Top 10 neutral rugs

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Gone are the days of my beautiful kilim rug (like the one above from Anthropologie that I MUST have for our next house!) after Otto thought it was great fun to ruck it up and wear holes in it as well as his fur showing up really badly on it. Therefore, I knew I wanted a new rug when we redecorated our living room and it had to be super practical and as neutral as possible because I want the space to feel calm and tranquil. With a big dog I was looking for something that would hide his fur and the mud he traipses into the house every day after walks as well as being very robust as he loves a good wrestle and roll around on the floor. It also needed to be about 200cm x 300cm so that it would be large enough for my furniture to sit on it (did you see my guide to rug placement?). Whilst looking these were all options I came across, some fitting the brief better than others, but I thought it would be handy to share them as it’s always good to be pointed in the right direction for where to buy a good rug…

Top ten rugs | Neutral rugs | Apartment Apothecary

1. Plantation Benni Rug, Land of Rugs / 2. Colours Georgette Rug, B&Q

Top ten rugs | Neutral rugs | Apartment Apothecary

3. Frankie by Plantation Rugs, Land of Rugs / 4. Afar Shaggy Rug, La Redoute

Top ten rugs | Neutral rugs | Apartment Apothecary

5. Ferm Living Kelim Rug, Smug / 6. Andria Rug, Heal’s

Top ten rugs | Neutral rugs | Apartment Apothecary

7. Belle Rug, Land of Rugs / 8. Overod Rug, Urbanara

Top ten rugs | Neutral rugs | Apartment Apothecary

9. Colours Lollie Brown Rug, B&Q / 10. Pomezia Rug, Heal’s

Which one do you think I went for in the end?

Katy x

 

*This post was written in collaboration with Land of Rugs.

Perfect lighting

Lighting is one of the most important factors in making a room a welcoming and pleasant place to spend time. It was my first priority when decorating my kitchen and living room to get the lighting sorted and until it was I didn’t want to be in either of those rooms even though they were newly decorated.

When choosing lighting I focus on creating warm yellow light rather than cold white light and I far prefer up-lighting rather than downlighting or spot lighting as it is much softer and doesn’t cast unpleasant shadows. Therefore, I like ceramic or glass lamp shades as these emit the light evenly (you need to choose soft filament bulbs) and adjustable heads are perfect as you can rotate them to become up-lights. I always try to have at least three separate light sources per room.

In my sitting room I have tried to create a calm, simple and minimal interior so these lights were on my shortlist after selling a couple of my old lamps; I needed one to hang over my dining table, one to sit next to the sofa and one to clamp onto the open shelves in our kitchen because I love having soft light in the kitchen rather than harsh spot lights.

Minimalist lighting | Apartment Apothecary

and theres more

1. Original BTC Hector Ceiling Light, The White Company 2. Anglepoise Original 1227 Brass Wall Mounted Lamp, Houseology 3. Twiitter Floor lamp, Heal’s (currently 50% off)  4. Melrose Glass Hanging lamp, One.World 5. Hector Medium Dome Clip Light, Original BTC

I was really excited to find the new wall mounted Anglepoise lamp from Houseology. I really wanted a lamp next to the sofa but there isn’t room for a table or enough space for a floor lamp so the wall mounted Anglepoise is completely perfect because there is no need to mess with wiring it into the wall. It is beautifully engineered so that I can pull it over the sofa for reading or rotate it to face upwards, which illuminates the whole corner of the room in a lovely soft light. I bought both Original BTC lamps; one to hang over the dining table (I LOVE it) and one to clip on to the shelves, which emits a lovely soft light so we are all sorted now.

Do you need to improve the lighting in any of the rooms in your house?

Katy x

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.