The Great Indoors... The Bedroom

So, as I mentioned in my last post, I've been busily lusting over home ware items online and filling up bookmarks folders to share some of them with you. I didn't realise quite how many gorgeous things were out there so today I thought I'd focus on bedrooms. With it being so chilly it seems like staying  indoors is the much better alternative to braving the ice and snow, so why not do it surrounded by pretty things?

BEDDING

Personally, I'm a fan of keeping things simple when it comes to bedding and usually opt for crisp white cotton sheets but whilst searching I found some white bedding with a twist and have been converted!

ZARA- I am completely in love with this set with the luxurious rippling silk trim. 

MATALAN- I was pleasantly surprised to find that Matalan had loads of choice when it came to bedding and at such affordable pricing. I love this set with the black satin trim and this reversible stripey set with piping on the edges. 

CUSHIONS

ZARA- As always, Zara Home offers amazing quality products, look at these beauties! The first one  would go amazingly well with the white bedding above. 

H&M- These cushions are definitely on my 'must buy' list, I love mixing up textures with cushions and this grey velvet cushion will be a cosy addition to my bed. The yellow chevron print cushion is a no-brainer, yellow is my favourite colour and this is too cute to resist. 

MATALAN- Along with their Alphabet charity scarves, Matalan also stocks a range of monogrammed goods in their home ware selections, I think this cushion is nice and simple to add to any bedroom (and would go with my L mug!) 

RUGS

H&M- I love the African feel to this printed rug, this would look great in a stripped back room with white or varnished wood flooring. 

IKEA- Ikea has some quirky offerings in terms of floor coverings and I think this folk print would look lovely in a white-walled room. That texture on the grey rug looks pretty unique and would look great in any room. 

STORAGE

H&M- Everyone needs some storage baskets round their room whether it's for electronics (ahem, my many hair straightening, curling, waving, tools), records, magazines or just plain junk! H&M has loads of wire options in a few different colours and this gold bucket shape basket is my favourite. 

IKEA- I love the zig-zag print on this hand woven basket, another 'must-buy' for me.

ZARA- I adore these blue and white hat boxes, and again, I'm showing you my devotion to zig-zag chevron print with this cute wooden box. 

DECORATIONS

H&M- H&M really does have some of the best selection of  affordable home ware around and particularly excels in the 'knick- knacks'  department. As I mentioned in the previous post, I love brass ware at the moment and that goes for any kind of metal home additions, this twisted copper coloured hook is perfect for keys or the back of your door. I had to include the swan pot because we used to have one exactly like it in my family home! I also love this copper coloured glass photoframe and have included this green glass bottle which I think always contrasts nicely with metals.

MATALAN- This mantle clock is so cute! Again, the copper will look  great amongst some other trinkets on a mantle piece or bedside table.

Charity Shop Finds- Home Edition

A friend and I are moving into our flat in Manchester, and although things have been delayed it’s meant that I've been able to snoop around and find some amazing homeware items to take with me. I’ve seen a lot of vintage brassware around at the moment, I think little touches of shined up brass can look amazing amongst other trinkets. Here’s a couple of photos featuring gorgeous brassware that I pinned on Pinterest recently…

So as you can imagine, I was thrilled to find this little engraved brass vase for just 50p. This will look perfect on my dressing table holding some flowers next to some candles. I also picked up this glass box in an orange/amber colour which will be great to put jewellery in or to even use as a candle holder with the lid off, this was £1.25.

If you can't tell, I'll buy anything candle related, and also found these holders which look so effective with tealights inside them for just 50p for all four. They’ll look great grouped together in the corner of the bath or on a bedside table.

This corked cut glass bottle was another lovely find at just £1.50 which will be great for the kitchen. I also picked up this decanter and shot glass set which was £3 and will be perfect for that first housewarming party. I was sure to use sterilising tablets in each of the bottles before using them which I would recommend doing with glass bottles if you are using them to hold food or drink. 

Keep your eyes peeled for my next post on my favourite homeware items in store at the moment. 

Exposed Brick Inspiration

With plans to move to Manchester in full swing, it’s time to think about interiors for our new pad. Manchester is famed for its red brick architecture (part of the reason I love this city so much) and the city is awash with converted mills and factories that feature gorgeous red brickwork complete with huge windows in many a flat.

Take a look at these images from Pinterest that offer some red brick inspiration.

Red brickwork had me at hello on first viewings of ‘Gossip Girl.’ Dan and Rufus (and Jenny) Humphrey live in a gorgeous converted loft in Brooklyn, NYC on the show and the place oozes bohemian style with stacks of records, guitars and worn in furniture.

Brickwork adds warmth to a room and gives it a traditional ‘rustic’ feel. I personally prefer brickwork in open living spaces in kitchens but as these photos suggest- red brick really does work for a bedroom too.

Sourcing iron furniture to go with the walls will complement the traditional industrial feel to the room but plush sofas, rugs, warm lighting and wooden accents will make a converted loft feel more like home. 

Picture Wall Mural

A fair few summers ago I got completely inspired by photos of mismatched picture frame walls that seemed to crop up on Pinterest and Tumblr every now and again. I’ve always loved sketching and decided to start a project to make a frame wall of my own filled with sketches. Here are some images from Pinterest that show the photo wall in action, a great place to display the photo wall is on a staircase and another twist is to hang the frames old fashioned-ly by tying some ribbon or string to the top of them to visibly show them hanging: 

I began my quest for the perfect photo wall by going to various charity shops every now and again to find interestingly shaped wooden frames of all sizes which I then decided to sand down and paint black. If you want to do a similar project, be on the look out for interesting shapes, frame textures and frame thicknesses to give your photo wall a mismatched feel to it. Here are the frames I’ve collected so far:

I sketched a butterfly for this tiny square frame and Andy Warhol and Edie Campbell in this rectangular frame. If you don’t fancy your hand at sketching then black and white prints and photographs will equally do the job. You could have one large print as a centre piece and work around that if you are lucky to have a particularly large space to fill. I got this huge framed print for just £1 from a car boot sale!

I'm hoping to find some frames to home these half-finished sketches and some ornate oval mirrors would finish off this wall mural perfectly... I'll be sure to show you the finished result (eventually!)