katy – Page 105 – Apartment Apothecary

katy 15th October 2013

A beautiful Brazilian home

One of the most important things about design is that you have an open mind. It’s far too easy to fall into a trap of knowing what we like and therefore not exploring new possibilities; I suppose it’s the same with any area of our lives. I really enjoy looking at all types of interiors because I find new styles or little sparks of inspiration that help to develop my own taste, which is changing constantly.

In my constant quest for the ‘perfect interior’ I came across these images of Elizabeth Bishop’s Brazilian home. She was an American poet and short-story writer and the Poet Laureate of the United States from 1949 to 1950.It was during her time in Brazil that Elizabeth Bishop was influenced by South and Central American poets, and translated their work into English. A writer’s house always seems that bit more interesting somehow.

I wanted to show you some photographs of this house today as they have given me new ideas, for example, I would never have thought of using the colour scheme of this home. Also, in the past, I have always avoided using dark wood as ‘I don’t like it’. Here, however, I can see ways of using it that enhance an interior rather than drag it down. I hope you find some inspiring ideas too…

If you would like to see more images of this house you can find them on the Casa Vogue website. Happy exploring x

Photographs taken by Ruy Teixeira.

katy 10th October 2013

Liberty guest post!

I am beyond excited to introduce my first guest post – and it’s for Liberty of London (click here for the full post)! The Liberty craft blog is brilliant, filled with ideas and inspiration, and I was asked me to create something with the Liberty Lifestyle collection of prints. As you all know, I’m a bit obsessed with Liberty print, so this was my absolute pleasure.

I chose two prints to make a travel seat that can be used when parents get stuck in a cafe or at a friend’s house without a highchair. It’s a super simple tutorial so anybody can make this in about an hour.

Check out the full tutorial on the Liberty craft blog! Woop!

Here’s little Heidi modelling my travel high chair.

katy 8th October 2013

Bedroom re-style

My friend asked me recently if I would help her do a really quick makeover of her bedroom. She’s just moved into an unfurnished shared house and wanted to make her room look ‘grown-up’ but wasn’t sure where or how to spend the money. The constraints were that she needed furniture within two weeks and she wanted it all to be brand new. Huh, I said to myself. Did she know that most furniture shops have leading times of weeks rather than days, I asked. No, apparently not.

So, I got searching, ordering and then helped her put it all together to create a fresh, simple, grown-up bedroom. I bought all the furniture from Loaf, who were super helpful and got the bed to us within ten days. I then grabbed a few things from around the house to help style the room.

Before…

I ordered the Loaf Bobbin bed and once it had arrived my friend moved in but she wasn’t sure how to style the room. The problems were:

– Mismatching bed linen

– No lamp

– Blank wall

– Temporary bedside table

– Exposed wires

BEFORE

After…

The changes I made were:

– I bought Loaf’s Campaign bedside table and Little Dane lamp.

– I sorted out her bedlinen so she had a matching set, which instantly lifts any bedroom. A well made bed makes a world of difference.

– I framed a piece of vintage wallpaper to fill the blank wall. Don’t use unframed prints or posters if you want a more sophisticated feel to your room.

– Fresh flowers, which instantly brighten any interior.

– I added some colour with the linen, wallpaper and tea-cup. A colour scheme can tie a room together as long as it’s not a ready-made colour scheme i.e. matching cushions, curtains and duvet cover – yuk!

– I hid the wires by drilling a hole into the side of the wardrobe and fed the lamp wire through it as there is a plug socket in the wardrobe.

Ta da!

Bedroom makeover Loaf Campaign bedside table

The Campaign bedside table, whilst being brand new, has character and style. I love the Little Dane lamp and have my own at home. The colour of the lamp base is beautiful.

The Bobbin bed is well made, simple and classic. It’s made of wood and painted in matt white paint. The vintage wallpaper I framed is gorgeous and the colour ties in with the linen and the frame goes with the wood of the bedside table.

What do you think? Hopefully you’ll agree this is more sophisticated and stylish than ‘before’.

Now it’s a question of adding some personality and ‘stuff’ to make it more homely – maybe some photos, a rug, shelves, a quilt. But hopefully, this is a good canvas to start with.

It’s my birthday today so I’m off to the Cinnamon Club for a yummy dinner with Jules. I wonder if I’ll get some nice presents (wouldn’t mind some new furniture myself – just sayin’!) x

katy 3rd October 2013

Washi tape picture frames

I was asked this month to be the Guest Pinner for Homemade With Love magazine. I’ve been a bit lazy of late with my own Pinterest boards, mostly re-pinning from those I follow or pinning my own creations. Being asked to pin for someone else has refocused me; what I loved most about Pinterest when I first signed up was discovering new blogs and actively searching for inspiration. I’m really enjoying perusing blogs, magazines and websites for new and exciting craft and home projects. If you would like to see what I have pinned so far, you can see my Guest Pinboard here.

I originally discovered the joys of Washi tape from Pinterest. It comes in all sorts of contemporary prints, patterns and colours and gives everything a modern edge. The tape is very low tack, which makes it very versatile and there are so many different things you can do with it. One of the ideas I like, and have copied the most, is using Washi tape to create photo frames around pictures and postcards. I also use it to tape up notes or pictures above my desk for inspiration.

Mia Fleur, an online homewares boutique, very kindly sent me a set of their lovely vintage pictures. I decided to combine the freshness of the Washi tape with the vintage feel of the pictures to create an alternative wall display.

You can use the tape to create all sorts of different shaped frames.

You can experiment as much as you like because the tape peels off very easily but doesn’t lose its tackiness.

I really like to stick postcards, notes and pictures on the wall temporarily by just taping the corners. It’s so low tack that it leaves no marks when you want to take them down.

If you would like to buy some Washi tape, you can order it online here.

Thanks again to Mia Fleur for the lovely pictures, which are very reasonably priced for a collection of nine printed on beautiful paper. If you would like some you can buy them here. x

katy 24th September 2013

Great British Bake Off

I am totally in love with everything Great British Bake Off. Mel and Sue are obviously the best bit (I wish they were my best friends!) but I also can’t get enough of the calming effect of watching others bake. Tuesday evenings are something special these days.

Unfortunately, I have never learnt how to bake, and if I’m honest, I don’t have much desire to learn, but I really adore kitchenalia. The GBBO set is so aesthetically pleasing, which is probably another reason I love the show. Therefore, I have put together some of my favourite baking accessories – perhaps this could be enough to inspire me to get baking…

What’s a kitchen without a vinatge rolling pin? Nothing, I tell you. Find a lovely selection at RE-found Objects.

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous prints from the super-talented Lisa Levis. I love this pinny from the Betty and Walter collection.

Surely everyone needs a retro kitchen timer in their lives. Love this magnetic one from John Lewis.

Going all Downton Abbey with this Mason and Cash mixing bowl from John Lewis.

Apparently being exact when it comes to measuring ingredients is important in baking so I’ve chosen these scales, which are new but have a vintage feel to them. Available from Love From Rosie.

Perhaps my favourite kitchen staple – Le Parfait preserving jars. Available from Dunelm Mill.

This five-piece enamel pie dish set from Liberty is perfect – can’t get enough of blue and white enamel.

The Kitchen Aid is the secret star of the show. Available from Liberty.

These Jamie Oliver cake tins will keep all those bakes fresh as a daisy. Like the vintage flavour of these tins.

Beautiful butter dishes are a must when it comes to equipping your kitchen. Available from Not On The High Street.

How sweet are these cupcake wraps? Can’t go wrong with Belle and Boo party accessories.

And last, but not least, these beautiful Jadeite cake stands are perfect to display your baking efforts. Available from Borrowed Blue.

Enjoy GBBO tonight! x