Home Improvements

This blog first appeared on the Cambridge Evening News website.

The August bank holiday is so often ear-marked as a time for home improvements and with this in mind, we have put together a collection of accessories from some of our favourite designers and shops that we hope will inspire you to make those small but effective changes to your home, so that if the big DIY project doesn’t materialise, at least you home will be looking new and improved!

Lighting

Changing your light fittings will make a huge difference to your home. Add lamps where you can and select pendant lights that are beautiful in a room as well as giving the right kind of light for the space.

 

Single glass shades with black fabric twisted flex and dark bronze ceiling rose in purple, smoked olive, sky blue and yellow ochre. £262 www.rockettstgeorge.co.uk

Rugs

A new rug will add colour, comfort and style to a room and is a great place to add colour or pattern or both. Keep the rug as large as possible and don’t be afraid to sit the sofas and chairs (or other furniture) on it.

Niki Jones Lattice Rug  Hand knotted in 100% New Zealand wool. Available in two colourways, shown here in Ash Grey and Chartreuse Green £1250 http://www.niki-jones.co.uk

Flowers

Fresh flowers are a lovely accessory in any room of the home and will bring a welcoming, well-loved feel to your home.. Try to pick flowers and vases that fit in with the style and colours of your home but most importantly, pick flowers you love!

WildGarden Bouquet in Jug. Forget Me Nots, Anemones and Rambling Clematis. £65 plus delivery www.wildatheart.com

Cushions

I am a very big fan of a cushion or two as I think they add luxurious finishing touch to a space, not to mention a splash of colour and pattern. Try to add a selection of different cushions and avoid over co-ordination of fabrics.

Vintage Daisies and Roses Cushion Cover Approximately 50cm x 50cm, envelope back fastening with chunky shell buttons. £57 www.paleandinteresting.com

Bed linen

A new set of bed linen will not only make your bedroom look ship shape but will also be a wonderful reason to get an early night when the bank holiday weekend is over. I think some colour or texture (or both) in your bedlinen ensures that the bed is the centrepiece of your room but if you prefer plain white, a bedthrow will do just as well.

Andrew Martin Arrowstripe Duvet Covers, Multi from John Lewis

£99 – £125 Duvet cover for the duvet cover www.johnlewis.com

Mirrors and pictures

I am always amazed at the difference that hanging pictures and mirrors make to a room – they not only personalise a space but they also draw the eye upwards from the furniture to make a room seem bigger. If you don’t have a great art collection (or even if you do), well framed family photos, mirrors, prints and wall hangings will dress your walls in style. Think carefully about where each should hanging considering the background (paint or wallpaper), the lighting and the height that each piece is hung.

Graham and Green Grand Daisy Mirror 97 diameter £395 www.grahamandgreen.co.uk

Bath towels

A great way to get a bit of colour and luxury into the smallest room in the house is to splash out on some coloured towels. Remember to get a selection of sizes from little hand towels to big bath sheets and check to see if you need additional hooks or towel rails to save them from all being piled onto the towel warmer or radiator.

Designers Guild Saraille Lime Towels £5-£45 www.designersguild.com

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The English Home

Happy New Year to you all and we hope you had a good Christmas break.

The lovely magazine The English Home is out (February edition) and we are rather thrilled that we have a mention in the trade secrets section. Here is our piece – you will have to get the magazine to read what the other interior designers have to say!

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From Missing rooms to First impressions – read all our latest articles here

Read all about it! We have posted four new design articles up on our website this week, so if you missed out on any of our features, don’t worry, you can read them all right here! From Missing rooms, to First impressions, click through to find out more.

 

 

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25 Beautiful Homes – August 2011

One of Angel + Blume’s projects is in 25 Beautiful Homes this month and Gail Abbott and Mark Scott have done a great job with the styling and photography respectively. A huge thank you to Annalise and Justin who allowed their home to be photographed. The project is on our website but here are a few of the images – we hope you like them!

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‘Read all about it’ – New, improved ‘articles’ section now live on the Angel + Blume website

In need of a bit of design inspiration? We’ve updated the articles page of the Angel + Blume website and added even more of our recent press articles to keep you happy. Whether you want to find out how to lighten up your home for summer, get some tips on how to hang art or just want to browse, take a peek at the new, improved page.

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Lighten Up For Summer – as featured in Velvet magazine

Our latest design article is now out in Velvet magazine but don’t worry if you missed it, you can read it here!

The clocks have gone forward, the evenings are lightening up and summer is on the horizon. There’s nothing better than shaking off the winter gloom and getting your house ready for the summer months. Victoria Harrison shares some simple tips to make your home lighter and brighter.

 

Update curtains to let the sunshine in

This is a simple update which makes a huge difference. Heavy drapes are lovely and cosy in the winter but for summer you need light, airy voiles and sheer fabrics to allow the sunshine to pour in. Update yours to make the most of those long summer evenings; if you need a bit more privacy you can always hang a blind behind the voiles. Invite the sunshine in by ensuring your windows are sparkling clean; scrub the frames inside and out to get rid of winter grime and polish the glass with a water and vinegar solution to make them gleam. Finally, declutter window frames to make sure that nothing is blocking the light; move ornaments, vases and photo frames to a shelf and keep windowsills nice and clear.

 

Switch things around

In the summer you don’t need extra layers under your feet, so store heavy rugs away until autumn. With endless feet traipsing in and out from the garden it’s much more practical to have simple floorboards which can be swept clean. Banish heavy cushions and throws to a cupboard as well and lighten up for the summer months with soft and silky fabrics. Bright cheerful colours will give your house a lift, so indulge your home with zingy fabrics and cheery patterns. Think about reshuffling the furniture in your room to breathe a bit of life and fresh air into the space. In the winter we tend to group chairs close together and huddle around the fireplace or TV but in the summer months it’s nice to rearrange your furniture so you can sit in your favourite chair and look at the view out of the window rather than the TV screen. It’s the perfect time to declutter your living space too; in the winter we tend to gather our belongings around us, but summer is the perfect time to tidy up, store away unused items and make a fresh start.

 

Reflect the light

Reflect all that lovely summery light around your room with a large sparkling mirror. If you have recessed walls or dark corners a mirror is a great way to bounce light back into the room. Glass vases and candlesticks are good when it comes to adding extra sparkle too. I love mirrored furniture, but if you just want to update a few accessories rather than buy new furniture then mirrored lamp bases and photo frames are a good way of brightening up a scheme. Bunches of fresh cut flowers are the simplest way of bringing the outdoors in and they are a brilliant and inexpensive decorating staple throughout the summer. Even just a couple of blooms in a small votive will cheer up a room and add a layer of summer scent. Finally, small tea lights in mirrored or glass jars will add a cheerful glow to those lovely long summer evenings.

This article first appeared in Velvet magazine – issue 47 – May 2011.

Image credits: The White Company, The Contemporary Home, Jan Constantine, Dunelm Mill

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Using Colour in your Home – as featured in Velvet magazine

Our latest design article is now out in Velvet magazine.

Victoria Harrison of Interior Design Talks shares insider secrets on how to decorate with colour to get the kind of home usually seen only in glossy magazines. Colour can be intimidating but with a bit of expert advice you can add warmth, interest, drama and character to your home.  Follow these simple, easy tips and you can use colour like the experts.

Start with neutrals
Most colour schemes are based on a palette of colours that you’re instinctively drawn to. Neutrals show up that point well because the colour difference is subtle. The neutrals that you pick out as your favourites will then form the basis of your scheme to which you can then add stronger colours.

Bold colours
Stronger colours are traditionally used on walls; however you can easily apply them to woodwork, alongside neutral wall colourings. You could also use bolder colours on a feature wall if you have a good reason to; for example, as a backdrop to a collection of framed photographs or art. The best way to introduce strong colours into your colour scheme is by accentuating a fabric or accessory within the room.  Not only are these much easier to change if you tire of them, but this approach allows you to bring the room together.

Working with light
Light in a room can change dramatically during the day. There is also a huge difference between natural and artificial light, and it can be really hard to predict how the light in a room will impact on the paint colour. For example, you might choose a particular colour in a shop only to find that it looks totally different when you get it home. The solution is to paint your chosen colour onto a large piece of card (minimum A4 size), pin it on the wall and look at it during the day and at night to see how it changes.

Adding Accessories
Remember that your colour scheme is not just about paint, but includes a layering of different colours and materials. These obviously include fabric and accessories but flooring is also important to consider, and is frequently overlooked. One of my favourite ways of adding colour is to create a fairly light, calm background scheme using neutral tones for walls, floors and major furnishing items. You can then add you main accent colour in rugs, cushions, occasional furniture, accessories and even flowers.

All images credit: Fired Earth. Read the full article in Velvet here.

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