Bricks and stones won’t break my bones, but they can send me into a state of frenzy. The only way to not drive yourself crazy is to be fairly organised. First, though you need to come up with the inspiration! After all, you have to know what to organise. I always envision what I want Read Post
A Triumph of Hope Over Experience?
I always start a house renovation with such positive thoughts. Usually, the positivity lasts until midway through construction. I’m not sure how long I’ll be sanguine this time because I’ll be supervising the process from across an ocean. I’ll either be stressed because I won’t know what’s happening or blissfully ignorant. Mr. N is pretty Read Post
C.P. Hart Showroom Tour
I was invited down to C.P. Hart‘s main showroom in London’s Waterloo to discuss my proposed “Dream Bathroom”. Along with 5 other bloggers including Dear Designers, Stylist’s Own and Fabric of My Life, we met with the C.P. Hart showroom management and designers and toured the Waterloo showroom. Having pored over the inspiration gallery on the C.P. Hart Read Post
American Eclectic
T wo American designers, Kelly Wearstler and Jonathan Adler, are well known for quirky cool. For fairness, I have chosen one designer from the West Coast and one from the East Coast. As any biased New Yorker will tell you, the middle of the United States is just fly-over country. And, that is SO not Read Post
C.P. Hart – My Dream Bathroom
What would your dream bathroom look like? Well C.P. Hart asked me (and some other bloggers) to create a mood board of all the elements I would like to see in my dream bathroom. In a few days, they will pick the mood board they like best and design a show bathroom based on it. Read Post
The Wasteland Garden
Did Kate Gould have T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land in mind when she named her show garden The Wasteland Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show last week? She also blogs about gardens for The Guardian. So, yes, probably. I studied English literature at university, so I was drawn to Kate Gould’s vision of an urban garden. Read Post
Lavender House in Hampstead
Lavender House in Hampstead is an architectural and design delight. It was designed by the renowned architectural firm of Paxton-Locher which had originally bought the site for a client. When the client decided to relocate overseas, Richard Paxton and his business partner/fellow architect/wife, Heidi Locher decided to take on the project. Unfortunately, Richard passed away Read Post
Romance and the Wingback Chair
Picture this usual historical romance novel scene: The roguish yet loveable hero sits smouldering (and, most likely, smoking) in his leather wingback chair in his study staring unseeingly at the blazing fire in front of him brooding on how to win the Love of His Life who has a mind of her own and refuses Read Post
Should You Splurge for Dinesen Flooring or Go With Dinesen Flooring Alternatives?
Ever wanted something beautiful for the home but just couldn’t budget its price tag? Unless you are seriously wealthy, of course, you have. That’s usually the case with Dinesen flooring, a Danish family-run business, beloved by architects and interior designers for their outstanding quality and appearance. Dinesen flooring is beautiful but all that gorgeousness comes at Read Post
Spanish Design at Clerkenwell Design Week
Unlike the Spanish economy, Spanish design is going gangbusters. Several Spanish products caught my eye this week at Clerkenwell Design Week. You know how I love concrete tiles, right? I was delighted to find these encaustic concrete tiles from Entic Design which are handmade in the south of Spain using a traditional 19th century technique. It’s Read Post