Interiors – Page 43 – Apartment Apothecary

katy 6th February 2015

Weekend Inspiration

Happy weekend everybody! I’ve been longing for more light this week and so I wanted to show you this Dutch home that was converted from a children’s nursery. The enormous windows and doors flood the space with natural light, which bounces around the home from the white floors and walls. The choice of furniture is a clever mix of modern and antique, colourful and natural, all of which can shine against the beautiful backdrop of this unique building.

Like all homes that I show you here, you may not like everything about this house but the point is to search out the elements that inspire you, that you can relate to, that make you want to recreate them in your own home. Personally, I feel quite inspired by the collection of dining chairs, the collection of green glass on top of the drawers and the arrangement of art. How about you?

All photographs were taken by Jansje Klazinga for VT Wonen. Pop over to see more images.

Have a wonderful one!

Katy x

katy 23rd January 2015

House of Rym

Happy weekend everybody! I hope you’ve all had a great week. Now, go grab yourself a cup of tea, find a comfy seat and get ready for so much inspiration you won’t know what to do with it all – beautiful photographs, ceramics, textiles, interiors, lifestyle, flowers, nature. It’s all too, too good.

Have you met House of Rym yet? I’m a relatively new convert after buying my Heavenly honeycomb/rose blanket but now I am completely hooked to this Swedish company that sells a unique collection of homewares. So, when I saw the SS15 catalogue, ‘The Garden issue’, I wanted to share it with you as soon as possible. And I know you are going to fall head over heels in love, too, if you haven’t already.

House of Rym’s Swedish designers come together in this shoot by Hilda Grahnut to bring my dream life to reality: set in a beautiful 1930’s home in a Swedish fishing village, eating and drinking from stylish ceramics, frolicking in a meadow, wrapped in stunning textiles, surrounded by nature. I’ll say it again, it’s all too, too good.

Please enjoy…

Have a wonderful one (even if it’s not in meadow or your dream home!).

Katy x

All images by Hilda Grahnut.

katy 21st January 2015

Refresh and update your home

I wrote a post last week about how to declutter and I showed you all my DIY hallway makeover. Yes, it feels great to get stuck in and get your hands dirty and end up with a refreshed home for the new year. However, not everyone has the time, energy or need for DIY and sometimes there is a case for some good old fashioned spending to make your home feel better.

I have picked some of my favourite items from my Great.ly shop that will help you refresh your home as sometimes that is all it takes…

Cushions

Change up the cushions on your sofa to refresh your living room. This is a relatively inexpensive way of breathing life back into an old sofa, a tired room or re-setting a colour scheme.

Polka dot cushion

Pink block cushion

Otomi cushion cover

Planters

Add some plants or fresh flowers to your home and watch them bring a forgotten corner to life. Combine the plant with a beautiful or eye-catching planter and you really can give any surface a new lease of life.

Blush and wood succulent planter

Concrete planter

Gramercy collection bottle

Candles

Freshen your home by burning delicious scented candles. At this time of year, choose clean scents like citrus or mint. Make sure you have have pretty matches, too – it’s the small details that count.

Rosemary and mint coconut wax candle

Lemonade candle

Gold foil matches

Art work

Hanging a few new pieces of art work can completely change the whole feel of a room.

The blushing pineapple

Overlapping circles

Girl with a stick

Have you got any purchases planned for the new year? Do pop over to my Great.ly shop and have a nose; you may want to add something to your shopping list.

Katy x

katy 19th January 2015

Dried flowers at home during winter

Are we all getting bored of winter yet? One of the things I don’t like about this season is the dark; it makes blogging original content so much more difficult as there is such a short window of light during which I can take half way decent photographs (I find this difficult enough without having so little natural light). Saying that, I took all of the photos below on a really dark day so they have been photo-shopped within an inch of their lives!

Another thing I find difficult about winter is the lack of colour outside. I miss beautiful spring blooms, wild flowers and blossoming trees. I also miss some of my favourite flowers at the florist and can find it really difficult to find what I like without having to spend a small fortune. I can’t just grab a hydrangea stem from the balcony or a handful of wild flowers from the roof terrace so buying cut flowers every week can be pretty pricey.

This winter I have found a great solution to this problem, which is a lovely selection of dried flowers from The Great British Florist. I used to have this idea that dried flowers were ‘grannyish’ and were all very earthy, dull tones. However, I have bought beautiful bright bunches of dried flowers that have really brightened up my home and have cost me nothing much at all compared to weekly fresh flowers.

Dried flowers at home during the winter | Apartment Apothecary

I love this little display on one of my Ikea picture ledges including dried Gypsophila, Eucalyptus, Peonies and Nigella.

The vivid pink of this Larkspur injects some much needed colour at this time of year.

Who knew that you could dry Peonies? They are so pretty.

One bunch of Larkspur that costs £4.50 has filled three vases in my home.

Did you see my hallway makeover? This vase from Petersham Nurseries usually lives on my new hallway table with yellow flowers to tie in with this cushion. I was finding it so difficult to find tall yellow flowers so these Achilleas are perfect! I had to bring it all into my home office to photograph because there was not enough light in the hallway.

If you, too, need an inexpensive boost of colour to your home during these dark days then check out the selection at The Great British Florist.

Katy x

katy 16th January 2015

Workshop Living

Happy weekend everybody! I hope you’ve had a good week. I’ve been far more productive this week compared to last; it always takes me a while to get back into routine after a holiday.

Anyhoo, I’ve been thinking about what has been inspiring me this week and I keep coming back to a few items that I have at home that I bought from Workshop just before Christmas. Jules and I try to take Otto to a new park or to the countryside each weekend and one Saturday we decided to jump on the train at London Bridge and get off at Brighton. I actually had an ulterior motive for this ‘dog walk’ that I failed to share with Jules because I’d been eyeing up Workshop’s Instagram for a while and I knew I had to get there somehow.

I have to admit that I’ve never had such a strong reaction to a shop. I came home and did a complete clear out in my kitchen and changed everything that I have on the surfaces to try and recreate the Workshop ‘look’. I absolutely love the simple, utilitarian look of enamelware, ceramics, raw wood and linen. Love, love, love! I might even have to do some ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots for you (although I hate my modern kitchen, the changes I have made, thanks to the beautiful styling at Workshop, have made a positive difference).

So, I would like to introduce you to Workshop this weekend, if you haven’t met already, and if you can’t jump on a train to Brighton, then nosey on over to their online shop.

All images from workshopliving.co.uk

Have a lovely one!

Katy x