Getting into the Christmas spirit with Houzz

Last week, the lovely folk at Houzz invited me and some other bloggers along to a Christmas crafting morning at Heal's new Westbourne Grove store. It was the first 'work' event I've been to since having Daphne and it was lovely (if a little strange - my small-talk skills certainly need brushing up again!) stepping back into my old shoes for a morning.

First up, we got to do some Christmas crafting. HA. I cannot craft. I don't have an artistic bone in my body - I still remember my Art teacher writing 'Charlotte needs to think beyond the glue and scissors stage' on my school report. I was about 15... (not really). I don't exactly know what she meant, but I guess I was more of a fan of the actual cutting things out and sticking them to other things bit without worrying what the finished product looked like. But you know, life's about the journey not the destination right? I'm sure Paulo Coelho said something like that anyway.

I digress. This time I was more confident as leading the crafting element of the morning was my good friend and all-round interiors expert Vicky Harrison, who also just so happens to be the editor of Houzz UK. She told us we were going to make honeycomb paper ball decorations and had a lot of faith in me.

Well, let's just say that I lived up to my Art teacher's critique. My ball was shamefully the only one there that was so wonky that it looked completely drunk. If honeycomb Christmas balls could get drunk. But it was still incredibly therapeutic sticking and cutting again after all these years. If you'd like to have a go at making them yourself, there's a nifty step-by-step on Vicky's blog.

Next up, we were challenged to style up some Christmas place settings - one super luxe and formal, the other more relaxed and rustic. Sadly, as I live in a tiny flat and never eat at the kitchen table (it's the size of a postage stamp), Christmas place settings aren't something I've given much thought to. But inspired by my fellow bloggers - who were all incredibly creative - I decided to watch what they were doing and, er, sort of copy them.

I'm no stylist but I REALLY enjoyed this bit - here are my two settings:

Not too shabby huh?! If you feel so inclined, you can even vote for mine here.

Finally, all the bloggers sat down and had a chat through some design dilemmas with the stylists from Heal's. It was a really lovely morning, with plenty of mince pies on offer, and I left feeling thoroughly Christmassy. And wishing I had a proper kitchen table - but fingers crossed for 2016 on that front!

NB: Heal's Westbourne Grove, in the iconic Queen's building, is fab but only sells lighting and a few accessories, so don't rock up expecting to be able to do your Christmas shopping there too like I did.

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Sourcebook: My Bedroom

Oh isn't it lovely when you think of an idea for a SERIES for your blog? No effort involved, no racking of brains trying to find something of interest to share with the world. All the hard work is done already.

So here we go, without further delay and following on from my previous post all about my living room, it's time for the lowdown on all the bits and bobs in my teeny tiny bedroom. Yes, I do manage to fit ALL MY CLOTHES into that one built-in wardrobe and chest of drawers. Ha ha ha, only joking.

Enjoy. As ever, please leave me a comment if I've missed anything off or you have any queries! I do love talking interiors.

Wall colour (pink), Calamine, Farrow & Ball Wall colour (white), Brilliant White, Dulux Bed, Loaf Bedside tables, Ikea Bedside lamps, Original BTC Screenprint, by Clare Cutts from Baxters Gallery Framed postcards, frames from Habitat, postcards inherited Tissue box, The White Company Bedlinen, Laura Ashley Cushions, H&M Curtains, Dunelm Mill Storage baskets on top of wardrobe (just seen in first pic), Ikea

Chest of drawers, Ikea Clock, Heal's Mirror, Ikea Pigeon light, Thorsten van Elten Wicker washing basket, Debenhams Vase, inherited Glass storage jars, The White Company

Carpet, Wool Cord in Moon, Alternative Flooring Ottoman, Loaf Mirror, taken from an old wardrobe door, painted in Ammonite, Farrow & Ball

All photos copyright Houzz UK and taken by the supremely talented Chris Snook. 

Sourcebook: My Living Room

OK, so apologies, I agree, 'Sourcebook' is supremely wanky. Who do I think I am? An interior designer? Fear not, no, I know my place - I just couldn't think of anything else to call this post.

Since my flat was featured on the very lovely Houzz UK a few months ago, and since I will very soon (hopefully) be moving out of it (if we can ever find anywhere to live), I thought I'd put some details down on the blog of where everything in each room is from. Lots of people keep getting in touch and asking me for details about things, and it's really LOVELY because it means I must have SOME taste (despite someone on Houzz commenting that my flat was 'a hybrid of girlie, retro, seaside, student, office, modern, with a twist of chic that I'm finding difficult to love' - I mean personally, I think that sounds kind of awesome, but hey, I guess I would).

First up, because it's the one with the most stuff in it: my living room. So here's a grand old list of where everything is from, in case you're interested. And, yes, I know, this blog post requires no creativity on my part. Ha.

Some things may no longer be available as they've been accumulated over several years - if so drop me a line and I'll try to find an alternative for you.

Hopefully I haven't missed anything - feel free to leave a comment if so and I shall get back to you forthwith!

Wall colour, Ammonite, Farrow & Ball Chimneybreast colour, White - not sure, probably Dulux Brilliant White Floor paint, Downpipe, Farrow & Ball Rug, bespoke from Alternative Flooring Sofa, Fancy Nancy, Sofa Workshop Coffee table, Ercol (from eBay) Armchair, Ercol (inherited) TV stand, Heal's vintage Grey chest, Garrat Storage Chest, Laura Ashley, painted in Plummett (I think! can't remember), Farrow & Ball Mirror above fireplace, 60s dressing table mirror from a junk shop White leather pouf, Heal's Large lantern, Nordic House Small lanterns, Debenhams Ceiling light, Habitat Blinds, Ikea Cushion on sofa, Sparrow & Co Throw on sofa, Melin Tregwynt Cushions on armchair, MissPrint (yellow) and Mini Moderns (grey) Chest of drawers in corner, antique, inherited (I would paint them but the top has a lovely patina so can't bring myself to) Art above sofa (not seen here but on first pic), framed pages from an old Vogue calendar

Bureau, inherited from my grandparents, 1950s Desk, The Pier - remember them!? I hate my desk and I actually have this amazing Sebastian Cox for Heal's one waiting for me in storage at the moment... if we can ever find that aforementioned new house Desk chair, Eames DSW Colour Sphere wall print, A Rum Fellow Bookcase, Ikea (where else!) Bunny lamp, The Little Baby Company Desk lamp, Homebase Bin, Ikea

Lamp and shade, Habitat Typewriter, eBay Chest of drawers, as before Lithograph by Alan Stones, from Baxters Gallery, Dartmouth

All photos copyright Houzz UK and taken by the supremely talented Chris Snook. 

Shops you should know about: A Rum Fellow

Another shop this week for all you interiors fans that you might not have heard of but that you should!

A Rum Fellow is one of those unique brands that's impossible to pigeon-hole. I can't even remember where I first came across them - most likely it was on social media - but it was when I saw them exhibiting at Clerkenwell Design Week last year that I first became properly enchanted.

They describe themselves as 'celebrating heritage craft techniques in the creation of kaleidoscopic statement pieces. We create extraordinary pieces of furniture and home accessories designed to captivate the room'. I couldn't have put it better myself. Check out some of their wares...

They sell a wonderfully eclectic mix of pieces, from textiles, cushions, rugs and throws to furniture and lighting. Colour is the name of the game - plenty of bold, bright hues and tons of geometric loveliness. I mean, how ridiculously gorgeous is this cushion?

They also have a really strong art offering. In fact, the first thing I fell in love with of theirs was the quirky Rabbit Faunascape (below). I love everything about this: especially the fact that it's painted onto plywood. Just completely original and captivating.

If you've seen the piece on my flat on Houzz, you'll also know that I picked their Runge's Colour Sphere print as the giveaway. This print sits perfectly above my desk and everyone always notices it - I love the use of colours and the fact it helps define my workspace. It's one of my favourite pieces of art in my flat.

Another fab thing about A Rum Fellow? They are family-run. I LOVE a family-run business - it makes all the difference to see the passion and care that goes into sourcing products, and when you buy something, you really do get a bit of a warm glow. Check them out, and keep your credit card handy!

Have a nose round my home on Houzz

I'm very excited today to be able to share with you the feature on my flat on international decorating goliath Houzz. The lovely team at Houzz sent a fab interiors photographer (Chris Snook - check him out) round a few weeks ago to shoot my humble abode to feature as part of their new series visiting interiors bloggers at home. I then had a chat with one of their writers to talk more about my blog, as well as the story behind the bits and pieces in my home.

It's funny, seeing the finished pics, as I had never realised quite how girly my taste had become! And quite how dependent on grey and pink... what can I say, the two work together so well! It's been really lovely to have these professional shots done, especially as when my flat was last shot for The Guardian, it looked quite different.

My home really is an amalgamation of lots of different bits and pieces gathered throughout the years - many of which were handed down to me from relatives, resulting in a rather eclectic mix. But I quite like the fact that pretty much everything I own has a story behind it, rather than it all being bought at once to fit a particular design 'scheme'.

The Houzz team also asked me to pick out a prize for the best comment left on the feature. They wanted me to choose something inspired by or featured in my flat - so I went with this fab poster from A Rum Fellow (below). It takes pride of place above my desk in the living room, and always gets tons of compliments.

So what are you waiting for? Get over there, have a good nose round and leave a comment (be kind please, have I mentioned at all lately that I'm heavily pregnant and emotional?!)!

Can't wait to hear what you think!

Houzz Tour: At Home With... Charlotte Duckworth of Life by Lotte

PS to see all the shots Chris took, check out My Home ideabook

Shops you should know about: The Peanut Vendor

As an interiors journalist, I get bucketloads of press releases and marketing emails every day. Well, most people get bucketloads of marketing emails every day don't they? Unless you've somehow managed to avoid EVER having to give away your email address (if so, tips on how you did this gratefully received).

Anyway, out of all the emails I get, there's one I always open without fail. And that's the one from North London vintage shop, The Peanut Vendor.

Specialising in early to late 20th century furniture, lighting, textiles and accessories, The Peanut Vendor has a real life shop (in Victoria Park) as well as its online incarnation, and recently opened a coffee shop on site too. Look at some of their latest gems...

God knows how they source this stuff; they're not saying, and fair play.

I should add here an embarrassing disclaimer: I've yet to buy anything from The Peanut Vendor. But that's because I've spent my life having too much furniture (mostly inherited), rather than not enough. That's what happens when you live in a cramped London flat. But still, I always open that email from them, and gaze wistfully at their amazing finds, imagining which fantasy rooms in my fantasy massive house I'd put each piece in.

Always reasonably priced, their wares are photographed simply and clearly from multiple angles, and I feel I'd have full confidence ordering something from them without seeing it in the flesh.

They send out a weekly email of their latest stock - so make sure you sign up, because everything featured seems to sell within a day, and sometimes hours. I promise you, it'll be the one marketing email you open without fail!

Christie's Interiors Auction

Last weekend, I went along to my first ever auction, at Christie's. I'd always been curious as to what went on at a live auction, and had always thought that it was probably very intimidating and that everyone there was a millionaire art dealer, and that if I so much as sneezed at the wrong time I'd end up bidding £1m for an ornamental dog.

I've been to Chiswick Auctions many times before on viewing days, but Christie's is in another league entirely. I also had no idea that Christie's did interiors auctions! But they do. Embarrassing.  Mostly held on Tuesdays at their auction house in South Kensington. However, I went along on a Sunday to watch the first half of another sale, and have a wander round the viewing areas.

What fascinated me the most was that the majority of the bidding seemed to be taking place online - or on the phone. There were actually only a few people in the auction room itself, and the (charming) auctioneer mostly spoke above our heads - to a camera (I realised this after a few minutes of wondering if she had a problem with her neck). The pace was speedy but relaxed, and it didn't feel anywhere near as intimidating as I had anticipated. What was also interesting was that so much of the older pieces went to American bidders - they certainly love our antiques. I guess it's the Downton Abbey effect...

But best of all was the range of items on offer. Among the more, er, conservative pieces were some real gems, all guide-priced very reasonably. Albeit with Christie's sale charges yet to be added.

I especially fell in love with this beautiful shop cabinet, guided at £1,500 to £2,000. It was in pristine condition.

There were several other fab pieces that caught my eye too.

Buttoning is always a winner with me but I love this sofa most for its gold legs. Ridiculous.

These made me laugh. Possibly would look a little out of place in front of my two-bed maisonette...

If sofas could talk! Bet this has seen some interesting things.

And finally, I fell in love with this painting. I'm not much of an art fan, but I just thought it was beautiful... At £4-6,000 however, she was a little out of my price range.

I didn't buy anything as I actually need to get rid of furniture at the moment rather than acquire new pieces, but I do heartily recommend the Christie's auction if you're looking for something a little unusual that has heritage. I'm a huge fan of buying second-hand furniture - the quality of older pieces is usually far greater than anything you can buy today and prices are surprisingly reasonable.

You don't have to go to the auction itself to bid, as details of all Christie's sales are online. Definitely worth a look through the catalogues - I warn you though, it's a addictive! And don't even THINK of going near the fine jewellery catalogue...

Hospital flooring

When I moved into my flat, it was carpeted throughout the hall, bedrooms and living room. With worn blue speckled carpet that was stained in places thanks to the geriatric, incontinent cat that formerly lived there. One of the first things I did when I moved in was rip up all the carpets, including painstakingly taking up all the gripper things that were nailed round the edges of every single room. I had a week to sort out the flooring before I had to move in, so I slapped floor paint on all the floorboards, resolving to decide on a more permanent solution once I'd settled in.

And actually, for the last two and a half years, I've really liked my painted floorboards. But over time, and in the hall especially, they've started to look really really worn. 'Not so much shabby chic,' as my dad said the other day, 'as just shabby.'

But the problem is, I'm completely stumped as to alternative solutions. I considered a stair runner but I can't find any designs I particularly like, and they just don't feel very 'me'. Laying engineered wood flooring is another possibility, but it doesn't really fill my heart with glee - it just seems safe, and a bit boring. It also doesn't really help me sort out the stairs, which are also painted white and although aren't as scuffed as the hall, are beginning to look a little worse for wear.

When I redid my bathroom last year, I laid grey vinyl from the Colour Flooring Company on the floor - and although it was really just a practical decision at the time, I absolutely love it. It's so easy to keep clean and is so warm underfoot and feels very hardwearing. It's super cheap. And I think it looks really smart.

So yesterday I had the bright idea of laying vinyl flooring throughout the rest of the flat too. Well, on the top floor hallway, and in my bedroom. I thought I'd keep my stairs white, and just repaint them. I was thinking of a pale grey for the hallway and white for my bedroom. Excited, I scoured Pinterest for inspiration and I thought my problems were solved!

I even had grand plans about ripping up the existing flooring in the kitchen (horrible beige vinyl tiles) and replacing it all with a flat run of this stuff. But then I told my dad.

And he said it would make the flat feel like a hospital.

And then I told my friend Vicks, of The Relaxed Home fame, and she said it would be a nightmare to keep clean.

And so now... I'm just not sure again. Help!

The paint snowball

It all started with a door. Well, no, that's not quite true. It all started with a cat. And the need to shut him out, which resulted in this shiny new (old) door on my kitchen, from Architectural Salvage in south Wimbledon.

Once the door was installed, I had to paint around the brand new doorframe. So I did (which is why it looks so shiny and white in comparison with the walls). The shiny white doorframe continued on the other side too, inside the kitchen. Result of shiny white doorframe? The kitchen walls looked really, really shabby.

You may remember my kitchen looked like this:

Nice enough, but a bit 'meh'. Enter Farrow & Ball's French Gray...

Move one fridge...

Several hours and sore arms later, you get this...

I love it! So much warmer and more inviting. The trouble is, of course, now the hall walls look really, really shabby...

Behind the Brand: Nordic House

I have to start this post with a disclaimer: Scandi interiors boutique Nordic House is one of the clients of my digital comms agency DECORUM. The company is run by husband and wife dream team Sandie and Alan Wallman (pictured above). But even if they weren't one of my clients, I'd still be posting this, because theirs is one of the loveliest online shops I've ever come across, and all their products are totally adorable and irresistible. And just to make it even better, they are some of the nicest people I've ever worked with. And they live BY THE SEA in Cornwall, and have a warehouse made up entirely of female staff...

Yes, they are brilliant. And yes, this is basically a gushfest. So let's begin...

How long ago did you set up Nordic House?

We set it up at the end of 2008, and initially launched just to friends and family. Then in March 2009, we really started trading properly.

How did the idea for the business come about?

Owning a business in Sweden for many years made us fall in love with all things Scandinavian. When we moved to Cornwall in 2005, we bought a derelict property to bring back to life and set off in search of gorgeous Scandinavian-style pieces to fill it with. We enjoyed the process so much, we decided to turn it into a business.

What inspired you?

We find inspiration everywhere – from our years spent working in Sweden to the ever-changing nature of having a home by the water and of course... Pinterest! We love contemporary design, vintage treasures, crafts, texture, originality, making mood boards, everything artisan, our team, people, Scandinavia and Cornwall… the list goes on!

Describe a typical day in the Nordic House team.

It is usually madly busy all day, as we are responsible for every aspect of the business! We divide our time between sourcing, buying, photography, PR, Marketing, HR, our team, the warehouse, website maintenance and development.... etc

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

Working with a great team of people!

What's the most interesting thing you've learnt since starting the company?

To trust my instinct...

What's your proudest achievement so far?

There have been many but among the best - first and foremost, is our fantastic team... and the moment I saw a product featured in a major interiors magazine for the first time! It was GoodHomes mag back in February 2009. We also love travelling around Scandinavia, sourcing new products for our collections and making them come to life on our website.

Any particular products you want to shout about/favourites?

Personal favourites - hmmm that’s a difficult one! From our current collection, I love our big stainless steel lanterns, the vintage zinc trunks and quirky knitted poufs.

I have just finished putting together our new Autumn/Winter collection and there are so many gorgeous new pieces in there too... All will be revealed soon!

How would you describe your personal design ethos?

Relaxed, affordable, quirky, mixing old and new, vintage and above all different!

Can you describe your own home?

It's our nest....for sharing with friends and loved ones. It's light, airy and open, with lots of pale wood, whites and blues, reflecting the water outside....

How does your life by the sea influence your work?

I find living by the sea so inspirational, ever changing, calming. The ability to go for a walk on the beach after work stimulates the soul.

What's your hope for the company's future?

To continue to grow our team, our collections and source fabulous products for our customers!

Nordic House's summer sale is now on, with up to 50% off certain items - check it out now, and prepare to spend!