I had a conversation with a client last week about what style her interiors should be. She mentioned how she felt torn between the design that she loved and the age of the building. I've had this discussion myself with various other clients and thought I would share my thoughts with you today. The way I see it is, you have three ways of doing things. Congruous design:
Playing within the design boundaries of the period of your home can help your interiors feel more linked and give them a sense of permanence. The trick to not make it look dated or tired is to use nods to the era but slightly more updated versions. There is a very satisfying joy of using vernacular pieces in a home. Like when you find the perfect Eames mid century arm chair for your lounge, or that gorgeous Edwardian bookcase for your alcove. It can fit like a glove and seem so timelessly beautiful. Incongruous design:In this method of designing, you note the architectural age of the property, but go off-piste with your design. This can be quite exciting and scary for some people but can really render some incredible rooms. This can work both ways, old to new and new to old. Some incredible spaces can be created by contrasting the style of the interiors to the architecture. Think of a gorgeous plastered ceiling and then a beautifully sleek modern sofa with an iridescent coffee table. Totally clashing but also beautifully striking. In reverse if you had a modern box of a room with beautiful floor to ceiling windows, why not bring some vintage charm in with an elaborate vintage Persian rug and an antique console table. Immediately enriching the space and displaying the antiques as art pieces within themselves. Some people find this design a bit jarring but when done well, and for the right person, it can render some incredible spaces that are a joy to live in and experience. Hybrid design:Here a combination of the above is used. So In an old home, using some modern and vintage pieces together to tie in the interiors with the home but also bring it forward into the modern age and ensure that the space doesn't look like a museum. Or in a modern home, balancing off the ultra modern design pieces with some older pieces - therefore introducing a mixed design. This can be a tricky affair to master but is also quite fun to play around with. It means you don't have to stick to one or the other, but just follow the beauty, and experiment with the look. It gives you more flexibility and also helps create a really eclectic and curated space filled with your favourite pieces. And if you are anything like me, and a bit of a magpie for beautiful things. You will be able to have a home that sparks joy at every corner.
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Introduce character - I needed some soul in my place. A new build has no history, no-one inhabited this space 20 stories up in the air at any time before me. So there I was the pioneer, needing to inject some humanity into this man-made space. I went vintage. This was a cheap and environmentally sustainable way of decorating my home. I trawled the vintage markets around Manchester for anything from vintage frames to ottomans and serving plates. Things that caught my eye came home with me. That reflected some of my soul back into my space. I still do this from time to time. Command 3m Hooks are great! I had most of my art work up on these babies, and they rock! They don't destroy your walls and are super easy to move about. Winner! If I was giving advice now to myself a few years ago , I would say: Don't be too precious with those brilliant white walls. Enjoy it a little, go for colour. If you really do not think that your property will sell with that colour on the walls, you (or the new owners) can re-paint it when it comes to selling. Also buy once and better, I had some purchases that after 3 years of life, looked very worn, and that s fine, but there is no point in wasting your hard earned cash on something that isn't going to last you any significant period of time. I totally sobbed when I locked the front door of my flat for the very last time. The movers were beside themselves. And even though I love my current home, there is always a little special place in my heart for my first nest.
Hi everyone, today I thought I would write about my experience of creating sensory spaces in specific relation to bathrooms. As humans, we depend on our five senses to guide us through the world and how we interact with it. We also use these senses to derive pleasure and improve our wellbeing. Being aware of and considering these senses when designing your home and spaces within it is vital, as it helps maximise the positive experience we take from these spaces. I will delve further into each of these senses, and how, I have found ways of improving the sensory experience when designing a bathroom, in collaboration with my favourite pieces from Geberit and some pretty fun surprises.
Touch This is an incredibly intimate sensation and often not as highly valued initially when considering a space, but has such impact. Think of when you are in your favourite store, you want to touch everything you see - its emotive, its raw. Like how you know which jumper you are grabbing for in a bag full of stuff when you feel its material, our tactile sensation is very powerful and through it we determine a lot about our surroundings, which is why its imperative to consider this sensation when designing a bathroom. Incorporating different textures and finishes gives your bathroom personality and depth. Think of the smooth surface of glass, the slightly rougher texture of wood, the fluffy towels and the clean ceramics. The Geberit Aquaclean WC is quite frankly a work of art. You can get models whose lid lifts without having to touch it. The toilets come with an incorporated bidet, giving you a shower clean finish with every use. You can have your personal preferences memorised using the app on your phone. These can specify what water pressure you like, at what angle and what temperature you want it at! To really ramp up the luxury why not have a heated WC seat? I first experienced this calibre of WC when travelling in Japan and was gobsmacked at the luxury and level of hygiene I felt after using it and shocked at how most homes in Japan have one but this is still an emerging trend in Europe. Come on! We need to up our game! Smell Our sense of smell, despite not being honed to hunt, definitely evokes within us emotions and reactions that we can use to our advantage when designing a space. Think of that smell of freshly cut grass in spring, or the smell of mulled cider and bonfires in winter - these evocative smells bring back memories and transport us to a different place and time. Aromatherapy is a great way to relax and help improve balance, both physically and emotionally. It allows us to focus on the smell and a memory, creating moments of mindfulness and helping restore calm. When one thinks about the sense of smell in relation bathrooms, it can evoke a mixed reaction - but this shouldn't be the case. The smell of our favourite shampoos or face creams all form part of our daily routine and we buy these products based on how they perform and make us feel, including their perfume. So if we extended this concept further to the interior of the bathroom space, we can use scented candles or reed diffusers to creating a soothing space to be in and relax. Geberit have also thought of odour extraction within their WC systems. "WHAT?!" I hear you say, yes! Apparently so! There is a small extraction vent that removes any of the unpleasant odours from the air through a ceramic honeycomb filter. Insanely brilliant!
Taste Now this sensation is probably the least stimulated in the bathroom of all rooms. But our taste buds are stimulated by the toothpaste and mouth cleaning products we use and even possibly the glass of wine we sip on slowly when having a bath. So despite not being the most obvious space that will stimulate our taste buds, remember its also something worth considering when developing the sensory space. [This is a paid partnership with Geberit. To find out more head to their website: https://inspiredbygeberit.co.uk/in-your-area/cheshire/]
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Here are some snaps I took from the finished project. Let me know what you think. Head here to see more of this fun filled apartment in London. If you would like some help creating your own retreat, get in touch via my contact page.
I am so inspired by my recent trip to Puglia, in what is known to most people as the heel of Italy (that is if you consider the shape of Italy to be that of a boot). This region is one of the most fertile and agricultural in Italy and is absolutely full of gorgeous olive groves and scented jasmine. Sunlight is intense here, almost blanching the landscape, allowing the natural colours of things to come through. The Puglian design is humble and simple. Bare stone walls revealing ancient stone, paired with flagstones on the floor. The Trullo is an iconic symbol of this region and is basically a conical roofed stone house. This method allowed the people here to create insulated spaces that protect them from the elements without needing to use cement. That's right! The stones were classically placed on top of each other in ever smaller concentric circles forming the well known cone that stood tall without the need for any binding agents such as concrete, cement or pointing. We were lucky enough to have stayed in one of these Trulli and it was very inspiring. Now I know that I love big bold colours, but there is something very beautiful about the elegant restrained palette in Puglia - it allows the infinite blue of the sky, the deep green of the jasmine leaves and the gorgeous gnarly wood of the olive trees to sing in the landscape. I will reveal my top tips for creating a Puglian inspired escape wherever you are based.
Lighting: Its all about the mood lighting. The daylight in Italy is so intense that coming into these places is sometimes a refuge from the intense sunshine and heat, therefore creating a calming space with mood lighting is important to help nourish ones spirit. Consider the amount of natural light you have in your space, and if its in a landscape with a lot of natural light then consider filtering the light slightly to soften it. If you are based further afield and light is already a scarce resource, such as is the case in the UK, then be aware that you will need to be extra careful when layering your light to create the right mood for different times of year and day. Think of highlighting architectural elements, low lighting and creating that glow essential for a calming space.
For help and advice on creating your own Puglian space, get in touch! Above all, I suggest you visit Puglia. Its incredible and stunning yet humble and unpretentious. We stayed at the Leonardo Trulli resort, most of my photos in this blog post are from there. The gardens were incredible as were the trulli. I wasn't asked to feature them but the space was so inspiring I couldn't not.
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