Welcome. This is my home. The real, unedited, not quite there yet situation I live in. You might as well grab a cuppa and retire your ‘Pin it’ finger right now. So it’s not done but as my general approach to decorating turns out to be one of tackling every room at once and finishing none of those rooms anytime soon, I figured I would just go ahead and share where we’re at.
I did not tidy. I think around the same time this ‘share it as it is’ blog concept was born it seemed everyone and their dog was doing an instagram poll with overwhelming ‘keep it real’ results and I really took that to heart. However, the morning following this shoot the flooring guy dropped by to measure up in the nursery and I put shoes on shelves and tidied away boxes, mildly sweating at the prospect of a stranger seeing this mess. And yet here we are – you and I – and me sharing this mess on the www. But we’re pals right?
So come on in…
There is surely not too much to say about a hall. I love the traditional tiles in the entryway and past that lies the general ‘receiving’ area of mail, coats and dogs usually strewn between that beautiful bench and the floor. I maintain that this mirror is THE best, semi affordable xl circle mirror about, I have grand ideas of recreating Hilary Duff’s kilim rug stair runner and occasionally, on a Sunday, it does look more like this.
The living room is definitely a work in progress. Those pink plaster walls are here to stay (much to the despair of in-laws and friends alike because they are literally ‘primed and perfect for painting or papering) but you know what? I love them just exactly as they are with that warm pink hue and they are so tactile. You just wanna touch them. And I do. And yeah, my Christmas lanterns are still up but the room is not even close to ‘done’ and the walls seemed so bare post Christmas tree that I couldn’t bear to take those down too… The floor has been sanded (boy, was that a fun job to take on myself) and now I’m thinking of staining it dark (just like it was pre-sanding minus the grime, seriously) but we got this berber rug which I know half the instagram world is in on but it’s affordable and plush and it looks pretty good for the money (ok, and it’s 50% off right now so that’s a no brainer if you’re looking for a rug). And this green velvet sofa is on order. Only ten weeks to go… geez, it’s like waiting for a baby. A green velvet baby. And we put up a ceiling rose (this one) which I really, really love. And the light, oh that light. I hunted and hunted for the perfect golden orb and this one from Cotterell & Co. fitted the bill perfectly. If you happen to be in the market for lighting they have it ALL – definitely worth a look… And I have visions of perfect mustard velvet armchairs and a drinks trolley too. And we’ll get there some day. But in the meantime I’ll be focussing my efforts on changing the water in the flower vase at the very least, that is a promise.
The kitchen is open plan with the only genuinely presentable room in the house (hence its exclusion from this post) – the family room. You can take a look at it here in all its instagrammable glory… The funny thing is this new kitchen of ours looks eerily similar to our old kitchen in the flat, pre-makeover. Awesome. So far all I’ve done here is hang up a driftwood stick and unpack my tea towels (and apparently all my booze).
Ladies and gentlemen (I know there’s at least a couple of you – hiya), climb up to the half landing and please step into my bathroom… so far I added a pretty bathmat from H&M, and a pretty bathmat is harder to source than one might imagine, and a macrame hanging basket salvaged from my mum’s wheelie bin, for real. The plant was a gift five months ago and now serves as a world record for the longest surviving plant in my care – it’s called el cashero should you be in the market for a plant that can withstand, at worst, severe neglect and, at best, general disregard, lack of light and very occasional, overcompensatory watering. I also treated myself to a perfectly instagrammable bath tray which is occasionally ‘on the grid‘ but mostly just props up the baby bath – hey, you asked for real life…
At the top of the stairs you will find my desk space. There are literally no words. But I bought a diary so things are almost certainly on the cusp of becoming supremely organised.
Upstairs we have three bedrooms. The nursery is the smallest and the one I have chosen not to share; only because it is almost compete and that’s a whole other post. I mean it has been almost complete for eight weeks now but any day now, any day…
The guest bedroom currently houses a borrowed bed and a huge Ikea unit filled with shoes and bags. I have a plan. I am not sure what it is yet but I am certain it begins with this incredible leather wallhanging I just bagged in the Urban Outfitters sale (FYI a hidden gem for interior finds).
And lastly I welcome you to the master bedroom. I did do you the courtesy of picking up dirty washing, hey, it was the least I could do. It literally was the least I could do. I.e. I did nothing else.
So far I unpacked (85% of our stuff), I found a vintage rug in my mum’s loft, I got laundry baskets from TK Maxx, I ordered a cowrie shell chandelier from the US and subsequently spent six weeks fighting for a refund because I never received it (I still have yet to find another – it looked a bit like this), I ordered various green paint samples for the walls about four months ago and have yet to test even one… but I sleep here every single night, very well.
And we will get there. So every corner is not instagrammable, barely any corner is pinnable, and there’s a long way to go but we live here and we love it and this is our forever home so I guess we have all the time in the world…
I LOVE your gorgeous home x
Author
thank you.x
To me it all looks perfect and still Instagrammable!!! And a desk should look like that…..you should see my bureau!!!
Thank you for sharing!!
Hannah (aka SpursTotty9)
Author
Thanks Hannah! The desk is a battle… it would be good to be able to sit at it one day!
I’m not sure what you’re talking about, your living room looks incredible and definitely Pinterest worthy! I especially like the subtle touch of the firewood – creates such a cosy atmosphere! x
Maria | The Chic Pursuit
Author
Thanks so much Maria – the living room is underway… and these photos prompted me to at least change the water in my vase of flowers (so disgusting!). Looking forward to it being ‘done’ but enjoying it’s changes along the way!
Can you tell me what paint colour you used in your front hall? I’m trying to find a blush pink that would work for ours! Is it F&B Setting Plaster?
Author
I’m so sorry I have no idea – I’d say it’s more of a beige though – it was just this colour when we moved in. The front room is a blush pink though and it’s just naked pink plaster (unpainted or sealed).x
Thanks for the reply. Any info is helpful trying to find this elusive colour I’m after!