So, today I am mostly launching my new photoblog Today I Am Mostly, where I’m going to try and paste one interesting photo every day for the next year. 

 

 

 

This blog is mostly a challenge to myself – a way of forcing me to think creatively about my photography and develop a recognisable personal style.  I’m also hoping that it will become a photographic diary of my year.

The rules I’ve set for myself are – one photo a day, taken on that day. I will also be setting up a Today I Am Mostly Flickr set with any ‘spare’ photos available on my Flickr photostream.

I’d love it if you came over and played on the new blog.  Please tell me in the comments if you particularly like any photo, as I’m hoping maybe to set up an Etsy shop to sell prints and postcards later in the year.

OK, you’ve all got about half a day to vote for Interior Design’s Best Products of the Year.

Lots of lovely eyecandy, though I was a bit surprised at how pedestrian some of the products were and thought the actual voting site could have been better designed *cough* larger thumbnails *cough*.

Anyway here are just a few things which caught my eye

Patrick from Emma Gardner Rugs wrote to let me know about this because he’s hoping that you’ll all scurry along and vote for their gorgeous ‘Jewels in the Sand’ rug, which is indeed very voteworthy. 

Yesterday and today have been good days.

Two of my Emma Gardner rugs have arrived (pictures to follow shortly). 

I’ve just got an exciting new product on the site.  Now, I love all the products we have, but I’m feeling a particular frisson of childish glee about this colouring book for grown-ups! (Although they call it an ideas journal.)

 

And today an interview with yours truly appears on the Design*Sponge guest blog, courtesy of Megan Not Martha.  

If you’re dropping by on your way from Design*Sponge, I do hope you’ll pull up a chair, have a cupcake and stop for a chat.

No, not the band, the book.

I’ve had Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan’s book Apartment Therapy – the Eight Step Home Cure sitting in my bedside cabinet for the longest time, but to date have only flicked through it.  

Starting tomorrow though, Apartment Therapy is launching its Fall ‘Cure’ – eight weeks of therapy either for your whole or part of your house (after which I will probably require eight weeks of therapy).

I think the time is ripe to start working properly on the main room downstairs, and possibly the Minx’s room, so hopefully this will give me the motivation I need. 

Is anyone brave enough to join me? 

See photos on my Flickr

If you’d asked me a week ago whether I was missing the UK I would have said no, but after our weekend in Victoria I’m awash with nostalgia. 

It’s not just the obvious things like the Union Jack painted on the Clipper, the hanging baskets on every lamp post, the serried ranks of English authors in the bookshops, the bandstand in the park or the cricket being played on the cutest pitch.

It’s to do with the scale of the place, the details of the architecture, the layout and width of the roads (all named, not numbered), the smooth lawns  and flower gardens in the very English parks, the undulating softness of the landscape and the lack of huge pick-up trucks.  Victoria reminded us of an English market town or an English seaside resort, say Oxford without the medieval architecture crossed with Eastbourne without the pier.

A fabulous time was had by all.  The Butchart Gardens are well worth a visit – the landscaping, Japanese garden and mature trees were wonderful, the overuse of bright red and yellow bedding plants even in the perennial borders slightly less so.

We rolled down hills, went walking with big dogs, cycled, brunched and lunched excessively, drank far too much wine, did crosswords in the garden (the Times cryptic appears in the local paper!), saw the sea round every corner and explored the quayside.

Our trip back was astonishingly beautiful.  The sea was smooth and calm, we were treated to fabulous views of Mount Baker and the Olympic mountains and the sky was filled with an apricot and raspberry sunset.

Almost made up for the last time.

So here’s my final version of the mood board for the living room.

Click to view large

Inspirations: Laduree macaroons; fruit sorbets; Hotel Costes compilations; Vanessa Bruno’s Paris apartment; mid-century modern curves, the Ile Saint-Louis and Piazza San Babila

Soundtrack:

Room:

I’m really pleased with how useful this has been in focusing my mind.

It’s really helped me work out the final palette for the room –  fruit sorbet colours ranging from deep plum and raspberry through lime and citrus, with jasmine white walls.

I’ve learned that I need some dark colours and funky furniture to stop it getting too girly.

I’ve now got some specific ideas – a curvy, acid-bright chair for near the fireplace (though probably not a Barcelona as they are so ubiquitous); a row of horizontal white pattern on white panels for above the sofa (difficult to see but they’re behind the black lamp above); a curvy coffee table (I do like those Metro ones).

Very intrigued to hear whether you guys think it works or not.

Picture from Remodelista

I’ve just discovered fab blog Remodelista, which is full of funky ideas for remodeling various corners of your home.  Through them I came across San Francisco light shade shop Meteor Lights which makes these gorgeous tiered retro-modern lampshades using the same materials and techniques as would have been used in the 40s and 50s.

Each one is hand-stained so you can customize your own from a gorgeous range of colours and patterns. I will definitely be buying one when I’ve decided the colour scheme for the main room.

I think their single drum shades (perhaps in one of those beautiful greens?) would be a great way to jazz up these Trio lamps from Target (also found through Remodelista) which are, of course, a total knock off of the classic and rather more expensive Tripode lamps from Santa & Cole.

It really goes against the grain for me to buy knock off anything – I don’t like to be inauthentic and hate repro stuff, but really those Target lamps are just too tempting at $49.99 for the floor lamp and $39.99 for the table lamp.  After all noone except me (and you guys) is going to know until the Minx takes it along to the Antiques Roadshow in fifty years time and realises what a cheapskate her mother was.

So what would you do?

Sign held up by Blake at his homecoming concert

 

I’m sorry but I love this Robin Thicke song and the below made me come over all fangirly.