Sunday 19 April 2015

Spring has Sprung!

Here in the Midlands the weather lately has been surprisingly good (probably tempting fate now) and despite the odd frost the ground is warming up in the beautiful sunshine.  Down country lanes, in City parks and in gardens and window boxes everything is coming out of winter hibernation.  The sight of blossom on the trees and Tulip and Daff bulbs opening up in the Spring sunshine makes me want to spend so much time outdoors!



Cheery yellow daffodils - a sign that Winter is over!
 
 
I love brightening up the rooms in my house with a bunch of freshly picked flowers popped into a small glass jar, or several branches of blossom displayed in a tall vase. 



Blossom with a cloudless blue sky!
 
I also use a lot of faux flowers, as although they are an investment initially, they are very cost-effective in the long-term and are not killed off by the wrong conditions or forgetting to water them (guilty!) and we keep having new stock in the showroom, some of which are available online, such as this beautiful orchid.
 
Orchid available from Bayswater Interiors
 
 
Now is also a good time to get thinking about some improvements to the garden too - you can certainly plant many new plants as soon as the risk of frost has passed.  I love looking at Houzz for inspiration for garden design, as well as the fabulous Sarah Raven website for fabulous planting inspiration and a wide selection of seeds, bulbs and plants.  Remember that even your vegetables can be planted in an ornamental design to add interest in the garden - the image below shows that even your cabbages can be beautiful!
 
 



Wednesday 7 January 2015

New Year, Fresh Eyes!

Yesterday we finished the mammoth job of taking down the Christmas decorations (although I always seem to find a rogue one hiding somewhere at a later date) and the hallway in particular looks bare after the monster tree my husband picked has gone.

 
 
 
Whilst it is tempting to just put back the furniture that we moved in December to accommodate the tree, it is worth assessing if a new look could be achieved.  Whilst it might be possible to pick up the odd bargain in the sales, often just moving the items you already have around a room, or even around the house, can create a new look.
 
Mirrors and pictures are a good place to start - often we have mirrors and artwork that we no longer notice in their current position, but if you move them to a new location they make a statement again. 
 



Contemporary Living Room by West Midlands Interior Designers & Decorators Rendall & Wright

Cushions can also enliven a space.  Could you move cushions from a bedroom into the sitting room and vice versa?  If you have a fairly neutral colour scheme throughout the house, sometimes just changing the textures is all that is needed - swapping cotton and silk for fur and textured wool for example.

If you cannot move larger pieces of furniture due to restrictions with space, flow and windows for example, then perhaps moving the table or floor lamps will create a different atmosphere, creating pools of light in unexpected places and highlighting any architectural or decorative features in your home.

 
 

 












 
 
 
 
It is always good during the bleak, bare months of winter to add some flowers, foliage or even fruit to your rooms - a reminder that Spring will eventually be here.  Above, the addition of red Tulips highlights the red lips on the painting and the red shoe in the glass display case below.  Glass BonBon jars full of lemons and limes look good in a kitchen, and large branches of evergreens can create a statement display on a console table.  Add some battery operated mini LED lights for a magical evening look.
 
We have a few more cold and dark months when we will be spending a lot of time indoors, so enjoy your home by refreshing the décor and seeing the things you love with fresh eyes again.
 
Happy New Year!