All posts tagged: accessories

Matalan, you dark horse, you!

Published by Karen Knox

So there I was, hunting for some home decor and accessories to style a couple of bedrooms i’m working on. Budget is tight which obviously limits where I can look. Matalan isn’t somewhere that’s really on my radar, i’ve never really had that much luck there and never ordered online from there either. But I randomly ended up on their site on Friday night (rock n’ roll) and was pleasantly surprised. Matalan are upping their game, so much so I had to write a post all about ’em. Here are some pieces that I think you guys might like… Nomad Textured Cushion – £12 Could easily be by House Doctor (with the House Doctor price tag) or one of the other delicious Scandi brands, but it’s Matalan as part of their Nomad range, which you will see more of as you scroll down. Nomad Textured Cushion – £12 Great for those bohemian lovers out there and for £12 a pop you can’t go wrong. Double Sided Mongolian Cushion – various colours and sizes – £10-15 Absolutely brilliant …

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 …

Barnaby & Co

Published by Karen Knox

**Fab place to shop alert!** Barnaby & Co are an independent retailer selling specially selected homewares, art and gifts both online and in their new Brixton store. Launched in 2015 by Julianna and Jonathon, these guys were on a mission to bring colour and style into your home. More importantly perhaps, pieces with heritage and a story to tell rather than mass-produced “stuff” designed to be thrown away after a few months. Photo credit – Appear Here Barnaby & Co have curated a fine selection of work from independent designers and makers across Europe, including; Rosa & Clara Designs Matt Needle Sabrina Fosse Plus a perfectly sized collection from larger design houses such as Bloomingville.   Bloomingville Despite being relatively new to the scene, Barnaby & Co have been featured in several publications including The World of Interiors and Vogue. And now on Making Spaces, and as a thank you, Barnaby & Co offered to send me a little something to slip into one of my projects. Eeee! So off I went perusing their site (for hours weeks) …

The Bank Holiday Big Shop

Published by Karen Knox

There’s no better time than a bank holiday weekend to get moving with that online shopping list. Especially when that list is crammed with those big ticket items for the home. A BH weekend =  bank holiday money saving and the more you can stretch your budget, the more amazing your space will be. Win. It was time to finally make some decisions and start placing orders for the Masonic Villas project. Come see what we we bagged (online) this weekend. “Must have” statement reading light from Bluetreesun Orchid Wall Light – 10% off plus a nice and chunky trade discount from yours truly. The finer details – all from La Redoute Some for the living room and others for the home office. All these gorgeous items had a whopping 40% off all weekend. The multi function, industrial style media unit from Swoon Editions The Anvil Coffee Table had 10% off with free delivery The homeowner’s love of crosses continues into art work choices. This poster from Desenio is perfect for the monochrome, paired back …

“Here are a few of my favourite Pins…”

Published by Karen Knox

(Did you get my Sound of Music reference?) I’ve not mentioned the Masonic Villas project for a little while, mainly because i’ve been working like a donkey, juggling four other projects dotted around the region. Eeesh. Anyhoo, the last time this project got a mention on le blog, the living room had just had the ceiling lighting updated. Since then, i’ve been busy planning the schedule of work, solving problems, booking trades and placing orders. The paint for the whole redesign is on its way. Exciting indeed. I’ve also been Pinning like a demon, pieces that I think would look fab in this project. Some of them will make it, some won’t, but I thought it would be nice to share with you, some of my finds. To be precise, 10 of my finds. Pieces for the living room, home office and hallway. Come see. Lara Armchair – Fern and Grey Leather Chair – Cox & Cox Hoxton Swing Arm Wall Light – Bluesuntree Indian Cart Coffee Table – House Junkie Beni Ourain Moroccan Berber Rug – …

A Living Room Update

Published by Karen Knox

I’ve been making some updates to our living room. It will be having a little cosmetic surgery this year. Aka. paint & and wallpaper. It’s taken me over a year to convince the OH to let me get on with it. Which has been pretty annoying (did you hear that, my beloved??) So to keep my creative juices from drying up, i’ve been changing all the things that he can’t really get a bee in his little bonnet about. Come see… Head of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette by Van Gogh. Some new art anyone? I don’t know how i’ve never seen this before. Painted in 1886, Van Gogh did “hipster” before the word hipster even existed. A purchase from Art.co.uk, my new favourite place to spend an hour ogling new art. And old art apparently. That’s enough skulls for this room now. I do have Montel, the copper skull too, remember!? Over-kill? Over-skull? No, that doesn’t work, Karen. Art that was originally hanging on the wall opposite is now sitting here.  I quite like how it …

Pantone COTY – Styling with Wayfair

Published by Karen Knox

I’m sure you’ve already heard the news? Last December? Pantone’s Color of the Year (COTY)? Industry experts announced the colour for 2016 to influence all things fashion, interiors, art, culture etc. And for the first time ever, Pantone announced not one, but two colours. Twins. Surprise! A pastel blue with a hint of ice-y lilac. A feminine dusky pink. “Joined together Rose Quartz and Serenity demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace.” Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Colour Institute Hmmm… My first thoughts weren’t great if i’m honest. You know i’m always honest. I’m sure you’ve cottoned on by now, I do like my bold colours and inky, jewel based tones. I don’t tend to play with pastels, making this year’s COTY’s tricky ones for me to get my head around. Always keen to find a solution to design quandaries, my next thought was, “Scandi”. Yes, that could work nicely. Adding a subtle hint of colour …

“Retro Gentlemen’s Club with a Dash of Taxidermy”

Published by Karen Knox

Do come in. (And please take off your shoes… new rugs.) A reminder of before: As the project breaks for Christmas, I wanted to show you where we’re at since starting work on it in mid-October. This time next month, we should have completed this room. We are so nearly there. I convinced my clients to bring the piano from the hallway into the living room. Originally a bespoke designed study area was planned for this corner, but i’m so pleased the piano made it into the living room instead. It fits perfectly and looks stunning, but more importantly it brings someone’s great love of playing piano into the heart of the home. The morning after the piano was positioned here, I had this message from my client: “Played the piano tonight for the first time in months, probably over a year. It’s totally absorbing, like meditation. Thank you.” Best feeling ever! Good design, I believe, can change the way we live. Enhance our living and working spaces, make us feel better. These are the things I …

Sherwood Forest is coming together nicely…

Published by Karen Knox

I love seeing how a design project develops. A before and after is great, but how about the middle bit? The real life stuff? Like mess, design changes and sometimes even mistakes. As ever, lots to do still. Joinery, sofa, floorboards and skirting boards painted, but we’ve started getting things back in the room to make it feel more like a family home over Christmas. Then we’re right back on it in the new year. Before and after of the fireplace: It took some work to get the fireplace looking like this. You can see it being ripped out here. Warts and all. Everything went, apart from the original concrete fire insert. I wanted to give the impression of a fireplace without actually having one, so I created a fire surround with a special mix of paint (eg. I wanged a load of different paints together to try and produce a darker version of Valspar’s Sherwood Forest). I chose a gloss finish to  add a textural contrast. The concrete fire was painted in Valspar’s Storybook Sundown. …

The Right Side of the Bed

Published by Karen Knox

Remember my bedroom? The Midtown Magic project? I wanted to show you how it’s coming along. We’re still sleeping on the floor I still have a box for a bedside table We are literally counting down the days until our bedroom furniture arrives. Forget the advent calendar. It’s all about a bed this December. We do however have my Ogilvy bedside light from made.com fitted and my art has finally arrived from Society 6. So happy to finally have something on my side of the bed. Let’s have a nosey. I was planning on a black and brass mini pendant light from Nook London, but unfortunately there was a delay with production, so I had to continue my search and luckily found the Ogilvy Wall Light from made.com which was a) perfect design wise and b) on a 2-3 day delivery timescale. Boom. “Task lamps always look really cool and industrial in living spaces. So we’ve taken that style for the Ogilvy Collection. A sleek, practical addition to our Deco Luxe look.” It’s a great …