All posts tagged: saving money

SØSTRENE GRENE

Heard of Søstrene Grene?

Published by Karen Knox

I’m guessing most people won’t have. Design bloggers, journalists, design nuts and the like will most certainly be in the know, but Søstrene Grene is more than likely a new discovery for a lot of you reading. Which is kinda bonkers as they have stores all across Europe and over in Japan too. But the thing is, they only have two stores in the UK. Nottingham and Chester. Online? Nope. Which kinda sucks. So today’s post is a bit of a “look at what you could have won” situation. (If you have no idea what the image above means – you did not grow up in the 80’s. This is the kind of brilliance you missed out on). Founded by Inger Grene, Ruth Grene and Knud Cresten Vaupell Olsen in 1973, the first Søstrene Grene store opened in Denmark, and now, 45 years on they have nearly 200 stores across the the world. “Søstrene Grene offers you exciting products from near and far, attractively put out in a labyrinth of colors, shapes and smells. Our shops always have …

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 …

Where to start…? (a guide of what to spend your money on at home)

Published by Karen Knox

Happy January 2017 everyone. We made it! I enjoyed my week away from work, writing, interiors and all things loft extension, but it’s now time to crack on with life again. And i’m ready for it. It’s at this time of year, after taking the Christmas decs down and giving the house a good clean we start thinking about making home improvements and giving our homes a bit of love. My inbox has been rammed since December with people wanting some help, advice and design work done in January. Which is brilliant of course. Home Office in a Day My first day back at work in 2017 was a full house consultation in Manchester. The homeowner had been working really hard to save some money in order to give her family home, a lovely 3 bed, pre-war semi an update. When you’ve got several rooms to tackle, each room with its own issues and problems, it’s hard to know where to start. The last thing you want to do is go about it the wrong way, and …

Living LAGOM with Ikea – 6 months later

Published by Karen Knox

It’s been six months since we signed up for the #liveLAGOM project with Ikea. As a family we’ve been focusing on how to live sustainably, more efficiently, trying to save energy, water and money. It’s not a project you start and finish, it’s something you keep at, it snowballs, evolves and slowly becomes a way of life. Our aims at the beginning of 2016: Raise our awareness of how much we’re wasting. Use up food in the fridge before it needs chucking. Stop running the tap for 3-4 seconds before using the water for drinks. Curb the addiction of needing ALL my lamps on all over the house (must be a designer thing?) So, did we manage it? Firstly. Raise our awareness of how much we’re wasting. Use up food in the fridge before it needs chucking. Our awareness has certainly been raised. But we’ve not managed to solve the problem just yet. I think it will take some time for us to master the art of “not wasting food”. I blame being a full time …

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 …

LiveLAGOM – 3 months later

Published by Karen Knox

It’s been three months since we received our goodies from Ikea. Our specially selected items arrived in January to help our family live more sustainably, aka #liveLAGOM. And now it’s time to reflect and see if they’ve helped make any positive changes.   The good bits…. Everything has slotted nicely into our home, with nearly every item serving a very specific purpose, so i’m certain we made the right decisions with product choices. Our water saving RINGSKAR tap has made life so much better in the kitchen. Now we have a tap that not only looks pretty sexy, it also works. Isn’t it weird how long you put up with something that doesn’t work and what a difference it makes when it’s finally put right? The NJUTA bathrobes have been on every day, first thing in the morning and last thing at night, meaning we could have the heating switched off slightly earlier in the evening and coming on slightly later the next day. One of the biggest successes has been the WERNA blackout curtains. I …

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 …

#liveLAGOM in da house

Published by Karen Knox

So at the end of last year, I introduced to you a project i’m doing with Ikea, along with about 300 other people across the UK. We’re looking at how we can live more sustainably, efficiently and have a healthier and better lifestyle. It’s called the #liveLAGOM project. The project will run over the next six months during which time everyone will document their experiences online. Ikea are giving us some big help with this obviously by agreeing to give us £500 worth of items to help us improve our sustainability. Some people are focusing on reducing food waste, some on “growing your own”, for others it’s saving money on bills or sorting out a proper recycling area. There are so many ways we can all #liveLAGOM and this is just a start of a very long process for everyone involved. I’d already written my #liveLAGOM Wishlist, which you can have a read of here. There have been some small changes made since then due to stock availability, dimensions etc.. But now i’ve finally got our £500 haul of …

Making Spaces Sustainable #LiveLagomProject

Published by Karen Knox

I am now an Ambassador and demand Ferrero Rocher with my brew these days. Eh?   Well, I do love a Ferrero Rocher, but I mean i’m an Ambassador on an exciting new project working with Ikea and Hubbub. It’s called the #LiveLAGOMProject and we’ll be exploring and developing the concept of how to live more sustainably. I attended a workshop at Ikea Leeds on a very wet and windy Sunday morning. Let me tell you all about it…. All 19 Ikea stores and nearly 250 households across the UK will be involved in this year’s project, the first of three over the next three years. We are hoping to find out what it means to live better, what is do-able and what the barriers are to living “Lagom.” “Lagom comes from the Swedish phrase “Lagom är bäst” (the right amount is best), which we believe is the secret to sustainable living. Not denying yourself what you love, while not taking from the planet more than you need. It’s an idea with the power to change the way …