Lusting: Persian Cowhide

I raved about Ryan Korban yesterday and his love of taxidermy, furs and skins.  I share this love and funnily enough, I am now lusting after a skin I stumbled upon online.

Cowhides and zebra skins are no strangers in my home and to be honest, I don't really need to add to the collection so I had moved on and was searching for a new style of rug to furnish my floors.

Recently, I have been on the hunt for a beautiful persian rug big enough to fill my living room floor.  I have to say it's hard to find the perfect persian rug and the most stunning ones always come with a hefty price tag.

I was buying some bits and bobs from Rockett St George  a few nights ago and came across the ultimate in rug fantasy.  My two favourite styles of rug merged together.  I actually gasped ...

I understand this almost verges on the ugly but I just love it.  I think it would go perfectly in my livingroom but it is a little bit pricey.  Rocket St George are full of good ideas and quirky objects for the home, including artificial stuffed birds à la Korban but this is my favourite on their site so far.

I just need to convince Mr Read it's 'the one' in terms of rugs now.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Interiors Inspiration: Ryan Korban

It quite literally could be love.

There is not one image of Ryan Korban's stunning interiors that I do not love.  I've had my eye on his work for a while, inspiring my own home makeover and being my prime enabler for swapping fashion for furniture.

Known for his love of decadent textures, brass, furs, skins and taxidermy, Ryan's work has all the components of my idea of interior heaven.  Yes, even the creepy stuffed birds.  Despite an old world aesthetic, Korban's designs are definitely not traditional, instead erring on the urban.

Good friends with Alexander Wang, Ryan not only designed his NYC showroom but also his loft apartment.  Mixing fashion, friends and furniture, this guy has true style.

Korban once described his style as a mix of sex, romance and fantasy. "I love that Italian look from the 1970s, when tacky looked expensive."  As vulgar as it may sound to some, I think Ryan and I share a similar taste for design.  While he can execute it to perfection, I simply hope to add a few touches of the  Ryan Korban magic to my own home.

Ryan not only designs a wonderful space but his styling efforts are phenomenal.  Who else do you know who can place a stuffed zebra in a room and have it appear completely normal, just like part of the furniture?!

These spaces are a mixture of the wonderful that I can only dream of but whether it be a zebra print rug, a fur throw or pretty brass candlesticks, I will be sure to take a tip or two from Ryan Korban.

The Money Pit

A lot of you will know I have recently moved to a new house which I guess my Mr and I class as a bit of a 'fixer-upper'.

We have been working hard and spending hard on it for a while and to be honest we are getting a little fed up and in desperate need of a holiday (NYC I mean you!!). So ... we have slowed down the progress so we can still enjoy the finer things in life.

One of the first rooms to be trashed and rebuilt was the bathroom.  It's not finished yet, we still need to paint a wall and replace some bath fittings that were delivered faulty :( However, it is getting there and I can start to see it take shape.

I thought I would show you some of my inspiration charted against how my bathroom looks currently.  This should give you an idea of what it should look like when it is finished.

Naked art whether it be sculptural or illustration, i love it!

A chandelier and a rolltop bath were always top of my list

Dark walls against warm rustic pieces look awesome

I wanted brick tiles, marble and vintage touches

In my head I had the idea of a 50's/60's era New York City style bathroom with brick tiles, monochrome colour scheme and a bit of marble thrown in for good measure.  You won't see in the photo but our shower cubicle is covered in brick marble tiles and a retro rain shower head.  The rooltop bath was debated over for weeks, we originally wanted a modern rolltop but this reproduction was too lush to resist.  I am a little obsessed with grey and black walls at the moment so I painted the bathroom a Valspar shade 'Caviar for the Tsars'.  I want to paint at least one wall in every room black for some reason while others desperately try to talk me out of it. Go figure. 

I'm also obsessed with fur blankets, rugs and taxidermy so as well as the Ikea sheepskin rug in the bathroom, I plan on adding a few extra creepy bits and pieces that will act as a talking point/incite disgust ;).  TK Maxx has been a bit of an interiors paradise for me lately.  I don't know what I would do without that shop.  I always find interesting and 'on trend' pieces for a fraction of the price.  I found these 2 framed naked lady illustrations there for £10.  whoop! 

rolltop, chandelier, black walls, sheepskin rug

TK Maxx bargain 'art'

Currently we are adding a pop of yellow/gold to the room to help warm it up and add a modern/vintage balance.  Hopefully we will have finished it soon and I can post some final photos.

Oh and a quick edit for you - I forgot to post a pic of the bathroom BEFORE I got my hands on it so here it is. It's small and blurry but it's all I have.

BEFORE the makeover

As ever, I would love your opinions of my humble abode :) 

Who lives in a house like this ....?

The last 4 weeks have been a little chaotic to say the least.

I'd hardly set foot in the door of my new house before the renovations were kicking off.  Three and a half weeks after it all started, the building work is nearly done and soon it will be time to start decorating.

We decided to avoid hassle further down the line by getting all our work done at the same time so we don't have the disruption in the future.  To sum it up, we have moved our kitchen into  a completely different room, split the original kitchen into 3 separate rooms to create a study, utility room and 'powder room' (downstairs loo to you and me) and a complete makeover of the main bathroom.

While all this has been going on I have had limited internet access, no cooking or washing facilities and a house full of unpacked boxes.  We have managed to get by living out of a bedroom and a small space of couch in the living room.  Needless to say the novelty has started to wear off and we just can't wait to get our house back to really put our own stamp on it.

I plan on posting some before and after photos over the next few months as we manage to finish off rooms but I will leave you with some snippets of my new home through the eyes of Instagram....

The view from my couch until yesterday ..!!

new purchases for the garden :) 

restoring my old singer sewing machine table

one of the gorgeous chandeliers that came with the property

my new bath! 

Drumroll .... here is the first of the before and afters!!  This is what will be my dining room which leads onto the back garden.  I wanted more light in the room and the space to feel bigger. I love the idea of bringing the outdoors in and think that this space will be one of my favourites in the house.

Next project after the house is finished will be Project Green Fingers! The garden needs a serious update.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Ta-da!

These wardrobes came with the house, I am undecided if I should keep them? What do you think?

The bones of my new kitchen - it will be finished this week :) 

I've started filling the cupboards - exciting! 

My new shower area in it's early stages - the full bathroom will be complete this week too! :) 

I will keep on sharing photos in between the usual beauty, fashion, lifestyle posts.  There is so much decorating to do, I am sure it will keep me busy for the foreseeable, so any decor tips, send them my way!  :)

x

Interiors Inspiration: Handira

While I was in Morocco, I scoured the souks for potential interior inspiration.  I love to fill my home with stories which usually means subtle pieces and sometimes statement pieces come home with me from my travels to fill my abode with pretty things.

In Marrakech I stumbled across and cheeky chap selling some of the most wonderful rugs I had ever seen.  Loomed from sheeps wool and covered in sequin, one of them caught my eye and after a half hour of haggling, I got my price and bagged my rug :)

It was only after returning home that I learned more about my purchase.  It turns out my new rug is traditionally a Moroccan Wedding Blanket or Handira.   Apparently, Brides and their relatives painstakingly create these blankets in time for the big day where the Bride wears it on her journey to her groom.  It is said to have talismanic power and protects its wearer from evil.

Nowadays, they have become a bit of a showpiece in peoples homes as rugs, beadspreads, wall hangings and more.

I plan on using mine on my bed.  Here is my inspiration ...

This is exactly like mine

Those of you with an eagle eye might have spotted a Handira in that ghastly Sex and the City 2 movie.  After being such a fan of the show, I cannot tell you how much I hated this film!! 

I think they are beautiful works of craft and I can't wait to use it in my new home.  I think it will make a real statement in my room should I decide to use it on my bed.

What statement pieces do you love in your home?

x

Interior Inspiration: Chesterfield Sofa

I am set to move house this month and words can't tell you just how excited I am!

We have been looking for a house, an actual house with upstairs, downstairs, garden, garage, the whole shebang for quite a long time!  At last we have found the perfect place to go in and make our mark on.  I am mostly looking forward to the extra space as my husband and I have built up quite a collection of 'things' over the years.  

I could post photos here of potential dressing room layouts, boudoir ideas or shoe storage but instead I want to show you something I really am dying to get my hands on and is not purely for selfish purposes (make-up room, anyone?).  In my head I have the house decorated but I know things may change once I move in and 'feel' and 'live' my space.  One thing is for sure, I want a new sofa. 

Our current couch is a huge L-shaped Designers Guild comfort zone which I have adored over the past few years but I am not sure it will fit with my new lounge with it's huge bay windows and fireplace.  The house dates back to the 1920's/30's and althought there is a big crossover with design in that era to now, I still want to keep some subtle traditional touches.

That's where the Chesterfield comes in.  Traditional, classic, iconic and masculine.  The Chesterfield is a masculine piece of furniture that is versatile enough to suit a traditional setting as well as a feminine or modern, contemporary decor.   

One of my favourite rooms - I imagine my lounge similar to this

The perfect juxtaposition, traditional chesterfield with modern Tom Dixon light

Another favourite room - love the chandelier

It's known as a gentleman's chair but you can see from these stylish homes that it is a perfect choice in a mixed household.  Incredibly hardwearing, the Chesterfield is a couch with class and status.

If only I could fast forward time and have the keys to my house now!  

I have yet to decide on colour, material or size for my new chesterfield and no doubt will need some complementary chairs.  So many ideas milling about in my head, it will be great to put them all into action shortly.  I will be posting more of my inspiration ideas and hopefully be able to show you some before and after pics of the new house once we get started on it. 

Roll on moving day! :) 

What is your favourite style of sofa?

x

Hotel Maison Moschino, Milan

I was having a quick browse for weekend breaks, pricing flights, accommodation and what not when I came across the Hotel Maison Moschino in Milan.

I have to be honest, I am a big fan of themed hotels.  I love the quirkiness, the fun and the downright tackiness that gives this hotel a whole lot of personality.

Inspired by fairytales, they say it is like falling down the rabbit's hole where the norm is to expect the unexpected.

'Alice's Room'

'Sleeping in a Ballgown'

'Sweet Room'

'Little Red Riding Hood'

Needless to say, I was enjoying the entertainment value of the Hotel Maison Moschino so much that I was too busy to book my weekend away so that will have to wait for another day.

x

How I make my flowers last longer

For some, this post may be teaching you to suck eggs but until a friend visited the other day and mentioned she would never have thought to do this, I thought it may be of some use to you.

As mentioned in my last post I was given a lovely bouquet of flowers.  Since my arrangement was already beautifully cut, they went straight into a large vase.  However, with any bouquet with a variety of flowers, they will likely die at different rates.  So while my bold gerberas faded away and died an untimely death, my roses, carnations and lilies were all still fighting on.

Of course it makes sense to remove the dying plants but I often find the arrangement never quite has the same charm about it.  So my solution is to split them up and place the flowers in a number of smaller arrangements in vases, teacups, glasses etc.  Often I find that my new arrangements are nicer and have more character than the original larger floral delight.

Roses in a glass incense holder

carnations in a drinking glass

It's unlikely that we have in our homes countless vases of differing shapes and sizes so it pays to be a little creative.  In this case I used a shot glass, a drinking glass and an incense jar.  Teacups, bowls, candleholders and even ashtrays can also make excellent new homes for your leftover flowers.  

Lily in a shot glass

It also means you can share the flowers throughout your home, before they would have been placed in one room.  Now I can have some in the bathroom, bedroom and my lounge instead of a full arrangement  in one room.

I find that grouping a few of the smaller arrangements together in certain areas, like my coffee table, it makes a lovely statement and refreshing pop of colour to an otherwise practical area of the home.

So, that's my wee tip for a Sunday ... Hope you are all looking forward to the bank holiday - unfortunately for me I will be working it!
x