The minimalism game

When the wondrous Jeska from Lobster and Swan posted on Facebook a link to the Minimalism Game at the end of February and put a call out for friends to join in I got overly excited.

As you may have read here I started a really big clear out last year that ended with our vintage jumble sale. I got rid of masses at the time but I needed a push to finish the job off, especially as we’ve just re-done our kitchen and living room so it seemed like the perfect time to get all our cupboards and drawers organised at the same time. Well, the minimalism game was the ideal prompt to finally get the flat in order.

Basically, I had to get rid of one thing on the 1st March, two things on the 2nd, three things on the 3rd and so on until tomorrow, March 30th, when I will get rid of 30 things. I’ve never come across this type of structured decluttering that stretches across a period of time; I’ve always been the type of person who likes to do the whole lot over a couple of days. However, this month long challenge worked really well because not only was it far more manageable in terms of time but I could also give far more thought to how to get rid of the ‘stuff’. I was able to make considered donations to the charity shop and drop off an item or two there when I was passing rather than needing a car for the chore, I had the time to list stuff on eBay or my instagram sale page, I was able to return items that I had borrowed and could gift items to friends who wanted them. In short, nothing got thrown away that could otherwise have been donated, repurposed or recycled.

I now have space in my drawers and cupboards – actual space. I now have colour-coded bookshelves. I now have very little stored under my bed and light can shine all the way across the room instead of being blocked by under bed storage boxes. My kitchen cupboards are a dream come true. We no longer have a cable trunk (ok, not quite true, we have fewer cables and they are stored in their own cupboard). My bathroom cabinets are no longer filled with out of date grossness. I now have an extra £375 from selling some of my clutter to spend on lots of new stuff – ha!!!

Here is what I shed this month…

The minimalism game | Decluttering tips | Apartment Apothecary

The minimalism game | Decluttering tips | Apartment Apothecary

The minimalism game | Decluttering tips | Apartment Apothecary

The minimalism game | Decluttering tips | Apartment Apothecary

There is still a bit of work to do in my hallway cupboard and a little more organisation in my office but otherwise I may have a decluttering break for a while. And breath!

Katy x

P.S. Join in with the game and get a friend/s to join you – I found posting a pic on my Facebook page every day really helped to keep me focused.

 

Babington house

Hope you are all having a wonderful long weekend. I’m just dropping in briefly to share a few snaps I took at Babington House after we spent a long break there last weekend. It was my first visit but I’ve already decided that I want to get married there (we still haven’t set a date after getting engaged about three years ago so we could be talking ten year’s time at this rate) mainly based on the fact that you get the run of the house and all your guests stay with you – cool, no?

Whenever I go away the accommodation is always top of my priority list and Babington did not disappoint. We stayed in the stable block, which had a living room with a mezzanine bedroom and the most beautiful bathroom (I LOVE a good bathroom because mine at home is so boring).  The grounds were glorious as Spring blooms were blossoming and the Cowshed Spa was the icing on the cake (we spent every morning in there and in the gorgeous heated outdoor pool). Too good and I wish you all had a sister as generous as mine to take you there.

A long weekend at Babington House | Traditional interiors | Country interiors | Apartment Apothecary

A long weekend at Babington House | Traditional interiors | Cowshed Spa at Babington House | Apartment Apothecary

A long weekend at Babington House | Traditional interiors | Country interiors | Apartment Apothecary

A long weekend at Babington House | Traditional interiors | Country interiors | Apartment Apothecary

A long weekend at Babington House | Traditional interiors | Country interiors | Apartment Apothecary

A long weekend at Babington House | Traditional interiors | Country interiors | Apartment Apothecary

A long weekend at Babington House | Traditional interiors | Country interiors | Apartment Apothecary

A long weekend at Babington House | William Morris wallpaper | Traditional interiors | Country interiors | Apartment Apothecary

A long weekend at Babington House | Traditional interiors | Country interiors | Apartment Apothecary

A long weekend at Babington House | Traditional interiors | Country interiors | Apartment Apothecary

A long weekend at Babington House | Traditional interiors | Country interiors | Apartment Apothecary

Next time we want to stay in the cabin that you can see above. And then the time after that I’m thinking a walled garden room. And then… ok, maybe time to stop fantasising. But I do mean it about getting married there. Take a peek at a wedding at Babington House that Katharine Peachey shot – dreamy.

Anyhoo, back to the hot cross buns…

Katy x

 

*Image of pool and Cowshed Spa from the Babington House website. All other pics sneakily taken by me because you’re not really meant to use your camera there – sssshh!

Floral Easter decoration

I love, love, love Easter so as soon as I saw this hanging candle holder from Out There Interiors I knew I wanted to add a Spring touch so I could hang it over the Easter table. Hanging decorations over dining tables are always a good thing as they leave more space for hot cross buns, chocolate eggs and more hot cross buns.

We always used to spend Easter at my grandparents’ house down in Devon and my Grandma would decorate the table so beautifully so I decided to channel my Grandma today and go back to good old oasis. I will always remember watching her flower arranging at her church and squidging my fingers into the oasis and probably getting told off for doing so. I’ve never used it myself but it seemed like the perfect way to add flowers to this candle holder. Plus, it holds a dinner candle in place perfectly.

Hanging candle holder for a Spring easter table | Easter table decoration | Out There Interiors | Apartment Apothecary

I cut out a piece of oasis the size and shape of the candle holder and soaked it in water for a minute or so. I then placed it into the holder.

Hanging candle holder for a Spring easter table | Easter table decoration | Out There Interiors | Apartment Apothecary

I stuck a dinner candle into the centre of the oasis (otherwise a big pillar candle would stand up by itself).

Hanging candle holder for a Spring easter table | Easter table decoration | Out There Interiors | Apartment Apothecary

I cut some blooms from my balcony (freesias, grape hyacinths, lavender leaves, rosemary) and added a couple that I had bought. It couldn’t be easier to stick them into the oasis – just make sure you are arranging it to look good from below as it will be hanging above you.

Hanging candle holder for a Spring easter table | Easter table decoration | Out There Interiors | Apartment Apothecary

Cute, isn’t it? Just make sure you keep a close eye and don’t let the candle burn all the way down. Happy easter everyone, hope you all have the most wondrous long weekend.

Katy x

 

*Written in collaboration with Out There Interiors.

Styling at Dwell

Today I’d like to share a fun shoot that I did a few weeks ago at one of the brand new Dwell stores. The brief I was given was quite a challenge as I was asked to set up three home scenes in my own style. Considering Dwell sells very modern furniture and I like lots of vintage pieces and have quite an eclectic style, I had my work cut out for me. However, I really enjoyed the task as I think there is always a way of making a piece of furniture or accessories your own by the way you style them.

I was styling the sets in the store so I brought a bag of knick knacks from home as well as some flowers, plants and food to bring it all to life. Sarah Lou Francis photographed each set for me as there was no way I would have had time to do both. There was no natural light in the store at all so try to imagine how much nicer it would all look in an actual house without the harsh shop spot lights!

Dining scene

I wanted to keep the dining scene light and bright with a blue and white theme based on the vases and tableware from Dwell. Sarah-Louise offered to bring the driftwood and oars, which work perfectly to bring a bit of texture and add contrast to the white and work perfectly with the coastal theme. A slice of New England in Slough 😉

Styling at Dwell | Coastal dining | Photograph by Sarah-Louise Francis | Apartment Apothecary

Styling at Dwell | Coastal dining | Photograph by Sarah-Louise Francis | Apartment Apothecary

Styling at Dwell | Coastal dining | Photograph by Sarah-Louise Francis | Apartment Apothecary

I love the simplicity of the Eiffel dining table and chairs and I picked out the blue and white vases from around the store and added my own enamelware. The marble chopping board from Dwell’s dining accessories range was perfect for a New England pancake breakfast.

1. Eiffel dining table 2. Eiffel armchair 3. Eiffel dining chair with metal legs 4. Porous sculptural vase 5. Wave vase 6. Emotion coffee cup 7. Marble serving board

Home office scene

I love my own home office so I wanted to choose a desk that was quite close in style to my own Scandi-inspired workspace. I love the clean lines of these ladder desks and they are so practical, especially if space is an issue. I brought a few bits from my own desk, sticking with a very neutral monochromatic scheme to keep it modern and fresh. A big trailing plant adds a bit of colour and life.

Styling at Dwell | Scandi workspace | Ladder desk | Photograph by Sarah-Louise Francis | Apartment Apothecary

Styling at Dwell | Scandi workspace | Ladder desk | Photograph by Sarah-Louise Francis | Apartment Apothecary

Styling at Dwell | Scandi workspace | Ladder desk | Photograph by Sarah-Louise Francis | Apartment Apothecary

As luck would have it Dwell sell exactly the same clock as I have in my own office and I had to sneak in one of the three ‘hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil’ owls from the store. I love them!

1. Escala desk 2. Straight back gloss home office chair 3. Timber wall clock 4. See no evil owl money bank

Bedroom scene

The only bed that I could style in the store was against a big black wall and it all felt quite hard and masculine. Therefore, I wanted to add a few florals and some blush pinks to soften the space and make it feel a bit more me. I hung a beautiful gown from Verry Kerry on the wall along with some pretty pink blooms in an alabaster pot from Dwell’s bathroom accessories. A sumptuous bedspread and breakfast in bed with a warm copper lamp on the other side of the bed helped to make the space feel more welcoming.

Styling at Dwell | Photograph by Sarah-Louise Francis | Apartment Apothecary

Styling at Dwell | Photograph by Sarah-Louise Francis | Apartment Apothecary

The bedspread was one of my favourite pieces in the store and I feel the need to add it to my own bedroom.

1. Monza bed with drawers 2. S side table 3. Wire cage table lamp copper 4. Lexington bedspread 5. Button cushion dark grey 6. Alabaster toothbrush holder (I used it as a vase) 7. Hear no evil owl money bank 8. Owl tealight holder

Thank you so much to Sarah Lou for photographing my styling on the day and all the staff at the new Slough Dwell store who were so lovely and didn’t complain at all even though we had pancakes, plants and pots strewn around the store all day! To get more styling inspiration head over to Dwell’s blog.

Katy x

*This post was written in collaboration with Dwell. All images by Sarah Lou Francis.

My Houseology

Sharing a bit of linen cushion love with you today. These beauties are actually destined for my new sofa when it arrives but at the moment they are sitting pretty on my bed. I chose linen pillows as I love the texture and they always look so welcoming to me, especially good for a bit of sofa lounging (also these cushions have a ruffled frill that make me swoon!).

The cushions are from Houseology who have recently set up a new platform that allows customers to share photos of their purchases once they are in their new homes. My Houseology will give useful interior inspiration and the images will also feature on the individual product pages, which I think is really helpful as I don’t know about you, but when I am choosing a product to buy online I want to see as many photos of it as possible, especially in the context of a real home. On top of that a panel of Houseologists will choose a winning image each month and the winner will receive £500 to spend with them!

My Houseology | Linen pillows | Apartment Apothecary

House In Style HS Bari cushions in anthracite and white.

My Houseology | Linen pillows | Apartment Apothecary

I think I am a bit obsessed with soft pinks and greys at the moment.

My Houseology | Linen pillows | Apartment Apothecary

Love the pretty ruffled edge of these cushions that give them a feminine touch.

I’m off to upload my pics onto My Houseology – hope to see you over there!

Katy x

 

*This post is written in collaboration with Houseology.