DECORATE WITH TILES // INTERIOR INSPIRATION

Image via super talented Brydie Mack

One of my favourite things to do when I have a spare minute is to flick through Interior Design books or scroll through beautiful interior images that make Pinterest a great source of inspiration. It's great seeing how so many different styles can work so well and I am always pinning ideas incase the time comes to decorate my own space.

Growing up we always had tiles in our home, whether it was grey slate flooring or a simple subway tile, they were a staple feature in our kitchen and bathroom, and I always dreamed of underfloor heating and warm tiles underfoot. I've always assumed I would follow suit when it comes to using them in my own home, tiling the usual places, but recently I've been inspired to think outside the box so to speak. I love these inspirational images, showing some amazing interior style all decorating with tiles.

At the moment our kitchen is seriously lacking – I'm talking no splashback.. nothing!  Every little thing can mark the paintwork and I'm forever touching up the walls and even though we rent I'm seriously considering paying for the kitchen to be tiled myself. Does that sounds crazy? Do you have tiles in your home?

* This is a collaborative post
** All images via Pinterest

A ROOM WITH A VIEW AT THE PULLMAN LONDON ST PANCRAS HOTEL

 

So I've been keeping a little secret, last week I officially entered my mid-thirties *eek* and to celebrate in style I took my mum and F down to London for a nights stay at the stylish Pullman London St Pancras Hotel. Located in the heart of the city, within a minutes walk from St Pancras International, this four star upscale hotel boasts some of the finest views of the city skyline all from the comfort of your hotel room.

On arrival we were entered the grand reception area with its dark modern interior and luxury style and were welcomed by the friendly staff who had our bags taken up to the 14th floor. F was super excited to check out the view and was glued to the window as the we took the central lift to the viewing platform located on each floor, and wow what a view!

Windows located on the corner of the building give the optimum panoramic view of London with iconic landmarks such as the Shard and the Gherkin punctuating the city skyline. The design is spot on with clean lines and luxury details using modern furniture, with designers such as Mathieu Lehanneur, putting their stamp on the hotel. Not to mention the Business Playgound, meeting rooms with unusual touches such as faceted canopies illuminated with projections, fancy stuff ay.

We decided to grab a quick bite to eat that evening at the Golden Arrow bar located on the ground floor in the open plan space. Decorated with huge modern light fittings, LED signing, see through drinks cabinet and lit up bar, it feels like you're hanging out it an ultra hip London bar aimed at cosmopolitan, mobile, hyper-connected stylish travellers.

After a much needed glass of rose and pizza to end the day, we headed back to room 1402 where our a Superior King room with sofa bed awaited and although I had been planning to share the spacious King with my mum and let F have the sofa bed, in the end F took over the sleeping arrangements – in a way that only a four year old can – and I ended up in on the sofa bed, thankfully they all live up to the hotel's four stars and I slept as soundly as the boy. 

The bedroom interior matches the hotel lobby with a modern dark grey design and attention to detail, such as fluffy white robes, tranquil rain shower, gorgeous toiletries, a second TV in the seating area, high speed wifi and coffee and tea making facilities. Not to mention the gym a few floors below which has 24 hour access in case you feel the need to work out. 

In the morning we started the day to a wake up call and headed down for breakfast. Once shown to our seats in the Golden Arrow restaurant, we gave our drinks orders and decided to indulge in the wonderful array of food that was on offer. The breakfast buffet had a great selection of pastries, cereals, meats, fruit, juices and hot breakfast choices, and although there was quite a wait for my morning coffee to arrive which was a shame, I couldn't praise the food enough especially the cranberry yogurt smoothie to start the day. 

On departing you have the option of checking out at reception as usual or you can use the speedy checkout option: simply handing over your key card to a member of staff and receiving your checkout confirmation via email which is perfect if you're in a rush.

All in all this was definitely a stylish stay and perfect for those wanting to have a luxurious stop over before heading on the Eurostar, and I would certainly return to use the bar alone as I really liked the lighting and evening vibe. 

*We received a complimentary stay at the Pullman St Pancras for the purpose of this review. All words and opinions are my own as always. 

INTERIOR TRENDS AT HABITAT PRESS DAY AUTUMN/WINTER 2015

Last week I spent most of my time rushing between Bristol and London with F in tow and have since been playing catch, you know the usual juggle of work, kiddo and life in general. However I am excited to share a bit of what we got up to in London and about our exciting adventure we have planned this week too.

I am a huge fan of Habitat and I have to admit that it's one of my staple go-to brands when it comes to  creating a stylish interior. So I was super excited to head into Chelsea and visit the Habitat Autumn/Winter 2015 press day and discover what designs they have lined up for the next season. I was not disappointed and neither was F, trying to keep him from bouncing on every sofa and bed was certainly a challenge but made a little easier with the table laden with pastries.

I was immediately taken by the pops of colour, geometric patterns, clean lines and all the beautiful  finishing touches Habitat are known for and started to make a mental wish list while chatting to the lovely Clare Askem, Habitat's CEO. The trends for the Autumn/Winter line seem to have encapsulated all of my favourite eras with a mix of 80's revival, mid-century design, tribal collections, monochrome simplicity and Scandi inspiration.

For statement pieces I found myself swooning over the Hawkins Armchair, designed by Matthew Long. It's sculptural form mixes tubular chrome, grey Velvet and tailored wool for a modern day mash up. Available in two colours, I think this is simply beautiful design piece to have in the home and if that doesn't float your boat what about this mid-century Tisno armchair and footstool by Laure Grezard inspired by the late 50's America – available in tan leather and grey wool tweed.

I loved the 80's revival style pulling together bright primary colours, geometric shapes  and bold patterns in a nod to the Iconic Mephis Movement, with furniture being stripped back and with the addition of playful accessories. The cushions and throws were a big hit with me and the most exciting thing is the affordable price point, making it easy to refresh your home without a complete redesign. How gorgeous are these prints!

There were mixes of earthy handmade vases using different techniques all with splashes of colour, beautiful marble chopping boards and gold coloured cutlery, ceramic monochrome tableware as well as a peek at the Christmas store – cue F going into excitement overdrive, fun colours and the coolest wooden guitar/iphone app toy which is now on his Christmas list. 

I can't wait for this to go instore and treat myself to a few things, I might even make myself a Christmas wishlist! *dreams of being wrapped up warm in gorgeous geometric blankets*.  

FAMILY FRIENDLY FESTIVAL FUN WITH MAMAS & PAPAS

It's no secret that we are BIG festival lovers, every year we get excited about the adventures we'll have, hanging out with friends in a field somewhere, listening to music and we have been super lucky to have a kiddo who loves them too. So when Mamas & Papas created a family friendly festival guide and asked what our essential choices would be, I was excited to be involved.

Over the long weekend outdoors F lives in cool casual jumpers, colourful tees, jeans/dungarees as they're hardy and go with pretty much anything, shorts for warmer weather styled with hi-tops, and of course wellies! I picked out some of my favouites below from the fab Festival Essential selection.

1. I love a good blanket, it can be used for wrapping round your little one at night or as a throw to sit on and this Patternology Chevron Knitted Blanket, £29.95 is gorgeous.
2. A pair of bright Shrimp Shorts £14 will help your kiddo stand out in the crowd.
3. F loves funky jumpers and they're easy to add over layers to keep them warm when it starts to get chilly. I love this Disney Mickey Mouse Camouflage Jumper, £18.
4. These are soooo cute! There's nothing like comfy trainers to run around in and these Hi Top Trainers, £12 are perfect for little feet.
5. We always take some shade like this Essentials Parasol, £14.95 with a UV filter as it's easy to store and can create that much needed shade on super sunny days.
6. F has grown out of his pushchair now but when he was little it was our one festival must have. It's perfect for letting them nap in, travelling over muddy ground, keeping your kiddo dry and even moving your camp back to the car and this Armadillo City Pushchair - Lemon Drop, £189 will really stand out.
7. OK I'm adding this tropical striped Jumper in at £12 as I love the print and have my eye on it for our festival adventures.




We've been taking F to festivals since he was about 18 months old and at first I was super anxious about the idea of a baby overnight in a tent, but it turns out he's a natural and as long as you take the essentials you're all set. We've been taking F annually and one of our favourite festivals is End of the Road, set in the Lamar Tree Gardens it's a fab family friendly four day event with amazing music, great food, open fires, fairy lit woods, wandering peacocks and a full range of kids events and activities.

We tried Just So festival last year, unlike End of the Road, this is completely child focused and packed with fun activities like: giant puppets, outdoor cinema screenings, live theatre, pirate school, lantern making and an appearance of the fairy queen, safe to say F loves it and we can't wait to go back this year and experience the magic again.

This year we're thrilled to attend the Wilderness Festival for the first time with Mamas & Papas and take over their Instagram account for the weekend so you can follow our experience. We're already planning our must see list and I am sooooo excited to see Bjork headline and F can't stop talking about all the kids activities.

To celebrate festival season Mamas & Papas have teamed up with Camp Bestival to offer you the chance to win a family pass to the four day festival in Dorset *whoop* Simply purchase any product between now and 23rd June via here and you’ll be entered into the draw.

CREATING SUMMER STYLES WITH LYST

 

Working from home and looking after F can be quite a juggling act, so finding the time to go out shopping for new clothes and carving out a bit of me time is quite rare, which is why most of my jeans have holes in the knees and my hair is crazy long *note to self book appointment at hairdressers!* So when I was asked to collaborate with Lyst – an online shopping site that allows you to follow brands, watch trends and create wish 'lysts' in one place – to check out their site, instantly knew this would be a game changer and allow me to keep on top of all those fashion pieces I've been lusting over.

When you first sign up – which is totally free by the way *whoop* – you get asked which brands you'd like to follow and I was excited to see that all my favourite brands are on there, from ASOS to Zara and everything in between. The site is super easy to use and within minutes I had created a summer style lyst create my perfect look for hanging out at the weekend, oh and can we just take a minute to appreciate this crazy amazing ring which I'm totally in love with!

I immediately downloaded the app so I could have my 'Lyst' in my pocket and add items on the go. One of my favourite things about this site is the News for you section, which cleverly uses the data of brands liked and items listed to create a unique inspiration Lyst of fresh goodies just for you, and if you want a different type of inspiration then you can click on the The Long Lyst. This is one my favourite parts, reading bite-sized articles and interviews on trends and designers while creating mood boards and using the sale section to grab a bargain, a big win win for me. 

I can honestly say this might change the way I shop for good, no more manic super market style dashes in a snatched 30 minutes or bribing happily bringing F along for a quick trip to my favourite store. Now I can make Lyst's on the go – like jewellery I'm crushing on – or click an item and purchase it there and then. It's so super easy to use and well designed, it would be crazy not to have this in your pocket. How do you find time to shop? Are you a lyst maker or grab and go type? 

FAMILY TRAVEL AND HOLIDAY STYLE

One of the exciting things about travelling abroad is deciding what to pack and wear. Choosing what holiday style to go for can be a challenging process, as I want to be comfortable and look good without taking everything but the kitchen sink. So when Debenhams asked if we'd like to choose some items from their Holiday Shop I was excited that I could get something for all the family in one fell swoop, without spending days darting around in a lat minute pre-holiday panic.

With a renewed sense of wanderlust, I'm excited about all the travel plans we have lined up in the near future and I feel so grateful for the opportunities this blog of mine has given me and my little family, and mostly to you lovely lot for reading it *blows kiss.* I've done a few solo trips this year and found it easy to pack light, but heading on a family holiday is a whole other matter.  On our most recent trip we managed to take two small carry on cases and a trunki, which meant that a lot of things were jammed in due to F wanting to take various toys, books and other home comforts.

However in July we have two weeks of travel to take and I've been dreaming of a long haul flight, I really want to visit San Fransisco, Portland and LA as it would be an amazing adventure. So I though this would be the perfect opportunity to upscale our luggage with this generous Tripp suitcase, also the bright pattern makes it easy to spot at baggage claim.

Packing for F is easy as he's happy in t-shirts and shorts while hanging out by the pool, he was pretty stoked when I picked out this Dinosaur top and palm print hat, which looks good and protects him from the sun. Paul loved these brilliant blue casual shorts and I think the contrast of these brightly coloured suede boat shoes really makes the blue pop.

I tend to stick to dresses and shorts when travellings somewhere hot as I hate feeling restricted in my clothes, so this knee length scalloped hem dress is perfect for the day and the embroidery detail is so cute.

But my favourite of all is this Grecian style midi dress teamed with these minimalist white flats from one of my favourite brands, perfect to dress up or down depending on what you're getting up to!What is your staple style when holidaying abroad? Do you have a favourite holiday outfit?

CURRENT CRUSHES FOR THE HOME // INTERIOR INSPIRATION

There's nothing I love more than a little eye candy for the home, and after our recent trip to Palma I was totally inspired by the pink/mint colour combination. So I thought it would be fun to channel some of that style back in Bristol and share some interior inspiration.


1. I really love the simplicity of this oak mirror with its soft curved edges and clean lines.

2. The copper trend doesn't look to be going anywhere soon and I think it really adds a special touch to your home. I love this stylish diamond copper pendant light *swoon*.

3. I found this stunning ceramic mug this morning while shopping online  working and instantly fell in love. My coffee would certainly taste better from this!

4. When you haven't got time to be super organised, you can use one of these to beautiful grid baskets to hide away those unsightly plastic toys and create some calm.

5. Another trend that I'm totally crushing on right now is botanical prints and this Monstera plant poster would look great on any wall.

6. Another way to create calm in the home is to use fragranced candles, one of the great things about being abroad is all the new smells and I love this elderflower and lime combination.

7. Finding the perfect shade of pink to compliment the mint is easy with this geometric rug. I can't wait to have wood floors so I can decorate my floors with style.

8. No home is complete without an statement piece and this stacking Ercol chair, based on the original 1950's design, is beautiful. The mixture of elm and beech wood makes it the perfect Scandinavian shade.

What are your current crushes for your home?

*This is a collaborative post. All words and opinions are 100% my own.