I was completely taken surprise to discover I had won something in the Best of Pinterest UK interiors awards. I won the ‘Best Small Space Idea’ category for our fold-away desk, and was a runner up in the ‘Best Kids Room Idea’ for Fonz’s indoor climbing wall. I think what made it feel so special was the awards were decided by a panel of judges (Kelly Hoppen, Matthew Williamson, Michelle Ogundehin and the Pinterest team), rather than by a public vote. As someone who finds campaigning or blowing my own trumpet rather a challenge (I’m trying to get better, as this… View Post

Since we swapped our old double bed in the guest room for a Hemnes daybed from Ikea to free up some floor space, we’ve needed to come up with a bedside table solution. The drawers pull out to turn the single bed into a double, but once we’ve done that there isn’t space for a bedside table between the bed and doorway, so we decided a wall-mounted option was our best bet. We chose our favourite DIY material, plywood, swapped our usual drill for Gorilla Wood Glue, and got building. I sketched out a super-simple design for a wall-mounted bedside shelf – it… View Post

Ben and I had a rare evening out together on Saturday when we enjoyed a meal at Thai hotspot Giggling Squid – newly opened in Wokingham. The restaurant has been completely transformed from its previous dark and cavernous incarnation – the atmosphere is cosy but airy, and the place has a buzz about it that makes you feel instantly at home. I love picking up interior inspiration from spaces such as bars, restaurants and shops, and Giggling Squid has plenty to offer in the way of ideas. I was lucky enough to have some time to chat to Giggling Squid’s owner Pranee before Christmas… View Post

  Classic Scandi-style tree on My Scandinavian Home I really had no idea how much I’m drawn to a simple, Scandi-style Christmas tree until I typed ‘Christmas tree decorating ideas’ into Pinterest. Woah, there are some seriously lavish trees out there! We’re talking so many decorations you actually can’t see any tree at all. I wanted to run away and hide, but I was keen to find some decorating ideas that would shake up my style a little, while also sitting comfortably with my pared-back approach. And so I kept searching and tracked down some really creative ways to decorate the Christmas tree.… View Post

ADVERTORIAL December is finally here and the Christmas festivities can begin in earnest. I tend to hold off putting up our decorations until mid-December (in my house growing up they didn’t go up until the weekend before Christmas), but I thought I’d share a sneak peak into the simple Christmas decorating style I’ll be embracing this year, along with some savvy shopping tips with Nectar. A double-whammy of inspiration and money-saving ideas!  Nectar challenged me to spend £100 on giving my home a festive feel, with the added incentive of collecting as many Nectar point along the way as I could by making… View Post