sharland and lewis home

we are delighted to announce our friends at sharland and Lewis in Tetbury are opening their new lifestyle home store in Nailsworth today.
the shop is in the old days mill building right in the centre of town (opposite the post office and raffles wine).
Co owner Libs, has a great eye for antiques, but not in a precious way, she chooses pieces which would work well in any home. She has added some new wares in to the mix, and the store looks set to be a roaring success. When i went in to take some photos i was reminded of Baileys of old, when they used to be in the engine shed in Ross.  where i think that Libs and Ali have the edge is that have a great eye for colour as well.
if you can't get to the shop they have a website here and they are both great at sourcing specific pieces for clients.

shades of grey

I always start the new year thinking 'right this year we will decorate, chuck out a skipload of clutter and make our house stunning'..............this obviously never happens and we invariably accumulate more clutter, and our house is never stunning. You see the problem is, I think i have some kind of reverse OCD , i just cannot, chuck out stuff. keep all of the kids drawings (even the really awful 'what is it darling?!' ones) i seem to aquire vintage china like its going out of fashion, and i am totally unable to throw away even the tiniest scrap of fabric, what 's wrong with me?!
anyway, if i had inherited a tidy gene and was able to declutter my life, this is the type of decor i strive for.... courtesy of the lovely sam at sams notebook.
i yearn for that stunning calm, grey scandinavian style.




this is a stunning looking hotel, (mr h, if you are reading, romantic break??)
I love the layering of tomes of cool cream, bone, grey, blue/grey and old washed wood, mixed with burnished metal and crisp linen.
sadly my linen cupboard does not look like this. (although saying that, it does by volume!!) i am unable to resist a vintage french linen sheet, however i am also unable to resist any kind of embroidered traycloth, tablecloth etc, so i don't have the restraint to have all those cool white cloths and napkins, i have a big vintagey hotchpotch which suits all occasions!
These lovely pictures, found while catching up with Sam, have made me think seriously about a chuck out of tat and a lick of paint on floors and furniture, so watch this space, see if i can kiss goodbye to beige acrylic carpet, and embrace some lovely paint library or little green colours.

studio tour

I had to have (an enormous!) tidy this morning! Not my favourite occupation, anyway I thought that while the studio was moderately tidy I would give you a little tour!

these are 2 wallpapers from my new children's range.

the wonders of ikea shelving, you can fit untold amounts amount of junk on these!

a few favourite paintings from artists Kate Loveday and Robert Bottom, along with the trust Bernina!

My noticeboards - when I get a bigger space I would love a wall of noticeboards! I can't bear to part with that first pair of wellies which have been to San Francisco and Italy, and that both children (one girl and one boy!) have worn on their tiny little feet.