Trend: Modern Pastels

I’m currently stockpiling empty jam jars because I saw a great tutorial on how to transform them into gorgeous pastel coloured vases like these:

To make your own use up any old paint you have lying around – or buy the smallest tester pot you can find – and pour a small amount into a clean, dry jar. Tilt the jar to swirl the paint around until the inside is completely coated and leave it somewhere warm to dry for a couple of days.

Et voila! They’re great for displaying flowers or even just as a pot for pens on your desk.

If that’s not completely satisfied your penchant for pastels then here’s a few sliiightly less thrifty purchases (£4299 on a sofa is reasonable right…?) to complete the trend in your home!

1.Mayor Oak Sofa by &Tradition, Nest.com £4299 || 2.Striped Wool Blanket, Zara Home £69.99 || 3.XL Boom Palm Tray, Heal’s £20 || 4.Hive Pendant Light, Made.com £99 || 5.Glass Vase, H&M £3.99 || 6.Twiitter Table Lamp, Heal’s £120 || 7.Blossom Side Table, Habitat £50 || 8.Maya Poster by Ferm Living, Coolshop £23.99

Thanks for reading,

Tali x

Trend: Copper Accessories

I’m a little bit obsessed with all things copper at the minute so here’s a few of my favourite things available now.

1.Cage Pendant, Made.com £99 || 2.Large Copper Vase, Habitat £25 || 3.Strand Lamp Small, The Conran Shop £450 || 4.Lup Candlestick by Hay, Heals £22 || 5.Metal Candlestick, H&M £6.99 || 6.Real Good Chair by Blu Dot, Heals £299 || 7.Metal Wire Basket, H&M £7.99 || 8.Range Side Table, Made.com £149

Thanks for reading,

Tali x

Gallery Wall Wishes

My next project is to create a bit of a gallery wall in our ‘office’ (i.e. the corner of the kitchen next to the fridge where the computer lives) as I think it will give the space a bit more definition. Since moving in to our flat we’ve been a bit too nervous to put any new holes in the walls so the only things currently hung are placed on nails that were already there when we arrived. This has somehow led to the presence of Ben’s ‘Homer Simpson’ light up clock hung in the centre of my planned gallery wall, quite frankly I’m not even sure how he managed to sneak it into the flat…

So here are a few of my favourite inspiration images…

 

1.  I love the use of Washi tape instead of frames in this image taken from Apartment Therapy. The ‘frames’ can be easily changed and it’s a super thrifty idea!

2. Sadly, as we’re renting, we can’t paint the wall behind the computer like in this image from live creating yourself blog but how great does it look? This picture actually inspired my own chevron print rug from Urban Outfitters which still makes me really happy every time I see it!

3. I love the mix of colours and objects in this image from Desert Domicile. I might mix in some porcelain mounted cow heads I bought from Tiger a couple of years ago!

 

So all I need to do now is get some great prints to fill the wall and find a way of removing Homer without Ben noticing….

 

Thanks for reading,

Tali x

Picnic Plans

As today is rumoured to be the hottest day of the year, my boyfriend and I are having a picnic dinner in the park. I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to do a little bit of imaginary shopping and have put together a few things for the perfect al fresco experience.

1.Lupine Hanging Planter, Anthropologie £14 each || 2.Picnic Blanket, Plum & Ashby £119 || 3.Vintage Fleur Tumblers, Lakeland £3.79 each || 4.Easy Chair, Ikea £125 || 5.Ria Woven Picnic Basket, Habitat £40 || 6.Modernist Bowls, West Elm £7 each || 7.Kaleidoscope Bowl, Lakeland £3.99 || 8.Oriental Lantern, Not on the High Street £12.75 each

Thanks for reading,

Tali x

Work Experience for House Beautiful Magazine

A couple of months ago I contacted one of my favourite Interior Stylists, a lovely lady called Hannah Deacon, and asked if I could come and do some work experience with her. After a few emails it was all arranged and I went along to help on a three day stripe-themed shoot for the August issue of House Beautiful Magazine.

When I arrived it was straight into unpacking the vast array of props. For every item used in a shoot there are multiple other options so it’s important to label where everything comes from and remember which box or bag it came in so that it can be returned to the correct place.

The shoot was held in a beautiful location house in Streatham and over the three days various rooms (or the parts of the room that would be in shot) were painted and new floors were put down. It was a great shoot to work on and I was even asked to make a few pictures that were used on the walls. You can see one below which I made out of ribbon and a little drawing of a boat.

At the end of the shoot everything got packed away and the house got painted back to how it was before we arrived. It’s quite surreal to see the process a location house goes through and the owners must be constantly living with the smell of wet paint!

I’ve been lucky enough to have since worked with Hannah as an assistant and it goes to show how worthwhile it is to do work experience and internships. Not only do you learn tonnes but it’s also such a good way to make contacts!

Here’s a few of my favourite images from the shoot…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading!

Tali x

Our coffee table for under £5

Hi!

I’ve been putting off starting this blog because the idea of writing the all-important First Post is so intimidating that I’d convinced myself it would be the hardest part of ‘blogging’ by far. However, as this is in fact, my second attempt at a blog (the first lasting a whopping TWO posts in total) I think that excuse is a bit pants and I really just need to get on with it.

On the whole this blog will be a way to document a few exciting things that are happening in my life as I’ve finally decided on a career path as an Interiors/Prop Stylist and I’ve also just moved in with my boyfriend after six years together! Both of these things give me an excuse to find pretty things to put in houses which leads me smoothly on to….

THE TABLE I FOUND IN THE STREET!!!

I’ve always been so jealous when reading other people’s posts describing the amazing things they’ve rescued from skips and charity shops because all I ever seem to find on the street is discarded shoes. However, my time finally came and I stumbled across this coffee table, complete with delightful faux marble effect…..

After a quick spider extraction and – in true DIY style – a 3 week period of just ignoring it, my boyfriend and I finally stripped off the paint using some paint scrapers from the pound shop, a lot of elbow grease and the inventive use of my hairdryer…

We decided to leave the top wood and paint the legs a nice coral colour – Dulux Caribbean Dawn 2 – that I matched from our cushion covers (I might do a post about those later as I whipped them up out of some bargain Ikea fabric and they really brighten up the sofa). The colour of the legs is quite girlie but the rest of the living area is very black, white and grey and I worried it was verging on Batchelor Pad-esque so I think it helps to counteract that.

And here’s the final result!

Thanks for reading and I’d love to hear any feedback!

Tali x