All posts tagged: brass

ABC in the Bathroom (Anything But Chrome)

Published by Karen Knox

If you’re currently planning a bathroom refit and looking to break with convention and not go down the easy route of chrome brassware… you’ll soon experience what I refer to as The ABC Nightmare. Anything But Chrome. Black and Brass are currently the choix du jour and has been for a while but the market is taking some time to catch up. As you already know our loft bathroom was graced with a black tap, bottle trap and waste from Olif. The Minimo Matt Black Tap is still available on their website, which they’ve recently revamped, so definitely worth a look. They also do gold, copper, bronze and anthracite taps… basically, Anything. But. Chrome. So sourcing a black tap for our loft shower room wasn’t too bad… but could I for the life of me find a shower or a shower screen with black fittings (that wasn’t a million ££’s)? No. No I couldn’t. But guess what? They’re finally trickling down onto the market, so I thought i’d save you a month’s painful search and pop ’em all here for …

My Top 10 Brass & Gold Pendant Lights (for under £250)

Published by Karen Knox

Ceiling pendant lights are one of the items I spent the most time searching for. The choice our there are the moment is completely immense. However, it’s still not easy to find affordable, statement lighting. And when I say statement, I mean, something that’s big enough to take hold of that space above your head. Gild Hall Hotel – NY For a 2.4m high ceiling, you want something at least 35cm diameter, preferably 40cm. For a 2.6m ish ceiling go up to around 50cm. Any higher you’re going to be looking at around 60cm +. The grand/er the better really, especially if you have a ceiling rose. Fitting a crap, piddly light into a beautiful, period ceiling rose is just rude. In my opinion of course. But these big statement lights can be so darn expensive. And a lot of my clients (like me) don’t have that kind of money, so finding something for less than £250 can be a real arse. So I thought i’d show you my top 10 finds over the past couple …

Midtown Magic Bedroom

Published by Karen Knox

My bedroom. As it was a few months ago anyway. It was lovely. Light, bright, clean and simple. Good enough for a magazine shoot might I add… but it never really floated my boat. I’ve been itching to get this room more up my street for over a year now, but every time I even mentioned it to the OH, he would wince. a) It’s a big job to sell all that furniture b) and BLOODY expensive to replace it all. Wardrobes were always the sticking point. The ones I liked were always upwards of £600. And we needed two. So there’s £1200 straight away before i’ve even got all creative with my shizzle. During a quick evening session on Gumtree (am always on there hunting down furniture and decor finds for local pick up, don’t forget those 1930’s chest of drawers I picked up for £10), I came across a brand new in box, never built or even opened, LEDGER wardrobe from Made.com. RRP £600. It was on Gumtree for £300. And it was four …

Original Design with a Story

Published by Karen Knox

There are not many businesses out there that spend as much time and care sourcing unique and ethical design as these guys. Such & Such was founded by a brother and sister originally from the Peak District. Meet Ali, who in a previous life was a lawyer and Nikki who was a creative professional. In 2011 they both began to get itchy feet, feeling the need for a serious career and life change. Ali and Nikki with her daughter, Bessie After almost too many ideas, lots of research and a serious period of reflection, Such & Such was born in 2013. Nikki and Ali are clearly passionate about design, quality and craftsmanship. They offer a meticulously curated selection of homeware and lifestyle goods, whilst telling the stories of the designers and makers behind them. This is not a shop selling you “stuff” or a place providing a quick design hit. It’s a place to find those “cherished belongings that you will keep for a lifetime.” The collectables of the future. “Such & Such goals are to search for well-designed, cool …

The Blue Room – Final Reveal

Published by Karen Knox

This time last month, I had a consult for a loft bedroom. It lacked storage, colour and personality. There was some serious problem solving and creativity needed. You’ve probably caught a couple of my posts since then about how it’s been going and what I’ve been purchasing so I won’t chat too much. I shall fill your eyes with lovely visuals instead. I finally get to share with you all the finished room. And i’m so excited I could burst! **POP!** A reminder of where we started four weeks ago. Four weeks later, here is The Blue Room. The room has seen a total transformation in four weeks. Everything was taken out, the room re-designed and updated. The only things that remain are the carpets and window blinds. You can see some of the pieces from the Ikea shopping list here. Other pieces were sourced from charity shops, second hand furniture shops and Gumtree for next to nothing. The dressing table being the most expensive at £70. Plus, a couple of treat pieces to add …

Thrifting, sourcing, hunting and finding.

Published by Karen Knox

My love of charity and second hand shops is a fairly new one. With vintage, up-cycling, mid-century and Scandinavian design being so on trend, there are SO many amazing finds. And whilst the Great Ikea Haul gave me some great pieces for The Blue Room, I needed a bit of “old and borrowed” to go with the “blue and new”. Remember the chest of drawers I picked up from Gumtree for £10? Before. After. Don’t they look amazing? I spent no more than two hours bringing them back to life: Fixing the drawer runners, cleaning, sanding and waxing the wood grain and updating the handles. They certainly look better than a set of £10 drawers. And so, I went on a charity shop hunt yesterday to try and find some accessories to dress the room, vintage style-ee! I made it to 10 charity shops across Leeds. Here are some of my best finds. A mid century storage stool. Really cute little piece for £25, but it needed a bit of work to stabilise the legs. So this stayed in the shop. Rule number …

Marble & Metallics – H&M Home does affordable luxe

Published by Karen Knox

Copper Plant Pot – Also in gold and silver – £7.99 Hi everyone, here I am banging on about copper again. It’s not going anywhere, so you will have to succumb at some point. It’s easy to add some to your home through downright affordable accessories and H&M have knocked it out of the park this season. In fact, within about three minutes of perusing H&M Home, I made my “Oooh that’s nice” sound about eight times. Black and bronze ceramic pot – £12.99 This has reminded me to paint the rest of my DIY Copper Plant Pot black. Must do that tomorrow. I adore the colour combo, so bold but classic and this simple shape is super contemporary. Add a plant for a splash of green and you’ve got yourself a winner. Yes indeedy. Also in white and gold. Gold Pineapple Glass Jar – £4 £4! Pineapples are all over the place, along with palm prints and flamingos. Very Copacabana. This is currently in the sale and the silver ones have already gone, so get your …