Belgravia on a Budget

I’ve just finished reading this week’s Grazia magazine and was rather taken with the house featured in the ‘Grazia Living’ section.  Did any of you read the article?  It was on Alison Cook’s  Belgravia home, a six storey Georgian townhouse.  As the interior dated back to the sixties, there was a lot of work that needed doing to it to get it up-to-date.

Above: the dog cocktail cabinet was painted by a friend.  Make the most out of any outdoor space

We’re all well aware of the extortionate house prices in London and although Alison bagged this fabulous house for half of the asking price (the current recession isn’t always a bad thing!), she still had little money left over to renovate.  Like myself, Alison loves the luxury look and was determined to achieve her goal despite having low funds.  Luxury means expensive- there’s just no way around it, right?  Well I’d have thought so too, but here Alison proves that imagination and a lick of paint are all that’s needed!

Alison says the plan was to ‘indulge my love of colour, preserve all the drama of the original features, smarten-up old furniture and shop strategically online’. 

I think she’s succeeded, don’t you?   The finished look is quirky and stylish.

One thing that the recession does make us do is inspires us to use our imagination and get creative!

posted by Emily

Hot off the catwalk- orange

Unless you’ve been burying your head in the sand this current fashion season, you’ll know that orange lipstick is the next big thing in the beauty world. 

Prada s/s 2010

As my lips are quite thin I’ll be avoiding this look like the plague, but I was thinking about how orange could look in the home.  For some reason orange equals tacky when it comes to decorating, but I’m wondering if it just depends on the quantity and shade you choose?

Dayton Residence, Dwell

via Apartment Therapy

I think grey and orange can look quite cool together…

image via actioninterior.com

image via home-designing.com

So does orange work?  Probably only in moderation.  Avoid walls, carpets (need I say!) and other large surface areas and stick to introducing accessories, particularly if you’re using a bright orange.  Put with greys for a funky, retro vibe.

posted by Emily

Diet starts tomorrow?!

Ah it’s not easy is it… in winter time we crave comfort food during those chilly months and then come summer we are dreaming of cool ice creamand yummy desserts! Some things are best enjoyed al fresco, like this Strawberry trifle from Olive magazine.  So you’re starting the diet tomorrow?  We won’t tell if you don’t!

Method:

1.  Slice the sponge cake and sandwich the slices together with jam. Cut into cubes.

2.  Sprinkle the sugar over the strawberries in a bowl.
Divide the cake between 6 glasses and sprinkle a little liqueur over each. Spoon over the sliced strawberries and any juice and then top each with a layer of custard and a layer of cream. Decorate with strawberries.

posted by Emily

Designers of the Week: Charles and Ray Eames

What makes this room, below, so striking?  Remove the cushions, foot stool and the chair and you are left with a blank canvas.  With a ‘plain base’ from which to work, you can easily change the look of your home as often as your mood!

The red Eames rocking chair sets this room off perfectly, with its bold colour and simplistic design…

If you’d asked me before what I thought of these chairs by Eames, I must admit I wouldn’t have been too keen.  However since seeing these images, I can see how the design can work really well in the home.  I think the plastic material reminds me of school classroom chairs, hence why I feel put off, but of course the Eames chairs win hands-down in terms of style and design.

“Not only did Charles Eames (1907-1978) and his wife, Ray (1912-1988) design some of the most important examples of 20th century furniture, they also applied their talents to devising ingenious children’s toys, puzzles, films, exhibitions and such iconic mid-20th century Los Angeles buildings as the Eames House and Entenza House in Pacific Palisades…”

Read more here

posted by Emily