So, my latest project...just a little one really. Back to the upcycling buzz word, or as I prefer, customising. The mirror in the shots, I bought at a car boot sale - how original! Its either 1960's or 1970's, pretty typical of the sort of thing in homes when I was a child and pretty unattractive as well.

The masking tape is placed at differing intervals and at differing widths to create some nice stripes. Just take care to stick it down really well and line it up as straight as possible. Then select your colours. I chose turqoise, orange, yellow and pink and paint away! I used acrylics which are really easy to wash off if you make a mistake but not so easy to remove from clothing, so take care.

Finally, carefully varnish your stipes, which gives a nice contrast between the original wood and the new additions. It's now ready - an original piece that can be placed in a contemporary setting or will sit just as well in an eclectic environment. Can't wait for my next find - who knows what I'll do to it!.x

  

Just taking time to look more closely at your own city is something I very rarely do, I don't know about you. I've noticed that when you look upwards, usually on a main shopping street or in the city centre, the most amazing architecture and characterful buildings appear.There might be an empty or mundane shop below but on the next floor......have a go yourself.

I live in Liverpool and we certainly have an enviable skyline. The Liver Buildings and waterfront Graces - soon to be joined by the new state of the art museum when it opens next month. Then there's the 2 cathedrals, the Tower and The Albert Dock.

Well I had a closer look at some more obscure places, like the building above,very close to the shops at Liverpool One, but with all the grandeur of times gone by.The image underneath, also in Liverpool, shows one of my dream shop locations -where I'd just love to open my lifestyle store - Tradmodglam, of course! What do you think?

Finally, not wishing to be entirely hung up on the finer side of architecture, I have to confess a penchant for the humble brick wall. I'm drawn to the simplicity, yet complex little areas of differing shades, weathering and general wear and tear.

Base and beautiful. x

Another day is upon us and the longest of the year already passed us by - how sad! Don't despair though because I want to talk quirky angled photos(!!?) Yes, I did say that. Just to be a little clearer, I'm talking about making your photos more interesting by not just considering the subject, but considering the way you hold the camera; the way you zoom in and out and the way you choose what will sit in the centre of the shot or whether the focus will not actually be in the centre and give the audience a choice.

I am of course, no photographic expert, but I have taken thousands of shots in my role as a designer and in styling shots even just for this blog, there's a lot to be considered.

In the following shots, there appears to be no real focus or purpose, but there is a distinct flavour of what is going on around. There's also a little bit of mystery and perhaps a desire to see a little bit more of the story.

In these shots, the Chrysler Building and Empire State appear secondary to the scene....,the choice is yours as the viewer. Are they the subject or are they part of the overall tale being told?

Happy snapping.xx

After talking about New York recently, it got me thinking about some of the amazing stores in and around Soho and Greenwich and I know we have really only scratched the surface. Whenever I go into a fashion store, for example, I can't help focusing on the styling and interior design, wherever I am and the Paul Smith shop in Soho is utterly breathtaking. Yes the merchandise is beautiful, quirky and of undeniable quality. But the interior styling is one of the best I have ever seen.

The Paul Smith name is of course, synonymous with stripes, but the Union Flag and anything a bit 'Mod' is also a bit of a trademark. I was unsurprisingly totally inspired by this particular store and when I came home in February, I had to set to work and vent that creativity!

These tables above were the result.I am a serial customiser and upcycler - it's a bit like an illness! I bought each of them from our local Oxfam furniture shop. They were both heavily varnished  a very dark colour and I had to work quite hard with a sander and some wire wool and nitromorse to get them back into shape. I used acrylic paints and about 4 final coats of wax, applied by hand, nicely sealed them.

Would Paul Smith be amused?!

This is random! Today I was thinking about a recent trip to New York and all the wonderful and usual sights and sounds that go with that particularly fantastic place. I thought about the Statue of Liberty; The Empire State; 5th Avenue; The Rockerfella Centre, which incidentally, we had the pleasure of standing on top of on this occasion and it was breathtaking. But there is that other flavour of NY and the photo below epitomises it for me. 

We took the photo purely because of the sheer history, character, drama and grittiness that makes New York so special. Just look at the blackness of the brick facade and the intricacies of the detailed work on the window areas. I love that the unmistakable yellow of the traffic lights falls in the centre - and green too!

A reminder of the hustle and bustle and busyness.

If anyone can tell me where we actually were, I'd be delighted to know more about the building. I'm pretty sure it was Greenwich Village, but stand to be corrected - and educated!!

So another week awaits....Today I want to talk 'grouping'. It can make or break an interior and there are so many possibilities, its ridiculous! You can group through colour, texture, material, size, shape, age... and the list goes on.

In the image above, the pieces have no relationship, other than colour - purple, green and gold. They are a combination of the weird, wonderful and bizzare!

The groups above and below are related through colour.

But there really are no rules..... These images give you a taste of anything and everything. Have fun grouping!

Well we nearly had a bit of nice weather over the last weekend did'nt we? At least some of you out there, wherever you may be, will have had good weather!!  I don't know about you, but sunshine makes me think of, yes, barbecues, but also more healthy, fresh and 'clean' food.

On Sunday, we had a taste for fish so here's what I prepared for lunch, instead of something more traditional: A platter of marinaded king prawns on skewers and fresh, grilled sardines.
A simple fennel, red onion, radish and goat's cheese salad.

For the marinade, just warm a couple of tablespoons of olive oil with 2 teaspoons of hot chilli sauce and 2 chunky cloves of crushed garlic, some salt and pepper. Add your raw king prawns to the cooled mixture and leave to marinade for at least an hour. when satisfied with the marination, feed onto pre-soaked wooden skewers.

The fresh sardines can be left, head in tact, or headless and placed onto the hot barbecue , along with the prawns. Both will take minutes to cook, and should be turned a couple of times.

Finely slice the fennel - 1 large bulb will feed 4. Toss this with finely sliced red onion; finely sliced radish, extra virgin olive oil and freshly squeezed lime juice. Crumble as much or as little goats cheese over the top and garnish with drizzled honey, pine nuts and chop the green part of the fennel and scatter, for colour and fragrance.

Serve with crusty bread, olive oil and balsamic to dip.

Hope this works for you! x 

So where do you stand on ornamentation? Funny question, but quite pertinent these days, where we have minimalism, maximalism, eclecticism and everything in between! I personally go with the flow and have areas of barren abandonment and others of clutter galore. I think it's all about making decisions and experimenting with different corners and spaces in your environment, whether home or workspace.

I am a big fan of oversized decorative items that are unconventional as living space ornaments.These'Mega Munny' figures above are designed as toys or certainly with children in mind. However, they add such a talking point to any space. It's amazing how shocked people can be , when you dare to display a piece of moulded plastic, in place of delicate porcelain or carved wood. Likewise the 'Bear Brick' collection are equally controversial. 

An extension of the idea of displaying the unconventional as decoration is to display functional pieces in an unconventional way. Above, I have 2 iconic items - the 'Bourgie' lamp and 'La Marie' chair by Philippe Starck and both manufactured by Kartell. By placing the lamp on top of the chair, you immediately create  the unusual, with very little work at all. You have the added bonus of keeping your chair scratch free from jeans-clad bottoms and a greater dispersal of ambient light from your lamp! It's win win all the way.
Laters Lounge Lizards. X

Hello folk and folkesses.
I'm constantly inspired to create new things and push them forward as the next big find . Ever felt like that?!
It's the easiest thing in the world to sit and daydream and be creative and sketch and hatch plans, but the hardest thing to get off one's proverbial behind and do something about it. I really need to get this done - this idea of mine that I haven't really broached yet and I'll keep you posted about what it is.

In the meantime, let me know what you think of clothing for furniture, walls and spaces. This was an idea I had at university and ran with during my final year.....

I don't think anyone really 'got it' at the time. But what's not to get? We dress our beds with blankets and quilts; we decorate our chairs with throws and cushions, but there's never a different approach is there? I like the idea of custom made pieces, draped and lavishly adorning your favourite furniture or pieces of wall! How unnecessarily decadant is that?

Ciao for now. x