Happy Easter

Wishing you all a very happy and restful Easter break, from all of us at Angel and Blume.

Image by Mark Scott, styled by Gail Abbott

 

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Living with White

I am loving the snow that is falling in Cambridge today (give me a few days and I will think differently) and I am once again marvelling at how nature really is the best colourist in the world.  The snow is the whitest of whites when it falls, perfectly complementing the winter trees, green parks and grey skies and creates the most extraordinary light in both daylight and as the sun fades. All of this adulation of the snow has turned my mind to how lovely white interiors can be and in celebration, I am highly recommending the fabulous book ‘Living with White’ by Gail Abbott and Mark Scott which if you love neutrals is a must have for your library.

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The Home-Sewn Home

Gail Abbott has written many wonderful interiors books over the years and her latest in collaboration with Vanessa Arbuthnott is an absolute winner. The Home-Sewn Home is a collection of 50 step-by-step soft furnishings projects and each project is photographed showing the make in Vanessa Arbuthnott’s delightful fabrics. This is a really beautiful book and would make the perfect Christmas present for all domestic divas. Just a few of the many gorgeous photographs from the book are below.

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Book Club

Our new evening classes started last night at Angel and Blume (see more at www.interiordesigntalks.com) and as the subject of the first class was ‘Finding Your Style’, I chose ten of my favourite books to show a range of different interiors style to the group. These have been sitting on our meeting room table all day so I thought it was a good opportunity to share some all time Angel and Blume book favourites with you! Here are the first five, more to follow later……

 

Practically Minimal

Maggie Toy Published by Thames and Hudson ISBN 0-500-28370-2

Minimalism can be thought of as huge, bare white spaces but this book presents beautiful liveable pared down spaces that focus on light, textures and materials and it makes even an accessories junkie like me want to go home and have a good clear up. It is a truly inspiring book that presents elegant, comfortable spaces that are a triumph of form AND function and I would urge any of you that love the minimalist way of live to invest in this book – I love it and I am sure you will too.

 

Contemporary Chic

Rozemarijn de Witte Photography by Hotze Eisma

Published by Conran Octopus Limited ISBN 1-85029-925-0

I have owned this book for many years and I keep coming back to it for ideas. It is full of comfortable, relaxed, carefully thought through interiors that all have a contemporary slant but often in a period setting. I think it is a very useful book for most people undertaking a project and there are so many lovely images, there really is something for everyone.

 

Shoestring Chic

Gail Abbott with photography by Mark Scott

Published by Cico, ISBN-13:978-1588163097

Gail Abbott wrote this book from her heart and she lives and breathes the art of shabby, shoestring chic. This book is about restrained beauty, seaside influence, vintage Swedish, French antiques and understanding the style so thoroughly that pieces picked up from a charity shop, flea market or car boot sale, anywhere in the world, will look a million dollars when they installed at home.

 

Perfect English

Ros Byam Shaw with photography by Chris Tubbs

Published by Ryland Peters and Small ISBN 978-1-84597-344-5

For me, this book captures the heart of English decoration – it isn’t the perfect, beautiful decoration of Henrietta Spencer Churchill or Nina Campbell but the real look of an English home that has evolved over the years. It encompasses farmhouses, stately homes, townhouses and cottages so if you love a bit of home grown style, this book is more than worth a look.

 

 Dream Homes, 100 Inspirational Interiors (and More Dream Homes, 100  Inspirational interiors, same authors and publisher, ISBN -13: 978-1-8589-4377-0)

Andreas von Einsiedel and Johanna Thornycroft
Published by Merrell ISBN-13: 978-1-8589-4349-7

A friend of mine bought me this book a while ago and initially I thought it wouldn’t be one of my favourite as it is simply a collection of beautiful homes. However, I have to say that I have found so much inspiration for my project work and for my own home that too many pages have been torn out and a new copy has had to be purchased! A really good book if you are just starting to identify your own style and want a wide range to look at and if that still isn’t enough for you, there is the aptly titled follow-up, More Dream Homes!

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Salvage treasures – as featured in Agenda magazine

Uncover hidden gems and ensure your home stands out from the crowd. Victoria Harrison of the interior designers Angel + Blume lets you in on some trade secrets.

 

Images: 1 from Decorating with Blue and White by Gail Abbott, photography Mark Scott, 2 Gail Abbott

If you’ve never been to a salvage yard you don’t know what you’re missing. Like a treasure hunt for grown-ups, at a good architectural salvage yard you can uncover all sorts of hidden gems, from Victorian fireplaces and Georgian chandeliers to door handles and stained glass. All these items and many more are out there just waiting for a bit of TLC and a new home. Here’s how to salvage a little bit of history…

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