KLC DIPLOMA - getting there...

Finally getting there! I have been working on an Interior Design Diploma at KLC School of Design for a few years now and recently completed my Module III (of  5). It was a hard slog, being shoe-horned in before and after work but I now have the result and it was worth it:
A (92%)!  

Here's a little sample of the some of the work involved.. can't wait to get started on Module IV!!

Jewellery Boutique

SKETCH BOOK DETAILS - ABOVE & BELOW:

 

 

 

 

 

AXONOMETRIC

MY BEDROOM

My BEDROOM SCHEME has been lovingly created and the finishing touches will be happening over the next few weeks:

I have given in to my wallpaper obsession (below). This will be my first ever use of wallpaper in a home of my own to date and I mean to make it count. This gorgeous Cole and Son wallpaper will sit on the wall behind my bed, showing off the gorgeous wall lights from The Historic Lighting Company:

Squiggle wallpaper by Cole and Son, from their Vivienne Westwood collection.

Maria Banjo Wall Light

Clarke and Clarke Foxgloves in Mineral.

Curtains are made from this lovely sprig-gy Foxglove fabric by Clarke and Clarke. I love the naive sketchiness of this design; it is extremely calming - like watching grass stalks in the Summer against a blue blue sky.












There will be a blackout roller blind inside the window recess to prevent Summer light disturbing sleep. I have shamelessly mixed my florals and patterns in this room, all based around taupe and navy, with pops of a lighter blue thrown in to lift.

William Yeoward

Sanderson

Beautiful
William Yeoward (for Designers Guild)
fabric, 
with Sanderson 
drop bead fringe.
I was lucky to purchase the Anthony in the Stone colourway before it was discontinued.
(See the link above for available colourways).

My bed is a wonderful cream brass bedstead which was purchased a few years ago from Seventh Heaven in Shropshire, since re-named.

It is the most solid, impressive and the comfortable bed I have ever slept in. It has a princess-and-the-pea quality, being higher up than most contemporary beds.

Floorboards are painted in a soft neutral, as are the walls and paintwork.Door furniture is metal. I don't have a problem with mixing metals, especially where the background is neutral as I like the warmth and variety that this brings to a scheme. 

A most wonderful carpenter has been on site for the last month, working out of my garage; a true craftsman. He has been building storage for me throughout the house and a wardrobe has appeared in a week, fitted to my storage needs. For now it is unfinished but the painters return in a week to complete the job. I am keeping it light in colour to maximise the sense of light and space in this lovely room, but inside is a different matter - it will be navy to tie in and show off my clothes and shoes.

Beautiful ply handles are waiting to be fitted, 

once the painting is done: 

http://www.chocolatecreative.co.uk/category/knobs

As for bedding, I think I will wait until the room is complete but I am tempted by the following:

Linen Bedding in Light or Dark Grey.

 hmm.. not sure...

AT ANY RATE I am extremely pleased with my almost-finished bedroom. I have a bedside table to upcycle and that, with a few well chosen books and magazines, is that.

#loveit

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.........

BED DILEMMA

HAVING a bed dilemma this week...

Guest room now needs to be operational (guest in a week's time & more in September).

So, ok, the one in a week's time is going to have to sleep on a blow up bed or something temporary with boxes pushed to the side.. sorry.

But, September; well that is do-able.

Thing is, should we update our bed for something gorgeous and move our too big bed into the guest room? Or buy a new guest bed?

At the crux of this dilemma is the 'new' word in the same sentence as 'guest'. 

LOAF.COM'S RETRO BED

Of course I welcome guests but, the thing is, they are temporarily in my home whereas I am here all the time! Ergo anything 'new' should be mine!!

..........................

Here's THE SHORTLIST:

SOFA.COM'S ANGELICA BED

OR/ LOAF'S SMOKE BED

OR/ SOFA.COM'S LIVINGSTONE BED

..........................................

IT'S TO GO WITH:

CURTAINS

BEDSIDE LIGHTS

PAINTED FLOORS TOO:

 WITH SOFT GREY WALLS

PLEASE HELP SO THAT I CAN SLEEP TIGHT.....

HAPPY DAYS

What amazing weather we're having in the UK. Back-to-back sunshine days, with occasionally the odd thunder storm to clear the haze. Not bad living on the south coast when it's like this.

Last night we enjoyed the most incredible sail straight from work to clear my busy brain after a hectic few weeks, both at work and at home.





On the home front: our chimney stack has had to come down and at last the guest room is drying out ready for visitors later in the year.

The roof verges on the gable end have been sorted out so they are fit and ready for what the darker days will throw at us from the sea later this year.




Today, the doors are flung open and I've been cooking up a picnic for this evening.

All of the bad times during the build over the last year disappear on a day like today:

More of this please!




At work I've been putting together some really exciting all house schemes, from a beautiful 18th Century white stuccoed house with loads of period detailing to a small cottage which is being given a spanking new 21st century makeover with poured concrete floors and clean lines. I also have a New England bedroom makeover and a French-look interior to work on. Ah and also a country house with swags and tails.

And that is why my brain is humming along at a frenetic creative pace. Does anyone have a  spare brain or two to rent? It's at times like these that I truly need a brain extension (computer style extra storage).

Time to chill out and enjoy the sun!

FAVOURITE ROOM SCHEMES

In the course of my work I put together so many different schemes and when I can, I love to look back on completed rooms alongside those in progress.


Here are some of my favourites:

Sitting Room scheme:

This is a scheme I have put together to liven up a client's dark living room. The room is whitewashed currently and I think this works well, so we are sticking with this. The house is old (beamed in places) but the client wants a fresh contemporary look. In this case a Jane Churchill geometric embroidery will add this contemporary touch. Cushions in a bright Designers Guild floral add zing and we have decided to pipe cushions in a bright yellow to really lift the scheme.I love the mix of blues and rich purples pulled, along with the blues, from the floral.

Whole house scheme:

I have been working on this recently and will be completing in a month's time. 

This lady loves a French look and has many beautiful antique pieces of French furniture, including a caned 19th Century bed. 

She has up-cycled pieces herself using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

We will use Zoffany paints throughout the house. It is a newly built house in a mock Georgian style but the character needs to be added. The olives and creams we are using as a base will provide a wonderful backdrop for her furniture. 

The florals are rich and warm in colour and we are using textured but neutral fabrics for sofas in the living room as the room sizes are relatively small.

Blinds are being used throughout to maximise on floor space, with sumptuous trimmings to add layers of texture. The exception is the living room, where blinds are sitting behind pelmets and curtains to single out this room as the main room to relax and entertain.

Take a look:

A Sanderson floral and Nina Campbell ruched trimming on roman blinds / Zoffany wallpaper will sit behind the bed and a James Hare olive silk will be used for cushions on the bed. The client already has a beautiful French caned bed and olive bedside tables.

A Sanderson leaf is being used in the kitchen and in the Guest Bedroom an Oka fabric trimmed with a Harlequin bead.

 The Cloakroom and Hall will have voile (unlined) blinds with a Zoffany cut fringe trim to add texture and interest.

This is my favourite room. Colefax blinds with a Sanderson trim sitting behind another Sanderson floral under Byron and Byron pellets. Colefax features again on two sofas and there are Titley and Marr Toile cushions.Perfect.

Guest Bedroom scheme:

This customer has fallen in love with wallpaper after we decorated this guest bedroom. She has now gone on to have her second guest bedroom wallpapered, along with her dining and living rooms. She is also considering the hallway!

A Sanderson graduated stripe from 'Colour for Living' works so effectively here. The Romo (Tulipa collection) floral is a fabulous contrast too, picking out the blue glass lights.

I was delighted with the finished product:

Variety is the spice of life and

Happy Clients make my day!