I share so much of my external world with you; today, I want to share something that is completely central to everything I do and all that I am.....
Happy Easter!
He is RISEN!
Sunday, 27 March 2016
Monday, 21 March 2016
Modern Country Hotels: No. 131, Cheltenham
Let's talk colour, shall we?
Remember how I showed you The Wheatsheaf Inn not so long ago?
The owners of Wheatsheaf, Sam and George Pearman, also own this cracker. It's another boutique hotel, named simply No. 131, also in the Cotswolds, but this time in nearby Cheltenham.
And it's Georgian, which, natch, gets a big ol' tick from me!!
They've taken full advantage of all those lovely Georgian details, the huge sash windows, the lovely sense of symmetry.
I'm completely in love with how the couple manage the paint colours they've chosen.
Yes, they've stuck to a very limited palette of chalky greys, sultry taupes and a nod to the naturals with sea tones of blue and leafy greens...but you're not left with a sense of restraint; instead, you'll be bowled over by a wash of harmony.
So many stunners, it's makes it hard to choose a favourite room!
Boutique hotels like this leave me dripping with inspiration...
Coming your way very soon: my all-time favourite paint colour for woodwork and trim...
{You're in for a surprise!}
Images via No 131, Cheltenham
Monday, 7 March 2016
Gorgeous High Skirting Boards!
Today, let's talk about lovely high skirting boards. Perhaps not the most glamorous of subjects, you might be thinking (perhaps high skirts might draw the crowds more easily) but, before this post is out, I hope you'll agree that tall skirting boards are one of the unsung heroes of adding a HUGE dose of W:O:W! to a room.
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| High skirting boards in a kitchen |
You see, in olden days, the higher the status of a room, the grander the mouldings needed to be (by mouldings, I mean tall skirting boards and thick architraves...). Yes, it was all about impressing the neighbours and showing off your social standing back then but aren't these lovely high skirting boards beautiful, don't you think?
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| High skirting boards and shutters |
Period houses were created to have more prominent mouldings in the main living areas, and then for the mouldings to get smaller (and cheaper!!) as you went up the stairs to the bedrooms, away from the public eye.
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| Tall skirting boards painted the same colour as the walls |
It's easy to let such details in a house slip you by but, believe me, my dears, adding high skirting boards can make all the difference in adding character to your home.
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| High skirting boards in a hall |
For some reason, newer houses hardly ever add this stunning feature, unless they're very high end, which is such a shame. I imagine that such extras are sadly driven by profits for the builders.
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| Tall skirting boards draw attention to a gorgeous fireplace |
Let me tell you a secret: upgrading to high skirting boards and gorgeous wide architraves is one of the best things you can do to add a wow-factor to the bones of a home.
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| Tall skirting boards in white pop against the walls painted in Antique Cream by Crown |
I'm not just talking about period houses here, contemporary homes can also take a bit of skirting board action; they just need careful choosing.
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| Note the height change in skirting boards when entering the higher status room... |
There are lots of ways of decorating with high skirting boards as you can see from these images. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking.
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| Tall skirting boards topped by panelling |
You can add panelling on the top....
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| I love this Modern Country living room |
or you could draw attention to your high skirting boards by leaving a vast expanse between them and the ceiling....
Choose paint colours that make them pop against the walls..
...or simply paint your tall skirting boards the same colour as the walls for a bit of reverse I'm-so-cool-I don't-even-have-to-draw-attention-to-my-beatiful-house psychology!
In our new Georgian house, we've been doing exactly this! Some of the mouldings had been changed over to diddy little versions (as was all the rage in the seventies!) and changing them back has been SUCH A PLEASURE!!
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| Gorgeous Modern Country hall |
Wanna see?!!
Images via Kate's Creative Space, Farrow and Ball, indulgy, champagne maker, wearandwhere, Charlotte Bezzant, unknown, La Maison Gray, Modern Country Style, Nicety, Houzz, unknown, Kate's Creative Space
Friday, 4 March 2016
How To Create Belgian Style Interiors: Pre-Loved Pieces
Hey, sweet cheeks!
And how are you today?
I'm loving this series we're doing:
Belgian Style Interiors: The Essentials.
Today we're looking at using pre-loved furniture...but before we dive in let's have a li'l recap of what we've covered with How To Create Belgian Style Living Rooms so far....
Today we're looking at using pre-loved furniture...but before we dive in let's have a li'l recap of what we've covered with How To Create Belgian Style Living Rooms so far....
My definition of Belgian Style would be that it's all about combining extreme visual restraint and rustic warmth to create elegant, pared-down rooms with a strong nod to an industrial past.
I've only drawn on the elements that I love from this style,
creating my very own Modern Country living room in our new house...more on that next week!!
So far, we've looked at the use of untreated wood in Belgian Style Interiors.....
and how to sand and renovate your old floorboards...
We looked at how to add Soft Industrial elements...
...with the help of our friend the grey rattan kubu chair!
Did you notice that in all those images of Belgian Style Living Rooms there are used pieces dotted around. It may be a small detail but it's these very same pre-owned bits and bobs that create character and bring life to these Belgian rooms: old stone urns, used table, re-purposed lamps and ornaments give these rooms a heartbeat.
As long as these used pieces tie in with your overall scheme (to prevent that Junk Shop Anti-Chic creeping in!), and have bags of gorgeous character then everyone's a winner!
As long as these used pieces tie in with your overall scheme (to prevent that Junk Shop Anti-Chic creeping in!), and have bags of gorgeous character then everyone's a winner!
Images via
Wednesday, 2 March 2016
Modern Country Hotels: The Wheatsheaf Inn
Great boutique hotels do this whole Belgian Style texture thing to a 'T'. The drop-dead gorgeous bedroom and killer-looks of the en suite bathroom I'm sharing today belong to The Wheatsheaf Inn, not far from where we live in the Cotswolds, in the middle of rolling countryside.
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| The Wheatsheaf Inn |
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| The Wheatsheaf Inn bathroom |
The attention to detail is just fantastic.
With a soothing background of blueish greys, layer upon layer of texture has been introduced in both spaces.
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| The Wheatsheaf Inn bedroom |
For those of you looking to create this at home, I'd suggest trying Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Grey for the walls, Little Greene Lead for the woodwork and Farrow and Ball Down Pipe for the feature wall.
And that tiled floor?
1,2,3, altogether now:
LOVE IT!!!!
WANT IT!!!
NEED IT!!!