I love the lead up to Christmas, probably far more than the day itself. I love cosying up at home, making, cooking and preparing; those quiet, candlelit afternoons making and wrapping presents – just love it all! Therefore, I wanted the first of those afternoons to be all about setting up this month’s Styling the Seasons.
We went for a walk in the park and I brought home a big fallen branch (with Otto going nuts trying to jump up and steal it from me) and let it dry out for a few days. I painted it white and then strung it up over my dining table (using command hooks stuck to the ceiling) with a bit of help from Jules. I wrapped the branch with sparkly lights and hung a few tea light lanterns. I made a few bundles of herbs from my balcony (bay leaves, thyme and rosemary) and some eucalyptus and myrtle that I bought at the market last weekend. I added glitter to a swan feather that Jules had found in the park and added one glass bird tree ornament. Such an easy thing to do and it was a very happy afternoon putting it together.
I sprayed the bottom half of the swan feather with glue and added gold glitter.
On the table itself are the remains from preparing my Christmas branch and some hyacinths that I potted up for the festive season in a vintage jelly mould. I have added sheep skins from the Modern Rugs to the dining chairs for the winter and I love the way they look, as well as how soft and cosy they make my Ercol chairs.
Nordic mini lanterns from The White Company. Make sure you string them up with metal wire, not string.
We had a dinner party the evening after we’d put the branch up and it was so lovely sitting under the lights and candles. The herbs also smell amazing.
Bundles of rosemary, eucalyptus and bay leaves, which smell wonderful.
I have never liked the traditional red and glitz of Christmas in my small home; I never feel like I have enough space for it and it just feels like clutter. However, bringing the outdoors in feels so much fresher and simpler.
Charlotte and I would love for you to join us this month and style a surface in your home to show what this month means to you. Blog about it or post a picture on your favourite social media platform and tag us in so we can see. We can not wait to see all your festive decorations!
I have a new friend and it follows me around the house wherever I go. And I love it.
I’ve always had a thing about radio; listening to the dulcet tones of Radio 4 in the morning and whilst I work or playing music whilst I cook in the evenings. I also love listening to podcasts, especially on Sunday afternoons or as I sew. My new VQ digital retro radio is perfect for all these things and more. It can run on batteries so I can carry it around with me from room to room (or you can plug it in) and I can also pull out the iPod dock and hook it up to my phone and play music from Spotify, which works perfectly when we have friends round. You can even connect it to your computer and the sound quality is great. Most importantly (obvs!), I think it looks great and the leatherette finish is really high quality. I really, really love it.
I love the retro styling and it works perfectly on my G-plan sideboard.
The stylish leatherette finish is beautiful (I couldn’t tell it wasn’t real leather).
I hate working in silence so this radio is perfect for my home office.
You can plug the radio in or run it off batteries.
This is where my radio spends most of its time – is there anything better than blasting music and having a dance whilst cooking?!
The lovely folks over at VQ are offering one of my readers a retro radio, worth £79.99, in a colour or pattern of your choice – see them all here. Wouldn’t it make a perfect Christmas present, too?
To enter the giveaway, which ends at midnight on Monday 7th December, all you have to do is complete the Rafflecopter below. We would love you to either leave a comment on this post, follow VQ on Pinterest here or pin your favourite radio from the VQ site here (or do all three to get extra entries).
Good luck and I will be back on the December 8th to announce the winner! Fingers crossed x
Congratulations, Jules (I promise it’s not my partner!!). Pop me an email at katy@18.200.196.112 to claim your prize in time for Christmas! Thank you to everyone who entered and watch out for another amazing giveaway launching here tomorrow. x
T&Cs
– Giveaway open from Tuesday 1st December to midnight Monday 7th December 2015.
– Giveaway open to mainland UK only.
– Winner will receive one retro radio in a colour or pattern of their choice.
– Winner will be picked at random using Rafflecopter generator.
My sister, Juliette, lives in a London flat and works crazy hours so often her home is empty from 7am to 10pm, if not later. The other day she arrived home to find her front door had been bashed down by the fire brigade after one of the taps had been running hot water (she didn’t turn it off properly) all day and created so much steam that all hell broke loose. The emergency services had no idea how to get in touch with her so had no option but to break down the door so she arrived home to chaos. All the while, Juliette had been at work, none the wiser. So, what if we could control, monitor and secure our homes from an app on our phones? What if we were alerted every time there was motion, a temperature rise or fall and most helpfully in this case, an increase in moisture? Life could be that much easier.
A couple of weeks ago I was invited to Ham Yard Hotel in Soho for breakfast and to attend one of the Samsung Series talks of 2015; topics ranging from the rise of technology in health and wellbeing with Hemsley & Hemsley to the evolution of film technology with Working Title productions. I was lucky enough to go along to the Smart Home talk in conversation with, among others, the Soho House Group architect Alex Jackson and we were given a chance to try out the newly launched Smart Things technology in one of the hotel’s suites. Not a bad way to spend breakfast time. Smart Things originated after the founder experienced a major leak in his home whilst he was away. He had absolutely no idea of the damage being done and when he returned he was faced with a $100k repairs bill. Soon after he began to develop the Smart Things technology, starting with a moisture sensor, and launched a Kickstarter campaign, which was eventually taken over by Samsung.
I have to say that I was a real technophobe before I met Jules; I didn’t even know what a smart phone was, I had a CD-man (we’re talking only six years ago!), I’d never owned a computer and I had a TV the size of a postage stamp. Oh how things have changed! Jules is a web developer and completely obsessed with all types of technology and I have to say he is a big part of this blog – I wouldn’t have been able to start it without him. He has also taught me an appreciation for how technology can work for you, not against you, which is exactly the ethos of Samsung’s Smart Home. We were shown various different ways in which Samsung technology can be used as standard throughout one’s home but the thing that really caught my attention was Smart Things, only recently launched here in the UK (it can already keep stock of your fridge over in the States!). In the hotel suite, we went on a tour of the bedroom that had a Smart Things hub – a small box and a plug – installed). From the hotel bed I could turn on the lights, boil the kettle, turn on the radio, heat up my hair straighteners and make sure the temperature of the room was just right all from the Smart Things app on my phone. Now that is what I need in the morning!
The Smart Things hub allows you to control functions in your home either from within your home or remotely using just your phone. All you need are the plugs if you want to control things like TV’s, radios, fans and lights and there are different sensors that you can also install (when I say install, all I mean is stick or screw to a door or wall) to monitor motion, presence, temperature and moisture. It is hassle free, discrete, affordable and takes minutes to set up with no big wall panels or cables to hide. Take a look at this video to show more ways in which Smart Things can be used in any type of home…
In my own home we are now using the Smart Things starter kit and we have set up the plug to turn off our lamps, TV and radio when we leave the house and to put the lamps on when we return. We can also double check that our back door is open when we are out (I constantly have a panic that is is closed and that Otto won’t be able to get out to go to the loo if he is left at home alone). I can check I’ve turned my hair straighteners off, another panic I often have, and don’t even get me started on my “have I turned off the iron?” routine. Using the motion sensor we know whether Otto is moving around whilst we are out and we can even turn the radio or TV on if we are going to be out for longer than expected as he likes to watch a bit of TV! We will also be instantly alerted if someone enters our home. None of this takes any effort or much expense.
After the talk we also got to try out more of the Smart Home technology. Using the mask below I could see a 3D virtual room so if you needed help planning changes to your interior you could visualise it all here – clever!
The Smart Things Starter Kit is £199, which includes the hub, a plug and four different sensors and you can find out more about it here. It could even be the perfect Christmas present?
What would you like to control or monitor in your home when you are out?
Katy x
*This post was written in collaboration with Samsung.
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.
When we ripped up our carpets last year that had been destroyed by Otto as a puppy (I lost count of the number of times I found myself on my knees scrubbing that carpet clean) I was really excited about choosing a rug once we had painted the floor. I have always been really keen on unique one-off rugs and I trawled through the internet looking for something a bit different that would soften the edges of a hard, stark floor. Ever since I have always had one eye on picking up more unique pieces to add to the eclectic style we have in our flat. Liking a lot of white, as I do, it is also a really good way of adding a few bursts of colours and/or texture to a room.
I know it can be tough to find the time to wade through sites looking for one-off homewares and I remember at the time I bought my rug, which I got shipped from Turkey, lots of people asked me where they could buy one from. Therefore, I have put together a little collection of some of my favourite pieces from some great shops that have done all the hard work for you and sourced these beautiful pieces from around the world…
You know I love a basket or three and I picked up one of the Ghanaian baskets in Brixton market the other day and it’s perfect for winter blankets or magazines next to the sofa. The gorgeous pouf from Maud Interiors is not only a handy extra seat or ottoman but there is something so warm and welcoming about the colours and pattern of kilim textiles (and they hide sneaky red wine spillages a treat!). I have been lusting after a Moroccan pom pom blankets for too long and I think it could be a real showstopper in any room. Add to that the Moroccan leather slippers (perfect gift for any man this Xmas) and the delicious kantha gown made from recycled Indian saris, what more could you need? Well, maybe that beautiful vintage Beni Ourain rug – swoon!
I hope you like some of my choices. Do explore the shops I have picked out because they all have some really beautiful, unique pieces that you won’t see anywhere else. Don’t be afraid to mix and match in your home – I wrote a post last year about combining different styles so take a look for a bit of inspiration and guidance.
Katy x
*This post was written in collaboration with Maud Interiors.
