SO 'LONDON'.....

Ok, so over the past couple of weeks several clients have uttered the following: 

' that is so London' or 'too London'. 

This is always in relation to a fabric or scheme and whether it fits into their image of how their home should be... 

or not.....

What is going on?

'So London' 

conjures up an image for me of the ubiquitous London bus, 
but also of the following:

  

But, and here is the point London is about so much more!

What is going on?

The first time these words were uttered was in relation to a holiday home's sitting room. We built the scheme around a rather lovely retro painting and indulged in textures and retro colours -

Harlequin Tessalate in Tangerine and Teal

..but the brief kept becoming about not letting it be 'too London'.

I would not have dwelt on this too much if I had not again heard today, at a different client's house, "no, that fabric is just 'too London'".  

(This as a way of distinguishing one Ikat fabric from another).

I must admit that I am mystified. 

What on earth makes a fabric or scheme too much like something in London? 

What is this thing and why has London design or fashion become 'it' instead of the actual varied, indeterminate, vivacious, wonderful, life affirming 'they' that exists?

For me, fulfilling a client's brief is always about creating very much more than it is about trying not to be something else. 

A room, or indeed house, scheme should always stand up on its own merit, with many varied building blocks to make up the whole and a certain magical cleverness to pull the whole thing off.

So, in the face of this new onslaught my preference is just to hear, acknowledge, and then, well, just get back to it.

Lampshades

This comes as a lamp base fitting too

I have been on a quest for the perfect lampshades in my home.

I decided as part of my budgeting exercise whilst recently renovating our home that there was nothing wrong at all with an old fashioned flex and lampshade.

I therefore decided to explore this possibility in my son's bedroom, in the guest bedroom and also for a touch of something else on a particularly lovely lamp base for our living area.

In all honesty, once I'd started looking and discovered the endless wealth of accessorising now open to me, I was happy to indulge the said lamp base with the beauty on the right:

Mini Moderns Whitby Linen Lampshade

Prior to this discovery, I had sold myself the idea by reasoning that a) no starship fleet of LED lights was necessary b) there's something warm, homely and downright welcoming about a simple time-tested lampshade c) it is a cute way of adding drama, whilst breaking up an otherwise bleak ceiling.

Now that I was on a roll it was easy to fall in love. This stylish solution (on the left) followed for my son's bedroom. Paired with William Yeoward beachy, heavily textured, striped curtains this is perfect. 

William Yeoward Tresmeer, Navy

Andrew Martin Botanist, Grey

Next, I will selflessly face the quest for the remaining Guest Bedroom ceiling flex, currently sad and lonely, dangling above the boxes. This needs to co-habit with the heavenly curtain fabric waiting on the roll. 

Hmmm... looking forward to looking.........