Around My Home Part 2

Whenever I get into a bit of a fashion rut (where I currently find myself), I turn to the soft, non-judgemental, one-size-fits-all comfort of home interiors. Duvet covers don’t care if you’re having a fat day and you’ll never need to worry if your chopping board clashes with your scented candle.

So while I worry about London Fashion Week and if I’m cool enough to pull off Nike Frees as a legit style statement, here are some photos of lovely house (which is definitely cool enough to pull off Nike Frees, FYI).

The spare bedroom was one of the first things we finished after moving into our house just before Christmas. We had guests coming to stay for New Year and if there’s one thing I pride myself in, it’s being the perfect hostess.

Although that being said, we spent all our pennies on posh stuff for the bits of the house we actually use, so our guests do have to recline in a thrifty environment. I can’t vouch for the comfort of the £80 Ikea mattress we saddled them with, but look how pretty! The bed is from Ikea and matches the bedside tables which we used as our own until we moved. As Rob and I upgraded to a king size bed I reluctantly gave up my beloved Orla Kiely bedding, picked up at TK Maxx last year. Most things in here are repurposed – the lamp was in our old office and the ‘Le Chat’ print hung in the hallway of the old house. With a slightly different style for our own spaces, it’s nice to give these old favourites a new home in the spare room.

We’ve only been in the house two months but the living room has already had a makeover. I’m trying to emulate that cool, Scandinavian style with some mid-century inspired pieces – the bow lamp and curved coffee table are both from Made.com.

I posted a photo of the sofa on Instagram over the weekend and had lots of comments – it’s actually an old Ikea model, kindly donated to us by our awesome friend Nic. I picked up the ampersand cushion from Homebase a few days ago (£5.95! Bargain) and the custard cream is by the brilliant Nikki McWilliams. The grey, yellow and cream chevron blanket is by Cynthia Rowley, a steal at £16.99 from TK Maxx.

Mine and Rob’s bedroom is one space I have entirely neglected. It’s a bit of an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ situation and as long as I’ve got a cosy bed with great sheets, I’m happy!

A little bit of TLC over the weekend though, and it’s already looking much more together. The duvet was a panic purchase when I realised we only had double bed sheets (thank you John Lewis!) but it actually looks lovely with our oak bed and tables. The Orla Kiely framed print was a sort-of DIY – I picked up a pack of OK postcards from TK Maxx and chose my three favourites to frame. They don’t quite fit the space but I really like the exposed wood behind them!

The wooden Covent Garden sign was kindly sent to me by awesome decor site Out There Interiors. It’s beautifully hand-carved and looks fab up on the shelf in our bedroom, alongside a stack of Vogues, my glittery Louboutins, a Brit-Stitch bag and a vintage camera. Oh, and a Chanel carrier bag for good measure!

If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my first tentative steps into the world of wall painting at the weekend. I decided I wanted rid of the odd pinky-purple wall in our kitchen and spent two weeks studying the Fallow & Ball colour chart before choosing my shade – Mole’s Breath. A trip to Homebase, 30 minutes and some ceiling splashes later and ta-dah! I think the colour looks great with our Made.com dining table and Habitat chairs.

Things are slowly taking shape – there’s the bedroom to finish, Rob’s office to tackle and my dressing room to organise but every weekend we do a little more and I’m determined to have the whole place flawless by March. Wish me luck!