I’m quite obsessed with Scandinavian design and interiors so Lovely Life blog, with its Swedish home tours, is one of my faves. I came across the home of Annacate recently, who is also a blogger over at Another Side of Life, and I fell in love instantly. The home is quirky, unique and effortlessly stylish. It was the vintage mirror above the kitchen sink that first caught my attention and then I saw the William Morris wallpaper, mid-century chairs and wall to ceiling books and I could not contain my envy any longer.

This home is a wonderful example of creating a personal, beautiful, interesting home within a period building whilst keeping it up to date  – all the mod-cons with no sacrifice of the owner’s obvious passion for vintage style.

A few things to copy to make your own period home as beautiful and functional:

1) Create a white backdrop with white walls and floorboards as this instantly creates a fresh, crisp feel in a home on which to layer your furniture, textiles, wallpaper.

2) Use big, bold wallpaper or textiles in parts of the house to complement the age of your home. With a bright white floor, this will never feel too heavy.

3) Offset a brand new kitchen with vintage pieces like the mirror, dining table and chairs.

4) If original tiles have been lost replace with updated geometric patterned ones, reminiscent of Victorian tiles.

5) Replace modern radiators with cast iron ones or good replicas.

6) Use books (or in this home’s case LP’s) to decorate the walls.

7) Don’t scrimp on modern, cheap shelving as this will let down the rest of the room. Invest in vintage shelving like the great mid-century string shelving they have used in this house.

8) Use colours that complement the period of your home. I love the greens, blues and greys in this home, which can be seen in the tiles, wallpaper and paint on the walls and staircase.

9) Keep your vintage or antique furniture in its natural wooden state – don’t paint the death out of everything.

10) Let as much light into the house as possible, even if that means not having curtains or blinds at some of the windows. Allow the windows to show their real beauty, rather than covering them up, if possible.

Sit back and enjoy this beauty of a home…

All photgraphs are from Lovely Life blog – pop over to see more images of the house. To see more of Annacate’s interiors follow her on instagram @annacate.

Katy x

I’m delighted to share some photographs today of one of my all time favourite homes. Katharine Peachey of Peachey Photography lives in Lime Tree Cottage in Greenwich and it is filled to the brim with her beautiful furniture and vintage finds.  In every corner there is something that grabs your attention or attracts the eye and she has an enviable ability to style her home in such a unique and organic way, which so many aspire to (including myself). Working with Katharine on home tours is an absolute delight as we ogle over amazing homes together and her genuine passion for interiors shines through (see a home tour we did together here).

Katharine has taken some shots of Lime Tree cottage herself; they are all from different days, seasons and times but they come together to create a beautiful, orignal collage. As always, her photography is stunning and all shot on film (find out why she shoots on film here), which lends itself so beautifully to her wonderful home. Enjoy and be inspired…

The cottage has a double reception room that leads onto a kitchen at the back of the house.

The kitchen is full of gorgeous vintage finds displayed for all to see, which gives the kitchen character and warmth.

Lovely original floorboards run throughout the downstairs of the cottage and there is a beautiful Ercol daybed in the sitting room (I have wanted one these for years!).

There are two period fireplaces in the double reception room that have been beautifully styled by Katharine.

The bedroom is light, bright and filled with vintage furniture and pictures.

The bathroom is simple but still feels vintage with clever touches such as the hanging mirror and enamel soap dish.

Katharine’s desk is a sweet 1950’s kitchen table.

There’s also an idyllic cottage garden.

Thank you, Katharine, for the stunning photographs. To see more of Katharine’ s film photography drop by her website www.peacheyphotography.co.uk.

Katy x

One of the most important things about design is that you have an open mind. It’s far too easy to fall into a trap of knowing what we like and therefore not exploring new possibilities; I suppose it’s the same with any area of  our lives. I really enjoy looking at all types of interiors because I find new styles or little sparks of inspiration that help to develop my own taste, which is changing constantly.

In my constant quest for the ‘perfect interior’ I came across these images of Elizabeth Bishop’s Brazilian home. She was an American poet and short-story writer and the Poet Laureate of the United States from 1949 to 1950.It was during her time in Brazil that Elizabeth Bishop was influenced by South and Central American poets, and translated their work into English. A writer’s house always seems that bit more interesting somehow.

I wanted to show you some photographs of this house today as they have given me new ideas, for example, I would never have thought of using the colour scheme of this home. Also, in the past, I have always avoided using dark wood as ‘I don’t like it’. Here, however, I can see ways of using it that enhance an interior rather than drag it down. I hope you find some inspiring ideas too…

If you would like to see more images of this house you can find them on the  Casa Vogue website. Happy exploring x

Photographs taken by Ruy Teixeira.

When I left university I dreamed of moving to Paris and living in a loft apartment in a beautiful building with a courtyard, a little roof terrace and views of the Eiffel tower. Instead, I ended up in Poplar…not sure how that happened!

It was a few years ago when I first saw fashion designer Vanessa Bruno’s Paris apartment on the cover of Elle Decoration. I still have the magazine (my house is falling down with interiors and crafts magazines), I still buy Elle Decoration (just can’t help myself) and I still love this apartment (please can it be mine?).What I love most, is that it hasn’t dated at all, which I think is a sign of good interior design. Also, seeing this apartment was when my love of mid-century furniture was born.

Have a look for yourselves and be inspired by the light, space, character, colours and beauty of this home…

Photographs by Birgitta Wolfgang

Where do you dream of living? x