Home & Living Archives

Home / Bathroom Inspiration

posted on November 9, 2016

I’ve been pinning interiors for a few years and browsing interior blogs for about two, and it’s amazing to me how my tastes have changed and solidified based on completely theoretical ideals and the occasional foray into hotels and other people’s apartments. The two places I’ve learned the most about what I want in — or that I’ve noticed I’m pickiest about — are kitchens and bathrooms.

(And office spaces, but that’s more about the chair than anything else. If you follow my Pinterest you may notice I skip 99% of cool office nooks that have a plastic chair. Just, why would you. Don’t.)

On that note, instead of ramble on about all my unrelated thoughts, I’m bringing you some of my favorite bathrooms in my interiors board on Pinterest, so I can let you know what I like about them with some actual visuals, and the things I may want to steal for my own place way down the road, someday someday maybe.

pin / source

pin / source

I love open spaces, multiple seats, wide surfaces and large showers that don’t involve lifting your foot higher than you would to walk to get into. I like real lighting and neutral colors with pops of soft but more colorful tones.

Get the look: mirror; shower; towel rails; vanity unit; rug; towel set.

What are your musts for a comfortable bathroom?

Diaries Home & Living Life + Style

A Health & Fitness Bucket List To Achieve, One Can Only Hope, No Later Than My Early 30s

posted on November 7, 2016

Largely because if I wait any longer my joints will just refuse to live. Also I may not look as good, but there’s always makeup for that and I’m still getting carded on the reg, so I think I have a good two decades of being photogenic ahead of me still.

I just did a boudoir shoot the other day, bear with my ego. I looked good. (Compliments to the photographer and my travel partner, Julia, who also let me shoot her. We’ll post these photos eventually, and the universe will collectively sigh and stare because we’re hot, y’all.)

Anyway, onwards and literally upwards, this is what I’d really like to get to when I can afford it:

Gymnastics coaching

I could try to coach myself, and I’m pretty sure I’d break my neck and die, especially because the thing I am most interested in with regards to gymnastics is bars. Since I’m never going to be good enough to compete and I’m just doing it as a personal challenge slash I love gymnastics and want to give eight-year-old me the satisfaction of doing a goddamn cartwheel, I may well skip out beam and even vault — but I want someone to guide me through the rest, and I want good equipment, and I know how expensive it is from the array of interviews and gymnastics-related media I have seen.

Either to work up to gymnastics or as an extra, I wouldn’t mind being coached in tennis and/or aerials, either. Turns out I want to fly, apparently. Who knew?

Orthodontics

My teeth have been a massive-ass disaster for as long as I can remember, and they’re not getting any better. I’m not embarrassed by them, but I do spend a lot of time making sure I don’t grin in photos, and I’ve had to edit my protruding front tooth more than once, because one front tooth protruding further than its twin is just unsightly, I can’t be body posi about that, not least of all because they’re that way from me trying to grit my anger away through my teeth. Everything is just incredibly uneven and so profoundly not white, and I have a fang on one side of my mouth but not the other. I don’t even want to lose the fangs, honestly; I kind of want to have two. But I suppose I could part with them.

Fangs aside, though, since I saw Rebecca from Bec Boop get Invisalign I’ve been eying it, and it’s gone on the bucket list. There’s nothing else about myself I would change — my wonky knees are fine! My stretch marks have character (and don’t show in photos often)! I’m actually really happy with my body and even my face, most of the time, plus I’m terrified of standard surgery, so that’s a no. But fuck if I don’t want an even set of close-to-white teeth, and Invisalign seems to make that so easy with little to no negative effects.

Goddamn therapy

This is the least exciting, but also priority #1. I just want to find a good therapist. It’s pretty self-explanatory. I want to be able to choose them, and that costs money. It might even require a change of location altogether, which may compound or lessen my anxiety, but wouldn’t cancel the need for therapy in any way. I know there are other avenues I can pursue in the meanwhile, but they’ve failed me before and if you have any experience with mental health services, you know how discouraging it can be to try and try and try and fail and fail. I want someone who understands what I’m going through, who treats me with respect, and who has similar values — and I’d really prefer it to be in-location therapy, because blocking out part of my day for it and physically stepping out does wonders for my ability to get out of my own way and focus.

My Lara Croft LARPing shoot dreams

This is threefold: I want to 1) cosplay Lara Croft 2) in a LARPing scenario 3) while someone photographs it for posterity and beauty. I don’t think a realistic outfit (and it needs to be realistic) would be that difficult to acquire, but the rest of the goal is somewhat lofty. I’d of course love to do some wild outdoors shots, which would be a real physical challenge for me, but I’d most like to LARP in something like, oh, a museum, a big city — places where people aren’t just going to cordon themselves off for you. So I’m pretty sure it would cost me an eye if I wanted to convince one of these places to let me use it as a location.

But oh, it would be magnificent.

Is there anything like this you’re hoping to do soon? Tell me all about your health & fitness hopes and dreams!

Post was written in collaboration with Hampstead Orthodontic Practice.

Home & Living Life + Style

Home & Style / Summer Lounging

posted on May 26, 2016

It appears the fight is slowly fizzling out of spring and summer is beginning to settle in, which, despite me being a massive homebody, somehow makes me want to be outside all the time. I have a small patio that’s a bit of a pain, and one of the things I’d like to do when I have the money is create a bit of a lounging space for summer nights (summer days are dangerously hot over here, let’s not even) to read and chat and have supper. I’ve put together some of my favorite looks from Pinterest, and found pieces you can use to get the vibe.

sources: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4

get the comfort: antilles daybed (omg gimme) / sunbed + coffee table / dining sets / outdoor fireplace / outdoor rug / floor lamp

And here’s an idea of what to wear during those lovely relaxing times:

maxi dresses / sunglasses / swimsuit / backpack / hat / shorts
sundress / shell top / espadrilles [find more offers for New Look]

This post is a PR collaboration.

Where do you like to hang out in the summer heat?

Home & Living Life + Style

Wishlist / Decking Out The Perfect Reading Nook

posted on May 10, 2016

the chairs: baltic sea fitted chair (5) / linea riva armchair (2) / stoned linen slate gray
the side tables: aldo side table (6) / sauder edge water collection (1) / zuo modern zeon (find discounts for Kohls here!)

+ a nice pillow (10)

I’ve been looking for a laundry basket to serve as a side table since I got a tub chair for my room. I need both of those things, and I only have space for one, so I’m trying to find something that does both jobs at once, or two separate things that can be stacked together.

I’m not fussy about the laundry basket part; as long as I can haul it around and it doesn’t look like a garbage can, I’ll deal. I’m a little bit more preoccupied with the sturdiness of whatever surface I end up using as a table, because this is what I want it for:

1. Wine glasses (3). This is the main thing, really. Coffee mugs, too, and iced coffee glasses and tea cups occasionally, but it’s the wine glasses that really worry me. As I’ve got my tub chair set up now, the handiest place to put a glass is a shelf next to it, and I have to twist my arm to get the glass. It’s frankly shocking to me none of my glasses has yet ended up in bits all over my poor cat’s scratcher. I want a place I can reach without breaking my wrist… and maybe a place where it looks good for Instagram photos. What?

+ coasters, preferably in the shape of a kitty (9)

2. My phone. Duh. As my phone is a flat horizontal object, I usually leave it on my desk chair. It’s not terrible, but the thing keeps sliding off and hitting the floor because I have the focus and hand-eye coordination of a newborn child. I’ve always thought about getting myself a pretty case with my photography, but I think the most genuinely useful thing I could do is get a protective case (8) instead. So far the phone is holding up, bless its heart, but I’ve seen one too many cracked screens on public transport to leave my phone’s well-being up to chance.

3. Notebooks, pens. Notebooks are easily stacked; pens are easily provoked into rolling straight to the ground. I have a veritable collection of Minted notebooks from a giveaway win and a previous collaboration with them; the example on the board (4) is the design I picked for my blank white page sketchbook. In addition to that one, I always keep handy a pseudo bullet journal, my blog notebook, and my planner.

4. Speakers. My current ideal, or aesthetic guideline, is this Fastnet folding portable speaker (7) from Ted Baker. It’s compact, wireless, and lovely to look at, and I think my cat would play well with it — I may actually have mentioned this particular model before because I’m obsessed with it.

My cat is obviously a consideration in everything I do or acquire, but he’s generally well-behaved around technology. He has however knocked my speakers off the shelf by the door — his shelf, really — several times this year by getting caught up in the cables, so a wireless speaker on a bookcase shelf or a small side table should about get rid of that pesky risk.

5. Mobility. For it to serve my tub chair it would have to be in the middle of the room or blocking some drawers I use, so it needs to be something I can move over to the side of my bed as a nightstand of sorts at night, and whenever I want to plug something in.

Does this cover your reading nook needs? What makes the perfect relaxing corner for you?

Disclosure: This post is a PR collaboration.

Home & Living Life + Style

Home / Make Your Spaces Extra Cozy For the Cold

posted on October 24, 2015

How do I say this without making an overused Game of Thrones reference — it’s getting cold outside. Dammit, that’s a Christmas song. Fuck it. It’s fall, and with fall comes a drop in temperatures and a rise in layers you must wear to not freeze to death. The breezy whites of summer no longer draw you in as much, it gets dark much earlier, and windows are closed more often than they’re open.

If you are a normal human being who is affected by their surroundings when working, this is a time of adaptation. Blankets come out. Coats, sweaters, gloves. Thicker curtains, possibly. Warmer, darker colors to create an illusion of snuggliness.

For this week’s edition of Lix Wishes She Could Redecorate, I’m bringing you a little bit of inspiration to make your office, or the space where you work, actually appealing to be in in these colder months. A place that makes you want to pull up your feet on an armchair, keep a warm coffee cup nearby and actually work with your laptop on your knees, if you’re not feeling the desk thing. I hope you find a little bit of coziness you can incorporate into your workspace — or bedroom, or home — here to make the most of these colder months in the most pleasant way possible.

Home / Make Your Spaces Extra Cozy For the Cold

armchair nook (Morgan Trinker via A Beautiful Mess) · studio (INT2architecture via Homify) · mudroom · children’s room

Get the look with: Halston armchair · basket weave cushion · herringbone cushion · winter leaves & berries · knit throw · slippers

I realize there’s a children’s room and a mudroom in there, but they’re the perfect freaking nooks. No windows to freeze against, and still the vibe of a windowseat. Also, let’s be real, I want that slide.

And that armchair.

And I destroyed a pair of slippers like that a while back and have found nothing like them since.

I do have a Minted voucher, and I’ve been eying that pillow they have — it’s seasonal without being weird, and I like it a lot. I was going to use the voucher on planners, but I’m designing my own now (take the survey! Yeah, big news. Or it could be small news. I don’t know yet!). I’m so tempted to look for an armchair, but I can’t afford it and I’m not sure I even have room for it. I just love working like that. Like at Starbucks. For now, I’m getting myself a coffee machine. That’s plenty.

Disclosure: Post written in collaboration with Homify. Contains affiliate links.

Home & Living Life + Style Sponsored

Home / I Wish I Had A Living Room, and What It Looks Like

posted on July 30, 2015

There are things you can get used to lacking if you go without them long enough, or have never had them. For me, living rooms are one of them.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Get the look: engineered wood flooring / moss stitch throw (more throws) / door curtains / diamond brocade cushion / pebble grey sofa / coffee table / shelving unit / abstract painting

I stopped spending time in the living room in my flat — my family’s flat — when I was eighteen. I only held out that long because the only computer I had access to was a desktop and it was there. As soon as I had a laptop I was out of there. There are several reasons, the main two of which can be summed up as “my parents refuse to not smoke in my presence even though it makes me sick” and “my father exists.”

So I lived and now again live in my bedroom. There was a three-month stint at a dorm, which also had nothing comparable to a living room.

Last year, I moved to London. London: where housing is so expensive people turn living rooms into bedrooms so they can get another flatmate in to share the rent! I went through some places with no living room, or where the only room I could work in was the living room, or where I stupidly didn’t make the most of the living room.

And then I was in Crouch End for two weeks. That flat was all kinds of gorgeous, and well-decorated, and the living room had the most comfortable couch in the whole entire world. I missed it the entire time I was in Hampstead Heath, and then I moved to a place where the living room was off limits, though I asked to use it a time or two. Briefly. No blanket permission.

Holy god, I miss having a living room. I miss curling up on the couch and still being upright with my laptop, and I miss the light, and I miss not being in my bedroom all the time. I miss watching mindless TV and I miss the dining table. I kind of miss socializing with people I actually find interesting.

As usual, I dream through Pinterest. According to my interiors board, which is by far the most populated on my account, my dream living room is apparently spacious, bright, with comfortable seating, with gorgeous wood flooring, and painted like a 20s film.

Sometimes a bit of teal or mustard pops up. It’s rare. I tried to do this with my branding and I got bored and I’ve been wanting to rebrand with actual color — multiple colors, even! A color wheel, if you will! — for a year. My room in Belsize Park was super white and felt mightily sterile, like a hospital ward, so I don’t want to go entirely in that direction.

But grays with pops of color are my interior design of choice, and one day I will get something like it, goddammit. I deserve to decorate a whole place. #dreamjob, tbh. Well, maybe #dreamhobby. There’s no room for any more career paths up in my brain.

Fashion Home & Living Showcases Sponsored

Style / Wishlist / Spring Refresh With Very

posted on April 10, 2015

Anyone else look at their wardrobe and feel it’s particularly dreary when spring rolls around? I’m always aware of how overwhelmingly gray my clothes are, but now that it’s sunny, I want color so much more, and lighter tones; I’ve always found black really stifling in hot weather, and somehow, even though I’ve wanted one for years, I still don’t have the white sundress of my dreams. I haven’t even found it, really, but add a skirt to the white t-shirt on this board and you’re very, very close.

One day, I will rectify that awful oversight, and here’s some inspiration for future me and, hopefully, for you, from Very.co.uk.

Open Back Dress / Floppy Hat / Blossom Dress
Summer Blush Backpack / Ripped Skinny Jeans / Summertime Rope Bag
Duvet Cover and Pillowcase / Olivia Ballerinas / Chloe Ballerinas / Layered Crinkle Top

When I love a floral pattern, I really, really love it, but I’m awfully picky with them: if it looks like curtain, or the littlest bit frumpy, I can’t bring myself to like it. A while back — I mentioned this in my last outfit board; I don’t know why I keep thinking of it! — I had it in my mind to start a clothing line using fabric printed with my own photography, and it was really fun to see what made for a good floral print. Mine weren’t patterns, not seamless ones, but rather full-size, non-repeating photos — or repeating in a manual, edited way. Some seamless patterns are beautiful, but I generally look for the manually designed approach with florals.

Another thing I want in spring is lighter fabrics for bags, fabrics that won’t make you sweat if you rub against them too long. I’m a sucker for a good leather bag, but when it’s warm, they can be quite unpleasant. I lean towards backpacks in warmer weather for that same reason: they stay away from my arms when I walk.

My ridiculous approach to bags applies to shoes, too.

In the vein of lighter fabrics and lighter colors, I also tend to put away the darker jeans when it’s warm. I like very tight jeans, and that doesn’t change when it’s warmer, but I want the denim to be a little bit rough and keep the heat out.

Finally, I get why people wear sunglasses, but they are so far out of my universe. They’re one of those things I just forget to wear, like jewelry and underwear. (That last one is a joke. But no judgment if you nodded along to it.) I don’t usually wear hats, either, because I’m lazy, but I love them and I’ve wanted a floppy one since Spencer wore a burgundy one on Pretty Little Liars. Possibly earlier. The one in this collection is available in navy blue, and also on sale! And it will keep the sun out of your eyes, too, probably.

I wrapped up my spring refresh with a set of bedding, because nothing screams fresh air and summer like the thought of a room with a big bed all done up in white sheets. And these are on sale too! God I want them. I’d probably get them if I weren’t broke and like, shopping for a new place to live.

And there you go: those are my incredibly specific thoughts on clothing for warmer weather. Do you have any preferences that you always thought too inane to share? Tell me! I promise I won’t judge. (Though if you say you like to wear black when the sun is shining hot on you, I may make a face. But it will be a funny one.)

Disclosure: This is a PR collaboration post.

Home & Living Pretty Things

Etsy Picks #3: Fantasy In Your Footsteps

posted on February 7, 2015

1. New York Photo Print by Lisa Russo / 2. Wildflower Necklace by Ines Rocio
3. Emerald Oversized Cardigan by BVLifeStyle / 4. Felted Woodland Collar by filcAlki
5. Wooden Leaf Stud Earrings by vadjutka / 6. Fairy Wishing Candle by the Evergreen Nest

Home & Living Pretty Things

Etsy Picks #1: The Pink Rose Palette

posted on December 25, 2014

I’ve been selling on Etsy for some time now — two years this month with my photography shop, a little over a year with the branding and design one. Before I started this blog, I was really active in the Etsy community, the teams and forums. That fell by the wayside over time for various reasons, but that time getting to know the site and the amazing creative people that sell on it instilled in me a love for carefully, lovingly handcrafted quality, and a desire to support fellow small business owners who are doing their best to live off what they love.

With that in mind, I’ve decided to bring back an old feature on this blog, Friday Loves – which later turned into Pretty Things, and which is now going to be called Etsy Picks, except for the times I include things from other platforms. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. The subcategory will still be Pretty Things, because it’s a good umbrella term for all of it.

1. Hand Knit Beanie from Plexida / 2. Lace Ceramic Plate from Ceraminic
3. “Melody” Shirt (Magenta) from jekyllundkleid / 4. Statement Twig Necklace from BijuBrill
5. Abstract Floral Painting from lanasfineart / 6. Zipper Pouch from TheBlueRabbitHouse
7. Green Rose Gold Earrings from PoleStar / 8. Felted Acorn & Mouse from TheYarnKitchen
9. Ceramic Pottery Cups from juliapaulpottery

Home & Living Pretty Things

Shopping Guide: The Housewarming

posted on December 17, 2014

For my very first shopping guide — I hesitate to call it a Christmas gift guide, at this point, though I’m sure you can still get some shopping in for domestic orders! — I decided to focus on home and living. Specifically, comfort and warmth. The word housewarming is what it is for a reason… I’m sure.

FOR THE EARS
Ted Baker: Fastnet Folding Portable Speaker (£199.95, also black/white/pink)
Ted Baker: Rockall Over Ear Headphones (£179.95, also black/white)

Music can make such a difference in someone’s life. As someone who forgets to listen to music for long periods of time and then regrets it when she does it again and realizes how helpful it is, I know this well. At the moment, the only ways I can listen to music are my laptop’s built-in speakers, and the headset of my phone, which won’t stick in my ears no matter how hard I try. So a pair of warm, comfy headphones — and a portable speaker for when I’m home — would be a truly welcome addition to my life. These two sets from Ted Baker are gorgeous on top of useful, too.

FOR THE NOSE
Floric: After the Rain Bouquet & Bath Box (£58.99)*

I have to admit I’ve never got the appeal of flowers, but I know they brighten a lot of people’s days, and that’s no small feat. The above gift set from Floric — from whom I received a stunning white rose bouquet last month — combines the temporary pleasure of flowers with a little bit of pragmatism in their bath box.

FOR THE WARMTH
Heat Holders: Striped Thermal Socks (£7, other colors available)*
Heat Holders: Antique Silver Thermal Blanket (£25)

Sometimes even the best heating won’t keep you warm in winter, and for that, I recommend Heat Holders. I can vouch for the effectiveness of their products; I received two pairs of socks and wear them on a regular basis. They’re lovely socks lined with fleece, and they’re so thick the first time I put them on I worried I wouldn’t be able to squeeze my feet into my sneakers. Luckily, the fabric flattens under pressure, and just leaves the warmth.

FOR THE SKIN
John Lewis: Ribbon Pleats Duvet Cover and Pillowcase Set (£25.00 – £55.00)
John Lewis: Supima Cotton Towels in Platinum (£4.00 – £32.00, other colors available)

There’s nothing more day-throwing than sleeping uncomfortably. Sleep and showers are my constant, the one thing I need every day to be a halfway functional human being the next day. I think most people who’ve recently moved can use these things — an extra set of towels and an extra set of bedding. (For some, it may not be an extra one. I moved here without bedding and with only one hair towel; I couldn’t fit anything else in my suitcases.) These sets from John Lewis are relatively affordable, and would make a great group present, too, as they’re, well, sets.

FOR THE LITTLE THINGS
Pia Jewellery: Three Drawer Jewellery Box (£85)*

Pia Jewellery is a company that carries a collection of jewellery — of course — as well as a selection of accessories, clothing and gifts. I received an umbrella and a pair of black gloves that I can’t say enough good things about — and which you’ll see on the blog sooner rather than later. For this shopping guide, however, I chose to focus on one of their ‘extras’ — a beautiful three-drawer jewellery box. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s super picky about how they store their jewelry, and ends up hating every arrangement. I’ve long wanted a nice, tiered box, and this one looks like a fantastic fit.

FOR THE COMFORT
Cookes Furniture: Black Ink Splash Candleholder (£15)
Cookes Furniture: Chloe Footstool (£325)
Made.com: Flynn Square Armchair in Beige (£329 — usual price £1,150! — also black/gray)

If you’ve got the budget, and your giftee is cool with it (or your giftee is yourself), you can go a little further and help with the furniture. A house needs places to sit, to curl up with your legs under your butt while you do things on your laptop or read, and the armchair from Made.com is the type of armchair I dream of. If you’ve already got one, or a nice couch, the perfect addition for extra comfort would be a footstool, and I singled out the Chloe footstool from Cookes Furniture for the puffy look and the neutral tones.

—

As always, my choices are informed by what I need and a certain sense of pragmatism. I also made an effort to make them all go together, for the sake of the graphic, though many of the items featured are also available in other colors and even fabrics. I had a lot of fun putting this together, so you can expect more guides like this in the future.

Are you giving any gifts for the home this season? What are you going with, if so?