Make It Yours: Romantic Getaway

Who doesn't fancy a romantic getaway? A secret bolthole to find rest and serenity. Next question...how many of us have one?

Mmmmmm, not so many, eh?!

The secret is to create your very own space in the home you already have. Particularly with littlies around, a special place for Mr MC and me to escape to, has been, not just a luxury, but a real necessity.

Simple, uncluttered and calm are the keywords....

and here's how I suggest you do it...

Clockwise from top: take time to pick out small luxuries, you want to be able to feel like a princess in an instant; choose a palette of soft, washed-out putty shades, such as the new greys from Little Greene: try Limestone, Fescue, Cool Arbour, and Serpentine, which are designed to work together as a palette; be ruthlessly sparing with clutter...accessories YES but clutter NO!; I love the ambiance that choosing natural materials gives: here, linens, then rattan baskets and wooden floors help to impart softness to the scheme.

These mood boards take inspiration from Unique Home Stays' Turtledove Cottage (see here and here for more information).

This time I've focused on slightly more masculine greys. Clockwise from top: as there's only two of you to buy necessities for, you might want to splash out a bit so that even the everyday feels special; warm and snuggly are romantic essentials.....I shall say no more!; throws and cushions always in natural materials....utterly inviting; nothing should feel so perfect that it isn't practical; try Farrow and Ball Great White, Farrow and Ball Cornforth White and Farrow and Ball Lamp Room Gray for grays with depth.

Enjoy your own Romantic Getaway!

 (via unknown, Liesbet Goetschalckx, unknown, Finders Keepers Market Inc)

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Large Lights: Getting Your Home Ready For Christmas

Lighting can make or break a room. If your house feels in the doldrums then just look at these rooms for inspiration. See how the lighting lifts them into the stratosphere style-wise.

Looking at the basics of your home BEFORE you decorate for Christmas allows your special festive pieces to shine out, out, out.....but if the foundations aren't in place then the extra layer of Christmas sparkle can just create clutter....and, you know, there's no faster way to make it onto Santa's Naughty List than clutter, no matter how prettily it sparkles.

Large lights bring the room right into centre-stage, whilst creating atmosphere and warmth at the same time. Multi-tasking at its best. So what's a girl to do?

Keep her eyes peeled for eons for just the right piece? Check, check, check...it's just not happening...aaaargh!

Or choose her very own bespoke shade and feel every inch a princess?

In the New Year, I'll be revealing all. 

*excited squawks*

Images via: Skeppshoman,  Hotel Montiverdi, 79 Ideas, Nicety

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Leather Seating: Yes or No?

Last weekend, we had a little mooch around gorgeous interiors emporium. And a Leather-Chair-Like-No-Other caught my Modern Country eye. I very nearly snapped it up but then something stopped me.

You see, I love to snuggle right down on our fabulously squishy sofas. I imagine leather might not feel as welcoming to flop into.

{And, I'll be honest, I'm haunted by the smell of my dad's leather car seat on hot days. Stifling.}

However, the look of them is altogether heavenly. I'd choose mine in rich but slightly shabbied brown; worn and soft.

So, please will you answer me this

{and be my best friend forever}...

Are leather chairs as comfy as they are stylish?

Images Little Blue Deer, Home Bunch, annekedekkers_nl2, 

House of Bliss, unknown, John Lewis, Interiors Porn, Lisa B-1

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Modern Country Edwardian House Tour

Though this house obviously needs de-show-homing, given a few toys scattered here, and two mugs of tea waiting to cool by a pile of tatty books, the space would be just delicious as a Modern Country family home.

Don't believe me?

Here's how...

• The painted floor boards would easily withstand tricycles zooming up and down the length of the house. 
• The sofas, which appear to be upholstered in leather, are clearly designed for wiping juice of easily and efficiently. 
• There are very few knick-knacks waiting for tiny hands to 'play with' (ie. break!!).

Yes, of course, it needs some more bits and bobs in it to ensure that it feels lived in and warm but, as I always like to say, the bones are definitely there to build a welcoming family haven.

What strikes me instantly about this house is the way the palette flows so beautifully from room to room.The various grey tones, varying from charcoal to ash, lead you thoughtfully throughout the entire house.

Meanwhile accents of colour are spotlighted in warm, sunny yellow.

Did you notice how the choice of colour was inspired by the encaustic tiles in the hallway? And even the books on the shelves above coordinate (albeit in a very show-homey kind of way).

Shall we take a trip upstairs?

Nothing seems overly fussy. There are no deliberately overly-shabbied pieces here. Instead, everything seems unpretentious yet smart. 

Yet there are touches of country within all this stark modernism.

You have to look hard to see them but they're they're all the same.

 

The enamel pitcher by the bath.

The rustic wooden ladder used as a towel rail.

Look at this pretty headboard in the master bedroom.

And the pattern on the cushion, together with the gently-floralled curtains in the second reception room, combine perfectly to create a house that is firmly Modern yet has echoes of Country.

So, my poppett, will you be taking it?

All images by Amanda Prior via 79 Ideas

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Gwyneth Paltrow's Modern Country New House

Gwyneth Paltrow's new house.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin 

have bought a new house

and it's the epitome of Modern Country?

Fancy a peek?

Me too....

Let's go, banjo.

The whitewashed front features a white paved driveway and low-key topiary.

The house, which must be one of the coolest in the entire world, 

cost a mere $10.45 million.

I love these floor tiles - a Modern take on a classic Country chequered floor.

...and the view from other end...

Located on the westside of Los Angeles, 

it was apparently first listed for $11.96 million.

Why did no one tell me?

I sooo would have bought this.

Yes, with the petty cash I carry round in my back pocket.

What you don't carry $12 mill as loose change too?

Look at that patchwork throw tossed oh-so-casually over the chair. So snuggly!

Would you believe this is a new-build?

It has so much character and charm,

which we saw here is possible but pretty darn hard to get right.

And now on to very probably one of the nicest kitchens 

you will ever have the pleasure of seeing....

Brace yourselves...

Black pendant  lights and cool grey paint updates this classic country kitchen.

Wooooah, right?

Gwynnie's pad is designed by architect Windsor Smith,

and is predominantly decorated in a classic Modern Country palette of white and charcoal, with plenty of natural materials.

There's plenty of space to sit down to eat...informally....

...or more formally...

Can you see how beautifully the shelves are arranged? No detail is left to chance.

Gwyneth Paltrow's new home has six bedrooms and eight bathrooms....

more than adequate for their two children: Apple and Moses.

{yes, you read me right...Apple and Moses...}

The views from every window are just lovely.

Windsor Smith has struck the balance perfectly between grand and homely.

A tricksome path to navigate.

Another seating area?

Nope, just a gorgeous Modern Country bathroom. 

The outdoor space is gorgeous too.

Can you imagine sitting out here watching the sun set over a glass of wine?

And look!

Recognise those curvy rattan chairs from here?

I love mine!!

So...what did you think of 

Gwyneth Paltrow's Modern Country house?

Is it gorgeous

or is it gorgeous?

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The Miracle Of Changing The Exterior Of Your Home

Front After

Front Before

Okay, yes, this house had plenty going for it in the Before photos

(namely, it's pretty dang big) but look! Look at what they did to it!

Back After

Back Before

If you live in a street like the one where this is, which was apparently filled with Edwardian beauties, while the 'before' house stuck out like a sore thumb, or in a street with houses from a number of different periods, then the opportunities for you to create exactly the look you want are absolutely endless.

Getting it right is all in the details. 

So much care has been taken to get the look on all counts:

While I love the Edwardian exterior of our house, as I said on Monday, there's PLENTY to do. This site gives me so much hope that it's possible to get exactly the results I'm looking for.

One more peek at this beauty? Go on then...

All images via: Back To Front

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