A little about........the revamp

So, it has been a year since my last post (I wouldn't make a very good professional blogger!) however yet again I find my self just eking inspiration and not quite knowing what to do with it.

Within this year a lot has changed, my job, my personal life however one thing has remained unchanged. My unrequited love for interiors.

From wallpaper to flooring and everything inbetween, pinterest or instagram, there's just no end to where you can find beautiful rooms.

So for my, aptly titled revamp, up coming blogging, I am going to share with you what I find, from shop window to magazines, by doing this I hope to inspire you guys to revamp your homes.

Watch this space....

A Little About.....Wall Murals

It has taken time to write about something which will spark inspiration for your home decor, but then I realised what is more inspirational than our lives and our experiences.

Whether it is a particular place, memory or dream location! You can now reflect this within your home with a Wall Mural.

Wall murals can be tricky, allot of the time it is down to personal tastes, and as not everyone will want the Eiffel Tower on their dining room wall.

To create the right look for you, remember not every room in your home is for everyone else to appreciate.

 A home office for example would be the ideal place to put a Map of the World by Photowall, to remind you of travels past or future.

Or how about a custom printed mural from MuralsWallpaper.co.uk. Try adding a special memory such as a wedding day or dream holiday to really put your stamp on your home.

If you are going to express yourself with your walls and try something personal, what better way is there to follow the traditional phrase “Home is where the heart is”.

A Little About.....Patchwork Wallpaper

A lot of the time it is difficult to choose what theme you would like for a room, especially when you have to choose something to suit everyone in the house hold.

When you have finally decided on the theme its even harder to decide which style of wallpaper you would like, but there is an alternative to months of searching, sample ordering and decision making.

Patchwork wallpaper.

Now don't be alarmed it doesn't have to be the same old squares pasted with perfect precision, have fun with this. Layer your papers, mix up your print sizes, colours and patterns, it is the simplest way to create a bespoke look with more than half the price.

The beauty of this style is you don't have to be neat, you can make your walls whatever you want them to be and you can guarantee there will be something in there chosen by at least member of the house hold.

It may be a trial and error situation when originally trying to create your look, but perseverance is key (as well as blue tack) and once you know where you want everything all you need to do is number them, and if you don't fancy doing it like that you can take a photo of your wall and follow your plan when you are ready to commit.

So why not try something new in 2013 and create your own bespoke walls.

A Little About..... The Caged Bird

Many of us have seen the stunning new trend of the bird cage wallpapers- but you don't have to pay through the nose for the pleasure of owning a piece of this beautiful masterpiece.

But first if you have not had the pleasure of viewing the new collections from the likes of Next and Nina Campbell, you have been missing out. Nina Campbell's Birdcage Walk is one of the most opulent Birdcage wallpapers that has become extremely popular over the past few months which has quite possibly set the standard for the growing trend.

Other birdcage collections that have been produced and are equally as beautiful are the Birdcage from Next and Skylark from Arthouse.

But as I said beauty and bang on trend designs do not have to have the price tag to follow, for example the birdcage Wallpaper from Next is perfect for the smallest of budgets.

If you feel as though you are not ready to Commit to the full birdcage experience there is also something for you, which you may feel is an unlikely solution to join the growing number of people who have donned the birds, wall stickers, easy to apply to the plainest of Walls and easy to remove so you can keep following the new and ever changing styles of the wallpaper world!

These wall stickers make a great addition to any home! But I must say this is one style I would gladly showcase within my home.

A Little About......Florals

All floral prints are not as garish as some would believe, especially for wallpaper.

With the development of design and print a lot of things have been brought along for the ride and I am happy to say that the floral print is one of them.

 

Romantic Florals by NoNo Wallpaper

A large bold floral from the likes of Nono wallpaper, for example, with their Romantic Florals, would be perfect for someone who likes the styling’s of the pop art movement, on the other hand , if a collection with a tiny, intricate detail then look no further than the Kerala by Dulux.

 

Kerala By Dulux

With floral wallpaper, you do have to be fussy on what you choose, although you may like a specific paper, you really do want it to be the best it can possibly be, but don’t let this put you off.

For a smaller room, for example, look  to larger and more open prints but you don’t want to go too over the top with colour, try the subtle pastel tones of the Arizona, part of the Hot house collection, by Osborne & Little.

The dulled hot pink tones will definitely add depth and warmth, and would be a great colour to build your soft furnishings around.

(left) Arizona, (Right) Sariskar both from Osborne & Little

Sticking with Osborne & little for this one, if you do fancy a bold and really eye catching look, then take a glance at their Sariskar Collection designed by Henry Wilson.

This bold and abstract design will really stand out as the talking point of any room.

So next time you are thinking of a possible floral motif within your home, don’t let your head rule your heart, there is more to florals than meets the eye.

A Little About......Damask

When you think about Damask what springs to mind? An old country house? A stately home? Or perhaps a beautiful national trust building?

For many of us, that is what the word “Damask” would mean, there is an old quality even to the name. But don’t forgot what was once old can be reinvented into the new

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For me a damask print has always been a timeless classic, something that will always be a staple. Like the “little black dress” or that one film you just have to watch, over and over again, it will always stand the test of time.

When thinking of a Damask the first thing that needs to be remembered is, with any timeless piece, there will always be something to suit your own style. Be it a classical look brought to you by Arthouse with their Da Vinci Damask in black, Malmaison Damask by Zoffany in black and cream, simple, elegant and seductive.

Pictured from Left to right Arthouse, Zoffany, Eijffinger and Timorous Beasties

On the other end of the scale you have the big, bold and bright look of the Damask by Eijffinger it’s larger, over sized style with subtle tones of pink, mixed with a metallic silver print. Then you have TimorousBeasties, the company which will always deliver something that little bit special, with their deep black print on top of a bright yet modern, pink background, creating a different kind of elegance to a space.

 This is why this was the perfect choice for a final collection, the idea of my own damask, done in my own style; but keeping the elegance that drew me in to begin with. 

This collection consisted of Damask in all forms. 

The modern, the tried and tested, and something completely of my own design. Collating all of the ever changing styles of Damask into one collection (which obviously) would be perfect for any home.  

My own wallpaper collection

So if you are looking for something that little bit classic or even that little bit quirky, to fit within those rooms that you just don’t know what to do with, look no further than a reinvention of an everlasting classic.

A Little About......Me and Inspiration

So my first post on my blog.

Well I'll start off by explaining what this little blog will primarily be about, first thing would be wallpaper, well I say wallpaper, what I mean is wallpaper that will inspire.

"Inspire" is a word that can be interpreted in any way you the reader wishes, for me inspiration is something that makes me stop and think “I wish that was mine" something that makes me want to get out my sketchbooks, draw and first and foremost that, is what I feel, wallpaper is.

It isn't just something to begrudgingly ask your husband, wife or partner to put up, or even something that you, in a sense, face the music and put up yourself. Wallpaper is something that defines you within your own home, it’s something you want people to come in and say "Wow" or something that stirs something within yourself, a feeling of calm or a feeling of warmth, remembrance of a distant memory, comfort for you and everyone around you.

Wallpaper can be whatever you want it to be, but it will always be inspiring.

Another thing which I feel may need explaining is the title "A Little About.....” A Little About can be anything, which is the beauty of it. From one week to the next, it will be A Little About what inspires me, what inspires you. What’s never going to stop being that one thing that will always be a staple within wallpaper design, what will never stop being inspiring.

Allot of you may be thinking what qualifies me to be talking about Wallpaper, let alone inspiration, the fact of the matter is I am no expert, I have recently obtained a Degree within Textile Design, but this isn’t where my love of wallpaper began, this began when I took 2 weeks work experience within a company in Pewsey called Barneby Gates, which is run by Vanessa Barneby and Alice Gates.

This was where my inspiration with wallpaper began, learning about something, that any normal person would think is such a simple process (just like I did). Seeing the complexities within the design process, the decisions to be made with colours, print techniques, design placement, really gave me a great respect for wallpaper and wallpaper design, respect turned into interest, which turned into research, which then grew into inspiration.

Everywhere I go, people’s homes, high street shops, businesses, the first thing I am drawn to, the first thing that catches my eye is the wallpaper.

This is something I wish to instil in others, Respect, for the decisions that are made, Research, into something that is truly beautiful and Inspiration, enough to at least make you reconsider your current wallpaper choices.

The above photo contains images from Barneby Gates, Osbourne & Little and Timorous Beasties.