Welcome, this week I write with the good news that with my kitchen makeover now complete I submitted the results to my course tutor and now have the news that I have now gained my certificate in Home Styling!

To complete my assignment I had to submit two before and after photos and had to write the story of the transformation as below:

Before Shot 1

Before Shot 2

and now for the after shots……….

After Shot 1

After Shot 2

I am pretty pleased with the results, if I do say so myself!  It did take a lot of hard work and some expense which is why I had to spread it out over a few months but I do think all the effort has been worthwhile.  My tutor had some good comments about the the new brightness of the room but did make a suggestion that it would help to paint the window surround to blend in with the new grey shelves.  I totally agree, but unfortunately at the moment I think that would be one step too much for hubby, so they will stay as they are for now.

Please find below my story:

For this assignment I have chosen my kitchen as I would possibly like to move house in the not too distant future and thought that this room particularly was letting our house down.  In reality if budget allowed I would like to knock through to the dining room and make one large open plan space.  However this is not the point of home styling.  Home styling is all about making the most of what you have with some tweaks here and there to make the room much more appealing to a wide range of perspective purchasers in order that they can imagine themselves living in the space.

As you can see from the first two photos the room was very dark; we often had to have the lights on for most of the day.  The pine cabinets were stuck in the 1990s and together with the pine table and chairs I feel the look seemed very dated and just not what prospective buyers looking for a modern family home are after these days.

On a small budget I really wanted to brighten the room up to give a more fresh modern feel and also to give a taste of the kitchen/living/dining that is so popular these days.

The first and most important thing to do was to paint over all the pine units in an off-white colour.  This was a big task but the results are very pleasing – the room now looks so much lighter and brighter.  The door knobs were rotting away and so were replaced with some white ceramic ones with black centers to tie up with the black appliances in the space.  I took away the worn out kick-boards at the bottom of the units replacing them with smart new chrome cabinet legs which helps to open up the space.  One thing that I did was to take down a wall cupboard on the wall above the washing machine – this was actually a nice open cupboard with space for plate racks but I just felt it looked quite heavy.  In its place I now have two open shelves in a lovely grey colour to stack plates and bowls and other accessories.  Much more pleasing to the eye and much more modern!  The walls were all repainted in a similar greige colour (as this was one of the things I did like about the room!).  The floor tiles are a bit of a bugbear as I no longer like them and they do not really fit in with the room but could not afford to replace them and so have put down a flat weave floor rug to try and achieve a more cohesive look.

To complete the look of the room and as my hubby didn’t want me to paint the pine table, I have thrown a large wipeable tablecloth on top and replaced our old pine chairs with some lovely Eames inspired ones which are very popular these days and appeal to a broad market.  In the corner of the wall to the right of the table there are a couple of small semi-circular shelves for added display.  I have added lots of plants, pots of herbs, a shabby chic lamp, picture and mirror to make the space feel loved and lived in.  Also updated is the bread bin to a more contemporary style and some new storage jars on the counter top.  There is a display of three attractive dressing oil bottles and some lemons under a cloche.  I have also styled some popular healthy eating cookery books in this area.  I have candles alight and glowing and have a scent burner giving off a welcoming aroma.

I believe that my improvements to this room have made it much more appealing to a wide range of purchasers, and would entice them to look at the property as a whole as a bright, welcoming family home.

After Shot 2

After Shot 1

Finally if anyone feels like they need some home styling tips I will do my best to try and make some helpful suggestions!

Until next week…………..

Welcome, this week I have been thinking that there barely seems to be a night go by, when I am not glued to my TV watching a property programme!  They seem to be all I watch these days, I have become addicted!  And so I thought that this week I would look through the time capsule at some of my favourites throughout the years.

To begin with though let’s look back at how the TV property show came about.  It was during the 1960s at a time when more people were able to buy their own homes which sparked an interest in DIY and BBC2 came to hand with a programme called In Your Place which was a basic instructional look at how to perform basic jobs around the house.  This type of programme was indeed very scarce and even though during the 1970s and 80s property renovating grew in popularity it wasn’t until the 1990s when the Property Makeover shows exploded onto our screens in the guise of Changing Rooms and Ground Force.  These shows grabbed the nation’s attention and really set the scene for a new wave of programming that hadn’t been seen before.  During the last 20 or so years the property programme has been rejigged time and again to suit the mood of the nation.  We had been through some boom times when shows such as Property Ladder were popular, through to times of austerity with programmes which are still popular today dedicated to making do and crafting;The Great British Bake Off and The Great British Sewing Bee or Kirsty’s Homemade Christmas being some of the most popular.

Anyway I digress, so here are my favourite shows to indulge in:

Grand Designs
The original and best Home Show in my view has to be Grand Designs.  The first episode was aired in Spring 1999 by the delightful Kevin McCloud and he remains an integral part of the show – long may he continue – I cannot imagine the show without him.  I find his voice very calming and I love his story telling – and I think that is what makes the show so popular – is that you really invest in the story of these home builders and the ups and downs of their build – although mostly downs with delays and budget increases the norm.  But the final part of the story normally shows that the house builders triumph against adversity and most of the homes are truly stunning.  I love the way that if Kevin doesn’t agree with decisions being made along the way he oh so subtly has a little dig at the process in action and his monologue at the end of every episode runs like poetry.

Over time this show has expanded and in the UK we now air Grand Designs Australia and New Zealand and of course there are the Grand Design Live shows which take place twice a year which Mr McCloud is again an integral part of.  Long may it reign!

Escape to the Country
For my second choice, a current favourite has to be Escape to the Country, and although the repeats shown nowadays are several years old it always has me dreaming about living in romantic cottages and barn conversions surrounded by fields and nature.  This show is different in that there are several presenters in rotation and they have a feature about country pursuits be it bird watching or lama farms it brings a something extra to the show.  They normally show the “escape searchers” 3 properties per show, with the last one being the ‘mystery house’ which goes somewhat off-spec and challenges their list of priorities and breaks the boundaries of what they think they are looking for.  The viewings start with the presenter guiding the viewers through the property and then taking them outside to view the garden or multiple acres of land where they have to ‘guess the price’ of the property – which seems a little pointless in some respects but adds a bit of fun and seems to be unique to this show.

Location Location Location

Ahh, the lovely Kirsty and Phil!  They are now a British institution!  Location Location Location was their first foray into television which sees them take two sets of home buyers every episode in the same area  to help them get a grip of the property market and gently (or not so gently sometimes in the name of Kirsty!) steer them in the right direction.  They normally show each couple around 3 different properties during the programme and take pointers on board during each viewing to try and locate the perfect property for each buyer.

I love the banter between these two which seems to have increased as the years have gone on.  I would say that their success has been quite high over the years with the episodes often ending with Phil and Kirsty calling the agent with an offer to purchase.  They have covered all areas and budgets over the years.

Relocation Relocation Relocation

This is a variation on a theme with Phil and Kirsty helping people who are interested in keeping a home in the UK but also buying a second property elsewhere in the country or often abroad.

Love it or List It

Phil and Kirsty’s latest baby – I love this programme.  So often people are in a quandary about whether to stay where they are and extend or to cut ties and move.  Phil and Kirsty to the rescue.  Kirsty is all for staying put, knocking down walls and reinventing the current home.  Phil takes the couples out and about to show them what else they could get for their money – often with stunning results, but for the most part the people decide to stay and love their current place – I guess because they have their hearts and lives invested in their homes.  Interestingly it is most often the women who want to move on and the men who want to stay! – I can imagine myself and hubby having this conversation within the next few years! – although I can’t say I fancy seeing myself on the TV but who knows!

A Place in the Sun – Home or away

This programme has been going a few years – each episode focuses on someone or a couple who are again torn – this time one of them wishes to stay within the UK and the other would prefer to move abroad.  One presenter shows them around several properties in this country and then they fly out to their chosen hot spot where they get shown around some beautiful houses and scenery and at the end they choose whether they want to stay at home in the UK or whether they have been persuaded to move abroad.  My favourite presenter on this show is the lovely Jasmine – she has such a lovely way with people and they often end up deciding to move abroad – for the weather, lifestyle, scenery – and because the property is much cheaper they tend to get a lot more for their money.

Restoration Man

Another presenter to come to the fore over the last few years is George Clarke.  He is a trained architect and has presented several shows.  I think this was one of his first where he follows people who are renovating literally old wrecks be them churches, water towers, old mills etc.  You need guts and courage for these projects and he follows the journeys through – also digging into the history of the buildings and presenting a lovely story book to the people at the celebration party at the end.  Some good heart rending stories.

The Home Show

This is another of George Clarke’s shows – I really loved this one.  Each episode he took some homeowners who had fallen out of love with their houses – they just did not work for modern family life.  He would completely empty their homes and spray paint it all white.  He would then call them back, and given their budget he would draw out a diagram on the wall for what he envisaged they could do for their money.  Sometimes there was not enough in the pot to do everything he wanted – but he gave them the best for their money.  He also took them shopping to look for furniture and fittings to sit in the new space.  The end results were usually stunning and just goes to show what can be achieved with a bit of re-modelling and knocking down some walls.

Old House New Home

This is George Clarke’s new show and is really a variation on the theme above – he takes two sets of home owners whose properties are not working for them and on a relatively small budget makes adjustments, knocks down walls and the end results are stunning!

Building the Dream

Ahh my favourite new presenter, Charlie Luxton!  He is an architectural designer and this programme is a variation of Grand Designs really.  He takes a couple each episode who wish to build their own home, who already have a plot and plans in motion.  He then looks at their plans and makes suggestions about how with a few tweaks the plans could be improved to make the most of the space – and then follows them through their journey.  Sometimes his advice gets listened to – sometimes not!  The couple are also shown around another house of standing which has been completed so that in the middle of their build when they can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel they get some inspiration as to what their build could become.  At the end Charlie always asks if they have had their house valued and they nearly always have made money by self-building rather than buying conventionally.

Homes by the Sea/Med

The presenter here again is Charlie Luxton who takes a sail around the coast picking out some amazing properties to go and visit and talk to their owners who make living by sea sound like the ideal dream.  He has travelled around the UK and last year I saw that he had actually visited my home town and was talking about the places I love!  At the end of each of these programmes he would find a spot and draw himself a fantasy home that would work with the landscape.

This spring has shown a new series where he has travelled all around the med visiting some jaw dropping properties and stunning scenery.

Most of these programmes can be found on Channel 4 or More 4 – my most watched stations!  There is also a new channel 25 called Home which shows this type of programme all day long.

So this is a synopsis of some of my favourites.  There are way too many home shows to mention and no doubt several that I still have to discover.   I hope you can tune into some of them.  It would be great if you could let me know what your favourite shows are………….

images courtesy of Google Images

Welcome, today I am posting another in my occasional series about architecture and style through the ages, taken from my assignment for the Interior Design course I completed last year.  Today I have chosen the art deco style which was largely a very decadent time between the two world wars.

ART DECO

The Art Deco style was representative of the 1930s.  However previous to this, and paving the way, came the Bauhaus movement and which brought with it a new style; The Bauhaus style, prevalent from 1919 to 1933, which was founded in Germany and was also known as the International style, and was marked by the absence of ornamentation and by the principal that ‘form follows function’ and ‘less is more’; harmony between the function of an object or a building and its design.  It questioned the theories of craftsmanship versus mass production which had come before it, the relationship of usefulness and beauty and the practical purpose of formal beauty in a commonplace object.  The style became one of the most influential sources of Modernist architecture and modern design.

Art Deco first appeared in France after an exhibition in 1925 and quickly captured the world’s imagination.  It was an influential visual arts design style which flourished internationally in the 1930s and 1940s before its popularity waned after Word War II.  Conversely the phrase ‘Art Deco’ was not coined until the 1960s.  The design style encompassed everything from jewelry, art, ceramics, cinema, furniture and interior design as well as architecture itself.  It is an eclectic style that combines traditional craft motifs with machine age imagery and materials. The style is often characterized by rich colors, bold geometric shapes, and lavish ornamentation.  Art Deco emerged from the time intervening the war years when rapid industrialization was transforming culture. One of its major attributes was an embrace of technology. This distinguishes Deco from the organic motifs favoured by its predecessor art nouveau.  During its heyday, Art Deco represented luxury, glamour, exuberance, and faith in social and technological progress.  America, and in particular Hollywood embraced this new era.  The austerities imposed by World War II caused Art Deco to decline in popularity: it was perceived by some as gaudy and inappropriately luxurious.

Each Country interpreted the architecture slightly differently but in essence Art Deco was a streamlined style and took inspiration from the age of the great Ocean Liners from the beginning of the 20th century.  Art Deco was also known as Moderne, with an ‘e’ to differentiate it from more progressive modern architecture.

For my chosen image I have selected a property from Architect Oliver Hill who visualised a two hundred acre site in Frinton-on-Sea, Essex and an estate of more than 1000 art deco houses was planned.  It was started in 1934 but was never completed and the development stopped in 1936.  Co-incidentally he also designed The Midland Hotel on the North Coast which opened in 1933 and is another Art Deco gem.

Art Deco emphasized geometric forms and shape: spheres, polygons, rectangles, zigzags, chevrons and sunburst motifs. Elements were often arranged in symmetrical patterns and modern materials such as aluminum, stainless steel, chrome and plastics were frequently used. Stained glass inlays and lacquer were also common. Colors tended to be bright and high-contrast.

The house has a very elegant look.  The white, and quite often, box-like architecture with crisp horizontal lines, was broken by vertical columns and large windows and doors. As in this property where the walls were curved the windows would wrap around the curve.  The windows were made of metal frames, with the first floor windows sitting directly over the ground floor and broken up into many panes.  Art Deco doors were most typically partially paned with stained glass imagery of bold shapes and colours.  In contrast the exterior walls were clad in white concrete or ‘snowcrete’, designed to reflect the sun and keep the inside cool.  Long lines of windows were designed to let as much light into the house as possible.  It was a feature that architects in 1934 recognized as ‘having a beneficial effect upon the health of the occupants’.  The ‘best rooms’ previously at the front of the house were moved to the back away from the road.  This increased privacy and also meant that best rooms would open onto the spacious garden.  Chimneys much less prominent than in previous styles.  In fact with a rounded parapet to hide any notation of pitch the properties often looked roofless from the front.

Flat concrete porches were often a feature together with balconies made from aluminum and large front gardens.  This property has metal gates and railing with the much loved sunray design in a bright contrasting colour.  The property was also built with a garage as Britain had begun its love affair with the motor vehicle.

I can see that this property has rhythm and repetition from the use of the balconies, (and the windows that stand behind them), that stand out on either side balancing out the rather heavily rounded right hand side.  The use of the turquoise colour is then repeated in the gates and railings giving more emphasis to these features and drawing the eye in from the large sweeping garden or driveway.  The rounded columns either side of the main gates are in harmony with the rounded section of the house and this is where the emphasis lies.  Again the colour of the sunray is repeated in the front door to bring about a cohesive, rather beautiful and glamorous design.

Here are some more examples of art deco properties:

All images courtesy of google images

The furniture and accessories from this era have a certain glamorous status which is still very popular today and which can easily be accommodated in most modern settings.  The examples below are rather luscious I hope you’ll agree:)

All images courtesy of google images

Welcome, it is Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK and although the rain held off the weather has been pretty miserable so it could be the perfect time to carry out some of those oft put off tidying chores around the house.  So carrying on from my storage theme from last week when I blogged about home storage in the form of larger furniture pieces I thought I would tackle the matter of storage for all those smaller items around the home that somehow manage to mount up and can make our houses look cluttered and impractical   – keys and phones are just examples of items that could get misplaced under those piles of paperwork  adding to the daily stress of modern life.

I believe we need our storage to work doubly hard for us – to be pretty and stylish whilst still being practical.   For example in my house I use some clear glass vases to store my tea lights and a cut glass bowl houses some cutlery.  Here are a few examples:

toilet roll storage

pretty pots hold make up essentials

coasters in a basket

white folders for paperwork

magazine holders keep everything tidy

Drink and glasses!

Display of wine corks adds interest

Practical garage storage

Sometimes it can seem like an overwhelming task when we are busy but my best advice would be to break the tidying and storage down into small achievable chunks tackling a room at a time.  It’s amazing how many piles you can get through in the half hour whilst you are waiting for the dinner to cook!   I always feel such a sense of satisfaction once I have my possessions neat and tidy with everything in its place it is like a weight lifted from my shoulders – I guess I could be described as a tad obsessive about this but for me the adage of tidy space, tidy mind definitely applies and I feel much calmer and lighter.

If you are looking for some inspiration for attractive and practical storage I have added some samples below:

All images above from The Holding Company

Images above from Marks and Spencer

Images above from Next

The above examples can be filled with all manner of items and then stored in cupboards or on shelving and when interspersed with other ornaments, vases or photographs etc can make for an eye catching and pleasing display that will make for a harmonious living environment.

The key to a well organized and efficient home has to be good storage.  This can encompass all manner of storage from defined wardrobe space through to a well placed trinket pot on the hall table to keep keys at hand.

A place for everything and everything in its place so the mantra goes x

We all know that modern life tends to be lived in a whirlwind breakneck pace with many different activities pulling us in all directions particularly if we have children.  But we can save precious moments throughout the day if our homes are well organized.  This has the added benefits of reducing the stress from hunting for those car keys to the de-cluttering of old items no longer used or broken.

What do we mean by good storage?  Well, we like our furniture to look good, be well made and functional and at a good price and we want it to work hard for us.  Sometimes it is hard to pinpoint the exact piece for a room and if this is the case it can be a good idea to have a carpenter make a bespoke piece for your room  This need not be as expensive as you may think.  In our lounge we had a cabinet and shelves fitted into an alcove beside the fireplace.  Some years later we called the carpenter back to make us a TV cabinet for the other side as we just could not find an off the shelf piece that we liked and it was no more expensive.

Let us work around the house starting with the hallway – this is often a problem area with a lot of through traffic, coats, shoes, wet dogs etc. It is a great idea to have a unit with some baskets that can contain anything from shoes, gloves, hats etc – if possible one for each member of the family so items don’t get mixed up.  Somewhere to hang coats whether it be a coat stand  or cupboard is essential to save for them all being piled over the banisters.  An excellent idea is to have drawers carved into the underneath of the stairs to take the strain.

I touched on the lounge above, they do have to be flexible spaces being the place where family go to relax, watch TV, maybe do homework, hobbies, play computer games etc.

Choose pieces that provide that storage but also where you can display a pleasing array of artifacts that you have collected together with photographs etc to make the space personal to you and your family.

Kitchens are notoriously hard to get right in terms of storage – the hardest working room in the house with a plethora of appliances and gadgets – not to mention space for food storage – it really deserves a blog post all of its own – but I think continual de-cluttering is key here particularly with out of date food stuffs that somehow get pushed to the back of the cupboards.  A mix of cupboards and shelves look modern; every day items such as plates and cups can be kept at hand and provide visual interest.  I would suggest that appliances for occasional use get placed in those high hard to reach cupboards if space allows or store in a understairs cupboard or garage.

Turning to the upstairs and with the bedroom in mind if you have the budget it is an opportunity to have some bespoke units which will fit into those awkward nooks and crannies. Alternatively chose a bedroom suite that can be flexible with a mix of plenty of hanging and drawer space and a dressing table area to display lotions and potions.  With this kind of furniture you can always add attractive storage boxes to sit on top of the wardrobes.

Bathrooms – storage in bathrooms can be flexible – re-purpose old shelves and cupboards to sit comfortably in the space to hold all manner of toiletries – again the humble wicker basket (my favourite kind of storage) will work wonders in this room.

Children’s bedrooms and playrooms are another area where toys and paraphernalia can run out of control.  There are a multitude of systems on the market but a cohesive collection of labelled  baskets/buckets or drawers is a good place to start.  Include some shelving so that they can display their favourite toys or works of art.  Encouraging children to be tidy and organized and setting a good example is a good way forward.

One area of a house that often gets overlooked is the garage – quite often the dumping ground for items broken or no longer wanted it can be a dark place.  The image below shows that with some organization it can be a space to be proud of with everything in place!

Of course as well as being practical storage needs to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye –

use a mix of textures – wicker is my favourite – but for storing smaller items a mix of bowls, vases, trays etc can be used.  One on-line store I have used is The Holding Company The holding company  who sell very versatile lines for everything from magazine to shoe storage.  Really though this is a sub-section of the above which I will come back to another time, but for now I hope that you have enjoyed my foray into storage around the home and hopefully have picked up a few tips!