The White House

Decorating with white needn't be bland, cold or clinical.  Believe it or not, white decor is the easiest to keep clean and fresh.  Sticky fingers, bumps and marks; keep a pot of white paint handy and touch up.  White interiors can look warm and cosy and fabulous in the evening with candle light only - so relaxing.  Have a look and I defy you to not like these interiors.  Perhaps you couldn't live with them in your world but you can't deny they are all beautiful.  Actually it makes me want to create a completely white scheme in my home.

Door decor

Today's post is inspired by a house I love in Oakley Street, Chelsea.  I googled pink door in Oakley Street and a Spanish Flicker account came up with the actual house.  So thanks to Clarrisa Paiva for the image.  I do think the colour of your front door says a lot about you as a person.  It's fantastic seeing colour, especially in a row of boring mundane houses.

This is the actual house (really bad image quality but I couldn't leave it out)!

And some more to inspire

My front door (I do love garlands and wreaths on doors all year round, but that's another blog!)

Effortlessly French

What is it about the French?  Not only do they look chic, their interiors just ooze style.  A simple sofa, some antique pieces, mixed with contemporary pieces and voila an amazing room.  I love the look of mismatched furniture and interesting objects; comfort and glamour, what more could you want?  Even the odd bit of chipped paint looks great and makes the room look so full of fabulous character.  It's all in the attention to detail, which is intrinsically and recognisably French!

Scarlet red

Red is such a passionate colour and it can look amazing when used in decorating.  But you really have to watch out the way in which it's used, too much of the colour and it can make you angry.  Red is a great colour to use when you need to lift a cool colour palette or want to inject some vibrancy into a scheme.  There are not many colours that don't work with red, my particular favourite is using red with powder or duck egg blue, but only in small amounts.  I particularly like rich scarlet red velvet used in a bedroom, very luxurious and sumptuous and just exudes passion.  In Feng Shui terms, red carries the fire element.  Fire has always been a sign of divine energy and can be both destructive and creative. Fire represents the energy of the sun and life.  A balanced use of red in your home will bring joy, excitement and strong sexual desire.  Perhaps this is why Farrow and Ball are adding more red tones to their already extensive paint range??

The urinals below were something I had to find for a client many years ago.  I sourced them in Amsterdam (surprised?)

Red toilet roll, the ultimate in designer luxury, matching your toilet roll to your decor!