Wednesday, 12 February 2014

Kitchen revamp ideas

Once again I have been asked to come up with a room revamp idea.  This time it's my brothers kitchen that needs an update.  Currently there's a lot of dark brown and tons of cupboards.  Its a bit dated to say the least with a very odd fake wooden beam going straight through the middle. . .I dunno.
Soooo first I thought of my brother and his style and lifestyle.  He's the kinda guy who likes a lot of plants hanging round.  There's always a lot of cuppas going down in his kitchen and I guess he's a little boho although he'd kill me for saying it.  So when I think of how his kitchen should be I instantly think of Scandinavian style interiors and it is so easy to update a kitchen (cheaply might I add) in this style.  It's perfect.
 
 
Now this kitchen is fabulous.  It is so simple and I love love love subway tiles.  The dark/light contrast will always look modern too.  For my brothers kitchen I'm thinking this colour scheme, dark cabinets on the bottom and white shelves on the top.
 
 
 
He already has cabinets on the top so all we have to do it remove the doors and paint them so he has lovely open shelving.  I'm going to make him some personalised crockery to show off in these cupboards.
 
 
 
I think the walls should be a pale grey like in the above image.  It will tie in nicely with the monotone colour scheme and it goes really well with the greenery in this image.  My brother needs lots and lots of plants his new kitchen.
 
 
Although if you were looking for a bit of warmth, a tan colour could also do nicely.
 
 
 
And with a large kitchen I think a wall of shelves is a nice feature to display books, plants, crockery etc.
 
 
But if you need a little colour in your life why not consider a dash of neon like this shelf, half hidden but so so cute.
 
Hopefully I'll able to snag some before and after shots to share!
 
 
 

CitizenM hotel London

Wandering around Borough last night looking for a place to eat, me and the boy did a lot of house spotting, stumbled across a fire house museum, a surprising amount of architects studios and only got slightly rained on.  Our curiosity got the better of us when we passed several giant windows with a totally tempting lobby lurking behind.  So that is where we had dinner, CitizenM hotel.
 
 
The huge open plan lobby has a help yourself food station with pastries galore, and a swanky London hotel wouldn't be complete without a selection of pretentious bottled water.
 
 
 
The lobby seemed endless and had a typical red and blue colour scheme going on.  It was split into several seating areas.  One which was thoughtfully lit for work away from home.  Another had the above floating light feature.  My favourite was the snuggly fire side relaxation space, pictured below. 
 
 
 
Check out that pretty tripod floor lamp.
 
 
The stairs were the biggest feature.  I couldn't take my eyes off them.  I just love a feature staircase.
 
 
Everywhere we looked there were books books books, which is my kinda place.  I'm sure I spotted the entire classic penguin collection.  Most of which was on bookshelves too high for practical use but they made wonderful decorative features. 
 
CitizenM Hotel was designed by Concrete Architectural Associates.  Although I wouldn't quite recommend the lobby food I would recommend a casual drink and the opportunity to bask in this interestingly modern designed space.
 
 
 
 

Thursday, 6 February 2014

Pin of the day: Copper dusk

February is here Spring is nigh!  And for me the colour palette in this photograph sums up this time of year perfectly.  Not quite the bright shades of summer but a subtle harmonising combination of dusky pink, grey, beige and copper.  This pin whispers romance.
 

Tuesday, 13 August 2013

Etsy finds: armchairs

So this week I've been feeling the heat as in 'oh god when will summer be over so I can just wear black and not feel like I'm melting into a big puddle of grossness' that pretty much sums it up actually.  But one thing I will miss about summer when it is finally over is all the fabulous bright prints and fun colours that hang around.  I love autumn and the lovely colour palette that goes with it but summer colours are so much fun.  Luckily it is not yet widely acceptable to redecorate your home to fit with the seasons (other than the obvious holiday decorations duh) so we can have summer brightness in our homes all year round.  And if you're looking for such a thing I have the answer!  It comes in the name of Namedesignstudio and in the form of fabulous furniture.  Get a load of these guys. . .






The actual studio is in Istanbul, Turkey and the items are handmade by Jo Supara and Ali Tarakci.  These chairs are just stunning aren't they.  My favourite is the one at the top, the Patchwork armchair with Suzani and dark purple velvet fabrics.  Its so mysterious and moody.  What's your favourite?

Tuesday, 6 August 2013

Illustrations

So I've recently had my love of illustrating rekindled.  It's sad when you love something but then you just kinda forget about it. . .nevermind I'm back with a vengeance  I just need to be consistent.  It's so easy to be distracted by family, friends, internet shopping, napping. . .I have a lot of spare time atm while I'm looking for a job (anyone in need of a graduate with interior design/illustration skills? anyone?) so I thought I'd share the illustrations as and when they're completed.  The hardest part for me is to find something I can actually be bothered to draw and finish, you know?  I have so many half finished projects lying around here they're starting to take up some valuable desk space as my shelves are overflowing.  Sigh.  So today I have a couple of illustrations and I'm thinking of doing a series of townhouses/buildings and maybe some floral based ones too cause it is summer after all.  Any thoughts are welcome!



Saturday, 3 August 2013

Website

So it's about time I created a website so I have an online portfolio available to send to prospective employers.  If you're interested you can view it here.  I'll be updating it as I go aka as I draw/create new interior design and illustration pieces.  Right now it mostly consists of the better of my university work and commissions I've done.

A little picture of me at my university degree show, my work is on the left

Thursday, 1 August 2013

Birthday sale!

As I'm celebrating 23 years of life today I've decided to spread the happy cheer and have a one day birthday sale in my etsy shop Raining Cats and Frogs.  All you have to do is head over to my shop, pick some lovely vintage items you just can't live without and enter this code at the checkout ITSABIRTHDASYSALE23

This sale lasts until midnight tonight and applies to orders £10 and over.  Enjoy!