Why I Love Simple Plug-In Sconce Wall Lights (And What To Do If You Hate The Cable)

May 21, 2017 by Melanie Lissack in Interior Styling

Wall lights seem to be a bit of a controversial issue - people either love them or hate them. For some, they are a stylish way to add lighting in a room. For others, wall lights are super-dated, and ceiling lights with floor & table lights for atmospheric lighting are preferred. For me personally, I love wall lights. The space-saving properties of them alone make them a winner in my book. By having a wall light as opposed to a lamp on my bedside table, I have more space for magazines / flowers / half-drunk cups of tea and so forth. I think they also can add a real feature to a wall, the same as an artwork or styled shelf can. A beautiful wall light will create a focal point.

Celebrating Chelsea Flower Show 2017 with pretty pastel paint colours inspired by flowers

May 14, 2017 by Melanie Lissack in Interior Styling

Chelsea Flower Show 2017 begins on the 23rd of May. The annual flower show is always a highlight for me as I find it a huge source of inspiration. I do not visit it every year, but I always absorb myself in the TV coverage to find out what's the new 'it' flower for 2017, and who has designed the best show-garden.

The Top 5 Finishing Touches That My Home Would Not Be Complete Without

April 02, 2017 by Melanie Lissack in Interior Styling

A well designed room really comes down to the finishing touches. Those last pieces that pull the whole look together. If you do not add in finishing touches, a room will lack depth, texture, and that 'cosy' feeling will just be absent. I've therefore listed my top five finishing touches below for you that my home would just not be complete without!

Trying To Decide On The Right Chesterfield For The He-She Home Office

March 25, 2017 by Melanie Lissack in Interior Styling

If you have been witness to my Instagram Stories recently, you'll see that I have been redesigning and redecorating the home office that myself and my husband share. As previously mentioned, the home office that was once promised to my husband as solely his room when we brought this house, has now also been taken over by me with the launch of the blog! The home office therefore needed a complete overhaul to accommodate all his work stuff, plus all my blog and interior design bits (mainly consisting of paint charts from every paint brand know to (wo)mankind).

Brainstorming On How To Stop The Guest Bedroom From Being Boring

March 16, 2017 by Melanie Lissack in Interior Styling

We have a small guest bedroom in the basement of our home with an en suite, which is basically my mums room as she stays every other week or so. When we moved in, the room was painted the same shade of magnolia every other room in the house was painted, so I gave it a couple of coats of Teresa's Green by Farrow & Ball. Even though I still love this paint colour, the room seems, well, so boring. When I go into the room it is completely uninspiring. It doesn't help that the furniture in the room is all 'left overs' taken from different rooms we brought with us from our old house. These are 'make do' items that the room needs functionally, but haven't been brought to complement the room, or the other items in it.

Style Challenge With The VITA Copenhagen Silvia Mini Create

March 12, 2017 by Melanie Lissack in Interior Styling

A little while ago my lovely friend Jenny from the award-winning Seasons In Colour blog got in touch and said "You're crafty, fancy a styling challenge in collaboration with the VITA copenhagen Silvia Mini Create?"

Now the VITA copenhagen Silvia is quite iconic. The fanned 'leaves' create that globe artichoke effect that is unmistakably Danish in design. VITA copenhagen have manifested this design from it's original white form to also be available in a choice of metallics and a 'mini' version for table/floor lamps. The latest version is a DIY project, whereby the leaves are made from watercolour paper that can be drawn or painted on to create your very own lighting design.

So, how could I resist Jenny's offer? Apart from being convinced she will wipe the floor with me in the styling challenge (the woman just oozes style and creativity), this was right up my street. You can find a link to Jenny's creation at the bottom of this post!

*All the parts of the kit to get started - the shade, table stand and VITA lightbulb*

VITA delivered to my door everything I needed for my Mini Create - the table lamp base (which just clicks into place easily in seconds), a VITA bulb, and the Mini Create itself, which was packaged as an adorable flat carry pack. Inside the pack was the shades structural elements, along with the leaves that you popped out of the watercolour paper. You get extra leaves in the pack in case some leaves go wrong or you decide to start again. You can also buy a new complete pack of the leaves for £39 if you decide to change your lamp later further down the line.

As I had recently decorated my living room blue with elements of pink, I decided that I was going to create an ombre pink effect on my Silvia Mini Create. This would mean my lamp would fit in with the scheme of the room, while the ombre effect was a bit modern (I've been wanting to ombre my hair for ages but chicken out as I think I'm too old now to pull it off!)

I purchased a rose pink watercolor from my local craft store, then set about testing how I would ombre each leaf.

Using a small brush, I added a tiny amount of the pink paint to the tip of a leaf, then gradually added water, working the paint upwards so that it got lighter and lighter and the top was a very pale pink. I repeated this for all the leaves, which I was actually relaxing and enjoyable to do. Perfect for a lazy, crafty Sunday.

While my leaves were drying I put together the structure of the shade, which was a simple slot-in process.

I then slotted in my ombre leaves as per the instructions. This was also simple and they held perfectly.

So this is my pink ombre DIY VITA Copenhagen Silvia Mini Create! It is quite effective in front of the blue walls, and is totally bespoke as it has been created by me!

If you like the sound of the Silvia Mini Create, but don't feel completely 'crafty-confident', you can download ready-made templates from the VITA copenhagen website which you can then print directly onto the watercolour paper and then colour as you wish. There are a number of patterns available from geometric triangles to doodle designs.

So that's mine, come on Jenny show me yours!

* I was gifted all the items to make up the Silvia Mini Create by VITA copenhagen in order to write this post, to which I am super grateful! Massive huge thank you to Jenny from the continuously brilliant Seasons In Colour for letting me be a part of this challenge with her, and for always supporting me and this blog.

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

November 18, 2016 by Melanie Lissack in Interior Styling, Lets Talk About...

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.

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

November 04, 2016 by Melanie Lissack in Interior Styling, Lets Talk About...

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:

Make Autumn Nights More Cosy With My Top Duvet Cover Picks

October 21, 2016 by Melanie Lissack in Interior Styling

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....

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

August 22, 2016 by Melanie Lissack in Interior Styling

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!

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

June 27, 2016 by Melanie Lissack in DIY, Interior Styling

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....

Using paint to update furniture and add pops of strong colour

June 19, 2016 by Melanie Lissack in Before & After, DIY, Interior Styling

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!

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

May 09, 2016 by Melanie Lissack in Interior Styling

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...

How To Add A Bit of Spring In Your Home

April 13, 2016 by Melanie Lissack in Interior Styling

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..