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.

Bedroom furniture, like any furniture, is a really personal choice and will determine the kind of look you want to give your place of rest in the home.

Recently I have seen some really creative and interesting ways to incorporate bed heads into a room, and they aren’t necessarily expensive or your typical idea of what a headboard might be. These inspiring ideas are a fantastic reminder that things can be done in a different and inexpensive way, to achieve stylish and unique results!

Credits: 1.Framed bed head idea 2. Lovely, inexpensive and personal project by House Tweaking 3.A cool stencil 4. Shelving in place of a bedhead – functional and pretty, 5. Reclaimed doors to create height, My favourite – a great use for an old palette!

Finding a bed that is exactly what you are looking for can be difficult. However you can find a wide variety of beds online at dreams.co.uk which should make it that little extra bit easier.

I’d like to introduce to you one of our very generous sponsors for Blog Tour NYC, and take this opportunity to showcase a selection of their award winning products.  For three generations, BLANCO has quietly and passionately elevated the standards for luxury sinks, faucets and decorative accessories.

SILGRANIT II^® Truffle sink collection – bringing the ultimate fashion forward and luxurious color of Truffle off the runway and into the kitchen

A classic, stylish and versatile taupe sink, it seems the Truffle SILGRANIT II is synonymous with all things luxurious and fashionable. The ‘on trend’ colour works with both warm and cool tones and brings out the natural beauty of stone countertops.

“Truffle shows our true color competency as BLANCO takes the lead in bringing this timeless color into the kitchen,” states Tim Maicher, Director of Marketing for BLANCO. “Color is innovation. And BLANCO is the color innovator.”

BLANCO CULINA is the ultimate chef’s faucet – redefined with elegant lines and a breakthrough magnetic hook up with closed coil that offer effortless performance without entanglement.
BLANCO’s award-winning design team stripped the pro faucet down to its essence, leaving a beautifully simple solution to the iconic chef style that eliminates the unruly pull-down hose. A gracefully flexible steel spring spout provides maximum free range. When finished, CULINA’s powerful dual spray and coil effortlessly snap back to their original position just by holding the spout near the magnetic feature. The streamlined closed coil is also much easier to clean.  Made from the highest quality materials available, BLANCO CULINA is offered in Polished Chrome or Stainless Steel.

BLANCO’s award-winning SOLON^™ Compost System greens and beautifies kitchens indoors and out
The innovative SOLON Compost System, is made from the highest grade recycled stainless steel.  SOLON effortlessly collects organic waste below the counter whilst its stunning design allows homeowners to beautifully incorporate green living into their kitchen.  This product Won the prestigious international iF award for product design.  As well as being dishwasher safe, it can be easily installed into the counter worktop and collects all of your waste including egg shells, vegetable peels, coffee grounds and much more.

“We have a drop-in design that can go anywhere and a flush option for stone tops. You don’t have to re-do your kitchen to incorporate composting into your life.”

For more information, Blanco Amercia.  For photography, interviews or questions, please call Lori Dolnick at 609-490-0999 x22 or [email protected]

Our ‘look to the future’ trend has been bubbling away for some time and can be found in tv, fashion & homewares.  The subject is quite broad and all centres around one word, ‘science’.  Brian Cox (who is now super cool) is the face of the television movement, with other celebrities following behind.  Fashion collections for Spring/Summer 2012 saw world renowned designers, dressing their models with ‘spaceage’ clothes and alien inspired hairstyles, whilst architects and interior designers are having fun with white futuristic spaces, teamed with splashes of punchy neon.

Credits: Paco Rabane Spring 2012 RTW (silver dress). Grad show, Otago Polytechnic collections 2011 JoJo Ross.  Silver trousers: Giles Spring 2012 collection. 2012, Golden Globes. Set of 4 models: Christopher Kane, S/S 2012. Restaurant Design, Home Design 2 you.  Futuristic living room, Home Interiors Look Futuristic by Geometrix Architecture. White room with face on wall, Raiffeisen Bank’s flagship offices in Zurich.  Lampshade head, decor.davinong.com. Medical glassware: essy.com.  Colorful alien: Anne-Sofie List by Signe Vilstrup for Elle Denmark, on fashiongonerougue.com.  All white apartment: Natalya Farnosova and Elena Samarina in Kiev, Ukraine. Hair, Paris Spring/Summer 2012