All posts tagged: b&q

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 …

Love Lighting

Published by Karen Knox

I want to show you the new ceiling lights that made the cut for the Sherwood Forest project. I love them. The clients love them. Everybody loves them! I chose three large feature lights to hang in this large open plan living/dining room. All for less than £150. I’ve been doing round trips to B&Q for endless pots of Valspar paint. So I had a quick peek at the lighting whilst waiting for my 46th pot to be mixed. B&Q = Winning! Melito Light Shades from B&Q For the living room, I needed two large ceiling lights, nothing heavy, nothing too structured but something that gave a soft, diffused light. The Melito feather light shades were perfect. The client’s love of taxidermy and Africana made these an absolute must. It’s like having two rather large bird nests hanging down from the ceiling and the light is just gorgeous. I also picked up a couple of Pendel ceiling lights from Habitat so I could get rid of the old white plastic ceiling roses (bloomin hate those). …

The Process

Published by Karen Knox

Am going to start this ere blog post with a bit of serious info about my thoughts on work, my ethos and how I run things at Making Spaces. I will put my glasses on so I sound the part…. There. Interior Design is not just about providing a product or one off service. Re-designing a room and creating a new space which solves problems and enhances the feel of a room is a process which evolves along the way. Inevitably, some of your initial ideas and concepts shift slightly to make sure the brief is being hit bang in the face. As a room develops I often think of alternative, better and more creative solutions. At the end you want the room to make your client ridiculously happy, whilst keeping it all within budget. I also want to be able to show off my work too. After all, this design lark is a labour of sheer love. Well it is for me. It’s been a mixed week for The Blue Room. The vintage wardrobe didn’t …

The Blue Room

Published by Karen Knox

Sorry peeps, i’ve been awol this week. But for good reason I promise! I’ve been working on a complete redesign of a client’s loft bedroom. And it’s going to be amazing once it’s done. I’m well excited. Eeeee! Here are some before photos so you can get a feel for the space. And see some of the issues. Estate agent photos. It’s easy to see there is a serious lack of colour or much personality to the room. It’s a lovely big space, but over time storage became an issue and boxes of shoes and “stuff” accumulated.  Doesn’t that always happen? The bed was rather overpowering for the space and didn’t reflect the client’s style any more. The Ikea Malm furniture purchased in later years to house some of the extra “stuff” wasn’t really floating her boat either. So what did we decide to do? The tallboy was re-homed in the living room where there was nowhere to shove paperwork, mail, magazines or DVD’s. That’s all been put away now and has really cleared that …

Lighting at home

Published by Karen Knox

Maceface at Folksy Lighting is ace. I can’t stop researching and looking for new and interesting pieces. I see lighting like art. I want to look at it. I want to see it. Sure it serves a purpose, obviously, but it can also make or break a room. I keep trying to make my mum and dad buy lamps, but all they want is “the big light on”. **sigh**. What is it with my parents and not appreciating ambient soft lighting? When we moved to our current house I was determined to rid it of these: The dreaded plastic ceiling rose. (Bork). Functional, yes. Beautiful, erm no. No they’re not. I managed to convince my other half that if we “invest” in good quality lighting which looks amazing then we won’t need to change it for aaaages. He liked the sound of that so he agreed to fit some loveliness in our home. Heals Contrast Stone Pendant Light I searched for something industrial-esque for the kitchen/dining room and I knew what colour worktop we were having in the …