home: my favourite spots

Somehow, it seems that five out of six rooms in our house are currently getting a makeover, which is pretty extreme given that we only rent! I mentioned a while ago that we’re changing the tiles and worktops in the kitchen (more on that later – I’ve got an ‘in progress’ post coming up with pictures of what we found under the old tiles *insert horror theme here*), and I’m also trying to finish off the kiddos shared gender-free wonder-bedroom. As we swapped with them, I’ve had to make some changes in our bedroom as well, and the lounge is getting shjooshed (is that a word?) up a bit in time for the colder weather. Despite nothing being finished, I’ve got some new firm favourite spots in our house, so today I’m sharing my top three.

Our Bedroom
When we first announced that we were going to give the kiddos the big bedroom, and take the small one for ourselves, everyone said we were nuts. And to be honest, I started to wonder the same thing when we nearly killed each other trying to force the double divan round the corner and through the doorway (anyone remember that scene in Friends where Ross, Chandler and Rachel are trying to get the sofa up the stairs? It was kind of like that, but nobody was shouting ‘pivot’ and everyone was swearing). But once everything was in, and tidied away, it started to grow on me – I love how at the moment, I can open my eyes in the morning and instantly see the bright blue sky (if it’s raining, I leave the blind closed…), and I really like how clean and simple it looks. We had all white bedding anyway, and I’ve added some artificial plants for some greenery (for more inspiration, click here) and a small set of hooks to hold my jewellery – I’m enjoying this room the most because we’re having to be really, really inventive with storage as well, which is a great excuse to have some of my lovely vintage clothes on display!

My Workroom
OK, so ‘workroom’ might be a teeeeny bit of an over-exaggeration when it comes to this room, but technically, it’s where I work on my craft tutorials and magazine work, so I think it counts! It’s a bit of a fairweather favourite though, to be honest, because it’s a really, really budget conservatory and is absolutely bloody freezing in the winter – but in the summer, it’s absolutely glorious. It opens out onto our patio, which I fill with plants, and overlooks the flower section of the garden (although currently blocked off by some rampant runner beans!), so I do spend quite a bit of time gazing out of the window, but it’s inspiration, right?! Like the other rooms in our house, it’s painted white, and is full of my fabric, craft supplies, vintage goodies and my beloved Bush radio (similar here), which is usually tuned to Radio 1 or Radio 4, depending on whether I’m feeling my age or not! It’s pretty much done, but I just need to organise my paperwork a bit more effectively *stares at teetering pile of invoices on the floor*

The Lounge
I’ve talked about and shared photographs of our lounge before, but it really is one of my favourite rooms. It’s roomy enough for the kiddos to play in, but small enough to be cosy, and I love the mantle for somewhere to display little postcards, vintage glass bottles, candles and bright flowers from the garden. It’s home to my vast collection of books (particularly my fashion and craft books – my current favourite is this one about Alexander McQueen, bought for me as a gift by one of my best friends), and is where I work in the winter, lie on the sofa and watch endless boxsets with Ali. It’s been a sickroom, a spare bedroom and an entertainment room, and it’s always nice to come home to.

This is a collaborative post.