I’m really trying to keep up blog-wise as we get to the most hectic part of any renovation, the fun but bonkers bit near the end where everything gets pulled together and life gets really rather frenetic. So, to help ease my blogging conscience I’m going to re-try something other bloggers use to great effect – the round up! Scheduled for a Monday, it’ll focus on the lush stuff see during my week in ‘real life’ or online, or maybe sometimes just in my head!
It’s going to be hard, I see so many amazing things but I’m going to be super strict with myself and stick to six. Six sexy snaps. Six snaps of what I consider sexiness anyway, mostly interiors but maybe a little food might creep in. And possibly some DIY scrumptiousness.
Erring a little to the dark side this week too I’ve noticed, with lots of black accents. Must be a trend eh 😉 Here we go!
Giant parquet has been the focus here at home as we plane the original floorboards, lifted from our Edwardian home when our renovation began, and begin to reinvent them. Builder Cat approves, mostly because of the colour coordination I suspect 😉
Does anyone know where the summer went? There’s a nip in the air, the grass is dewy with morning condensation and bad people are already mentioning the C Word, which should absolutely not be allowed in September. On my travels in Surrey this week I found the most amazing farm shop called Kingfisher in a little village called Abinger Hammer. They grow their own watercress and seasonal veg like asparagus, pile heaps of delicious English fruit & local produce high and sell beautifully grown local flowers. These wonderful squashes definitely herald the fact that Autumn is almost upon us.
Some might say that roasted veg speak mostly of winter, but a dish like this one below will have you eating cauliflower a la Berber & Q all year. Whilst in Shoreditch for work, I wanted a place close by my hotel to eat and used the super Where To Eat In London app by food blogger Chris Pople. I’ve met Chris as a pal of mine used to house share with him, and this guy really knows his food. The app cost me £2.99 but it’s money well spent to a non-Londoner. It literally guides you to the nearest and best restaurant he recommends, with varying prices and brilliantly descriptive reviews. The mezze and buzz in Berber & Q was fab, we devoured a huge plate full of marinated lemon chicken, beef koftas and lamb salad, with quite the most delicious pittas I’ve ever ripped. Their roasted cauli with eastern spices and pomegranate is apparently quite famous in the East London hipster world, and quite right too.
The reason I was Dahn Sarf was to help judge the 2016 Real Homes transformation awards, with two in London and one in Surrey to check out. I am SO nosey when it comes to other people’s houses that this is literally a dream gig for me. Let me show you two snaps which inspired me on Friday…
How amazing is this living, growing, moving splashback?! Not only did I adore the combo of the dark units, brass styling and pale sharp edged oak work surfaces, but I totally fell in love with the idea of having a patterned upstand which literally changes every day. As the different light hits the bamboo leaves, they’d alter not only throughout the day but also seasonally and with the weather. Open the window and you even get the whispering sounds of the fronds and the smell of freshness. What a brilliant idea!
Something I’ve noticed for 2016 is the resurgence of walnut, which fell out of flavour a few years ago but design types are picking up on again. It’s such a wonderful material, very contemporary but still warm and inviting. In this stunning new build in Hackney, the homeowner has combined crisp white paint, the original brick of the party wall, and the architectural slender black steel staircase with walnut treads. I love the linear handrail softened by the circular tread fabrication and the elegance of the relationship between the materials. Perfection.
Zinging back to brights now and this incredible rug has been a mini-hit on my Instagram. I’ve only just started to take IG seriously really, as during our build my photos have been a little bit brick, mud and dirtiness focused. Lots of Builder Cat, but not much beauty. Not that Builder Cat isn’t beautiful but you know what I mean. Sorry Builder Cat, you know I love you.
This particular rug which caught my eye is by Art Hide, an Aussie company run by sisters Kura and Bree to make originally designed & ethically sourced leather craft hide products. Their products are to be showcased at Decorex 2016 next week and I’m dyeing (sorry not sorry) to see them in the flesh. I’m thinking one might be entirely necessary for the finished Moregeous Mansions…..
More next week, though how I’ll whittle the images down to six after visiting Decorex, 100% Design, Tent London and LDF16 is anyone’s guess!!
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