A MINI BEDROOM MAKEOVER // STYLING THE SEASONS

Decluttering the bedroom seems like ongoing/endless task, but in an attempt to create a calm space with neutral tones to encourage sleep and relaxation, I thought a mini bedroom makeover would be fun project for this months styling the seasons. I'm forever pottering around, changing things up in the flat and taking on little DIY projects, but this one particular task has been niggling at me for while.

My folks passed this mirror onto me after I graduated university and it has hung on my walls ever since, keeping me company as I moved across the country, however it's never really fitted in with my style. So rather than ditch it, I decided to show it a bit of love with some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

I have to admit I'm super late to the 'Annie' party, with friends raving about how good it is, but never late than never right?! I decided to use my Loaf Lazy Linen as the base colour for the room and matched it with Paloma, tying the colours in nicely with the grey marble fireplace and white shelving unit.

Once the mirror dried – suprisingly quickly – I decided to rehang it above the bed, leaving space on the mantle for my newly framed Fine Little Day UP poster *swoon* plus it looks great beside these garland lights.To bring in a bit of green into the room, I bought some fresh Hyacinth bulbs and carefully separated them out before potting them in these cute little ceramic planters, one by Atelier Stella and the other a marble effect mug I picked up in the H&M home sale. I've loved watching them bloom and F has been caring for them, whispering to them and giving them sips of water *all the heart eyes*, plus the pots really work well set againts the black frame.

I love how the mirror looks in its new spot and how effortlessly the colour flows from linen to wall, creating a calm vibe where I rest my head. Just by swapping around two small areas, the room has been given a facelift and keeps in with the style I love.  If I could only tackle the rest of the room and show it some love!

Are you thinking of giving a room a mini makeover? My top tip is to start by decluttering your chosen space by picking up five object and finding permanant homes for them, leaving your surface clear and you able to visualise your idea better.

To get involved with Styling the Seasons you need to do is share your photographs of your styled surface on any day this month – use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or your blog, if you have one. Please tag Katy and Charlotte and use the hashtag #StylingTheSeasons. You can also search the hashtag for styling inspiration from the other wonderful bloggers and creatives who are taking part.

GET WINTER READY WITH A GOOD SLEEP

What does winter mean to you? To me it conjures thoughts of warm throws, dark nights, hot coco and cosy sleeps. There's nothing better than being wrapped up in bed with a good book when it's cold outdoors and hitting the snooze button for those extra few minutes before the day starts, but for me it's a place to rest my head and get winter ready with a good sleep. So when Leesa, the online mattress brand got in touch and asked if I wanted to test out their mattress I jumped at the chance to get my zzz's on.


After a few clicks of a button I ordered our King Size luxury mattress and it couldn't have been easier, all I had to do was sit back and wait for it to be delivered to my door free of charge. Now normally with a product like this I would spend time wandering around stores, listening to some sales spiel while trying to figure out what will fit through the front door.

Instead a super neat box box was delivered to our door with our mattress rolled up inside, making it easy to transport, unwrap and unroll it in the bedroom without the entailing the pivot scene from Friends.

Once unwrapped, the luxury mattress decompresses and all creases fade away leaving us to enjoy this super comfy foam mattress. It's made up from three separate layers: The bottom layer dense core support foam, the middle layer contouring foam and the top layer cooling Avena foam, all wrapped in stylish soft fabric, designed to create the perfect nights sleep.

I loved our mattress and it works perfectly for us as I'm a deep sleeper – it would literally take an earthquake to wake me – and even though I'm often the first to drop off I do tend to move around a lot which tends to wake Paul who is a light sleeper. I found that the top layer seems to absorb any movement creating a peaceful night for both of us, especially if you add a wriggly F into the mix!


Not only does Leesa give you 100 days to try out your mattress at home, ensuring you're happy with your investment and a ten year warranty, but for every ten mattresses sold Leesa donate a mattress to a shelter spreading the joy of sleep to those in need, meaning you can get a good nights sleep and a feel good factor. We loved our so much we'll be buying F one of his own and fingers crossed it will stop him coming into our bed!

Leesa are offering you £50 off your purchase when entering the promotional code wildandgrizzly40 at the checkout and I can honestly say I would definitely recommend this for a hotel bed experience at home.

*I received a mattress from Leesa for review purposes only. All words and opinions are my own.

CALM BEDROOM MAKEOVER // INTERIOR INSPIRATION

Our bedroom A.K.A the dumping ground has always been a tricky space in our flat and has been on my makeover list for a while now, but being the biggest room and the place where most things go to be forgotten, it's hard to tackle the constant flow of clutter. I've often dreamed of a space that is light and calm during the day and cosy at night but with bundles of coats bursting from behind the door, my workspace which is *ahem* never always tidy, shelves bursting with DVDs and prints stacked on the floor, I never know where to start.

So when Homebase invited me to head in store and pick up a few pieces to change how I see my home – giving the bedroom the kick in the pants it needed – I knew exactly what to do. Unlike some of the other rooms in the house, the bedroom has no real theme and is a mish mash of furniture, colours and clutter which drives me nuts. So I decided to spend a weekend tackling some of the problem areas that adds to the overall mess and pick out a few things that would set the tone for the makeover.



We spent a few hours taking the 300+ DVDs that line our freestanding shelving unit, out of their cases – keeping the covers separately – and organising the discs into two small wallets that can be easily stored in our wardrobe, before driving to the local recycling centre to ditch the cases creating an abundance of space on the shelves.

I created the above mini mood board with the colours, tones and prints I envisage for the bedroom to give me a clear idea of what to look for when going into Homebase. I love soft colours, natural fabrics, and a Scandi feel for this room and was excited to pick up a few key pieces to set the process in motion. First I chose this statement ceiling light that gives off a soft glow adding a cosy feel, plus I love the raw bamboo and structured shape of the light.

Next I picked up this Neta glass wide vase from the Habitat concession in Homebase, it's so great having a place in Bristol that sells Habitat products as I've always been a fan of their patterns and I love the cool smoky colour of this glass. I can imagine filling this with freshly cut flowers, although it's quite beautiful without.

To finish off I picked up some plants and ceramic pots to add a bit of green into the room. I think Ferns work really well as they look great and are easy to look after and I always love the idea that plants recycle the air naturally while you sleep. I then reorganised the shelves using it to display my photography and design books, vinyl, vintage film projector and framed pictures making it a display area rather than a dumping space.
I now feel energised to tackle the rest of the room and create a space that reflects my personality and captures the wonderful light that pores in through the windows. With a new mattress on the way I'm looking at various beds like the Silentnight Hamilton King size bed from Homebase to help bring the feel of the room together and my next job is to tackle the slightly dilapidated chest of drawers!I can't wait to share both bedroom makeovers on the blog in the next few months!

A PERFECT SUNDAY MORNING // INTERIOR INSPIRATION

Those perfect Sunday mornings are few and far between, long gone are the days of endless lie-ins and indulgent hours spent day dreaming between the sheets, while sipping coffee and flicking through the pages of a good magazine. It’s crazy how you take such a simple act for granted. In those younger and seemingly naive years, I never saw an end to these simple pleasures, instead I whiled away the hours without much appreciation and then... BHAM! There is a small person who is not that up for me having an hour to wake up slowly on my own. Nope, it’s all about loud shouts demanding cornflakes and transformers, and any visions of sipping coffee in the comfort of my bed turns into the reality of avoiding lego, while blindly making my way bare foot through the obstacle course he’s created between me and the kettle. Thankfully he’s a cutie so it’s sweetens the deal :)

So when the lovely folks over at Loaf sent me a Lazy Linen Bundle, made of super-soft crushed Belgian linen, I jumped at the chance to indulge in a slow Sunday and enjoy a morning to myself wrapped in my luxuruious new bedding. I chose the dusty pink duvet and complimented it with a light grey sheet and pillowcase –  which start from £15 – and spruced up my king sized bed. The natural fibres are great, they keep you cool in summer and warm in winter and I love that you don't need to iron them as it's all about the natural crumpled look. That's a win win right there! Is it just me or is there something really satisfying about fresh new sheets or am I just showing my age?

So when this morning rolled round and the boys headed out into the rain, I bunked down with a freshly brewed cup of Arabica coffee, my favourite banana pancakes with maple syrup and one of my many ‘to read’ mags that lines my bedside table…oh pure bliss!

If you are a fan of pancakes but have any diary or gluten intolerance than these are the perfect snack and are super simple to make. All you need is: 1 Banana, 2 Eggs and some natural coconut oil.

To make:

• Mash up a banana in a bowl.
• Next whisk in two eggs until it looks like pancake batter.
• Add a teaspoon of coconut oil to a frying pan and heat.
• Pour a small golf ball sized dollop of pancake batter.
• Use a spatula to flip over and cook both sides and repeat.
• Serve with Canadian Maple syrup and enjoy!

I served it straight onto a wooden board to give that hotel feel and make my breakkie that little bit special and enjoyed eating it in bed, yep folks it's all about doing it for yourself. I even had time to catch up on a few of my favourite bloggers posts, write this post *insert shocked emoticon face here* and slip into the depths of pintrest for more bedroom interior inspiration.

Loaf's founder Charlie Marshall has kindly shared some bedroom styling tips to help you create your own sanctuary at home.

1)  Choose a natural bed linen - it's breathable and keeps you cool. Crushed Belgian linens work a treat as you don't have to spend hours ironing too!

2) Throw the windows open, draw your curtains or blinds right back and make the best of the natural light. A nice large mirror will help to keep the natural light bouncing around the room.

3) Flowers instantly lift a room! Spend a tenner on some freshly cut blooms and display them in old jam jars. Cheap as chips too!

4) Declutter the area around your bed and keep only the essentials on your bedside table for a calm sleep space.

I've also been watching the lovely Heather at Home vlogs and checking out her tips for decluttering, getting organised and coming up with fun interior ideas. I'm determined to make my space the perfect retreat that can enjoyed all day round, rather than snatching a moment here or there amongst the chaos. What would be your perfect Sunday morning?

I hope you've had a relaxing morning and a fab weekend! x

LET'S HIBERNATE // WINTER SLEEP TIPS

Is it just me or is anyone else's bedroom replicating the inside of Santa's grotto? With boxes piled high on wardrobes, bags sticking out from under the bed and with the arrival of a massive tree, furniture from the lounge has migrated its way into our junkroom bedroom making all feel rather cluttered.

This is the only part of the festive season that gets me in a grump, as much as I am never that organised, a super cluttered room full of things that don't belong there means I never feel like I've fully rested, even after some much needed beauty sleep.

So as usual I've been turning to my beloved Pinterest for bedroom interior inspiration in the hopes that something might spur me into a tidying frenzy. I love some of these spaces, so clam, cosy and light *sigh*.

Click to read more.

A ROOM OF HIS OWN // HOUSE TOUR

I often get asked to show the inside of our little home and normally it's a whirlwind of toys and madness, so I don't often get a chance to snap it looking half decent. So when F went to stay at my folks for the night I took the advantage to capture his space and share it with you.

This post is pic heavy so click to read more.

A BETTER PLACE TO REST MY HEAD

Image via Pinterest

With Christmas on its way and the avalanche of toys sure to follow, I have been casting my eye over our flat. A spacious place with lots of light but not so much on the storage front. I've always tried to be sensitive to the adult / child balance of the flats interior, the lounge being a neutral space of well designed products and a spattering of regularly used/easily hidden toys, F's room full of easy accessible toys and then there's our room. Over the last few years the bedroom has turned into a multi purpose junk room with the addition of a bed. Unframed prints stacked on the fireplace, a desk littered with letters and magazines, clothes limply hanging on the drying rack and a battered wardrobe bursting at the seams.

Rather than wait for the annual spring clean I have taken matters into hand and decided to extend the same interior styling into the bedroom, hopefully making it a place of sanctuary rather than a pit stop. I'm thinking affordable scandinavian style sliding door Pipari Wardrobes or chest of drawers as seen in the bedroom furniture from Argos, copper bedside lights, bold printed textiles, white walls, mirrors to reflect the light, a gallery of prints, a pile of good books and the occasional pot plant. The first step in this master plan is to pull everything out and organise into four piles: Sell / charity shop / keep / bin. So hopefully over the next few weeks F will go to stay with my folks and I make a start before Santa Claus comes to visit.

*This post is in association with Argos, but all words and thoughts are my own.