It’s been almost 6 months since we moved in and we are making progress, slowly but surely. I get asked a lot whether we’ll be doing any major renovations and the answer is; not for now. Our new house was fully refurbished, extended and renovated, less than 10 years ago. Although not everything is to my taste (thankfully 70% is) it doesn’t make sense to rip out an 8 year old kitchen and bathrooms and start again. And not just from a financial point of view. We have a lot of things we want to do and change, but since this is our long term home, we are not in any rush to make huge decisions in the first year or two. Having said that, I’d like to change a few carpets and paint a few walls next year, but right now I’m all about decorating and making this house feel like a home.
I loved our landing the first time we viewed the house. It was so spacious and elegant. I wanted it to emulate landing of a stylish boutique hotel. None of my old furniture suited the space unfortunately. It feels quite traditional with the original stairs and wall panelling. I knew that I would have to find something new that would really make a statement. It was all very neutral. Finding the perfect statement furniture would elevate the space. I wanted something with real wow factor but it would also have to complement the existing interior scheme.
M O T H E R O F P E A R L C H E S T
I like to pick my main furniture for a room first and then decorate around it. I’ve been admiring mother of pearl and bone inlay furniture for a few years now. They have been all over Australian and US homeware magazines/blogs and the bone inlay trend is really starting to take off here in the UK too. Anyway, I thought this is the perfect time to invest in one. Mother of pearl furniture is not cheap, so you want to make sure that you get the colour right. Grey and cream were my favourites, but in the end I knew we needed to add a bit of contrast so I ended up choosing the one in grey.
I ordered the Classic Grey Mother of Pearl Chest of Drawers from Graham & Green without seeing it in real life. They do have a flagship store here in London but I was pretty sure it was exactly what our landing needed. I also knew that G&G quality would be superb. I had to wait a few months but it was so worth the wait. It has totally transformed our landing. We use it to store towels and linen and it’s without a doubt the nicest chest of drawers (and towel storage!) I’ve ever had. The chest is made in India by skilled artisans and it can take up to 6 weeks to make one piece of furniture. Individual pieces of mother of pearl (which come from oysters) have been skillfully carved and fixed into the wooden frame to create this intrinsic pattern. Each piece of furniture is unique and the colours of the shells may vary ; from classic pearly white to a soft pink, or even darker golden variations. The funny thing with mother of pearl is that the surface feels cold to touch (like stone). This is how you can tell that it’s real mother of pearl by the way. There are lots of painted imitations out there too (using stenciling), but they won’t feel the same to touch or reflect light like real mother of pearl does. Obviously they are cheaper and a great little project if you fancy doing some decorative DIY.
D I S T R E S S E D F E A T H E R M I R R O R
Next I had to find the perfect wall art to complement our new mother of pearl chest. I liked the idea of having a mirror here that would bring more light into this corner. I love playing with symmetry which is why I felt the round mirror would soften the look (especially since the chest is square). I also knew minimalism wouldn’t work here. I had to find a mirror that would make a statement in the same way the mother of pearl chest did. I spent half of my holiday searching for mirrors online and in the end it paid off. The distressed gold leaf mirror is exactly what I was looking for. I almost settled for a wooden one, but thank goodness I continued my search. I love the distressed, imperfect look. The starburst effect really adds interest to it.
W O O D E N T R A Y
I love trays. They are pretty and practical. Accessorising is probably the best part about decorating a new room. You can simply reshuffle pieces when you get bored. I didn’t want to add too many accessories here (to take away from the pretty pattern) but I like having candles on the table top. I do worry about the heat, as mother of pearl and wood can be quite delicate, so a tray would not only look good but it would also protect it from getting damaged. I found the most perfect decorative tray in mango wood from French Connection. I couldn’t believe how well the carved wood pattern complemented the chest and the mirror. Of course I had to place my signature Diptyque candle on it (both Ambre & Vanille are my go-to scents) as well as decorative ‘Japandi style’ mini vases I picked up in a charity shop few weeks ago.
S P U T N I K L I G H T
We actually bought our landing light from the previous owners for £100. Best decision ever! It suits the stairs/landing perfectly, plus I didn’t want to start looking for a new light on moving day. The ceiling is quite tricky as it’s sloping and most fixed lighting pendants wouldn’t have worked. This sputnik style chandelier hangs perfectly and adds a bit of interest to the neutral decor. I love the midcentury style and it feels quite glamorous (without being OTT). I’m not quite sure where it’s from, but you can find a similar one here.
D R I E D F L O W E R S
I bought the white leaf vase and the dried flowers from John Lewis in Bluewater. Ixia Flowers have a stand there and they do home delivery as well. We created a custom bouquet using one of JL vases (no longer available but I also like this) and I absolutely love the bouquet they created. You might find better value dried flowers on Etsy though. If you’re looking for a custom bouquet it’s better to pop into the shop and let the florist do it for you.
Months before moving in, I had this vision what the landing would look like. I’m so happy to say that my vision has come to live! It looks exactly, if not better, than I had imagined. I do want to change the carpet (not this year) and repaint the wall (in neutral) but just buying new furniture and decorating has made a huge difference. It has made this house look like OUR home. I’m taking my time with each room and I’m in no rush to get it all finished in record time. Because decorating should take time. My biggest decorating rule right now is that if I don’t love it, I don’t buy it. It has worked for me so far, even if it means that I’ll be making progress at a much slower pace.
