The Black thumb's guide to houseplants

Plants! I love them!!

It is a new-found love, I'll admit, as I have been famously known to possess the notorious "black thumb"!

But plants are fantastic and have so many positive benefits on the environment in your home + they really liven up any interior, and help making your home feel more authentic!

So why should't I, in spite of my reputation as "doctor death" also have a green home??

So about a month or so ago, I challenged myself to add some more plants to my home....

There have been attempts before, some more successful than others, and some of my blessed green friends have, in spite thorough neglect, managed to survive so far: Like the - against all odds- coconut tree "Arthur", above (Apparently coconut tree's are really difficult to grow, but somehow mine's doing just fine)

And my philodendron and the spider plants in my kitchen windows are also doing fine...

But this time I am planning on going seriously jungle green around here!

It is still a work in process as I am finding that this green thing is highly addictive, and I keep adding more and more greenery to our home! Risque?? I know, But I am pleased to say that so far so good....maybe I've finally cracked it??

I started cautiously with the easiest options:

Cactus and succulents!

These plants are very hard to kill as they require little to no attention. In fact: Neglecting these are probably the best thing you can do for them!

And I love that they are so exotic and come in all sorts of shapes, colours and sizes!

So it's a no brainer really!!

I've had some of my succulents for over a year now(?!!!!) dotted around the place and forgotten about ...and they are still looking good!

I do love the unusual shapes and colours the numerous varieties of succulents has to offer, and they really are so hardy....almost impossible to kill (take my word for it!)

The String of nickels succulent plant, below, I actually got for my re-decorated  kitchen a year or so ago, and it is still looking lush and has become one of my favorites, especially grouped together with a cactus and some fresh flowers:

If you like the printed terracotta pot on the cactus, I will show you how in my next post! I really is sooooo easy!!

This is another thing I love about keeping plants: What a great reason to add some gorgeous pottery to your home!! 

I am mostly using what I've got and DIY'ing most of mine, because as always money is tight, but I did treat myself to this gorgeous number, below, from Habitat:

This is my latest addition to my growing succulent collection, an easy-to-keep money tree, and I love that this has the ability (should I not manage to kill it) to grow quite big!!

So if you, like me are nervous about keeping plants as you fear you'll kill them, succulents and cactus is a great start towards a greener home!

Another easy way to add some greenery to your home is fresh flowers!

 placing some twigs and green flowers around the place in vases is pretty guilt free if you really are concerned about becoming a plant serial killer, as they only have a short lifespan anyway.

It is a temporary solution, but none the less effective! I like simple arrangements of inexpensive flowers like tulips and carnations. And I know most florists hate them , but I love a few sprigs of baby's breath...just on their own, in a vase. I try to always have some fresh cut flowers in the house, as it makes me happy!!

 But my favorite flowers are Ranunculus, which are just coming into season now! (Happy face) 

And in the kitchen I have started keeping living herbs around: Not only do they add a lovely splash of green to the interior, but are also useful for cooking....and because they are intended for use, I don't have to worry about killing them! See my logic there?

As my home has started looking more and more green over the last few months, I can feel my confidence rising, and last month I decided to try my hand at something a little more exotic: Air plants:

I'd heard that air-plants were easy as they got all the moisture they needed from the air, so needed little to no attention....turns out this is not strictly true, as they would benefit from a monthly bath in the sink, and regular misting: But so far so good: Mine seem to be thriving in the DIY geometric shaped planters I made for them with he occasional misting! ( I am lucky that Little Miss Moo loves misting them...LOL) I guess they quite enjoy the damp English weather so far!!

And with Easter now approaching, I've even added a few daffodil bulbs around the place, hopeful that they will bloom in time for the holidays...

I am quietly confident that they will as I am feeling quite optimistic about my new jungle-ish look home: Even my dying olive tree (in the background , below) is coming back to life:

I have come to suspect that my "black thumbs" was just a symptom of my lack of confidence with plants....I may be wrong, only time will tell! But for now I am thoroughly enjoying my lush green looking home!

 And maybe it's the air purifying effect of  keeping plants combined with the lighter days, but I am feeling a lot more optimistic and healthy! I am hoping to report more on the health benefits of keeping plants in a later post!

In summary, I would conclude that if you have "black thumbs" or simply lack the time to care for plants...or maybe you are scared of the commitment keeping houseplants will be: Choosing super hardy, low maintenance plants like cactus, succulents, philodendrons, spider plants and English Ivy, that can go for long periods of time without water and/or survive poor lighting conditions would be an ideal investment in creating a happier, healthier and greener looking home!

And maybe, you, like me, will start feeling more confident as time goes by, and start introducing some more greenery to your family!!

If you'd like a little more inspiration, or some more useful guides to hardy house plants, see my Pinterest board Greenery, where I am pinning like a lunatic at the moment!!

The Habitat/Birchbox collaboration

I am still in the process of green-ify'ing my house (I've never before spent quite so much time at the local garden center. LOL) and I am very excited to show you all how lush my living room is looking.

But before I do, I wanted to tell you all about this lavish event I went to on Thursday evening:

So the other night I had the pleasure of attending a 3 course dinner at Habitat's Kings Road, London flagship store in conjunction with the new collaboration Habitat is doing with Birchbox.

This truly was a merge between the world of interiors and the beauty world, as I joined 10 selected bloggers from each industry to be the first to hear about this unusual collaboration!

For those of you that haven't yet heard of birchbox, it is a subscription service where you will Receive five personalized beauty samples every month, tailored to your profile. It is a great way to discover and try cult brands, up-and-coming lines, and everything in between...Then once you've found your favorites, you can purchase them in the birchbox shop.

The collaboration between Habitat and Birchbox takes the theme "Do Try this at home" and is a celebration of the makeover: Whether it's with your beauty regime or your at-home furnishings and decoration.

 "March is the time for renewal, renovation and refreshment across the board"

(Extract from the H/BB press release)

So as we all sat down at the beautifully dressed table (Of course, I did not expect it to be less than amazing), we were given a short presentation as to what form this collaboration would take!

There was a great atmosphere as the beauty and interior worlds collided, and as the interior bloggers gasped at the thought of putting lipstick on the eyelids! (Apparently it doesn't crease, like ever!!), the beauty bloggers were happy to hear that Habitat wants to re-introduce the dressing table into our interiors in their new SS15 collection!

I adore Habitat, as I feel that they are one of the few UK interior retailers that taps into that Scandinavian ,Mid century modern sensibility, that I love, when it comes to their furniture design!

But also because they, after 50 years of making their affordable outstanding designs accessible to all , have  stayed true to their revolutionary, in house design ethos.

And with Habitat announcing their new SS15 collection of dressing tables and beauty storage, their new partnering with Birchbox makes sense:

"We wanted to show fans of Birchbox that as well as feeling good through a fresh new beauty regime, re-imaging your interiors with great design can also create  a sense of rejuvenation"

Holly-Anne Rolfe, Design Manager for Habitat

 The presentation of the collaboration on the night , cleverly introduced 3 different make up looks from birchbox, paired with a habitat dressing table "to match the personality" of the girl:

Birchbox's peachy and romantic look was paired with this elegant, new design classic: The Emil natural birch wood dressingtable:

I loved the simple lines and the blonde wood of this one, and with it's huge round mirror it was pretty much everyone's favorite on the night!

The more affordable Limbo oak dressing table and stool was also a huge success with everyone:

With it's big mirror and pale oak finish, paired with it's compact design makes it ideal for small space living, perfect for a London girl. The Birchbox make up look, a strong, modern smokey eye look reflected this perfectly!

Lastly, and paired with the most populal make up look of the evening:The marsala (Pantone colour of the year), was the Fleur dressing table:

On the night , I was not too enamored with this dressing table, as I got caught up in the twee-ness of the ceramic drawer pulls, but on reflection, I actually love the mid-century-modern nod in the clean lines of this design....I would just change out those knobs...but, hey: That's just me and my taste!!

 It was a great evening with great food and conversation!

And there is something very exciting about being in a shop after closing time....I felt a bit like I was in toy story....only that I was surrounded by fabulous furniture and design instead of toys! LOL! It was a real pleasure to attend, and to get to meet some fellow bloggers and the fantastic people at Habitat!

And I am getting very excited to see what more these sort of unusual collaborations for habitat is going to bring!

Of course we were lucky enough to take home a huge mystery goodie bag:

Which contained the latest birchbox with a nice variety of products:

As well as this gorgeous Grey lacquered habitat Maisie storage box to keep all our beauty bits and jewelry in:

I love it, and it fits perfectly in my bedroom on top of my chest of drawers!

This sleek, functional and modern design with the pops of neon is typical of the home accessories, juxtaposed with the 70's feel ceramics available in the new SS15 collection at Habitat....perfect for creating that Eclectic look I've been harping on about in my last few posts (here and here)!

Make sure you check out Habitats new collection....it really is worth a look!

And don't forget to take advantage of these benefits from the Habitat/Birchbox collaboration:

Get free delivery on your Birchbox order with promo code HBSHIP, just visit Birchbox to redeem it!

 TIP! If you hurry and order the March box, it includes a 20% off voucher on Habitat's new collection OR visit habitat for a chance to win a free 12 month Birchbox subscription!

Lastly, but most importantly: 

Exclusively to us bloggers that took part in the event , I can offer you your first Birchbox for only £5 when you sign up! Just quote BBXHABITAT at the shopping bag page!!

11 inspiring interiors filled with plants

Image from Karine Candice Kong

Can you feel it??

Spring is in the air!

It's getting milder for sure, and you may start finding snow drops and crocus popping up already, but it's still some time until things will turn truly green outside!

So, I have started filling the house with plants, in anticipation, giving me a head start on that spring feeling! I am working on some creative plant display DIY's, in conjunction with the #urbanjunglebloggers, that I will be sharing with you all soon, but for today I thought I'd leave you all with these inspiring images of some truly amazing green spaces:

Image from The Selby

Image via drop dead gorgeous

Image via cokopelia

Image via partment therapy

Image via binti home blog

Image via Little blue deer design

Image via Glamour Paris

Image via sf girl by bay

Image via vt wonen

Image from Karine Candice Kong

I bet you feel it now, right??

There is something that plants add to an interior that is truly magic: All these spaces are beautiful, no doubt, but imagine them without plants....See how the greenery makes these spaces come alive??

Now go forth to your local garden centres in search of some of that magic and inject it into your home....You won't regret it!!

If you are known to kill plants, like me (My husband calls me Doctor Death) don't fret: I have finally (I think, fingers crossed ) sussed it and will be sharing some of my plant endeavours with you all next week and my tips on easy to care for plants as well as some more creative display ideas!

Personal, eclectic, fun and quirky...

...mixing up styles for a fresh spring look for your home

Wow! So we've got to March already, and spring is in the air!

With the days getting longer and the changing light, I always feel an urge to change up my interiors, and this year I'm inspired by ECLECTICISM!

In my last post I was exploring eclectic interiors, and put together a 7 point guide to successfully achieving the look without leaving your home looking like a jumble sale.

And today I am delving further into the concept whilst showcasing some amazing interior finds available right NOW!

Aren't we all after that carefully curated eclectic look? If you, like me, are tired of "catalogue looks" and finding the same style around your friend or neighbours house, you need to consider planning a more personal and eclectic look for your home!

It's the most forgiving style, as all décor is welcome. An eclectic space allows for traditional furniture, accessories and art to mix with modern, or vice versa to create an interior that is truly unique to you!

When The French bedroom company contacted me with a few sneaky peeks of their new collection, I felt inspired. And after browsing their fabulously eclectic range on their website, I jumped at the chance of a collaboration.  

So below I have put together an eclectic and bohemian collage of current products from The French Bedroom Company and around the high street and www. 

Getting that perfectly eclectic look requires a good eye for design, and is perhaps not as random as you may (like to)think) , so below my collage I've explained the reasons for my choices and share some loose guidelines to curating your very own eclectic look:

 

Here's how and why I feel these products work together:
Following my 7 point guide to an eclectic interior;  Let's say my living room is painted white (which it is), creating a neutral backdrop for my eclectic choices of furnishings and décor;
 -Then working from the floor up, I have chosen the gorgeously colourful "costa" cotton and jute rug (Heals). This is my "jewel of the floor" that I will layer with the beautiful Persian cowhide (The French Bedroom company) to get that mixed pattern and shape look to my floors +add some texture to my interior.
 -Add that plush   Retro-look "Berlin" sofa from Loaf in a lovely aqua blue velvet, that picks up the colours from the Heals rug, and will add a touch of luxurious comfy-ness to the space.
 -Next up I am adding that shiny and sleek MCM inspired "Blu-dot-dang"Sideboard (Heals) in a glossy white + some modern white string pocket shelves (Utility) for the walls: Not only are they the perfect antidote to the textures of the rugs and the plushness of the sofa, but also by keeping them white, like my walls, they will become part of the background and help my other eclectic picks stand out!
-Then I've chosen some fantastic statement pieces: Like the Peacock rattan chair (The French Bedroom company), this adds a truly bohemian 70's vibe (Anyone remember the erotic "Emanuelle" films ?) and that fantastic (finally back in production) retro look LÖVBACKEN side table (IKEA) + that contemporary, but with a nod to MCM design , coffee table (Bolia).  And that metallic polygon sideboard or stool (The French Bedroom company) adds a creative surprise element to the look: Like a Gem in a treasure box!
-Of course I would add a plethora of cushions in various designs to casually throw around the place!:  From the traditional Pink tribal Kilim cushion (Etsy) , the modern geometric cushion (Ferm Living), the graphic, monochrome cushion (The gifted few) to the fun and quirky Mr. Cushion (Ferm living)
-I chose the ultra-modern graphic PS black wall light  (IKEA) and the White wooden beaded chandelier to juxtapose not only with each other, but also with my retro-style furniture! The Gold Angled floor lamp is a surprising nod to the 80's with a touch of industrial style!
-I have chosen to add a mix of modern and figurative, but unusual accessories:  Adding in some raw blond wood to the look with the Wooden string bead Candle holder (Heals) and the Wooden artists dummy (IKEA). And the modern Bat light candlestick (Bolia) adds a graphic element to the look and The iconic MCM Eames housebird (Interior addict) picks up the black. The White origami style fluted vase (Bloomingville) is another modern addition juxtaposed by the brightness of  Matador green ceramic decorative Bull Object (Habitat).
-Accessorising with plants makes the interior literally "come alive" and I have picked out this gorgeous Large Phoenix twin faux cactus (Abigail Ahern) that I would put in a Vintage blue plant pot(Etsy) , some ferns that I would display in this uber modern Clear cube planter (Monoqi) and a collection of cactuses (IKEA) that I would keep in these lovely Geometric Bloomingville plant pots on my shelves and in this MCM Vintage blue plant stand (Etsy).
- For the walls I've chosen The organic but geometrical Post modern circular wall mirror (The French Bedroom Company) and contrasted it with the textured  Juju Hat feathered wall decor (Rockett StGeorge) and added some more 70's vibe with a Cotton rope macrame wall hanging (Etsy).
-Last, but not least, I have picked out an eclectic variety of artwork for the walls: The huge Abstract art by Whitney Reinolds-Orr (via decoist) makes a great statement, and pick up the colours from the rugs and the sofa.  And as a contradiction to the impact this would have on the room, I have also picked out a couple of minimalistic posters: The"Age" poster  (Monoqi) brings an organic element and the geometric Maya Poster (Ferm Living), although also abstract, brings a more structured look ...and to flip the look completely, I've added the fabolously opulent, yet modern Defaced Duchess grafitti portrait (The French Bedroom company)
It is this mix of styles, colours, shapes and materials that make the look eclectic. As I mentioned above: This kind of look is very personal, and although my picks may not be to everyone's tastes, hopefully this post, together with my 7 point guide to an Eclectic interior , will give you the confidence to put together a look for your home that is not straight out of a catalogue or too matchy-matchy!

Lastly I wanted to show you a shot from my living room where I've used my new Springbok hide, curtsey of The French bedroom company that I've draped over my Eames RAR rocker chair next to my traditional bookshelf , under my DIY macrame wallhanging, and accessorized with my DIY monochrome geometric cushion etc... Just to show you that eclecticism doesn't need to look busy...it's all about your personal tastes!!

Best of luck with your home refreshments this spring: Make it Personal!!