Happy summery weekend dear readers! I wish we were back in Blighty enjoying the Bank Holiday with friends {Pimms, Eaton Mess, tennis in the garden} but thankfully Brooklyn is sunny and bright so we will make the most of it. I've been doing a little bit of blogging for my favourite florist Ivy, Pip & Rose; tracking down beautiful floral pictures is one of my passions so its lovely to be writing for this gorgeous blog. Check it out y'all.
Some recent shots of our blooming marevllous hood in Brooklyn Heights and wonderful, spangly light in SoHo...
Next month we will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary {gasp!} and I find myself reflecting on how The Boy and I have grown as we've shared these fun years together. When we were first married, we had a little flat in South London that we crammed full of colour, patterns, pictures and clutter. We loved it. Then there was a studio room in Nigeria which we kept extremely simple and clean; the outside world in Nigeria is a colour-riot so we wanted a peaceful sanctuary. Next up was our Victorian flat in West London, with its high ceilings, beautiful fireplace, minuscule kitchen and super-strict landlord! We did our best on a tight budget, thrifting and up-cycling and borrowing with the occasional splurges.
Here in NYC, I've found myself in another studio space and I'm finally finding my decorating groove - still on a tight budget {hello Craigslist!} but we are both getting better at only buying things that we truly love. One of my recent treats was this fun Origami Swan print from the very talented Andrea Lauren via Society6; I've also fallen in love with these cheeky tigers. Have you seen there are now l e g g i n g s available? I can't imagine I'll be brave enough to go for a pair, but if you are tempted, check out Project M, my friend Emeline's very cool graphic options, as well as these cactus badboys by Andrea Lauren. They would definitely make my Living Room Dancing sessions a bit more fun.
Have a relaxing and interesting weekend. We are having friends over tonight for falafels and dips. Madly in love with every recipe in Amy Chaplin's gorgeous new cookbook At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen, so might attempt something delish from there too.
Until next time!
:: all my photos are pretty crap so you probably won't want to swipe them; Society6 images copyright Andrea Lauren ::
Greetings from a rather chilly, snowy Brooklyn. Slobby Saturday has kicked in with some good old British bacon and eggs sizzling away courtesy of my hungry husband. Other weekend plans include checking out the ice skating at Central Park and pulling together some ideas for my first guest blog post for the wonderful Ivy Pip & Rose..I'll keep you posted on that one!
The new year has begun and thoughts turn to making the nest even cosier and homey {not homely, as we would say in Blighty; here that means something ugly or unsightly! I learnt the hard way by complementing a new acquaintance on her 'homely' apartment. We haven't been back}. At this time of year when the silver light makes black look too harsh and grey look a little drab, the majestic indigo kicks in as my colour of choice. Ever since travelling in 2010 to Abeokuta in Nigeria and watching the distinctive Adire fabric being created, I've had a love affair with the depth of tone that can be achieved with indigo. The Japanese Shibori fabric is everywhere and makes for a perfect DIY project {there is a great tutorial on Design Sponge: Shibori Designs 4 Ways}. I'd love to grab some paint and slosh it behind my mustard coloured loveseat, but that might not please the landlord too much. In the meantime, I've gathered a few inspiring ideas and do let me know how you use indigo in your home!
:: all photos copyrighted, see the links below for more details ::
{top left: Shibori kitchen towels from ShopDEND; top middle: mix up your fabrics in the bedroom like this masterpiece in Marrakesh; top right: sleep deeply by painting the bedroom walls in a deep indigo just like Lesley Graham; bottom left: from sfgirlbybay, various tones together looks classic and fresh against a white wall; bottom middle: pops of indigo look warm in the living space as seen in Domino; bottom right: I am madly, deeply, desperately in love with these ceramics from Michele Michael at Elephant Ceramics and I love the Marimekko fabric too!}
