From Sloping Shelves To Doodle Patterns - See What New Products Habitat Have In Store For Us For SS17

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Two fun facts to start with - did you know that Habitat is now part of the Sainsbury's group? Did you also know that it will now have mini stores within larger Sainsbury's supermarkets? No? Neither did I! As Habitat's products will now be more readily accessible to consumers, I was interested in what Creative Director Polly Dickens and her team had up their sleeve for Habitat SS17, so popped along to their press show at the Kings Road store this week.

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Are Metallics Still A thing? Will Tropical Return? Looking at SS17 High Street Homeware Trends With Next And Marks & Spencer

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This week I was lucky enough to attend the press shows for both Marks and Spencer and Next Home, to get a sneak-peek at their new furniture and homeware collections for Spring & Summer 2017. If you are a regular reader you'll know I love scouring the High Street for interior pieces that look designer, but come with a High Street price tag!

First up was M&S. When I saw the invite to the Marks and Spencer show I knew it was going to be good:

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Make Autumn Nights More Cosy With My Top Duvet Cover Picks

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I am a complete sun worshipper, but uncomfortable summer nights all humid and sweaty with no air-con are definitely the worst thing about summer. That's why when Autumn kicks in it feels extra lovely to snuggle down all warm and cosy in your bed. Autumn is therefore the perfect time to update your duvet covers and pillow cases for snooze-season (or, if like me you have a small child, dream about being in your bed rather than it being a reality...) There are some pretty cool duvet cover designs out there at the moment, so I've picked my favorite reasonably priced bedlinen available to buy online right now....

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5 Great Places To Source Good Quality, Unique Pieces Of Furniture & Homeware At Really Low Prices

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If you rent unfurnished, or if you are just starting out in your first home, it can be a really daunting prospect buying all the furniture that you need. You can see why a lot of people go the flat-packed route so they don't plunge into the overdraft; but it is possible to get well made, individual pieces of furniture and homeware at a fraction of the cost. Unlike flat-pack, you will probably still love it in years to come, rather than chuck it out as soon as it needs replacing/you can afford something better.

This week I thought I would share my absolute top 5 tips for sourcing great furniture and homeware at really affordable prices. Unless there is something particular that I REALLY want from the high street, I will always try and source what I need from these five places first. I usually visit each place once or twice a fortnight to see what's new. I also get a total buzz from finding something amazing and unique that costs hardly anything! It's a feeling of being really lucky that it was you who found it, taking total pleasure in what you found, and having absolutely no guilt that it cost you most of your months wages!

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Make This Pom-Pom Cushion For Less Than A Tenner!

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Whenever I read an interview with a interior designer that I love, the thing that I pick up most from them is that texture and layering are key when it comes to styling a room. Texture comes from using different fabrics- wool, velvet, sheepskin; and laying means dressing the room to be visually stimulating. The easiest way to add texture and layer your room is with the home furnishings, so we are talking cushions, rugs, throws, curtains and so on....

Cushions are amazing as they can change the dynamics of an interior scheme, but are completely non-committal. You know how you can wear a different style outfit each day depending on how you feel? Well cushions act like your sofas clothes - you can add and remove them depending on how you want your room to look that day. Cushions also provide the ideal opportunity to add a fabric/print that you love, but can't afford to add much of in your home (like getting a sofa re-upholstered in a House of Hackney print, or curtains made in Sanderson fabric, which can cost from £50-£100 a metre!) You can buy cut offs, samples and fat quarters on Ebay and at fabric warehouses of expensive fabrics and make your own cushions, which is EASY! Trust me - you don't have to own a sewing machine, you don't even have to be an expert sewer, it's literally all about sewing a few straight lines together....

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Using paint to update furniture and add pops of strong colour

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Do you browse Instagram, Pinterest or interior magazines and ogle peoples rooms that they have painted a dark or a really bright colour? Are you wanting to experiment with these colours in your home, but need to dip your toe in first before making a big commitment? I'm a really big fan of strong colours - bright fushia pinks, inky blues, period greens, dark greys and deep teal colours are a favourite. Yet when it comes to painting a whole room this colour, like you may be, I'm hesitant! I think if it was just me on my own I'd take the plunge, but as the rest of the family have to live with it day in, day out, I just can't bring myself to experiment painting our sunny living room dark (for now, anyway.)

I've recently started painting furniture that I already own in paint colours that I love and want to feature in the house, but haven't yet plucked up the courage to paint the walls with. This is a win-win situation as i'm introducing pops of the colour into my interior scheme, saving money by only requiring a small amount of paint and updating existing furniture rather than replacing it.

If you have moved house and your old furniture doesn't look right in your new place;  perhaps you have brought a new dining table and need your old wood chairs to match; imagine what your existing furniture could look like with in a whole new colour? Or, if you love bright orange, imagine what an orange chair could do to transform your space and make it a focal point? It's easy and budget friendly to update what you already own with paint!

 

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How To Style A Child's Nursery (So They Don't Grow Out Of It In 5 Minutes)

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Baby is on its way - time to turn that guest bedroom/home office/place you hang damp washing/dumping ground for the hoover and the ironing board into a proper bedroom that you will spend more time in than you ever imagined feeding/nappy changing/begging for your sanity. It will also be frequented by a vast stream of guests, as well as being your new little pals first bedroom where they sleep (hopefully) for their first few years in the world.

Before baby is even here it's hard to imagine them as being anything other than that - a baby. Yet give what seems like 5 minutes and your baby is a proper mini-adult and that pastel room with a farm animals mobile is looking dated and in need of redecoration. It is best to get it right first time round, so take a peek at my simple steps below on how to style a child's bedroom that will take them from age 0 to 8-10...

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How To Add A Bit of Spring In Your Home

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Spring is absolutely my favourite season. It's the sign that the miserable part of winter (all winter post xmas when there is nothing to look forward to) is over, and summer is well on it's way. Magnolia trees, cherry blossom, bluebells, daffodils, hyacinths, warmer temperatures, lighter evenings - spring is bloody amazing!

Because spring is so exciting, at this time of year I always want to reflect this season in my home. Bringing 'the outdoors indoors' is also a big interior trend for 2016..

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