Indie shop tour: Louisa Grace Interiors

There's nothing better than a local gem is there? A great pub for a Sunday roast, a stylish cafe for a leisurely catch up, or in this case, three huge barns perfect for sourcing a great piece of vintage furniture! When we moved to Banstead in Surrey about 18 months ago, I was aware of Louisa Grace Interiors through Instagram, but it's only in recent weeks that I've had the chance to make the trip to the other side of the village for a visit. Why on earth did I wait so long?! Who blinking knows!!

The three barns, located on Seven Acres Farm, right near to Mayfield Lavender Fields are run by husband and wife team Jamie and Claire McFadyen. When Claire was on maternity leave in 2013, the couple were inspired to launch the business when they made a blackboard from a vintage frame for their daughters. Suddenly, they were selling these on eBay, and things gradually took off from there. Whilst Claire's background is in marketing and Jamie is an ex-London cabbie, the pair have always had a shared love for vintage interiors, so it felt right to make this the family business. The name for the shop was again inspired by their children - Maisy Louisa and Mollie Grace.

Being based in a rural location, Louisa Grace is definitely more of a 'destination'; one which shoppers have to make the effort to visit, which Claire admits can have its positives and negatives - although in the summer it can be combined with an afternoon at the nearby Lavender Fields. I asked Claire a few questions to find out a bit more about both the business and creative sides of running a vintage furniture shop.... 

Where and how do you go about sourcing your stock? What is it you look for when sourcing? We have various suppliers throughout France and Belgium. We look for unusual, original, rustic and industrial pieces. We also try to get good deals so that, in turn, we can keep prices down for our customers.

I love how you’ve used old doors, window frames and shutters to clad the interior walls of the barns – was that something you planned or have they just accumulated over time? A bit of both really! The oldest barn we have was once used to house cattle so the shutters looked far more appealing than muddy breeze blocks!

The barns have a unique feel of being carefully styled but at the same time with the air of a French flea market. How to you approach the styling of the spaces? Firstly, great, as that is the aim! Jamie does all of the styling and spends lots of time on Pinterest to gain ideas for making the space work.

The ‘shabby chic’ trend of a few years ago seems to have lost its appeal and the trend is now more for industrial and scandi vintage trends – would you agree? And where do you think the vintage aesthetic is headed in coming years? Are you a ‘vintage purist’ or do you like to mix it up with contemporary finds also? Yes absolutely – we banish the ‘shabby chic’ phrase at the barns, although my Dad still insists that’s what we do! We’re thinking less of an industrial scandi trend and more of a rustic, unfinished scandi look may be emerging, but we’ll just have to see! We definitely love our vintage finds but are happy to mix with contemporary, however we tend to steer clear of art deco and mid century.

As a small independent business, what have you found to be the best ways to promote and market your business? We do a little bit of local advertising but mainly rely on word of mouth and social media. Instagram is one of our favourites as we enjoy posting lovely images. Being on selling platforms like Etsy also helps us gain a wider geographical reach.

You're right, social media is a wonderful marketing tool, but do you feel it’s also worth investing in other marketing and PR activity? Yes, we have a PR who helps to get our products into national media. She also advises on content and images for social media. It’s an added cost but one which I think is worth it.

Photography is a hugely important part of any online business these days. Have you experience in this or have you had to teach yourself? If so, how have you gone about it? I studied photography when I was younger and love that I now utilise some of those skills. I can’t rate my iPhone camera highly enough though and take most of my photos for my listings with that. However, I’ve also got a mirrorless Panasonic Lumix with different lenses which allows me to take much clearer and more interesting images.

How do you see your business evolving in the next few years? Do you think you will have to diversify / expand? What are your plans for Louisa Grace Interiors? We aim to continue to expand and would like to offer a larger range of decorative objects and home accessories as well as furniture. Our ultimate goal / dream would be to own a property (we currently rent the barns) and have a showroom, workshop and a little café, so it becomes more of a destination… watch this space!

Finally, what wise words to you have to share with other small business owners or anyone looking to venture into this world? Ha, that’s easy - I’ve been told time and time again to ‘hold your nerve’ when things get tough and it’s become a bit of a mantra now!

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Thank you Claire! If you can pay a visit to the barns it's well worth the trip, but if not, do check out their website and you'll find them on Instagram at @louisagraceinteriors.

Photography: Caroline Rowland

Visiting Bordeaux: Darwin Eco-système

The last couple of months have been so so hectic - I took 6 flights in the space of about a month - first Bordeaux, then Mexico City, then Belfast! I was also getting the new issue of 91 Magazine ready (it's on sale now!) as well as meeting other work deadlines. Plus, we've been ripping out our kitchen in prep for the renovation (which started officially today! The noise of drills the current soundtrack to my day!) 

So as I have finally come up for air, I wanted to share some of the things I've been up to. On my trip to Bordeaux I was there with one of our 91 photographers shooting a gorgeous home for the magazine. It was just around the corner from the Darwin Eco-système - a really cool venue which, in a previous life served as military barracks. 

We headed here for a pre-shoot breakfast and were the first people here, so had a chance to take lots of pics of Magasin General which is an organic cafe/restaurant/bar and a lovely general store full of fresh organic produce and interesting food brands. 

I really loved the raw, industrial building with all the vintage and salvaged furniture they'd used in the space. It was huge, and one of those places where you could literally spend a whole day - eating, working, chatting - in fact we pretty much did, as we went back after the shoot to edit the photos and have a well deserved glass of wine! 

There was also a shop selling lots of interesting products and books which we had a wander around. Loved the wicker chairs above! Again, it was a great warehouse style space, and the light through the huge windows was just lovely while we were there. 

As we were there for a shoot, we were lucky enough that Carine, the home owner, gave us a little tour around the Darwin site, which is huge - over 3 hectares - and told us a little bit about it. It is actually part of a huge redevelopment of the La Bastide area of Bordeaux, which is being transformed into an eco-neighbourhood. Darwin is a hub for green living and working, and as well as the places mentioned above, it is home to lots of creative and eco-focused companies who share the co-working spaces. There is also an urban farm, a skatepark and space for free expression for street artists. 

I was so impressed with this place - it had such a lovely vibe, even in February people were sitting outside having a drink and there was a real sense of community and liveliness. I wish there were more places like this in the UK! You can read a little more about it in the feature I wrote about Carine Giraud's home in the latest issue of 91 Magazine too. 

If you are ever in Bordeaux do pop over to the right bank, it's a lovely way to while away an afternoon. More info here. 

Indie shopping in Margate

One of the things I'd like to do more of this year is family day trips. I love exploring new towns and cities and visiting places I've been recommended or discovering ones I haven't. We kicked of 2018 with a trip to Margate, which I haven't been to since my uni days (14 years ago!), when I photographed it for a project on seaside towns. Much has changed in this little coastal town - the Turner Contemporary of course, Dreamland has had a facelift and the old town has become a haven for independent shops and cafes. This is where we spent most of the few hours we had, although I'm pretty sure I still missed some gems! Here's a little run down of the lovely places we popped in and out of as we wandered the streets of Margate.

Etcetera Vintage - This was the first shop we stumbled upon as we headed into the old town from the car park. It had a balanced mix of contemporary and vintage homeware and lifestyle products all beautifully displayed, and lucky for us, there was a sale on! I couldn't resist (another) plant pot purchase and hubby even treated himself to a leather keyring. Pop to their website to browse their online shop too. 

Little Bit Margate - you can't fail to notice this shop as you come around the corner into Broad Street. It's polka dot exterior leads you into a riot of colour with it's blue and pink counter, multi coloured steps and kitsch objects galore. There's lots of fun things for kids, but plenty for colour loving adults too, like these gorgeous plant pots (I know, I'm obsessed!), statement jewellery and illustrated greeting cards. Their website isn't up and running yet, so head to their Instagram to see more.

The Harbour cafe - We spent quite a bit of time wandering around looking for somewhere to eat, and if only we'd known about GB Pizza Co which someone told us about after we got home - it looks right up my street! We settled on this sweet little cafe near to the beach. I really liked the frontage and inside it was cosy and bustling. 

Turner Contemporary gift shop - As we were down by the front, we took the chance to pop into the Turner Contemporary. We had a quick peek at the Tracey Emin bed (mmmm.... anyone else underwhelmed?!) and then had a browse of the gift shop. It had work from lots of indie makers which was nice to see - if I'd had more budget I would have been tempted by a Miss Pom Pom hat and an Artist pot by Alex Sickling!

Kin - Time was running out, so we took a dash back to the old town for tea and cake and I stumbled across a lovely little shop called Kin. I think they'd recently relocated and I can't find anything online about them, but it was a tiny shop filled with lovely lifestyle objects - candles, ceramics, textiles, greeting cards etc. I think it was just off Market Place... 

Margate Mercury - Before heading home we walked up to Northdown road, to Margate Mercury's The Hub, which also has a small sandwich bar inside called Cyril's. I wanted to pop in as they are a new 91 Magazine stockist, but it turned out they'd already sold out! They have a small but perfectly formed selection of magazines and books and you can grab a coffee while you browse! 

I'm sure there is lots more we missed in the few hours we were there, so no doubt we'll be back, and we definitely need to visit that Pizza joint! Thanks for having us Margate! 

Shopping and Eating in Copenhagen

I can't believe it's been nearly two months since the hubby and I had our little getaway to Copenhagen! We hadn't been away together without Ruby for over a year and this was the first time it's been just the two of us since we became parents! So it felt pretty special. As lovely as it is to go away as a family, a three year old is not interested in hours of shopping or spending a leisurely afternoon in a nice bar, or eating some fancy food, so this is exactly what we filled our three days with! Oh and maybe the odd lazy lie in too! :) 

We stayed in an Air BNB which was relatively basic, but it did the job and was in the lovely area of Frederiksberg. To be fair, the Scandinavians version of basic is still way more stylish than what you'd get at home! 

I had come armed with a heavily bookmarked copy of the Copenhagen Style Guide which barely left my hands the whole trip! On the first evening, we took a recommendation for dinner from the book and headed to Kul which was in the meat packing district. The book said it was great food at affordable prices, but being our first night in the city we were still a little taken back at how expensive it was! We went for a shared dish of ribs and had the steak tartare as a shared starter. The food was really delicious though and we were completely stuffed by the end! 

We had a lovely first breakfast just around the corner from our apartment in Coffee Collective, which is renowned in Copenhagen for its coffee. I'm not a coffee drinker but hubby said it lived up to the reputation and I enjoyed a pretty amazing hot chocolate. Fuelled up, we headed to Jagersborggade, a street that has a number of independent shops, cafes and restaurants along it. We soon discovered that despite having a lie in and a leisurely breakfast, we were still too early as most of the shops don't open until around 11am! 

It was worth the wait though for cute little shops like Vanishing Point (above) and Kaktus (below) I slightly regret not buying anything in Vanishing Point - it's always the way when it's the first shop you visit isn't it?!

Next we headed towards the centre of the city and made a stop off at the Torvehallerne food market. Lots of cool places to grab a bite, plus independent food brands selling their wares, as well as a few plant and flower stands too. 

Not in my trusty book, but well worth a browse, is Stilleben. There are two stores in the city and they are beautifully styled spaces filled with homewares, plants, books, art prints and stationery. 

In the heart of the city, just near to the Rundetaarn (The Round Tower) we discovered Plint - a lovely store filled with gorgeous homeware and lifestyle products. Again there were many things in here I was sad I couldn't fit in my hand baggage!

Any design lover is unlikely to miss Hay House during a visit to Copenhagen. Right in the middle of the city, the huge two floor space is packed full of stunning Danish design, from sleek sofas to simply-designed tableware to the most covetable of stationery. My other half isn't usually that interested in the homeware stores I drag him round, but I think even he was impressed with this one! It's a must to come away with a little slice of Hay in your luggage, even if it's just a tea towel! 

We spent the early evening exploring the Christianshavn neighbourhood, and wandered into a bar for a quick sit down and a glass of wine. What we hadn't realised was that it was the bar to one of Copenhagen's Michelin star restaurants 108. We could never have afforded to eat in there,  but it was certainly nice to have a drink in the lovely little bar. 

After a wander around the harbour area with the sun setting, we came upon La Halle, a cool space where we stopped for an early evening snack and a beer. Then, as we'd had a pricey meal the night before we decided to just go for a burger later on near our apartment, which was much cheaper, but very delicious! 

Next morning (my birthday!) we headed to Værnedamsvej - another lovely street worth a stroll. My trusty style guide directed us to Granola for breakfast, which was very nice. It feels like an old fashioned salon but didn't feel gimmicky and the food was very tasty.

Blomsterskuret

Blomsterskuret

Blomsterskuret

Shop Dora

Shop Dora

Next door to Granola is Blomsterskuret - a stunning plant and flower shop - small but perfectly formed. Across the road, Shop Dora is well worth a browse with its mix of contemporary design and vintage finds. 

Design Delicatessen

Design Delicatessen

Rack Buddy

Rack Buddy

Aniel

We spent the afternoon exploring Frederiksberg. It's such a lovely area, away from the hustle and bustle of the main part of the city and lots of lovely shops to nip in and out of. Along Frederiksberg Allé, we visited Design Delicatessen, Rack Buddy and Aniel, all very different but all equally as lovely. 

Probably my favourite shop we visited on our trip was Bak shop. If you happen to buy the Copenhagen Style Guide book which I had, do note that the address for this shop is listed incorrectly. Initially I was gutted to discover it was no longer on Jagersborggade as the book suggested. But, while strolling Frederiksberg, we unexpectedly came across it on Gammel Kongevej. It is a small shop, but hopefully my photos convey how beautiful it is - filled with plants and botanically inspired items, ceramics, glassware, stationery and magazines - all beautifully displayed. This was one shop I didn't leave empty-handed! 

We had a quick lunch stop in possibly the most stylish fast food restaurant I've ever seen! Jagger is not on the same scale as McDonalds (there are just four around the city) but it is light years ahead in terms of aesthetic and design. The food was really good - great for a budget pitstop. 

As it was my birthday, we decided to walk (quite the distance!) back to Jægersborggade to go to Istid, to have one of their liquid nitrogen ice cream cocktails. Unfortunately it was closed when we got there! So instead we wandered a few doors down to Gonzo Cafe for a drink, a cosy cafe/bar filled with plants, candles and slouchy cushions. A lovely spot to rest your weary tourist feet at the end of the day!

photo via Vaekst

I didn't take my camera when we went out in the evenings, so the first photo above is via the restaurants website - I wanted to include it though to show you as it how gorgeous it is! I was recommended Vaekst through Instagram, and when I heard it had a greenhouse in the middle of the restaurant I knew I wanted to spend my birthday meal there! It was a real experience and we thoroughly enjoyed it. When we've been to fancy restaurants before (on the rare occasion!) we often feel it is overdone or a bit stuffy, but here we felt relaxed and at ease, with staff who were informative but not overbearing. We went for the tasting menu with wine pairing - the pic above shows the plate that came with our aperitif (which wasn't listed on the menu) and in the copper pots is worms!! I was a little unsure at first, but it was actually really delicious - I'm glad I gave it a go! (sorry for the rubbish iPhone pic!) It certainly wasn't a cheap meal, but I felt like we really got our moneys worth and it was a special treat night out. 

On our last morning, we just had a few hours before we had to head to the airport, so we stuck around Frederiksberg, returning to Coffee Collective for breakfast and checking out the flea market which is on on a Saturday morning. On our way to the subway, bags in tow, I discovered that Bloom was finally open - I'd walked past this plant shop nearly every day and it hadn't been open, so I was chuffed that it finally was. I left hubby on the street with the luggage while I chatted plants, magazines and Instagram with the lovely owner and got a bit snap happy in her gorgeous little green oasis. The perfect end to a perfect trip! It really is a great city and I do hope we get the chance to return one day. If you haven't been, then do! Just make sure you save a few pennies beforehand, it's far from a budget city break, but well worth it! 

24 hours in Bristol with my new camera: Olympus Pen E-PL8

Recently I decided to take the plunge and upgrade my camera. For years I'd been using an old second hand Nikon D70, which is a good camera, but it is heavy and cumbersome and I always felt I wasn't quite getting the results I wanted from it. The fact it is so large and heavy meant I very rarely took it out, and even at events like family parties it felt too 'in your face' and people tend to clam up when you pull out a 'big camera' like that. 

I had recently started listening to Stylonylon's Phototalk podcast where Julia talks a lot about her Olympus cameras, including the Olympus Pen E-PL8, and it sounded exactly like what I was looking for. From what Julia was saying I quickly realised that if I bought this camera it was definitely worth buying an additional lens for it, as she suggested the kit lens that comes with it isn't that great. Her recommendations were either the 45mm or the 17mm lens (or both!). So off I trotted to my local John Lewis to have a play with the camera and the lenses. Straight away I knew the 17mm was the one for me (of course it would be the more expensive one!). With the 45mm you have to be quite far back from your subject which doesn't really suit my style of shooting. After testing the camera out and a good old chat with the JL staff, I went ahead and took the plunge. The camera with the kit lens is £550. They didn't have the 17mm lens in stock, so I decided to look elsewhere for that, and found one on eBay, for about £70 cheaper than the high street price tag of £369.  

LEFT: Taken with kit lens at max aperture of f3.5 RIGHT: Taken with 17mm lens at f1.8

I had a few days between buying the camera and receiving the new lens from the eBay seller, so spent some time testing it out with the kit lens. When the 17mm arrived, I was overjoyed! The difference was huge and I totally agree with Julia that it is worth adding this to your kit. Above I've tried to take the same shot with both lenses, and you can see the difference in the depth of field, which is down to the fact the kit lens only has a max aperture of f3.5 while the 17mm opens to f1.8. So, ever since, I have yet to take off the 17mm lens, there just doesn't seem any reason to switch back to the kit lens. 

Above is one of the first photos I took with the 17mm lens, as I played around with it at home when it arrived. It's made me enjoy photographing Ruby even more now, when I can get her to stay still for 5 secs that is! 

Technology really has moved on since my last camera purchase, and I was so excited by some of the features the Pen has. If you download the Olympus Image Share app you can do some use it as a remote control. So for the image above I had the camera set up on a surface, and then on my phone I could see what the camera was seeing and I could then release the shutter via my phone! I'm not one for taking many self portraits anyway, but it is such a handy feature and great if you do take outfit shots or self portraits. 

Not only that, you can transfer images directly from the camera to your phone using the app, which I have used SO much. Obviously this is great for uploading pics straight to your social media, but also for sending to family or friends, rather than waiting til you get home to download them all. Another fave feature is the fact you can change format from normal (4:3) to square (1:1). Sometimes if I'm photographing for Instagram, I find it much easier to view in square than having to think about the crop afterwards, so this is super handy. That's why you'll notice a difference in the format of the images here as I keep jumping between the two!

We recently went on a little family trip to Bristol and it was the first time I'd really got to properly try the camera out. Of course it's size made such a difference, you barely even notice it in your bag or on your shoulder. With my Nikon, I'd so often take it away on trips, but then not bother to take it out and about as it was just too heavy to lug around all day. And of course, the fact I could send images direct to my phone meant I could share moments from our day on Instagram without waiting to download them - or like I used to do, having to take the same photos on my phone! So, here's a little photo story of our 24 hours spent in Bristol when my new camera got a really good airing....

We stayed in a really gorgeous Airbnb apartment in the Gloucester Road area, which was just a bus ride into the centre of Bristol with lots of lovely cafes and restaurants nearby. 

On our first afternoon, I stumbled across new candle shop Osmology when we were exploring the Christmas Steps. I had recently heard of them online but hadn't realised the shop was there. It is beautiful and filled with so many of my favourite candle brands. I'm not sure why I didn't treat myself to a candle, I think I was too busy taking photos!

That evening we headed down to Wapping Wharf for dinner, which is lovely, but unfortunately it was raining so I didn't really bother with taking photos, so this is from Saturday morning, when we headed down to Clifton. 

Papersmiths was a must-visit of course - totally dreamy as expected! And then we popped across the street into Anna Cake Couture for hot drinks and macarons...

We then headed back over the suspension bridge to the car and headed to our last shopping stop - Mon Pote. Another shop I've been dying to visit and it didn't disappoint! After a mooch around Up Fest (the street art festival that was on) and a messy burger from a van, we bundled back into the car and drove back to London, just as the rain came on again! 

BTW - This post is in no way a sponsored post (I wish!) - I've just had lot of questions about my new camera so thought it would be useful to share my review of it. Also, I had loads of pics of Bristol that I didn't want to leave languishing on my computer forever! I loved Bristol by the way, I can't wait to go back!

 If you've got any questions about the camera at all, just drop me a line. I found it really useful listening to Stylonnylon's podcasts and also watching Emily Quinton's videos about it. Bye for now! 

Trend spotting in Milan with DFS

Every now and then, an opportunity comes along that simply can't be turned down. Back in March I received an invitation from DFS to accompany them to the Salone del Mobile furniture fair in Milan. When I worked at the FT on their House & Home supplement, we featured the Salone every year, so I was well aware of the scale and importance of this fair in the interiors world. So it was super exciting to get the chance to see it in person - plus I've never been to Milan, so that in itself was very cool! So hubby took over the childcare reins for 2 days, while I jetted off, all ready for a dose of interiors inspiration!

After meeting up with fellow bloggers Jess of The Only Girl in the House, Ashley of Lazy Daisy Jones and Geraldine of Little Big Bell, we had dinner with the DFS design team, before an early start to hit the fair the next morning. It was fascinating to chat to the people behind the brand and find out about how the sofa design process works and where they get their inspiration. 

A lot of their inspiration indeed stems from attending shows just like the Salone, as well as smaller events throughout the year. They are looking out for emerging trends - sofa shapes, colours, fabrics, design details - it was so interesting to browse the stands with them, hear their thought process and pick up on what things they plan to implement in future designs. 

For me, there were three trends that really stood out throughout the show, with almost every stand I visited having elements of these within them. These were: velvet, marble and botanicals. I'm already very partial to a plant or two, and if you read last week's post, you'll know I've clearly fallen for the marble craze, and well, I may have just ordered myself a few velvet cushions! 

There was also a lot of colour around - and while I'm still loving a bit of grey at the moment, it was hard not to fall for the sumptuous greens in every shade, the luxurious burnt orange hues and the blush pinks that seemed to dominate the fabric choices. 

I was then intrigued to see how the DFS designers translate all of this inspiration into their range. And well, it seems they are one step ahead with this gorgeous lime green velvet sofa from their Topaz range. They also incorporated the marble theme by using the pattern on a striking armchair and footstool. 

This Athena three seater sofa (inspired by another Salone-spotted trend for casual folds and visible seams) appeals to my grey addiction, and by simply adding colour with paint, accessories and that pink velvet Zinc armchair (swoon!), it looks stunning.

It was such an interesting trip - obviously it was amazing to visit Milan and the fair, but I also loved finding out more about the design process behind a brand like DFS. As part of the collaboration I've also been gifted my very own sofa, and I'll be sharing some pics of it soon, along with a peek at our newly renovated living room! You may just spot of few of these trends creeping in! 

If you are in the market for new furniture then I recommend you take a little peek at their sofa range, there are some lovely ones - my faves are the Zinc range which also comes in a velvet fabric collection, the Topaz range and the Betsy range. Thanks so much to DFS for a wonderful trip! 

Getting out of my comfort zone with Miscellaneous Adventures

I must admit, I am definitely one for cosying up in my comfort zone. My weeks and weekends are generally quite hectic, and juggling a busy work / life schedule doesn't often lend itself to trying different things - I just don't have the time. Furthermore, I am not much of an outdoorsy person either - My love of interiors I guess rings true with the fact that generally I prefer being snuggled up indoors than being outside! Not to say I don't like being outdoors, especially at this time of year, but I'm just not big on camping and you know, generally outdoorsy things like that. So, last weekend I decided it was time to step up and step outside and challenge myself to something a little different. 

I spent my Saturday in the woods with the guys from Miscellaneous Adventures - husband and wife team, Andrew and Emma - who host creative workshops in the great British countryside. Ok, so the workshop I opted for was a little less 'physical' than some of their others, but still, it was change of environment for me nonetheless! Their main workshops are wood carving and axe skills, but I was taking their newest course - Drawn to Nature. 

The group of seven gathered around a small camp fire, with cups of steaming tea and coffee, while we were introduced to our teacher for the day - Esther McManus. We were encouraged to slow down, investigate our surroundings and find what interested us personally, before we set off on foot for a series of drawing exercises. 

It was the drawing element of the workshop that drew me to it (scuse the pun!) in the first place. I used to love drawing and painting back when I was at art college in the late 90's (blimey that makes me sound old!) - but as I'd specialised in photography for my degree, I literally hadn't picked up a sketchpad in years, and I really fancied giving it another go, and just being offline for a day. 

Esther's instruction was inspiring and fun, and was interspersed by factual nuggets from Andrew about the flora and fauna we were discovering, his knowledge about the woodland clearly rich and informed. The surroundings were immensely epic and the light on the day was truly beautiful, I struggled to stick to drawing as I was often tempted to snap away with my camera! 

As you can see my drawing and painting skills need a little bit more refining, but for me that wasn't what the day was all about. It was simply about going outside that comfort zone I'm usually so snuggly wrapped in, and discovering that sometimes doing something different is all that was needed to invigorate your soul. 

Find out more about Miscellaneous Adventures on their website - they plan to run more Drawn to Nature workshops later this year, so if you fancy it, it''s probably worth signing up to their newsletter. 

Visit: Dean Street Cafe

Last Saturday I bundled myself out of the house early to catch the train into London for a breakfast event at the soon-to-be-opened Dean Street Cafe. I love weekend mornings in London, the streets are slowly waking up, deliveries are arriving, businesses are opening up for the day, yet there is still a relaxed weekend vibe, as both Londoners and visitors emerge to enjoy the city, explore different neighbourhoods and discover new things. That's my number one thing about London- there are always new things happening, no matter how long you live here, it's constantly changing, evolving.and surprising.

So, it was wonderful to get introduced to this new space in Soho by Tiffany and Annie of Function and Form. The two ladies host events focusing on the work of a designer, giving like minded folk - who usually connect virtually - the chance to get together 'in the real world' in a cool, 'instagramable' venue!

But Dean Street Cafe is more than just a cool venue. It is run by Centrepoint, a charity who provide accommodation and support to young homeless people. The cafe is actually housed in the very building where Centrepoint was founded in 1969, and the multifunctional space is not only opening to offer refreshment to Soho's weekend visitors, but to also provide training and qualifications to many of London's young homeless people. 

Centrepoint enlisted the help of Nina+Co to design the flexible space, and we listened to Nina's story on Saturday, which was hugely inspiring. She described her creative journey from being an assistant in a design firm through to starting her own company, then gave us an insight into her day to day life (currently in Amsterdam) and achieving a good work/life balance. She finally explained the challenges involved in this particular project and how she overcame them. 

With the space being used during the week for training, workshops and private events, the cafe element pretty much has to be 'packed away' so these wall panels are actually cupboards where the tables and chairs can be stored. The peg board feature also gives flexibility to how the wall itself is used. 

Nina's design studio has a strong focus on sustainability, so this is a notable feature at Dean Street Cafe. The wood they've used is a fast growing wood, fabrics were locally sourced and upholstery done by The Hackney Draper, and she used eco paints, and much of the freestanding furniture is second hand. 

You can see more images of the space on Nina's website and be sure to check out her ceramics range too (above), it is beautiful - she is a talented lady! Thanks again to Function and Form and everyone involved in this event. It was truly lovely to discover this little cafe, and I'm sure I'll be popping back soon! 

*Dean Street Cafe opens to the public in September and will be open weekends only from 10am-6pm. It is just near the junction of Dean Street and Shaftesbury Avenue.*

Medicine Garden, Cobham

Now that we have a toddler, we tend to do a lot more 'days out' and visiting of places than we used to. A leisurely wander round the shops on a Sunday afternoon, is not sufficient entertainment for an excitable toddler! Saying that, at the moment, we can pretty much take Ruby anywhere and she will find it fun (as long as she's able to get out of the buggy!) so we aren't quite at the stage of spending our weekends at places like Legoland! But it means that we are getting out and about and discovering some great places that are actually right on our doorstep! 

The other thing that toddlers don't care about is whether it's raining or not! They'd much rather get outside than stay indoors, so last Sunday, we donned our raincoats and headed for the Medicine Garden in Cobham. I actually came across this place on Instagram (the source of all new discoveries!) and realised it's only a short drive away from us. 

We headed straight for the cafe when we arrived as the rain was coming down pretty heavily. They actually have 2 cafes on site, but we went for the Hot House, as they enticed my hubby with the hot breakfasts! The decor inside is lovely and the food was pretty delicious too.  

Once fed, we ventured outside again, and Ruby had a look at the chickens and we wandered amongst the various plant displays. It's not exactly a garden centre, but it has a small, but decent range of plants and containers in the courtyard. 

There are a few little shops dotted around the courtyard: a flower shop, a little gallery and a gift shop which are all worth popping your head in. But for some reason, I was drawn to this old potting shed (?), which I'm not even sure if you were supposed to go in! I think it might have been more of a store room, but the collections of succulents and old pots and things were too good not to grab a few snaps of! 

Before leaving, we had a (slightly soggy) wander around the walled garden, which is really lovely. There is a bit of a wild flower theme  to the planting, which looks beautiful against the weathered brickwork. There is also a kids play area which Ruby was loving, as it was basically just a huge sandpit! 

We really enjoyed our visit despite the rain! I would say it is really only a morning or afternoon visit, not a whole day thing, although I imagine with the sun out you could spend a lot more time enjoying the garden and sitting outside!  

Find out more on their website: www.themedicinegarden.com

A favourite Vintage event - Decorative Living Fair

Well, it's been a super busy few weeks as I've been immersed in getting the first ever print edition of 91 Magazine in to print. It's been stressful yet joyful as well as knackering yet hugely rewarding! if you would like to see the results of months of work bringing the publication together, you can pop over and order a copy via the 91 Magazine website. I really hope you might enjoy it the same as so many others have already. You can see lots of readers pics over on Instagram via the #my91magazine hashtag. 

To give myself a little break and get away from it all last weekend, we took ourselves down to Kent to visit the Decorative Living Fair. This is only the 2nd time I've been to the event at Eridge Park, although I've been to the London one a few times, but this Kent based fair is definitely one of my favourite ones to make the effort to travel to.

Set in the grounds of a beautiful private house, overlooking a stunning view of the Kent countryside, the fair has a real feel of a French brocante or flea market yet is beautifully curated; firstly by Caroline Zoob and Hetty Purbrick who carefully select the vendors, and then each stall is impeccably styled by each individual. 

Chatting with some of the regular sellers, I find out that they only bring their very best stock to the Decorative Living Fair. The quality of stalls means that everyone makes sure they up their game and they all spend lots of time planning and preparing how their stand will look. 

Not only is the quality of stands and products top notch, Caroline & Hetty pay extra attention to every detail. Their food tent is full of seriously delicious lunch options, you can even have a glass of wine or fizz if you so wish! And this may sound silly - but, posh portaloos! I'm sorry, but it does make a difference! (to me anyway!) :) 

While all the stands are great, I do have a few favourites that I look forward to rummaging at! The first is Goose Home and Garden (pics above). Sarah and Paul are talented vintage buyers, and always have the perfect mix of interesting finds - from painted furniture (which they've often restored themselves) to architectural salvage items down to delicate china, cutlery and glassware.  I had to stop myself from bagging this enamel bucket (loved the colour!) as I've put a bit of a shopping ban on myself until we move house! 

The other fave is The Old Haberdashery (pics above). If you've got my book, you may have spotted Sonia's gorgeous shop and home in there, and her stand at the fair is like a mini version of her store - so many beautiful and unique finds and LOTS of haberdashery items you never knew you needed to rummage through. I did cave at this point, and purchased two pairs of scissors! You can never have enough scissors in these days of Instagram photo styling right?! 

Here's a few more shots of lovely stalls and some things I could have easily bought but held back due to the house move!

It was just what I needed after a hectic few weeks (months in fact!) - happily strolling around taking in all the vintage beauty, plus I get a weird thrill from photographing vintage things even though I can't buy anything! :) 

Put the date in your diaries for next year peeps! It's well worth it! More info here: Decorative Living Fair. 

Shopping in Rye, East Sussex

Last weekend we took ourselves off to the South Coast to visit some friends who recently moved to beautiful Rye. I must say, I am a little bit jealous, as it is a lovely little place to live, packed with gorgeous shops to browse on a laid back Saturday afternoon... 

We only had a few hours to shop before they all closed for the day, but I thought I'd share a few of my favourites; the ones I think you should definitely make a beeline for when you visit the town. 

Lion Street Store

A compact little shop that is full of beautiful things. A mix of homewares, books, clothing, stationery and vintage finds, I was really chuffed to hear that they had stocked my book and it had sold out in a week! They had a lovely selection of indie magazines too, which I'd very much like to see 91 Magazine alongside some day soon! 

www.lionstreetstore.com

Four Doors

This quirky little shop originally started off as a pop up shop selling Ladybird books, but is now a permanent fixture selling of homewares, stationery and party supplies and other lifestyle products. I really loved some of their creative display ideas, such as these old drawers holding books...

www.fourdoors.uk

The Shop Next Door

This is actually the shop joined to Rye's well loved hotel The George. They stock all the things that you find in the hotel. So if you really loved those towels you can actually take some home without feeling guilty about discreetly slip them in your luggage!! Even if you haven't stayed in the hotel (which I haven't) you will still feel inspired by their lovely collection of homewares and beauty products. I really loved this little display they had in the window... 

www.thegeorgeinrye.com

Crock and Cosy

For those of us with a deep love for kitchenalia, Crock and Cosy is literally like walking into heaven! It is filled floor to ceiling with vintage crockery, glassware, tupperware, enamelware, cutlery, pyrex, textiles, jelly moulds, utensils, you name it! I could spend hours in here!

There is no website, but here is the address: Strand Quay, Rye, East Sussex TN31 7DB

Wishbarn Antiques

For those vintage fans that love a good old rummage, Wishbarn will be right up your street. From furniture and mirrors to zinc buckets and door knockers, you could even take home an enormous fairground sign if the mood took you! My friend also spotted an original sign from The Laines in Brighton - it's 'original' status giving it a hefty price tag, but still, interesting to see. 

www.antiques-atlas.com/wishbarnantiques

And there you have it, my afternoon of whizzing round the streets of Rye! I can't wait to go back down in the summer months, when we can incorporate ice cream and a beach visit into our trip! 

All photos: Caroline Rowland

Munich trip: Day 1

A few months back I was contacted by German book publisher Callwey to inform me I had been nominated for their 'Best of Interior Blog Awards' - which was a shock and an absolute honour. The more i found out about it, the more exciting it got. First there was the fact they were producing a book in conjunction with the awards that would feature all of the 15 nominated bloggers images and profiles, and then that I was invited to Munich to attend a day of workshops and the awards ceremony! 

So on Friday morning, I leapt (read: dragged) myself out of bed at 3am and made my way to Heathrow. What made this trip even more exciting was that 3 other UK bloggers were also nominated - Jeska from Lobster and Swan, Kimberly of Swoonworthy and Tiffany of Curate and Display. I've either met, worked with or collaborated with all three of these ladies in the past, but had never spent a great deal of time with them in person, so the chance to do this made it all the more fun! Our first stop of the day was The Nymphenburg Porcelain factory where we were to have a tour. 

What I love about these kinds of tours, is getting a 'behind the scenes' of the creative workspaces that are around every corner, and this was a particularly lovely one. Rather than looking at the finished pieces of pottery I found myself poring over the desks covered in paint, brushes, plants, personal items and half finished pieces!

After the factory tour we travelled over to the offices of our hosts - Callwey publishing house. Here we got a real insight into the book publishing world - a talk from the publisher herself - Marcella Prior-Callwey, a tour around the offices and talks from Farrow and Ball and Stefanie Luxat, who is one of Callwey's bestselling Interiors authors. 

I think as most Interior bloggers love a moodboard we were all drawn to the wall they'd created representing their 'target customer' - which builds an entire fake persona around the lifestyle and interests they believe their target reader to have. This was really interesting to me, particularly in relation to 91 Magazine, but I think something that is relevant to all bloggers too, in terms of working out their target audience. 

The day was completed by attending the awards ceremony which was held in Interiors shop Kokon. It was a wonderful evening, mingling with the other nominated bloggers from all over Europe. I absolutely knew that I would not be in with a chance of winning anything, as I had seen the standard of the other bloggers involved and was totally comfortable with the fact I was nowhere near as creatively strong as them! The talent in the room really was outstanding!

I was super happy for the lovely Kimberly of Swoonworthy, as she was awarded  'Best Creative Idea'. Kimberly has a super individual aesthetic that really encapsulates her personality and she is the QUEEN of DIY, transforming furniture and even making her own light fittings.  If you don't know her blog, pop over to Swoonworthy, it is a fun loving, colourful and inspiring place to be! 

There were two other award winners, Anastasia Benko for Best Individual Style, and Mette Jakobsen for Interior Blog of the Year. I'd not came across these two blogs before, but I'm definitely going to be checking them out properly when I get some free time. 

Once the winners had been announced, we finally had the chance to get our hands on a copy of the book. (the winners profiles were labelled with their awards, so we couldn't see before!) And honestly, it is gorgeous! The text is in German, but it doesn't matter too much as the visual inspiration is more than enough.

I can't tell you how immensely proud and honoured I am to have been included amongst these pages, alongside some AMAZING talent. It really does prove that bloggers are worth so much in this industry. Their creativity and ability to produce stunning styling and photographic work is truly impressive, especially when many bloggers are self taught at many of the skills needed to produce the content they do on a regular basis. 

I hope to do a giveaway soon of the book, so do look out for that, as I promise, you will love it even if you don't speak German! :) 

Next post, I will share the second day in Munich spent at gorgeous shop Room to Dream, which actually features in my book so you can get a little sneaky peek! 

A weekend in a vintage wagon

It's taken me a little while to get round to posting about this, mainly because I took a lot of photos, and it's taken me ages to edit them! A few weeks back, myself and the hubby packed up our bags one Friday evening, and made the journey down to Cornwall in search of a few days of R'n'R. We turned up pretty late, and once we located the right field (yes field!) we were greeted by the sweetest little wagon, nestled in the long grass. Once inside, the first thing we did was throw a few logs on the wood burner, before I began poring over the vintage loveliness that the wagon was oozing....

The wagon we were staying in was part of Spring Park - a vintage inspired holiday business, set in the rural Cornish landscape, not too far from Launceston. Our wagon was originally a travelling showman's wagon, still with it's original interior.

The cosy little space was so well equipped; a woodburner, hot water bottles and a range of teas to keep us warm, magazines, books and games to keep us amused, and ample cooking equipment for when we got peckish. 

We spent 2 nights staying in Duke and while we did get out exploring during the day, it was actually quite nice just to cosy up by the woodburner, with a book and the radio on in the evenings, after having a nice feed at the local pub, The Springer Spaniel.

The business is family run, and we felt so welcomed... Kitty helped us with suggestions of things to do in the area, and she even gave me a little guided tour of some of the other wagons so I could take some pics to share with you!

Below, is Hercules. This is a hand built cedar living van, which has an original train carriage door leading into the bathroom and 1940's cinema seats to perch on while having your dinner... 
 

I also got a little peek inside Pip. The sleeping area is in a separate little wagon with this one, which was just so cute.... Again there was lots of vintage finds to pore over and some lovely handmade elements too...

I can definitely see us going back to this lovely little place, maybe in the summer when you can make use of the firepits which each wagon has outside.... toasting marshmallows while gazing at the stars! Fabulous! I was almost slightly reluctant to share this on here, as it's one of those places you nearly want to keep as your own little secret! But at the same time, it's so worth recommending, especially for those who love a bit of the outdoors but aren't so keen on camping (like me!) and of course who could resist all that vintage charm eh?!

To find out more about Spring Park, visit their website.