One of our readers, Beatrice Whelan, spotted this set of Doll’s House shelves on our blog some time ago, after we had spotted it on the House to Home website.

Is it a doll’s house? Is it shelves? It’s both as well as being absolutely fabulous. I have been gently reminding Brian to make one for Kate and he protests that she has plenty of shelves. However, I feel, that like shoes, a girl can never have enough shelves.

Beatrice sent me pictures of the set of shelves her brother made for her little girl and now that I have seen these, the gentle reminders Brian has been getting will be becoming a more savage nag! Isn’t this just gorgeous?

Before Paint!

Painted and wallpaper with offcuts from Designer’s Guild’s latest collection for children, doesn’t this look fabulous and it will last this beautiful little girl for many many years.  I think Beatrice did a terrific job.

Texture is particularly important if you are decorating with neutral or monochromatic tones. Why? Well, it is all going to look very flat and ‘dead’ otherwise. Create interest through the use of pattern and texture. Neutral or monochromatic don’t have to be boring, in fact, they can be quite the opposite and leave you with more scope to concentrate on pattern and texture. The beauty of individual objects becomes more obvious too and can be appreciated more.

Jab - Palm Beach Collection

I love this bedroom picture from Jab and it just proves how a black, grey and white bedroom can look so warm and tactile – through the use of flock walpaper and cut velvet fabrics. You can almost feel the softness of that headboard! Even the lilies serve as a lovely contrast (although I could never sleep in a bed beside lilies – can you imagine what their scent would do for hayfever!)

Add texture to a decorative scheme through items such as a pleated cushion or trimmings on a curtain,  interestingly shaped vases or candleabras, a deep pile rug, flock wallpaper, a throw on the sofa,  even the placing of a couple of books in interesting dust jackets, all add to the decorative features of a neutral room.

Happy Monday to you. Hope you had a lovely weekend, we celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary (yes, I was a child bride!) but as hubby was so busy drawing in straw for the winter and our babysitter was away, it ended up that the four of us went out on Saturday night to celebrate! The children enjoyed their first pints – of rock shandy!

Maybe it is because the weather is feeling decidedly autumnal but this post feels very right for my mood at the moment. Quaint cottagey florals are very much ‘in’. Dara Flynn wrote about this in the Sunday Times a couple of weeks ago, how people in the depression-era of the 1930s turned to cosy florals to cheer up their homes and hey, we seem to be doing the same.

Vanessa Arbuthnott fabrics

Fabrics from Vanessa Arbuthnott

A comfy sofa, a throw, a woollen blanket and lots of cosy cushions, a rug on the floor, a fire in the hearth, lots of books, floral curtains, a couple of lamps, a teapot and I am set for the winter – and if they are all in chintzy quaint florals, well, you can double the comforting factor (In fact, I think I am coming down with a cold and am feeling sorry for myself and want to curl up on said sofa in front of said fire with that book!)

Cabbages & Roses

Dara was kind enough to mention our Sophia teapot in her article so I thought I’d share it with you here too and check out all our Sophia tableware and crockery.

Sophia Teapot

Sophia Teapot by Greengate

And here’s a sneak peak of what will be coming to our online shop mid September – Greengate’s new Nordic range is lovely, I particularly love the mix and match crockery of the Valery white and Naomi plum

Valery White and Naomi Plum

And that cake looks scrummy too! Just what the doctor ordered!

Greengate Millie

Hope you have a lovely week and that the sun is shining where you are!

I hurt my back over the weekend, not bad enough to have to lie on the floor but not far off at times! Received a telling off  from my dad for carrying such heavy buckets of milk when feeding the calves along with some of his painkillers (bless him!).  I went to the osteopath yesterday and apparently it is just muscle damage, nothing out thank goodness but he warned it would be sore this morning and boy, he wasn’t  joking!

The upholsterer is coming up some evening this week to quote me for upholstering our chesterfield and to confirm the amount of fabric I need to order.   But which fabric to order – that is the problem! My only constraints really are the curtain fabric because it is easy enough to change the paint colour/get new cushions etc. The Chesterfield and the curtains are going to be the main influencers in the room so everything else will have to tie in with that. I’d love to move the curtains to another room but aside from the sitting room which has lovely curtains in it, no other room has windows as big (about 13 foot wide = a lot of fabric).

This is my curtain fabric – Hortense by William Yeoward in the velvet rose colourway.

I’ve love a grey chesterfield but it won’t work with this fabric but I can still oogle this gorgeous ones:

Although I won’t be opting for a floral fabric, I included this picture as it is very similar in style to our own, except ours is buttoned.   The large floral pattern looks very sleek in an unbuttoned chesterfield but I still prefer the buttoned versions – which do you prefer?

And although this photo (by Amanda Nisbet) isn’t of a Chesterfield, I’m including it as I love grey and I love love love the green walls although given the size of our living room, it would be too acidic for us. We have a sage green at the moment but I’m thinking of a drastic change so watch this space! Mind you, I won’t be doing much until this back is better!

Images: Living Etc, Homes and Gardens, Amanda Nisbet

Designers Guild is going into 2011 with a bang, launching their new ranges at Maison D’Objet this weekend with their largest display and stand ever.

Every 2 or 3 years, they launch a fabulous collection for children and here’s a preview of their new collection for kids, named ‘Kids around the world’

My Best Friend

Daisy Patch Green

Doll’s House

So, as you can see, there’s lots of colour, fun designs, lovely cushions, and fun animal shapes!  We can’t sell Designers Guild fabric and wallpaper through our site but we still stock it so if you would like to order any, do give us a shout.