Here I am , back so soon. Am I ill?! No, just reacting to Pip McCormack's slightly fascist approach to interiors in today's Times Style magazine. I'm afraid I'm guilty of being cliche woman. Apparently we are no longer allowed stag's heads, union jacks, chesterfield sofas, Louis ghost chairs, cow skins.....You get the picture. Well I positively insist on all of the above and more. Kitsch, gimmicks, bad taste, tackerama. Bring it on. Don't be dictated to. Just arranged my Starck lemon squeezer at centre stage in the kitchen. Might put it on the mantle piece with some letter reading HOME. Ttfn. Xx

Wasn't sure if I'd get to talk in April! Thought the bathroom and bedroom saga would be finished by now, but it wasn't to be. Anyway, the bathroom's ready and this is what it looks like......

We chose travertine marble throughout, with a touch of black ,sparkly granite and glossy zebrano veneer for the toilet and bidet cabinet.The sink and tap are called 'Il Bagno'and are designed by Philippe Starck for Alessi and manufactured by Laufen.

 The shower is a wet room and the access is so easy and the experience a breath of fresh air!

 We recycled our old bathroom cabinet by asking our fitters to encase it in travertine.

All in all we are really happy with the result. Just the finishing touches to the bedroom to complete.
Speak soon. xxx

March is nearly through and April just around the corner! Its been such a busy month for me and I've had so much to talk about  - it's all mounted up! Just a gentle start to Spring is probably best..... thought I'd introduce a couple of new family members. As a family we've been quite partial to a Bear Brick or two, so our latest addition is a welcome splash of colour for the corner of our kitchen /TV/living space.

So what do you think? quite a beauty isn't he?! Don't want to offend anyone, so I've photographed his side, rather than his front. I know he's controversial, but I just think there's a place for these kitsch and contemporary ornaments in the modern home and that's that!!

Then there's the little guy above. He's sooo cute!? He's part of the 'Munny' collection of vinyl pieces, created for Kid Robot. He's 7 inches tall and comes with a collection of random, weird and wonderful goodies to accessorise him. I've used vibrant nail varnish to drizzle down his hat, for a fun and funky look. Hope he likes it.

Be back soon. xxx

Here we are in March then! Last blog dedicated to New York - and this time I want to share some pics of the apartment we stayed in. Last year we stayed uptown - pushed the boat out with 5 star luxury in Trump Tower Hotel. This year, we decided to live like real new yorkers and stayed in a self catering flat. As the neighbourhood in the Lower East side is so hip and trendy, the places people actually live, needed to live up to the rep' and we weren't disappointed......

What do you think? The place was very cute, with every possible kitchen utensil and homely device, free wi -fi and the Apple Mac was a nice touch. All in all it was quite a quirky, arty, little place  - right up my street.

Happy weekend! xxx

Back again! Can't keep me away right now - still got some quirky and diverse stuff from New York.Talked yesterday, about the neighbourhood we chose this trip - Lower East Side. You have to go. The vibe is entirely different to up town, although still, unmistakably NYC.



This store - 'Free People', I believe under the 'Urban Outfitters' umbrella, is truly beautiful. The spring collectioon is bright, floaty, feminine but still young and edgy. As ever, the interior catches my eye. This bike has been completely coated in grass- like fabric, to create a fresh, summery ornamental piece. Again, anything oversized as ornamentation immediately attracts me. Think I might try this myself!



Have to mention Karen millen, of course, for those who know me! Fab store, gorgeous location and wearing the clothes in this part of NY really gets you noticed!

Back to the 'hood' again! These shots give a bit more atmos for the location. Projeced images onto walls that look run down just bring the place alive at night.Even the Empire State Building can be seen majestically peeping in the distance.Yonah Schimmel's Knishes obviously sppreciated by New York hierarchy like Woody Allen.

Just to diversify, we were lucky enough to take a trip the capital and got to stand right outside The Whitehouse. Quite a momentous experience. Couldn't not mention the lady in the shot above, though. She has actually been camped outside the president's residence for the last 30 years, in a private protest. How amazing. She has all her belongings in the little tent and trained herself to sleep in 2 hour stints. Respect.

bye byexxx

So here I am back again! Got to talk New York really - even though I've so much to complete at home. As ever that place is amazing. We actually saw a pig on a lead , out for a walk and a cat too!! The cat was unbelievably perched on top of its owner's head - happy as larry and completely unphased by its surroundings, waiting to cross the road in the Wall Street/ financial district. How crazy!

Any way, we stayed downtown this time and didn't regret it for a minute. Our apartment was on the 2nd floor above a really old eatery  -'Yonah Schimmel's Knishes'. Such character, history and realism.

 

How cool is the front door? No graffiti inside, thankfully.This is a flavour of the neighbourhood - mosaic covered lamp posts, so cute!

The East Village was a couple of blocks away and they were actually filming a movie in one street we walked down. The street was lined with cars from the 1950's, with actors dressed accordingly.

Will return with some more Big Apple nuggets. CIAO for now!xxx