Customisable wallpaper

I’ve had this thing with huge world maps since I lived with friends at university, one of whom stuck one up above the dining room table. Without fail the map inspired conversation about where we had visited, where we dreamed of going, plans for the future and so on. At times we would find ourselves drifting off whilst staring at the map: “Is China really that big?”, “Where’s Chile?”, “Shall we go to Argentina?”.  Ah, those carefree students days!

When I saw this dining room with world map wallpaper I instantly wanted to copy the idea in my own home. Imagine the cool dinner conversations…

I would like to introduce you to Wallpapered today who make a huge range of different types of wallpaper from the classic (swooning over quite a few of them) to striking nature murals and one of their most popular wallpapers are maps, whether they be world, antique, street – all totally customisable. You can even upload your own image to be made into wallpaper!

Over to Wallpapered to tell you more…

Why do you think wallpaper has made such a resurgence in the past few years and managed to shake off its ‘old-fashioned’ label?

Wallpaper is such an exciting industry at the moment, with new designers, developments in technology and constant innovation pushing it forward. There are fewer rules now, and customers are deciding what works for them rather than being dictated to. At Wallpapered we really embrace this ethos, encouraging customers to create wallpaper that suits exactly what they’re looking for.

We’re also constantly inspired by the creativity of interior design being showcased online. We keep discovering great new blogs and beautiful Instagram accounts (and then wonder where the day has suddenly gone!) – the online community is so important for keeping the industry exciting, pushing the boundaries and inspiring new ways to really personalise peoples’ space.

Map wall coverings are hugely popular at Wallpapered, why do you think people have such an affinity to maps?

Our wallpaper maps are definitely one of our top sellers. I think people have always been drawn to maps; not only do they show us from A to B or make us more aware of the world we live in, they’re also really beautiful artworks in themselves. It’s nice to understand the world around you, where you are, where you’re going and where you’ve been.

World map wallpaper | Apartment Apothecary

Customised local area map wallpaper is a perfect way of adding character to any room.

Everyone loves to make their house a home and to create a space that’s really unique to them. Is this a philosophy you follow at Wallpapered?

Yes, definitely. It’s a way of thinking we really share with our customers. We constantly aim to provide completely bespoke wallpapers for our customers –that’s what they want most from us. It’s great because their requests inspire us and keep us on our toes.

We did this amazing project recently with Ballindalloch Distillery for the Macpherson-Grant family (and their rather lovely grounds!) The custom made map showcased the area around Ballindalloch and the addition of a family tree illustrating the growth of the family over many years. We really enjoyed working on this project and you can read more about it here.

Map wallpaper by Wallpapered | Apartment Apothecary

Personalise your map wallpaper with a family tree.

What makes your wallpapers unique?

We pride ourselves on producing wallpapers that are unique to each customer. Whether that means uploading some of their own imagery, adding a logo to a wall covering or matching the map colours to a sofa; we really try to go above and beyond to make something a bit more special.

In practical terms we print on a non-woven paper that’s much more hardwearing than traditional wallpaper. This means it’s more durable and really easy to hang. Our wallpaper’s are 100% natural and wipeable; which is ideal when that child with mucky paws decides to embrace your newly hung wallpaper. We have a guide of what to expect here.

What advice would you give to someone trying to choose the right wallpaper for their home?

There’s such a great resource of inspiration out there: it’s always fun spending an afternoon going through blogs, Pinterest or your favourite interior magazine and gathering ideas. Ultimately, it’s about what works best for you. It’s a big decision, so we understand the importance of getting it right. If our customers are struggling to pick between a few choices, we send out samples – so they can tack them up on the wall and live with the look for a few days. This always seems to solve the problem and help them arrive at a final decision.

Brick wall wallpaper | Apartment Apothecary

There is a cool tool on the Wallpapered site that allows you to put up your chosen wallpaper in the context of a room, which is always helpful so you can work out the size of pattern etc. This could help with choosing one of Wallpapered’s huge range of texture wallpapers (got to love a brick wall!). Image: Design Therapy

Putting up wallpaper can at times be intimidating, what advice can you give to my readers?

We print our wallpapers to your exact dimensions – so there’s absolutely no waste (and no drama) when it comes to putting it up. We’ve made our whole process really user friendly, as we know customers can be put off by a difficult application. We’ve also got a really useful ‘how to hang wallpaper’ guide, so don’t worry – your space will be looking amazing in no time.

If there’s someone reading this interview considering wallpaper but needs that one last push, what would you say to them?

We think there’s a wallpaper to suit everyone and every home. At Wallpapered, we love chatting to our customers and ensuring they’ll be happy with the final product for years to come. So if you’re slightly hesitant or unsure, we can take you through the stages, give you all the information you need, and our design team can mock up a prototype for you so you can visualise it. Easy!

World map wallpaper | Apartment Apothecary

Thanks so much for the tips and advice! When I move to a house, wallpaper will be the first thing I choose. Can’t wait!

Katy x

 

*This post was written in collaboration with Wallpapered.

Styling the seasons – May

A bit of a soppy Styling the Seasons this month as May is birthday month for my husband-type, Jules, so it’s all about birthday breakfast in bed in our newly made-over bedroom.

I am guilty of taking those closest to me for granted sometimes but Jules and I have had such a tough year dealing with what has felt like a life’s worth of problems, which has really made me focus on what an amazing partner he is and how lucky I am to have him and the positivity he brings to every problem we face.

So, I want to make his birthday this year extra special and it always starts with breakfast in bed. It usually consists of croissants stuffed with ham and cheese and a good coffee. I have added flowers left over from our Styling Spring At Mine event in a little bottle Jules bought me recently “because it looks like an apothecary bottle”. Do you know that’s how we met? We were in a bar with mutual friends and he was drinking beer from a really nice bottle. I mentioned to him that I liked the bottle (thinking it would look really nice with flowers in it, not paying him any attention whatsoever – ha!) and he replied that he thought it looked like an apothecary bottle. That was it, he had my attention and I had a name for my blog 😉

The month of May also signals the beginning of warm days. We always have Jules’s birthday party outside and it is usually beautiful weather. Therefore, I have styled my Coco bed for warmer nights. Gone is the winter duvet and in its place is a lightweight summer duvet. My new gorgeous Lazy Linen from Loaf is absolutely perfect for the Summer months as it is wonderfully cool and light. The heavenly texture of this crushed Belgian linen and the dusty pink Scrunch cushion are perfect for the brighter mood that this time of year brings with it. I have also added a flat sheet, which feels so luxurious and is really practical for when it gets too hot.

Styling the Seasons - May | Apartment Apothecary

Styling the Seasons - May | Apartment Apothecary

Styling the Seasons - May | Apartment Apothecary

Styling the Seasons - May | Apartment Apothecary

I had finished taking photos and turned around for a few seconds and look who was ‘asleep’ next to the croissant! The new rule with the linen sheets is no Otto on the bed but he’s not in favour of that rule, as you can see.

Styling the Seasons - May | Apartment Apothecary

“Actually, I am awake, if there’s any of that Croissant going begging…” And, no, I couldn’t resist that sad little face, he got a piece of croissant in the end.

Charlotte and I would love for you to join us this month and style up a surface in your home and show what May means to you. Style your dining table, a shelf, hallway table, balcony, sideboard, kitchen worktop – anything you like. Either blog about your styled surface or post an image of it on any social media platform and use the #StylingTheSeasons hashtag.

I can’t wait to see what this month brings…

Katy x

Shop the look

Oooooh, by the way, you can now buy some of the lovely products that I use or recommend in my posts directly through my blog. I will be officially launching the shop on Wednesday so I will tell you more about it then, as well as giving one lucky reader £150 to spend, if you buy something on that launch day.

For today, I’ve picked out some lovely boards like the one I have used in today’s post – if you like the look of any of them, click to see more details, add to cart and then buy it right here! Price includes delivery.

Combining different styles

In the past I have always tended to stick to the same style of interiors and to what I know and love. One of things that I love most about blogging is I am constantly being inspired and introduced to new styles, looks and ideas. When the lovely folks over at Habitat asked me to style up one of their new collection armchairs in my home, I saw it as a bit of a challenge to bring together an eclectic look.

The Abel armchair is curvy and deep with Scandinavian style legs that give it a mid-century feel. I teamed it up with an Ercol pebble side table (that I found in a skip last year!) and my G-Plan sideboard, which highlight the mid-century vibe, as well as a House of Rym cushion and my Turkish Kilim rug that add pattern and colour to the look. I love mixing different styles and textures in my living room as it makes it feel more cosy and less generic than it would otherwise, bearing in mind I live in a new build flat with no architectural features or character.

The grey works well with my painted floor and is a perfect neutral to be layered with textiles.

Habitat armchair | Apartment Apothecary

I’ve now got my eye on the Askem grey wool sofa as Otto has ruined our sofa (I should have been so much stricter about not letting him up on it!). I’m going to have to start persuading Jules…

Katy x

P.S. You can buy House of Rym cushions and blankets in my shop

*This post was written in collaboration with Habitat

Dream bathroom

My neighbour came round the other day because he wanted advice on renovating his bathroom and what finishes he should choose. He lives in the identical flat to ours, two floors below us, so I immediately started to envisage our own bathroom and how much better it could look and feel. I often dream about my perfect bathroom and having lived in flats for the last ten years with small, poky, windowless ones, my wish list is long…

Window with a view

Oh the joy it would bring! Lying in the bath being able to look out and having all that natural light – I miss that so much in our current bathroom.

Space for a chair or stool

I love the idea of being able to hang out in my bathroom, making the everyday ritual of washing that much more relaxing.

The perfect floor

I love the feel of vinyl flooring underfoot as it is so soft and warm to the touch and has the added bonus of being very practical in terms of cleaning. In fact, adding a vinyl floor to my bathroom was the only change I made when I moved into my current flat.

Dream bathroom mood board | Apartment Apothecary

1. Reclaimed wood stool, Ines Cole 2. Wooden bath bridge, The White Company 3. Turkish Fouta towel, The Future Kept 4. Ambre Rosemary, Thyme and Mint Herbal Bath Oil, The Future Kept 5. Marble effect vinyl flooring, Carpetright

Bath bridge

I see a bath bridge as a shelf that you can decorate with flowers, beautiful bottles, a jar of Eucalyptus; anything that will make the bathroom feel more special.

Vintage mirror

A beautiful mirror to hang above the sink to add character to the room.

Plants, plants and more plants

Breath life into the bathroom with dashes of green, which add colour and texture.

What does your dream bathroom mood board look like?

Katy x

Images: Top left Inks and Thread, top right  Photobucket, middle left Katharine Peachey, centre and bottom left Carpetright, bottom right Dust Jacket

 

*This post was written in collaboration with Carpetright

Adding character to a room

Behind the scenes of my blog I am always beavering away on different jobs whether it be styling homes for magazine shoots or doing room makeovers in ‘real’ homes. As you know, I am partial to the odd room makeover, and I love doing it for others. It’s amazing being able to walk into someone’s home with fresh eyes and be able to identify why the room isn’t working and what they can do, with relatively little money, to bring the room back to life.

Sometimes I do personal shopping for clients who just don’t have the time or know how to find what it is that they want and need for their home. I was asked recently to find a small collection of unique home accessories to add more character to a neutral living room in a rented North London flat. The client worked with me to pick the items and then I popped over recently to take a few pics, which I thought you might like to see as it is very far from the generic look you often see on the high street or in magazines and therefore might provide some inspiration…

Unique home accessories | Apartment Apothecary

The first thing we decided the room needed was a rug to bring colour and interest to such a blank canvas. It can be so difficult to find the perfect rug so I referred the client to Manchester based retailer The Rug Seller as they have such a diverse range of styles, colours and designers. She immediately honed in on this Kodari Anemone rug as she loves the colours and unique design and it brings real personality to the room. It’s also gorgeously soft and sumptuous as it is 100% wool.

Unique home accessories | Apartment Apothecary

The client decided she wanted a set of new but well designed furniture that she could easily take with her to whatever home to goes to next, as this is a rented flat. I found the sideboard, dining set and side tables at Afobi, which fitted the brief perfectly.

Unique home accessories | Apartment Apothecary

We then picked out some of the colours from the rug to add some interesting touches like this mirror that I found in Places and Spaces.

Unique home accessories | Apartment Apothecary

I found the main painting at the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea Park and I love the hints of colour that reflect the pattern in the rug.

Unique home accessories | Apartment Apothecary

We also bought a couple of Tom Pigeon prints as the client has such an eclectic taste that she was keen to mix different styles. The lamp was a unique eBay find and the vase is from Habitat.

Unique home accessories | Apartment Apothecary

Hope you’ve enjoyed this little glimpse into some else’s home. Have a great week everyone!

Katy x

 

*This post was written in partnership with The Rug Seller