CHOOSING FLEXIBLE FURNITURE FOR A SMALL FLAT // INTERIOR INSPIRATION

Choosing any piece of furniture for our flat can be a laborious task, as much as I would love to ooh and ahh over the latest trends and designs I always have to ask myself Is this furniture flexible? When living with limited storage and space at home, and especially with a child that likes to leave a trail of toys in his wake I try to be very considered when investing in a new piece.

I often turn to the delights of Pinterest for ideas and inspiration on how to create space and still achieve my style at home. One of my current crushes is the trusty bench, I love how versatile they are and how they can be used at home: To create light and space at a dining table, in the hallway to hide shoes under, as a shelf to display objects on or to create a cosy space to sit and read, there are so many options! Look at these beauties.

So when I was offered the chance to try out the Talia Bench c/o Habitat from their Dining Room Range I was super excited to see how it could be flexible in our home. Available in Warm Grey and White, I knew the clean design would fit into both traditional and contemporary interior making it a piece that would last any interior trends and the Scandi colour would sit perfectly with our palette. 

As we have no dining room theres a lot going on in our lounge, with a collection of sofa, seats and side tables as well as our dining table for meal times. One of my main concerns when decorating the room was how cluttered it would feel with all our furniture with it being a multi-purpose room, and the high backed chairs at the table somehow made it feel a little cramped. 

So first I introduced the bench into the lounge and was surprised at how much lighter the room felt for having a seat that tucks below the table. It gave the appearance of space and I love the idea of little feet all in a line at waiting for pudding, plus F seemed higher up too! 

Also being quite narrow and light the Talia Bench is easy to move around to create extra seating for friends, making it perfect for parties and gathering. As we have no where to store our original dining chairs I wondered how else I could use this piece in our flat and after good few hours lost in the world of Pinterest I decided to try it in the bedroom.

We currently use a battered Ikea chest of drawers as the place to keep piled books and blankets by the bed, and has been on my replace list due to the amount of floor space it takes up. I decided to try the bench at the end of the bed and was super happy with the results. It's perfect for keeping a few books at reach, a blanket or even a morning cuppa, and F loves to sit on it at the end of the bed and chatter or pretend he's on a pirate ship. It also hides all of the storage ugly under the bed *whoop*. 

Would you swap dining chairs for a bench? I think I'm totally converted and love it when one piece of furniture can work in so many different ways. It's making me look at other pieces of furniture and how we can upcycle, sell or replace to create functional space and style.  

CURRENT CRUSHES FOR THE HOME // INTERIOR INSPIRATION

As my January declutter ritual gets underway, I'm suddenly finding room for all beautiful things I've had my eye on for a while. So I thought I'd share some of my current crushes for the home in the hopes that it it satisfies my lusting and they don't all fall into my virtual shopping basket – although one or two of these may or may not have already fallen in and be winging it's way over....shhhh.

1. Botanicals are back with a bang this season and floral prints are going to be everywhere come spring. I'm loving this striking printed cushion for my office chair.

2. I have this thing about trays, I love to use them on the sofa as a makeshift table for my drinks and snacks while working. This geometric pattern tray from Ferm Living would be perfect to use in the lounge.

3. Oh my eyes! I totally love everything about this side table, the cut of the wood, the copper legs, the  beautiful design. As this comes in with a hefty price tag it will have to remain eye candy for now.

4. I'm always leaving my phone or watch lying around, so this cute spotty clock from Society 6 would look great in the kitchen or the hallway. I might even start being on time for things.

5. Our sofa is looking quite sad after enduring a few years of F bouncing all over it, so these scatter cushions from Multiyork would give it a great facelift and blush pink is on trend for 2015. They also have a great Etched Oynx cushion too which would compliment the pink.

6. This is one of those items I definitely *ahem* may have accidentally purchased for our flat. I've been after this Eye Eye poster from Fine Little Day for ages and I can't wait to get the bold graphic print on our wall.

7. Another long term lust of mine is this Rose Aztec blanket which would be perfect for snuggling under or just to dress the sofa or bed. It has so many uses and it's utterly gorgeous too.

I'd love to hear what your current crushes are for the home?


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

PRODUCT REVIEW SAMSUNG MOTION SYNC 2-IN-1 VACUUM CLEANER

I’ve been meaning to share this post with you for a while now but with a busy start to the new year it kept slipping by. I was asked whether I would like to test out the new Samsung Motion Sync 2-in-1 vacuum cleaner and as you can see I said yes – you can ready my first impressions of it here.

One of the reasons I didn’t write a post immediately was that I wanted to get a chance to use the Samsun Motion in the everyday cleaning of our home, rather than get it out of the box for a test run and that be it, and to be honest I’m glad I did.

Click to read more

INNOVATIVE PRODUCT DESIGN WITH THE SAMSUNG MOTION SYNC 2-IN-1 VACUUM CLEANER

As you know I’m constantly swooning over interiors on Pinterest, willing my home to look like some of the perfect pads I’m pinning, however as much as I fill my space with objects I love there is one small that stops our flat being picture perfect. A child.

Yes as much as I love my little bundle of joy, my love of his trail of destruction and general ability to create a mess in less than five second is not so great. How I long for those easy wooden floorboards which can be found in most Scandi homes, decorated with beautiful rugs and cushions creating the perfect space.

Click to read more. 

CABLE & COTTON LIGHTS

I always love happy mail days, where the posty pops you a parcel guaranteed to make you smile and start the day on the right foot. Well the other week as I fumbled around bleary eyed in search of my caffeine fix, the doorbell rang and an excited F hurried me towards the door, with my pj's askew and hair gone wild, much to the amusement of our regular postman who made some reference to coffee as I attempted a half smile/squinted eye acknowledgement of my delivery.

F always goes crazy for parcels, I'm not sure whether it the whole box and kids combo but he loves them. Skipping around my legs as I try not to pierce myself with the scissors, I opened the box to find my Cable & Cotton Lights. More lights you say, surely not? Yes my name is Lori and I am a light addict. It was only an hour ago that I was being dissuaded from purchasing a fifth light for the lounge, because surely everyone needs a copper architectural floor light right?

Now that the autumn equinox has passed signifying the end to those late summer days, I've found myself feeling the need to create a snug place to rest my head. There is something so cosy about small lights strung up and softly glowing that gives your room the  magic you felt as a child. Every Christmas adults and kids alike go all gooey eyed for a few fairy lights dotted around the home and I'm no different. Now imagine you can have this bit of magic all year round and instead of those twinkling bare bulbs, you can have cool cotton spheres in a palette of your choosing to style your interior.

Cable & Cotton lights come in a range of colours making it easy to compliment your home, whether you choose from their pre-selected colour sets or go for your own colour combination, once selected they arrive in a rather cute box, with a string of lights ready for you to get busy with. These beautifully handcrafted orbs are ready for you to pop over your bulbs in any sequence you prefer and are ready in minutes to enhance your home.

I chose the Glow set with it's cool muted grey, cream and white tones, it matches perfectly with the scandi chic I love so much and as I have spent a bit of time on de-cluttering the bedroom I knew these would look perfect in their new home.

Using the picture rail, I draped the lights down the wall behind our bed and at night I can read in their warm glow, and when I fancy a change I will fill our disused fireplace with these beautiful lights to create a different atmosphere entirely.

*I was sent a set of cable & cotton light for the purpose of this review. All opinions and views are my own, plus they're quite awesome so you should head over and check them out.

JULIA KOSTREVA // MAMA LOVES

Every now and again you come across a designer who makes your heart skip a beat, whether it's the design, the style or a feeling they create, you know you've struck gold. So I thought I'd share my design crush of the moment, Julia Kostreva. Julia works as a creative director and graphic designer in her studio, based in the beautiful San Francisco *swoon*. My stomach did a somersault when I saw her mini copper planters perfect for succulents, and then I discovered her large print art works via April and May Studio, from then on I was hooked. I promptly headed over to Julia's shop to check out all her beautiful things and read her loves, interior and inspirations that she shares on her beautiful blog. 

I can't wait to order the Keep Going print for my walls and perhaps get a new iPhone cover. What has been inspiring you this week?

*Images via Julia Kostreva

NEXT HOME & GARDEN EVENT AND SUPER SLEEP ADVICE

Last week we were invited along to the Next Home and Garden store at Cribbs Causeway Bristol, the first of its type to be launched in the UK, with the promise of a sleep expert and a world of super comfy bed options. We jumped at the chance hoping to gain insight into a more restful nights sleep and headed over to the first Next Bedshop, allowing customers to browse the largest range of bed and mattresses on offer in any Next store.

In typical style we were running late and arrived slightly soggy from the rain, but thankfully we were greeted with a hot drink and got cosy on a pocket sprung mattress ready to be filled with the secrets of sleep from author Sammy Margo of The Good Sleep Guide. F and Wilf played on the floor with their cars as I listened to the do's and don'ts checklist, making a mental note that literally everything in our room was aiding and abetting total sleep fail, and consequently adding to the designer black bags I've got going on under these eyes of mine. So here is some advice from the expert:

WHO NEEDS BLUE MONDAY

There's lot of talk about Blue Monday being the most depressing day of the year but I'm taking a different approach. After following on from my word for 2014, I have collected a few images to help me through the day and inspire good things.

1. Just get on with it, don't hesitate/procrastinate.
2. Know what's coming up and plan your time.
3. Book in fun cocktail time with friends.
4. Think about what you want in the future
5. Always start the day with a good coffee.

What inspires you?

Images 1/2/3/4/5

CREATE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL

 Image source Artifact Uprising

In a world where everything is digital and instant, it's easy to upload an image to Facebook or share it on Instagram, but nothing quite compares to having something real in hand. So when I found this company online I had to share it.

Artifact Uprising  is an online service that creates beautiful objects from your photos, they believe in moving stories off your computers and into your life. They aim to cultivate a community of storytellers to ignite creativity while producing beautiful and simply designed products. I particularly like their Instagram Friendly Books and the Woodblock and Prints Sets and with birthday's coming up, I can't wait to design my own.

What would you create?