Weekly Inspiration #1

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to broaden my blog posts in 2012 and post more regularly. So, in what can only be described as a blatant copying off one of my favourite blogs, Elegant Musings, I have decided to post a weekly (!) inspirational post showing the things on the web which have caught my beedy eye this week, as well as anything which is particuarly influencing my current tastes, be it a newspaper article, upcoming event or film which i've recently watched.

This week, I'm feeling the vintage vibe. I'm looking at our kitchen and none-existant dining area and mulling over the possibilites. The space restrictions have lead me to look at making a boothed seating area, a la the 1950s. Also, i've been looking at vintage pieces for our master bedroom to dress the room. Finally, I saw the film, Revolutionary Road, earlier this week and spent the whole film drooling over the decor, so i've been googling that a fair bit too.

What's been catching your eye this week?
M x

HOME IMPROVEMENT: Master Bedroom

We’ve been in our new abode for a little over a month now, and I’m disappointed with myself that it hasn’t all been completely converted to reflect my tastes. But, as keen as I am to transform this place into my dream home, there have been a few things hindering the process: Christmas for one thing, and my daughter for another. Before motherhood, I saw my maternity leave as a wonderful, restful place where I could finally focus on completing my dream of writing a childrens book, improve my sewing ability and explore new and exciting recipes in the kitchen, and of course redecorate our new house. But as it turns out, children need nurturing. They need entertaining and you really need to keep your attention focused on them. Hmmm. So I’m now just three weeks away from returning to work (albeit part time) and have achieved none of the above. Hmpf.

But it hasn’t all been dirty nappies and bottle feeds this past month. I did manage to make chutneys and pickled onions for Christmas gifts, as well as mince pies and Christmas cake. And in the very miniscule amount of spare time I had, I painted our new Master Bedroom. Hurrah! And what wonderful scheme have I gone with, I hear you ask? Well, it’s all very exciting. The room was painted BRILLIANT WHITE (gasp) which in my opinion, really should only be used in rooms with immaculately plastered walls and excellent light. Our room does not have these things – it has textured wallpaper (double gasp) which I despise. I could have stripped the walls, or have applied Polycell filler everywhere but I didn’t. I’ve just painted on top, but I’ve managed to achieve a much better finish by opting for matt paint as this doesn’t highlight the texture as a silk paint would. And the colour of the newly painted walls is (drumroll please)….. CONTEMPORARY. Oh, that’s not a colour? Well, it’s what it says on the tin. It’s actually the colour of Double Cream. Yes, that’s right – its off-white. Haha! A whole month and I’ve transformed the room from BRILLIANT WHITE to OFF WHITE. But it looks much better, I swear! I’ve also covered up the feature wallpaper which was had a floral vine design on in black and blue-grey.

Now the canvas is restored to a more aesthetically pleasing neutral tone, the room is looking much bigger and lighter. The textured wallpaper, though still present, is not nearly as noticeable. I’ve recycled the curtains from our old house’s living room (as curtains can be a costly affair for good quality and we simply can’t afford that at the moment) and have been hunting for an appropriate light fitting. The new bed has arrived (hurrah) and the wardrobe is on its way. When the main furniture is all in situ, I’ve got to start looking at dressing the room which I’m in two minds over. For the moment, I’ve just used bits we already had and I’m not very happy with the overall look at all.

The curtains are a green/yellow leafy design on an ivory shimmer background, They aren’t my first choice for bedroom curtains really – like I said they were in our living room. And with duel aspect windows, they affect the feel of the room quite a lot. And unfortunately, they don’t fit in with either of the schemes I had in mind. I had been toying very indecisively between a Kelly Hoppen inspired room of very sophisticated taupe and grey and a desperate housewives Susan Mayer style room of a more country, homey feel. I’m not decided yet. But then I came across an article on vintage bedrooms with reconditioned antique finds and REALLY liked the look. So I’m going to sit on it until the robe arrives and decide then. At the moment, vintage is winning out, but it depends on how I feel tomorrow. Hmmm.

So, here for your viewing pleasure are some snapshots of the room at the moment. I will of course post a Completed Room post at a later date, so bets are being taken on which design route we decide to go down.

Vintage Inspiration

I’ve been truly inspired this week by Elegant Musings and her recent post displaying her new home. Though she mainly displays fabulous posts on sewing, knitting and the occasional cookery snippet, our favourite blogger Casey also gives us the rare insight into (what is I’m certain) her gorgeous vintage inspired home. A slave to vintage fashion, I love how Casey takes select pieces from the past, be it sewing pattern, fabric print or general accessories, and makes them truly fit her style. She’s chic, she’s vintage and she’s one creative gal. Oh, did I mention she has AMAZING taste as well? Enough gushing – let’s get onto the real topic. As I was saying, Casey this week has shown us a beautiful poster by Charles Ammos, and those following my Facebook page will know it got me internet hunting a vintage print for my own abode.

Ever seen the Pixar film “Up”? Well, the film has loads of artwork featured in it done in cool 1920-1930 style. Clear geometric images of landscapes, bold type and gorgeous vibrant colour palettes. In fact, the great poster designer, Eric Tan, created a series of Posters for the films which completely embodies the Art Deco poster style displayed in the film and true to many Travel and Recreational posters of the era. What I really love are the landscapes. Austria, Japan and Cairo have never looked so appealing to me than when shown in a Vintage Poster. This was back in the day when photography didn’t do a place justice and bold, colourful artwork showed us the world beyond our doorstep, got our imaginations going and encouraged us to literally broaden our horizons. I think this type of Poster – the Deco Travel poster – is one of the most beautiful forms of modern art… though I doubt many Galleries would pay homage to it, mores the pity.

So it got me thinking. Can you create a vintage inspired interior without going too “Antwacky” (that’s Bad Taste Antique-y to all you non-scousers out there). I think you can, but it’s about being selective. Pick your vintage pieces carefully and incorporate modern flavours too. Don’t pick a vintage William Morris wallpaper to go with your vintage bureau and antique drinks cabinet and Louis VI chair- it’s too much. Less is more when it comes to vintage. Vintage interiors didn’t have to fight against the mod-coms of the modern home: 42” Plasma TVs, Wiis, ipods or microwave ovens. Vintage stood alone and defined the room.  I like the interior colour palettes of the early 20^th century – the mauves of raw plasterwork, the heritage reds and blues; the vibrant arsenic greens and acidic yellows which were plucked directly from nature. A contemporary bedstead could be heightened by a vintage floral feature wallpaper, and a simple uncluttered space would benefit from more elaborate statement furniture.

The fact of the matter is this: with the world economy in recession, with rate of unemployment growing steadily each day, the reality is the majority of us no longer have the luxury of buying new. Vintage is the fashion – through necessity. We recycle, we rebuild, we regenerate. We inject new life into what was once thought to be old and worn. It’s all just a matter of imagination really.