Swoon Worthy

It's Here!!: Swoon Worthy Homewares - Pretty Cushions for a Pretty Fabulous Home

2012-02-14T08:30:00.000Z

Well, I'm very very proud to announce the launch of my wee little shop...

I registered the domain name long, long ago with my only idea that someday I might move the blog there... but this made so much more sense.

http://www.swoonworthy.co.uk/

The concept was simple. Bring the beautiful geometric fabrics of the United States (that are impossible to find on these shores) here to the United Kingdom.

At the moment, because I'm just starting out, the selection is a very carefully curated base of lovely bright colours that I believe will work with most colour schemes. Soon, however, I'm going to look into bringing more fabrics this way and offering an even greater selection.

But as they say, if you are going to dream, you might as well dream big... so I know that more is on it's way.

Even better? I'm offering those of you in the UK a chance to win 2 cushions (worth £60) absolutely free.

All you have to do is pop on over to Florence Finds for the details.

Of course, the early bird gets the worm so if you can't wait for a competition to end and you are eager to get some gorgeous geometric patterns into your home as soon as possible, then just visit to the shop

http://www.swoonworthy.co.uk/

and enter the coupon code

SWOONFF12

for 20% off right now!

Guest Posting at Florence Finds Today!

2012-02-13T11:00:00.000Z

I'm visiting at Rebecca at Florence Finds today with a little bit of a House Tour!

You may remember that Rebecca showed off her gorgeous Scandinavian cabinet last week in the Home or Away series. So, today, I'm visiting at her lovely blog to show some before and afters from my own place.

I know you've all seen it a hundred times but I actually took some new pictures especially for this post so would love it if you could stop on by and say hello!

And don't forget to check back here

tomorrow morning

for the launch of Swoon Worthy Homewares!

A Rainbow of Flavours: Cheers, News & Colour Inspiration

2012-02-11T18:44:00.001Z

Hello all you gorgeous peeps! Did you enjoy the little Home and Away feature over the past week while I've been away?

I feel very privileged to have welcomed some truly lovely bloggers this week and for them to share their gorgeousness with you all as well! So thank you, dear readers, for your welcoming warm comments and for the 5 beautiful bloggers that shared their spaces with us.

via

Lanzarote was a lovely week away - I unplugged myself from technology, got my head stuck into books (I think I read 8 in all!) and just enjoyed not really thinking about anything beyond what which restaurant we would be going for dinner and whether it was warm enough to take a dip in the pool. Bliss.

Now that I'm back, I just wanted to let you know that Swoon Worthy Homewares will be launching so soon!!

When you ask?

Swoon Worthy Homewares

Launching Tuesday, 14th February 2011!

Yes, for reals. The day for lovers. And the day that I hope you are loving some brightly coloured cushions... Oooh there will be an amazing giveaway as well to go with it so stay tuned for that!

YUM YUM! Brightly coloured cushions so soon to be available via Swoon Worthy Homewares.

Speaking of pretty colours... how about a little inspiration while you are here visiting? Oooh we all like that, don't we?

I was on Pinterest today for FAR TOO LONG - what IS it about that site?! It's like a bloody black hole that you just get SUCKED INTO without any realisation that HOURS have passed and you are still in your pyjamas and unwashed hair. Hmmm. Yeah.

But I thought I'd share some really pretty stuff anyway because I think if I'm inspired than maybe you might be too? So I'm on a bit of a bright colour bug at the moment so that's my very loose theme here...

I love this vignette of bright gorgeous colours:

via

And this gorgeous riot of colour in an office...

via

And if you need some more colour inspiration, how about this fabulous gallery wall and crazy display of rainbow cushions?

via

Oooh it just makes me wish that spring were already here!

Lately, I've been loving a bit of navy blue in interiors and this gorgeous velvet blue sofa is just spectacular, especially with that art!

via

Right, so I'm going to shut up now and you can talk now! How was your week? Did you enjoy the gorgeous spaces shown off by my bloggie mates? What do you think of brightly coloured interiors? Do you prefer a simple colour scheme? Or perhaps just softly textured neutrals?

Go on then, I like comments like bears like to shit in the woods. Or something.

Home or Away: Patience from White Lacquer

2012-02-09T11:00:00.000Z

{I've asked 5 of my favourite, most-admired bloggers to fill in for me while I am away! The task? Tell me about a favourite space or place - either home or away - that you love. I'm so excited to have some rather talented ladies here keeping Swoon Worthy ticking along while I'm gone and I know you'll love them as well!

Today is the turn of Patience from White Lacquer. Patience has a heart of gold, a lovely family and a home filled with vintage glamour! She's quickly become a must-read for me and that's not half because of her enthusiastic personality. She always seems to have the best luck with thift shops so she's totally taking me at some point in the future whether she knows it or not! ;) She's a real sweetheart so please give her a huge welcome!}

Hey there Swoon Worthy lovers! I'm ridiculously excited to be here...and can't help but pinch myself. You see, Red happens to be responsible for one of my favorite blogs ever.

Anyhoooo, my name is Patience and I have a tiny little blog called White Lacquer {because I love to paint everything white, its a sickness really}.

Today I'm going to share a gorgeous hotel with you that I'm completely obsessing over in Seattle, WA. You see, Joshy Bobby and I are getting hitched this summer in Snohomish, and I'm dying to spend our honeymoon night at the Alexis Hotel.

Take a peek:

From the exposed brick and gorgeous headboards to the sweet mix of vintage and modern pieces, I'm going gaga over this place. I grew up for the most part in the Tacoma/Seattle area and truly love it (rain and all). You see its ridiculously green {gorg trees/bushes/grass, you name it}. Not to mention the bay, geez I miss living by the water. Needless to say, we are extremely excited to tie the knot with our families and to take advantage of the spectac surroundings.

That's all for now, if you're as obsessed with weddings or planning one as I am now, feel free to stop by for wedding Wednesday!!

Thank you so much for having me, Red!!

Patience

*photos via

{Oooh what a gorgeous place!! I'm so in love with the exposed brick walls and the contrast of modern with vintage style! Can't wait to see what's in store for the wedding as Patience's inspiration pics are always dreamy... Are you loving the contrasts in this hotel? What's your favourite part?}

Home or Away: Meera from First Sense

2012-02-08T11:00:00.000Z

{I've asked 5 of my favourite, most-admired bloggers to fill in for me while I am away! The task? Tell me about a favourite space or place - either home or away - that you love. I'm so excited to have some rather talented ladies here keeping Swoon Worthy ticking along while I'm gone and I know you'll love them as well!

Next up is the always lovely Meera from First Sense, one of my blogging besties. Now, it's very important that I note that Meera's blog is an absolute treasure-trove of inspiration and beautiful images. However, she's never actually shown off her OWN home. Well, not until now. I know, I know, I'm so dead excited and feel incredibly privileged to share this post with you because it certainly didn't disappoint - it's just as fabulous as she is... So not to leave you in suspense any longer, here's Meera!}

Hello Swoon Worthy fans! I am absolutely delighted and honoured to be here on Swoon Worthy, one of my favourite blogs, showing and telling you about my favourite space in the whole world. Yes, the whole world. That's a big deal if you think about it. How is one supposed to narrow down ALL the spaces in the world into just ONE? But it was weirdly easy for me. As soon as Redlilocks said "Favourite space - home or away", I instinctively thought about my dining room.

Then I chewed on a nail as I thought about what I had let myself in for - the room is still a work-in-progress and it is in no way a "designer" room or fancy-schmancy in any way (I am an interior designer who vetoes designer brands in my own home, oh dear). But - I'm hoping this is what it's all about - this room has been a real labour of creativity, thrifting, learning new skills on the fly and plain old hard graft, the result of which makes me smile every time I walk into it. It is my favourite space and I absolutely love it, so **deep breath** here we go...

A 'Before' and 'After' is usually a good start, so here is the room before I got to work on it (I cringed when I found this photo, you might too):

It's a small image, there is no need to look at it too closely.

This is what the room looks like now -

I wanted to get the whole room into the photo, but this is the best I could do with my limited photography skills and room dimensions. The first change was the floor. It was the mister's first attempt at laying a floor and I am so proud of the smashing job he did. Then came the made-to-measure curtains - I love the shot of two-tone blue that they bring to the room. I love them even more because they only cost me £140. The trick is in fabric that looks more expensive than it is. That and the perks of trade prices for curtain making. 5 points for guessing where is rug is from! Good old IKEA! I love its pattern, colour and practicality. It is perfect for the room and gets compliments every time!

Our first piece of furniture was the sideboard to store our booze. It was an ex-display piece, on clearance from £1250 to £550 which I haggled down to £475, so I couldn't resist, especially when both the mister and I loved it. It's a fantastically heavy solid piece, with some knocks and dents which are fine because I won't care if over the years it gets any more knocks. Character, yes? :-)

I bagged the candlesticks in Plumo's sale last year. (I had loved them from afar for a long time but they were a tad too expensive for me. I whooped for joy when they finally went on a price-busting clearance sale and pounced.) The butterfly 'plaques' are from a set of handmade coasters gifted to me. The vintage bronze urn vase was a find from an Amsterdam market and the beautifully glazed ceramic jug was bought at a local craft fair. I bought some old frames from my local auction house for a song, painted one in a pale green-grey emulsion from spare sample paint pots and 'framed' the urn vase. The frame is a bit broken but I don't mind, I tend to love things which have previously been left unloved.

This is my alternative floral art. The little velvet lavender heart against the photo frame was the result of my first attempt on my sewing machine. I have lots of samples of gorgeous fabrics from design projects so decided to make a few hearts stuffed with organic lavender to give as presents. I had never sewn before in my life, I'd never been taught, so I was terrified of sewing machines, but once I got to grips with it, it was a lot of fun and incredibly therapeutic! I was so chuffed with my first sewing project that I kept it for myself and made more for others.

I took an evening art class recently to see if I had any artistic capabilities. I chose a postcard sized print of Edward Hopper's Capron House (1933) to replicate and the result was the painting on top of the bookcase - my first ever painting and I was thrilled with how it turned out! This isn't quite my style of art, I'm not quite sure what my style is, actually. I'm hoping to have some time soon to explore and experiment, and perhaps produce some pieces that are more me. But I'll always love the Capron House painting, it was my first dance with paints and brushes.

The two vases on the bookcase are vintage Dutch treasures from an Amsterdam market. Could you have resisted these, with their lovely curves and gorgeous colours, being in perfect condition apart from being a little grubby? Could you have resisted them when the market seller said "Û5 for both"? Here's a tip for you if you buy a vintage item that has years of stubborn dirt on it: soak in CocaCola for a few hours then wash in warm soapy water. Worked a treat for these two.

The little mosaic birdie on the first shelf was created by Julie Vernon, a local artist who I had the pleasure of meeting recently. She created this adorable piece from pieces of vintage Italian ceramics. I fell in love with it so had to make it mine.

My biggest pride and joy in the room are the farmhouse table and chairs. We only had 17 pence or thereabouts to spend for a dining set. I had no idea what style we would both love, I only knew that I wanted a big solid wooden table and ideally something that wasn't mass-produced. I had also secretly set my heart on Swedish Gustavian style dining chairs (like these) but had no idea how to afford them.

During a lucky weekend at our local antiques auction house, we realised what we wanted when we saw it: an extra-deep farmhouse table (these are rarer than you would think even though they make perfect sense. They feel almost as social as round tables, have lots of table space for big feasts, if we need to we can fit 8 around the table albeit at a squeeze, and it gives me lots of workspace for crafting on). The waxed finish on the pine had seen better days, it had all manner of scratches and dents from its history, and it came with chairs, so I didn't need to worry about finding Gustavian chairs straight away, our bums could rest for the time being.

There was another young couple who also wanted it, but we wanted it more. At £210, the hammer went down and it was ours. While we were there, we also fancied the old wood-turned floor lamp (next to the sideboard) and got that for £10. It just needed rewiring which the mister did beautifully and I topped it with a linen lampshade. Imagine my delight when I sold the modern glass dining set (in the 'Before' photo) on ebay the very next day for £200! So we were only slightly above our 17p budget.

After reading dozens of tutorials on staining furniture, I got to work on the table to make it work for our style -

and then painted the chairs -

We have a very casual relaxed style, so we use scatter cushions on the chairs rather than shaped chair seat cushions. The cushion on the chair is another first for me - the first cushion I made. Riding on the success of my lavender hearts, and being an ambitious fool, I decided to make zippered cushions for the first time. Thank goodness for the tutorials on the internet. I messed up the zip a couple of times but unpicked my mistakes and kept trying until I was successful. I love this little cushion and can't wait to make more from other pretty fabrics. Funnily enough, I love the chairs so much now that the Gustavian ones are (almost) forgotten!

So this is my favourite space, a humble little room done on a very small budget but brimming with creative energy which further fuels my own creative energy and makes me feel like I can do or make anything (almost!). The next thing I'm thinking of is filling the blank wall space above the sideboard with a large painting. Have you guessed I won't be buying a painting? :-) Phew... that's all for my show and tell. I hope you've enjoyed this rather long post! (I made it as short as I could, but there's just so much to talk about!)

Thank you, Red, for having me on your fabulous blog, and thank you all you lovely Swoon Worthy fans for reading! xxx

{Thank you Meera for letting us have a little glimpse at your beautiful home! Totally worth the wait, wasn't it?? I am so enamoured by this beautiful room and love all the work that's gone into it! The hand-finished table, the chairs, all the gorgeous treasures collected in travels - this is a room that tells a story. What's your favourite part? Do you feel your rooms tell a story?}

Home or Away: Carole from Mademoiselle Poirot

2012-02-06T11:00:00.000Z

{I've asked 5 of my favourite, most-admired bloggers to fill in for me while I am away! The task? Tell me about a favourite space or place - either home or away - that you love. I'm so excited to have some rather talented ladies here keeping Swoon Worthy ticking along while I'm gone and I know you'll love them as well!

Carole from Mademoiselle Poirot has the most beautiful inspirational images on her blog and her photography skills leave your head in a spin. This is a woman who can photograph a discarded chocolate wrapper and make it look beautiful. Think I'm exaggerating? I am not. Her incredible eye for detail and her thoughtfulness are wrapped up in every post and every image, a feast for the senses. Where vintage charm meets French chic. When I saw these pictures, I was in awe. I think you will be as well... Take it away Carole!}

Bonjour lovely readers of Swoon Worthy and thanks so much to Redlilocks for inviting me to do this guest post.

When Red asked me to do this post, I was immediately happy to agree as I like (nearly) nothing more than to write about places I love. So I started thinking about all the places I've been too, the countries and cities I've seen and lived in. The hotels I've stayed in, restaurants I've eaten in and the historic buildings I've visited.

And then it hit me: my favourite place is home! Simple as that. No particular room because it changes depending on my mood, level of tiredness and time of the day, but simply home as the place I love to be most. Don't get me wrong, I love to travel and explore the world and I would never turn an opportunity down, but I always like to know that eventually I will come back to my own four walls with my favourite things waiting for me within them.

Throughout my life so far, I've been a home-owner and I've rented. I've lived in a flat share as a student, I've previously lived in a huge victorian house (bit too big actually, hindsight is a great thing...) and I currently live in a reasonably sized home in London. All these factors though make absolutely no difference to what "home" feels like because the one thing all these share is that they've always been the one place where I can switch off and take myself away from the world. It's the place where I work, create and cook. The place where I cry when nobody can see it and laugh hysterically at things others might consider mildly amusing. Home is the one place where I can really and 100% be myself.

It's also the place where I keep everything I treasure. All the books I've read, furniture I've inherited from my grandparents, my paintings and handmade things, flea market finds, jewellery bought from some market on holiday, music I like and photographs and memories of family and friends. I keep my perfume and makeup here, my clothes and my bags - all the things I feel I need to be "me". It's the place where I curl up on the sofa to watch a romantic film, where I chat to my son while we're cooking together, where I spend the day in bed if I'm not well and where I can have long conversations over a bottle of wine with Monsieur.

I can't imagine a lovelier place in the world. Having the people I love and my long-held treasures around me are the most important thing. After that, it doesn't matter if home is a mansion or a tiny flat. Of course I wouldn't mind living in a beautiful period house in a rather upmarket area, but that's not the point. It's the feeling that counts for me and I know I'm home when it feels right. And that could be anywhere and in any size.

Wishing you all a lovely day. Bisous xo

{With such a beautiful and invitingly warm home, I can't blame her for never wanting to leave! I'm especially enamoured with her desk - so inspirational! Is home your special place as well? Have you found that your love of home changes depending upon where you live? What does home mean to you?}

Home or Away: Michele from Hello Lovely

2012-02-04T11:00:00.000Z

{I've asked 5 of my favourite, most-admired bloggers to fill in for me while I am away! The task? Tell me about a favourite space or place - either home or away - that you love. I'm so excited to have some rather talented ladies here keeping Swoon Worthy ticking along while I'm gone and I know you'll love them as well!

Well, by this time, I'm hopefully lazying it up on a beach somewhere in Lanzorate but I'm so excited that I have the very beautiful and very talented Michele from Hello Lovely to keep us entertained! Her blog is just a treasure trove of gorgeousness, thoughtfulness, happiness, love, humour (honestly this woman is hilarious) and all things purely wonderful! Oh, and she's also gorgeous to boot. I'd hate her if she wasn't so damn loveable ;) Take it away, Michele...}

Hey look...it's Swoon Worthy's RED

struttin' her stuff all bubblicious-like in Chicago!

Okay. Fibbing.

But the same spirit is there, yes?

I'm Michele of Hello Lovely,

and it's a joy subbing for my friend today

by spotlighting one of my favorite places.

(Swoonworthy is also a favorite. It's a wonderland of sass and swoon

authored by a girl I adore!)

Until now, the ever-chic Elysian Hotel

in the Windy City was a favorite gorgeous splurge...

but the hotel sports a spankin' new name as of Feb. 1st:

Waldorf Astoria Chicago.

This is not Paris, friends. This is Illinois.

Honeychild, you can re-name this hotel

a thousand times, but please oh please,

don't change anything else!!!!

The decor, the architecture, the ambience,

the no tipping policy...

The Parisian-looking precast concrete tower has a motor court in front.

The Elysian (which opened in 2009) was designed by architect Lucien Lagrange

and developed by hotelier David Pisor.

my photo

I first visited in 2010 for business

(to review the spa...such a tough assignment).

My sister joined me at the hotel and spa

where it was (see image above) difficult to contain our enthusiasm.

Mid-life moms engaged in downy warfare are so often underrated.

I'm no designer, but I'm thinkin' this is how DECO

and SOPHISTICATED are done with style.

There are two restaurants,

an extravagant spa

(massage? IN to the Credible),

188 hotel rooms on the lower 26 floors,

and private residences on the upper floors.

The light fixture in the lobby was inspired

by a Chanel brooch--in fact, the entire property

takes its cues from Coco.

I have enjoyed the hotel's Gold Coast suites

(about 1250 square feet) but even the smallest

accommodations boast over 600 square feet,

a fireplace, and an over the top luxury bathroom.

The private terraces! The view!

Worth the price of the room.

No other hotel in Chicago can deliver this.

Bernard's bar inside the property.

The Elysian was purchased by the Hilton group for $95 million...

about $505,000 per guest suite.

my photo

We spent time on our terrace since it was unseasonably

warm; the view from the 26th floor, glorious.

hello lovely

Color me smitten.

And you...sold yet?

A few tips if ever you take this place for a spin:

(1) Take advantage of the complimentary

driver...ask to be dropped at Chicago's best pizza joint:

Lou Malnati's.

Give me a little notice; it's my fav, and I'll join you.

(2) Work off that cheesy deep dish deliciousness and beer

at the spa (just one of many free amenities).

my photo

(3) Then relax a little longer right here.

Thanks for having me today, lovely Red.

Blogland is so much sexier with you in it!

Who is joining me at the hotel

for a swoonworthy rendezvous?

{Thank you so much Michele for letting us live vicariously through your visit to this truly extraordinary hotel! Book us up, baby, I'm so there with my bubblegum and sassy leopard print dress!! I can't promise I won't look like a psych-ward escapee rather than the epitome of coolness, but one can dream.... What do you think of Michele's fabulous choice of hotel? What's your favourite part? Do tell in the comments and give Michele some Swoon Worthy lovin'!!}

Home or Away: Rebecca from Florence Finds

2012-02-02T11:00:00.000Z

{I've asked 5 of my favourite, most-admired bloggers to fill in for me while I am away! The task? Tell me about a favourite space or place - either home or away - that you love. I'm so excited to have some rather talented ladies here keeping Swoon Worthy ticking along while I'm gone and I know you'll love them as well!

First up is Rebecca from Florence Finds. Her incredibly popular blog is a must-visit for smart and stylish women everywhere but it's Rebecca's thoughtful, intelligent and often vulnerable writing that keeps you coming back for more. And there's lots on offer with everything from travel to food to fashion (often modelled by the lovely lady herself) to interiors to music and more! Do give her a very warm welcome as she shows off a beatiful spot in her home... Here's Rebecca!}

Well hello there Swooners! I'm delighted to have been asked by Red to share a corner of my home that I love and hopefully introduce you all to my home in the blogosphere - Florence Finds.

Although I write a lifestyle blog, with a little bit of everything, interiors are right up there for me as a favourite and I'm a huge admirer of Red's style, so I hope my offering meets the current precedent!

When Red asked me about a favourite corner of mine, my first thought was a beautiful Antique Scandinavian cabinet that I have. Due to its position, unfortunately it doesn't photograph very well (damn these dark Victorian terraces!) but I've done my best and I hope it gives you some idea of where I'm headed with it.

My cupboard, as I like to call it (in a very unfair understatement) was spotted in a local interior design store (David Gavin in Didsbury for local Manchester readers.) I loved it's three sides of glass with a panelled bottom section and my lovely husband proceeded to buy it for my birthday. Since then, I have to admit, it has been a bit of a problem. I suppose its ideal use would be as a linen cupboard, but frankly I'm not in a position to require a whole cupboard full of linen, or to devote that much space to it. Also, the 2 large shelves divided by two more demi-shelves (pretty though they are,) don't lend themselves particularly well to storage.

My Husband has made many a joke about it being an expensive way of filling the awkward space at the top of the stairs but what I really wanted was somewhere to store my accessories. I have lots of bags and found I was never using them, so wanted to be able to see them at a glance. The same goes for belts, chunky necklaces, scarves and so on, and that remains my aim. Currently it's a work in progress.

I found this nifty way of storing nail polishes on Pinterest and snapped up an Ikea vase to steal the look. A few towels have made it in there and I also have a seasonally rotating display of knits, denim and other things that lend themselves to a folded pile.

Always a shoe fanatic, some of my favourites are currently on display too, along with a collection of boxes that I am waiting to revamp and re-purpose. The mint green one was a Fortnum and Mason hamper I was given once and kept because it is so beautiful, but the others are crying out for a makeover and I intend to paint or cover them, maybe even in chevrons. I'm thinking a mint green, coral and grey scheme would work...

I would absolutely love to hear from some of you if you have any links or tips for ways I can use my cupboard, renovate the boxes I have or store trickier items like necklaces. Just drop me a comment below and lets keep the blog warm for Red while she's away!

Love, Rebecca

{Got to admit, I love the idea of using a beautiful cupboard to show off my prettiest accessories! I'm in love with Rebecca's fabulous shoes and bags as well! What do you love and do you have any suggestions for Rebecca? Do share in the comments!}

Show and Tell: Before, Afters, New Stuff & Guest Posts!

2012-02-01T10:10:00.000Z

Firstly, I need to apologise that I've not been around much the last few days - things have been a bit hectic around here but there are reasons for this which I will get to soon...

In the meantime, just a warning - this blog post is going to be just a mishmash cuz I've got a few things to show you and a few things to tell you!!

First, we'll start with the SHOW!

I thought I'd start with a couple little before and afters and some new stuff I bought...

And I'm gonna have to start in my dining room. Sorry, sorry, I know I said I'd get to other rooms soon but yeah... this happened: I finally did something with my Bar Cart!

It's gone from a rather tacky 'faux marble' green...

To clean and simple white.... Although I'm now considering a brighter colour - orange maybe? Hmmm.

Also, this little guy got a makeover... He was being used as a door stop and was looking a little worse for wear...

So I gave him a rather shiny coat of gold spray paint. And now he's got pride of place on the mantle.

What else? Well, I finally got around to lowering the light fixture in here as well. It was far, far too high. So I took some more of my shiny gold spray paint and sprayed the heck outta the white ceiling rose.... and then combined it with a gold cord.

And now, after being lowered around a foot, it looks a little bit better. I know, it's still technically too high but if it's much lower, we can't see the television from the kitchen!! Hahaha! Hey, it's all about priorities people! ;) I want to replace this light fixture for something more exciting (a chandelier? a sputnik style fixture? Don't know yet!) but until then, it's an improvement. I might go a bit lower when we do replace it eventually... (Strangely, it looks higher in the pic than it does in real life. Odd.)

Speaking of gold, look how pretty my new little bowl is! I got it in the Zara Home sale.

What else did I get in Zara, I hear you ask... well, let me just tell you! (And you'll be happy to know we're moving into the living room!)

How sweet is this sexy little ashtray? No, it will not be used for it's intended purpose - it's only for pretty sake! I like to think that's a little monogrammed 'W' for the man in my life.

I also got this gorgeous golden bowl from Achica. I have no idea yet what I'm going to put in it, I just like looking at it for now. Shiny!!

I also added a geometric print cushion to my sofa (the same pattern will be available in the shop - which is launching SOON!). I added some white pom pom trim at the edges just for fun...

So now I'm finished with the SHOW part of my post,

it's time for some TELL!!

See, thing is, I'm going to be going away for a week. A long, lovely week away in Lanzarote with my Sweetheart. But don't fear, I will not leave you all stranded! In fact, I've got a great week planned for you!! I have welcomed not one... not two... but FIVE incredible bloggers to fill in for me while I am away.

This is waiting for me... sorry, really must go!

In honour of my going away, I have asked each of them to share a favourite space or a favourite place - either home or away. The spaces they have shared are so amazing, I can't wait for you to see!

Now, each of the five bloggers has their own unique style and I believe will each bring something a little different to my blog. I am very very confident Swoon Worthy will be in excellent hands but would you all be as fabulous as you always are and welcome them with lots of comments? Cuz if you do, I will totally be your bestest friend and I will brush your hair and will tell you you're pretty. Because you are.

And when I get back, I'm going to be launching my fabulous new shop and will let you know all about a fabulous giveaway!! Yay!! So be sure to come back on Thursday for the first Guest Post and I will see all you gorgeous ladies when I return...

Off to drink some of these in the sunshine, try not to miss me ;)

via pinterest

I So Wood: Decorative Logs (and Smoochie Thank Yous)

2012-01-27T09:00:00.000Z

Firstly, I just wanted to say a massive thank you for all the lovely comments, Facebook messages, emails and Tweets I had regarding my new little business venture I spoke about on Wednesday. Your support means the world to me and I mean that from the bottom of my little bursting heart :) So thank you.

Also, it was my birthday yesterday and I had lots of lovely messages wishing me a happy day - and it was, despite having to go to work! So thank you for such thoughtfulness there as well. You guys rock my world.

Right. Enough gushing. On with today's post...

My home was built in 1906. I imagine when it was built, it had lovely Edwardian fireplaces in the living room, dining room, master bedroom and guest bedroom. Unfortunately, fast forward to June 2010 when we moved in and every trace of them had been removed. Sigh.

via the little log company

It's such a shame because of anywhere in my house, I would love to have a fireplace in my living room. Unfortunately, what we were left with is a very strange awkward 'hole' where the fire place once was. Yes, we could always reincorporate a fire place but well, that costs money and at the moment, we simply don't have it.

And so, over the past year and a half, I have tried my hardest to use it as some kind of 'shelf' or something and created various vignettes... none of which I've been particularly fond of, if I'm honest. It's not the items IN the hole, it's the hole itself. It's just wrong.

When we finished the floors not long after moving in.

What it looks like now.

So one thing I've been considering is filling it with decorative logs. I just love the natural texture it brings to a room. Here are some inspiration pics to give you an idea of what I'm looking for...

via the log basket

via nibs

via automatism

via Pinterest

Pretty no?

I'll be honest, I can't see myself rockin' up in some woodland somewhere and choppin' myself a tree and cuttin' it up.*

Yeah, that's probably not going to happen.

The biggest reason for that?

Bugs.

Ewwww.

So therefore, I'll probably have to buy them from a company that 'specialises' in this sort of thing (they dry them out and sand them down and make them all pretty for you). At nearly £100, it won't be cheap but it will be a lot cheaper than fitting a fireplace and a lot easier than dealing with spiders (shudder).

What do you think? Is it worth spending the money for 'pretty' logs that will never be burned? Or do you think it looks a bit silly in an obviously unused fireplace? Have you ever used logs decoratively?

*I have no idea why I went all Southern American there. My sincerest apologies.

My Exciting Announcement: Introducing Swoon Worthy Homewares!!

2012-01-25T09:12:00.000Z

Well, the time has come to spill my news... I'm still a few weeks away from launch but I thought I'd let you in all the craziness of the past couple months.

It's all baby steps at the moment so you'll have to forgive me for starting rather small! However, I'm so excited by this new little venture!

COMING SOON IN FEBRUARY 2012...

Hopefully now, the changes to my blog make sense :)

Yep, I'm launching a new business selling gorgeous cushions!

But as you can hopefully see (and the Brits in my audience will recognise this before my American brethren) they are not just any cushions that you can get on the British High Street.

You've all heard me moan about the fact that finding the lovely fabrics so readily available in the States are nigh on impossible to find in the UK. Believe me, I have tried. It's part of the reason why I have no curtains in my lounge or in my dining room - because I just haven't been able to find what I want here.

I love the simplicity of a bold geometric pattern which I see over and over again in American design and while I can try and be satisified with the offerings we have here, I'm just not. I've spent the past 5 years frustrated by this so I decided that if I am having these frustrations, there are probably others out there that have the same issue, right?

So, taking matters into my own hands, an idea was born. I've imported a load of good quality, beautiful fabrics from the States and very soon, I'm going to be bringing those beautiful fabrics to you, my UK readers.

Excuse me while I squeel.

SQUEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Thank you.

Here's a little preview...

It's a small, carefully curated collection for now but I'm hoping to add more fabulous patterns in time. Launch will be in February with a wonderful giveaway in the works so stay tuned for more!

I have loads of ideas of where this could go and where I'd love to take Swoon Worthy Homewares in time but you'll just have to come along on the journey with me to find out how we get on. In the meantime, I'm so excited by this new little adventure and I do hope the wait has been worth it!

New Year, New Look: The Big Swoon Worthy Refresh

2012-01-22T16:04:00.001Z

Well, if you are visiting me via anything other than Google Reader, you'll see that I've decided to do a bit of a revamp here at Swoon Worthy.

I was starting to get tired of looking at the same header (containing images that were well over a year old!) so I decided I wanted a fresh new look. Part of the revamp is to do with a realignment of Swoon Worthy as a 'brand'... "A brand of WHAT?" I hear you asking... well, I can't tell you that just yet but guess what?

I'm sharing my big news with you on Wednesday!!

While I am very very close now, I thought it was time to share a little project I've been working on for the past couple of months and I couldn't continue to keep you in suspense. That's just cruel. So make sure you check back here on Wednesday, 25th January which just happens to be the day before my birthday!

In the meantime, back to the revamp!

If we look back in time... here's what my header looked like when I first started blogging back in July 2010...

And then the one I did early last year which you are probably the most familiar with now...

And now... for 2012.... A new look and a new strapline:

Whilst 'Getting it Pretty One Floorboard At A Time' really reflects the amount of time it takes to revamp an entire house, I like to think this blog o' mine is a little more than just a step-by-step journey of our home's evolution. It's really about what drives the changes, where the inspiration comes from and how it's possible to get the look you love without having endless pots of cash (as nice as that might sound).

So, 'Inspiration, DIY and the Quest for Pretty on the Cheap' is our new motto around here.

I also created a new button if you wanted to grab it from the right side over there...

What do you think of the new look? I do hope you like it but if you have any suggestions to make Swoon Worthy even better, please don't hesitate to let me know in the comments! And make sure you stop back on Wednesday for the big announcement!

Friday Free For All: Gotye - Someone That I Used to Know

2012-01-20T09:41:00.000Z

While I would love to have time to do 5 full gorgeously detailed posts every week, I know that with working full time, trying to get on with various projects, maintaining a good relationship with my other half and attempting some semblance of a social life, it's just unrealistic.

At times, however, it's nice to share something short and sweet and interesting and so I decided that on Fridays, I'm going to start a new feature called 'Friday Free For All' in which I'll post about something random. It might be a room that I love that I've come across somewhere online, a tutorial for fabulous eye makeup, some gorgeous event, a Hollywood star's wardrobe, a random weird thing that made me laugh or something entirely different. Anything Goes.

Today, I wanted to share a song that I'm pretty much obsessed with at the moment. Ya know when you just can't stop listening to something? I'll probably listen to it until I can't bear to hear it one more time. Music Gluttony I call it.

The song is by Gotye and features Kimbra. He's Australian and apparently, he's had loads of other stuff out which I was unaware of but I'm eager to catch up on his back catalogue.

It reminds me very much of the Police and that chilled vibe... Anyway, I hope you like the new feature and enjoy the song!

Happy Friday my lovelies!

Guest Posting at White Laquer Today!

2012-01-19T15:41:00.000Z

Hello my gorgeous chicas! I'm visiting with the very lovely Patience today over at her blog White Laquer.

Patience is creating a beautiful vintage-inspired home with a glamorous edge over on her blog and you'd be silly not to go and have a look at what she's done.

Just as a taster - check out this glossy number with a LEOPARD PRINT CHAIR. I'm dying, are you dying? Cuz yeah, dying.

Also? Her bed makes me weep, it's such a beautiful thing.

Anyway, go over and have a look at her beautiful blog because it very often makes me smile and I'm sure it will you as well!

What am I doing over there? Well, I'm sharing my 'Things I Wants' today which, lets be honest, is pretty much a running list of about 100 different things (sorry, I'm part of Generation X, we have immediate gratification issues) so narrowing it down was a challenge to say the least.

Just as a teaser? One of the things on my list...

via conversation pieces

Go on over to White Laquer and check it out! And thank you Patience for having me!! Mwah!

All that Glitters: Dreamy Gold and Pink Inspiration

2012-01-17T10:00:00.000Z

As you probably know by now, I'm sort of obsessed with gold. Which, even for me, sounds absolutely crazy as I'd quite happily ridden on the chrome, then the satin stainless steel and finally the nickel bandwagon for pretty much the last ten or 15 years (showing my age there). I worked very hard to make sure I'd gotten rid of every piece of terribly tacky brass from my home and then this happens...

I start to see gold in a whole new light. And then I start to love it. And then... well, then I become obsessed.

And so, I thought I'd share the lastest colour combination that's filling me with absolute glee - pink and gold.

To be perfectly honest, I don't know where in my home I'd incorporate this colour combination - it's unapologetically feminine for sure and I've tried to ensure my colour schemes at home suit the male contingent of the household... but that doesn't mean I can't dream...

The artwork in this image is just to die for. I love it, like totally and completely love it.

via the peak of tres chic

I love how this next image screams vintage but in an up-to-date glamorous way. I remember when I was a kid, I totally wanted a phone like that.

via bijou and boheme

I've become more and more keen on beautiful table settings. I so love my gold cutlery and would love to try a combination of colours like this for my next girlie dinner party.*

*Not that I've ever had a girlie dinner party but if I had place settings like this, I so would. You are all invited. Bring cupcakes. And vodka.

via icing designs

Another example of gorgeous pink art. I love the movement in this image between the art and the wallpaper and that sexy sexy sculptural table lamp. I don't even know what all the chotchkies are on the table but I love them just the same.

via ritzy bee

I can't wait for the peonies in my garden to come into bloom again. And honestly, is there anyone out there that DOESN'T love these flowers? I wish I could see the whole coffee table (and room) here because what I can see, I love.

via belle maison

Here's a lovely blush pink... don't you just want to curl up on that lovely sofa for a midday nap?

via bijou and boheme

And quite possibly the best for last... Pink and gold macaroons. They are honestly just too beautiful to eat.

via icing designs

Have you been inspired? Would you or are you already rocking this colour combo in your own home? Or perhaps just on your person? (Sexy or WHAT.)

via lingerie love

Now if I can distract you from the leggy blonde, you will be very happy to know that I've recently come across a fantastic gold spray paint! I have tried a number of different types and have never gotten the finish I was hoping for but this stuff is just unbelievable. The spray is superfine and so you get such a good finish from it. Even W, who is a professional sprayer, was very impressed by this stuff!

And best part? It's cheap! And no, I'm not even getting paid to say this. I'll share with you soon! At the moment, I'm off to paint gold anything that's not nailed down. The cats are frightened (as well they should be). Will be back soon with some of my gold projects!

Adventures in Sewing: Geometric Print Table Runner

2012-01-15T17:38:00.000Z

So I've been doing a lot of sewing lately. Like, A LOT of sewing lately... and that's part of my exciting little announcement that I'm DYING to share with you all but you'll just have to wait that little tiny bit longer... I know, I'm such a tease. Soon, my lovelies, soon.

In the meantime, with a bit of excess fabric that I had leftover, I decided to create a table runner for the dining table. I swear I am messing with the dining room every other week but I love that the room is so easily changed up. And as I have the attention span of a 4 year old, that suits me fine.

It's quite an easy design and I kind of winged it really but I think it came out pretty well. I sort of screwed up the edges at the end but it's not something anyone would really notice unless you were a fellow 'sewer' (is that a word? Should I have said 'seamstress'? I don't know what the sewing etiquette is).

The colour sits somewhere between a strawberry red and a coral peach. I almost wish it were spring because it just sort of gives the room a freshness that makes me smile when I walk in here.

I rarely find cute table runners in the shops - they always seem either too plain, too traditional or too modern for my tastes. But this one ticks all the boxes for me.

Done any simple sewing lately? Are you completely fed up of looking at my bloody dining room? Do you have a room at home that you are constantly changing up? Do share in the comments so I don't feel like a weirdo posting the same room every week. I promise I'll get to other rooms soon! ;)

Sharing here...

******************************

Oh I also wanted to mention just in case you haven't noticed - I refreshed my "Essential Reading" list over there on the right hand side and along with my long-time favourites, have added in a goodly number of recently-discovered blogs that are unmissable (as well as a little preview image so you can see what loveliness you are in for!). If you aren't already reading them, then I highly recommend you get lost for a few hours in the interwebs and check them out. You won't be disappointed.

Room Lust: Gorgeously Grey Living Room

2012-01-12T22:20:00.000Z

I'm kind of in love with this room.

The dark grey of the walls, the height of the ceiling, the black and white detailing of the ceiling. And yes, I know it's been done to death but I love the deer head too. There, I said it.

I wish I had the source of this image and could give some credit but I'm not sure of it! Gorgeous though, isn't it?

On the Tiles: Bathroom Inspiration

2012-01-09T22:38:00.000Z

The following post is sponsored by Bathrooms.com.

If you are awaiting the next update on the kitchen, I hate to disappoint but I haven't got one. After the slate flooring went in, we were a bit DIY'd out so took a little break and then by that time, we were looking at Christmas and shopping and colder weather and shorter days and less money. And replacing a counter top in those circumstances seemed a bit silly.

So we are going to wait for a bit before we continue with that particular project. Granted, we thought we'd have finished the whole project by now but hey, real life sometimes takes longer than dreams.

Despite this, I'm hoping that our bathroom will be on 2012's agenda. For as much as I'm happy with the little pick-me-up the peacock blue paint job provided, it does desperately need a full refurbish.

So I can't help but dream a bit when I see some beautiful bathrooms and I thought I'd share some of my inspiration images with you.

Replacing entire bathroom suites can get expensive and to be fair, there’s nothing particularly wrong with the toilet, the sink or the bathtub in our bathroom. Mind you, none of them are in perfect condition but probably don’t need replacement any time soon. I’ll have to see how much money we have in the budget and make a decision on what we can replace purely for aesthetic reasons!

One thing I'm especially keen on replacing is the sink because I'm kind of in love with free-standing bathroom furniture like these repurposed vanities...

How wonderful is this idea? Talk about "up-cycling"! (Geddit? HA!) I love how the basket holds towels.

via shierley dot com

This bathroom is so crazy and OTT but for some reason, I love it! Check out the fabulous glossy chest of drawers turned vanity. Lush.

via houzz

We sadly don't have room for two sinks but my goodness, the symmetry in this bathroom appeals to my OCD side...

via lovely clusters

I'm all about gorgeously dark interiors and this amazing black bathroom is no exception. The natural elements like wood, wicker and wainscotting look rather wonderful and the white contrasts work well! (How's that for alliteration?) It manages to look modern and traditional at the same time.

via sacramento street

The amazing geometric patterned wallpaper somehow works in a small space. I love this bathroom - the sink and the mirror are perfect for a small space - I'm taking note of this one.

Niche Interiors via cocozy

Speaking of amazing pattern, wallpaper really does work fabulously in contemporary bathrooms, giving it just that little extra ooomph as shown in this gorgeous coral and pink example. Yummy!

Can you see I'm really thinking about bold patterns? I am so in love with the navy and gold combination in this bathroom. It's just stunning. And how about that tap installed IN the mirror? Kind of awe-inspiring no? Oh and don't even get me started on the cupboard handles. Ok, I know I need to get out more.

via decorpad

This bathroom is so lovely and simple and the black and white tile is the perfect foil to the pale greeny blue.

via the long and short of it

And if I'm gonna dream, well, I might as well dream big. Truly truly swoon worthy, no?

via coco + kelley

When I finally start planning, I may have to come back down to earth. In the meantime, my head is full of a million different ideas! What does your dream bathroom look like?

Tracking Trends: Tangerine Tango

2012-01-05T23:09:00.002Z

Well unless you have been living in a cave, you've probably heard the news that Pantone has announced it's 2012 colour of the year as Tangerine Tango, a luscious tomatoe-y reddy orange which is warm and rich and bright.

No matter how you feel about Pantone's choice or whether or not you would adopt it into your own decor, there's not much doubt that we'll be seeing it in homewares and fashion much more over the next year or two.

Whilst it was never a conscious decision, implementing a bit of orangey-red into my dining room just seemed to happen naturally and organically. As the gallery wall grew, this was the colour that seemed to 'pop' out more than the others and I've sort of gone with it.

The one thing I love about the gallery wall is how it keeps changing every time I add a new piece. Over Christmas, I was able to purchase a print for W which reflected his interests but kept to my colour scheme! Well, can't argue with that, can you?

The print is a limited edition by Etsy seller The Handmade Cyclist and depicts a stylistic view of L'Alpe d'Huez... the most legendary of all Tour De France climbs, with twenty-one hairpin bends snaking their agonising way to the summit. At each of it's hairpin bends, a champion's name who mastered the climb.

If you aren't a fan of the Tour de France, this is probably meaningless but to my relief, W, who is a massive fan (with this part being his absolute favourite, even taking holidays from work to watch it live), loved it. Yay!

As you can see from the picture above, the reddy orange colour is also reflected in the Martini & Rossi and Cadbury's Cocoa antique signs and in my little matches holder near the door as well as the fresh flowers that I try to always keep in the room (a little gift to myself!).

So now that you've seen how I'm using my version of Tangerine Tango in my own home, how about we look at some other examples of ways to incorporate the latest big colour trend?

This bedroom uses it to fantastic effect, playing off the navy blue, black and white. It's been in my inspiration files for ages and ages!

Domino via Pinterest

How beautifully do these curtains play up the height of the room? And that chandelier! Oh my god, I love it. Sophisticated and yet the bright colours says it doesn't take itself too seriously.

via the peak of tres chic

The other side of the spectrum and gearing more towards the orange family rather than the red is this fantastically over the top living room in tangerine, turquoise (Pantone's 2010 Colour of the Year if you recall), white and gold. Oh if this room was a pool of Jello, I would so jump in.

via Coco + Kelley

And just one more because I am in love with this door...

via Say Yes to Hoboken

I have to say, one of the the nicest thing about using this colour in the dining room is that it's all in the accessories and changing it up would be fairly easy. And really, that's where trends are best adapted I think - in small doses. Unless of course, you absolutely love it, in which case, who cares what the trends say - just go for it. Which is kinda what I did in the dining room so I'm not going to be changing it anytime soon!

Here's a few accessories that might dress up your abode in the same colour scheme...

The Girl By Jules Canvas Print is from Rockett St George is mesmerising... There's just something quietly unsettling about her that I love.

Also from Rockett St George is this antiqued wood sign - it would look fabulous in a kitchen (or bedroom oooh la la)!

From Aria, this amazing lampshade is just all kinds of wonderful.

Check out this console table as well - I have no idea where you might buy one but is it not absolutely fabulous with the pale turquoise and white stripes and that amazing inlay mirror?

So what do you think? Will you be using Tangerine Tango in your home?

Before and After: Faux Bamboo Dining Chairs Reveal!

2012-01-02T22:27:00.001Z

First off, thank you so much for all your gorgeously lovely comments on my 2011 year in review! Oh, my sweets, there is much more to come in 2012 so let's get on with it, shall we?

We'll start with a bit of a confession... Despite having my chairs painted and finished for over two weeks now, I'm only just getting around to blogging about it now! I do hope you can forgive me for not sharing them sooner with you. However, I think it's a great first proper post of the new year because 'Before and After's' rock my world.

As you may remember from my original post about finding faux bamboo chairs, I scored these rather sad looking specimens from eBay back in November. I had been looking for this style of Chippendale dining chairs for ages but goodness me, they are rather hard to come by in the UK as I discovered.

The original eBay listing image

When I saw the above set of 8 up for auction (listed as 'Shabby Chic' no less - what? why?), I emailed the woman cheekily asking if she'd consider splitting the set as I only really had enough space for 4 chairs. She responded apologising saying she'd prefer not to but if she had another offer from someone else wanting a set of 4, she would let me know.

About a month went by when I heard back again - she'd found another buyer for the other 4 chairs and was I still interested? Well, of course I was!! Want to hear the craziest thing? Since then, I actually heard from the person who purchased the other 4 chairs via my blog post - a fellow American blogger living in the UK! Small world no? So, I'm eagerly awaiting DecorAlly's makeover of the other 4 chairs (in lilac no less!). And just as a testament to how rare they are, the poor girl travelled around 8 hours round trip (from London in the South to Chester in the North West) to get her chairs!

As much as I love seeing these chairs in other settings in gorgeous, bright, fun colours, I decided - after much internal debate - that for my own dining room, they really needed to be white. We've got a dark grey paint colour going on the walls and a dark espresso wood table and eventually the floors will go to a similar colour... and I already loved the way the white of the console table pops against the dark colours so I thought it might work...

Sneak peak!

And then the decision became all about the fabric. The foam in the cushions was in perfect condition and very comfortable but the ugly green and cream fabric had to go. So, I tried to find my perfect fabric from the UK. I really, truly did. But I simply could not find geometric patterns (which I had my heart set on) ~~in my budget~~ at all. I kid you not. More on that subject another time.

So I decided to order the fabric from the United States and had it shipped to me. And then I took the fabric and the cushions to the lovely Norma at Heaton's Upholstery in Stockport (this woman has 25 years of experience so I knew that I'd get a fantastic result) and she promised to create my lovely dining chair cushions with matching piping and ties. And that indeed is what she did.

Yay for Norma!

In the meantime, W brought the chairs to work with him and blasted these babies in his paint shop (which used a LOT of paint as they are a bit of a bitch to spray paint, just as a warning if you are considering doing the same). They are a gorgeously glossy bright white with a super smooth professional finish and I loved them as soon as he brought them home.

When I received the chair cushions back, I then took the leftover fabric and recovered the plywood chair bases in the same fabric.

A closeup of the fabric! I love it!!

They were finally completed 2 days before Christmas! Nothing like cutting it fine, eh? Ahh well, I couldn't be more happy with them!

Here again is the before...

And the after...

And now for a million pictures of my dining room in their final setting!

As I said before, the floor in here really lets the room down but try and pretend that it's nice. And that there's a gorgeous rug under the table. You may have to squint a bit. Or maybe close your eyes completely and just imagine.

Ok, erm... now open your eyes because the post isn't quite finished yet, cheers.

See how the white chairs go nicely with the white console above and the mantle below?

The full total for all four chairs including the fabric, the covers and the paint came out to less than £300. Considering they go for £550 per chair on Jonathan Adler's site, I don't think I've done too bad.

And I just love how they seem to take up less visual space than the high back leather chairs. The whole room seems to just breathe better (does that make sense?).

So what do you think? Was white and grey the right choice or have I been way too cautious? Have you scored any bargains lately? Been chair painting? Tired of looking for nice geometric patterns in the UK and failing miserably? If so, tell me all about it because I'm feeling your pain...

Linked up here...

2011: A Swoon Worthy Year In Review

2012-01-01T20:14:00.000Z

Well, 2011 feels like it's come and gone again in a flash... Alas, the older I get, the faster they seem to go. (Don't all old people say that? Well, it becomes more and more true every year which scares me slightly if I'm honest.)

But I didn't think it would be right to not look back across the past year and see what we tackled! So I've packed a picnic lunch (a low-fat, low-calorie one because I'm on a diet now that the indulgences of Christmas and New Year are past) and wanted to know if you are you ready for a trip down Memory Lane? It's a hell of a long ~~post~~ journey so be aware you may need some decent walking shoes.

To start the year off right, in January, we finally purchased a 1930's sideboard for £50 to house the countless game consoles that lurk within it's cupboards. It was painted white in February and then throughout the course of the year, the dining room gallery wall was slowly added to so it went from looking like this at the end of January...

To a rather more polished looking room in November...

And my rather feeble attempt at a 'drinks station' evolved from this in January...

To a £30 eBay find of an actual proper bar cart, some gold rimmed glasses, a new print and gold rimmed plates. All the more reason to stay awhile, no?

If you've been following my little ol' blog for a while, you may know that the biggest project throughout the whole year was our completely DIY kitchen which we began in March after we ripped out the false ceiling...

With a hell of a lot of work throughout the year, we brought it up to a more acceptable and habitable condition by the time October arrived...

The whole year played out kind of like this...

We discovered the ceiling was actually false here, and we took to tearing it down here, put up the plasterboard and pendants here, plastered here, installed the cooker hood, the back splash and tiling here and put up the open shelving here, installed the crown molding and the risers here, painted the cupboards and replaced the hardware here and laid the slate floors and installed the underfloor heating here.

Much of our year has been spent renovating the kitchen and despite the goal of finishing it by August (HAHAHA!! WHAT WERE WE THINKING?!), it will definitely be one we finish in 2012 with new counter tops, new kick plates and a new sink, tap and cooker to come!

In March, I also introduced you to our guest bedroom where a chair got a £5 makeover going from this:

To this...

I also made some cushions (I do love me some pom pom trim)!

The room wasn't completed yet, though... not by a long shot. Keep scrolling for more progress on this one.

In April, I donned my dining room in black and white stripes...

And we added a new fence to our back garden...

In May, I decided the bathroom needed a pick-me-up so with the power of paint, it went from a boring bland white...

To a rather delightful peacock blue...

The power of paint was also evidenced in the bedroom. I picked up some bargain lamps in May and purchased new curtains from Anthropologie (on sale as well) in June...

I then decided to just go the whole hog in September by painting the back wall of the bedroom black...

Contrasts in black and white also came in the form of new embroidered cushions for the living room in June...

...and flowers bloomed inside and out...

I was inspired by Graham & Green's catalogue and created a tablescape with fresh flowers from my garden and some old bottles and vases (cost = £0)...

In July, I added a pop of deep coral in my living room...

And I finally got around to putting up a hanging basket in the back garden.

In August, I threw my first theme party with an Anglo-American Extravagansa...

In September, I transformed an ordinary chest of drawers from this...

To this unusual nod to Oriental design... So simple and yet so effective, it was probably one of my favourite projects of the year.

Also in September, I finally began to progress my dreams of a swoon worthy dressing room with this chest of drawers makeover from horrible orangey-brown to pale turquoise with gold accents...

And added some gold accessories and a glorious mirror in November which took a bit of elbow grease to make it really sparkle.

Back to the guest bedroom and some new bedding was added in October as well as some of the leftover paper flowers I had made for the party. Here's what it looked like ready for guests in December (apologies for the darkness in the picture - England's winter sun always sits so low in the sky)...

As you may have spotted, one of Tracy's fabulous creations has lovingly found her way to my home and she sits quite prettily welcoming my guests!

And then of course came November where I scored an almighty deal on some faux bamboo chairs. Stay tuned because I'll be sharing their makeover this week on Swoon Worthy!

Very much the before...

And finally, in December I shared my Christmas theme - black, white, gold, silver and a bit of leopard print thrown in for good measure.

I also fell very hard for gold cutlery so was thrilled to find yet another bargain on eBay to really complete my dream table.

My Christmas tree also followed the same theme...

So, as you can see, it's been a very busy year!

As I hinted at in my last post, I have a little bit of news especially for my UK-based readers (of course, I'm hoping my gorgeous readers all over will be excited by it too!). I can't wait to finally be able to share it with you!!

I'm not one for resolutions but I do also want to think a bit about how this blog will continue to evolve and change throughout the year so we'll explore a little of that as well.

I hope you enjoyed our trip down memory lane and I just want to thank each and every one of my fabulous readers. I am so grateful for your visits, support, comments and friendship. You are all rather gorgeously swoon worthy if I do say so myself.

All images my own.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T17:04:00.000Z

Goodness, that week's gone quick, hasn't it?? I have taken a bit of a break from blogging which honestly, has been fantastic - I feel like my batteries are recharged and I'm ready to take on 2012 and everything it may bring.

And it promises to be a good 'un - I've got some very exciting news so can't wait to share that with you all so stay tuned for that! In the meantime...

Hope you have a fabulous New Year's Eve and Big Smoochie Kisses for 2012!

via pinterest

Happy Christmas from Swoon Worthy!

2011-12-24T11:29:00.000Z

I was going to do a couple more posts on last minute Christmas decor and gift wrapping and such but I realised that it's probably more important for me to be spending time with my friends and family than putting together blog posts! ;) I mean, the mince pies aren't going to eat themselves, now, are they?

So, instead, I just wanted to say a very big thank you to all my readers, commenters and fellow bloggers who have continued to provide amazing support and inspiration this year - Goodness knows I would never have carried on blogging this long without it!! It has brought me so much joy and satisfaction to connect with so many of you this year and for that I thank you with all my heart. Even to those who simply lurk, it means the world that you stop back at my little corner of the blogosphere to read my rambling thoughts and witness this crazy journey we are all on to make our homes the sincerest reflection of ourselves.

There is so much more to come in 2012 and I'm so looking forward to sharing that future journey with you.

As I can't wrap up big smoochie kisses to you all, this will just have to do ;)

Merry Christmas Everyone 

from W, Pablo, Senna and of course, me, Redlilocks!

via Pinterest

Off Your Trolley: Bar Cart Art from Ministry of Words

2011-12-19T22:18:00.000Z

Social media can be a wonderful thing... I was lucky enough to be followed on Twitter by the lovely Martin of Ministry of Words who has recently launched a shop showcasing his fun and eclectic prints. I followed back and an exchange of tweets lead to Martin offering to send me a free print!

I know, RIGHT? Seriously, this just made my whole week.

And of course, never one to turn down someones blatant generosity, I chose this rather fabulous print called 'Synonyms'... I couldn't NOT, really... as I had the perfect spot in mind.

Brilliant, no?

You know where this is going, right? Of course you do, clever clogs.

Ignore the terrible state of the floors. 2012 is the year they are tackled!

Of course it had to go there. That space was crying out for something and what better way to encourage your guests to let their hair down?

Hello, full bar cart! Why, yes, make mine a Cuba Libre!

Don't I keep saying that every room needs a sense of humour? We aren't really alcoholics.

Hey kids, don't drink! Stay in school!

See? I'm still a responsible adult, mostly.

I really love my new print and if you want to check out more of Martin's prints, go to his shop and tell him I sent you! He's offering a 15% discount right now so get them while you can as they are all limited editions. He also wraps them rather nicely which, ya know, shows he cares :)

Thank you so much, Martin!!

In other dining room news, I made a couple of other small additions over the last couple weeks which I might as well share with you while we're having a look around!

For the eagle eyed among you, there are two new ones in that picture, both from the rather eclectically wonderful Rockett St George.

The first is a little zinc match dispenser that has a fantastic antique look. I thought the colours worked well against the grey wall.

Tada!

The second is the First Class Waiting Room sign. I thought it was rather appropriate for a dining room - sure the food is first class, but you'll be waiting a while for it! Ha!!

It's in a distressed wood but I'm not entirely sure if I'm going to leave it that way. I'm really tempted to paint it in something like bright yellow. I know, I know, I'm odd. Time shall tell whether I have the guts to do it.

So those are my three new additions to my dining room. As you can see, I still haven't done a thing with the bar cart - taking your advice to 'live with it' for a while as I'm still unsure what I want to do.

So anyway, I hope you liked the new bits and now... back to Christmas!! Goodness, are you as exhausted as I am? Feel like my head has been in a spin for 3 weeks now!

P.S. My gorgeous new faux bamboo dining chairs should be complete this week - I'm just waiting for the cushion covers to be completed but they're no longer that terrible green colour and are just awaiting the final steps of their makeover. Can't wait to show them off so stay tuned for that!

Room Lust: Swoon Worthy Dressing Room

2011-12-19T19:44:00.004Z

This image has been the most popular one I've ever pinned on Pinterest by far. It's obviously provided inspiration far and wide and for very good reason. The lovely grey chest of drawers with stainless hardware, the rows and rows of beautiful clothing and bags, the light fixture (OH MY GOD THAT LIGHT FIXTURE. I'M DYING. ARE YOU DYING?) the mirrored top, the beautiful flowers, candles and accessories...

I reckon even Carrie Bradshaw would swoon over this one.

Would this be your dream dressing room?

I'm a bit of a pin-aholic by the way. Want to follow me on Pinterest? Just click on the link below or in my sidebar!

Image via Redlilock's Pinterest via Clementine & Olive Blog

Ho Ho Home Decor: Animal Print Tree Skirts and Glittery Reindeer!

2011-12-15T21:29:00.001Z

Well, we are now in the final stretch to Christmas and it's been a busy one! Last minute meetings in London, Office Christmas parties and scrambling for Secret Santa gifts has meant terribly early mornings and late nights. So by nightfall, sinking into the sofa with a cup of tea, television and Christmas lights twinkling away is about all I want to do!

So despite my decorations being up since early December, I'm only just getting to show you the rest of my Christmas decor!

You saw my dining table last week, but here's the rest of the dining room, specifically the mantle.

More of the same - black, white, silver, gold and leopard print...

With a little greenery thrown in for good measure of course.

I bought the faux fur Christmas stockings from Graham and Green last year and they work really well with the scheme. Also, they are HUGE. All the more room for pressies.

The black reindeer is from John Lewis (£6) and the gold one was part of a set of 2 for £3 at Home Bargains. If you are okay with fighting off all the chavs and scroats that unfortunately tend to populate places like Home Bargains, you can actually get some really cheap and cheerful things*.

Moving on to the living room, I kept things a little more simple in here...

A simple candelabra and a cheerful little reindeer tea light holder lights up the corner...

The fireplace 'hole' is a Christmassy vignette with gold velvet stockings I bought years ago from M&S along with a garland of white flowers and berries...

And then on to the tree...

I'm not into packing my tree with loads of things... I like my ornaments to 'breathe' a bit.

I bought the tree skirt at B&Q. I couldn't resist really, it's just so cute and helps to tie the theme together...

My favourite addition to the tree this year is my black crow which I bought from Rockett St George. I love that the first time W saw it, it scared the crap out of him because he thought it was real! *falls about laughing hysterically*

How can anyone be scared of this little guy, really? Even the cats weren't fussed.

You lookin' at ME?

So aside from a few little bits, that's pretty much the extent of my holiday decorating! Hope you are looking forward to a fabulous week ahead! I am going to wrap all my presents today (just bought the last one today!) so the bottom of my tree will look a little less empty.

We're also going 'Booze Shopping' today to get all the alcohol for Christmas. I know that sounds a bit like we are alcoholics but we are expecting 12 people on Christmas day (not all for dinner though, thank goodness) so making sure we've got everything to hand is always good. And then we can concentrate on the food shopping later this week.

Also, I got a new print that sits right above my bar cart that I can't wait to show you later this week and it'll look all the better with lots of full bottles underneath it. It's all about the stylin' baby.

What have you got planned for the last weekend before the big one?

Forgot to turn the fairy lights on for this pic. Whoops. Trust, me... lots of lights.

*No chavs or scroats were harmed in the making of this post.

Christmas Inspiration: DIY Christmas Decor Ideas

2011-12-11T17:59:00.001Z

Everyone is in full-on Christmas mode and I've come across quite a few lovely ideas for homemade decorations. Does that mean I'll be attempting many myself?

Hmmm.

Well, let's say, I have managed to do just one which is about as simple as it gets but finding time for the others continues to be a challenge! That doesn't mean I can't share, though, right?

So, I'll show you mine first and then some others I've come across in blogland you may like to try.

A clear vase full of baubles always looks really festive but I decided to add a ribbon trim to mine just to give it some extra zshush!

Here's some other lovely DIY projects to keep you busy!

Everyone can use a little more sparkle around the holidays so I'm loving these sequin ornaments...

via Made By Girl

Blue Cricket Design created this vignette a couple of years ago but they look absolutely gorgeous and simple to recreate! The DIY even includes the paper mache ornaments included but you can easily use store-bought ones if you are lazy like me ;)

via Blue Cricket Design

Meera's adorable Washi Tape Reindeer is so simple but gorgeously effective. I love something that takes so little time but makes a big impact.

via First Sense Interiors

And how cute are Katie's owl ornaments? They would look so cute attached to holiday parcels as well. Love the mix of patterns!

via Craptastic

This isn't exactly a DIY tutorial but how difficult would it be to recreate this with a branch from your garden, a bit of silver spray paint, candles and a glue gun?

via Westelm

Hope you enjoyed our little DIY extravaganza today! I have to admit, I'm better at buying than I am at creating from scratch but that's what the interwebs are for, right?

What kinds of DIY projects have you attempted this Christmas?

Christmas Table: Black and White and Leopard Print all over

2011-12-11T11:56:00.001Z

In my post about gorgeously decorated tables, I discussed how much inspiration I've had from some of the beautiful settings in blogland. Strange as it may seem, I've never been one to go crazy trying to create beautiful table settings. I guess because nice table settings only come out when you've got dinner guests and I'd rather spend my money on things I get to enjoy every single day.

However, this year I thought I would take a bit more time over my Christmas table and I've found I've enjoyed it so much, I would share it with you - even though I'm about 2 weeks early!!

I purchased a few things but I certainly haven't spent a loads of money with much of it from eBay. I'm still missing a few bits and pieces (like place cards settings) and the table will be set for 5 this Christmas rather than 4 but, this was just a practise run for fun! (I know you, my fellow interior-obsessed friends, understand this, right? Setting a table when no one is actually coming around? W thinks I'm bonkers but at least he's accepting of my weirdness.)

So as you can see, I've gone with a simple 2 Metre piece of cotton/polyester blend fabric in a leopard print which sets all the gold off rather nicely I think and cost £15.

The leopard print was chosen as a direct result of seeing this gorgeous image:

I used the gold tray that was in my dressing room as the centrepiece and just layered a glittery reindeer, a mercury glass tealight holder, a gold church candle and some bottles filled with red roses (my £2 Aldi specials!).

The black and white ribbon wrapped around the bottles and candle pick up the same pattern in the napkins layered under the side dishes.

Speaking of side dishes, I loved the gold pattern and oriental look of these dishes (even though they were made in Britain according to the markings). I got 5 of these for £6.50 - thank you eBay.

I also like that the table doesn't really scream Christmas but the reindeer and the Christmas crackers are the only real nod towards the holiday.

Oooh and as you can see I got my gold cutlery!! Again, eBay - brand new and never used - 12 place settings for £27. Come to mama.

Both sets of gold glasses are also from eBay. The smaller glasses (set of 4) cost me £6.50 and the larger gold rimmed goblets cost £12, including shipping.

The little mercury glass tealight holders are from John Lewis. The website only appears to have them in red but I purchased them from the store in silver mercury glass at £6 each. Even though it was in their Christmas decoration section, I really think you could use them all year long.

The gold chargers were from Sainsbury's for £2 each (although I've seen them in lots of places for a similar price). The gold candle was from Ikea and under £2. The black and white striped ribbon was from John Lewis as well (£3.50 used elsewhere as well) and the white dishes, napkins, bottles I already owned. The Christmas crackers were leftover from last year!

What do you think so far? It's my first attempt at a properly decorated table and I've probably broken a million rules so be gentle on me!!

In fact, I was going to look up proper table settings on the interwebs but I was quickly running out of daylight and didn't want to have to use the overhead light so just took a guess as to where everything was supposed to go!! I'll probably make some changes on the day anyway...

Hope you like it and you are enjoying the run up to Christmas as much as I am! I must apologise if I've neglected your blog the last week or so - it's just been mad busy as you can imagine. In fact, just yesterday, I checked on bloglovin' and it said I had 476 unread posts. Uhh. Yeah.

I can't make any promises but I will do my best to get caught up! I've got lots to share in the run up to Christmas, it's just fitting it all in around real life. We all know how that goes, right? Cool.

Anyway, later this week, I'm hoping I get to show you the rest of the dining room and my tree as well. Stay tuned for that as it follows a similar theme to the table...

In the meantime... Can leopard print really look Christmassy? Are you gaga for Gold Cutlery? Trying something a bit different with mixed patterns? How about good Christmas recipes - it's all well and good to have a nice table but we all know the food is where it's at! Share and share alike in the comments!

Help Me!! My Bar Cart Needs a Makeover!

2011-12-02T23:18:00.001Z

I bought a really awesome bar cart recently. Now, I've been wanting one for ages and I've been scouring eBay and one fateful day, I saw my ugly duckling.

Well, actually, it was a swan. Just not quite the swan I imagined.

This particular swan, well, it had siblings. Ok, yeah, this particular metaphor isn't really working so let's just talk about the fact that it's very GOLD. Not the good gold - the really shiny brassy style gold.

Lots and lots of bright shiny gold.

And the legs and the handle of the cart are like a marble-effect green.

"Hello? 1992? Yes, we found your drinks trolley. Mm-hmm. It's in Red's Dining Room."

Oooh but look how pretty my new gold-banded glasses are! My Christmas table is going to look LUSH (in my head only so far but one has to have aspirations in this life).

So, my dear readers. I need some help here. I do really genuinely love this ugly thing. I know deep down in my soul this thing has potential.

But what should I do with it? Is there a way I could perhaps antique the brass (if so, how? I've heard good things about Rub N' Buff but would it work here?). What should I do with the horrible faux-marble handles? I am thinking spray paint but what colour? Or do you think I should just spray the handles and maybe the gold will look better as a result?

Or should I just douse the entire thing in primer and paint it a glossy colour and forget the whole gold fiasco?

I beseech you, my lovely readers... I need your wonderful eye and creativity. What would you do with this ugly duckling?

Christmas Wishlist: Books, Books and More Books!

2011-11-30T20:14:00.001Z

So if there's one thing that's made a number of appearances on my wish list this year, it's got to be books. When I was a kid, it was rare indeed that you would see me without my nose in a book and I would often read by the light of a flashlight (torch) underneath my covers until my mom would inevitably yell at me to GO. TO. SLEEP. And then of course, I would just wait until she had turned her attentions to something else and would continue reading very late into the night. It was no wonder I never liked getting up in the morning.

That passion really never subsided completely and even today, I am an all-or-nothing person when it comes to reading fiction (ie., will read for 5 hours straight until it is DONE because I can't bear putting it down kinda girl). That being said, because my life will not often allow me such an indulgence (nor will it allow me such late nights), I tend to save my hard core reading for the holidays.

At the same time, I do love a good interior design book with beautiful eye candy that I can page through at my leisure, swooning over inspirational image over inspirational image.

And as we have a holiday coming up where I can indulge both of my pleasures, I'm adding these books to my 'Please-Father-Christmas-I've-Been-Oh-So-Very-Good-This-Year' list and thought I'd share them with you as well.

I'm a massive fan of designer Celerie Kemble and from what I've seen so far of her book Black & White (and a bit in between), she doesn't appear to disappoint. Black and white is such a timeless look that I'm eager to see what gorgeousness she's put together. Those dark walls on the cover? Oh yespleaseandthankyou.

Next up? A work of fiction with a provocative title. When I Was Five I Killed Myself by Howard Buten, and "hailed as 'one of the most charming voices since Holden Caulfield'" centering around an eight year old boy and his "unusual and occasionally bewildering narrative of love, loyalty and the injustice inherent in not being understood by the adult world." As a massive fan of Catcher in the Rye, I am hoping this will be a rather thought-provoking read!

Another work of fiction is also on my list by Norwegian author Erlend Low called Naive.Super about a 25 year old man questioning his place in the world. Do I like mildly depressing, tongue-in-cheek novels? Hmm. I'm starting to think so. Nonetheless, it was a huge success in it's original Norwegian language and has received fantastic critical acclaim. I'm up for a bit of deep thinking me.

My next design book that I'm eager to get my grubby mitts on is Grace Bonney's Design*Sponge at Home. No blogger worth their salt would want to miss this one with the powerhouse of fantastic info that her blog is. I imagine there will be very much to delight in with her hard-backed offering as it promises lots of DIY projects! Woohoo!

Next up on the fiction shelves is All My Friends are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman. At only 108 pages, I can do this one in one sitting and won't even need a holiday to get the time. A novel about love among superheros with a tender message. I may need it after all the depressing shit I'll have been reading.

By the same author and bearing a similarly petite size, I also would like to read The Tiny Wife which received equally positive reviews. Just looking at the cover makes me want to pick it up and read it - does it do that to you too? Who says you can't judge a book by it's cover? Just try and stop me.

Image via Bookiemonster

Another design book I would love to own is Details: A Stylist's Secret to Creating Inspired Interiors by Lili Diallo and photographed by Annie Schlecter. With a great big gorgeous bubblegum pink tufted sofa on the front cover, I can not wait to see what else is in store!

Part of my job entails reading through loads and loads of editorial copy and with that comes proof-reading. Not the sexiest thing in the world but being that I'm often called 'The Red Pen Nazi' at work (because I can't help proofing much of anything put in front of my face - I'm sure I was a teacher in another life), I thought it was only fitting to finally add Eats Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss to my bookshelf.

I also have 3 books on digital marketing which I'm pretty sure you won't care too much about and a couple others as well but these are the books I really want!

Have you got any books on your wishlist? Any design books that are rocking your socks right now? Are you like me and can't stop reading fiction until you've turned the last page? Oooh or are you asking for a Kindle? I genuinely wouldn't want one because I am rather old fashioned and I love the creak of breaking in the binding of a new book and feel of pages between my fingers! Have you read any of these works of fiction and would you recommend them?

I've not really posted about books previously so it'd be nice to hear your own picks and thoughts on this one! Don't be shy, I do love to read your comments!

Christmas Inspiration: Beautiful Table Settings

2011-11-28T21:21:00.001Z

I figured as it's practically December, I should do a post around Christmas, eh? I think it's the right thing to do.

So, I've been debating what colours to use when decorating my own home this holiday season but I think I've finally come to a decision.

Part of that inspiration has come from a number of beautifully decorated table settings which I thought I might share with you in case you needed an extra helping of lovely prior to setting your Christmas table decor. ("extra helping" - geddit? See what I did there? Oh I kill me.)

via pottery barn

It's definitely time to break out the sparkly stuff.

via Shop Talk Blog
(although technically a Thanksgiving setting, it still would work for Christmas)

Twinkling lights never goes amiss. This crystal garland would look amazing on a Christmas table.

via Red Lilly

I saw this last year and I'm still in love with the idea of angel wings on the dining chairs.

via Inspire Bohemia

The mixed metals and candlelight here look so warm and festive.

South Shore Decorating via Arcadian Home

And then some non-Christmas settings that are equally gorgeous and inspiring...

How fabulous is that animal-print tablecloth with gold? Seriously considering something like this for my own Christmas table! Possibly not that traditional but really gorgeous nonetheless.

via Made By Girl

Another twist on black, gold and white - stunning.

Pinterest

We'll do another just because it's too pretty to leave out...

via Luxury Monograms

So after looking at all these beautiful settings, are you inspired?

I'm really quite excited about busting out the Christmas decorations. I've been thinking of taking inspiration from a few of these images and throwing in my own twist. My colours? Black, white and mixed metals (mostly because I have loads of gold stuff from years past and loads of silver stuff from more recent years so combined - bam! Mixed metals. Oh yeah.) And as I mentioned, I might try to incorporate some animal print as well on my table for a little unexpected fun.

Also? Desperate for gold cutlery. I just love it. Not sure if I'll be able to score a deal on a set but I'm hoping eBay is kind to me this year.

Need more proof? How beautiful is this colour scheme? The Peacock blue is giving me heart palpitations.

via 5th/58th

What is your decorating scheme for the holidays? Do you stick to a limited pallet? Or are you all about the colour? Are you mixing metals too? Going all out traditional? Maybe you are looking forward to a White Christmas? (Side note: I would love a white tree!)

Leave me some comment lovin' - we're all about the sharing here and I like comments like Father Christmas likes some Brandy.

Bargain Hunt: Faux Bamboo Dining Chairs

2011-11-22T08:30:00.000Z

(OR THE BIG FAUX BAMBOO BARGAIN REVEAL!)

This is the thing, see. I read a lot of American blogs. Well, ya know, there's a lot of them out there, right? And there's so much CHOICE in the States in terms of the trends and styles that I find myself longing for on a daily basis. It seems that beautiful things are prevalent and yet, they are only just beyond the ends of my fingertips, like a huge ocean of gorgeousness that's just that too far away, too far from reach.

Jonathan Adler via House Beautiful

More than frequently, these items are just not available here in my little edge of the world. I can search all I like for certain furniture pieces, certain fabrics, certain accessories and unless I want to pay top whack for shipping (I don't), then it's just not possible for me to get these items.

But there is some good news in all of this - as I alluded to in my last post. Yeah, I seemed to have gotten lucky in the faux bamboo stakes.

Yes that does say $699AU. via Adore.

Ya see, every once in a very great while, I hit gold. And it's those times that I am more than grateful that I live on this gorgeous little island with the fantastic dark sense of humour, the rain, the beautiful countryside and at times, the bargains.

Jonathan Adler via Decorpad

And I say this because I know that many people here in the UK aren't saturated daily with the same beauty I see in blogland. And sometimes, they have no idea of the value of the things they have.

Windsor Smith via Burciaga

Craigslist isn't quite as popular here as in the States. I have to rely on eBay to pick up furniture bargains. But I know that original Eero Saarinen tulip tables are listed for £100. That I could get a mid-century modern console for about £30 (Or maybe this one for almost half of that). You see where I'm going with this right?

Lonny Mag

Now what I have been looking for and longing for (if you haven't already figured it out which I'm sure you have being the clever clog that you are) was a set of faux bamboo chairs for the dining room.

Pereira Associates via Lonny Mag

If money were no object and practicality wasn't an issue, then I'd probably go for something velvet and tufted but well, you are looking at a shitload of money for that particular dream. Money that I won't have for a while (maybe never). So my mind was turned to these lovelies...

Rovin Raven

And when I somehow, miraculously found these beauties (not in their current state, mind you, but beauties nonetheless) on eBay, I knew I'd struck gold.

*drumroll please*

via ebay, the original listing

While I am sure you can find bargains in the States as well, I do remember reading that these go for anywhere between $300-$600 EACH in the States. Now let's just bear in mind, I couldn't find these ANYWHERE in the UK - for any price, nevermind inexpensively. (That link right there is a google.co.uk search for 'faux bamboo dining chairs' - you will see the choice is just less than inspiring.)

In fact, the only place I knew I could get them was on Jonathan Adler's UK site.

For £550.

Per chair.

Uhhh. Yeah.

Back to my bargain.... The listing was for a set of 8 side chairs for £180. Seriously.

Now, let's be practical here. I didn't need nor do I have room for 8 chairs. My table fits 4 - I can probably fit 6 in a pinch but I didn't really want to clutter my room unnecessarily so 4 would be fine. I sent the seller an email about a month ago asking if she'd consider splitting the set. I already knew the answer but figured it wouldn't hurt to be cheeky.

She responded saying she'd rather not but if she got another buyer wanting 4, she'd let me know.

I'll be honest with you, I didn't hold my breath. I mean, she had them listed as 'Shabby Chic' - WTF? Who else would want these chairs if that's what they were looking for?

Well, last week, I got the email. She had another buyer for 4 chairs and was I still interested in buying the other 4? (Does a bear shit in the woods?)

Come to mama.

Now, I admit it. I fretted a bit originally (if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you'd have read my panic pleas to help me make a decision) - I mean, it's nearly Christmas, I don't NEED chairs... and I really need to save my pennies. But oh god, what a deal.

There was no way I was going to pass these up. I would regret it for ever.

So I have now purchased 4 chairs for £95 in all. So soon, these lovelies will be mine. Excited much? You bet I am.

Now comes the fun part... what colour? what fabric? Oooh give me some good ideas, people because my mind is swirling!!! The comment box awaits!

PS. If you want to see what my dining room looks like currently, you can see it in this post.

Design Lust: For the Love of Faux Bamboo

2011-11-20T12:18:00.001Z

I've been crushing big style on faux bamboo.

The Lonny Mag office shows how a little faux bamboo goes a long way in the style stakes.

Michelle Adams for Lonny Offices via Lonny Mag

Check out this really fun oriental style mirror. It just changes the space completely, especially in bright reddy-orange. I would never have thought this would work but somehow, it just does.

Ellie Somerville for Lonny Offices via Lonny Mag

Oh and then there is this stunning gilded bar cart. Are you dying? Because I am dying.

So, I wish they would have moved the lamp cord but ya know, other than that, it's perfection.

via The Decorista

While I wouldn't recommend filling an entire space with it, touches here and there add a glamorous nod to Hollywood Regency style.

This colour combination makes my heart weep with joy. How beautiful is this table setting?

via Dolce Vita

Prefer something a little more subtle? Then how about this gorgeous bamboo bed?

via House Beautiful

Oh, and you don't need a big piece to make a big impression. Even this small gold faux bamboo table at the end of this daybed takes the whole look up an eclectic notch.

via Desire to Inspire

This desk and chair combo is so glamorous! (I need a bit of that greek key in my life as well but let's not get sidetracked here.)

Interior by Christina Murphy - Patrick Cline Photography via Lonny Mag

This bamboo dresser in the bedroom of Erin from Clementine and Olive (a new favourite of mine - if you haven't checked out her blog, she's got style in abundance) looks elegant and smart with a colourful vingnette on top.

via Clementine and Olive

And soon, I will have a little piece of gorgeous faux bamboo style in my own home!

I'm so excited I could burst, if I'm honest. Because oh my god, I have rocked a SERIOUS deal here, it's almost criminal. But you'll just have to stop back to find out what I'm going on about... I know, I'm a tease.

So do you love faux bamboo as well? Do you have any in your own home? Have you found it as difficult to track down in the UK as I have? Or do you see it as yet another trend that you'll soon grow tired of? Spill all in the comments!

Take Me Away: Bellinter House, County Meath Ireland

2011-11-15T12:21:00.000Z

I have lived in England for just over 10 years now. Our (I think I've earned the right to claim it as my own if only in my heart) fair isle - where everything is on your doorstep in terms of the rest of Europe, never mind the rest of what's on the British Isles themselves.

I've been very privileged to take advantage of my vicinity to the rest of Europe (although not as much as I'd have liked) and have been to Scotland, Wales, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Czech Republic, Hungary, the Canary Islands and Iceland (although not technically in Europe but you get my drift hopefully).

However, what amazes me is that I STILL - despite it's relatively close proximity - have not been to Ireland. I know, I know. It's like people from New York never going to Ellis Island. Ridiculous.

So I think it's time I rectify this situation - especially as W's half Irish on his dad's side and he does a brilliant Irish accent.

Just as a side note, is the Irish accent the sexiest in Europe? Discuss.

So when I saw this beauty in County Meath (just about an hour Northwest of Dublin), I realised even more why I would love to go.

Bellinter House is as beautiful as it is welcoming.

From the website...

"Standing majestically on the banks of the River Boyne in the rolling landscape of County Meath, Bellinter House exudes period glamour."

Glamour, indeed... But also quite cozy, don't you think?

I'm in love with the stag light. Seriously, I need that in my life.

The colour mix here is not something I would have ever thought would work but it totally does.

Another one of those lights... dear god. Please someone tell me where I can get one. WANT.

Don't you just want to rock up on that beautiful chair and nestle down with a good book whilst the winds howl outside?

Tufted furniture, lucite tables and wooden floors.... Heaven.

Double rooms start around €120/night. Anyone else as in love with this place as I am?

All images Mr and Mrs Smith except for last, from Bellinterhouse.com

Dining Room Ramblings: Gallery Wall Updates and Other Good Stuff

2011-11-12T20:10:00.065Z

This is going to be just a big mess of a post because there's a bunch of stuff going on at the moment in my dining room in terms of little changes here and there so bear with the rambling post!

My favourite shot!

I was looking at some old pictures of when we first moved in and realised that whilst we've not really spent a lot of money at all on this room (not like the kitchen and living rooms which had a budget associated with each over a given time period) we've actually made quite a bit of progress just making a lot of little changes as we went.

So I guess I'll start there and then talk about some of the detail after that!

We're going to begin with some before and afters. I know I like a good before and after personally and it's always good to take stock.

The 'before' pictures were taken back in July 2010 when we'd only just moved in and the 'after' pictures were just taken this weekend.

So we'll start with the view into the kitchen...

I love that you can really see the difference the white kitchen now makes! Holy brightness Batman!

This shot is notoriously difficult to take only because the window tends to blow it out but you can see there was wallpaper in the alcove on the left (There was no sign of it anywhere else in the room which begs the question why anyone would use wallpaper only there?).

Wallpaper was painted over (I actually forgot it had been there, you really can't see it at all with a coat of paint over it) along with all the trim and the mantle and of course, STUFF was added.

So here we see the final before and after of the dining room and I have to say, this is really the biggest change. Having a television in the dining room was W's idea so my challenge was finding a way to either blend it into the background or work it into the design. My original idea was to use a patterned wallpaper here but once the paint went on, I knew I wanted the whole room in the same colour.

And so, the idea of a gallery wall was born. I think it adds a lot of personality to the room and so what was originally an eyesore has become one of my favourite things about the room. And I have to admit, it's great having a telly in here because we end up spending a lot more time in this room than just to eat meals. It's really become the main hub of the whole house.

It's amazing what some paint and a few accessories will do, dontcha think?

So those of you that may have been following me for a while may have noticed I've added a few bits to the gallery wall.

I've always really loved vintage advertisements so I've added a couple of them to the wall.

The Martini & Rossi one is my favourite - I've always loved it!

I also got this great vintage 'Air Raid Shelter' sign but W suggested putting it above the cellar door instead! I think every room should have a bit of humour, don't you?

Back to the gallery wall... I also got this wooden sign at a visit to a new interiors shop in Cheadle Hulme called 'Homebird' (cute name, no?). Both me and W really like to cook so I thought it was appropriate in the dining room! It's made from bits of wood and has a bit of a chalkboard look (without the mess). The £29 price tag wasn't too bad either.

A few weekends ago, I cleared out the only closet in the house (in the guest bedroom) and found these two tiny framed prints that I bought way back in 2001, the first time I went to Prague from the little market traders along the Charles Bridge. I like that they fit the mostly neutral scheme that's going on.

So here's how the wall is looking at the moment with those additions and a couple things shifted about. There's still gaps and holes to fill in and some of the items will inevitably be replaced but at least it's coming along!

Let's see... what else. I purchased these lovely little reddy-orange roses from ALDI - 10 for £2. Yes, seriously. Hey, I'm not too proud to buy my flowers at the cheapest place in town. They are lovely, aren't they? And for 20p each, I'm certainly not gonna argue.

Oh did you notice my new autumn tablecloth? H&M for £20 (although it's in the sales now for £7.99!). I really love it because the colours just work so well with everything else in the room and it's a nice thick cotton fabric.

Oh I also had to move the console table from under the window (where I prefer it) to the alcove because W said it was blocking the heat from the rad and it does get awful cold in here. When I moved it over to the corner, I felt it looked too heavy with the table cloth on it so I've removed it.

It's not great there but well, I suppose it'll do just for the winter. Once it warms up again, I'll put it back where it was!

The tray, which had been through a rather disastrous paint job has been repainted white for now but I have some plans for it so stay tuned for that. The little gold candle was from a recent trip to IKEA.

I also recently bought these little wine glasses from eBay for a fiver! Probably not surprising considering my obsession with all things gold. I love them, they just look so cute and I think they'll look lovely on my Christmas table for a bit of added sparkle.

Oh I also got this little heart dish for £4.50 from the same interiors shop in Cheadle Hulme for W because he was always dumping all his change on the console table. So now he's got somewhere to put it! The dish is a perfect shade of greige.

So as I warned you, apologies that this post is sort of all over the place! It's been a while since I showed my dining room but I needed to catch y'all up! ("Y'all" is such a good word and I have yet to find a good alternative expression in England so it's staying in my vocab, dammit.)

I think that's everything! I think I like that the room has a real eclectic style which is exactly what I was after in this room. The floors obviously are a total mess but that's a project we'll be tackling next year. I also need a rug to sit under the dining table. And eventually, I'd like to replace the Parson chairs. Oh and we need a new light fixture in here. I'd also like to change out the mirror that sits above the mantle. Ohhhh and we need some kind of window treatment... So erm... yes. Still plenty to do.

That being said, what do you think of my recent bargain purchases? Any thoughts on the progress so far? Do you have any rooms that have just been worked on slowly and realised some time later how much progress you've actually made? Do you buy all your flowers at discount shops? Go on, share in the comments.

PS. You might notice that I've started using a watermark on my photos. I'm going to try to remember to do this from now on after reading a couple horror stories on line of people's blog posts being stolen and passed off as someone else's. Hope it's not too distracting or annoying!

PPS. I also realised after a bit of wandering around the blogosphere that I've been replying to loads of commenters via email and they've been being lost in the ether!! Oh my god, I'm gutted! Here's the thing - unless you set your blogger profile to receive emails, then you are not able to receive replies to your comments. I feel terrible because I reckon people think I'm well rude, not replying to them in the comment section but I know not everyone will go back to check and see if they've received a reply. I try to reply to as many comments as I can so please do go check to ensure you've got an email address associated with your profile so I can respond personally :) If you are afraid of loads of spam, I have to say, from my experience, I rarely get any so it's all good baby.

PPPS. Okay, I'll shut up now.

I've shared here...

Dressing Room Drama: Gold Mirror Before and After

2011-11-06T16:40:00.004Z

First things first, I just wanted to say hello to my gorgeous new followers! I have finally, after erm... over a year, hit 3 digits on Google Friend Connect! *crowd cheering and confetti thrown* Thank you and welcome - oh and by the way, your hair looks really nice today and I love your shoes.

As you may remember from the last time I spoke about my dressing room, I'd been crushing rather hard on a gorgeous sunflower style large gold mirror. It was expensive, yes. £300 on some websites, but thanks to a in-the-know blogger mate, I was directed to Forever Interiors which featured it for £229. Still, not a price to sniff over, but I knew deep down that it was the perfect foil for a room that would ultimately, carry quite a lot of antique gold along with turquoise, coral and white. And saving £70 was right up my street.

via

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'd looked at other cheaper mirrors, but nothing else was quite right for this room and I knew that I'd just have to bite the bullet and save my pennies to get this particular one. You know how it is, right, when you have your heart absolutely set on something because you know it's PERFECT?? Yeah, well, it was pretty much just like that.

And yet, nothing is ever that straight forward, is it? Of course not. And this is Swoon Worthy where I do my best to give you all the fun and drama and sometimes complete and utter pain of trying to create big-cost style on a tiny budget....

So imagine my disappointment, when waiting months to purchase and then a couple weeks to finally receive this beautiful addition to my dressing room and when it came in, it wasn't actually gold at all. The colour was what I would call a rusted wrought iron. It was very dark and very dull. Don't get me wrong, the shape and style was gorgeous but it wasn't the right colour.

Honest to god, I could have cried.

WTF?!?!

So, after weighing up my options, I emailed Forever Interiors, along with the rather rubbish photo from my phone above (apologies, I was not in the mood to pull out the good camera) and explained that it really looked nothing at all like the image on the website. With heavy heart, I said I could either return the mirror at their cost due to misrepresentation or I could try to refinish the mirror myself to achieve the look I'd expected.

I'll be honest, I didn't want to return it - it was stunning - but I wanted an ANTIQUE GOLD mirror, not this. No, not this at all. It was all wrong. *sob sob*

I heard back from Mark (who had been extremely helpful in setting up the delivery and answering my questions) who apologised for my disappointment. He went back into their warehouse to check his remaining stock and agreed, the colour wasn't as it was represented. The images on the website had come from the manufacturer and he said they'd obviously not updated him on the new finish and so he was unaware of the change. And then, after quite a few apologies, he asked me if I wanted to try something.

He said with a bit of white spirit, the rusted finish actually came off revealing the antique gold below.

You can see after the first coat of white spirit, the gold started to be revealed.

He said he'd tried it himself with one of the mirrors and it'd come up beautifully. He also said, for my efforts, he would refund me £60 against the cost of the mirror. Well, that brought the price down from £229 to £169. That's a pretty amazing discount for a bit of elbow grease. I agreed to try it, thinking that if it didn't work out, I'd just get W to paint it for me with a gold spray paint.

Well, happy days. It worked. I ended up using a combination of white spirit and Brasso and it took about 20 rags and quite a lot of elbow grease, but I think you'll agree, it came out rather well.

It's actually a bit shinier / gold-y in person!

I know, I know, I'm just teasing you now, aren't I? But look how well it matches the little jewelry holder...

And now, I'm going to be really horrible and post a before pic for you so you can appreciate where we started from...

Remember the little white dresser? And the crummy little mirror? And the horrible fugly carpet? No? Well, let me remind you...

Oh dear.

And here it is now...

I actually don't think pictures do the mirror justice or quite capture the impact it makes in the room...

But wow, does it make a statement. And I do truly love it.

Oh and did you notice my new little owl friend? I bought him from Rose and Grey. I can't resist a little white owl and filled with frilly miniature coral roses, he just brightens up the room.

Say hello to my leetle friend.

I've also decided that the rug in this room is going. I love the way leopard print looks with this combination... so I'm thinking of getting a leopard print rug.

Very Madeleine Castaing, no??

Madeleine Castaing via Topsy Turvy Style

It's a consideration anyway! And this is my personal dressing room so I can go as girly and outrageous as I'd like (unlike the rest of the house which is shared with a boy). And that, truly, is a beautiful thing.

So what do you think?? Do you think it was worth all the heartache and money to finally get what I want? Or do you think I should have held out for something less painful to my wallet and my lungs (because breathing in toxins like that isn't really ideal)? Think leopard print is more trashy than glamorous and reminds you more of Pat Butcher than Madeleine Castaing? Any large mirror purchases that have created big fabulous impact? Do tell/link in the comments...

Want to see the original mood board for this room? Just click here...

Bedroom Inspiration: Tufted Benches

2011-11-03T19:07:00.000Z

Hello my lovelies! I've got a guest poster in today whilst I reside quite happily in my Halloween candy-induced coma. Let me introduce to you the lovely Joanna who will blow you away with some gorgeous inpiring images - we are talking TUFTING baby. Anyway, enough from me! Enjoy! ;)

Hi, I’m Joanna, a writer for Arcadian Lighting. They’re the online go-to source for all things lighting. My job is so enjoyable—bringing the most gorgeous interior designs and furnishings to readers around the world. Thanks to Swoon Worthy for allowing me to share my finds!

While tufted benches are a mainstay in many bedrooms, there are clever ways to incorporate them throughout the house. From a banquette in a dining area flanked by light fixtures on either side to a simple bench at the entry, tufted benches are not only useful they are eye-catching as well. Below you’ll find some of the most beautiful ways to incorporate them in your own home.

Two small classic- styled benches sit at the foot of a tailored bed with a whimsical headboard. The colors in the headboard and benches play off each other nicely.

This long tufted bench fits this queen bed in French style perfectly. A zebra rug adds a playful touch to an otherwise formal room.

Unexpected, this built-in tufted bench with tufted wall is stunning. The antler- like silver wall lamp with linen shade makes a playful gesture in this formal setting.

Gorgeous! A gray velvet tufted bench at the foot of a silvery bed looks enchanting. The mirrors flanking the bed reflect the ambient light from the attic windows making a large table lamp unnecessary.

This linen covered bench proves they don’t just look terrific in the bedroom. A bench is a clever way to add extra seating to a conversation area.

A tiny tufted bench with curvy lines brings a feminine edge to a tailored bedroom. The neutrals used in this room make it a relaxing haven.

A simple tailored bench plays nicely with a zebra rug and black wrought iron at the doors.

This stately tufted bench adds an unexpected element to a black and white entry. This space must be stunning at night time with the gorgeous hanging lantern illuminating its contrasting colors.What do you like about these bedroom inspirations? Comments are welcome! Don't forget to check out Arcadian Lighting for more lighting fixture inspiration!

Image credits: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from Swoon Worthy!

2011-10-31T22:38:00.000Z

Will you be having a few tasty treats on All Hallow's Eve?

Buried Alive Muffins

Jack Skellington Cupcakes

Or going for an unforgettable look tonight?

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Wearing an amazing dark and sexy outfit?

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Getting in touch with your dark side?

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Or perhaps you're just dreaming of your own personal vampire?

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via (Hey I'm an equal opportunity blog here and you can't tell me she's not seriously hot.)

Whatever you do...

from our resident black cat, Pablo and all of us here at
Swoon Worthy, we hope you have a suitably spooky night!

Happy Halloween!

Gold Rush: Beautiful Rooms with Gold Accents

2011-10-30T11:27:00.000Z

It's official. I'm obsessed with gold. It's snuck up on me slowly but we are talking full takeover now.

I want it in every single room. For now, the dressing room is the only place I've introduced it but by god, I will be putting it into more rooms.

If you need convincing, here's a little inspiration... Swoon at will.

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Convinced?

Have you incorporated gold into any of your rooms? Are you as obsessed as I am? W is still not entirely sure of gold but I already know I'll win him around (love you baby!) ;)

If you want to see more, check out my Pinterest board Old Gold.

Also, I wanted to mention that the lovely Erin from Clementine and Olive has featured my living room on her blog this week! I'm so flattered, especially when Erin's own living room looks like this! Gorgeous, isn't it??

Notice the touches of gold everywhere here as well! Beautiful!

Go over and check out her blog, it's really fabulous and her home is amazing!

Progress Report: Laying Slate Tiles with Underfloor Heating

2011-10-25T22:09:00.001+01:00

Oooh get ready for a whinge-y post. This project tested our patience to the nth degree.

Even just typing out the title of this post makes me feel tired. Maybe because it just took so much longer and so much more money than we'd ever anticipated to finish the flooring in our kitchen remodel. And it was probably the hardest job we've undertaken in this house so far.

The finished floor.

I think the main issue was how many steps there were and how long a wait there was between each subsequent step. So we would complete one task which would take an hour to complete and have to wait 3 days before we could move on to the next task. But of course, that would take us into the working week and so it'd be the weekend again before we could move on. And then another however-much-time of waiting which took us to the next weekend...and so on and so on. Weeks, people, weeks.

Removing the existing laminate flooring and underlay

Goodbye ugly laminate! Don't let the door hit you in the arse on the way out!

So what I will not do is bore you with every single detail because honestly, it's just not really worth it. I have 52 pictures of it (it's okay, I haven't included them all). I really don't want to talk you through every individual step. And I'll be brutally honest with you, I don't want to do a step by step because a lot of what we did was basically look things up, read a million different blogs, forums, manufacturer instructions... and then watch you tube videos, ask some friends... you get the picture. We just did what seemed to work each individual step of the way. This is another reason it took so long. Because we weren't ENTIRELY sure what we were doing and, well, we sort of winged it a bit.

Very very old tile flooring which we didn't bother taking up.

Adhesive goes down and insulation boards that work with the underfloor heating are set.

The underfloor heating sits on top of the insulation boards.

As they say, there are a thousand ways to skin a cat (who came up with that saying anyway? It's seriously gruesome) and this is just the way we ended up doing it. I don't know that given slightly different circumstances in everything from what we laid the flooring upon to the temperature outside, might give someone else a different result.

Another layer of adhesive goes on top of all that - looked a bit like concrete dry.

And even more to even the floors in preparation for the tiles.

We also had to dig out one of the walls to install the thermostat. We thought we'd have to call in an electrician for this bit but a bit of research meant that we saved ourselves the cost by doing it ourselves. Which was a very good thing because the flooring cost a lot more than we'd budgeted for so the savings were welcome!

One of the other difficult things about this job was that slate is a natural product. If you want evenly coloured, perfectly matched tiles, get porcelain. If you want tiles that are all the same thickness, get porcelain. If you want tiles that have all the same texture, get porcelain. If you want perfection, get porcelain. See where I'm going with this?

Slate is imperfect. And that is one thing I do like about it. But holy heck, is it hard work.

Sorting the tiles into thicknesses.

Trying to lay tiles of varying thicknesses onto a floor that is uneven and then somehow get them to lay straight was an all weekend affair.

Tiles are laid out in the dining room in the order in which they will go down.

After a very long time going through every single individual tile to see where it best would sit and then laying them, they had to be sealed and protected or they will stain with water, oil, etc.

Two coats of sealer and two coats of protector before we were able to grout. With a little brush because that's how it needs to go on. And the waiting in between coats. We took turns with this one because it was so tiresome and boring!

We had a 'no shoes' policy going for a couple of weeks.

Finally, we were able to grout. I have no pictures of the grouting process. Try not to be too upset. It was probably because I was so tired of this floor not being finished that I didn't bother.

And then we had to clean (multiple times, the grout is like soot that sits on top) and then seal on top of the grout.

Finally finally finally.... we were left with this.

I have to admit...

It was totally worth the hassle, the time, the backache from lifting these suckers and the sore knees.

We love it.

I even bought a new little chevron door mat from H&M for a mere £7.50. Bargain.

It was too big to fit into that space so we just cut it to size.

Step one.

Step two.

Step three.

Cute no?

Ta da!

Now, it's obvious from these pics we are missing something rather important. And that would be the kickboards (or plinths I think they are called... ya know, the bits of wood that sit between the bottom of the cupboard and the floor). But we're going to be matching the kickboards to the butcherblock counter tops - darkly stained wood. Mmm-mmm.

They will hopefully look rather lush once they go in but I couldn't resist showing you the floors even though we've got big gaping holes under the cupboards.

I like the way that the pattern of the tile (bricked) matches the pattern of the wall tiles. And I just think they look lovely. Lovely and uneven and imperfect, like nature should be.

Also, the underfloor heating works a treat! It's nice and toasty underfoot which will be welcome over the cold winter. We don't have a radiator in the kitchen at all so something to take that edge off was a very necessary indulgence.

Still needs a couple coats of paint so apologies for an 'in-progress' picture!

So far, we've spent in total £1383 (and we are talking EVERYTHING from tile spacers to mixing buckets and everything in between) but £500 of that was the flooring. Yeah. Worth. It.

That's to go from this...

To this...

It's amazing how much you save by doing it yourself. We could have easily spent ten times that amount if we'd called in people to do it. Of course, it'd probably have been finished by now but it's a satisfying journey so I've surprised myself with my patience.

If you are new here (and if you are, why hello there you sexy thang! Thank you for joining me!), you can read about my kitchen design influences here, discovering the hidden ceiling here, tearing it down here, putting up the plasterboard and pendants here, plastering here, putting in the cooker hood, the backsplash and tiling here and putting up the open shelving here, installing the crown molding and the risers here and finally painting the cupboards and replacing the hardware here.)

We are very close now with completing this project. I can't wait to get the butcher block counter tops in as they will really warm up the space again - with every scrap of wood/laminate gone now, the kitchen looks a bit cold. With the wood counter tops stained a nice deep colour in combination with matching kickboards, the warmth will be restored. Well, that's the plan anyway.

In the meantime, I think our backs and our bank balance need a little bit of a break!

Room Lust: Hollywood Regency in Blush Pink

2011-10-23T11:02:00.000+01:00

Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend! I'm hoping to finally share our new slate kitchen floors with you this week which has taken a lot longer and a lot more work than we'd initially anticipated!

I came across this beautiful living room on Inspire My House Pretty and just had to share. Careen is a fellow UK blogger with impeccable taste and she's just had the most gorgeous baby boy so do pop by and say hello!

Now this gorgeous space is undeniably feminine with the blush pink sofa and fluffy white cushions but the contrast with black in the cushions, picture frames, mirror and trim give it a bit of a rock n' roll edge, don't you think?

I do love me a bit of Hollywood Regency and this is a great example of how it can be done well. From the bamboo chairs to the lucite coffee table, the whole place screams glamour but I don't think it'd be too difficult or too astronomically expensive to replicate.

Would you use pink in your own interiors? Or are you more like me, happy to admire from afar but your other half would never in a million years go for it?

Another Guest Bedroom Tweak: New Bed Linens and Fluffy Paper Flowers

2011-10-18T20:12:00.001+01:00

I have been looking for a new, inexpensive duvet and pillowcases for the guest bedroom for what feels like forever.

A closeup of the pattern in my new duvet

The issue has always been that despite the fact I was easily able to find sets that incorporated some red within their patterns, everything I found that I liked within my meager budget seemed to have a cream background. I couldn't find one for the life of me anywhere that had red in combination with pure white. Mad, isn't it? And I'm telling you, I was looking EVERYWHERE. I just didn't want to spend upwards of £70 for something that will only get occasional use. Not saying that my lovely guests wouldn't be WORTH that. I just didn't have it.

The set of linens that had been on the bed since my intial go at zhushing up the guest bedroom was from Sainsbury's. I'd picked them up on clearance for a mere £7 one day out of desperation as I was due for company that evening. And despite the fact there was absolutely no red in the stripey pattern whatsoever, it still kind of worked. And, let's be honest, it was a lot better than what was there previously... but I knew that this particular set was never going to be a permanent fixture.

The previous stripey duvet set.

Enter the saviour of inexpensive delights, good old Ikea. I found this duvet cover in a lovely thick cotton fabric (it really is lovely and heavy to the touch, the quality is suprisingly excellent) with 4 pillowcases for a mere £16. Oh I do sometimes love you Ikea.

The colour is slightly darker - more of a scarlet than the cherry red in the rest of the room but I like the look of layered shades in here. And we've had guests to stay since I purchased these and they commented how nice the bed linens were. I know I should have just said, 'Oh yes, darling, only the best for you!' but like a total mug said, 'Oh I got them from Ikea!' Way to make your guests feel important, Red.

I've added the red and white paper flower pom poms that were leftover from my Anglo-American party because they just looked cute there. I may hang them over the bed but wasn't sure if it would distract from the chandelier? Hmm.

Just a small change sometimes makes a big difference, doesn't it? And there is still more to come for this room in the way of this cute wallpaper...

via

The room still needs a mirror and I need to find SOMETHING for the wall above the bed. And we're looking at moving the ugly desk and chair that's currently in residence in this room that I hate (they are W's and they have never appeared on this blog!) down to what will eventually be 'the man cave', aka, the cellar. So that will leave a bit more room for me to put something rather pretty there in it's place.

But for now, I like the simple change.

So have you scored any bargains at Ikea lately? What do you think of my bargain buy? Maybe you prefer the old duvet? Do share in the comments...

Dressing Room Before & After: Turquoise Dresser with Gold Accessories

2011-10-16T21:21:00.001+01:00

I'm so excited to finally be able share this before and after with you! Let's just say it's been some time in coming.

There is something really lovely about fading roses, don't you think?

You may recall that the recently painted and wallpapered chest of drawers that was previously in my dressing room had been moved to the living room to house our DVDs. This is because I'd purchased a larger chest of drawers to take it's place.

And you may also recall from my previous post about the moodboard for my dressing room, that my original plan was to paint said future purchased chest of drawers a lovely coral colour.

This was the original ebay ad image. It looked brown in the picture however when I got it home, it was actually closer to a dark reddish orange. For £30, I wasn't really going to argue because it was getting the paint treatment regardless.

Well, when I finally brought this large rather unfortunate-looking dresser home with me, I became suddenly unsure about my paint choice.

Chest of drawers before - the colour is more accurate here.

I lived with her in her rather unfortunate state for around 6 weeks before I made a decision.

The conversation went something like this....

Me: "I'm going to paint you a wonderful coral colour!"

Chest of Drawers: "Erm. I'm already orange."

Me: "No, I'm not going to paint you orange. Coral is LOVELY. You're gonna love it!"

Chest of Drawers: "But it might as well be orange. I'm ALREADY orange. I've been orange for YEARS."

Me: "Coral is NOT orange! It's more like a pinky-orange... Anyway - why are you arguing with me? This was my intention all along. You're going to be coral. That's all there is to it."

Chest of Drawers: "Coral, orange, whatever." (Chest of Drawers sulks)

Me (sighing): "Oh okay....I'll think about it."

Chest of Drawers (suddenly brightening): "Woohoo!"

And so after 6 weeks of debate, I gave in. This dresser didn't want to be coral. This dresser wanted to be turquoise. A lovely pale turquoise. The decision had been made.

And so I took to a weekend of sanding, applying a coat of undercoat and then a coat of primer...

And I took the gorgeous handles that were a bit sad and tarnished...

And shined them up all pretty using Brasso.

I love that one handle has a different pull. That's character people!

And then I painted the chest of drawers with 2 coats of a lovely pale turquoise by Dulux called 'Inky Pool 4'.

The colour on my screen is reading more blue here but anyway...

You may also recall from my dressing room moodboard post that I was looking at purchasing a few lovely gold accessories from An Angel At My Table. Well, I bought them.

And this sad little room is finally, after weeks and weeks, starting to come together. It's not the moodboard dream YET. But we are finally a step or two into the journey.

So do you wanna see the whole thing? Well of course you do...

Here she is.

Those lovely handles up close and personal...

Not sure why it looks a bit orangey in this pic (think some clothing reflected
in it's shininess) but the handles are most definitely gold!

How about a few detail shots?

The tray is from An Angel at my Table and the middle tin is a candle from Anthropologie.

The jewelry holder is also from An Angel at my Table.

Put a bird on it!!!

The 'print' was a card from the lovely Meera of First Sense*
and is by Gavin Harrison. I love it! The frame is from Homebase.

I also purchased this little round gold tray which at the moment, is living on top of the boxes-covered-in-fabric ensemble but will eventually be on the Ikea Billy bookshelves that have yet to be purchased.

And now, with the further addition of gold in this room, I'm even more desperate to purchase this big gorgeous mirror to go above the chest of drawers.

Graham and Green

Despite the mirror's rather extortionate price tag (It's £229 on another site), I am comforted by the fact that the chest of drawers makeover (not including the accessories) only cost me £50 - £30 for the dresser, £18 for the turquoise paint and £2 for the Brasso - everything else I already had to hand. So a splurge may be in order! ;)

I'm kind of glad I lived with the dresser before making a rash decision regarding it's colour. And sometimes I guess you just have to be prepared for a piece of furniture to make the decision for you.

So what do you think? Do you think it was the right decision to go with this colour or do you think I should have stuck to my guns and gone for coral? Have you had any adventures in furniture conversation? Are you getting into antique gold in a big way like I am? Do share in the comments...

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*By the way, speaking of the lovely Meera of First Sense, do you know she's hosting a giveaway of some artwork/jewelry by the equally lovely and talented Michele of Hello Lovely? I have one of Michele's pieces already in my dining room and the detail of her mix media work is just stunning. I promise you'll love it.

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