THRIFTY THURSDAY: IKEA TROLLEY

If like me your cupboards are rammed to near bursting then this could be just the 'thrifty thursday' for you. I actually clocked this turquoise trolley on Pinterest around 5 months ago but it hadn't quite reached UK Ikea stores / website by then. After a quick search this afternoon, it appears to have now made it over from the Netherlands! A small London kitchen can often let you down when it comes to storage space so this is a neat way of storing your baking products (as shown on the right) or even perhaps your kilner jars of food staples such as rice, pasta, sugar etc. Also available in dark grey if you want something a little more slick...

Ikea Kitchen Trolley

RASKOG Kitchen trolley in turquoise, £50. Ikea

WISHFUL WEDNESDAY

As the new AW13 home collections start to trickle down the screens of my favourite online shops, my interior wish list is growing exponentially. After a few impulsive interior buys that I soon regretted I've now become a little over cautious (verging on indecisive). This is to the point where popular homeware products (Toast.co.uk springs to mind) sell out before I get round to taking the plunge. So 'Wishful Wednesday' is here to serve as a visual note to self of items I am coveting right now and the new designers I am discovering along the way...

1. Hanging Test Tube Vase £27.55 Such and Such Co

2. Dorm House Shelf £79.95 Pretty Dandy

3. Arrow Spoon Salad Servers $150 Amelie Mancini

4. Paolo Navone Wire Basket Trio £38 Anthropologie

WEEKEND WONDERS

Saturday was my thirtieth birthday and despite a reluctance to let go of my status as a young twenty-something, turning thirty actually feels curiously good. I won't bore you with the "I really know who I am at 30" chat (although there is some truth in that) but rather than reflecting on what I didn't do in my twenties I am now dead excited about all things I am going to get up to in my thirties. Totally a state of mind I'm sure but it's working for me right now so I'm going to go with it...

Anyway enough of the philosophical chat. After a weekend of being totally spoilt by my loved ones, here is a little round-up of my weekend discoveries and finds...

1. All my birthday goodies- such a sweet surprise.

2. Decorative tiles spotted in the bathroom at one of my favourite 

restaurants Trangallan on Newington Green.

3. Woke up birthday morning to a room filled with white heart shaped balloons and my new 

bohemian rug from Bodie & Fou (handmade in India) which I simply adore.

4. Diptyque's 34 boulevard saint germain candle chosen by my sister-in-law (she read on peg how I one day aspired to fill my home with Diptyque). So thoughtful. Designed to encapsulate the scent of it's first boutique (located on 34 boulevard saint germain, paris) my living room is 

now filled with the aroma of damp mosses, crumpled blackcurrant leaves 

and sun dried fig leaves. And I haven't even lit it yet!

5. Another thoughtful gift... New York print by Rifle from Papermash. 

6. Saturday night at The Old Vic for Tennessee Williams 

play 'Sweet Bird of Youth' with Kim Cattrall. One word. Gripping.

7. Losing myself in books in the peaceful Daunt Books on Marylebone High Street.

8 & 9. Discovering the vibrance of Peruvian food at the Ceviche restaurant on Frith Street (Soho). Chipper staff, buzzy atmosphere and the best 'don ceviche' (sea bass ceviche) in town. I was even treated to the book, which I'm salivating over right now.

Thank you for such a perfect birthday (you know who you are).

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GET THE RESTAURANT LOOK: GAIL'S KITCHEN & WIRE CHAIRS

At the beginning of the year I enjoyed a heavenly brunch at Gail's Kitchen, just off Tottenham Court Road. Gail's Kitchen (image 1 below) is the first restaurant in the artisan Gail's Bakery empire and what a fine blueprint for future restaurants it is. As this isn't a foodie blog I won't divulge too much on the cuisine (apart from to try the toasted corn bread with avocado salsa and fried eggs- pretty special) but I must remark most importantly on the décor. Rustic wooden dining tables with steel legs are accented with buttery soft leather seating benches in a striking ginger shade as well as wrought iron chairs in bright white. All sitting seamlessly back to dove grey walls and some poppy artwork. Arguably the finest addition to the Nordic look and feel of Gail's Kitchen is the wire chairs. Noted as a dining feature I'd love to recreate in my own home, I've been stealing moments here are there to hunt out wire chairs online. The classic Harry Bertoia wire chair (1952) for Knoll would be the ultimate indulgence but at £520 each I've hunted out some savvy alternatives and some additional inspiration below...

wire chairs

Wire chairs- great for injecting some texture into your dining area and work well with all table tops.

1. Inspiration: Gail's Kitchen décor

2. Inspiration: Black wire chairs. Renovated house in France designed by architect Philippe Commun. Photograph by Bruno Warion. Source: Cote Maison

3. Black and white wire chairs. Source: Olsson and Jensen Ingredning

4. Eames Style Black DKR Wire Chairs: Cult Furniture Now £79.00 

5. Geronimo Gunmetal chairs. Loaf.com: £290

6. Harry Bertoia inspired wire chair: Coco interiors: £125

RURAL BROWSING: DAYLESFORD ORGANIC FARM

I've just come back from an amazingly chilled weekend in the Cotswolds. A little pre birthday getaway with my oldest girlfriends to see my parents (who live in Chipping Campden), drink lots of wine, chat endlessly and get some rural R&R. Saturday was the ultimate treat; easing into the day with a massage at Cotswold House Spa (awaraded spa of the year 2013 by LateRooms I just discovered on their website), followed by a dip in the hydrotherapy pool and then a light tapas lunch back at home.

In the afternoon we drove over to my favourite place in The Cotswolds, Daylesford Organic Farm. With it's organic grocery section, bakery, cafe, interiors + gardening offering plus an on site spa and cookery school, Daylesford is the ultimate country lifestyle destination. I'd describe it as 'aspirational'. Sadly the spa and cookery school is a little steep for a girl keeping up with her first time mortgage repayments but browsing the homeware is, for me, the dream afternoon. Pieces which particularly caught my eye included their new mango wood servingware (bowls, giant salad spoons, mortar & pestle etc) and recycled glass vases with a hammered texture to them, each and every one ever so slightly different. Don't leave Daylesford without a coffee and giant scone in the café, served by their strapping waiters (polite Abercrombie & Fitch-esque staff if they enforced a more conservative uniform)!

I couldn't leave Daylesford without treating myself, so opted for their lavender washing-up liquid (kitchen sink accessories don't get finer than this!) and their mango wood cheese / chopping board...

My purchases: Mango wood chopping board and washing-up liquid

If the Cotswolds is a little too far for now, they have a farmshop and café in Pimlico and Notting Hill 

They also sell an edited range of homeware and organic produce on Ocado

THRIFTY THURSDAY: 2-PACK CANDLES

Giving myself a little internal high five for finding a Thrifty Thursday item which is just £1.50! In my opinion all homes should have an abundance of candles. One day I hope to drench my home in the aroma of diptyque candles but until then I'll suffice with candlelight from H&M Home. This small pair of candles, with a calligraphic message are just waiting to be homed on my bedroom dresser. Fyi they are 5x6cm; I'd be fooling you if I didn't point out the image below isn't to scale. Still a total steal though!

H&M Candles

H&M 2 Pack Candles: £1.50 

DESIGNER FIND: TORI MURPHY

Don't you just love it when you come across a really striking new designer that seems to encapsulate the exact look and feel you've been hankering after? I recently came across designer Tori Murphy somewhere along one of my twitter explorations and I'm enamored. Her strong check / chevron monochrome throws will appeal to both sexes, whilst the more feminine lilac shades on spotted cushions and poufs will be winking at the girls. I want the Farah Throw especially; block hues of blossom / linen / black, good quality 100% Merino Lambswool and made in Nottingham (my uni town). Tick tick tick.

Tori Murphy designs

Tori Murphy previously designed for clients including Christian Dior, DKNY and Fendi so look at her designs as a slice of luxury. A real investment piece that will last.

FLOWERS ON THE PAVEMENT

Just checking in to say that I hope you had a lovely weekend. Mine was filled with fine company (friend's BBQ), a night in front of the telly, some fine coffee and carrot cake from Vagabond on Stroud Green Road (those guys know how to make real coffee), a trip to Alexandra Palace Garden Centre and Tom Kitchin's homemade casserole (super easy). Trotting home from the garden centre I even managed to rescue these wild blooms discarded on the pavement. Here they are sitting pretty in a Kilner jar of water...

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POTTED SUCCULENTS PRINT

Hope you don't think I've become succulent obsessed by blogging about it twice in one week but I've just come across some succulent inspired artwork on US website Society6 (my absolute go-to for affordable art aplenty) in the form of this Potted Succulents print by Brooke Weeber. Don't have the patience for pot plants (even low maintenance ones)? Then this is just the doodle for injecting some greenery into your home without enduring the hassle...

Potted Succulents Print by Brooke Weeber: Society 6, from $16

fyi... Society6 deliver to the UK!

THRIFTY THURSDAY: Washi Tape

Washi tape has become to crafts what cupcakes are to baking. From sticking your magazine tares to your walls (and it actually looking good- bid blue tac farewell) to customising chair legs and door frames, the possibilities have been sending my Pinterest feed into a coma. What astounds me the most however is just how expensive these seemingly simple Japanese masking tapes retail at across most of the web. Yep the options are endless but we're talking £3.00 per pop (for tape???). I'm therefore feeling like I've stumbled across a jewel in blogger The Glue Gun Girl who is offering her washi tape at just £1.50 per roll on her online shop Haus of Glue. Result.

Black and white stripe washi tape: £1.50 Haus of Glue

Blue grid washi tape: £1.50 Haus of Glue

I love the idea of using washi tape to create makeshift frames.

Image source: Design Sponge

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SUCCULENTS FOR THE HOME

I am having a love affair with pot plants, particularly succulents. I bought these little potted pretties (top image below) from a school fete near my home some two months ago and it's the best £5 I've spent for some time because the beauty of them is that they really last! My window sill potted lavender sadly died on me when we went to South of France (amidst a heat wave) at the beginning of the month but the succulents have stood their ground. This is due to their fine ability to retain water in their leaf and stems, hence why you'll spot them in lots of homes which experience hot arid climates. Chaneling my inner green, today I did a little research to the name of the succulents I most like. Here are my round up and why...

succulents for the home

1. Cactus and Aloe Vera on my window sill in my kitchen

2. Echeveria (I recently spotted in Bath lifestyle store The Loft) for their tight little 'rosette' patterns.

3. Kalanchoe Tomentosa or the 'panda plant' for their velvety texture.

4. Jade plant / money plant for it's curvy lines and prosperous luck. Image source: The Sill in NYC

5. Cactus: in all shapes and impactful sizes, they tickle me. Image source: Apartment Therapy.

NOT ANOTHER BILL

Do you ever feel like your mail is just such a bore? Long gone are the days of pen pals and tacky postcards from friends' holidays (I miss those days). I've just put a block on receiving bills from HSBC as I was concerned my useless printed bank statements was butchering a large chunk of valuable rainforest and I can't bare any more unnecessary mail. Feeling my pain? WELL I have just come across this neat website Not Another Bill and the concept is genius. You basically sign up (at a cost) and get a surprise gift in the mail each month from some cool new designer / artist. At the moment they are offering a 3 month trial for £55 and then it is £17 per month thereafter. Perhaps a little indulgent for one self but this would make an ace gift for a friend with appreciation for new beautifully designed things. Judging by the previous surprise parcels they've been posting out I think it's a given their gift will brighten up your post box. Here are just some of their past presents...

Past presents from Studio Fludd / Falcon Enamelware / Scarf Shop / Merchant & Mills

WOODEN CHOPPING BOARDS

Our current chopping board has really taken a battering in recent months and I am now in search of a new chopping board for 'best'. Beautiful chopping boards are so handy when it comes to culinary presentation (check out foodie stylists on instagram). In our flat we often double ours up as a serving board for fine cheeses, tapas tasties and hunks of rustic wheat free bread. I am particularly drawn to the tactile texture of wooden chopping boards complete with the grooves, pattern and lines only a good quality piece of wood would reveal. Here is my current chopping board shortlist...

1. Oscar Chopping Board - Folklore. Made from solid maple wood. £58

2. Olive Wood Chopping Board (handmade by artisans in North Africa) Not On The Highstreet £17

3. Mango Wood Bread board Toast £39

THRIFTY THURSDAY: WIRE BASKET

Gathering basket from Folklore now £15.60 (Was £19.50)

This may have to be a snap decision buy. Folklore's sale is ending imminently so snap up this black wire basket for a snip at £15.60 (down from £19.50). I first started crushing over wire baskets when I saw them used to display rolls of pretty wrapping paper in my friend's bedroom (she's a visual co-ordinator so has an impeccable eye). It could also be used to store eggs in the kitchen, balls of wool or in my case lavender. Next up is a wire basket to home all my pegs...