I'm back....

So much has happened in the past two weeks....life has been really stressful around here! My Aunt Kitty passed away the weekend before last and I was glad that I was able to spend the night with her at the hospital before she died. It was very sad but we are all glad that she did not suffer and passed quite quickly in the end. She had a wonderful life and really lived to the fullest extent...I need to take a leaf out of her book...she was in so many societies and clubs - amazing for an 81 year old!

Then, the Friday before Kitty passed, I had "that" meeting at work...yes, the axe has finally fallen!! I was laid off/made redundant...of course, I have been waiting for this for well over a year now and as much as you prepare yourself and think you are ready, when you finally hear the words, it is both shocking and upsetting. However, I quickly pulled myself together and realised that I feel very positive about it all...I actually feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders and am feeling a strong sense of relief. I am sure that things will work out for the best - that's generally the way!

Now you know why I haven't been posting or visiting recently! Trying to get back to normal now...so weird not having to go to work (thankfully, I don't have to work out my notice which is fantastic!).

So, now back to all things design! I love Russell Pinch's furniture and saw that he unveiled some new pieces at 100% Design in London recently. On foot of that I went exploring the Pinch Design website. He and his wife, Oona, make up this fab design duo...here are some images of their work...I love these photographs and the first is my favourite...such a beautiful room too! The pieces are so elegant, understated and stylish...not trendy but I think, timeless, with beautiful lines and gorgeous materials...oohh I could wax lyrical all day but check their work out yourself below and on their website...






I noticed that Russell Pinch also designs for a number of other retailers and brands including SCP, Ercol, Conran and Jamie Oliver’s JME home-ware range. What a talent!

Hope you have a lovely week and I will be dropping by to visit you all soon :)

If only I had a tree!

If you have a lovely garden with a big tree...then lucky you! I would so love to have this in my garden..what a simple, smart idea...take one old wooden rocking chair, remove legs, add flat base, rope and some brightly coloured paint and VOILA!! How gorgeous is this?? Love the yellow too!

Scandi Style....

I found this link after having seen some gorgeous images on the lovely Deco Detective blog (you must check this blog out if you haven't already!).

Here are some more images...again it's the bright white with gorgeous punches of really bright colours...I am totally loving this vibe right now...my heart actually fluttered when I saw the images first (sad but true!!). I would strongly recommend having a look at the website...I am waiting to hear back from them as to whether they ship to Ireland or not...fingers crossed :) I noticed that they have products from Rice, Tinek and Greengate all of which I posted about here some time ago!
















I would love a couple of the little armchairs and the sofa (armchair for our bedroom, sofa and another armchair for our "snug" project - more about that later!)and I really like the bureau/drawer unit...would be perfect for that nook I posted about a few days ago!

Dream Cottage...

Hello! I am sure I will post about this a lot over time so bear with me! Both myself and my husband yearn and long for a cottage in the countryside (maybe me a little more than he as I am a country girl at heart!). I constantly check property pages and websites to see what's out there and right now there are quite a few lovely places which have come WAY down in price ...unfortunately, the value of all houses has fallen so the equity we had built up has been reduced somewhat too, therefore, our dream cottage is still just that (for the moment...must remain positive!!).

Anyway, I mentioned the photographer Christina Wilson in this post some time ago and have now found another beautiful property on her website - a fisherman's cottage in Whitstable - which she has fixed up beautifully...it's for rent and I certainly wouldn't mind spending a week there off season...maybe October some time! Some of her own shots of her little cottage showing her wonderful sense of style below ...totally the kind of simple design aesthetic I would aspire to in my cottage :)

Smitten from the first shot...



Beautiful little kitchen...



Loving the larder cupboard (think it's from Habitat) and adore the small Smeg fridge...



View through to living area...



Very pretty pot belly stove (I prefer an open fire but love these stoves too!)..



Gorgeous, light, white, tongue and groove clad bedroom...sigh...



Another bright and pretty bedroom...



I don't have enough superlatives...the bathroom...



The little back yard...enough space for a small deck, table, chairs and a little seaside garden....



Local beach huts....



Seaside nearby...




Isn't it delightful? I can't wait to have my own...hope you liked it too! Christina is a great photographer I think :)