I thought I’d give you a little floor update today (this may excite me more than you!). When I decided to do my hallway makeover (t’s going to be ready so soon – I will explain to you then why it has taken so long) it quickly became apparent that I needed a new floor covering as the fresh paint made the carpet look awful,which is not helped by having a very muddy dog. So, I wrote a post about how I chose a new floor and I finally decided, after getting a quote of £3500 for a beautiful oak floor, that I needed to go cheap as my nice salary will no longer exist soon.

We pulled up the carpet in just the hallway last weekend and found MDF boards. We are going to seal these and use a Farrow and Ball floor paint to paint them white and then invest in some beautiful rugs. This floor will continue into the kitchen and sitting room, which I hope will give the flat a more modern feel, as beige carpet never seemed quite right with our white walls and huge windows. Anyhoo, I want to share my inspiration with you and then I promise to get it done soon and share how we did it…

Image from Auroran Henkarit.

Image found on Seen and Said Tumblr.

Image from House to Home. Photograph by Polly Wreford.

Image found here.

Image from Min Lilla Veranda

Have a wonderful, sunny Sunday (definitely not a day for painting floors!).

Katy x

Ever wondered what people did before the invention of tupperware? The answer is jadeite.

This early twentieth-century invention that was used to store precious supplies during the Depression in America and designed to stack in mid-century refrigerators has come full circle and reproductions seem to be cropping up everywhere. However, it’s the original, vintage collections that are in high demand. The glass is thick and heavy and made to last, which it has; whole collections have survived without even a chip as it is so sturdy.

I love the colour, which became popular in contrast to the Victorian florals. It would make a lovely accent colour for any kitchen or dresser. I’m thinking of starting me a collection. What do you think?

Image from Country Living.

Image from Style Me Pretty. Styling by Pearl and Godiva. Photography by Half a Dream Away.

Image from Martha Stewart. Photograph by Paul Costello.

Image from Martha Stewart. Photograph by Paul Costello.

Image from Martha Stewart. Photograph by Paul Costello.

If you fancy picking up some reproductions, a good place to start is at RE-found objects or Borrowed Blue (see featured image).

Katy x

Those who know me, know only too well that I am a complete neat and clean freak. Getting a dog has been pretty tough on my cleaning neurosis and my pristine white walls are no longer pristine, or even white (more muddy than anything). If, like me, you are also a clean freak you might like my tip to keeping your walls looking fresh.

Whenever a room has been painted I always keep some of the paint in a plastic jar (I use peanut butter jars – don’t use metal jars as these will rust). I label the jar and keep it under the sink with a small paint brush so I can whip it out when a scuff appears. It’s also useful because I like to change the pictures on my walls quite often so I use it to go over any holes I have filled with polyfilla. Having it in a jar just makes it so much easier than rooting out a massive can of paint that you have stored away underneath everything else you own.

Do you do this or am I just completely obsessed with keeping everything perfect?

Katy x

So far, I have re-styled my dressing table, changed the pictures on my bedroom wall and planted some indoor bulbs, which are numbers 4, 7, and 10 on my list of ways to rejuvenate my home in the new year. I’m on a roll!

Number 8 on the list requires a bit more work as it is a furniture makeover, of which I did a few last year. I do have a cupboard in my sitting room that requires a little love and attention and I’m toying with the idea of lining its panels with fabric. I’ve found some gorgeous examples (for the vintage lovers out there) from other beautiful blogs and I wanted to share them with you as I think it can be such a versatile, subtle way of changing a piece of furniture. The bonus being it’s a different way of displaying your favourite fabric, too.

What do you think?

Image from the beautiful Cinq Mai blog.

Cinq Mai blog.

Image from the wonderfully unique Dottie Angel blog.

Image from a cute nursery tour on Fawn and Forest.

Image from Dottie Angel’s blog.

Dottie Angel blog.

Happy Thursday and have a good weekend!

Katy x

This week I shared some ideas about how to rejuvenate your home for the new year, without needing to spend money or too much time. I decided to put some of my own advice into action, which I hope will help you as it’s much easier, I find, to make changes if you can see what someone else has done. The idea is that we get so used to our homes the way that they are, that it’s very easy not to change anything for years. However, just by swapping a few things around, moving objects and adding some flowers, it can feel as though your whole room has had a makeover. Plus, your space becomes more functional as we can clear out stuff we don’t need, or no longer use, in the process.

I am very embarrassed to show the ‘before’ shot because I hadn’t realised quite how messy my dressing table and the area around it had become because I see it every single day. A really good tip is to take a photo of your room or a corner of your room – if you wouldn’t want to show that picture to anyone else, then perhaps it’s time to make a change. Just saying!

Before…

There is so much ‘stuff’ on my drawers that I really don’t need to use on a daily basis. Also, the lamp is too large, the headbands hanging on the mirror look messy and the fan is just randomly dumped there. I need to get rid of the mirror that’s ‘hiding’ under the drawers and put up the hooks that are waiting patiently to be seen to on the basket. The Lloyd Loom laundry basket needs to live somewhere else as it looks too big and clunky there. I want to re-frame the precious family pictures around the mirror and hang them elsewhere so I need to find something to replace them.

After…

Ta da!

The mirror from underneath the drawers is gone, as are the hooks and the laundry basket has been swapped with the Singer machine my kind neighbour, Kate, recently gave me (love it!). Just these changes make the space look tidier and more stream-lined. I’ve also swapped the lamp that I had in my craft room into here as it is a better size and the colour is perfect. It’s the Little Dane lamp from Loaf, if you’re interested.I’ve cleared all the clutter from the table top, which makes life easier as more space has been created. If you’re worried about getting rid of stuff, keep it in a box for a week – if you don’t need it in that time, chances are you may not need it at all.

I’ve also framed some vintage educational wall charts from a second hand book that I bought on Amazon for £9 (it’s called The Art of Instruction), which was my only expense. I just used 50p clip frames so, all in all, it cost very little indeed.

Clearing the top of clutter will make my dressing table so much more functional.

Adding fresh flowers does wonders.

I’ve added a vintage Burleigh ware bowl to the dressing table for any loose ‘bits’ like hairbands, grips, make-up etc.

The one thing I would say is that if you are planning to do as I did and swap things around in your home, like the lamp and laundry basket, do make sure that you know where you are going to put them before you move them. Otherwise, you will just end up messing up another corner of your home.

Happy styling!

Katy x