Kitchen Heaven

I have fallen head over heels in love with the gorgeous, understated kitchen seen over on the Me & Alice blog.

Where to start with this piece of heaven?

The natural honey toned wooden floorboards?

The simple white walls?

The lovely displays on the clean white shelves?

The vintage wooden crates used to organise table linen?

The mismatched chairs at the dining table?

pretty much all of it then!

I am always wary of brilliant white kitchens - so many of the ones I have seen are cold or too modern for my tastes but this one is perfect.... Admittedly I would have to stick a bright red kettle on the side :-p hehe

xxx

Daytrip! We heart Ikea!

Spent today dawdling around the Ikea store in Croydon with two old school friends (believe it or not i've known them since primary school!) and Lily-Rose!

It was Lily's second trip to Ikea (which is one of mummy's favourite stores!) and her first time EVER to be sat in the little seat section of the shopping trolley which she loved... although I was a little less enthusiastic once she decided to try licking the metal bar at the front *GERMS!*

There was another great first for Lily today - Swedish meatballs with gravy and loganberries- she loved them, which is good because so do I and it was very exciting to see her tucking in to brand new food - feeding herself of course!

Aside from lunch and trolley experiences we brought home some little treasures at bargain prices... The first image is of the Duktig 14 piece felt vegetable basket set which cost just £5.99 and will be used for years to come for role play and the second are the Mula stacking cups at £1.99 which Lily already adores!

xxx

British Colonial Style

After blogging earlier about the epic movie 'Australia' I was caught up with thinking about the interior design of the film sets. Based on what can loosely be called 'British Colonial Style' the home that Lady Ashley (Nicole Kidman) inherits upon her husband's death is absoloutely stunning - a really elegant and timeless style.

Other movies that feature a 'colonial style' of interiors include 'Indiana Jones' and 'Out of Africa' and for me it is the juxtaposition of 'stately home' british style against 'safari lodge' that make this such an interesting choice for an interior and I would love to transport the feel into my own home - most likely in the living or dining area.

A few things that sum up Colonial style for me are:

Steamer trunks, Chesterfield Sofas, Dark mahogany and teak furniture, handpainted botanical inspired wallpapers, cream linen, framed sepia maps, nautical and hunting accessories, rattan furniture, sisal rugs, 1930's elegance, safari,white gauze curtains, wooden shutters, antique leatherbound books, easy 'liveable' elegance...

Where to shop for this look: Think vintage in the main - if you want something that looks aged and as if it has a history then try to go for pieces that actually do! Laura Ashley for soft furnishing and classic lamps, John Lewis for dark indian sheesham wood furniture and natural textured accessories.

Images, clockwise from top left: Luis Vuitton Steamer trunks via Country Living, Can Texas safari Lodge via 'weloveit', Can Texas safari lodge via 'welove it', 'Chesterfield' leather sofa John Lewis, colonial living, Becker furniture world and Chair from Ralph Lauren's Cape lodge collection.

'Home is a place not only of strong affections. but of entire unreserve, it is life's undress rehearsal, it's backroom, it's dressing room' - Harriet Beecher Stowe

Design Classic

Ok so I know I will probably never be able to afford one of these chairs but I just had to share with you a complete design classic.

It is, of course, an Eames chair (image courtesy of Swank Lighting) - a mid century modern design that will just keep on going for aslong as I can foresee.

What I wouldn't give for one of these beautiful chairs at my desk...

xxx

'And so the lion fell in love with the lamb' - Twilight

My Whole Heart

How romantic is this wall art? I found the picture on the Ideal Homes website and read how the couple recieved this as a wedding present - it was handmade by a friend out of scraps of wood and some stencils off of ebay!

What a sweet wedding present - the perfect mix of useable, romantic and budget friendly, and in my opinion the perfect antidote to a World which is much more impressed by expensive gifts than those things given from the heart...

xxx

'When you are in love you can't fall asleep because the reality is better than your dreams' - Dr Suess. <---- guess that explains the sleepless nights!