Home tours – Page 3 – Apartment Apothecary

katy 23rd November 2015

New build London flat

When one of my readers described my interiors style as taking a trip to Scandinavia via an English car boot sale, I could not have been more flattered. So when The Spaces contacted me about featuring a collection of new build London flats, not far from my own home, that have Japanese and Scandinavian influences with an English twist, I scheduled it in immediately.

Having bought two new build flats in the last ten years, based on affordability and location, and having viewed a million more, I know the soulless white box syndrome well. However, the architects of the New Cross Lofts (for sale, btw) have done something amazing with the space and design of these flats; their use of colour, texture, wall and floor finishes, windows and outside space make these new builds more characterful and interesting than anything I have ever seen in this price bracket (all relative, I know – but in central(ish) London you’re doing well if anything is under a million these days). I also love how peaceful and serene the interior is; perfect for busy, hectic city living.

Personally, I love the light, space and clever design of these flats that make them so much more than a generic new build (like my own!!). You can see more of both flats and the sales details over on The Spaces.

Would you ever consider living in a new build?

Katy x

*New Cross Lofts designed by Chan & Eayrs – all images by Rosella Degori for The Spaces.

katy 16th October 2015

The perfect interior?

I came across this house the other day (it is a locations house which is why it is so pared down and there’s no ‘stuff’) and it stopped me in my tracks. I daydream on a regular basis about what my dream home would look like but I never ever see my idea of ‘perfect’ in real life. However, I can quite safely say that the kitchen diner in this house is my idea of complete perfection. The combination of styles, mix of materials, the kitchen island, the space, light, a few characterful pieces, the lighting, dining table and doors open directly to the garden – I want all of it! Every single bit of it – I would not change a thing.

I do like the sitting room a lot but it’s not quite ideal for me although it has given me inspiration for some potential changes to my own room – I love the colour on the walls and the sophisticated, simple styling.

I hope this has given you a bit of inspiration for the weekend. What does your dream home look like?

Katy x

*All images from Light Locations

katy 9th October 2015

The Shopkeeper’s Home

One of the most common questions I get asked is where do I find interiors inspiration and my answer is always the same: real homes, styled interiors and shops. Last winter I visited a homewares shop that I had admired on social media for a while and I found it so inspiring that I came home and completely restyled my whole kitchen that same evening! There are so many ideas to take away from beautifully styled shops that can translate to a home; a constant source of great inspiration.

When I found out about lovely Caroline Rowland‘s first book, I knew immediately that I was in for a treat. Along with a whole host of interesting lifestyle shop interiors, The Shopkeeper’s Home also gives us a peek into the real homes of their owners – being the nosiest person in the world and loving nothing more than a good house tour, it doesn’t get better than this. Except it does, because Caroline also pulls together practical ideas that we can all take away from some of the beautiful lifestyle stores featured in the book.

I’m thrilled to be part of The Shopkeeper’s Home blog tour this week (see Holly’s post here, Yvonne’s post here and Jeska’s post here) because I know you will enjoy perusing this book as much as I have; there is so much to look at and so many wonderful details to discover. I immediately honed in on The Hambledon, which is the most gorgeous shop in Winchester. I have long cooed over the perfect styling of the shop (featured on the front cover of the book) and how they use the beautiful building as the stunning backdrop for their much coveted stock. The simplicity of the shop’s interior and styling really appeals to me and even their shelving has provided inspiration for my own plans to install open shelving in my kitchen. I was very excited to discover more about the owner of The Hambledon, Victoria Suffield, and take a look inside her home, which is perfectly curated. Caroline also explores the connection between the shopkeepers’ personal and professional spaces, which is really interesting.

The Shopkeeper's Home by Caroline Rowland | Apartment Apothecary

Home of Victoria Suffield, owner of The Hambledon.

So, if you want practical tips taken from beautiful lifestyle shops on how to use lighting, displays, colour and textiles as well as finding out more about the shopkeeper at work and at home, this is the perfect book for you. It is also a great directory for amazing shops to visit and I know that many are going on my list of places to go. Congratulations, Caroline – I loved every page!

Katy x

The Shopkeeper’s Home by Caroline Rowland, published by Jacqui Small.

P.S. Watch out for more sneak peeks of the book on the blog tour…

katy 23rd September 2015

The Welsh House

When I was invited to stay at The Welsh House I could not have been more thrilled as we had such a dreary summer so I saw a long weekend as our chance to get a much needed break and refresh ourselves before slowly creeping into Autumn.

I was immediately drawn to Bryncyn cottage (there are three to choose from) because I was so struck by the modern extension to such a beautiful traditional Welsh cottage, achieved so skilfully by Dorian who owns the three cottages. As I said in last week’s post I am always so torn between the charm of the old and the function and design of the new so Bryncyn seemed to promise the best of both worlds.

And it did not disappoint. We really did have a magical few days in the most gorgeous house, surrounded by still, quiet countryside, sun – yes sun! – to die for, and time.

We arrived in the stunning evening light to this perfect looking cottage and the light was streaming into the sitting room from every angle – oh to have sash windows and shutters! After scoffing some Welsh cakes left for us we went for a wander to stretch our legs after a long drive and to take in the beautiful evening and peaceful countryside. Otto discovered some friendly looking cows, although he didn’t like it quite as much when he discovered the next morning that they walked up our drive past the house.

We took our time over making dinner and settled with a glass of wine in front of the wood burning stove, although actually we really didn’t need it because it was so mild. Not having a TV or wifi was replaced with chatting, listening to music and catching up, all of which has been too rare lately.

The next morning Otto and I climbed to the back of the garden with tea in hand to be greeted by the most amazing sight of what looked like a blanket of cloud covering the valley below: dragon’s breath, so I’m told.

Coming down from a wonderful sleep to the modern extension, with its concrete and glass walls, absolutely filled with light was quite something. I’ve said in the past that I chose my flat because of the floor to ceiling windows and I really do believe that it makes a massive difference to my mood living in a light, bright space. The modern extension at Bryncyn is the perfect antidote to the traditional proportions and typically dark nature of cottages. I loved the contrast of the old against the new and being able to choose which space to be in according to my mood. The hard edges of the kitchen diner were softened by the pond and wild garden that lies beyond the huge sliding glass door. At night when we cooked and ate here with lights on and candles lit it transformed into a warm, cosy space and as we looked in from outside it had become an amazing lightbox in the middle of pitch black countryside (I wish we’d been able to capture this!). Did I mention that there is a hot tub on the terrace? We were so lucky to have a completely clear night on Saturday so we spent part of it in the hot tub star-gazing and I finally managed to see the Milky Way.

I love the functionality and space of modern design and it provided just the right balance of ease and convenience for a long weekend away from home. We wanted to spend time cooking good meals so the modern kitchen was perfect.

I loved the mix of furniture chosen by Dorian that worked so harmoniously together, along with traditional Welsh woollen cushions and blankets.

The bathroom is also in the modern extension, which worked perfectly for me because I have a thing about needing a good shower.

Dorian has opened up the whole top floor of the cottage to make one big bedroom, which was wonderfully simple and spacious, with loads of light and a very comfy bed. Loved the hanging pendants too.

The sitting room is so cosy and reading on the big chaise sofa in front of the wood burning stove could not have been more relaxing.

I will write another post with some pics of what we got up to during our stay as we had such a great day at the beach. I hope you have enjoyed a little tour of the house and do pop over to Dorian’s site to take a look at the other two cottages. As well as that, take a look at Sara’s beautiful film she made of her stay here – it really is something.

Thank you, Dorian, for creating and sharing this little pocket of heaven.

Katy x

katy 19th June 2015

Livingetc House Tours

I had the best day last week with a group of other bloggers as we were invited by ao.com to take a tour of some of the amazing houses that have been featured in Livingetc magazine. Nosing around beautiful houses? My dream day.

I liked something about each house, even if it was just the space, although there wasn’t one that I would class as my ideal home. However, all of the houses were full to the brim with inspiration and I was able to take ideas from them all. Here are some snaps I took whilst wandering around, sucking up all of the interiors goodness. I wonder which style you will like the most…

Boho Victorian terrace

Light, bright and airy with so much character, soul and zingy colour.

Modernist white cube

Concrete wall and floors with cool mid century furniture and pops of colour.

Grand five storey Victorian mansion

I couldn’t capture the extraordinary interior of this home as I was a bit awestruck at the pure ecelecticism. I only managed to pick up my camera at the more ‘ordinary’ parts. To see more pictures that represent the house better pop over to Kimberly’s blog, Swoonworthy.