HOUSE NOTES #12
Including Room of the Month, design tips, and the best new products on my radar. Plus, for paid subscribers, what I read and wore, saw and bought.
HOUSEKEEPING: My month this month
Firstly a round-up of events – this is, after all, the housekeeping section.
There are currently two places left for my interior design retreat in September (Friday 12th to Tuesday 16th). The guest speakers will be stylist and author Nicole Gray and colour consultant Fiona De Lys. I will lead two other sessions, one of which will be a house tour with me, followed by a Q&A, and the other will be on designing with purpose and creating that all-important red thread. We will begin with dinner at a Michelin-listed restaurant next door to your hotel and end with pizzas cooked in my own wood-fired oven. There will be time to explore Turin and visit the wonderful vintage market which sprawls through the streets as well.
There are also two places left for the final retreat of the season in October (Friday 10th to Monday 13th). This is a day shorter and includes three sessions – two with me and one with Fiona, as well as the vintage market and an opening dinner at the Michelin-listed restaurant on the roof of the hotel.
Details of both are available HERE. Please get in touch if you would like to book a place on either weekend. For clarity, the middle weekend (early October) is sold out.
If you can’t make a weekend in Italy, then I will also be doing a day-long masterclass in London on Friday 14 November. All the details are here – and there are two places remaining. But we are considering a second one early next year, so if that first date doesn’t work for you, then get in touch with Henry’s Townhouse via the link above and go on the waiting list to make sure you are the first to hear about it.
Next up, as many of you know I created a collection of 12 eco-friendly paint colours with Graphenstone, which I used in the house in Italy. I am delighted to tell you that you can now book a one-to-one colour consultation with me via their website. We will spend an hour together over Zoom and can chat all things colour as well as layout, lighting and finding your style. We can focus on one room in detail or try a whistle-stop tour of your whole house, depending on what you need. Follow the booking details at the link.
Currently anyone who does book will receive up to four tester pots free of charge or up to 10 Peel and Stick colour samples (these are only available in the standard colours) as well as 10% off any paint they buy.
Finally, a lovely piece in Sheerluxe about following your midlife dream:
“Although I have a style – vintage furniture and tonal décor – I never know how I will want to decorate until I am in a room or building. The previous house had high ceilings and good plasterwork, so it was more architectural in feel with strong colours, minimal pattern and simple blinds as window dressings. [Our new London] house is smaller with cosier proportions so required a totally different touch. It’s how I imagine Richard Curtis would do a Victorian worker’s cottage.
“At this stage of my life, I’m definitely more about comfort. Our last house was all floorboards and blinds. Here I have gone for sisal in the bedrooms with velvet curtains and wallpaper. We replaced all the laminate floors with dark wood boards and used reclaimed terracotta tiles in the kitchen. There are no modern spotlights anywhere … the colours are all soft pinks and terracottas with William Morris wallpaper in the bathroom. It’s cosy and pretty and has far too much stuff in it!”
ON MY RADAR…
Lucinda Chambers does it again with her new Collagerie x Zara home collection. So many lovely things that will fit into any room of the house. My picks?
The striped cutlery £23.99
The matt and gloss metal side table £129.99
The serving platter £49.99 -
The woven garden chair - with matching footstool - is coming soon £239.99
NOT ON MY RADAR
From a press release that landed in my inbox on Monday: “Following a 44% uplift in sales of tech-enhanced sofas in the past six months alone [eh? what?] Sofology has launched a stylish sleek, Italian-inspired smart sofa that combines premium comfort with cutting-edge technology complete with touchscreen and additional features.
I mean I struggle to think what tech you would need your sofa to have? So I downloaded the info sheet: “Designed for those looking to elevate their living spaces with first-class convenience, the sofa’s advanced touchscreen control panel delivers ultimate relaxation, allowing the user to manage music via Bluetooth, recline and adjust headrests with ease whilst managing temperatures for seats - all in a swipe of the screen. Those looking for a full sofa upgrade, will benefit from the Allure’s optional secondary smart console, featuring wireless charging points, USB-A and USB-C ports, a 3-pin plug socket and integrated storage. So if you’re looking to turn your sitting room into a first class aeroplane seat you know where to go. More items not on my radar as we find them.
Right read on for my design tip of the month, the room of the month, tips on mixing old and new – and what I have been watching, eating, wearing and reading this month.