// Marble Bathrooms

Dayyyyyyym. 

Can these marble bathrooms get any more drool-worthy?!

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Topps Tiles

I found the most amazing herringbone marble tiles from none other than Topps Tiles! Who would have guessed it? They look seriously high-end. 

But I've got an even better surprise....they are currently 15% off too. 

Try to remember to recompose yourself after you've rushed down there. We don't want the sales person thinking you're weird or anything.


Helena xx

// Pattern Play

1.// mirror - marks and spencer 2.// bookends - alexander&pearl 3.// armchair - stuart scott 
4.// pillows - Idyll Home, Heals 5.// Light - alexander&pearl  6.// Artificial flowers - Habitat 7.// Coffee table - Heals 
8.// Rug - House of Fraser 9.// Print - Heals 10.// Chair - stuart scott

For me, 2014 is all about bringing pattern, pattern and MORE PATTERN into my home. Use contrasting prints mixed with statement pieces, such as the Sputnik-style chandelier from Alexander & Pearl to make a big impact this season.

// Spring Interior Trends

1.// Chopping board - John Lewis 2.// Plate - Marks & Spencer 3.// Le Creuset cookware - House of Fraser 4.// Floor lamp - Homebase 5.// Bowls - Idyll Home 6.// Pillow - Habitat 7.// Towel ladder - John Lewis 8.// Mug - Heals 9.// Blue vase - John Lewis 10.// Bluebellgray rug - John Lewis

1.// Floral art - Laura Ashley 2.// Cup & saucer - Laura Ashley 3.// Bluebell gray pillow -John Lewis 4.// Cupboard - Laura Ashley 5.// Bell jar - Marks & Spencer 6.// Lamp - Homebase 7.// Armchair - Marks & Spencer 8.// Paper decorations - Laura Ashley 9.// Coffee table - John Lewis

1.// Print - Heals 2.// Candlebra - Habitat 3.// Pillows - Heals 4.// Light - Alexander&Pearl 5.// Mirror - Marks & Spencer 6.// Copper candle holder - H&M 7.// Mug - John Lewis 8.// Basket - Habitat 9.// Coffee table - Heals 10.// Rug - Debenhams 11.// Lamp - Heals

// Finishing Touches #1 : Frame your room with curtains

Curtains and blinds are an extremely important part of a room's look that should never be rushed or overlooked. Not only because of the price tag (especially ones as large as these) but also due to the large expanse of wall space that they occupy, meaning that they have a large impact on your room's overall look. 

Curtains and blinds are one of the first things you must think about when planning your new room. Like any big piece of furniture, you need to work out style, colours, size and budget. You can buy pre-made curtains or blinds, but you will always run the risk of them not fitting perfectly. Many places like Dunelm Mill, M&S, Debenhams, etc all offer a range of pre-made curtains and blinds in a few variations of sizes, however, the choice of length and fabric is always very limited. Work out the size that you want yours to sit at and spend a couple of hours browsing the internet to see what is out there. You may decide that you want to go for a neutral colour and then go all out in your accessories. In which case, this option will be much simpler.

However, if like me, nothing suits your fancy and you want something a bit more bespoke, you will need to pre-order. The same places I listed above do also offer this option, and the range of fabric choices is much larger. You can also find local companies who will come to your house, collect the correct measurements for you and offer help and advice on lengths and fabrics. Going down this route is more expensive and will also mean that you do need to plan in advance, as most companies will take several weeks to make and deliver. 

I know this sounds like a lot of faff, but trust me, the end result is so worth it. You won't believe the transformation it will have on your room. Before I put my curtains up, the room looked hard, cold and unconnected. I choose to go with long, neutral curtains that fall and billow on the floor for a chic, town-house style look. Because my room is long and thin, it can get cold in the winter, especially with the large doors. To help keep down the heating bills, I decided to opt for adding thin wadding for insulation, which actually also adds a more luxurious feel to the curtains. The fabric is a beautiful, silky soft cotton in taupe to offset my light grey walls.

Tips:

• For rooms that are lucky enough to have high ceilings and tall windows, long curtains that touch the floor will look extremely elegant. However, if you opt for long curtains, try to stick to either plain or simple patterns to avoid pattern overload.
• Cute cottage style homes tend to have smaller windows and lower ceilings. Perhaps think about going for roman blinds in pretty, kitsch fabrics.
• Think about where your furniture is going to go - you don't want to have long curtains that will be trapped by big sofas or tvs.
• Also remember where you radiators are. If you radiator is under your window, then putting up a long curtain that will fall over the top of it will trap all your heat in the air pockets formed behind when they are closed. In this instance, maybe shorter length curtains or blinds (or both) are the better option.

If you have any questions or any more tips to add then let me know!

Helena x

// Christmas Gift Guide: For the Homemaker

1.// stag head jewellery holder: £25 Urban Outfitters 2.// measuring cups: £32 Anthropologie 3.// 'Sup' doormat: £32.75 Nordstrom 4.// Decorating with Style : £16.99 Abigail Ahern - Anthropologie 5.//  Jo Malone Peony and Blush Candle:  £39 Selfridges 6.// love me love my dog cushion: Barbara Coupe - Selfridges 7.// cake stand: £6.99 H&M 8.// faux fur blanket: £49.99 H&M 9.// faux roses tray: £45 Next 10.// limited edition cups: £8 Anthropologie 11.// glass jewellery box: £15 Urban Outfitters

I've finally put my procrastination to good use and have created a series of gift guides for those of you struggling/hesitant to find the time to waste hours trudging around the shops during the year's busiest retail period.

Each guide covers purse friendly to purse stretching items and hopefully cater for a variety of tastes. I have to admit, that compiling these was definitely a struggle for my self-control. Pretty much everything I have included (bar a few of the 'For Him' gifts) I would quite happily receive myself. Always a key determinate for a good gift. 

This first compilation is my favourite. As previously mentioned in an earlier post, I have recently moved into my first home. So this is basically more of wish list for me. Any friends and family reading this...THIS IS A GIGANTIC HINT. Especially the limited edition alphabet cups. Oh and the faux fur throw, and the stag jewellery holder, and the hipster doormat..OK, just everything alright!