Sleepover in the Cotswolds

Last Saturday early evening I headed to my friends' new house near Cirencester for a sleepover. They have built a stunning New England style home on Summer Lake which is part of the Cotswold Water Park in a beautiful rural area in the Gloucestershire countryside, with 147 gravel-quarry lakes, formed over time and enriched with diverse wildlife and natural resource. Summer Lake is the last of the lakes to be developed and there will be 45 of these luxury detached lodges. 

I arrived at 8pm as the sun was setting. The house was bathed in the early evening light and the setting sun over the lake was simply magical. One lone paddle boarder glided past in a world of his own. 

There were six of us and we ate a leisurely supper with the doors open and the evening air wafting in

Smoked salmon blinis with caviar with champagne for starters!!  Don't you love the Lalique caviar bowl with its dolphin lid and feet?

A main course of chicken breast skewers and sweet corn on the barbecue, stuffed peppers with taleggio and a potato salad

I prepared the dessert of strawberries and blueberries with fresh basil

I was in awe of this gorgeous fruit bowl carved out of a huge piece of wood

The next morning the sun shone and I could really appreciate the lake and surroundings. Some of us bird watched with binoculars, others dozed in the sunshine. The indoor/outdoor flow of the house works so well.

After rising around 10am and having a coffee & croissant breakfast we headed into Cirencester about 10 minutes away. I've never been before and found it to be the most delightful, quintessential English town with the beautiful church of John the Baptist in the centre.

The centre of Cirecenster has some fabulous architecture.  In one of the shops on the main street was a fantastic antiques market which was a rabbit warren of rooms. I could have spent hours there browsing.

We stopped for a liquid refreshment at the Kings Head hotel opposite the church. It has been beautifully but sympathetically designed inside 

We sat in the roof garden in the sunshine

The hare is a bit of an icon in Cirencester and there is a hare festival every year in the town

Very stylish leather chair or is it a sofa?!

Love this light

Down in the cellar there are some fantastic rooms for private parties.

My friends hired this room in the cellars for a private party. It was being set up for a wedding.

Then it was back to the lake house to pack and return to London. Who needs to go abroad when you could own a house on a lake like this one!!

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Headboard or Artwork in a Bedroom?

Do you have a headboard on your bed? Many of us don't. So what alternatives are there?   Mirrors, artwork, wall hangings.......... ?

In one of my bedrooms the bed has no headboard so I have added a very narrow bookcase on which are two lamps. However the wall above that was completely empty and crying out for a wow factor alternative to a headboard. 

I recently purchased a boxed set by Natural Curiosities of 14 x 14 inch square prints called 'Images for the Inquisitive - Volume 12 - Hortus Eystettensis'. They bear the authentic Latin name of an important 1613 collection of engravings of every species in the palace garden of Prince Bishop of Eichstätt in Bavaria).  The box had been sitting in a cupboard and this was the perfect opportunity to have some of them framed and placed as art decor behind the bed.  I used my wonderful picture framers, Read and Booth, in Wandsworth Bridge Road, London SW6, who helped me select nine of the prints and a suitable frame (with no mount).  I planned to hang them 3 x 3 to add a real sense of drama to the room. The ceilings are very high in the room so there was plenty of space below the picture rail.  I also painted the lamp bases in Annie Sloan's 'Aubusson Blue' and bought a pair with a lovely botanical fern pattern pleated shades by Pooky Lighting. 

In the other bedroom there is a headboard but the wall above the headboard needed something on it to complement the headboard and add a wow factor.

I had forgotten all about a very old book of Pierre-Joseph Redouté rose prints that was my grandmother's. Belgian born Redouté achieved success as a painter working for the French royal court as a tutor to Marie Antoinette and later from 1798 was appointed to paint the flowers of Malmaison by Josephine Bonaparte. His famous published works include 'Les Liliacées' and 'Les Roses'. This version of 'Les Roses' was published in 1954 and I had rescued it from my grandmother's house in New Zealand when she passed away over 40 years ago!!  I had a light bulb moment and decided to create a group of framed rose prints above the bed as the colours would beautifully complement the headboard and the colours of the cushions and Kantha throw. Also, the wall colour, Farrow & Ball 'Teresa's Green' would provide the perfect colour to enhance their beauty. Once again my lovely framers, David and James from Read and Booth helped me select the eight prints from the book and a suitable frame. The frame is a reddish-brown wood which really works well with the background colour of the prints and the red/pink colours of the roses.

I hope I have inspired you to use art in a bedroom in place of a headboard or even to enhance a headboard.  I would love to see what you have done with the wall above your bed(s) so do send me pics.

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Light and colours of St Tropez

I'm currently staying with friends in north Italy and we have just returned from four days on the Cote d'Azur. We went in their camper van and camped about 30 kilometres from St Tropez at a campsite near Frejus.  It's my first ever trip to the south of France and I loved it - the light and colours in particular which are quite breathtaking.  The views, the vegetation and the colours they paint the houses - all divine.

The campsite where we stayed is on the edge of a river and a ten minute walk through a stunning nature reserve to the beach where the river widens into the sea.  My friends and I enjoy good food so we didn't slum it with the food we ate at the campsite! The local supermarket sells wonderful oysters, bread, pastries, cheeses ........ and it all tastes so much better outdoors.

The flora in the nature reserve was exquisite - some tiny delicate flowers and the huge broom bushes smothered in bright yellow flowers were quite spectacular and some were over 8 feet high.

The maritime pines are a feature of the Cote d'Azur and we saw many of them on the coastal road.

On Wednesday we took a bus into St Tropez for the day. It's impossible to take a car there let alone a camper van. It's a single lane road that winds along the coast hugging the sea through large towns and beach resorts.  In the summer the road is a nightmare and there were a couple of spots when the bus was actually unable to move due to a long line of stationary traffic so the scheduled 1 hour journey took 1.5 hours.

The population of St Tropez is only 5,000 but in the summer it increases to over 100,000 !! Lucikly it wasn't too busy when we were there, however the place was swarming with Vespas for Vespa World Days from 2-5 June in St Tropez to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Piaggio.

We had lunch in a local restaurant, Un Jour a Peyrassol, recommended by a lady in a shop who I stopped and asked, near the bus station. I'm always of the opinion that one needs to ask locals where to eat and this was an excellent recommendation. If we had eaten in one of the restaurants in or around the port it would have been double the price and probably not as good. We were the only non French people in this restaurant so that has to be a good sign! The food was very good (small menu of traditional dishes), the service friendly and efficient. We even returned there later in the day for coffee and ice-cream. We managed to sink two bottles of the beautiful blush rose wine, Chateau Peyrassol, which went down rather too well !

These calamari were to die for!

Tarte Tropezienne (local delicacy)

After lunch we wandered through the streets towards the older part of the town.  An interesting mix of hotels, luxury boutiques, food and wine shops and ice-cream parlours.

Hotel de Paris

Hotel de Paris

The gorgeous jasmin covered Auberge des Maures

More of the Auberge des Maures

House of Chanel

House of Chanel

After lunch we wandered through the narrow streets of the town which were quiet and cool after the baking sun of the port.

Then we decided the best way to see St Tropez and its surrounding area was by boat so we boarded one of the boats that takes you out for an hour and shows you the bay. The port is awash with huge "gin palaces" which look incongruous against the old buildings of the town.  Then the huge private villas around the bay which are usually accessed by helicopter to avoid the road traffic - the guide on the boat told us who some of them belonged to (if he was to be believed!).

Yacht belonging to owner of Zara

Owner of this monstrosity is the owner of Vauxhall. You can rent it for 50,000 Euros a day!!

Brigitte Bardot's house

Back on dry land we headed around the waterfront to a little beach to rest in the shade.  The houses are right on the edge of the beach so get a hammering from the waves in a storm.

We caught the 7pm bus back to the campsite and luckily it only took the scheduled hour as the traffic was fairly light.  It was a long day but a very happy one. I could quite happily return there in fact plan to do so very soon. I want to go to Antibes and I'd like to go inland to Aix en Provence. 

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Chelsea in Bloom - inspiration from spectacular floral displays

It was the Chelsea Flower Show last week and the shops in the Sloane Square and Kings Road area embrace the Show by decorating their shop fronts.  These are spectacular displays and quite inspirational in both design and colour.

I thought you would like to see a selection of the best ones.  My favourite display was Links of London. They had flowers out front as well as in store and they were spectacular.

Another stunning display was Hackett in Sloane Street which had the real wow factor in reds and oranges.

And here are some of the other displays that deserve a mention. Obviously this is only a small part of the whole Chelsea Fringe during the Flower Show and it's a bit of a whistle stop tour but I thought you would be equally inspired by the colour and style of these displays.

I'd love to hear if you have seen any of the Chelsea Fringe this year. Do share some images with me.

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Inspiration from the colours at the Isabella Plantation

It's that time of year when the azaleas and rhododendrons are in flower and what better place to see them in all their glory than the Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park.  For those of you who aren't familiar with this London landmark, the Isabella Plantation is a 40 acre woodland garden set within a Victorian woodland plantation planted in the 1830s. It was first opened to the public in 1953 and it's best known for its azaleas which line the ponds and streams and are at their best in late April early May.  Given the bad weather we've had recently they are a bit behind schedule and should be at their best about next week.  The Plantation also is home to a wide variety of rhododendruns and many other rare and unusual trees and shrubs.

It's amazing how much inspiration for interior decoration you can gain from looking at nature and what better than a display of colour from acres of azaleas and rododendruns!!  Their colours are simply mind-blowing when seen in a condensed area as they are in the Plantation.

When we arrived, we immediately entered the bluebell wood which had this sea of blue beneath the canopy.  I was pleased to note that the bluebells are English bluebells and not the pesky Spanish bluebells which seem to be invading our woods.

It had rained heavily in the days leading up to our visit and also the night before so everything was heavy with rain and there was a lovely mist across the Plantation. However it was warm and the paths were not too soggy. I actually preferred to be there without direct sunlight as it's better for photography and also the azaleas and rhododendrons were only half out which made them a lot more interesting to view.

There is a huge variety of trees in the Plantation and some very beautiful trunks, especially after the rain.

Before I get to the azaleas which are obviously the star of the show, there are so many other features of the Plantation, not the least the pocket handerchief tree which my sister is totally obsessed with!!

The rhododendrons are also a feature of the plantation but had only just started to flower.

There are other interesting plants in the Plantation (I'm keeping you in suspense with the azaleas!)

And now for the star of the show, the azaleas. They were only 50% in flower but actually I preferred to see them like this than in full bloom

If you are in London in the next week or two, take the time to visit the Isabella Plantation as it really is a very special place.

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What better than a quintessential English pub

Today a friend and I headed to Surrey for an antiques sale at a private home.  We wanted to find a lovely English pub for lunch and boy, did we find a cracker of a place - The Duke of Cumberland Arms in a small hamlet called Henley in Surrey.  It was raining but that only added to the depth of colour of the countryside.

The Duke of Cumberland is a beautiful 16th century pub perched on the side of a hill with breathtaking views. From the gardens, on a fine summer’s day, it’s just possible to see Leith Hill, the highest point in Surrey. Today’s Duke still retains a lot of its original charm. Inside, there are flagstones, brick floors, wooden scrubbed tables and local ales served straight from the barrel. Outside, you will still find fresh trout in one of the many garden ponds. The pub is hidden up a hill with a handful of houses around it. It dates back to the 17th century and it is definitely the perfect English country pub. You approach it up a path where there is water cascading down the side of the path from various ponds and the recent rain only added to the volume of water but the sound of the water was like music your your ears.  On the left they have an open fire where there as an elderly gentleman sipping a beer alone and not really in the mood to engage in conversation with some random Londoner!!

The inside of the pub is old and atmospheric. There is a modern extension for the restaurant but chose to sit in the old part. The food really is excellent. I chose six raw oysters which were Irish and absolutely enormous. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven !!  A glass of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc to wash them down and then on to an oven-baked walnut & seed crusted goat’s cheese, honey & thyme roasted root vegetable, croutons, mixed leaf, mustard dressing. I much prefer to order a couple of starters rather than a large main. My friend had the fish and chips which were fantastic and so large she couldn't finish them - lovely crisp chips and very fresh haddock covered in a crisp batter!!

The gardens are absolutely beautiful and despite the rain I continued to take photos both on my Nikon DSLR and my iPhone. The photos below speak for themselves

There really is nothing better in this world than a quintessential English pub.  I'll challenge anyone to find something better !!

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Messing about on the river in Richmond

Hi All, London is experiencing some unseasonably hot weather after a month of cold miserable days. The least two days have been around 23C and today it is supposed to reach 26 degrees!  

Yesterday I met a friend, her four year old daughter and her mother-in-law and we headed for Richmond on the train. Armed with my trusted Nikon D5500 I waited for my friends at Balham station.

 While I was waiting for them, I saw this guy on a motorcycle - he had made a hole in the top of the storage box on the back of his bike for his dog!!

We strolled around the shops initially, especially the charity shops as we adore a bargain!  We bought picnic food in Marks & Spencer and headed for the river and sat on the grass eating our lunch and watching the world go by.   The place was a hive of activity - the man on the bridge painting the river, people in all sorts of boats doing all sorts of activities and people like us just chilling out on the river bank.  Londoners always maximise the sunny days as we don't get many of them and everyone always looks so happy when the sun shines.

Check out the sign on this pub which is by the river.  The Thames is very tidal and spring tides can bring the water level up and over the path to the terraces of some of the pubs. In fact yesterday and today are spring tides - the water was rising fast as we left but we didn't see the flooding which was after 4pm

Now which glasses do I need?!

A trip on the river is a must and if Jane and I had been on our own we would have hired a rowing boat. But a more sedate trip was in order so we took a round trip to Teddington Lock and back.  As you can see from the images below, there was a lot of activity on the river - a boat with a wedding party, rowing boats hired out to people having fun but with not much of a grasp on rowing techniques (!), the Richmond yacht club's lesson of novice yachtsmen (watch out for these as they are unpredictable!) and on the way back we passed four barges heading up towards Oxford.  It was going to be a very high spring tide yesterday and today where the water covers the tow path and even reaches as far as people's gardens and some of the pub courtyards!

In Richmond you are never far from the flight path to Heathrow

 I love London and when the weather is lovely I can't imagine a better place to live.

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Back to Petersham for inspiration and sourcing

Hi everyone.  I went back to Petersham Nurseries this week armed with my Nikon D5500 camera.  It was a sunny but cold day and I decided to take a walk along the Thames before lunch (Petersham Nurseries is a stone's throw from the river).  There was even someone launching a boat and taking a jaunt up the river, despite the cold.

You're never far from an airport in London (flightpath to Heathrow!)

Here's the guy who launched his boat

Along the river bank I found some pretty delicate wild flowers

I branched off the towpath along the river into the woodlands of Petersham Lodge.  Signs of spring were everywhere:

The woods led to a pretty iron gate that separates the gardens of Petersham Lodge (which are private) from the woodlands. 

The Belted Galloways are back in the Petersham Meadows by Petersham. Dogs are banned during the grazing season, April to October.

I returned to the Nurseries and spent time before lunch taking photos in the cutting garden where there was a superb display of tulips.

There were so many beautiful flowers to photograph

And of course the highlight of my visits to Petersham is the shop. I love the way it is styled with plants, flowers, furniture, accessories etc.  And I am always tempted to buy something!

These two beautiful bowls of flowers greeted you as you enter the restaurant

SEEKING STYLE INSPIRATION?

If you’re working on your own home decorating project and looking for some inspiration, please get in touch and see how I can help. 

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Pistachio and Pink Grapefruit Cake

Hi Everyone, here's a fantastic cake recipe from a recent weekend newspaper's magazine - simple to make and it has no dairy or gluten so very healthy. However that doesn't compromise the flavour because it is absolutely gorgeous and the cake will last for a week as it has a syrup drizzled over it.

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Pistachio and Pink Grapefruit Cake

It makes a 20cm cake

150g shelled unsalted pistachios

1 and a half pink grapefurits

200g golden caster sugar

50g polenta

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Pinch of salt

4 eggs

200g extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons honey (I use Australian Orange Blossom honey)

10g shelled salted pistachios (about 20) roughly chopped to decorate

1. Grease a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin and line the base of it

2. Whizz the unsalted pistachios in a food processor until fairly finely ground.

3. Finely grate the zest of the grapefruits (I actually grate 2 grapefruits) and add this and the sugart to the processor, whizz briefly to combine then stir in the polenta, baking powder, cardamom and a pinch of salt

4. Whisk together the eggs and oil and stir these into the dry ingredients. Scrape into the tin

5. Put in to the oven and turn it to 180C (200C non-fan) - you don't need to preheat the oven for this cake!! Bake for 40-50 minutes, until set on the top.

6. Towards the end of the cooking time, juice the half grapefruit and heat this together with the honey in a small saucepan.  Bring to a simmer and take off the heat. Put the cake, still in its tin, on a plate with a rim and pour over the syrup, a little at a time, adding more once each lot has been absorbed. Leave to cool, then turn out and sprinkle with the chopped salted pistachios. 

It is delicious served with half fat creme fraiche and even as a dessert.

Upcycle with Annie Sloan paint

As many of you know, I love upcycling furniture with Annie Sloan paint. I use this paint because it doesn't involve sanding or undercoating - you just slap it on and away you go!

I have recently had a bit of a binge of painting pieces of furniture that I've been procrastinating about for nearly a year. 

My favourite Annie Sloan colours are Graphite and English Yellow.  This 50s cabinet was first up - English Yellow at the back and Graphite everywhere else.  I was given this piece of furniture by someone who was getting rid of it and I was going to sell it but I rather like it now that it's painted. No distresssing on this piece, just Annie Sloan clear wax.

Next up was this little vintage Hungarian table which I use for my printer. It was already painted in a hideous yellow gloss paint (sorry no "before" image) so I decided to give it a dousing in English Yellow with distressing.

While I was on a roll with the English Yellow, next up to get a dousing was a gilt mirror that I bought in a second hand shop two years ago for £20.  I fancied something different and fun so it certainly scores on both these points. I may add more dark wax into the crevices but for now it gives a lovely sunny warmth to the kitchen.

Next up, my workstation. This is a cupboard that I use for my work and the yellow mirror sits on top of it.  It was painted in a dark grey gloss paint and I prefer a chalk paint finish. Once again I used Graphite.  However this colour can look a bit dull on some textured furniture and that's what's happened here. This can be resolved with a coat of dark wax over the clear wax.

The biggest success was the next item, a gilt mirror that I have had for 5 years and never really liked.  Sometimes it's all about trial and error when painting furniture so do have a go. Mix colours together, put one colour on top of another, use a wash (diluted 50/50 paint/water) etc etc.  On this mirror I've used Aubusson Blue and Old White then clear wax and dark wax.  It is a stunning transformation and the shape of the mirror is really enhanced (sorry no before pics).

The jury is out on the next piece -  I don't like the finished look.  The table was originally a light grey/green colour when I bought it (first image below), then I painted it Graphite. I should have left it at that because now the effect doesn't suit the elegance of the table.  So it's back to the drawing board with this piece. As I say, trial and error!!

I'd love to hear about pieces of furniture that you have painted in Annie Sloan and see some images so do share them with me.

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Make a statement with your table lamps

Hi everyone.  Firstly I must apologise for the lack of blog posts in the last few weeks; in fact since 5 March when I posted the last one.  I've had a manically busy few weeks having taken on a number of new clients. Also, I am preparing for a photo shoot of my flat in mid April which has been stressing me out somewhat.  So I've been furiously upcycling some of my furniture with Annie Sloan paint (separate blog post shortly) and changing lampshades on all my table lamps.

Table lamps can be so boring and serve no other purpose than to provide a lighting source. Gone are the days when you only had a limited choice of shades, mainly 50 shades of beige or cream!!  Now you can buy the most divine shades and make a real statement, a wow factor, even if the lamp base is a bit "meh".    The reverse is a statement lamp base with a plain shade that doesn't compete.   However, beware as you can spend hundreds of pounds on a lamp shade and even thousands of pounds on a lamp base.  It's a matter of finding something affordable and you really love.

There is a great shop in London called Pooky Lighting which sells affordable and fun lamp bases and shades so I popped in and bought three pairs of lampshades for the bedrooms and kitchen.  What a difference they have made to the rooms; the lighting has transformed the spaces from "meh" to "tah-dah" !!!

Neutral lamp bases and shades. I painted the bases in Annie Sloan 'Aubusson Blue' and changed the shades to these gorgeous pleated ones with a delicate fern pattern

Before the lampshades were just beige linen. Now they are a pleated shade with a funky gold and purple pattern

In the kitchen I changed the shades from plain taupe coloured silk to these gorgeous silk Ikat pleated shades by Pooky Lights.  In the sitting room I replaced a pair of beige linen shades in the alcoves with black & white Ikat ones which really draw the eye in.

Before

Before

After

And finally, I bought a rather expensive but absolutely divine lamp base from Nicholas Haslam designed by Paolo Moschino.  It is my piece de resistance but one of those items that you see and just have to have!!  It is solid handcarved brass and it was the way it opened up like a flower and had such beautiful flowing lines that made me fall in love with it.  The jury is out on whether any of my friends like it !!

I would love to hear what sort of table lamps you have and would be happy to offer some advice if you are thinking of changing them so do contact me.

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Inspiration for home styling

As regular followers of my blog know, one of my favourite haunts is Petersham Nurseries which is about 20 minutes from my home. It's somewhere I go for inspiration and to take photos. It gets my creative juices going and all I want to do is take loads of photos and buy lots of plants and items for the home!  I've become quite obsessed with photography since I invested in my first DSLR camera, a Nikon D5500. Macro photography is my passion so Petersham is the perfect place to go as I can take closeups of flowers, plants and the gorgeous items for sale.

The way they style the shop and the glasshouses with plants and flowers is absolutely superb. And there is the added bonus of great food and coffee in the cafe or if I want to treat myself, the other end of the glasshouse where the shop is located is a Michelin star restaurant!  The floors in the glasshouses are just earth, even in the Michelin star restaurant but that's what makes Petersham so unique. 

If I have some free time and the sun in shining my first thought is to head to Petersham.  I could bore you with loads of superlatives but I'd rather stimulate your creative juices with a visual feast. It's not the same as being there in person but it gives you a good idea of why I love the place so much.

Some advice when looking at the photos below. Look at the way they style the items in the shop as this should help you when you style your own home - the way they group items, colours they put together, textures etc.  This is one of the things that I really find helpful when I go there. I hope you enjoy my photography; don't all budding photographers aim to take the perfect photo?!

I'll start with some closeups of the flowers

I have a passion for vintage chandeliers and Petersham always has a range of the most beautiful ones (in fact I bought a small antique French chandelier from them a few weeks ago which is being wired up currently and will then have pride of place of my kitchen table). 

The sun was shining on one particularly large chandelier this time, and I was mesmorised by the colours in the crystals so became rather "trigger happy" with my camera. These images come with a health warning - you may need your dark glasses on !

There was a lot of new stock in the shop since I was last there a week ago and quite a number of ceramic pots with incredible shapes and textures. You can see from the scale of the small items next to these pots the sheer size of some of them.

Petersham always has a good selection of vintage mirrors. I have bought quite a few over the years and recently have been buying some of their convex mirrors in various sizes.  And then there are so many other interesting items on display which you think "I want that" but then "where can I put it in my home?" and then "oh heck, who cares, I just want it" and you go ahead and buy it !!

I hope you enjoyed these images and that they have given you some fresh ideas about how to style your own home. If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to contact me.

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