Apartment Apothecary
Make your home feel better

£150 Houseology lighting giveaway

Wall mounted Angle Poise | Houseology lighting giveaway | Apartment Apothecary

I always say that carefully planned lighting can make a room (and bad lighting can definitely break a room – the flat opposite us with just one naked bulb hanging from the ceiling, if you are reading this, pleeeease sort it out!) so when I did my living room makeover earlier this year lighting was a priority. One of the best additions I made to the room is my wall mounted Anglepoise from Houseology. Not only do I love the design but the flexibility of this light makes it invaluable to creating the right atmosphere and it provides task lighting.

Wall mounted Angle Poise | Houseology lighting giveaway | Apartment Apothecary

In the evenings I can rotate the head of the lamp to make it an uplighter, which gives a lovely soft, even light in this part of the room or I can pull it down if I am reading. At other times I can use it to highlight the shelves above the sofa (see image at top of post). The best thing about this light is you do not need to wire it into the wall and it just plugs in and it’s great for a smaller room as it takes up no floor space or the space a table lamp would.

Wall mounted Angle Poise | Houseology lighting giveaway | Apartment Apothecary

I am so pleased to be teaming up with Houseology this month to offer you a chance of winning £150 to spend in their lighting category. If you are not lucky enough to win this giveaway but you’ve seen something  you fancy do pop back here as you can use the promo code APARTMENT10, which will entitle my readers to 10% off lighting (this code is valid on products within the lighting collection; cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or sale; Code is valid for one use only; Valid until 30th September 2016).

To enter this fab giveaway all you need to do is complete the form below and a winner will be selected at random and announced here on Tuesday 23rd August. Good luck!

Katy x

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms – Giveaway open to UK residents only; Closes at midnight on Monday 22nd August; This voucher code is valid on items within the Lighting category only; This prize is non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for monetary value; No cash alternatives to the stated prize will be offered; Valid until 31st August 2017.

 

Saying goodbye to Styling the Seasons

Charlotte and I began our Styling the Seasons project exactly two years ago by calling on people to take a moment to reflect on the change of season each month and try to style a surface in their home to represent what that month meant to them. The idea came from a discussion we had had over lunch one sunny day that summer after bemoaning how little time we had to appreciate the change of seasons being stuck in air conditioned offices and for much of year leaving home for work in the dark and returning home in the dark, too. We thought it would be a lovely way of being creative, forcing us to spend more time outside and the perfect motivation to clear dumping grounds in our homes.

We asked a small group of our favourite bloggers to help us launch the project and we were blown away by the level of support we received and everyone’s willingness to get involved. We knew from the start that we wanted to use Styling the Seasons as a way of bringing people together and we decided to hold seasonal events during the first year, which was an amazing way of meeting new people and building community. The fact that we can now say that we have made ‘real life’ gorgeous friends because of those opportunities to come together makes me so happy.

Our first Winter event at Liberty of London, Crafting the Seasons – one of my favourite days ever. Photographed by Katharine Peachey.

Two years on we have gained so much from Styling the Seasons but we have decided that it’s time to move on and do something different (not sure what yet!). We hope that it has become a habit for many to take a moment here and there to think about what each month means to them and we would love for you to carry on writing posts from time to time or using the hashtag still on Instagram, as we will, but Charlotte and I won’t be rounding up the images each month or writing a post about our styling each month.

Our Spring event, Styling Spring at{mine}. Photographed by Katharine Peachey.

We want to thank everyone who has taken part over the last two years, come to our events, used the hashtag and entered our competitions. You are all amazing and the sense of community that we have felt and still feel is very real. A thank you also to the companies and brands that supported our events.

Our Autumn Vintage Jumble Sale organised with some lovely friends we made through Styling Seasons. Pics by me.

So, this is not so much goodbye to Styling the Seasons but a celebration of everything that we have gained from it and we hope that lots of you carry it on in one way or another. I will miss much about not hosting this project each month but one of the things I have loved about it most is working with Charlotte – her positive energy, infectious laugh and amazing creativity made this experience so, so fun. Big kisses to her!

Katy x

A visit to the Farrow & Ball estate

When I painted my living room in Farrow & Ball‘s new colour, Peignoir, earlier this year it was the first time I had painted a room myself for quite some time. I have to admit that I was worried I wouldn’t do a particularly good job (I’m not very patient when it comes to painting and can be guilty of a ‘rushed job’ or not following the guidelines so end up with a less than perfect finish) and Jules expressed the same fears about my abilities (didn’t bother to help though, did he?!). However, to my delight – and relief – the quality of the F&B wall paint and floor paint is head and shoulders above other brands that I have used before and I even got an impressed grunt from Jules as the finish I managed to achieve genuinely does look professional, even if I do say so myself 😉 What I also love about F&B is that I have instant trust in their colours – I never have that sinking moment of crippling self doubt in the middle of a paint job when I worry that I have chosen the wrong colour. I just always know it’s going to be exactly right.

All that being said, when the lovely F&B team invited Lucy, from the gorgeous Capture By Lucy blog, and I down to Dorset to visit their factory and Dean’s Court, the private house where some of their colours are showcased, I jumped at the chance. Lucky for us our visit fell on one of those gloriously hot days a couple of weeks ago, which made it even more of a treat.

We started off our visit in the paint factory and learnt how they mix and test the paint. I was amazed at just how much of it is done by hand and how much care and attention is taken to make sure every batch of colour is exactly the same as the last. One of the tests they perform on the paint is the level of viscosity and every batch of paint has to be able to cover the black card above with one stroke of paint. I can attest through my own experience that the excellent coverage of F&B paint is something that made my paint job soooo easy.

A visit to Farrow & Ball | Apartment Apothecary

Next we went into the wallpaper factory and learnt about the three different techniques they use to print their papers. The time and level of detail that goes into printing each roll is extraordinary and is rewarded with the most beautiful textures and colours. I’m really looking forward to the new wallpaper collection being launched this Autumn that we had a sneak peek of whilst we were there.

All of the company’s production is based in Dorset and just around the corner in Wimbourne is Dean’s Court, a beautiful private house and garden owned by William and Ali Hanham, whose family has lived in the house for over 500 years. They work with Farrow & Ball by using their paints when they renovate rooms within the house and within the three holiday cottages attached to the estate.

A visit to Farrow & Ball | Apartment Apothecary

We were lucky enough to be given a guided tour of this stunning home by Ali and this is just one quick snap of their kitchen – major house envy! I wish I could have captured the whole house as each room provided a huge amount of inspiration.

A visit to Farrow & Ball | Apartment Apothecary

We had lunch at The Squash Court on the estate and if only we had a bit more time I would have bought everything in the shop!

A visit to Farrow & Ball | Apartment Apothecary

I’d love to go and stay in one of the holiday cottages there – perhaps a cosy winter stay would be nice.

A visit to Farrow & Ball | Apartment Apothecary

Such an interesting and enjoyable day with a great insight into one of my favourite companies. Thank you to the Farrow & Ball team for hosting us and to the lovely Lucy for such a fun day!

Katy x

P.S. Apologies for the poor quality iPhone snaps – I broke my proper camera the day before our visit 🙁

 

July: a review

What a strange month this has been: full of joy close to home but horrendous atrocities happening around the world. A confusing and scary time indeed but I’m  choosing to focus on the positives in this month’s review.

We celebrated this month as my little sister got married and had the most perfect wedding. I’ve always heard stories of how all-consuming weddings can be but I hadn’t really seen it up close and personal until my sister took on the challenge of a DIY wedding. Woah. Those stories were true and then some. I just dipped in and out when I could and I still feel like every day of July was taken up by wedding chat, work, plans, hard graft. Thankfully, everything came together on the day and it was the most amazing weather ever and everyone had such a good day (I think Otto enjoyed it most because he got free rein of a field, river and ALL the wedding food he could possibly find/steal to eat) and my sister and my new bro-in-law beamed all day, which is the most important thing.

I hope lots of you have been on holiday this month or spent as much time as possible outside – the sun and heat we had this July was AMAZING! You will never hear me complain about it now I don’t have to work in a classroom all day with thirty teenagers and no windows that open 😉 There have been beautiful summer inspired Styling the Seasons posts this month and these are a few gorgeous highlights…

The Lovely Drawer / Growing Spaces

We Made This Home / Janice Issitt (top image also from Janice’s post)

Do check out all the other posts this month on our Pinboard and the huge number of images on Instagram that you can find by searching the #StylingTheSeasons hashtag. Charlotte and I hope you all have a wonderful August!

Katy x

 

Heart of House aw16 inspiration

Controversial, I know, but is it ok to admit that *whispers* I’m looking forward to Autumn already? I know, I know, but Autumn is my absolute fave season; I love the contrast to summer and fall walks in the park are the best. Another thing I look forward to is being able to snuggle again and adding extra layers at home (as well as getting back in my beloved tights and boots) – love it!

That being said, I am already getting excited about new Autumn/Winter furniture collections because there is always space to add a few new touches at the start of a new season. I’d like to show you my top picks from the Heart of House A/W16 range, which will hopefully give you a bit of inspiration and ideas for your own home in the next few months. There are four new collections based on current interior trends…

Scandi Retreat

I’d love a Scandi Retreat of my own so I was instantly drawn to this trend of furniture and home accessories, defined by its neutral colour scheme and simple design with lots of natural wood, ceramics and textiles (take a look at this gorgeous wool rug).

Floral Escape

I secretly long for an all white house with pretty feminine touches so the Floral Escape trend really appeals to me. Light, bright and airy interiors make me feel uplifted so I think this collection is my favourite of the four.

Grandeur

Perfect for Winter snuggling when the light is low and the weather cold, incorporate some Grandeur into your home with darker colours and settle in for the evening with a well stocked drinks trolley or a glam dinner party.

Forest Lodge

Oooo, wouldn’t a Forest Lodge getaway be lovely in the winter months? This trend is based on lots of wooden furniture and an earthy colour scheme.

So, let’s all enjoy the rest of summer but in between picnics and seaside trips I will be dreaming of Autumn interiors and the change of season.

Katy x

*This post was written in collaboration with Heart of House.