CHOOSING A SOFA WITH ROCKETT ST GEORGE

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When we were planning our ground floor extension, we knew we wanted the space to be open plan, but we wanted to zone the space into three clear areas; a kitchen, a dining area and lounge/ family space for us to watch tv together with plenty of room to lounge and relax.

The space is 7m deep x 10m wide which gives us 70m2 to play with.

Above is the open plan space which we had to play with, before the kitchen was installed. These are before shots before the glass doors went in, and before the walls were fully plaster boarded.

Our open plan space, before the kitchen was installed.

I’d heard great things about Rockett St George’s sofa offer. Mainly that they were extremely comfortable, stylish and came in over 16 different shades of velvet, 6 different shades of boucle fabric and 8 different shades of woven fabric. They offer a huge selection of ‘Made to Order’ Sofas and armchairs, which can be delivered in 20 weeks, and also some sofas and armchairs in stock for 8 week delivery. It’s worth checking the RSG website for details as stock might change.

My Favourite Rockett St George ‘Made To Order’ Sofa & Armchair Offer

You can also order fabric samples from the Rockett St George website, so you don’t need to visit the Liberty London concession for this. I later ordered a swatch of the ‘Rose Pink Velvet’ , so I could compare it to my other soft furnishings and the green shade of my kitchen.

  

Having such a large open plan space, I had my heart set on a corner sofa to fill the space, as I loved the idea of us all being able to use it as a family and thought a smaller sofa would look like its rattling around in the open space. I had seen Rockett St Georges corner sofa and loved its classic shape which has hints of 70’s nostalgia.  It’s a gorgeous large corner sofa which is perfect for large living spaces, with its chic corner design, it can fit the whole family of 5 onto it for that much needed family time.  

With RSG being predominately an online business, I had seen that had a concession in Liberty London, so I set off to see their sofas in person to try them out and to check their squish factor during last summer. The sofa I chose wasn’t there to be seen in person, but I got to try out one of their 3-seater sofas and see their vast range of fabric offer. Here I am below sitting on the Suave Large 3-Seater Sofa In Umber Rust Velvet in the Liberty London store. I found this sofa incredibly comfortable so had faith that the Gorgeous Corner Sofa would be just as comfortable.

Me sitting on a Rockett St George Suave Velvet Large 3-Seater Sofa in Liberty London in the Umber Rust Velvet.

 Choosing the Right Fabric

The colour which took my fancy was the ‘Rose Pink’ Velvet.  I’d always wanted a velvet pink sofa and loved the idea of making a statement with one in this space. Plus, with our kitchen being in green, I loved the idea of the pink and green contrasting, but still sitting harmonious together. It’s a sort of terracotta pink, in fact it’s a very similar shade to our lounge which is just screened from this space by glass doors, so it’s nice that these shades are interlinked throughout my home as it ties it all together.  

I settled on the ‘Gorgeous Corner Sofa’ in Rose pink and made the order of our new Corner Sofa.

 Delivery took 20 weeks as the Corner sofa was made to order and it arrived just before Christmas, which was ideal as we wanted it for our first big family Christmas in our new home (As Covid scuppered our plans the year before).

 

I can now confirm that this Gorgeous Corner Sofa is just as squidgy, stylish and comfortable as I had hoped and my three year old particularly loves to lounge on it whilst watching cartoons, whilst I cook dinner behind.

 

The ‘Gorgeous Corner Sofa’ from Rockett St George in Rose Pink Velvet.

The ‘Rose Pink’ shade of velvet is super pretty, but still warm and cosy, it’s the perfect colour pop to zone the space perfectly and it’s created the ideal space for us all to hunker down in the evenings to watch a film. To say I’m extremely pleased with it is an understatement. It fits perfectly into our open plan space, and the colour is a gorgeous contrast to the green kitchen and it is extremely comfortable. I really enjoyed my visit to the Liberty London store to see the Rockett St George concession and would highly recommend RSG for finding your dream sofa!

And if you want to see more of this room, come check out my Instagram page @Houselust.

 

The ‘Gorgeous Corner Sofa’ from Rockett St George in Rose Pink Velvet.

The ‘Gorgeous Corner Sofa’ from Rockett St George in Rose Pink Velvet.

The ‘Gorgeous Corner Sofa’ from Rockett St George in Rose Pink Velvet.

Disclaimer: This blog post was all written, styled and photographed (apart from the Rockett St George stock sofa photos) by Amanda Cotton *This is a gifted collaboration with Rockett St George and all views are my own. I will only work with brands that I know will fit with my style and that I trust and love. The links contain Affiliate links.

 

A STYLISH AFTERNOON TEA WITH SPODE

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We are half way through the summer and even though it should all be sunshine and picnics, the weather in the UK has had other ideas. So what do you do when it’s raining outside? You dust off your best china, bake some scones and have afternoon tea in your lounge of course! How quintessentially British of me. And did I mention that its Afternoon Tea week?

I’ve been a fan of Spode’s Italian Blue range of China for a long time. I was bought up on chintz and Chinoiserie (just ask my mother), so I can appreciate a good tea cup and saucer like the best of us. Especially one in a classic design like Spode’s Italian Blue range. I swear I must have been Italian in a previous life, as this range has my little vintage heart.

Spode is one of those iconic British brands which I’ve been a fan of of for a long time. Founded in 1770, this Italian blue collection was inspired by classical Italian architecture back in the 16th century when wealthy British aristocrats and those with new money would take off for months at a time to tour as much of the known world as possible. They’d bring back with them magnificent tales, and lots of sketches and paintings, which directly inspired Spode’s company founder Josiah Spode.

And now it’s in my kitchen cupboard looking pretty, and coming out for rainy days (and most days) like today.

Some of my favourite pieces from the collection include the huge 200th anniversary platter which I’m excited to host a big soiree just to use it and the Italian blue jug which also doubles up nicely as a vase.

I’m also slightly in love with the plastic sandwich platter which at £8.50 is a bargain and is even useful just to bring tea in bed in the mornings.

Blue Italian Sugar box £44; Blue Italian Tea cup and saucer set of 4 a £110; Blue Italian Tea Pot £102.50; Blue Italian Cake slice £15; Blue Italian Cream Jug £34.50 Blue Italian Jug £42.50 (larger vase with flowers in) All from Spode.

Blue Italian Sugar box £44; Blue Italian Tea cup and saucer set of 4 a £110; Blue Italian Tea Pot £102.50; Blue Italian Cake slice £15; Blue Italian Cream Jug £34.50 Blue Italian Jug £42.50 (larger vase with flowers in) All from Spode.

Now back to the scones. I’ll be honest, I’m not the domestic goddess you might think I am. We actually have a compartment of our oven which has never been used. But, I do love baking (and eating cake) . So in case you fancy making some fruit scones, I’ve attached my simple fools proof guide. And both my husband and toddler will agree that they were rather very tasty.

Fruit Scone Ingredients

  • 350g self-raising flour, plus more for dusting

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • ¼ tsp salt

  • 85g butter, cut into cubes

  • 3 tbsp caster sugar

  • 175ml milk

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • squeeze of lemon juice

  • 100g sultanas

  • beaten egg to glaze

  • Jam of your choice and clotted cream, to serve (I chose raspberry, naturally)

The Method

Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.

Tip the flour into a large bowl with the salt and baking powder, then mix with your hands.

Next I added the butter, and rubbed it in until the mix looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar.

  1. Put the milk into a jug and heat in the microwave for about 30 secs until warm, but not hot. Add the vanilla and lemon juice, then set aside for a moment. Put a baking sheet on a tray in the oven.

  2. Make a well in the dry mix, then add the liquid and sultanas and combine it quickly with a cutlery knife – it will seem pretty wet at first. Scatter some flour onto the work surface and tip the dough out. Dredge the dough and your hands with a little more flour, then fold the dough over 2-3 times until it’s a little smoother. Pat into a round tin about 4cm deep.

  3. Take a 5cm cutter (smooth-edged cutters tend to cut more cleanly, giving a better rise) and dip it into some flour. Plunge into the dough, then repeat until you have four scones. You may need to press what’s left of the dough back into a round to cut out another four.

  4. Brush the tops with beaten egg, then carefully place onto the hot baking tray.

  5. Bake for 10 mins until risen and golden on the top. Eat just warm or cold on the day of baking, generously topped with jam and clotted cream.

Blue Italian Sugar box £44; Blue Italian Tea cup and saucer set of 4 a £110; Blue Italian Tea Pot £102.50; Blue Italian Cake slice £15; Blue Italian Cream Jug £34.50; Blue Italian Jug £42.50 (larger one with flowers in. All from Spode.

Blue Italian Sugar box £44; Blue Italian Tea cup and saucer set of 4 a £110; Blue Italian Tea Pot £102.50; Blue Italian Cake slice £15; Blue Italian Cream Jug £34.50; Blue Italian Jug £42.50 (larger one with flowers in. All from Spode.

And that’s it! I’d love to know what you think of my little afternoon set up, and if you try my Scone recipe, do let me know what you think? And… most importantly, are you a cream first then jam? Or jam then cream? It’s one of those things we can never agree on in this house.

A x

[AD] This post is part of a collaboration with SPODE. All styling, images, thoughts and opinions are my own.

{INTERIOR DECOR} HOW TO MEASURE A SOFA FOR DELIVERY

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{INTERIOR DECOR} HOW TO MEASURE A SOFA FOR DELIVERY

Treat yourself! Thats my motto, which I'm sure my husband would happily verify. This month I treated myself to a new navy velvet sofa from John Lewis. I've been obsessing over one for a while, and thought it was time to bite the bullet. One of things which always puts me off buying a new large piece of furniture is the hassle of measuring up to ensure it fits. I'm always reminded of the time I bought a dining table on ebay which didn't fit through the kitchen doorway. It turns out I only measured the front door... whoopsie! Since then, I follow the 4 simple rules to ensure every item fits. Here's my guide to measuring up, and ensuring that every big furniture purchase fits! 

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