Brocante at Petworth Park

    

Plant stand by the bubbly tent

It was a beautiful sunny day at 
Petworth Park yesterday.

Just right for The Summer Brocante.







It was a real treat to have time to wander and look... and look.

Jostling for attention

There was a gentle buzz in the air.

Lunch and sweet peas in the tent

The day was a delight, 
from the parkland setting, 
through to the tea tent 
with its delicious home cooked cakes and quiches 
(feta, broad bean and mint was good), 
to the attractive stalls jostling side by side for attention, 

housed within a marquee with an open courtyard space for a spot of sun bathing or drinking bubbles, or both.

Vintage sweep...

The whole event was well thought out for maximum enjoyment and maximum spend.

I was quite tempted by this 'Margot' dress,
with sleeves floating in the Summer breeze

Dreamy

Hats off not only to the stall holders but also to the volunteer organiser at the National Trust Petworth House largely responsible for this event being at Petworth, and to 
The Country Brocante for its fabulous staging of this wonderful event. 








= Great collaboration, which I'm sure did wonders also for Petworth House and Park too, since a free (for non-National Trust members) look at the house was included in the £5.00 entrance fee to the Brocante, which would have involved a breathtaking view of House, Deer Park and Lake set amongst the Sussex downs in the stroll across from the Marquee. 

View of the House whilst strolling across from the Brocante

Who wouldn't want to go back again to visit?

Petworth town is of course a mecca for antiques for those in the mood for a little browsing or serious shopping.

Friendly service at The Hungry Guest in Lombard Street

There are plenty of places for the discerning shopper 
to pick up refreshments for stamina, 
including The Hungry Guest café  in Lombard street just off the main square. 







The Hungry Guest has been named one of the 30 Best Places for Brunch by The Times (2012). 

 


Of course I MAY have come away with a few items from The Country Brocante, and will reveal all once they are in place at home. 

Pigeon carrier anyone?

In the centre - an antique hose attachment with rotating spray, perfect for Summer days

  

BUILD YOUR OWN... LIGHTING

IN the days of many choices, and immediate access to them via the internet, it can be so difficult to make just one choice...

There are SO many products on the market that it can be bamboozling. 

The only way to avoid endless exhausting googling in the quest for that perfect light amongst endless perfect lights is to be strict with yourself. Have a set of criteria that you will not step outside. 

Tick off the priorities first:

• Outside / inside
• Bathroom / other room
• Pendant / table / wall
• Colour
• Bronze / copper / nickel / stainless steel....
• ETC...

Be careful of the obvious: check your dimensions and have a tape measure by your side to help visualise the light TO SCALE. 
Many people before you have fallen into the scale trap. 

Remember that a picture on a website will not necessarily clearly show you the scale. Suppliers are clever at showing you the scale they want you to see (for eg. small books on a bedside shelf can make the shelf appear larger than it is).

You could buy vintage. Again, there are many great suppliers of re-worked and up cycled vintage lighting. 

Try: TRAINSPOTTERS or SKINFLINT DESIGN  


Also, don't forget to keep your eyes open for an unusual light. My best ever buy was an old scissor light from Germany via Ebay, which an electrician re-wired and fitted for me. No-one else I know has one quite like it and I have lots of lovely comments about it from visitors. (I was looking for something specific though and when I spotted it I bid my heart out to get it!)

Look out for interesting lighting at brocante fairs - there's one coming up this week at Petworth House in West Sussex - jumble sales and in local village magazines. What someone else has fallen out of love with could be just what you are ready to fall in love with.





Remember too that you can build your own lighting now. There are many suppliers of the various components required to create your own individual lighting feature.




If you do decide to go down this route do seek advice from a qualified electrician to see if what you have in mind is physically possible. Consult with a lighting expert or designer who can make your ideas take flight or make you think about lighting in a different way.

Lighting is a hugely important part of your home. You notice how important mostly when it has been misjudged and doesn't work!

HAVE FUN WITH IT!

SITTING ROOM SCHEME - the dilemma of too much space

SITTING ROOM SCHEME BY EMMA PAINTER INTERIOR DESIGN

SKETCH OF FIREPLACE WALL

This week my head has been inside a gorgeous sitting room with historic detailing. 

It is a stunning room with a great sense of proportion. However, large rooms like this in a family home can easily end up feeling like spaces filled with things; and need some thought so that the best is made of all that lovely space, without the inhabitants feeling lost.

Paint schemes can really come into their own to add depth and warmth. Here I have suggested that the alcoves and lozenges on the fireplace surround are painted a shade or two darker and that this is carried around the room beneath the dado rail. Warm colours in general will help and you don't need to be afraid of using colour in a space like this.

Layering textures will cosy up the room, as will a mix of patterns. Again, don't be afraid of mixing patterns. As long as there is a common thread in terms of colour or texture or even a shape reference, it will work. Use your instinct and try different samples together. Leave them out in the room and view them at different times of day to see if you like them in all lights.

Furniture should take advantage of all the levels in a large space. Hang objects (lighting in this scheme) at different levels so that there is not an unoccupied 'mid-space'. This will make those using the room feel more comfortable. 

Floor cushions are a great way of utilising floor space and providing extra seating. They can easily be stored away when not needed but brought out for parties. They make for relaxed chatting and save the arms of your sofas!

SMALL SPACES - CLEVER WAYS TO KEEP YOUR HOME TIDY - THE ART OF 'STUFFOCATION'

In a hard-working home it is a constant struggle to keep things tidy. However hard you try there never seems enough space to put things.Or to give your stuff a place in which it belongs.. and more importantly - stays.

You could try living minimally and there are a few who manage it but for the majority of us it is a step too far not to gather stuff and then more stuff until our homes are brimming with it.

We expect more and more from our homes, filling them daily with the stuff of life and so we need to utilise every single little corner to store and we need to store wisely.

Here the depth of a

partition wall has been

used for magazine storage;

handy near the seating area

Our storage needs to be useable and obvious. By which I mean store your stuff where it makes life easy for you... shoes by the door where you come in; boots by the back door where the kids need them for going out; pegs in the hall for coats to grab on the way out and leave on the way in and so on... think about how you live your life and use your space.

Look at every corner of your home. Is there an awkward space that could be used for storage? Then use it...what could be stored there?

These storage solutions don't have to be super-expensive. You may already have an item of furniture that would fit neatly into a space. Measure and try.

You could also ask about and find a local handy person who could build you something to fit. This can be a relatively inexpensive

Here office storage has been
built using MDF. This can
be sealed and painted to provide
a robust unit.

MDF painted item or a full-out machine made item made to your specification. Use your imagination and look out for something to up-cycle. If you lack confidence there are many up-cycling courses to get you started.

If you don't feel confident to do this; feel you are drowning in your stuff or simply lack the time; then ask an expert to come and look and make suggestions. Ask friends and go on recommendation. 

Don't let your stuff overwhelm you or your home. Choose your stuff wisely and remember to have only things in your home that you love. If you don't love it recycle it... there will be someone out there who will love what you can't.

Once you have edited you are ready to store creatively...

HAPPY STORING

Bespoke your storage with a unit that is built to fit your stuff. A ceiling height unit like this can suit all your storage needs, whilst providing also providing a stylish divider between seating and dining areas in this open plan space.Keeping the height of the unit just off ceiling height keeps this large unit in proportion to the room and prevents it 'falling in' on the home owner by providing depth. A string of fairy lights concealed on the ledge between unit and ceiling provides ambient lighting at night. The dark colour cosies up the seating area and underlines the unit as partition, whilst spotlighting it as an item of furniture.It is also a great backdrop for displaying your stuff... don't be scared of using a striking colour. A pop of colour would work well as more of a statement. Think of the impact at night as well as during the day...have fun with it and be brave!

This otherwise overlooked space 

by the front door has been 

utilised to provide a  shoe storage 

box. It also serves as a 

useful seat to use whilst 

removing and putting on footwear.

Again, the shoebox has been treated

as a separate item of furniture. You

could blend it in by painting it the

same colour as the surrounding walls

and skirting.

A practical lift-up lid is
topped with a decorative
foam pad and self-piped cover
in a dark patterned fabric
to stand up to wear and tear.
Remember to keep any cushion
light-weight so as not to
make opening and closing the
shoebox impractical.

In this utility room
a slim space where there
is a change in wall depth
has been used to create
a cupboard.

On the right a shallow
depth is perfect for
storage of smaller items
readily accesiible on
shelving.

This slim section can
be packed full of stuff
using simple clips which
are readily available in
hardware stores and just
screw in to the backplate
of this cupboard.

A handy clip holds an everyday broom in place.

Suggested reading for those of you who want to get a grip on your stuff:


Stuffocation: Living More With Less 
by James Wallman

Emma Painter Interior Design

I am so loving working with my new business. It may be small but it brings me new exciting projects and challenges every week. Do look me up on Facebook to see what I've been up to: 

https://www.facebook.com/EmmaPainterInteriorDesign

The Sanctuary Battersea

So, after a few build delays The Sanctuary Battersea is finally on the market. 

I am so delighted that I was part of this project. 

LOOK AT THESE AMAZING PHOTOS (courtesy of Douglas and Gordon):

Curtains and hardware by Emma Painter Interior Design

Curtains and hardware by Emma Painter Interior Design

Curtains and hardware by Emma Painter Interior Design

Curtains and hardware by Emma Painter Interior Design

Curtains and hardware by Emma Painter Interior Design

Curtains, poles and holdbacks are finishing touches that complete the picture and I couldn't be happy with how they look within the final pictures.

The pieces of the puzzle were these:

POLES:

Wrought iron poles

..with ball finials throughout

HOLDBACKS:

Wrought iron holdbacks

Gold leaf holdbacks in the Master Bedroom

FABRIC:

A soft fabric with a wonderful drape is essential at these drops; allowing the light to play, creating shadows and depth.

BRAIDS:

A super-sized braid was required in the Master Bedroom -with its integrated  bath tub for soaking in luxurious surroundings - to maximise impact and match the scale of this space.

A smaller scale, but intricate braid, was used for impact in the second bedroom,
bathroom and  en-suite connected to the Master Suite.

Emma Painter Interior Design

Altogether a stunning result.

MASTER BEDROOM SCHEME - A CALM, RELAXING RETREAT IN AN HISTORIC FAMILY HOME

Love this Master Bedroom scheme I've been working on...

THE SANCTUARY BATTERSEA AND MY FIRST JOB AS EMMA PAINTER INTERIOR DESIGN

I WAS SO HAPPY TO BE ASKED TO PROVIDE CURTAINS AND HARDWARE FOR THIS EXCITING CHURCH CONVERSION PROJECT 

- THE SANCTUARY BATTERSEA - 

AND AM ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED WITH THE RESULTS:

I CHOSE A WONDERFULLY SOFT FABRIC SO THAT IT WOULD HAVE A FANTASTIC DRAPE IN THIS LUXURY APARTMENT IN A CONVERTED CHURCH. THE STUNNING EMBROIDERED BRAID ALSO MAXIMISES THE EFFECT OF THE PLAY OF LIGHT SLANTING THROUGH THE CHURCH WINDOWS.

I CHOSE DARK WROUGHT IRON POLES TO TIE IN WITH THE IRONWORK ON THE CASEMENT WINDOWS AND ALSO SO THAT THESE WOULD BLEND INTO THE FARROW AND BALL DOWNPIPE ON THE WALLS, PROVIDING DRAMA IN CONTRAST BETWEEN THIS AND THE CURTAINS.

TIVOLI TRIMMINGS - ROMO

Check out Romo's new Tivoli collection 

(click on *trimmings alert* above).

Fabric Finds

It's busy and exciting this month, with wonderful projects on the go; helped by the cheery April/almost May sunshine and lots of buzz in the interiors world with May Design Series just around the corner and Clerkenwell Design Week hot on its heels.

Most recently I've had a look at Osborne and Little's latest fabrics (Spring Collection 2015) and here are my favourites. I'm always a sucker for anything with a bit of slub and texture and these fabrics exhibit this perfectly married with extraordinary colour (check out the pink and ochre colour ways at Osborne and Little). These fabrics speak of summer too, with a nod to the sun-soaked kelims of the Far East; so what's not to love: 

FRESH FLORALS

Just a little note to say that I will be working with some truly beautiful fabrics over the next few months from Cabbages and Roses and Sarah Hardaker; both British and fabulous.

Lifestyle brand, Cabbages and Roses, was set up in 2000 by Christina Strutt, and has gone from strength to strength - now incorporating a clothes line too - right in step with the never-ending love for all things vintage. 

In 2014 Christina explained (in an interview for the 
Bath Chronicle)that she finds inspiration:

Inside Christina's home

“..from absolutely everywhere,” ..“Often from the past — the sixties, my childhood, from seeing someone jump on to a bus with their skirt blowing in the wind, from misinterpreting a first glance at a picture, from doodling and daydreaming and from thinking about what is lacking in my wardrobe for an occasion!” 
(courtesy of the Bath Chronicle).

Don't be mistaken in thinking that these fabrics will only work in a period home though.With some imagination and flair 
(and the help of your Interior Designer) these precious fabrics can be worked into any scheme with stunning results.

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I first met Sarah Hardaker at Decorex a few years ago and was impressed not only by her fresh take on the classic British style but also by the range of colours for each of her designs (making them eminently useable). I was also, not least, struck by her infectious enthusiasm and delight in what she does.

A few years later and Sarah has not lost that spark, so I am delighted to be working with her fabrics.

Sarah's inspiration comes from:

"The countryside around where I live, the amazing view from my studio, local artists… lots of things! I have just returned from a month in France, where I was inspired by drifts of wild fennel and fabulous soft chalky painted shutters on the buildings. I’m also a real hoarder, so I have lots of lovely scraps of vintage fabrics and buttons which are a constant source of inspiration." 

(courtesy of Country Homes and Interiors).

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* CONTACT ME, Emma Painter,

if you are interested in working any of the beautiful fabrics from Cabbages and Roses or Sarah Hardaker into your own project or scheme *

*Check out my current schemes and projects*