House_to_home

Trend: Modern florals

French_connection.2_2013

French Connection Home S/S 2013

Studio.2

Trend: Monochrome Interiors

Pippa_Jameson_Interiors_Childrens_party_food.8

Prop Styling

Monthly Archives: July 2011

Hotel Review: The Reading Rooms, Margate

On July 18th, 2011 by .

Situated on Margate’s finest Georgian square; Hawley Square, you can find the luxury boutique bed & breakfast – The Reading Rooms.  As one of England’s first seaside resorts in the 18th century, Margate became famed for it’s picturesque beaches, reading rooms, historic architecture and recent revival for the arts. All of which reflects within the beautiful interiors of The Reading Rooms.

Just a five minute walk from the sea, the Grade II listed Georgian town house boasts three expansive guest rooms which have been loving restored.  Owners Liam & Louise drew inspiration for the restoration from their time living in Florence and previous experience within the graphic design and music industry.  Liam adding further input from his recent studies in architecture.

The colour palette of The Reading Rooms is mostly monochromatic; with white washed woods, Farrow & Ball soft white walls, hints of antique wood, and blue/grey plasterwork. With added accessories such as bronze chandeliers and grey roll top Victorians baths. The ambiance is serene and relaxing, with large open spaces and floor to ceiling sash windows, flooding the rooms with light.  Modern design and antiques sit happily alongside each other, with an overall respect shown towards the history and development of the building throughout time.  The restoration of The Reading Rooms has been delicately approached and carefully considered; which is most notably seen in the original Georgian plasterwork, parquet flooring and cornicing.  The en-suite bathrooms however take an all-together more modern and angular approach, but are softened by elements such as the restored cast iron radiators, white washed beams and roll-top baths.

Prices at The Reading Rooms start from £150 a night, which includes dinner and breakfast.  For further information on booking please visit The Reading Rooms website.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted under Hotel reviews

Have your say

Promotion: Command picture clips

On July 14th, 2011 by .

At the beginning of 2011 Pippa Jameson Interiors was asked to become part of 3M’s expert panel. This means that I get to try out and use all of their products by creating some online videos as well as mini-makers…great!

The last makeover we filmed was the transformation of an old cupboard in to a kitchen pantry; the result was fantastic, it’s amazing what you can achieve in a day! We used a whole range of clips for the film but the one I wanted to talk about is the picture clip as I think this would be most relevant to my readers.

I had the idea of using it on the inside of the cupboard to hold all of my loose recipes and it worked a treat. I am forever tearing interesting ones out of foodie magazines and they either get lost or just end up as tatty bits of paper stuffed in to other recipe books. The clips could work really well on the wall next to your oven or even on the inside of a cupboard door like I have used it.

Another option is to use it on your fridge for notes as an alternative to magnets as let’s face it, magnets always fall off!

Below is the makeover video and a little bit more product information about the picture clips:

• Hang a photo, reminders or schedules without magnets failing or leaving adhesive residue.
• Works on painted walls, wood, tiles, & metal surfaces.
• Clip is translucent to blend in with the surface.
• Includes 6 clips and 8 Command™ strips per pack (2 extra strips to reuse clips).
• Easy to put up – no need for nails or screws.
• High performance adhesive – holds on strongly.
• Easy to remove – innovative stretch release technology leaves no surface damage.


More information on Command Picture Clips

Posted under Craft ideas

Have your say

Influenced by Art Nouveau

On July 12th, 2011 by .

One of my favourite art movements is Art Nouveau. Ever since I was awarded an art prize book in high school filled with treasures defined by this style, I have been enchanted by the exaggerated fantasy-like curves, line work and ornate imagery tying in elements of nature. I especially appreciate the influence the art form has had on fashion, poster design, products and architecture, even film and set design. It is definitely high up on my list as an influence in my next stying project!

Image credits: 1.Interiors and Exteriors looking very fantasy like, 2.Stunning new take on Art Nouveau in the home, 3. Mucha’s iconic artwork.

And recently spotted – the upcoming collection from Jason Wu, so perfectly inspired! (Image 4 and 5)

 

Posted under Trend Stories

Join the discussion

25 Most Popular Interior Design Web Tools by Sharon Harlon

On July 8th, 2011 by .

I was contacted by Sharon Harlon who writes articles for Interior Design Degree, a website dedicated to providing students with the information and tools needed in order to purse their interior design degree. She mentioned that she had just written the following piece and would I like to feature it on my blog. I thought the article was great, with lots of useful tips on software and websites for anyone that is looking to start a career in Interior Design. I hope you find it useful and thank you Sharon!

Interior designers today have a wide choice of design tools available right through their keyboards. You can find design software that is free to use and provides the ability to share your 3D designs with peers and clients. Paint and flooring companies, among many other interior design businesses, offer swatches and the ability to test colors against other design elements. Web sites also offer workshops, inspiration and access to materials that you may have never heard about before. All these online tools are provided in this list of the 25 most popular interior design Web tools available today.

Image: The California Shutter Company, styled by Pippa Jameson

Design Software

  1. 3Dream: Quickly and easily design and re-design your space in 2D and 3D then take snapshots to print, email or share with others. 3Dream has over 7500 models, textures and materials in our product library for you to design with.
  2. Arrange-a-Room: Ladies’ Home Journal provides this new interacvtive tool, courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens. Use this Shockwave plug-in tool to rearrange or design any room in a house.
  3. Autodesk Homestyler: Use this design tool for its drag-and-drop ease in layout and decorate with thousands of items and real products. Visualize in 3D and share your designs with others. They also support viewing shared designs on mobile devices.
  4. Design A Room: Armstrong products provides tools that allow users to design rooms from the floor up. Designs are categorized by design styles, and the emphasis is on flooring. Share your designs with peers.
  5. Design Your Dorm: DYD is a Web-based 3-D interior design tool that allows college students to customize their dorm room interiors and purchase their favorite room selections online. But, interior designers can use this tool as well for one-room designs. This tool allows collaboration.
  6. Floor Planner: This may be the easiest and best looking way to create and share interactive floor plans online. With simple drag and drop tools you can make accurate plans within minutes all on scale. Floorplanner BASIC is free for personal use. The PLUS account offers more space if you need it.
  7. Google SketchUp: Designers are using this innovative tool to create anything from coffee pots to skyscrapers. Re-imagine your living space and create model buildings for Google Earth. The free version is easy to use, but does not let users exchange files with other software, create documents or generate reports.
  8. MyDeco: Plan a home in realistic 3D for free with this Web site’s tool. The software includes a large range of real furniture, and you can get feedback and help from the online community. You also can enter your designs into competitions.
  9. Plan3D: This planning and design tool is built into a Web page. From basement to roof or just one room at a time, you can create or remodel a home. Plan3D uses dimensions in blueprint-like mode or in realistic 3D. Plan3D comes with over six gigabytes of 3D furniture and 3D cabinets, landscape items and textures for surfaces.
  10. PlanningWiz: PlanningWiz is an award winning design tool providing online simplified floor planning that supports consumer decisions in retail and real estate. Prospective buyers launch PlanningWiz from your website to quickly furnish and visualize themselves the space in real-time.
  11. See My Design: The goal here is to help you explore design and decorating ideas online through interactive tools that are supported by information about design styles, principles and elements, painting and color theory, room elements and design examples.

Websites

  1. American Society of Interior Designers: This site contains members-only tools and open source materials for anyone interested in interior design. Great source to learn about sustainable design, accessibility and design standards.
  2. Apartment Therapy: This site intends to save the world, “one room at a time.” Great inspiration for apartments, condos, homes and offices — anywhere that requires design ideas for small spaces.
  3. Architonic: This is an independent resource for architecture and design, providing ideas and inspiration for everything from homes to offices and from bathrooms to back yards. Be sure to browse through their carefully considered showcase of over 93.000 premium design products and materials.
  4. HGTV: Home and Garden television provides a site that any interior decorator cannot live without. Design rooms, refresh your color palettes, stay on top of design trends and learn landscaping through the advice provided by professionals.
  5. IKEA Hackers: Designers hack, personalize and re-purpose IKEA products into new items, providing inspiration along the way. This site has been running strong since 2006.
  6. Interior Design: Each month, the magazine and its Web site feature a variety of outstanding projects, the latest new products across all disciplines, industry news and more. With a print circulation of more than 76,000 (paid), and over 170,000 monthly unique visitors online, Interior Design offers an unparalleled level of design-hungry readership.
  7. Inventables: Inventables is the innovator’s hardware store, selling all kinds of materials in small quantities for purchase with a credit card. Product developers, researchers, artists, and inventors purchase products from the store every day to build prototypes and test concepts.
  8. Low Impact Living: You may want to decrease your impact, or you may run across a client who is obsessed with low impact living. If so, this site serves perfectly as a primer on low-impact living and a resource for tools, furniture and design elements that can help reduce that impact dramatically.
  9. U.S. Green Building Council: Learn how green buildings are certified, sign up for courses, workshops and newsletters, and explore green building research through this non-profit site. Their Green Home Guide is a great resource, and also a place to list your business if you focus on green design.

Oxford Rogue Designs

Other Tools

  1. Behr Paint Workbook: Register to use the workbook, where you can find colors, gain inspiration and start projects based upon Behr paint colors.
  2. Colors Pallete Generator: Upload an image to generate a color palette based on the image’s primary colors. Useful for quickly grabbing a particular color within an image for inspiration.
  3. DreamDraper: Create window treatments and caculate yardage as well as create new space plans with this tool. DreamDraper has hundreds of furniture and accessory templates for every room, including appliances, fixtures, rugs, windows, doors, fireplaces, plants and staircases. All of these items can easily be re-sized and re-positioned to represent exactly the perimeter of a room and the furniture in it.
  4. PANTONE Paints + Interiors: “The System” consists of over 1,900 colors in cotton, paper and digital formats. Drawing insight and direction from the fashion, beauty and industrial design markets, the PANTONE View Color Planner forecasting tool rounds out the System.
  5. Stainmaster Carpet Design Tools: Use the “vision board,” or choose a room and style it up to see the results. Learn about various carpet types and styles as well as pattern designs and current trends.
  1. 3Dream: Quickly and easily design and re-design your space in 2D and 3D then take snapshots to print, email or share with others. 3Dream has over 7500 models, textures and materials in our product library for you to design with.
  2. Arrange-a-Room: Ladies’ Home Journal provides this new interacvtive tool, courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens. Use this Shockwave plug-in tool to rearrange or design any room in a house.
  3. Autodesk Homestyler: Use this design tool for its drag-and-drop ease in layout and decorate with thousands of items and real products. Visualize in 3D and share your designs with others. They also support viewing shared designs on mobile devices.
  4. Design A Room: Armstrong products provides tools that allow users to design rooms from the floor up. Designs are categorized by design styles, and the emphasis is on flooring. Share your designs with peers.
  5. Design Your Dorm: DYD is a Web-based 3-D interior design tool that allows college students to customize their dorm room interiors and purchase their favorite room selections online. But, interior designers can use this tool as well for one-room designs. This tool allows collaboration.
  6. Floor Planner: This may be the easiest and best looking way to create and share interactive floor plans online. With simple drag and drop tools you can make accurate plans within minutes all on scale. Floorplanner BASIC is free for personal use. The PLUS account offers more space if you need it.
  7. Google SketchUp: Designers are using this innovative tool to create anything from coffee pots to skyscrapers. Re-imagine your living space and create model buildings for Google Earth. The free version is easy to use, but does not let users exchange files with other software, create documents or generate reports.
  8. MyDeco: Plan a home in realistic 3D for free with this Web site’s tool. The software includes a large range of real furniture, and you can get feedback and help from the online community. You also can enter your designs into competitions.
  9. Plan3D: This planning and design tool is built into a Web page. From basement to roof or just one room at a time, you can create or remodel a home. Plan3D uses dimensions in blueprint-like mode or in realistic 3D. Plan3D comes with over six gigabytes of 3D furniture and 3D cabinets, landscape items and textures for surfaces.
  10. PlanningWiz: PlanningWiz is an award winning design tool providing online simplified floor planning that supports consumer decisions in retail and real estate. Prospective buyers launch PlanningWiz from your website to quickly furnish and visualize themselves the space in real-time.
  11. See My Design: The goal here is to help you explore design and decorating ideas online through interactive tools that are supported by information about design styles, principles and elements, painting and color theory, room elements and design examples.

Posted under Design post, Interior Styling

Join the discussion

Our favourite independent shops

On July 7th, 2011 by .

With the credit crunch still looming and interior giants such as Habitat closing down, it’s now more than ever that we need to support our independent stores. The pros of shopping for homewares from independent retailers are endless, and the proof is in the pudding when you see the gorgeous variety of products on offer. You can find several brilliant guides to England’s best independent shops through websites such as Independent London and Unchained Online Guide.  Below is a our selection of the best independent shops that specialize in homeware!

An Angel at my Table is a family-run company {6 people and 1 dog} who will ‘bend over backwards to offer something different’ to their customers. They offer quirky and individual products with an definite artisanal quality, all selected for their originality rather than perfection. Whether it’s English or French furniture, fripperies and petites folies, An Angel at my Table have a beautiful and cleverly thought out collection.

Lily & Lime is the brainchild of busy working mother, Kristen Bridge, in reaction to the age old dilemma of selecting the perfect gift. The philosophy of Lily & Lime is to provide unusual, stylish and perfectly present gifts for all.

Baileys Home & Garden sell a heady mix of vintage and new from a variety of different sources, all sharing the qualities integral to their philosophy – ‘repair, reuse and rethink.’ The family run business loves to reuse unloved items and give them a new lease of life. When not reusing and recycling; Baileys design simple and useful products with a subtle sense of humour.

Camel & Yak is a young business specializing in beautiful and delicate French & Scandinavian lifestyle products, thriving from a loyal customer base. The vast selection of home wares are charming, colourful and would be complementary to any style or decor.

Cox & Cox is a treasure trove of decorative home accessories which are both beautiful and practical. The product range taking influence from all around the globe, taking note from childhood memories but often adding a contemporary twist. The team behind Cox & Cox have a strong design background which shines through in their choice of products.

 

Posted under Books we love, Favourite shops

Join the discussion

Chinese ceramic sinks - I want one!

On July 6th, 2011 by .

Whilst sitting at my desk, my mind often wonders and I find myself staring at my pin-board.  It’s full various bits of wallpaper, fabrics and tear sheets of things that inspire me or items that I want to buy.  Anyway, today I found myself gazing at this tear sheet of simply gorgeous sinks.  I think subconsciously I started thinking about ceramics after seeing Carole’s lovely post this morning over at Dear Designers.  The sinks are made from large Chinese bowls and are perfectly suitable to use in the bathroom.  The magazine has suggested asking a tile specialist to cut a hole in the bottom using a diamond drill bit.

If you are interested in trying one out in your bathroom then I have found this company, New Star China, below.  If any of you know of any other suppliers then please do share it with us as I would love to see some more design options.  Thank you!

Magazine tear sheet




All images from New Styke China

Posted under Bathrooms, Home accessories

Join the discussion

The beautiful work of Lerkenfeldt Photography

On July 5th, 2011 by .

I came across the gorgeous Lerkenfeldt Photography whilst researching online for a job.  I wanted to share the pictures with you as I think the light they have captured in the shots is just beautiful.  I often think if I wasn’t a stylist then I would love to be a photographer.  What do you think of the pictures?

Posted under Design post, Photography

Have your say

Trend: Industrial

On July 2nd, 2011 by .

Vintage industrial furniture, lighting and decorative accessories are bang on trend at the moment.  Whether it’s a sleek reproduction or a secondhand find, you’d be hard pressed to find an industrial piece that isn’t visually beautiful and exciting.  I personally love industrial items of furniture, especially second hand items where you can see the history of ware and tear that you’d expect from factory or warehouse furnishings.  The signature industrial style incorporates often strong angular shapes, metallic colours and an overall sense of working practicality.  This practicality of industrial furniture and lighting is evident in the design – flexible, built to last and large scale. The main materials used are mat and polished metals; decorated with hints of wood and effects on the metal such as bevels or perforations.

Many of the units designed for workplace storage can be used in the home as a modern take on the welsh dresser or freestanding unit – great for a makeshift bookshelf or decorative display.  The modern reproductions have been softened and made playful by the addition of bright block colours instead of raw metal, another key 2011 trend!  Below are my favourite places to source industrial chic furniture and accessories…

First up is Little Paris, who offer an eclectic range of authentic and vintage furniture, curiosities and accessories.  The products come from contemporary French designers, with new products restocking the shop every three weeks.

Established over 12 years ago in the creative hub of Spitalfields you can find Elemental, who’ve built a reputation as a one stop source for the unusual and unique. The Elemental blog gives you up-to-date information on not only the company, but the products in stock and any new finds.

Morris Interiors specializes in a variety of industrial lights, with each item skillfully stripped, polished, re-wired and renovated to modern standards.  Alongside the lights, you can find a great selection of storage items and desks.

The Old Cinema – that’s exactly what it is; a refurbished picture palace dating back to the 1890s.  The Old Cinema has become London’s only antiques, vintage and retro department store, stocking everything you could imagine – the stock is vast, from all ages and from all around the world.  The Old Cinema has a great selection of ‘hardcore’ industrial, with many pieces up-cycled with a fresh lick of paint

Below is a selection of companies that offer modern reproductions of industrial to easily merge with your existing household furnishings. MADE is a personal favourite of mine – they’re making a stand against high priced designer furniture and in-turn offering beautifully design furniture at amazing, affordable prices.  MADE do this by stripping out the middlemen and connecting the buyer with the furniture makers directly, cutting the cost by 50-80%! You can even vote for future items to go into production!  Rose & Grey also have a lovely collection of industrial – I’ve got my eye on their galvanized steel trolley!

Left to right: Made, Graham & Green, Rose & Grey, Pigeon Vintage.

 

Posted under Trend Stories

Join the discussion