Art in the kitchen

The walls in our new kitchen have been pretty bare for the last few months while I decide what and where to hang things. But when I saw this print by Yourtype in the Southwood Stores online shop, I swiftly sent the link to the hubby as an idea for my birthday. I thought he'd decided against it, but then a few days after my birthday, to my joy, it arrived! 

It's a large print in need of a large frame, and I was very lucky to have collaborated with eFrame - an online framing service - who provided this lovely white wood frame. I mentioned how I used them for the artwork for Ruby's room also as you can create bespoke frames to your own size specifications. 

Funnily enough I don't actually drink coffee, but at the moment I feel like the word coffee here should be replaced with baby! That is pretty much my routine at the minute!! 

thanks to the hubby for the print and to eFrame for providing the frame. 

New lighting in my home

The clocks turned back last weekend, so it is darker earlier these days. So when Homebase recently offered for me to choose some new lighting to help illuminate my home during the winter months, i jumped at the chance. Good lighting, whether it's candles or electric, really does create atmosphere and cosiness and I'm really pleased with the two choices I made from their Habitat range. 

Firstly, for our bedroom I chose this bright orange lamp. I am really loving orange at the minute, especially this bright, eye popping shade. As our bedroom is mainly pale, subtle colours I love how this lamp has now added a splash of colour, which brightens up quite a dark corner even during the day. 

The colour of the lamp reminded me of the berries on a Solanum plant (also known as Christmas Cherry - perfect for this time of year) so I picked up one of these while in Homebase also, and I think they look lovely together. 

Here it is switched on - the perfect little bedside reading light! 

My other choice was the Helena flower lamp. This light has been around for about 10 years, designed by Helena Christensen for Habitat, and it's one I've always admired, and I thought it would work really well as a feature in our new kitchen/dining area.

I love how you can bend the 'stem' of the flower around into a shape you like, and how it looks like it is 'growing' out from behind the sideboard! It almost echos the shapes of the real flowers at the other end of the sideboard, and the copper flower adds a flash of metallic colour.

With a lovely orange-y glow it creates a lovely atmosphere in this corner of the room in the evening... it's definitely a piece I can see me owning for years and years to come and moving it around as our home (or future homes!) evolve.

Thanks so much to Homebase for these lovely items! 

xxx

Field of Flowers wallpapers

The colder, darker days are now upon us here in the UK, but there's no reason why the inside your home shouldn't be like a beautiful summers day! And I am loving this range of wallpaper called Field of Flowers, from Coordonne, a family run company based in Barcelona.

I love the delicate patterns and pastel shades and think they've got a bit of a vintage feel to them. I also love the styling of these images - I alway think it helps to see a wallpaper in situ, even if just in a lovely image like these, as a swatch on a website or even a real life sample never quite gives the full effect. 

You can purchase these papers from their UK distributor Papermoon for £48. 

www.papermoon.co.uk

Win a Rewined Candle

October is here, and while September was a great month weather wise, it is set to change this weekend and everyone is now thinking of autumn and getting cosy! I do feel a little like summer has passed me by this year with the arrival of Ruby.  We spent one of the hottest weeks of the year cooped up in a hospital room and were desperately wishing for cooler weather, and since being home, while it's been nice going for walks with the pram, I've generally been too worried about Ruby getting the sun on her or her getting too hot! We are spending quite a lot of time at home with her, so I am actually fine with the idea of autumn arriving and just curling up with my little family in front of a good film.

And of course for that cosy atmosphere, candles are a must, so it was lovely to receive this gorgeous one from Rewined Candles recently. 

The South Carolina based company make the candles from recycled wine & champagne bottles. The soy candles scent mimics the tasting notes of wine - yum! The one I received was Champagne scent and smells delish. I'm really loving the design on the candles too, what do you think? 

If you like the look of this, then listen up! Rewined Candles are giving one Patchwork Harmony reader the chance to win a candle, and you can even choose the scent you would like! 

To enter just visit their online shop and then leave a comment on this post saying which scent takes your fancy. You can get an extra entry by tweeting: "I've entered to win a @rewinedcandles candle via @patchworkhrmy www.patchworkharmony.co.uk/blog/2014/9/2/win-a-rewind-candle "

TERMS: 

Closing Date is 10th October 2014. 

Open to UK and international entrants.

Winner will be selected at random and you will be notified by email.

Make sure you leave a contact email address so you can be contacted if you win. 

Favourite home tours

If you haven't picked up a copy of the new Mollie Makes Home bookazine yet, which includes our first print issue of 91 Magazine, then maybe this little sneak peek of my 2 fave home tours will have you popping out to the shops now so you can pore over all those pages of loveliness! 

Obviously I love ALL the home tours that are in there (I picked them after all!) but I especially love the home of Studio Meez designer Karolien van de Gaer, as writer Laura Pashby points out, it is... 'full of greenery, light and vintage treasures.'

In the 91 Magazine section, I featured the home of designer Petra Boase - 'retro chic mixed effortlessly with handmade touches and the quirkiest of vintage finds.' Photographer Michael Sinclair shot some really beautiful images... here's a taster: 

Both are lovely homes aren't they?! And there's plenty more where that came from inside the mag! :) 

You can buy the bookazine in WH Smiths and other selected newsagents or order online.

New favourite shop - Holly's House

One of my favourite things is discovering a new shop, either when out and about, or online. I recently came across Holly's House via Pinterest and while it may not be brand new, it is new to me, and I spent an evening browsing through the lovely items they have to offer on the iPad. Founded by interior designer Holly Wick in 2011, she also has a retail space in Parsons Green, London which I'll have to try and pop over to at some point. 

It's right up my street as the range mixes vintage pieces with modern design. What caught my eye was the beautiful colour palette and great use of pattern throughout the products they stock. Here is my edit of their top items... I've definitely got a few of these on my birthday wish list! 

Lovely right?! Have you made any great shop discoveries recently? I know this one has definitely been added to my bookmarks for future reference! :) 

See more on their website: www.hollys-house.com

Displaying your Kitchenalia

When I'm at markets and car boots sales I am always drawn to vintage kitchenalia - enamelware, utensils, glassware, storage tins and the like. I'm not sure why, whether it's the variety of designs, colours and patterns that attract me, or the idea of open shelves with a collection of interesting items stacked high.

But the most important thing is knowing how to display these collected items so it looks stylish and not cluttered. So I was excited to see that Vinny Lee's latest book, aptly named - Kitchenalia - does just that. It is packed full of gorgeous kitchens and ideas for styling this frequently used room to perfection. These images give a little taster of what's inside the book...

A perfect book if you are planning a vintage style kitchen, or are just wondering what to do with all those flea market finds you've amassed! 

You can get the book with £5 off using the below info: 

To order Kitchenalia at the discounted price of £25.00 including p&p* (RRP: £30.00), telephone 01903 828503 or email mailorders@lbsltd.co.uk and quote the offer code APG221. *UK only.

Concrete kitchen worktops

So when we were having our kitchen renovation done earlier this year the plan was to install a copper worktop on the kitchen island. Sadly, our first experience of builders / contractors hasn't been a great one. We were let down by the company who were supposed to do the worktop (they just stopped replying to my emails) and then our builders said they would do the worktop as well as the rest of the building work left us high and dry before completing the job.  (Monumental Construction, we are not impressed!)

I've since learned that this is commonplace for builders to abandon smaller jobs near the end to move on to bigger, better paid jobs, which I think is shocking. We were left to finish off plastering, exterior brick work and other jobs ourselves, and of course have been left without a proper worktop. For the last few months we've been living with a plywood worktop which is not waterproof, and while lots of people say they quite like it, it's not the look I was hoping for! This is how the island currently looks...

After considering trying to do the copper worktop ourselves we've came to the conclusion that is just going to be too expensive, and as we also need a new boiler this year, we started looking for alternatives. I still want something a bit different, so we are now looking into concrete. We are wondering if it's possible to do this ourselves following this tutorial on A Beautiful Mess. Has anyone ever tried this or know if it would work on the plywood? 

via A Beautiful Mess

I also came across the kitchen below and really like the idea of adding in some lovely tiles or other detail within the concrete... I'm not sure where or what yet, but these Moroccan tiles do look lovely... (Image source: Expressen.se)

What do you think? Does anyone have any experience of concrete worktops? I'm so sick of the kitchen not being finished now, I just want this project done! :) 

xxx

Bare plaster walls

When we were renovating our new open plan kitchen/dining area, we ended up with a few areas of bare plaster where lining paper had got pulled off by the builders which stayed like that for a while as we worked our way round the room decorating it. Weirdly both hubby and I commented on the fact we kinda liked it, although at the same time knowing that it didn't really suit the house and the fact it was only the lower part of the wall did look a little odd. When I posted a pic of it on Instagram saying that we were about to panel over it, I was surprised at the number of comments saying to keep it as it was! Perhaps it looked better on a small phone screen on Instagram, below is the pic...

While this rough, pared back look is nothing new - I remember posted about the Rough Luxe trend back in 2012 - I think that maybe it's becoming a bit more commonplace. Chances are that you'd get some comedic house guests enquiring as to whether you are in the middle of decorating, but in general as long as it's done well I think more and more people can see the beauty in this natural look...
 

photo by Freya Dowson

The shot above was from a recent shoot for 91 Magazine. The stylist Catherine Sprunt has bare plaster walls in her bedroom which I think looks really great, especially when contrasted with metallic details such as copper.

One of my favourite examples of a bare wall is that of designer Sandra Juto in her Berlin home. It creates such a simple, but textured backdrop for all her pieces of art and other quirky objects.

The bedroom below has went one step further and left some peeling wallpaper on the wall, and I love how they've tied the colours into the luxurious bedspread. I think that's what makes the bare plaster wall work - the contrast it creates against smoother, sleeker or shinier textures.

pic source

via Design Sponge

via Light Locations

via Design Sponge

What do you think? Could you do this look? I was too chicken and we've panelled over ours (I will share some 'after' pics soon) although I think if we had have been brave it would have been more work, as I think it would have looked best to have the entire wall exposed... I'd love to hear what you think!

xxx

The nursery makeover

If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably seen a few little sneak peeks into our baby's nursery already, but as it is finally finished and all ready for our new arrival, due in a couple of weeks time (!), I thought I'd share some photos of the whole room.

The room had been my office before, stuffed full of craft supplies, books, props, paperwork etc, so I've really had to downsize on that front and in fact the cupboard on the right hand side is actually being used to store a lot of that stuff. The wallpapered wall on the left used to be covered by a bank of ikea shelving that were there when we moved in. Hiding behind the shelves was a botch job of a partition wall, so we had this rebuilt when we had the builders in recently. Apart from that, in terms of decorating, all we've done is paint the walls and ceiling white, wallpapered and repainted the floor.

I'm so pleased with the wallpaper by Ferm Living, which I ordered via This Modern Life. It is perfect for growing with our little one, as it's not babyish, but still a lovely nursery pattern. The cot is from John Lewis, please excuse the plastic covering on the mattress! The baby will sleep in our room for the first few months, so I've left that on there for now!

I bought the 'Whale in Paris' print from one of my fave shops, The Hambledon, on a recent trip to Winchester, and the honeycomb decorations are from Ikea. The fox cushion is by Sweet Reverie available at Society 6, and the little striped cushion was a lovely gift from a new brand based in Barcelona called Mint Banana.

This lovely knitted blanket was handmade by my mum (thanks mum!), and the spotty one came from Gap.

These drawers were a fab eBay find. The little pink turtle was handmade by Ooh La Lapin and the gorgeous moccasins are by Monkey and Mole. The toadstool lamp came from Bimbily - it's the only place I've seen stocking the gold version of this, so I was really pleased to find it.

The curtains are a simple set of grey linen ones from Ikea, but I've customised them with a little bit of pink pom pom trim, which was so simple to do and I think really adds something to the curtains.

I've blogged about the little cupboard before which I bought from the fab Goose Home and Garden. The huge pink honeycomb ball was another Ikea purchase, and the ice cream one is from The Hambledon. The 'My Daily Melody' print is by Audrey Jeanne, which I bought online from Tea and Kate.

I've had these little shelves for a while, I bought them in a charity shop for £5 and have just repainted them. The 'little girl' postcard and the elephant also came from Tea and Kate - I love how the elephant's pom poms match my curtains! The Polish wooden dolly was picked up at The Vintage and Handmade Fair which i visited a while back. 

I blogged about artwork for the nursery a while back so you might recognise some of these prints. The seal is from Isa Form, the elephant on the bike is by Ez Pudewa and the other elephant is bySeventy Tree. I've managed to frame all the artwork relatively cheaply, with a mix of Ikea frames for the standard sized prints and then some custom made frames by eFrame - which is a fab online resource, where you can enter in the exact dimensions of your print, what type of frame you want, whether you need a mount etc, and they are delivered to your door. I'm always really pleased with them and think they are affordable considering they are custom made. 

The very last thing we added to the room was this light from John Lewis. It is made from plaster and punched with lots of tiny holes, so gives off a really soft light which is perfect for the nursery. Again, I like how it's not childish and will last for years to come in the room. 

So there you go! The finished room! I've tried to keep it quite simple as it's a small room, but I'm sure it won't be long before it is filled with lots of baby paraphernalia, so it's nice to have a record of how it looks before the chaos takes hold! ;)

Just one more tiny thing to be added in a few weeks time! I'll be sure to give you an update when our little one makes her appearance!

xxx

Art prints for the nursery

Following on from my last post about wallpaper for children's rooms, I've also been keeping my eyes out for gorgeous artwork for the walls. I've kind of got in mind a pink, grey and mint green colour palette for the room, so these are a few prints which have caught my eye...

I do love the Pirum Parum poster by Fine Little Day (below), although I do feel like I see it everywhere these days, so I am looking out for prints that I haven't seen so much of... it is a beauty though, and fits so well with the colour scheme.

For some reason I am having a thing for elephants at the moment, and love both of these illustrations below. The first one is by Ez Pudewa of Creatures Comforts and the second is by Kerry Layton of Seventy Tree fame.

Freya Ete's lovely, cheerful prints with sweet sayings always put a smile on my face too... I love this one called 'The Dreamers'.

I really love Audrey Jeanne's work, a lot of which features cats! This little poster and the 'My Daily Melody' one below are favourites.  The seal print below is also a definite on the wish list! This is from Swedish shop Isa Form.

And last but not least, is this pretty print from another of my favourite Etsy shops, Studio Meez. 
 

Which is your favourite?! I can't decide! I might well end up buying all of them!
I feel a gallery wall coming on! ;)

Children's room wallpaper

Wallpaper has never been more popular. You no longer have to go and browse a poor selection at your local DIY store, there are so many options online these days, and when it comes to decorating a nursery or kids room, there's no need to go for something 'kiddie' either.

When they are young and you still have some control over what their room looks like, it's chance to go for something that's stylish but that is still youthful and fun. I've been doing some research for our soon to be baby room, and these are some options that have caught my eye. I'm still deciding what to go for - which do you love the most?

Confetti - Love Mae - £108

Harlequin in mint - £59.95 - This Modern Life

Mountains - £28m2 - Fine Little Day

Into the Wild - £59.95 - Nubie

Floating feathers - £108 - Love Mae

Pocohontas Spring - £108 - Love Mae

Moo! - £50 - Mini Moderns

Picture Perfect Portraits - £59.95 - Rockett St George

Forest Spice - £27m2 - Mini Empire

My kitchen moodboard

So, finally after years of saving and gradual planning in my head and on Pinterest, our kitchen renovation is happening! Well, it was supposed to start today, but didn't, so fingers crossed the builders will be here bright and early in the morning.

A lot of things won't be decided until the wall is knocked through between our kitchen and dining room, but I have planned a lot already, and have even started ordering the fun stuff, which has got me so excited! :)

So here is a little idea of what I'm aiming for, we shall see if it turns out this way, probably in a couple of months by the time we decorate etc, but I will keep you updated on the progress!

image via sfgirlbybay.com

One of the main features will be a reclaimed wood kitchen island and I'd been looking out for some suitable stools for a while. I was looking for some that had a bit of an industrial feel to sit nicely against the reclaimed wood, but struggled to find some within budget, or that were the right height or colour. I loved the ones in this shot above, so was chuffed to come across these on eBay the other day which have a similar look, and for a budget-friendly £25 each! So in the shopping cart they went, I can't wait to receive them and see them in the flesh! 

The island itself is based on this kitchen which I've loved for years. Basically it will be made from reclaimed wood and painted white. But to give it a bit more of a contemporary feel we've went for a copper worktop. I'm really excited about this as I think it'll be a great feature, and the copper ages really nicely and is antibacterial, bonus! It's being made by a local company to us called Tipfords.

image credit: Paul Massey

I also have all our appliances on order - which are all Smeg. I'm so happy to finally be getting the fridge I've been wanting for years! And the sleek design of the rest of the appliances should hopefully contrast well with the reclaimed wood too. I'm hoping our oven will be able to fit in a chimney breast that is currently blocked in, it sounds a little weird, but fingers crossed it will work out! We've already had the sink delivered, which is the one above, a belfast sink (something else I've wanted for ages!) but with a little bit of detailing on the front panel. The sink came from TapsUK and those are the taps I have my eye on fromVictorian Plumbing. 
 

The rest of the kitchen will be free-standing, and I'm still on the look out for pieces that I love. Something like these above would be great - again I love the contrast in the left hand pic between the sleek fridge and the roughed up paintwork on the cabinet...

To add some subtle colour and pattern, I decided to go ahead with the patchwork tiles you may remember me posting about a while ago! These ones are from Armatile, and while I did love the real vintage encaustic tiles, these seemed like a more affordable option, that will be much more durable and easy to maintain.

I hope to build in some open shelving in one corner that would otherwise be dead space, so I hope that will work out ok, and for lighting we are again bringing in that industrial look with some bare bulb pendants something like these...

That's kinda where I'm at at the moment, there will be lots more happening in the rest of the room, but as I say, I think some things will be decided as we go along! I've taken a lot of inspiration from varying places, images I've found and my own ideas, so I just hope it all comes together as one when it's complete!

xxx

91 Magazine craft special is online!

It's that dreary month of January, I'm sure it's most people's least favourite month of the year. Everyone's broke after Christmas and it's cold and dark outside. Well! We've decided to try and remedy this problem with our brand new issue of 91 Magazine! It is our first ever Craft Special, as we thought it's the perfect time to stay indoors and get making and also with the new year, it's time to try out some new things!

If you've never tried crochet, then maybe have a go at Emma Lamb's simple crochet pin cushion or try a bit of cross-stitching with Peas and Needles blogger Lucy Davidson perhaps? We've got 9 craft tutorials for you to try, all different disciplines and levels of difficulty, so hopefully something to suit everyone!

We also report back on some recent craft and handmade events we've visited, such as Renegade Craft Fair, where we met some talented makers, and we peek inside the home of crafty bloggerLeigh Metcalf, as well as checking out the colourful garden studio of screen printer Megan Alice England.

Lots to keep you busy until Spring appears! We'd love to see if you have a go at any of our tutorials, so please share your photos on Instagram or Twitter and tag with #91craftspecial.

Also, you may have spotted we have a little bit of a new look! We'd love to hear your feedback on this so do let us know, via commenting here or on social media. And of course please let all your friends, family and colleagues know that our latest issue is available and free to read for all!  

Below is a little peek inside, but why not head straight to the 91 Magazine website and get reading!