Picture Perfect

The Candy Files

House Candy = Screen Print Siren

I’d love her anyway, but the fact that she’s rare as well as beautiful makes my new Rowan Newton screen print (above) all the more appealing. 

When my husband asked me what I’d like for my special birthday next week I bypassed the usual route of handbags and glad rags and asked (OK, begged) for this. Why? because when the It bag is out and the dress has been spilt on, this lady will still be looking hotter than ever.

She's called Late Nights in Rouge, (which is quite appropriate considering the amount of birthday parties I’ve been to recently) and she is one of only twelve made by London artist Rowan, whose work is inspired by the city scenes and pop culture he grew up with. She’ll be bringing some urban edge to my quaint little corner of Yorkshire anytime soon and I can’t wait to give her wall space.

Fine & Candy = TA-DArt

TA-DArt… y’know... that moment when you place a picture on a wall and realise it was meant to be there all along. You’ve seen me flaunt my flamingos a few times now, but it wasn’t until I moved them out of my lovely loo and into a dark and un-loved hallway that they really made their presence known. This bright pop of colour at the end of the corridor has completely transformed the way I look at it. Once the bane of my life, I now quite like it’s narrowness and the picture hanging at the end gives it an almost gallery-like quality.

Flamingos framed print from www.made.com

Candy Pandy = Off the Hook

Armed with a hammer and a pack of picture hooks I’m downright dangerous. I move pictures around the house on a weekly basis and the redundant picture hook holes have become the pockmarks of my life. They’re also a great excuse to buy more art ;-) Exhibition time darling?

Arty Facts 

Want to join the arty farty party? Great news because you’re just in time. Head to Hamstead Heath between 11 and 14th June for The Affordable Art Fair and bag yourselves the coolest bargains in town.

Can’t make it to London? don’t worry all you super hip Northern crowd, there’s a whole floor of art candy and regular special exhibitions at the one and only Redbrick, Batley. 

Pop along any day of the week to check out the latest arty offerings in the Smart Gallery. I’ve made a date in the diary for 13th September when Katy Jade Dobson will be in store to show off her stunning collection of original art and limited edition prints. I’m going ape for this fella. 

Happy weekend all, I’m off next week to concentrate on getting older. You wouldn’t drop me a comment for my birthday would you? xxx 

Toilet Humour

When my friend sent me this picture of her newly decorated downstairs loo, I knew we were onto something. Also a mother of boys, the pink Cole & Son wallpaper was a brave move. “It’s so camp!” guffawed her teenage son, offering it up to Instagram for lolz. Bog-standard had become banter-some and suddenly there was a queue for the previously un-loved cloakroom. Boom.

A year ago I decided to camp it up in the downstairs loo. It went from pale and un-interesting…

                                       

To flaming-orgeous… 

                                                 

It still causes a stir when new visitors pay a call which, as my friend is now discovering, proves the little boys room is a great place to experiment with colours or patterns you might not necessarily dare to bare elsewhere.  Here’s why:

1) It’s usually the smallest room in the house, which means you can use fancy wallpapers to full effect without breaking the bank.

2) Loo lolz will ALWAYS be a thing.

3) You know I like to add a bit of magic to the mundane and where better to practise the theory than in the most boringly functional room in the house.

So I urge you all to carry on camping like my friend and I. But if pink flamingos are just a bridge too far, here’s a few more ways to help you spend a stylish penny.

                                          Go for gold

              Place ornate gilt mirrors in the room you’d least expect them… the devil is in the detail. 

Admire the view

No window? short on wall space? Make it count with a striking piece of artwork. The downside is visits may take longer.

Hang out with me

Wall hung units and wall mounted taps save on space and always add extra design points. This tall and skinny space is of supermodel proportions and dressed to impress.

Wall to wall WOW

Pile on the glamour by taking the luxe wall to wall. These marble tiles scream style which makes them worth saving up for.

                                              


Don’t keep them a secret, let us know your little loo luxuries below. I’m bursting to hear from you xxx

The Walled Garden: My best in show

www.designersguild.com

www.houseofhackney.com

The sun may not have got the brief, but in true British style The Chelsea Flower Show will carry on regardless.

Rain or shine, this is the show that brings crowds flocking to see the best in outdoor living - where the horticultural heavies flex their muscles and green fingered goddesses show us how to Give Good Garden.

I like a nice plot. I mean, given the time, I’d like to think I’d have a thriving veg patch and a perfectly manicured herbaceous border. There’d be rampant roses framing my door and a picket fence heaving under the strain of pretty white wisteria. 

Sadly, this scene will have to be resigned to an Alan Titchmarsh novel until such a time as a) I have retired and b) quit obsessing about the inside of my home and started obsessing about the outside.

But that seems like a long time to wait to join in the garden party, so allow me if you will to indulge in my own personal flower show… INSIDE the house. Here's VIP access to The Walled Garden, where go-to wallpaper brands are showing off some stunning displays and stylishly bringing the outside, in.

 Newsflash! Interior florals needn’t be girly or granny-ish. Instead they can be mean, moody and seriously sexy if you know how to work them. As the garden designers will tell you, it’s all about choosing the right colours, the best blooms and the right accessories. 

Designer’s Guild is my first stop when it comes to florals. This brand knows how to mix and match to perfection - avoiding chinz and layering on the chic. Colourwise, anything goes; no rules, no restraints and a whole heap of WOW factor. It’s great for mixing up wall coverings and upholstery for a coherent yet never overly matchy-matchy scheme, which in my book equals maximum edge.

There’s something for everyone in this brand’s massive range of floral wallpapers, including these two show stoppers; choices inspired by the Gold and Silver medal winners at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.

GOLD

This year’s Best Show Garden went to The Chatsworth Garden, inspired by the wilder side of gardening and mimicking the architectural delicacy of the 200 year old Champagne House on the stunning Derbyshire Estate. Now I don’t know about you, but I could happily sip champagne here, enjoying the sensuousness of this Darley Noir paper from www.designersguild.com

SILVER

The Far East was a major theme in this year’s Silver Gilt medal winner at Chelsea, The Hidden Beauty of Kranji, using flora and fauna native to Singapore. Add to that the Chinese theme at this year’s Met Ball and it seems that The Orient is quite a thing. Give it a fashionable nod at home with this new bamboo lemongrass wallpaper by Designers Guild. Available in 8 chic colourways, but this striking lime version is my favourite.

Bamboo lemongrass wallpaper by Designers Guild

In my own garden, the flowers of choice are oversized, blowzy blooms such as old school Chrysanthemums, English Roses and Peonies. In fact, I may be ready for my blue rinse after all, because I like nothing more than a glass of wine in the evening sunshine when these lovely flowers are out in force. Petal power punctuates an outdoor space with brightness and beauty and I wouldn’t mind a bit of that indoors too. Here’s my pick of blooming lovely wallpaper prints:

Meriedal Cobalt www.designersguild.com

Amrapali Peony www.designersguild.com

Ornamental Garden panel Print www.designersguild.com

Another brand that is nailing fashionable florals is House of Hackney. Picking from the decadent era of 1930s Palm Springs, this Palmeral wallpaper looks insanely cool paired with an eclectic mix of vintage furniture and homewares. 

 Palm charm

The brand is brilliant at throwing up unusual colour choices that demand guts but boast unbeatable fashion credentials. This is what you call a garden party.

Pampas wallpaper in nectarine www.houseofhackney.com

So there you have it. All you need to create your own medal winning floral display is a barrow full of 

gorgeous paper from either of these two botanical experts and a bucket full of bravery. 

Can you handle florals? 

Drop me a line and let me know what you think about flowery interiors in the comments section below. I would love to hear from you.