Purple Passion

There seems to be a reoccuring theme going on with the  projects I’m working on at the moment.

Purple
(that and endlessly long hours!).

 

Even when we've developed a few other colour options clients have been  gravitating to purple.

I guess it’s not hard to see why, it is quite a fab colour to use in the home.

 It doesn't have to be an overwhelming colour, it works well on walls. It’s  a colour that’s always in fashion so you can always find accessories and soft furnishings to incorporate on a smaller scale in a room. There are so many tonal variations from calm lilacs which add a contemporary touch, zingy mauve's for a modern funky look, and deep royals purples like aubergine which look really sophisticated and elegant. It can also be a great accessory colour for maybeΩa blue or green decorating scheme. 

These are just a few of my favourite Purple themed rooms;  I love this heather toned sofa and check cushion covers (above).

very sophisticated!

My favourite look is toning purple schemes with just a cream/white accent.

We have one purple scheme finished, going into style this weekend so pictures to follow

and another project just going into production. Will be surfacing from our purple haze soon!

www.id-homes.co.uk
www.bathinteriordesign@blogspot.com

Capture a moment

What makes a house a home?

You do.

One house could be identical to another but it's what you do to the inside, the personality that you give it that makes it your home. And nothings is more personal than displaying family photos.

So instead of just hiding them away in an album or popping them in a photo frame, theres a million more ways to display them imaginatively.

I love this idea,  creating a stunning head board  made out of  Polaroid photos. Or a created out of a montage

Or turn get trigger happy and work one of your favourite prints into wallpaper. Create a unique piece or artwork for your walls or even turn your fire place into a unique style statement. On a smaller scale go diy and add to a lampshade. 

Or if you prefer a slightly smaller home accessory why not dig out your vintage family photos and go old school and slot them into pretty glassware. 

For quotes on turning your artwork into home accessories email us we can create stunning lightshades, murals or blinds.

www.id-homes.co.uk

lisa@id-homes.co.uk

Pack your suitcase and stay home.

With the prospect of a holiday potentially on the horizon (mostly wishful thinking, I've being saying I am going to have a holiday for nearly a year), I wanted to dig out the summer clothes that I had packed away in suitcases months ago.

Though practical and lightweight, looking at my suitcase it lacked a certain charm and elegance that old fashioned  trunks had. Though I'm sure a trunk probably wouldn't be very practical when trying to lug it round Heathrow.  Maybe not practical for taking  away on holiday but  old trunks could make quirky accessories around the home.

Trunk tabletop - songbirdnesting.com

I even found a site that takes it one step further.  Turning the humble trunk and recycle it into a unique and vintage looking pieces of Furniture (not only stylish but eco friendly). Right that has got me into the mood off to flick through some holiday brochures.

 

 






www.id-homes.co.uk

Vintage find

My favourite find recently is an antique dummy. I've been searching for the perfect vintage mannequin for ages and found this at a antique fair in Bath and it had to come home with me. It has such a tiny nipped in waist and beautiful aged look, I've been moving  it around the house as I just can't decide which room to leave it. Its ended up in my daughters room and she has found a very productive use for it. Modelling clothes she is selling on eBAY!

www.id-homes.co.uk

'The nicest thing for me is sleep, then at least i can dream' Marilyn Monroe

One of the nicest things about living in Bath is the abundance of history. The Roman Baths, Bath Abbey and the Museums. 

http://www.americanmuseum.org/default.cfm/loadindex.235

Inspired by the Lady herself I would love to infuse a bit of Hollywood Glamour into a boudoir bedroom. Feminine, glam and  sexy; very Monroe

 




www.id-homes.co.uk

Fit for a Queen

The royal wedding is hours away and Kate, sorry Catherine and William will be settling into domestic bliss (though I'm not sure how domesticated they would actually be).


But with royalty in mind why not get a bit  regal in your own home by  adding a splash of purple. 
The colour has always been associated with royalty, as centuries ago, the king, queen, and other nobility would wear the colour in the form of robes and cloaks. It was once so time consuming and expensive to dye fabric purple that it was only royalty that could afford to wear the colour.

Fabric is also key when it comes to adding a royal and luxurious feel when decorating and one of my favourites to use is velvet. It can be used on furniture or curtains, adding to a fairly natural hued room depth and elegance. 

Not a fan of purple? How about injecting a regal feel with a chesterfield sofa. Classic and elegant in style, fit for any queen.

Or how about this bed at Babington House. 

Don't you just want to dive right in?!

Looking forward to  the big event tomorrow and THE dress!

www.id-homes.co.uk

flower power

I'm, feeling a bit under the weather, summer has made an early appearance in the UK and so has my  summer cold!  I'm feeling a bit pants but I think I am going to cheer myself up by  buying a load of spring flowers for the house (that and some vicks!). Hopefully the flowers  will last long enough that I will get to smell them, my nose can't stay bunged up for ever.

Flowers are the "bestest" home accessory ever. I have  used flowers and flower arrangements as as inspiration for colour schemes, mother nature is the best interior designer! Styling a room with flowers that colour tone with the room scheme can look awesome. The image above and to the right are fantastic examples.
I'm hopeless at flowering arranging unlike the florist who came up with this gem below.

 It doesn't have to be a fancy arrangement to make an impact, something simple and a bit quirky like this arrangement below can look just as stunning

Right off to get more tissues!
www.id-homes.co.uk

first things first!

My book about traits of effective leadership is a bloody good read. One of the other traits of effective leadership is first things first. It should  be  gospel too when planning a room or house refurbishment.

I've picked up the pieces so many times after a builder has been in, radiators in the wrong place (leaving no space for furniture) , sockets in the wrong place or not enough of them or clients buying furniture without checking it fits into the space first. Its has got to be the most expensive mistake not taking the time to do things in the right order.

So don't start any work without doing "first things first".

Even if you don't have the budget to do everything you want at once do the messy or architectural things first.  Its about prioritising your spend and to a certain extent being brave about what you do spend. I have learnt my lesson the hard way. All my life I have renovated houses and over the last decade as a developer looking to maximise profit. Sometimes you have to admit that sometimes spending less can be a false economy. Once of my first developments was an amazing Victorian house, the surveyor tried to convince me that spending an extra £10k on knocking the kitchen through to the diner would create an amazing space. I didn't do it as I wanted to stick to my budget. The first viewing took place when the house was finished for sale and turned it down as  they wanted an open plan living dining space! I missed my chance the market slowed down and I had to drop the price by 25k to sell it. Wish I had upped my budget.


Any way start at the beginning -
Start with space - if  walls or  doors needs to come down or move do it, it may add value to the property which you'll recoup when you sell.

Furniture, existing and potentially new furniture, draw a room to scale on paper and do the same for your your furniture and move it around on the plan until you get a logical floor plan. Its much easier than lugging furniture around too!

Do the same for Lighting and electrical points - where will the lights go, where will the sockets need to be, will I need more or to move them to work with my floor plan. Even with kitchens before you get seduced by the glossy brochures start with a b&w plan which sets out ergonomically what could work.

Same with colours, put all your fabrics, wall colours and floor covering samples on a board, don't buy anything until you are sure that you can get materials that will go together. I have seen projects  where a colour or tile has been chosen and implemented only for the client to take years to find a flooring or fabric to go with it.

Even think about  whether radiators can be moved to make them less visible or make room for more furniture. We've just had a client agree to remove their existing hall radiator which is about 1.5m long and replace it with  a vertical one which is only 0.5m wide. Which now means we can fit in a neat storage unit in to the space. The whole space is going to look so much better.

Doing the space planning stuff move may cost more money up front (moving rads, adding sockets) but needn't be a bank breaker, it will give you better results and  anything thing else will be  just be a compromise.

www.id-homes.co.uk
lisa@id-homes.co.uk
www.bathinteriordesign@blogspot.com

it's not grey, it's not beige…. its greige

…it's Greige. I think my natural style is to gravitate towards a simple, uncomplicated natural look and I think its why I am quite taken with the whole concept of Greige (unfinished, raw and natural). Its got simplicity but a subtle drama and touch of theatre if styled with accessories sized to add impact.
That mix up of grey and beige tones delivers a calm and  contemporary look. Mix it up with  decorative antiques and vintage junk shop finds and it creates a really stunning look.

For more greige inspiration head over to http://greigedesign.blogspot.com/  for everything beautifully greige.

www.id-homes.co.uk

www.bathinteriordesign@blogger.com

begin with the end in mind!

My previous life as strategist and business consultant sometimes rears it head and I end up  intellectualising the whole interiors design process. I was reading one of my fave blogs www.abigailahern.wordpress.com,  and it got me thinking, she was writing about the quest to help clients define their individual  style. To me that's just half the battle the next  step is sticking to a style. I have come across lots of homes where different styles have been designed  in every room.  May be individual, but wow,  it makes the house feeling really unrestful and not at all calm. I've done it myself I have wanted to create a contemporary look then drifted and the look has its ended up more traditional in other rooms.

 Then this came to mind – Steven Covey a immanent american management guru said that one of the 7 traits of highly successful leadership is to “begin with the end in mind” . Crikey this should apply to anybody about to decorate their homes house!! Evolve and mix and match but begin with an overall end style in mind.

Key musts

Overall style. Rip out images from books, magazines of furniture, room sets, colours and styles. Find the common thread that attracts them to you, is it a colour theme that inspiring you, is it a french vintage style or cottagey look. Then create a collage or mood board. Think about the colours, shapes and textures that are part of this style.  Use it to remind yourself what it is your trying to achieve. When your making that choice on say a sofa or a light refer back to your board to check it fits. Stay focussed it will save you money in the long term. I have seen so many spaces where furniture has been bought randomly only for it to jar with existing pieces.

Regroup - look at what you already have if it doesn't fit me ruthless, find a new space for it elsewhere, store it away, sell it or see if it can be customised to fit in with the style you are trying to achieve. 

Colour - If you are thinking about decorating a whole house create a colour board and experiment with colours on this. Put together shades of colours which come from the same colour family or if their from different colour families make sure that the are toning colours.

For example Colour families - Farrown and Balle Skimming Stone, Elephants breath, Charleston Grey


Shopping - try rationalising  where you shop, it will stop you from wandering!. Look for shops that sell items that focus on  the look your after. Country Cottage try Garden Trading, oriental try Andrew Martin.

Fittings - minimise the number of floor coverings through the house. If you do have different floor coverings make sure the tones of the wood, carpet of tile tones. I once counted 14 different floor coverings in a house it makes spaces feel really small.





www.id-homes.co.uk