We moved into our house just over six months ago now and at the time we promised ourselves that we would finish off the kitchen within that first week after doing most of it as a rushed DIY job the week before we moved in. Fast forward six months and no prizes for guessing that nothing had been ticked off the to do list including tiling the splash back, which by this point was getting more and more unpleasant as it gets splattered by food cooking on the stove, coffee from the machine, water from the sink and the chopping boards leaning against it have scuffed it badly. Therefore, when Maitland & Poate got in touch about showcasing their antique tiles sourced from Spain in our kitchen it was just the push we needed to finally finish off the job.

I found it very difficult to choose which tile to use as the family team behind Maitland & Poate source such beautiful genuine antique cement tiles and each design is so different. My first choice was actually this design but Jules vetoed me on it as he didn’t like the colours so we compromised on the Ceniza tile. We chose this tile because the colours tone so well with the Light Blue on our wood work and the Railings that we painted our kitchen cupboards.

Jules and I decided to install the tiles ourselves to save money although it is advised to get a professional to install cement tiles as they are porous and need sealing. These particular tiles are also much thicker than average glazed tiles. However, we tiled our last kitchen so we already had a tile cutter and all the tools and because these tiles have already been sealed during their lifetime they are far more forgiving than brand new cement tiles that need to be treated with far more care so that they don’t absorb moisture and stains before being fully sealed.

Maitland & Poate also sell a range of new cement tiles and I was very tempted by these pink tiles. I’ve been asked a lot about what makes cement tiles different and I would say it is the matt texture, which makes them feel and look different. The main difference with the antique cement tiles is that they aren’t in ‘perfect’ condition. They have been reclaimed so there may be chips or slight staining, which all adds to their character.

We didn’t find it much more challenging installing the antique tiles than doing new glazed ones other than it’s a little tricker laying them flat as the back of them aren’t always flat having been chipped out of their original place. We followed Maitland & Poate’s recommendation and used Ecoprotec sealant and that seems to have worked well.

The only thing we still need to do is the sealant between the bottom of the tiles and the worktop. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take us another six months…!

Have you ever considered antique tiles? I think these would make for an amazing statement floor. What do you think?

Thank you so much to the wonderful Maitland & Poate team for collaborating with me on this project.

Katy x

Moving to a three bedroom house from a two bedroom flat has definitely given us more space but there is one room in our new house that is significantly smaller than in our previous flat and that is the master bedroom. In the long term we would like to convert our loft, which would make for a lovely sized master bedroom but for now we have to make the best of a small room.

I had planned to have a relatively low bed with legs as I think that style of bed makes a small room feel as spacious as possible especially as the light can travel under the bed. However, I soon came to realise that I would end up stuffing things under the bed as there is absolutely no built in storage and I HATE having a mass of dusty things under the bed. I started looking at divan beds with drawers but I think these can get annoying especially if you overfill them or there is a rug on the floor that rucks up every time they are opened. Also, on the window side of our bed there simply isn’t enough space to pull out a drawer and on the other side I would have to move the bedside table every time I wanted to open the drawer.

The lovely team at Button & Sprung got in touch with me at this point as they wanted to collaborate to showcase one of their beds in my new bedroom. I was hesitant at first as I just couldn’t figure out what type of bed to go for. I relayed the various problems I had to the team and they suggested their ottoman storage bed. Of course! It solved all of the problems I had: it stores a massive amount, it is all fully accessible and it is no bigger than a normal sized king size bed.

Upholstered king size ottoman bed from Button & Sprung

I went into the Button & Sprung showroom to have a look at the king size ottoman and try it out (being a bit unsure as to how the mechanism works and whether it’s more hassle than it’s worth). The staff were so lovely and patient as they answered all my questions and even chased Mimi around so I could concentrate on the beds.

The bed has a gas-lifting top that is very easy to lift and opens to reveal a huge space for storage.

The first thing the staff pointed out was that you need a mattress that weighs at least 35kg to keep the bed shut. I had one of those so that was all good. The next thing they showed me was how to lift up the top of bed and close it again. It takes very little effort to open the bed but it definitely takes effort to close it. However, I have got used to it very quickly and open the bed twice a day every day as we keep Otto’s dog bed in there during the day as there’s not enough floor space in the room to have it out.

Once the bed is open the entire base of the bed is available for storage and you would be AMAZED at how much you can fit in. We have so little built in storage or space for cupboards in our house so this amount of space is a god send. I actually used the space as a makeshift wardrobe for the first few weeks as we had nowhere else to put clothes.

The sides of the base are all beautifully upholstered so there are no nasty sharp edges to bash shins on and the edges also don’t protrude beyond the mattress so it takes up no more space than an average king size bed. This was very important to me as I wanted the bed to take up as little space as possible.

I was totally sold on the idea of the ottoman after my showroom visit and I also left with lots of fabric samples. Whilst I was there I also had to decide on the headboard style. Aesthetically I tend to prefer beds with no headboards but on a practical level it can just be a bit gross as the wall gets all grubby and your pillows end up down the gap between the bed and wall. Therefore, I wanted the most minimal headboard available and the Burdock style is just that: no frills, just a classic shape that won’t date.

I chose the Burdock king size ottoman bed as the headboard is the perfect simple shape for a small room.

The headboard is very comfortable and in terms of comfort you would never know the bed itself is anything other than a conventional bed; the ottoman base makes absolutely no difference to how sturdy it feels. You would never in a million years know that the base is hollow and this all lies beneath…

I chose the linen fabric for the upholstery as I wanted to keep it neutral in such a small room so it didn’t feel too dominant.

My bed is upholstered in Plain Viscose Linen fabric in the ‘Linen’ colour way.

It’s a lovely soft colour that works very well with my new wall colour…

I have recently repainted my bedroom in School House White from Farrow & Ball, which works much better with the natural linen colour of the upholstered bed.

I am so pleased that Button & Sprung introduced me to this style of bed as I had never considered it before. It is working for us so well on a practical level and I really admire the design as it doesn’t feel too big or heavy in such a small room even though it gives us a massive storage space akin to a huge cupboard.

Thank you to Button & Sprung for partnering with me on this post. I would definitely recommend you investigate an ottoman storage bed if you too are struggling with space/storage or if you just can’t help but shove endless stuff under your bed!

Katy x

*This post was written in collaboration with Button & Sprung.