Slowing down with jigsaws - my top ten

April 14, 2020

It’s been a while since I popped up on here. The first part of this year flew by at breakneck speed; I was so busy working on the new issue of 91 Magazine as well as a picture research project for a book publisher, amongst other things. Then, in the past six weeks life has changed beyond recognition. The global pandemic we are currently living through has forced us to slow down, many of us finding ourselves with less or no work to do, or even if you are still working, you’re probably finding you have a bit more spare time on your hands than usual. Going out for long, leisurely weekend lunches or spending an afternoon browsing the shops are not an option for the time being, so we are all looking for ways to entertain ourselves at home.

If I’m honest, I’m generally pretty happy with spending a lot of time at home. I already work from home and with a young child I rarely go out in the evenings, so it hasn’t felt like a massive adjustment for me. But, I’ve still enjoyed the challenge of finding other things to do rather than spending all my down time in front of the telly. I can’t quite remember how it happened, but myself and the other half have found ourselves really enjoying jigsaw puzzles. Truthfully, if you had have told me six months ago we would be spending hours of our time hunched over an 1000 piece puzzle, I probably would’ve snorted with laughter, but here we are!

Puzzles pictured: left - 500 piece Cat puzzle, £16, 1000 piece Gradient puzzle, £16.99

Activities that occupy your mind, like gardening, colouring and doing jigsaws really are a tonic right now. I know I’m not alone when I say I have had moments where anxiety and worry about the situation has tried to overcome me. I’ve found turning off the news and immersing myself in another activity has really helped.

I must say, I was quite surprised that when I started to look online for jigsaws that there were in fact many more contemporary designs around than I’d expected! Seeing as we are all in the same boat right now, I thought I’d share with you a few that I’ve come across. A few of the ones below have gone out of stock since I initially found them (clearly I’m not the only puzzle fan!), but I’ve included then anyway, as I’m sure they’ll be available again in due course.

1000 piece - Jonathan Adler Now House Vertigo puzzle, £21.50

285 piece LA MURALLA ROJA by Slowdown Studio, £30

1000 piece Midnight Garden puzzle, $22.50

Double sided 500 piece succulent puzzle, £12

1000 piece Love Lives Here puzzle, £13.50

800 piece Bathing with Flowers puzzle, $48

500 piece puzzles in various designs, £16

I’d love to hear if anyone else has been enjoying a puzzle in recent weeks?! Or if you might now give it a try? :)

Current Obsession: Terrazzo

January 17, 2018

I've been busy working on the plans for our new kitchen which seems to be taking FOREVER! Mostly due to getting quotes and then realising we can't afford something so then having to rethink it! One element I would love to include in the design is terrazzo. I've recently noticed it cropping up here and there, and while it's been 'trending' for a while, I think it's set to become even bigger in 2018. Not just in terms of it's traditional use on surfaces but also product and pattern designers are adapting it into their designs....

I think my chances of being able to afford a terrazzo floor are slim, so perhaps i will have to opt for some crockery or a notebook! Although I am loving this Ferm Living wallpaper and wondering where it could fit into our home! What do you think of this trend?

Terrazzo pattern notebook - Micush on Etsy

Terrazzo kitcheon floor - via Aestate Studio

Terrazzo pattern iPad sleeve - Design Delicatessen

Current obsession: Trouva

February 28, 2017

I feel like I've been doing a LOT of online shopping recently. Moving from a large town to a small village has meant turning to the internet for even the smallest of purchases, which I used to be able to pick up by just 'popping into town'. Funnily enough though, I find that it makes me really consider a purchase before clicking 'buy'. I might pin it or bookmark it and go back to it a few times before finally ordering it, so I kinda feel I am only buying things I really like, rather than on a whim. But, it can often be a little labourious when you are visiting loads of different websites to find what you are after, so I'm currently really enjoying shopping with Trouva.

Trouva is a collection of around 150 independent boutiques from around the UK all selling via their website. Some of my favourite stores are selling on there - Moonko in Sheffield, Berylune in Leamington Spa, Monpote in Bristol and Cassius and Coco in London, to name a few.

Hemp dipped basket from Design Vintage / Trouva

As well as homeware, they also sell clothing and gifts, so it's a bit of a one stop shop, and the great thing is, despite the fact that if you order items from different boutiques, the delivery charge is a standard £3.50. My first experience of using the site was for a Valentines gift - I'd ordered two items from two different shops. I shortly received an email to say one of the items was out of stock and I'd been refunded. I was slightly disappointed (and a bit panicked - "What do I buy him now?!") but I was pleasantly surprised a few days later when a small package arrived containing a personalised iced biscuit from Trouva to apologise about the problem with my order. Yes, it didn't help my frantic gift search, but I did think this was a really nice touch.

hanging plant pot from Tea & Kate / Pink cushion with gold spots from Rigby & Mac / Handmade mugs from Rigby & Mac / Meraki handwash from Design Vintage; / Grey and Turquiose cushion from Alresford Linen Company / Concrete wall cloc… — hanging plant pot from Tea & Kate / Pink cushion with gold spots from Rigby & Mac / Handmade mugs from Rigby & Mac / Meraki handwash from Design Vintage; / Grey and Turquiose cushion from Alresford Linen Company / Concrete wall clock from Holloways of Ludlow / Cocos Nucifera Print from Mon Pote - All via Trouva

I thought I'd share a few of my fave finds from the website, a few of which I may have already treated myself to, and you might see popping up in future room makeover posts which I'll be sharing soon!

Do pop over for a little browse, although make sure you've got a cuppa to hand, you may be some time! Their blog is also worth a little peep as they highlight some of the indie sellers, and you might just discover a few new shops you didn't know before.

www.trouva.com

Current Obsession: future new home inspiration

October 13, 2015

We have just recently sold our lovely little home! I'm really sad to be moving on from this flat - our first home we've owned together, the inspiration for 91 Magazine's name (91 is our house number) and where we brought our first baby back to a week after she was born. So many great memories and also the first place I've really been able to put my stamp on in terms of the interior. I think I'll be especially sad to leave our kitchen behind, as I love it and put so much effort into it. But hey, it's time to move on and give our family more space to grow.

our kitchen/dining room - Photo by Cathy Pyle

We have just had an offer accepted on an amazing house but of course you can never celebrate until contracts are exchanged, but it doesn't stop me from dreaming about what I will do to the place! I'm definitely feeling that I want to continue the kind of look we have in the kitchen now - a white backdrop with lots of dashes of pastel and bright colour. My heart is still with white painted floorboards, but I'm also really liking polished concrete flooring and I love parquet too.

I thought I'd gather images of some of my favourite homes which I've lusted over for a long time, many of them belong to bloggers who I really admire., and whose homes I will be taking lots of inspiration from for our new place.

Images via Zilverblauw website or Instagram

This is the home of Zilverblauw owners Anki and Casper. I actually wrote a home tour feature about them for Mollie Makes a while back, and totally fell in love with their style. Their Instagram account is a must follow.

I've loved Yvonne of Yvestown's home for a very long time, and I never seem to tire of it. It's so fresh and I love the colour and pattern she has introduced. These images were taken by Holly Marder for her Homes with Heart column on Decor8. In fact, her column has given me lots of inspiration and some of the other homes here were found via her posts.

I love a feature wallpaper wall like Yvonne has above, so I am keeping my eyes peeled for some great designs. I love this pattern, designed by Josef Frank available from Svenkstenn.

Below is another home which I had the honour of writing about for Mollie Makes. It is owned by Marie of Oh Marie. These shots were by Holly Marder again and you can view the whole set on Decor8. I love that statement rug and how she has injected colour by painting furniture in vibrant shades. I love the white brick walls too, but I imagine we'd be very lucky to find those in any houses around Surrey!

Holly Marder also snapped this stunning home in The Netherlands for her Decor8 column. (more pics via the link) Contemporary design mixed with vintage finds and upcycled furniture. Perfect.

Finally, two more bloggers whose homes I'm obsessed with - Ingrid of Fjeldborg in Norway (images courtesy of her blog)

and another Ingrid - this time of Wood and Wool Stool in The Netherlands. These images were also shot by Holly Marder - more on Decor8.

I love the introduction of grey on the walls in both these homes, and of course their amazing furniture! Oh and the floor in the last two images. I could forfeit my white floors for this I think!

Wow, this turned into quite a long post! You can tell my mind is in full 'new home: so many possibilities' mode! I will keep you updated on our progress! :)

Current Obsession: mid century furniture

May 6, 2015

I feel like my interior style has been changing a little of late. I've found myself drawn more and more to Scandinavian interiors - quite minimal and lots of white. Not only this, my preference for mid century furniture design seems to be growing.

We are actually planning to sell our house soon, which is an Edwardian maisonette, and we are seriously considering going for a more modern property, probably something built between 1950-1980. This seems like the perfect opportunity to go for a more mid century look. Of course this is likely to mean spending more on furniture, as it won't be so easy to pick up pieces from car boots and markets for next to nothing like i have done for our current home. And while it would be lovely to have original pieces by the likes of Charles and Ray Eames or Hans Wegner, the chances of that are unlikely with our budget, so I was quite interested to hear about a UK based website selling replica designs called voga.com.

They recently sent me some info about interior trends for S/S 2015, and the ones I am loving are the continuation of pastel shades as well as bright yellow. So I've been looking out for inspiration combining these trends with my new obsession for mid century! Lots of ideas for our future home!

via Gin Design Room and A Beautiful Mess — via Gin Design Room and A Beautiful Mess

via The Design Files  and alvhemmakleri.se — via The Design Files and alvhemmakleri.se

Voga is definitely worth a peek if you are a fan of mid century furniture but are on a tight budget. For example they do a version of the Hans Wegner Y chair, and the Eames chairs come in lots of different colours....

Are you a fan of mid century furniture? Or have you found your interior style taking a new direction lately? I'd love to hear what you are in to! xxx

Current Obsession: Audrey Jeanne

January 19, 2015

The eagled-eyed amongst you might remember me mentioning a Audrey Jeanne print which I have in Ruby's room, from when I posted about the nursery makeover? Well, since then I've become a tad obsessed with her lovely work! I bought the 'My Daily Melody' print via Tea and Kate, but a few weeks ago, I ended up ordering some more prints and some cute gift tags direct from Audrey Jeanne's online shop.

They are hung in the hall just outside Ruby's room, teamed with a new Seventy Tree print which is currently reduced in the sale. (in pic below, far right)

Here is the other print which is in Ruby's room, although I recently relocated it to a different wall, as felt it was hidden too much where I'd originally hung it.

You may have spotted a bit of a theme running through her work! if you are not a cat fan, it might not be for you! Although she does have *some* non-cat related items! I also ordered these sweet little heart gift tags, and was happy to receive some free postcards with my order too...

Audrey's style is influenced by Scandinavia and Asia, and mostly definitely inspired by her cat, a siamese called Mikado. I've just discovered her Instagram feed too which is lovely! Here are some more examples of her work... what do you think?

Check out all of Audrey's work on her website.