A couple of years on from ‘finishing’ our house (i.e. the builders leaving) I’ve still got a list of things I’d like to add, tweak or recover. Obviously some jobs are bigger than others and some more pressing than others. This is my list of the things I’m coveting right now, few a necessity but things that will spark joy or smarten us up.
Our current TV watching sofa is a hand-me-down and although perfect for dogs, a new kitten and three children, it is looking rather worse for wear and lets down the very lovely Flora Roberts x Hamilton Weston paper that covers the wall of the room it inhabits. If practicality wasn’t a consideration, I’d go for something in a lovely white slipcover, and throw on all the cushions I have gathered already. Something like this:
Or if money was no object, I’d love one of these for our sitting room… I can see us all squishing up to watch TV!
The cushions I have are all printed fabrics, so this one would add a bit of punch and depth amongst them.
Currently most of our lampshades are off white card or pleated silk, but slowly but surely I am upgrading them to add more colour and interest. Nice ones cost an eye-watering amount of a money, so I’ve been doing one or two at a time. This one would look great on a plaster lamp I bought from Paolo Moschino a few years ago, that now sits on a table beside a sofa.
I’m always on a search for nice pieces for a table or mantlepiece - ceramics in particular. A few years ago I discovered the work of potter Kate Semple, who lives locally to me in York. You can now buy her work online, rather than visiting her at home as I did, at Toast, amongst other galleries.
My mother was a florist and flowers have always been a big part of making home for me, but they are also hard work. Arranging freshly cut flowers and branches causes mess, discarding old flowers causes yet more. I have been nurturing geraniums and various other house plants, some more successfully than others. These caught my eye as they are not only a work of art in themselves but they are fuss free.
Of course an easy update is buying things for your table. You can never have too many napkins and I am a sucker for stripes, so these would smarten up our Autumn entertaining.
Lovely glasses make even tap water a pleasure to drink and I like the idea of adding a bit of colour to our kitchen table.
Our house is largely traditional in style - think chintz on our drawing room sofa and plenty of brown furniture. So I’m always on the lookout for contemporary pieces that will work with the mix. Lamps seem an easy way to add some modernity.
You can never have too many wastepaper bins. I like one in every room, to save people having to go out of their way to find one and encourage my children not to leave wrappers wherever they open something. These look smart and inexpensive:
I’ve been on the lookout for some new linen for our bed and have finally found the answer with the new hand-embroidered Thea range from Rebecca Udall.
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And finally, for the garden. As winter approaches, this table would certainly brighten up a dreary, flowerless day…
