Storage Saviours

Kitchen storage is a problem that most homeowners face, no matter how much we may try to de-clutter, we generally always find ourselves needing more and more as the years go by. Whether you are installing a completely new kitchen or just looking for some extra space, finding innovative ways to add storage will help to tackle the problem, while also adding stylish detailing and some personality to the heart of the home.

‘Witham Oak Plate Rack’ from Rowen & Wren

Gorgeous plates were meant to be displayed, especially if there’s no more room left in the cupboard. This simple but beautiful rack from Rowen & Wren will let your crockery do all the talking.

Our dishwasher at home has recently broken, and so we’ve decided to take on the challenge of washing up everything by hand. However this means we need to pay a little more attention to the sink area, which is becoming a tad more cluttered with, mostly clean, dishes than usual. A quick solution that won’t take up too much room is this dish rack from Willow & Stone; it’s far more stylish that the generic pieces you see, whilst still holding the same amount of items.

‘Tilmo Dish Rack’ from Willow & Stone

Another way to keep your sink area tidy is with a handy, but adorable bucket to store your fairy liquid and scrubbers in. I like this little one from Willow & Stone, its sweet enough to almost make you forget that you actually have to wash up.

‘Wash up Bucket’ from Willow & Stone

Sometimes you might have the cupboard space but are in need of some extra compartments inside it. A few baskets to segregate your potatoes from your onions can make life a whole easier. If you like your traditional style baskets, these grey rattan designs from The Basket Company in different sizes will do the job nicely.

‘Rectangular Grey & Buff Rattan Deep Wicker Storage Units’ from The Basket Company

If you wanted something a touch more contemporary, these crates from Rowen & Wren are a great combination of modern and functional design.

‘Madly Wooden Storage Crate’ from Rowen & Wren

If you’ve run out of surface space, wall mounted items will be your new best friend. Just like the plate rack earlier, they are an absolute space saver, and can also become a lovely feature, even linking together a dining and kitchen area. This wall rack from Angel & Boho is great way to make a decorative feature out of your herbs, it comes with a few boxes but you can always add more as your collection grows, giving you an accessible and interesting way to grow and display them.

‘Wall Racks with Boxes’ from Angel & Boho

This wall unit from Cox & Cox is a contemporary alternative to wall cabinets. With a variety of spaces to store an array of items, this unit can house a small collection of everyday essentials. It’s a great idea if you live in a rental and can’t add more cabinets or change the layout, or if you have a very small amount of space to work with.

‘Industrial Style Iron Wall Unit’ from Cox & Cox

Storage is also about organisation, and making sure that everything has a rightful place. Jars and containers are a life-saver, especially if you have a few different types of food you need storing. LSA International do some amazing contemporary pieces that’ll add both a design element and a storage solution to your kitchen. The Lotta and Mia containers are my favourites in their collection, both simple and stylish.

‘Lotta Container’ from LSA International

 

‘Mia Container with Cork Lid’ from LSA Interational

Kitchen storage seems like a tiresome task, but with a little research there are a whole load of ways to add creativity and style to your kitchen; and with a strong lists of solutions to hand, you’ll never be unprepared again.

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Time for a Change

This Sunday the clocks are going to be turning back an hour, meaning more light in the mornings and cozier, darker evenings. Since it’s all about the clocks this weekend, what better time to take a look at some of the beautiful and interesting clocks around at the moment? From big to small, there all sorts of lovely designs to suit your interior style.

Clocks are a handy buy as they do two jobs in one; they’re the perfect decorative piece to really make a wall pop, or to add focus to a table, plus they are also a functional piece for your interior and your life!

‘Marble Wall Watch’ from Rose & Grey

This square wall piece from Rose & Grey is the perfect unstated piece, if you’re looking for something clean and simple that will complement a relaxed design scheme, this is a great choice. The dark marble is completely on trend right now, and the square shape is an interesting alternative to the classic circle.

Following the marble trend, this hexagonal light marble wall clock from Trouva is a lovely sophisticated piece. It really stands out against a dark wall, and will look equally as gorgeous in a light and airy setting, it’s a great design for a contemporary setting!

‘Karlsson Light Marble Hexagonal Clock’ from Trouva

A clock doesn’t just have to tell the time, it can be a creative way to bring in some artwork or a feature piece to a room. This can be achieved by getting your hands on a bold and daring wall clock. This delicate sunflower clock from Chaplins is just wonderful. The metal petals are a lovely design and despite its flower motif, its design can be used in all sorts of schemes, not just a feminine one. The design can work in both a contemporary or bohemian interior, and even be used to jazz up a traditional setting.

‘Sunflower Wall Clock’ from Chaplins

If you love a wonderful vintage feel from your home accessories, this nautical style large wall clock from Graham & Green will do just the trick. I love the rusty, antiqued finish the clock has on it, it’ll look great up on a high wall against a pale background, or if you like a bit of organized chaos, mix it amongst some other wall pieces or art to create a wonderful cluster.

‘Nautical Compass Skeleton Wall Clock’ from Graham & Green

For something rather special, Rockett St George are currently stocking an amazing clock designed by George Nelson in 1957. The abstract eye design is perfect if you love to decorate your home with alternative and unusual items.

‘Eye Clock Designed by George Nelson 1957’ from Rockett St George

For something a little smaller, finding a clock for a table, be it sideboard or bedside table is a great time to experiment your style and begin to introduce a different feel to your interiors. This retro style alarm clock from Rockett St George will look fantastic in a contemporary and glamourous bedroom. The copper casing is beautiful, hopefully filling you with less dread when the alarm goes off in the morning!

‘Leff Amsterdam Block Alarm Clock’ form Rockett St George

If you’re looking for some ultra-antique glam, this Chinoiserie clock from Oka is a great little piece. The clock is fun and playful and will look great on an antique table, or if you want to mix up your styled pair with a contemporary piece of furniture.

‘Chinoiserie Carriage Clock’ from Oka

Rowen & Wren have something up their sleeve if you’re in the market for something a little quirky and unusual. The Ellmau chalet cuckoo clock could fit perfectly into a ski lodge look, or if you want to give your room an interesting focal point, contrasting this cuckoo clock against a contemporary or minimal scheme will create an interesting effect.

‘Ellmau Chalet Cuckoo Clock’ from Rowen & Wren

There is all sorts of fun to be had with picking out the perfect clock from your home, and with so much variety and choice out there you’ll have to resist the urge to put one on every wall in your house!

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How Does Your Garden Grow?

Last month I wrote a blog on the best of garden furniture around at the moment, but sometimes we’re not ready to make a big change just yet. Instead adding a few garden accessories is a wonderful way to introduce a bit of character and individuality to your shrubbery, after all the devil is in the detail.

Overtime, adding small and interesting details to your garden will gradually build up layers of design in the same way you would add ornaments and accessories to a home. The gradual process allows the garden to grow around each added ornament to create an organic, natural looking but well garnished garden. There are all sorts of ways to adorn your garden, and here I offer a look at some of my favourite outdoor accessories.

‘Vintage caddy lanterns’ from Hen & Hammock

Follow an industrial theme with these sweet vintage lanterns, if your patio is in need of a little sprucing up quickly something like these are perfect. They have more character than your average set found in Homebase and over the course of the summer you’re sure to get heaps of use of them, and can always be brought inside during the winter months.

If you’d like to add a little contemporary edge to your garden, these suave and sophisticated plant potters from Graham & Green are an interesting find. The weathered metal look takes away that awkward new and shiny phase that doesn’t always suit garden furniture and accessories, and instead will make the pots seem settled into their new home.

‘Weathered metal planters’ from Graham & Green

For an even sleeker and chic look Rowen & Wren have some ultra-contemporary, stylish outdoor pieces in their collection ready to fix up your outside areas. These wall planters for example are the perfect modern containers for herbs or small flowers, it’s the ideal purchase for the novice gardener who’s looking to slowly grow their garden in style.

‘Sola brass wall planter’ from Rowen & Wren

Another brilliant piece from Rowen & Wren is this hanging lantern, its swish design makes it ideal for those late night summer parties or dinners. Try buying a few and hanging them in a cluster at different height levels for a wonderful, bold effect.

‘Hanging brass sky lantern’ from Rowen & Wren

For a magical, mystical theme Cox & Cox have you covered, if you’re brave enough and really want to make a statement or just a modern fairyland, a few of these lampshade dotted around your garden will do just the trick.

‘Battery powered lacy lampshade’ from Cox & Cox

While we’re on the subject of fairy-tales and mystery, add a hint of Alice in Wonderland to your outdoor area with these tea cup bird feeders. In the distance they’ll appear as if they’re floating and hopefully will attract some lovely birds to your garden.

‘Tea cup and saucer bird feeder’ from Not on the High Street

If you enjoy something with a little more of a traditional aesthetic, but aren’t into the ordinary, check out these rather adorable rusty chickens from Cox & Cox, they’ll add a little quirk and country chic to your home, plus they’re a lot less hassle then the real ones!

‘Rusty red hens’ from Cox & Cox

A sure crowd pleaser at a garden party are these magnificent torches from Rockett St George, with four variations available mix and match and illuminate your garden or highlight a pathway.

‘Garden torches’ from Rockett St George

Create a zen-like atmosphere, and bring out your inner bohemian with this dainty but daring wind chime from Anthropologie. It’s perfect from making a bland area a little more personal and is something that can be enjoyed all year round, though perhaps in winter maybe just by looking out of a window!

‘Cortazira chime’ from Anthropologie

And last but definitely not least, give you garden a little exotic feel with these glorious lanterns from Rockett St George, they’re just the thing to give your area a zing of intrigue and a relaxing ambience.

‘Rhiad blue lanterns’ from Rockett St George

There are all sorts of garden goodies to decorate your outdoor areas with, and a chance to really get creative in small and delicate ways.

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Bringing the outside in

I always get excited about this time of year when sitting outdoors becomes an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon, and wild flowers start to appear in the garden. As garden flowers make for such a nice display, it would seem a shame not to make the most of them. Decorating with flowers can be an effective and inexpensive way to offer an additional burst of life, colour and scent into a room. I have put together a few examples of imaginative ways to display your garden plants and flowers, even if only a single stem!

The Bowl Shelf, a new component of the innovative String shelving series, is made of plastic with three compartments and is perfect for displaying and growing plants indoors!

The Bowl Shelf, along with other ‘String’ components can be found at www.skandium.com, at £90 per unit.

This charming Hanging Blume Tube by Rowen & Wren is a great way to make an attractive flower display with a single stem.

Available at www.notonthehighstreet.com, at £14 for a set of two.

Here is another simple way to display a single flower. Two Vintage Style Mini Bottles by The Flower Studio, from www.notonthehighstreet, £8.99.

The Woolly Pocket company do a great range of breathable table and wall planters, which are suitable for indoors and available in a variety of colours.

www.woollypocket.co.uk, £15.99 for a table planter.

Woolly Pocket’s breathable wall planters are particularly fun, and allow you to create indoor living plant walls. I recommend you take a look at their online inspiration gallery, where they showcase many inventive ways to have indoor wall gardens.

www.woollypocket.co.uk, £29.99 for one unit.

This quirky, unconventional Light bulb Vase by London Garden Trading makes for a striking flower display, from www.notonthehighstreet.com, £12.95.

These Two Metallic Plant Pots from Rocket St George would be a stylish way to display your garden plants. Available at www.rockettstgeorge.co.uk, £45 for a set of two.

So make the most of this spring, and bring the outside in.

This blog first appeared on the Cambridge Evening News website.

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