Apartment Apothecary
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Re-styling my kitchen

A couple of weeks ago I shared some ‘before’ pictures of my kitchen, which I hate. I like two things about my kitchen – the fact it has a window (a rarity in flats) and its size, which is relatively large for a central London flat. However, the units and worktop are not my thing and we are definitely going to try to replace some of it. In the mean time I set to work re-styling my kitchen as I plonked every piece of kitchenalia I owned in there when we moved in and then desperately tried to ignore it for as long as possible. The result? A very confused mish-mash that might be ok if set against a beautiful, old kitchen but not in a brand new one like mine.

Today, I would like to show you what I have taken away and a few of the things I have added in a desperate bid to bring a bit of cohesion to my kitchen.

Before

A bit of a confused mess that I’ve tried to ignore for a while…

Kitchen re-style | Apartment Apothecary

After

I stripped everything off the walls to make it feel cleaner and fresher and I wanted to remove all of the colour, use a neutral palette, ceramics, glassware, enamelware and add plants to the kitchen. I didn’t actually buy much, it was more a case of removing all of the colourful things, clutter and repurposing other things from around my home (a good bit of ‘home shopping’). I sold all of the Le Creuset I had in the kitchen (not the pans but butter dish, salt pig, sugar bowl etc) as well as the set of blue enamel utensils. This helped to fund a few new bits for this re-style. In total, I bought two chopping boards (£28.50), tea-towel (£15), hand wash (£14), large jug (£18) and the rest of the changes were made by a simple re-jig.

Kitchen re-style | Apartment Apothecary

I cleared the window sill and moved the vintage rolling pin, coffee pot and utensil holder (with an added succulent) to here. I also moved the small print tray to the right of the window, which is filled with shells that I collected whilst travelling.

Kitchen re-style | Apartment Apothecary

I removed all of the recipes I had stuck to the cupboard door above and added herbs to the DIY jelly mould planter. Adding green to any room helps to bring it alive.

Kitchen re-style | Apartment Apothecary

I debated with myself whether I should repaint this vintage shelf as it is the only bit of colour left in this room so it stands out a bit too much. However, it kind of feels wrong to paint it as it is genuinely old and I love the colour. Eventually I would like to move this shelf and replace it with open shelving as the blue doesn’t really work in here anymore, unless I choose tiles with blue in them. So instead, I replaced all of the colourful mugs with white ones to try to tone it down slightly.

Kitchen re-style | Apartment Apothecary

Small details like the linen tea towel from Labour and Wait helped to change the feel of the room. I even chose the hand wash from Workshop Living because the packaging blends well with the rest of the kitchen (I have to laugh at myself sometimes!).

I love the contrast of the Tom Dixon marble board (see my review of it here) with the wooden boards. I also added more pots of herbs to add texture and a dash of colour.

Kitchen re-style | Apartment Apothecary

I moved the old science lab stool that I salvaged (from a skip at the school I used to work in) into the kitchen. It’s actually quite handy as I can sit on it and chat to Jules whilst he cooks.

Kitchen re-style | Apartment Apothecary

I simply turned the enamel tea and coffee jars round to hide the writing on them so they look less fussy. I repurposed the mustard and marmalade jars, which I had in my craft room for paint brushes, and now use them as utensil holders.

Kitchen re-style | Apartment Apothecary

I put all of the kilner jars I had in my cupboards onto the kitchen surfaces, which is practical as well as adding cohesion. I bought this large stoneware jug from Habitat to act as a utensil holder but since I photographed this post, I found a couple of old earthenware pots in my local antiques market that are perfect and only cost £8 for both.

I have added a couple of really beautiful handmade ceramic bowls that my mother-in-law gave me purely for decorative purposes. I love the character they bring to the kitchen surfaces. I also bought these wooden chopping boards from Workshop Living.

Kitchen re-style | Apartment Apothecary

What do you think? When I feel really dissatisfied with a room, I always try to do my best to solve the problem before spending heaps of money. This re-style has made a massive difference to the feel of this room and I far prefer it to how it was. I’m feeling motivated to make bigger changes now.

Katy x

Kitchen makeover

Those of you who read my blog regularly will know that I LOVE a room makeover (and it seems you do, too, as they are always my most popular posts) and you will have probably caught on that I hate my kitchen, which is why it rarely features here or over on Instagram except for a few carefully captured frames in my most recent Urban Jungle Bloggers post, but that really is a rarity. Can you see where this is heading? Yes, I am beginning plans for a kitchen makeover, but my knack of transforming a space with very little money is going to be truly tested – in fact, I have no idea what sort of budget I will need for the changes I want to make.

I live in a new build flat so my problem isn’t that my kitchen is crumbling, tatty or functions poorly. It’s none of those things. In fact, I’m sure many people would love a brand new white kitchen and would think me very ungrateful indeed. However, I just can’t cope with how ‘un-me’ my kitchen is and how it lacks any character, which I have been able to add to the other rooms in my flat with furniture, textiles, art work etc. I loathe the door handles, which stick out like a sore thumb and the worktop is horrible laminate, which makes anything I put on the surfaces look miserable.

Ideally, I would want to change everything but for now I think smaller changes like new cupboard doors and worktop could drastically change the whole feel of the room. However, whenever I have these thoughts I am stopped in my tracks by not understanding how much changes like these will cost. I log onto kitchen websites and it all seems very unclear and the whole process seems to be shrouded in mystery unless you go to the showroom or invite a design consultant to your home for a quote, which never seems like an appropriate first step. For me, I want to know how much things cost and what I can and can not afford before I speak with anyone as I always worry I will get bullied into making decisions I don’t want to make and spending money I don’t want to spend – does that make sense?

So, when I saw that Wren Kitchens have a new Kitchen Cost Estimator that helps you estimate the cost of a new kitchen easily at home, by myself, without a design consultant breathing down my neck, I felt that I could actually jump the first obstacle of figuring out how much changes were going to cost me. That way, I can much more easily plan what is and isn’t feasible, instead of having no idea and therefore taking no action at all (sound familiar?).

When I first moved into the flat,  I made the error of chucking nice things into the kitchen without much thought as to how they worked together and against the very ‘new’ but not particularly nice backdrop.  The unfortunate result was a big confused mess and I just focused my energies on improving the rest of the flat and ignoring the kitchen, after all, there is no space to eat in the kitchen, so I don’t have to look at it that much! I cringe showing you these iPhone snaps (I have never tried to photograph it properly!) but here is my kitchen ‘before’ I made any changes at all (this, to me, is like doing a terrifying full frontal!)…

Kitchen makeover before | Apartment Apothecary

I am literally cringing at these snaps of my kitchen ‘before’. I’m sure lots of you can identify with throwing stuff into a room when you first move in, then life takes over and before you realise it you are oblivious to your surroundings and you no longer can see how unpleasant it is. Yes, there are lots of nice things in my kitchen but nothing works together and the generic cupboards, horrible long handles and cheap worktop make everything look even worse!

Since these photos were taken about a year ago, I have made improvements to the kitchen by styling it differently, which has now made me want to take it a step further and make some more permanent changes to get it to a point where I might even take Instagram photos in the kitchen 😉

I’ve been getting a bit of inspiration from the Wren Kitchens range. I really want cupboard doors that are either very modern with sharp edges and no handles – a true blank canvas – or something with a bit more character. I would love either a real wooden worktop or a white one that would allow some of the lovely things I have in my kitchen to shine. I also really like the idea of removing the top cupboards and replacing them with open shelving, although the idea of cleaning them doesn’t fill me with excitement!

I will be back soon with some shots of how I have styled the kitchen differently to make it more cohesive and I will definitely keep you updated as to what progress I make with more drastic changes!

Katy x

*This post was written in collaboration with Wren Kitchens but all opinions and views are my own.

Ask Apartment Apothecary – what to do with an unused fireplace

Problem

A pretty tricky AAA today from the lovely Florence, who blogs over at Flossie Teacakes (you must read her blog and follow her on Instagram – she writes so beautifully and with such extraordinary detail – her words are almost mesmerising, I find). She sent me a picture of one of the rooms in her home, where her family spend the majority of their time. It is a really well proportioned room with high ceilings, lovely pieces like a Lloyd Loom chair, one of Florence’s amazing wallhangings, chapel chairs and a vintage sewing machine. The problem is that they have never been able to figure out what to do with the unused, blocked up fireplace in this room.

Up to this point, Florence has tried painting it, placing photograph albums in it, a beautiful bowl and then a terrarium but none of these solutions looked or felt quite right. Normally, it isn’t too difficult to fill this sort of space; a lovely plant, candles or a large ornament can be really rather beautifully framed by the gap where the fireplace once was.

Inspiration

What to do with an empty fireplace | Ask Apartment Apothecary

Building shelves into an unused fireplace creates great storage and fills an unwelcome gap. Image: decor8

What to do with an empty fireplace | Ask Apartment Apothecary

Filling the fireplace with logs adds natural warmth to a room. Image: decor8

What to do with an empty fireplace | Ask Apartment Apothecary

I think this tiled fireplace is absolutely beautiful – that yellow is amazing. Image: A Perspective of Design

Solution

The problem Florence has is that the two alcoves surrounding the fireplace are filled with books from the bottom up. Therefore, adding something to the fireplace can make that lower half of the room look too heavy and confused – basically, there’s too much going on. Also, the fireplace has no surround, which means it isn’t a natural feature. Have a look for yourselves…

What to do with an empty fireplace | Ask Apartment Apothecary

Florence’s room.

I think the main problem is the books, not the hole in the wall – controversial, I know. The shelves need to be higher, starting above the level of the fireplace as their current position is making everything seem out of balance and bottom heavy. Ideally, in-built cupboards on either side of the fireplace in each alcove would make the bottom half of the wall much plainer and more able to cope with a feature being made of the unused fireplace.  Personally, I would tile the hole and add a beautiful grate, like the picture above. Obviously, you couldn’t use this, but it would make the whole wall look more like a traditional, period home. You could also choose really beautiful tiles that would give a focal point to the room and add some colour. Failing that, and I understand it may feel weird for some to construct a faux fireplace for no other reason than aesthetics (and relatively expensive), I would fill it with logs (I’ve always loved the way that looks even if there’s no working fireplace in sight) or a beautiful plant or large vase of flowers but I think changing the height of the shelves is key. The picture below, is kind of how I envisage the changes (as close as I could find without going to Florence’s house and DIYing it myself!). So, the alcoves here now look more balanced with the cupboards below, shelves above and the hole can be filled without it looking messy or over the top because it is no longer competing with books either side of it. Does that make sense?

What to do with an empty fireplace | Ask Apartment Apothecary

Image: Decoracion

What do you think? What would you fill the hole with taking into consideration the rest of the room?

I really hope this has helped you, Florence!

Katy x

P.S. If you would like to Ask Apartment Apothecary, please do post a question on my Facebook page or email me.

Plasterboard with a difference

I’m sure we all have a story about a time a shelf fell down in the middle of the night or the multiple holes in the wall trying to find the perfect spot for a picture or noisy neighbours or kids – right? Well, last week I went to a really fun event in the Shangri-La hotel in The Shard to find solutions to all of these problems. The event was held by British Gypsum (been making plasterboard for years and years) for their new Rooms Made For You range. Along with a group of lovely blogger pals, we had a great time trying out the products, whilst enjoying the amazing views from The Shard, which I hadn’t been inside yet even though I live within walking distance. I was very pleased to see there was a ticket for the viewing platform in my goody bag so I will take some proper photos when I go back and share them with you here. Anyhoo, back to the products in hand…

Magnetic plaster

What would you say holds you back most from personalising your home and decorating it in the way you want to (apart from money, obvs)? If your answer is not feeling confident about hanging things on the walls then magnetic plaster is the answer to all your problems. Forget magnetic paint (I’m sorry, but it really doesn’t work very well), magnetic plaster looks no different, is no more difficult to apply and is only slightly more expensive. Yet, depending on the strength of your magnet, you can hang even a huge TV on this plaster. No holes, no drilling, no putting up pictures in the wrong position and having to do it all over again. You can buy self adhesive magnetic strips that you can apply to picture frames, mirrors, hooks – anything that you would normally have to hang using a nail or screw and the best bit is you can move them around as your needs change.

Magnetic plaster for gallery wall | Apartment Apothecary

Imagine how easy it would be to create a gallery wall like this if all these picture frames were magnetic and you could try out as many formations as you wanted with no need for holes in the wall. Image: My Scandinavian Home

Magnetic plaster for home office noticeboard | Apartment Apothecary

Your home office noticeboard could be as large as you needed it to be with magnetic plaster. All that paper work that normally piles up on your desk could be attached to the wall if needs be. Image: My Scandinavian Home

Magnetic plaster for clipboards in home office | Apartment Apothecary

Attach magnets to clipboards and move these around as and when needed with magnetic plaster. Image: Decor8

Magnetic plaster for children's chalkboard | Apartment Apothecary

Magnetic plaster is perfect for children’s rooms and you could use chalkboard paint to create a writing wall that could also have their pictures stuck to it with magnets, pots with magnets for chalk that could be attached to the board. Elsewhere in the room you could have lots of hooks with magnets on the back so that they could be moved around the room and used for hanging clothes, toys, fancy-dress costumes, bags – the possibilities are endless. Image: Petit and Small

Magnetic plaster for wall mounted storage boxes | Apartment Apothecary

Hang storage boxes on the wall just using strong magnets. They can be moved around the room according to different needs and change the height of the boxes as children get taller. Image: Ferm Living

Lifestyle Wall

I used to own a studio flat in Borough, which meant sleeping and living in the same space. It was a new build, which meant stud walls galore and if you’ve ever tried screwing into plasterboard, you will know that it doesn’t take much to rip it out. Anyhow, I called round my Dad, as you do, to put up a shelf for me in my new studio flat. Up it went. I filled it with books, bottles of wine and a radio. A few nights later, I was sound asleep when I awoke to an almighty crash and thought I was dead and the world had ended; never before has my heart beat that fast. The shelf had fallen down, the wine was smashed, it was the most horrendous sight. The lesson learnt from that experience? You can’t just stick normal screws into plasterboard (why didn’t you know that, Dad?!).  Since that moment, I have always used specialist fixings in my walls, which is fine although they do create much larger holes and they can be tricky to use.

Lifestyle Wall is a new type of plasterboard that enables you to fix shelves, TV’s, curtain poles directly into the wall – no need to find the joist, use specialist fixings or even use power tools. We had a little competition on the day to see who could get the most screws, with just a screwdriver, into the plasterboard as they could in 1 minute. I managed four, I think. The point being that I could fix a shelf, that would be strong enough to hold all of my glasses, crockery and cookware (the type of shelf you would NOT want to fall down in the middle of the night) by myself, with no power tools, no specialist fixings. I like the sound of that.

DIY shelves made easier with Lifestyle Wall | Apartment Apothecary

This type of shelf could be fixed directly into the wall with single screws and no need for a drill. Image: Shoot Factory

DIY shelves made easier with Lifestyle Wall | Apartment Apothecary

I would love the flexibility of being able to put up a shelf without needing power tools or having to find the joist wherever I wanted, being safe in the knowledge that it won’t fall down in the middle of the night.  Image: My Scandinavian Home

Silent Floor

The last product that we learnt about is Silent Floor. Lucky for me, new builds have concrete floors and we hear virtually nothing of our neighbours. However, having lived in a period home with my family and as a student, I know only too well how sound travels around a house and between houses and it can be a nightmare. Silent Floor can be fitted to a ceiling or a floor to insulate a room from sound. We were able to listen to how much sound the floor cuts out and it’s quite amazing. So, whether you want to insulate your bedroom from your living room, your bedroom from your kids’ bedrooms or your flat from your neighbour’s flat, this is a great solution.

Which of these products speaks to you the most? I love the magnetic plaster idea and the possibilities for being more creative in the way that we live and decorate our homes.

Katy x

Disclosure: This post was written in collaboration with Rooms Made For You but the opinions and views are my own.

 

Ask Apartment Apothecary – what colour should I paint my home?

Even though I dream of owning a house and decorating it from scratch, the decisions that come along with that are quite a responsibility and very different from improving your home gradually over time, which doesn’t phase me at all.

Recently, one of my friends bought her first house and her question to me was what colour should she paint the interior. She wants a blank canvas, she wants to unify the ‘look’ of the house as every room is a different colour, each door is a different style, even the light switches and door handles are all mis-matched, and not in a good way.

I really like the look that my friend, Katie, created in her London home (see the full home tour here) because she cleverly used the wood work throughout the house to tie together each room and this also served as a design feature in its own right, so it wasn’t just white wall after white wall. I also did something similar in the first flat I lived in after university. I wanted to bring a bit of interest to the room, but keep the light, bright walls so I painted the window frames dark green and it looked great. I have found other images of homes where the owners have done the same, painted the walls white and highlighted all the woodwork with a subtle colour, and I really love the look.

So, if you want to maintain a blank canvas but bring a sense of cohesion and an element of design to the look of your home this could be the answer…

Katie Shillingford home tour photographed by katharinepeachey.co.uk | Apartment Apothecary

Photographed by Katharine Peachey. See the full home tour here.

Painted woodwork | Apartment Apothecary

Image: Ledansla

Painted woodwork | Apartment Apothecary

Image: Ledansla on Instagram

What do you think? My friend has followed my advice and has chosen Farrow and Ball’s Purbeck Stone for the wood work in her home, including the skirting boards, picture rail, dado rail, doors, window frames. I’m going over there next weekend so I’ll let you know how it looks.

Katy x

P.S. If you have an interiors related question or problem drop me an email (katy@18.200.196.112) or post it on my Facebook page and I will try to answer it here.