What's wrong with a little romance?

This is a picture of the bride and groom at a Wedding I did the flowers for recently. I just love the way she is looking at him. 

Recently when a friend came for lunch, she described my decorating style as 'romantic'. I was quite taken aback, I had never thought about it like that, I just thought my style was 'country'.I began to look at my Pinterest pins to see if this was true, and guess what, I am a romantic, even in the style of clothing and flowers, there is a hint of romance running through everything. See for yourself.....

All images were from Pinterest.
So whilst my beloved was in Zambia doing charitable work, and I was missing him and feeling all romantic, I decided to paint my kitchen and add a little romance of my own.

My floor was already painted in this tile pattern, but was a little worn, so I refreshed it, and my larder cupboard was painted Lavender.

The awful tiles that I would love to rip out will have to wait to the next time my husband is away for 2 weeks! I painted them in the palest of pinks. I just love my new acquisition, a painting on vintage wallpaper by Lynn Barron from Sea Angels.

A little nook above the stove is ideal for displaying pretty things.

A grey bookcase was painted pale pink inside and then I wallpapered the back with a pretty chinoiserie paper from Graham and Browns V&A collection.

All this romance calls for candles and cake!

This new discovery about me has been quite liberating.I hope to move on to my clothing style, which has suffered badly this last lot of years, and add a little romance to my wardrobe.
If someone could sum up your style in one word, what would it be, I would love to know, leave me a message! Wishing you all a 'romantic' weekend, with love, Linda x

Pink and Red

Do you have colour prejudices. or issues, colours you avoid or just plain can't stand? When I was a little kid growing up in the 1970's, I didn't have a clue, I thought 'anything goes!' One day I had a very rude awakening. My friend Heather looked me up and down  and said 'do you see what you are wearing?' Glancing down at myself I said 'yeah.'  'Well. it doesn't go together!' I was gob-smacked, it rocked my world that a stripey jumper didn't go with a spotty blouse, that I wasn't 'colour matched.'

After that, I paid more attention to what goes with what and what definitely does not. Blue and green, 'not fit to be seen' or was that red and green? Anyway, you never wear pink and red together! My beliefs were seriously challenged again at the end of the 70's, by my history of art teacher. She was talking about some Impressionist painter who put pink and orange together, and how she rather liked that combination. Well I was completely horrified, PINK and ORANGE, are you mad!!

Pink, red, orange, lime green WOW!  Photo from here.

Then there was that whole 'magnolia' thing with interior decorating, where the whole house was painted in magnolia, with great debates about who's 'magnolia' was the best. Then everyone went colour crazy, with mediterranean blue walls in the garden, with 'hot pink' planting, and yellow and terracotta colourwash everywhere. Then we turned all neutral again with the 'cream', 'white',. 'stone', and now 'grey' phases. It is totally bewildering, what's a girl to do? It is all 'marketing' of course, and even though I know that I fall into the trap like most everyone else. I was out shopping with my husband and daughter a couple of weeks ago, and a certain chain store had their new interiors stuff in. Yellow was everywhere, a lovely sunny, sunshiney springlike shade. Well, it was just the tonic after all that awful rain we'd been having. Yellow is one of those colours that I have trouble with. I spent too many years painting everyone's kitchen, hall, living rooms and furniture, varying shades of the colour, and so I was rather sick of it. I even avoided it in my garden. However now the spell has been broken, the 'marketing' people have won me over, and I purchased a bright yellow whistling kettle (I need that like a hole in the head). Of course once I get it home, it doesn't go with my lavender things, but that's a whole other post!

Back to pink and red. I now have decided that I rather like these colours together, perhaps not to wear, but as a combination of colours for decorating my guest bedroom. When combined with white I think it is so fresh and lively a mix, that it will give the guest room that much needed va-va-voom. I will keep you posted on the guest room's makeover.I used these colours for some little posies I was making also.See below.

I would love to know what you think about 'colour' and if you are influenced erroneously or otherwise. Have a wonderful rest of the week, love Linda x.

Mixed messages?

The above photos are collages I made on Picnik, using images from www.pinterest.com before they closed. I was formulating ideas about how I was going to decorate my sitting room. There is little I enjoy more, than poring over paint charts and magazines and brochures, planning and thinking about what I would like. The trouble is, in my head I can mix   industrial chic with cottage garden and a bit of French detailing, thrown in for good measure. The trouble is, I like everything. I am very susceptible to other people's ideas. The trouble is, is my head, I do not worry one iota about expenses. The trouble is, in my head, everything is new, and I don't have to fit in  my old stuff.
 Hence, sometimes what is in my head is very difficult to translate into reality!
Sometimes, things have to go wrong before they go right.

Here is my sitting room, before the assault.

The walls were painted a light stone colour, with 2 walls having a tongue and groove paint effect.There was a painted panel over the fireplace. My curtains and cushions were the same chintz pattern. So the whole effect was creamy and pretty, with a few red accessories.

I imagined that I would like a complete change. I wanted a dark grey on the fireplace wall with a lighter grey on the rest. Industrial style lights, metal baskets and filing cabinet style furniture. No, hang on, perhaps that is just a little too modern for me! Perhaps I could combine the greys with a potting shed kind of theme. I was beginning to get a little confused, as you can imagine. So, I thought I would start with a colour for the fireplace wall.......Slate Grey................

Mmmm, love the colour, but just not sure if it's me. I will try the other walls...an offwhite as a base, colourwashed  with French Grey.............

Mmm, more French looking, more me.....oh oh, the dark wall has to go now. 

I added the blue doors from my larder cupboard, a seagull and some starfish.....not what I had planned in my head at all, but I like it.

Above the fireplace I pasted an enlarged image I got from the http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.co.uk...my cottage by the sea. The white fireplace was antiqued using a grey wash. That is the story so far. I need to either get a new sofa, or make a new cover as my old one, although it goes, has seriously shrunk from all the washes it gets. The floor is mahogany coloured wood, which I would prefer painted. I need new curtains. So, you can see I have a bit of work to do yet. 

I have learned a valuable lesson though, to listen to my own heart. I am a romantic, I like pretty things, it is allright if my house stays like that, regardless of what is in the magazines or on the web. I can like other things, as long as I live with what makes ME happy, and my family of course. (My husband doesn't know why I wanted to change in the first place, but he would have left the colours that the previous owners had).

Do any of you have these tumultuous battles with yourselves, I would love to know? I will finish with some pretty flowers to  make you smile.

Aren't the foxgloves fabulous, they just make me think of 1930's children's books? Have a lovely weekend, and thanks for listening to my madness. Love Linda x

Wood versus Paint

Beautiful window from here

A clients panelled hallway. She is deliberating whether to keep the wood, or to paint it green, something like this...

I know which I prefer, how about you? Image taken from the book 'Wooden Houses' by Judith Miller

Hello lovely readers, sorry it's been so long I have been busy catching up with work. A recent project was these fitted wardrobes, so useful for storage, but a bit dark and dated. My clients home is Edwardian and tradititional so I opted for a rich creamy colour with a brown antique wash. As the robes filled a whole wall, it is amazing how much lighter the room was after painting.

I find it very interesting in my line of work to observe the differences between the sexes. Now I know that this is a generalization, but I find that women love painted wood, and men are quite affronted that I would cover up their lovely wood with paint! The thing is that very often the wood is not so lovely, as in the case of the panelled hallway above, it was done cheaply and for effect, but the actual panels are mere plywood. Very often interior pine doors are the same, and were made to be painted, then we decide we like stripped pine, strip off the paint only to find plywood and not pine in the panels. Don't get me wrong I love wood, beautiful flame mahogany, burr elm, walnut, olive, apple and pear, old and worn and lovingly polished. Welsh oak, with it's gorgeous rich patina is heavenly, green oak barns, pitch pine floors, scrubbed topped kitchen tables, I love it all, but it needs to be a bit of quality timber or else forget it, in my book.

Image from here

Image from here

Image from House Beautiful Magazine.

Image from House Beautiful Magazine.

Image from here

Image fromhere





I would love to know what YOU think about wood versus painted. Have a fabulous Friday, love Linda x.