Amazing wall art: Modern Country Loves

You know how we talking about wall art making a house a home? 

I have fallen for these framed antique microscope slides in a big way.

It can be hard to find suitable pieces that appeal as much to the man of the house as to the laydee.  However, these microscope slides, with their delicate blend of science and art, seem to cross every T and dot every I on that tricksome front.

The pictures, by Hannah Brown Interiors, were featured in the Guardian last week as part of a feature about Father's Day gift ideas and I'm thinking they'd be just perfect for Mr Modern Country.

I clicked through on the link to find a whole host of treasures on the Hannah Brown Interiors website.... hello retail therapy!

My all-time favourite being these gorgeous blown quails eggs, enclosed in a weathered timber frame.

Perfectly masculine but also perfectly beautiful.  

These pieces are original, beautiful and steeped in natural history. Could there be a better answer to the His/Her conundrum? I can't imagine anything more exquisitely Modern Country on my walls.

All images via Hannah Brown Interiors

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Chic Modern Country Parisian Apartment Tour

Where else could this chic apartment be but Paris? 

Doesn't it just scream 'I am the epitome of chic' at you? 

Well, perhaps not scream. That's not very chic at all, is it? 

Perhaps it would be more of a seductive whisper. 

Either way, this is serious Modern Country Chic.

One of the things that I adore about the Modern Country look is that it can be interpreted in so many ways. Over here, this beautiful Parisian apartment, but over there, a gorgeous cottage painted in muted sea-greens. Both very different but equally thoroughly imbued by the wonders of Modern Country Style!

It's the art that really makes this home work. 

Imagine the place without those huge frames propped against the wall. 

You'd be forgiven for thinking you'd walked into the sterile conditions of a doctor's surgery, would you not?

It's the warmth of the mixture of predominantly black and white images that makes these enormous rooms a home, giving a very welcome shot in the arm of personality.

And I trust that the wit of that doctor-related shot-metaphor was not wasted on you, my friend. What a tragedy that would be. ;-)

The beautiful herringbone parquet is just heavenly. We're currently angsting over whether we should choose something very similar in our top floor.

I think it has to be said that the owners pretty much struck property gold with this place. Could there be better home-bones with which to start a project? 

Floor-to-ceiling windows? Check.

Ornate plaster-work? Check.

Terrifically high ceilings. Check. 

Kerchingggggg!

Yep, I'm thinking we should move in tomorrow?

Whaddayasay?

Images via Afflante

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Modern Country Loves: Pride and Prejudice Full-Text Poster

Any regular reader will know that I'm a complete sucker for romance so it'll come as no surprise that Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourite book ever; it's surely the most romantic book ever written. 

And Mr Darcy and Elizabeth? They must be the most romantic pairing ever. {Second to me and Mr Modern Country, obvs. ;-) } Brooding handsome man vs beautiful, feisty woman: was there ever a better hero/heroine match to have the heart of every girl in the world beating faster?

I knew, when I saw this full-text poster of Pride and Prejudice, that I simply had to share it with you and pronto. It's simply perfect for any girl who wants an extra hit of first rate romance in her life. 

The poster is composed entirely of the full text of Pride and Prejudice but is printed in such a way that a space forms with the perfect image of Elizabeth and Mr Darcy. *swoon*

In an age when scantily-clad celebrity bodies are flaunted without a second thought, this poster is pure delight. You can feel the lurrrrve exuding from the image.

Aaaaah!

Images via notonthehighstreet

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Book Review: A Life Less Ordinary by Zoe Ellison and Alex Legendre

Today, will you join me in reviewing A Life Less Ordinary? A Belgian Style treat, if ever there was one. It's written by Zoe Ellison and Alex Legendre {can I just interject here: how cool is that surname? Legendre. Nice.} and published by Ryland, Peters and Small. 

I grew up in Brighton, on the south coast of England, where, Igigi, the shop owned by the two authors is based. And, let me tell you, even within Brighton's heady mix of design and originality, Igigi's stands out a mile. 

The attention to detail, sense of style and boundless creativity oozes from every stunningly bare-plastered wall. Igigi's was one of the first shops I ever blogged about, back in 2010! 

You can imagine how excited I was, then, to have Zoe and Alex's new book in my hands. T.H.R.I.L.L.E.D.. A Life Less Ordinary is one of those lovely books that you can easily while away an evening reading; thoroughly immersing yourself in every moment. 

The first thing to note is that this is not some flimsy marketing after-thought. A Life Less Ordinary is a substantial, weighty tome, nearly 200 pages, and is beautifully put together. 

Little touches like tracing paper inlays, dinky envelopes and cards, as well as the absolutely stunning photography and delightfully personal text make the whole experience feel like a real grown-up treat.

And, though A Life Less Ordinaryis unapologetically on-trend, the feeling you are left with, when you finally tear yourself away, is not one of materialistic dissatisfaction, but rather a buzz of excitement at the design possibilities of your own special space.

Within the text, Alex and Zoe share the story of their meeting of minds, and you can sense what a pleasure the friendship has been, creating the wonderful balance they clearly have between business and art. 

We are, rather voyeuristically (but none the worse for that!), given a tour of their own stunning homes. Zoe Ellison's...

and Alex Legendre's... 



...as well as photos of Igigi and their own styling work....

where every last pared-back detail is considered...



If this doesn't go in the Favourites part of your bookshelf, 
I'll eat my hat. Can't say fairer than that, can I?! 

{Click here to buy your copy of A Life Less Ordinary.}


Love 
Sarahx

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Colour Study: Earthborn Gregory's Den

I'm very proud to present our Dining Room paint colour reveal!  We used Gregory's Den by Earthborn. I struggled long and hard to find this perrrrrfect paint colour; I was a woman on a mission.

Here's a reminder of the Before state of our Dining Room. We took this photo as the previous owners were moving out. Dotty wallpaper plus border plus LOTS of varnished orange pine!

Here's another picture, facing the other way:

I wanted a lighter version of the paint I picked for the kitchen. F&B don't do lighter and darker versions of their colours generally so I had to ....shock, horror....go elsewhere! 

Earthborn's Gregory's Den was a brilliant match for a lighter, less coloured version of Farrow and Ball's Blue Gray. I am quite extraordinarily pleased with the flow-through effect between the kitchen and dining room. 

Earthborn's Gregory's Den is my favourite kind of colour: is it grey? Is it green? Is it blue? Yummy! 

Gregory's Den used to be called Treehouse, which caused a great big muddle with getting hold of the paint, let me tell you. The only place I've found to order it online is here. 

Earthborn paints have an incredibly chalky, matte finish, which looks utterly beautiful but, I have to say, isn't the most practical for sticky little hands so I am expecting to have to touch this up a fair bit.

Remember that this was a quickie makeover, rather than a rip-out-and-start-again. However, there was so much room for improvement that we decided to work with what we had and invest elsewhere.... but that that hardly seem to matter. The power of paint is incredible. Isn't it amazing what £50 can achieve!?

We're SO thrilled with this room. Strangely, for a room that wasn't completely over-hauled, this is one of my absolute favourite places in the house! The creamy grey of Earthborn's Gregory's Den is a fantastic start to one of my favourite makeovers ever...

For other paint studies, click away...

Farrow and Ball Blue Gray
Farrow and Ball New White
Farrow and Ball Middleton Pink

Farrow and Ball Down Pipe

Farrow and Ball Elephant's Breath

Farrow and Ball Pigeon

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White

Dulux Heritage Stone Green

Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray

Farrow and Ball French Gray (interiors)

Farrow and Ball French Gray (exteriors)

Farrow and Ball Old White

Farrow and Ball Light Blue

Farrow and Ball Powder Blue

Farrow and Ball Hay

More details coming soon!

Love

Sarahx

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