All posts filed under: Styling

#IKEAatmine

Published by Karen Knox

If you’re not familiar with at{mine} then you really need to get on board. It’s a place for interiors junkies to share images of their home, work spaces, beautiful rooms, vignettes, super cool styling and photography. It’s a real treasure trove of interiors goodness. You could easily lose an hour on there just ogling the most beautiful images. Each month, at{mine} introduce a different “Style Story” curated by a guest brand, designer, writer, photographer, interiors icon… and this month it’s Ikea. I’m sure you’re already aware how big a fan I am of Ikea. If you just search the word Ikea on my blog, there’s over 55 mentions. Not bad going Ikea, for a blog that’s about 18 months old. So what’s #IKEAatmine all about then? Show us how you live with IKEA: It’s the Living Room for October! IKEA UK in collaboration with at{mine} is introducing the brand new community hashtag #IKEAatmine.  Every month we’ll invite you to share a different room/theme containing at least one item from IKEA using #IKEAatmine and we’ll feature …

An Eclectic Living Room – Final Reveal

Published by Karen Knox

Ages ago, back in April, I introduced you to some of the projects I was working on. I can’t always feature every project on the blog. Not because I don’t want to, but time doesn’t always allow me to. Well, that…. and an angry dog that didn’t really like me being in the room I needed to work in. This is the room, on my first visit: It had a great log burner, original chimney breast and stripped floorboards, big bay window and some lovely pieces of furniture. The homeowner’s love of white, vintage finds and Scandi design (baskets) was more than apparent. But she just wasn’t feeling this space at all and couldn’t quite work out why. It’s a north facing room, so doesn’t get the best light. Flat white and grey weren’t doing this space any favours. Their plan was to keep it minimal. But it kinda just felt a bit cold and unfinished. The two seating areas felt disconnected and the L shaped sofa was awkward in the space. So how did I make …

Ethical interiors

Published by Karen Knox

Sheepskins are taking over, people. I know, it’s summer. The sun is shining (for now anyway) but more and more i’m seeing delicious, curly, soft, shaggy sheepskins draped, thrown, sometimes even strewn across chairs, sofas, loungers, beds, benches and floors. I wrote a post almost a year ago about my initiation into the world of sheepskins. Since then, my love has nothing but decupled (timesed x 10). I didn’t even know that was a word until today did you? My sheepskin love did however, feel like a bit of a guilty pleasure. I was vegetarian for over a decade based on my issues with animal welfare, but did start eating meat again when it became easier to buy organic and free-range. I do buy leather shoes, jackets and bags but would never buy or wear a fur coat.  So where did I stand on sheepskins? I was unsure about how could I justify using them at home and for work. So I began searching for ethically sourced sheepskins and came across Hide Rugs, an independent, UK family business. Hide Rugs guarantee …

Pantone Spring Colours

Published by Karen Knox

Remember I introduced you to Pantone’s Colours of the Year in January ? Since then i’ve seen Rose Quartz and Serenity popping up everywhere. From artwork to marketing, interiors and fashion, even influencing a current Making Spaces project. Pantone have since released their “colour report” for Spring 2016. A palette chosen by top industry experts to compliment and contrast both the blush pink and iris-y blue. “Like a serene sunset, flushed cheek or budding flower, Rose Quartz reminds us to reflect on our surroundings during the busy but lighthearted spring and summer months.”  “Weightless and airy, like the expanse of the blue sky above us, Serenity comforts with a calming effect, bringing a feeling of respite even in turbulent times. A transcendent blue, Serenity provides us with a naturally connected sense of space.” The “Transporting and Transformative”optimistic palette is no shrinking violet. This ten strong colour canvas is rocking some real stand out colours, ready to add a spring to your step this Spring 2016. As you probably know, I’m not the biggest “brights” fan for interiors. I love colour, but …

The addiction is real…

Published by Karen Knox

…But at least this addiction is affordable. Ish. I’ve been spreading the love about Netto, for a few months now over on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. The Danish discount food store might not be the first place you might think of when it comes to design, interiors or home decor, but after flicking through my Instagram feed i’ve realised just how many amazing finds i’ve had from there. Some for work and some for home, either way, it seems i’ve found a lot of lovely pieces. I’m lucky enough to have a Netto about a mile away, so I pop in every week for a hunt. They have new pieces come in store each week. Once they’ve sold out, that’s it. If they’ve not sold that week they’re discounted by 50%. So you can get some ridiculously good prices if you drop in at the right time. Let’s have a peep. Instagram pics first: Scandi framed alphabet picture £2.50 (I got a couple of different designs). It’s currently in the “Holding Area“, Destined for a project. …

There is art inside…

Published by Karen Knox

We’ve had a gallery wall at home for the last 18 months. It’s grown a fair bit over that time. As has my taste in art and design in general I guess. Bits and pieces have been added, changed, updated and moved about. Photo by Oliver Gordon It’s not a huge wall, but big enough to do something with. We can’t place furniture here or hang shelves as a door opens onto it. It’s not big enough to take a statement piece of art either because of where the light switch is. It’s a pretty limited space actually, but that hasn’t stopped me having itchy fingers. I wanted something more compact. A more cohesive look. I also wanted to save money by re-using the original frames. So, bright and early on a Sunday morning, the frames were taken down, walls filled and sanded, skirting board masked up, sheets put down and paint pots brought out. I was armed and ready. I’d also already received a cheeky little delivery earlier that week. Cue, Desenio a Stockholm based online art retailer …

The "Holding Area"

Published by Karen Knox

Time to fess up… Last time I mentioned a big shop, I was bragging about how we’d made a huge saving for the Masonic Villas project. Loads of items were picked up from La Redoute’s  40% off Easter bank holiday weekend. What I didn’t mention is that I also took full advantage of said sale event and bagged a few cheeky little numbers for me-sen. I was not idly shopping. I was working! My orders, (yes I made three) have taken a while to arrive, coming one at a time which has been kind of annoying. But most of them are here now so i’d thought i’d share some piccies. Mihnéa Embroidered Cotton Cushion Cover First up, the cushion cover. It was made for this room, this chair in fact. Classic mid-centry colour combo, great shape, looks hot. £14 in the sale. Boom. Galice Vases These quirky incandescent lightbulb vases were a must at just £8.50 for the pair. Absolute bargain. They look v. cool sitting next to our Watt Table Lamp on the dining room shelves. Light …

My concrete wall

Published by Karen Knox

As you may remember, I’m currently running a project involving magnetic plaster. The decorating, design and finishing for that project begins tomorrow, yes on a Bank Holiday. That’s what you call commitment.  Thistle Magnetic Plaster, by British Gypsum’s “Rooms Made For You” I mentioned in that latest post how much I LOVED the colour of this magnetic plaster when dried. A most gorgeous concrete colour with subtle detail and organic nuances in tone. I also mentioned I was going to have one of these magnetic, concrete coloured walls of my very own. My exact words; “It shall be MINE.”  I wasn’t lying. I’ve always been drawn to industrial, raw and stripped back design. My dining room wall has been like this for years. I stripped the wallpaper right off, seven months pregnant, a week after moving in… and left it. Much to everyone’s confusion. Now you can easily pick up effect wallpapers that mimic this exact look, I wrote a post about that over here last year. Anyway, back to the magnetic wall…. What I didn’t mention …

Evermade

Published by Karen Knox

This week has been a bit pants. My three year old came down with chicken pox on Monday (booo). So I’ve been indoors and on calamine duties all week, trying my best to fit in design work, book tradespeople, reschedule appointments and keep up with the blog. #Stressed! Something that did put a smile on my face however, was a delivery from Evermade. I had been eagerly awaiting its arrival and it popped through my letterbox on Tuesday: Day 2 of “The Pox”. Evermade is an independent online store with an ever expanding collection of carefully curated items; contemporary art prints, cool stationery, gifts, clothing and illustrated goods. I dare you to go on there and not find something you like. Evermade very kindly offered to send me some goodies to review and, like a kid in a sweet shop, I spent hours on their site ogling every piece of art. As you may already know, art is something that takes up a lot of my wall-space. And head-space. I love finding new artists, and find I did. …

Sherwood Forest – Final Reveal

Published by Karen Knox

In October 2015, I had a consultation. A couple had just moved in together into a 1930’s three bedroom semi-detached house in a leafy part of north Leeds. A lovely sized home which held many wonderful treasures. But with all this stuff from two houses being merged together, both with competing design styles… the main living space wasn’t really working. Oh and throw in a new born, just for fun. The living room already had a cool selection of retro, Africana and vintage pieces. A Parker Knoll armchair, taxidermy, old maps, collectors drawers, new maps, pops of orange, brass and copper accents and various pieces of unique, gnarly furniture. It was all there. But it was just a mish-mash. Add in that 70’s tiled fireplace and the room was all over the shop. The colour of the room, I decided upon about an hour into the first consultation. I just knew it would work for them both. A dark, vintage green, using copper and orange as the accent colour was going to make everything in this room …