One of my customers, Delyth has sent me these images of her fab recent loft conversion and house renovation, where she has used a range of bespoke handles and wooden knobs to finish the cupboard doors, in the loft and the bathrooms. She came across my range of bespoke handles when she was looking for door knobs and handles to finish her project.
I really like the useful storage solution in the loft, and how she has used the wooden handles to finish the white cupboards.

Delyth has used the Bridge design in natural beech wood as door handles, we made them to meet her custom specification.

A selection of rectangular painted wooden knobs combined with natural square ones add and interesting design element to the bespoke bathroom cupboards.

The botanical print looking fab in her dining room.

Continuing with the practical bespoke built in cupboards through out the house and final touches from chocolate creative handles and wall hooks range.

Feminine black and pink

Hello Monday, hello new week, and hello new beginnings. I am not going to go into details about how I feel about the latest development in the UK. As a Spanish living in London for the past 19 years, I feel sad, concern, and confused, it is not easy to see and feel how divided this country is, and what an uncertain future lies ahead of us. To top up the misery, Spain just had the second general elections within 6 months, to come to almost the same conclusion as the first time around. Right now, I find very difficult to seat in my studio, stay focus and talk about interiors/design and sell beautiful things, as this seems so irrelevant right now. 

But as I continue to be the same person I was last week, I can only do what I do best, my job!! Browsing some - new to me blogs - I found the gorgeous and happy This is Glamorous. I was captivated by its dreamy and glamorous aesthetics straight away, just what I needed today, flowers and more flowers, gorgeous buildings, landscapes and accessories.

I am painting some furniture at home in black, and organising the house for a photo-shoot. It helps me to put together some visuals mood-boards with ideas, pinterest, magazines and blogs are my main source of inspiration, although I have a very clear vision of what I like anyway. I have always wanted a chesterfield sofa upholstered in linen, very feminine but still simple and timeless.

Lampshade and cushion at chocolate creative | sofa and dresser at Anthropologie

The above photo is of my living room, I love peonies, and having a mixed eclectic collection of things in the house. The photo below represents my style very well, I like interiors with personality, art, flowers, dark painted furniture, wooden flloors, etc...I hope my ideas come together nicely, all I have to do now is stop day dreaming and get on with the DIY job!!

Dreaming with a Devol Kitchen

I wanted one of these kitchens from the moment I first came across Devol in some Interior magazines years ago (I am addicted to Interior/design magazines, I have a mini library at home of publications from all the countries I have visited).

My home is very important to me, I tend to spend my little spare money in the house rather than in fashion or eating out, etc…I renovated the bathroom a few years back, but the current kitchen is the original one from when the house was built. It is functional, and in good condition, but not to my taste or as practical as a contemporary kitchen should be.  So I keep dreaming that one day, I would be able to have my ideal kitchen.

I like the handmade aspect of their designs and sustainable production, the textured mix of woods, the neutral use of colour, and beautiful details. I would have a serious problem trying to choose which kitchen to go for, as I am equally in love with the moody dark version, or the rather calm and simple white option, but what about the smoky cabinets on white walls and natural wood?

Sebastian Cox kitchen 

Devol is totally out of my budget, but that doesn’t stop me from appreciating the beauty and quality of their designs. The craftsmanship and attention to detail is exquisite. I had the opportunity of seeing their latest collaboration with Sebastian Cox at Clerkenwell Design Week. The simplicity of the cabinets, and combination of natural wood with the choice of dark stained one is quite a success, the rusty country accessories, and over all the way they styled the space won me over.  

People say that if you focus on your dreams/goals, visualise them, and truly believe that they can happen, that most sure they will become a reality. Margarita will stay focused and will keep dreaming with her new kitchen, maybe it will happen in the next home? 

Photos by Devol

BEAUTIFUL FLAT IN BARCELONA

Back in London from my trip to Barcelona. This magical city holds a lot of beautiful memories for me, as I studied part of my Degree over there, and is where I met some of my best friends. The main reason for this time's visit was the birth of my friend Pilar's baby, Otto, a gorgeous baby that stole my heart... 

 

Pilar, lives with her partner Natxi and Otto, in a beautiful flat, very close to Plaza Cataluña, just in the centre of the city. With the upcoming arrival of baby Otto, they decided to make some changes in the rooms and decoration. With a flat as grandiose as this one, it is easy to get immersed in the decorating tasks. They both have a very good taste, and have kept the decor neutral to make the most of the modernists tiles, high ceelings, tall windows and features to speak for themselves.
They have focussed on graphic pieces of art (the top print is one of mine), black and white photography, added some vintage pieces such as the leather chesterfield and chair, combined with more modern pieces of furniture.

Otto's room

Otto's room is a delight, plenty of natural light, white walls, his soon favourite soft toys, and many cushions!! Pilar and Natxi, plan to finish the flat soon – I hope to show the final result at some point – but for the time being I leave you with some snaps of interesting corners and details. Barcelona has got the most amazing architecture and interiors, another location for me to consider, Gran Canaria, the East Sussex coast, Barcelona...

Photos by me

The Narrow House by FORM studio

The Narrow house is a beautiful renovation project by FORMstudio. The architects have converted a terrace building dating back to the late 19th century into a light calm oasis in the middle of the city.

London is getting extremely crowded, and the housing situation is becoming a very difficult problem to solve. Although I am not particularly in favour of converting old office/commercial properties into residential use, somehow we have to find a balance in this ever growing capital. Well, if you have the budget, projects like this are worth it. The conservation and renovation of an existing building is going to be always better than building a new one from scratch, specially in a city with such an amazing architectural heritage.

The space calls for simplicity over luxury, natural materials, neutral colours, unique art, handmade furniture and home wares…A good example would be the Folklore shop look, see below.

Wall hooks from my shop online 

Project by FORM studio | Photos by Bruce Hemming

Real inspiration from real homes at{mine}

If you are in need of inspiration from real homes, then head over to at{mine}, a growing community of very talented people, who have a passion for their homes and interiors. I like looking at real houses, that don't belong to stylist magazines, which looks are very achievable. My Home is important to me, and spending time trying to make it a serene and comfortable space where to live, work, and entertain is a must. I have chosen some photos around the flowers/plants theme, I think they make our homes more human and personal. 

By Maaike Davina

By Sabine Wittig

 By Cate St Hill

 By Igor Josifovic

 By Tiffany Grant-Riley

By Gitte Christensen  

By Jeska Hearne

 By Margarita Lorenzo

The Glebe House – a converted Georgian coach house in Clapham

I learned about The Glebe House when I met Alix a while ago. I have always being interested in old houses with plenty of history, so when she said she lived in this beautiful house, I wanted to hear more about it straight away.

Alix Bateman is the owner of The Glebe House London, an atmospheric Grade II listed Georgian converted coach house in the conservation area of Clapham Old Town, that is fast becoming a creative hub for the area. Holding workshops in traditional craftsmanship, such as gilding, woodcarving and stone carving, and hosting talks and mini salons, the interior Alix has created is a cool mix of period features, muted colours and striking contemporary lighting and accessories.

The living room was once a passageway through which horse and carriages travelled into the stable yards beyond, and Alix’s home is used for photo and film shoots, as well as hiring out for intimate parties and pop up events. Their latest supper club event, in collaboration with the Disappearing Dining Club, was said by Time Out to be one of the coolest things to do in London.

My favorite room in the house is the kitchen, it feels as if you were all the sudden transported into the past.

My English Romantic lampshade (above) fits the room scheme and colours so well, as if it has been created for it. Alix has chosen some very nice pieces to decorate the house, including interesting choice of lighting, mixed with some beautiful vintage trasures. The house feels like the ideal B&B to spend a few days if you are visiting London, not very often you get to step into these so chraming houses. 

If you are looking for a class in London, where to learn new skills in a very interesting and unique environment, subscribe to The Glebe House London’s mailing list or find out more on their Facebook page. Classes ranging from origami to taxidermy are set to run throughout 2016 and beyond, and the two double bedrooms have been listed in Alastair Sawdays guide to special places to stay in the UK for the past three years running.

Photos by Rachael Smith and Alix Bateman