All posts tagged: painting

Ode to Tretchikoff

Published by Karen Knox

Did I tell you i’m re-doing my bedroom? Well I am. None of it needed doing, I just fancied a change. A big one. Part of the complete re-design included some new art. Blue Lady, Attasit Pokpong I wrote a piece a month or so ago about some new artist discoveries i’d made. One in particular by Thai artist, Attasit Pokpong had the kind of inky teal tones I wanted my new room to be covered in. Well, after extensive research that particular piece wasn’t available as a print and the original was also enormous. And sold. **sigh**. So the search continued. I started looking for something like the classic 1952 painting, The Chinese Girl by Vladimir Tretchikoff. Also affectionately known as The Green Lady. You’ll all have seen this one doing the rounds in charity shops for the last 20 years or so. Well now it’s considered a bit of a cult classic and this one above was for sale at The Vintage Home Show a couple of weeks ago in Leeds. I was very tempted …

The Million Dollar Floor Lamp

Published by Karen Knox

A couple of posts ago, I introduced you to my latest project, Sherwood Forest. Today is just a quickie to show you how something from that project has gone from “meh” to “sshwing!” In less than an hour might I add. See that lamp? Well, it needed some love. And what better way to love it than to take off that old shade and make it all warm, shiny and coppery. Luckily my clients love copper nearly as much as I do. Whoop! So with some sandpaper and can of Valspar’s Metallic Copper spray paint I got to work. Pic from B&Q After one coat. After two coats. And so with our new rather glamorous lamp base which in total had three coats for good measure, it needed a new shade. Initally I opted for the Grande shade from Habitat. A simple tapered drum in matt black with a copper interior to reflect the light beautifully. But the shape and dimensions were all wrong. The client also felt it needed a little pattern, so off I went searching …

The Live Table

Published by Karen Knox

As you’ve probably learnt by now, I love a bargain. If there’s one to be found, i’ll find it. But I put the hours in. You’ve got to spend the time looking to get real good at it. So on ANOTHER trip to Ikea (Jesus, I know), and during a quick trip to Bargain Corner (which should be called, “Hi Karen nice to see you again), I came across these. Ikea ENHOLMEN, sectional garden chairs. Priced online at £45 each, these were brand new in their boxes at £10 each. £10!! I had no idea where I was going to put them, but I was damn well sure going to find somewhere. I ummed and aahed about how many to get and decided that as there was only three in our little family, i’d get one each. We have a smallish patio area which originally had our little bench on which was saved from a trip to the tip. A few screws and a paint job and it was as good as gold again. It …

The 50/50 Room.

Published by Karen Knox

Want to see the quickest and easiest way to update and redecorate a space? It’s bloody perfect for a bank holiday weekend spruce. Come on, have a look! My son’s bedroom needed a bit of touching up. I stupidly painted this room all white when we moved in 3 years ago. Matt, non wipeable white. Nice move. I really couldn’t be bothered to paint the whole room again. To be honest, most of it was still clean and tidy as furniture had kept his grubby hands and toys away from most of the walls. But the entry wall on the right and sections around his bed were a little worse for wear. So here’s what I did. Tester of Crown Easyclean – City Blues, in a scrubbable matt finish. Masked up with Frog Tape the section I was going to paint. Use a spirit level, but also go by eye as some bits of wall that were bang straight looked off against the floor and ceiling. Just make sure the entire line looks straight in …

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 …

Goodbye Ugly Wall

Published by Karen Knox

So recently I wrote a post about our recent garden sprucing, which included new furniture, splashes of colour and a home made planter. But I failed to draw attention to this ere eyesore above. The mingin’ concrete wall boundary wall. Luckily our neighbours agree it’s bloody horrible so they were happy for me to attempt to make it look a little better from our side of the garden. The driveway and patio are also completely knackered, but we are planning an extension down the entire side of the house in the next few years, so no point in paying to get the wall, patio and driveway re-done. So that’s why it looks so rubbish. All in all. This bit of the garden sucks. I was stuck with how best to improve this area as I wasn’t allowed to eat up any driveway space. It’s already tight to get the car down the drive, so there was literally no floor space to use. So I played around with some ideas: Ivy – Nowhere to plant it and takes …

Quick & easy garden spruces

Published by Karen Knox

As mentioned a couple of months ago in Green Fingers, my love of gardening has come out of nowhere. My idea of a nice garden before moving here involved decking, shale and a pot with a plant in. That one plant would die. The end. I had no patience for things that actually needed watering, feeding and “protecting from strong, cold winds”. Then we moved here. And the garden, although not huge had so much potential. I didn’t really know what to do with it the first year we were here and we had so many other jobs that needed sorting internally, the outside was left to my MIL to be, who was assigned the task of “garden manager”. She took bits out, planted some new stuff and slowly I started to see the woods for the trees so to speak. Potted Hosta and Aubrieta growing in the left bed Roll on two years later and i’m bloody obsessed with gardening. I can’t get enough of being in there, making things look as beautiful as they can …

I Can’t Decide

Published by Karen Knox

Earlier this year I wrote a post about my Geometric Desk Top. It was part of a mission to kit myself out with a home office without spending any (hardly any) money. I had loads of stuff sitting in the loft going unloved. In a couple of days I ended up with the space above. I was pretty chuffed with myself. But then as ever, I started getting itchy fingers and the shelf was annoying me. Should it be black? I wrote about possibly painting it. Then that stuck in my head. And then it stayed there for a while, hovering. And yesterday whilst I was messing about with my copper enamel spray paint, I just decided to get on with it and see what happened. And here it is. I’m honestly unsure. I’ve changed the picture as those white frames were not sitting pretty in my eyes (they were a quick bit of wall entertainment just because they were there at the time). This huge poster by Street Artist, Erosie is from this year’s Ikea …

Crown Colour Influences A/W 2015

Published by Karen Knox

Crown have released their colour influences for A/W 2015 and I have to say, i’m a huge fan of the three very distinctive colour palettes. It’s not surprising I already have several of these paint colours as testers from my own projects and other client’s. Business and pleasure testers. Let’s have a look-see. Faded Simplicity  “As its name suggests, this trend is all about a simple form. The palette is pared down on colour but rich in texture. Chalky matt, rough surfaces are beautifully combined with light reflective finishes and metal embellishments.” Justyna Korczynska – Crown Design Studio “Muted neutral tones fade and blend into each other to create a light and natural palette. The bringing together of opposites – rough edges complement jewelled embellishments. Metallic finishes work next to chalky matt.” Stitch “An appreciation of past skills and crafts. A synthesis of unexpected hues in modern patchworks and bold coloured weave. Bringing together the best of old and new offset by natural architecture and materials.” Stitch Exterior “Some of the most modern and prolific furniture …

My MCM Geometric Desk

Published by Karen Knox

Behold. My new delicious work space. I have managed to design and produce this space with a few left over items from my capacious loft space, coupled in with a new lamp and Eames Eiffel chair as a treat from me to me. Thank you me! See that crazy mid-century modern inspired geometric desk top? “Yes, Karen we see it. It’s hard not to” Well that was about to get kicked to the kerb **finger snap**. A bit of old furniture board from a super ugly old flat pack desk. It’s actually the perfect size for my tiny office space. I don’t have clients visit at home and i’m only little. So for me, this space is pretty much bob on. Here is how it looked before: The offending piece of furniture board. There were bits of the “birch effect” foil surface missing. Some idiot had done their Christmas selotaping and used the edge of the desk as a tape holder. Face-palm! It all started when I wanted a rug. A black and white geometric …