally, the flooring of the office space should be hardwearing, if you are using a chair on wheels, think about using a vinyl or laminate just for that area, otherwise it won’t be easy to manoeuvre the chair into position.
  • If your office is in a main room of the house and you don’t want it to be on show all the time, consider purchasing a screen or even a room divider.

Bring Out the Boho Bedroom

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Summer tends to bring out the bohemian feel in many of us and this should also apply to the home, with fresh vibrant colours, where the sense of the outdoors merges within.

You can make the most of summer by creating a bedroom that feels like summer all year round, by lightening up with your furniture.  For inspiration see the retro vibes page, where the wardrobes really are the centre piece. You can add large floral print bedding and soft voile curtains instead of the heavy duty winter soft furnishings. For that extra twist you can bring in a modern white high backed chesterfield armchair, a stylish smaller version of the traditional Chesterfield sofa, ideal for whiling away some time on those hot summer days.

The latest design trend is the tropical twist, where oranges, limes and lemons mix and create an idyllic retreat in your bedroom, ideal if your bedroom furniture is dark and you want to add a bit of zest to the room.

Think bright, sunny and vibrant, for your boho summer bedroom.