Last month, I worked on a great shoot with photographer Jemma Watts, looking at creative ways to display pictures and home accessories, using a selection of 3M’s Command products.

When it comes to wall displays you don’t have to stick to conventional set-ups, think about what you are hanging and try to have a little fun. Our styled collection has a retro feel, with most of the items having been up-cycled or restored. We started by painting the wall in a rich grey, this created the perfect backdrop to the punchy reds and bright mustard. It may not be your obvious choice for the wall, but this demonstrates that with the right light and accessories, slate grey can look striking and above all, warm.

My favourite item is the handmade peg rail which has been made from old yard sticks, genius. We used the Command picture hanging strips to attach it to the wall, just make sure you check the weight of the products against the back of the Command packet. All products wall are from the fabulous Home Barn, they sell a mixture of home accessories that have been lovingly restored and transformed into very cool and individual pieces.

Credits from left to right: Wall painted with Railings, Matt emulsion, Farrow & Ball. Tom Collins red chair, Sofa Workshop. Crystal stool designed by Marcel Wanders for Kartell, £133, Lifestyle Bazaar. Smoke bottle vase, £29, Ebury Home & Garden. All wall decoration including letters & pictures, wooden shoes, vintage bottles, coat rack & vintage flags, all Home Barn. Yellow throw, Just Blankets. Mathew Williamson Cushions, £20, Debenhams.

Credits: Crystal stool designed by Marcel Wanders for Kartell, £133, Set of 3 Delft flying ducks, £45, Lifestyle Bazaar, Ben de Lisi Red table lamp, Debenhams.

Credits: Wall painted with Railings, Matt emulsion, Farrow & Ball. Vintage American clear colour Balls jars, £22.00, Antique Apothecary / Chemist Bottles Medium, £25.00, Vintage Baby Shoe Lasts, £55, Distressed letters and numbers, £10 each, all Home Barn Ben de Lisi Red table lamp, Debenhams

Credits: Letters and numbers, shoe lasts as before. Note book, V&A.

The start of the year is always a very promising time for freshening up and welcoming in the new – and that is exactly what the team at LifestyleBazaar HQ have been doing! The new year has been a very busy one, with not only a fab new look to the shop floor but an extension and refurb to the basement. This entire new floor has lead to a larger selection of high quality, affordable and most importantly, interesting and individual designs to the LifestyleBazaar catalogue.

The design duo behind LifestyleBazaar, Chris and Laurent go above and beyond to bring the best selection of products for the home that you won’t find anywhere else! Originally based in Nice, South of France they relocated back to London five years ago, bringing their eclectic mix of design and decorative homewares to Shoreditch. The store holds a mix of styles, well known brands and new designers – all offered at fantastic prices. Some of the brands at LifestyleBazaar include Leitmotiv, Virebent, iBride, The New English and Mode Design to name but a few.

Next time you’re in London I highly recommend a visit to the LifestyleBazaar store to explore the gorgeous products on offer. Or, if you can’t make it to the shop browse the extensive website by clicking here.

At the beginning of the year I moved into a new home that could only be described as a granny flat. It’s previous occupant was a seventy-something with a fondness for pond green swags, beige everything and rhubarb pink. It’s new occupant however is a twenty-something with a love for interior decoration and modern, if slightly quirky, design. So, as you can imagine I’ve been very busy with various DIY projects as I re-vamp my flat, room by room. The first room I decided to decorate was the living room and I wanted to do so with grey paint.

I decided that I would go with just the one feature wall (pictured below) as not to drown the room – even though it is a very light room thanks to the large bay window and high ceilings. The shade of grey I chose to go with was Bowler Hat Grey from the Dulux Classic’s range, painting the rest of the walls/features in a simple Brilliant White, also by Dulux. Dulux Classic’s are lovely shades and pretty much - in my eyes - on par with Farrow & Ball’s chalky soft paints. When I started painting I was unsure of how I was going to tackle the shelves and the surrounds so I thought I’d take it step by step. I have to admit, I am not a fan of built in shelves and cupboards; I don’t like their shape or their lack of flexibility. The obvious answer was to rip them out but that currently is not an option, so I have to live with them and hopefully try make them disappear.

Before…

When I arrived at the above stage I did not feel comfortable with the outcome, it did not look right. The white frame around the shelves looked prominent and fussy, which definitely was not my plan! When using dark or strong colours it can be a bit daunting making bold decisions, so it’s always helpful to get the opinion of another. Obviously my first point of call was to Pippa! I emailed her a few pictures and asked her opinion on what I should do… paint everything grey, paint just the surround, paint the shelves, paint everything including the cupboards??? Pippa confirmed my feelings and suggested I paint the surround and shelves grey, but paint the cupboard white. And thats exactly what I did (see below) and I think it looks great. The fireplace pops out, the fresh white paint looks sophisticated and most importantly, the shelves appear merged and subtle!! I also think my collection of accessories look great against the grey – especially the coloured items… well I think they do anyway.

After…

Wreaths are definitely one of my favourite Christmas decorations, the perfect way to dress up a spare wall space or hang on your front door to mark the festive season. Why not try your hand at a DIY wreath this year, and forget the foliage! Check out these original and beautiful ideas from Papier Damour and Paper Couture.

This is the stunning work of Gill Wilson, a designer I came across at Origin 2011, I remember walking past Gills stand and being totally struck by the beauty of her pieces.

Gill Wilson produces handmade paper using natural plant fibre as the raw material for architectural and interior schemes.  The pulp is hand dyed to produce a palette which ranges from the most subtle natural tones to full colour saturation. Any range of colours, hues and tones can be achieved.  Textures range from richly fibrous to perfectly smooth and are further enhanced by tooling, casting, spraying and layering. The finished artwork can be produced to any size, from domestic spaces to installations of unlimited scale.  You can see more of Gills gorgeous work here.