Spots and Stripes

Using spots and stripes in your home may not be something you automatically gel with, I certainly didn’t; in fact spots and stripes had to work pretty hard to win me over. When it comes to spots and stripes it’s all about finding the right balance; for spots I think it’s about avoiding that twee and cutesy look, and for stripes finding a style that isn’t too traditional or beachy. I’ve found a few ideas of stylish spots and stripes that can be a great way to give a home a touch of the fun, patterned effect.

‘Fitzroy Black Stair Runner’ from Roger Oates

For me, when I think of stripes in the home I immediately think of Roger Oates and their fabulous stair runners, which in fact was major part in changing my opinion on stripes. The Fitzroy runner is smart, sleek and contemporary. The stripes bounce of the stark white stairs and walls, giving it a really punchy effect, it’s a great feature to see when you first walk in the door, showing off a relaxed but sophisticated sense of style.

If you don’t want to use stripes in such a dramatic way, this mirror from Barker & Stonehouse is an interesting twist on the pattern. With strips of mirror formed into one large piece, it gives a subtly to the motif, whilst still creating an intriguing design.

‘Cattelan Striped Mirror’ from Barker & Stonehouse

I love this spotted pattern by Marimekko, the dots squished together on rows is a simple design, but really gives the tableware a fun character, the jug is a great one-off piece in the collection to buy if you want a stand out item on your table.

‘Oiva Siirolapuutarha Pitcher’ from Marimekko

These Louis Poulsen pendants bring just the right amount of a coastal vibe, with a shell-like shape and beach tones, but with a sophisticated and contemporary design. They’ll hang elegantly alone or in a group, the three colourways could be mixed over a kitchen island unit for an eye-catching feature.

‘Cirque Pendant Lights’ from Louis Poulsen

Although polka dots in interiors aren’t something I would necessarily put in an interior, I’m a little smitten with the Polka Square wallpaper design by Farrow & Ball. It’s a delicate style that would look really sweet in a kid’s room or hallway.

‘Polka Square Wallpaper’ from Farrow & Ball

Sticking to wallpapers, this wavy stripe by Elitis, is a modern and fun way to make a strong statement in a room. Its design can hold its own style wise, but would work as a backdrop for your furniture as well.

‘Parure Memoires Wallpaper’ from Elitis

Margo Selby always has some beautiful designs, with just the right amount of colour, texture and retro design to give you a fresh look. I love this throw with its geometric circular pattern, it would make a great accent of colour in a living room.

‘Galeano Throw with Textured Velvet’ from Margo Selby

For a smaller addition of a few spots to your home, this little ceramic salt pot has an abstract spotted design that’ll look great on your dining room table, or next to your hob among the spices.

‘Selborne Pottery Blue Spot Salt Pot’ from Trouva

To keep stripes to more of a traditional form, William Yeoward has some classic designs. This stool has beautiful pink and cream stripes, and the curved wooden legs and the bouncing seat pads gives it an extra spark of personality.

‘Triple Elka Stool’ from William Yeoward

Finally, I had to pop in this sweet cushion from Houseology, the colourful stripes have begun to run like water colours, giving the cushion a softer look. A quick and easy way to add stripes while giving a chair a splash of colour.

‘Bluebell Gray Lomond Cushion’ from Houseology

A spot and a stripe here and there in your home is a great way to add character and break up a space, while offering an alternative pattern and design to a room to keep it looking fresh. Whether you want to stick to traditional styles, or test out some more contemporary looks, there are all sorts of ways to have a little fun with a few spots and stripes.

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Sky’s the Limit

A lot of the time when you look up at someone’s ceiling, you’re most likely to a plain white one looking back at you. Now while there is absolutely nothing wrong with a beautiful, crisp white ceiling, I always sense that in most home, the ceiling goes a little neglected. There are some wonderful ways to play around with the vast space that is your ceiling, and here a just a few ideas, from wallpaper to lighting.

If you’re style tends to lean towards the more traditional side of interior design, a beautiful cornice could be just what you need. A well-crafted cornice will give your home a little grandeur and glamour. For timeless style head over to Stevensons of Norwich, they have something to suit everyone from simple to embellishment.

‘Stevensons National Trust mid Georgian Cornice’ from Stevensons of Norwich

The ceiling rose dates back to as early as the 17^th Century in England, and has been a prominent feature in a lot of English homes ever since. Whether you have one that’s looking a bit crumbly, or you don’t have one at all, the addition of a ceiling rose, especially in a traditional or period home is a lovely touch that will add a bit of character to your ceilings. Stevensons of Norwich have some beautiful ceiling roses, in all sorts of styles, I particularly like the art deco designs they have in their collection. They would make a fantastic feature, either painted along with the ceiling in a dramatic colour, or if you’re feeling adventurous painted a contrasting bright colour to your walls and ceiling.

‘Art Deco Ceiling Rose B’ from Stevensons of Norwich

Maybe you’re into a bit of bling in your interiors, and want to go full Renaissance, marble mansion-esque style but aren’t really looking to re-mortgage the house in order to kit it out. Instead of breaking the bank, why not go for a modern, playful alternative to the real thing. Wall decals are excellent ways to create a big statement in an easy, fun way. This gold stencil, available on Etsy is a great idea if you want to add a bit of neo-classical luxury to your ceilings.

‘Ceiling Stencil’ from Cutting Edge Stencils via Etsy

A great way to add a bit of colour, character and charm onto your ceilings is to wallpaper them. Whether is a bold colour or an intriguing patterns or imagery, you can begin to create your very own Sistine Chapel. For a contemporary take on the conventional cloud-like design, this wallpaper from Designers Guild is superb! Turn a bedroom or a den into a dreamy heaven with this little gem up on your ceiling!

‘Ceil Liberte Aurore Wallpaper’ from Designers Guild

For an industrial, distressed style, this tile wallpaper is fantastic way to give your home a bit of an edge, it replicates the tin tiles that were all the rage in North America from 1890 to the 1930s.

‘Brooklyn Tile Wallpaper’ from Trouva

High ceilings are a blessing to those who have them, and they invite all sorts of fun and creative decorative ideas. If you have the space in an indoor room, or perhaps a conservatory, filling the ceiling area with gorgeous lanterns is great to tick the decorating and lighting boxes. Keep them all white for a sophisticated look, or create a playful environment with a range of colourful lanterns.

‘Chinese Lanterns’ from Featherology 2 via Etsy

If you like the idea of the lanterns, but maybe think they’re a little too feminine for your style, why not go for something like these black, grey and white star lanterns from Bodie & Fou. They had a cool, contemporary edge, and if you’re living in a smoky city, seeing the stars at night won’t be a problem anymore!

‘Selection of Stars’ from Bodie & Fou

The perfect ceiling accessory if of course a pendant light, just like a wonderful pair of earrings it’s a fab way to complete a whole look. For something rather special these tassel pendant lights from Rockett St George are a little bit magical. They’re made from smoked olive teardrop glass shades and one metre of tassels. The perfect companion for a stairwell.

‘Long Tassel Glass Light’ from Rockett St George

And lastly, for a bit of colourful fun, and a great way to quickly brighten up a room, this rainbow shade for Rockett St George will do just the trick in giving your ceiling a bit life!

‘Rainbow Lampshade’ from Rockett St George

Whatever your style, or however brave you’re feeling just remember that your ceiling is a blank canvas just waiting to be covered in all kinds of wonderful treats!

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Marvellous Marble

In recent years marble has become a leading theme in the world of interior design and home accessories. Before you may have thought about marble and imagined a large Bel-Air mansion covered head to toe in the stuff and maybe given a slightly involuntary grimace, with the word tacky scrolling across your mind. But marble has come back in style, taking an alternative pathway. It’s made its appearance in home accessories, from lighting to tableware to soft furnishings, a faux marble style or a print has become a playful way to take on the material and tone down the sense of grandeur, whilst still keeping a fresh and sophisticated look, turning something that was slightly old-fashioned and a little outdated into something current and contemporary. There are tons of ways to incorporate a little bit of marble into your home, and I’ve chosen just a few wonderful things on the market at the moment.

‘Marble and Wood Pizza Board’ from Rockett St George

This gorgeous board from Rockett St George is a fab accessory. The two tones of the different materials are complementary of one another, making a smart and contemporary look. Perfect to serve up your pizza, or prop up on the kitchen counter.

For a lovely addition that’ll spruce up your table or dresser, this marble effect jug from Trouva is spot on. The dabbled marble effect gives the whole look a little individuality and a subtle presence in the room.

‘Quails Egg Jug’ from Trouva

For an innovative way to add a pop of marble to your kitchen, one (or two) of these marble tea towels will be sure to do the trick. The look is completed with the vibrant neon pink stitching, making them ideal of anyone who likes a lively and playful interior scheme.

‘Marble Print Tea Towels’ from Rockett St George

Jazz up your dinner parties with these elegant but contemporary cheese knives. Their marble hands gives the knives a sophisticated feel, while to modern gold tone of the blade makes it a fun and cool way to incorporate marble into your tableware.

‘Marble and Gold Cheese Knives’ from Oliver Bonas

Your marble revitalisation needn’t just take place in the kitchen, there are so many beautiful ways to use marble in the rest of your home. Marble pots from Rose & Grey are a nice little touch to dress up a study or working area of your home. Choose a few of both the white and green to create a wonderful grouping, dotting them around the room.

‘Marble Pots’ from Rose & Grey

Move your marble madness up to the skies and start adorning that ceiling with all sorts of lovely marble touches. Whether you want to spend a little or a lot, a marble pendant light is a creative way to play around with the trend. These Lee Broom pendant lights available from Houseology are a beautiful and sophisticated way to incorporate marble into the home. They have a slight retro vibe to them which adds to their character.

‘Lee Broom Chamber Pendant Light’ from Houseology

Alternatively, if you want to go for a less permanent, less expensive route down the marble pendant path, these paper lampshades from Graham & Green are gorgeous! Perfect for a rented house, or if you’re testing out the marble look.

‘Marbled Paper Lampshades’ from Graham & Green

If you’re feeling bold, another marble treat from Houseology is this Timorous Beasties cushion. This vibrant blue marble effect pattern will give any room an electric look. For the ultimate impact buy several and use as scatter cushions, or play around with contrasting patterns to really make a splash.

‘Timorous Beasties Marbled Damask Cushion’ from Houseology

Add just a hint of marble to a room with this stunning table lamp from Oliver Bonas, its marble base paired with the pastel shade and bright cord creates a lovely overall look.

‘Lamp with Marble Base’ from Oliver Bonas

And finally a special mention to this gorgeous vase from Rockett St George, it’s a stunning piece of work that has all the attributes of a high-end sculptural piece without the scary price!

‘Marble Effect Serenity Vase’ from Rockett St George

From pizza boards to pendant lights, there are so many ways to integrate marble into your interiors these days, and with so many pieces out there ready to buy you can really let your imagination run wild.

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