OUR LIVING ROOM REFRESH WITH WEST ELM

After years of wanting to join the green sofa club, our day has finally come! Not only that, but we can now say we have a sofa that all three of us (four if you include the cat), can sit on together. .

I read in a newspaper recently that a modern day lounge now consists of a velvet sofa, a drinks trolley and a 70 inch TV. We might not have the huge Television, as I have this weird thing against huge TV’s, and am still contemplating how we can hide our 42inch, but we are guilty of the first two. So does that make me modern? Or am I just becoming an Insta cliche?

Our previous sofa was chunky, light grey and was slightly battered from the cat using the arm as a giant scratching post. To call it shabby was a understatement. It was also a sofa bed, which was purchased at the beginning of our interior journey when we only had two bedrooms and expected lots of guests.

In reality the sofa bed wasn’t made to be sat on daily, and had lost its springy-ness, and truth be told no one ever came to visit anyways. So I’m not sure what that says about us?

I longed for a much longer, luxurious sofa which bought an element of glamour and sophistication to our otherwise adult lounge. And yes our lounge can still be grown up, even with Otis around. Otherwise, why did they invent playpens? Plus I’m too stubborn to hide away our brass drinks trolley which I worked hard to own, even if it does mean I can’t leave Otis anywhere near it without supervision.

So here is our newly refreshed lounge, which I collaborated with the dreamy West Elm to create. It’s still adult, but the new sofa actually makes it more family friendly as we can all fit on it together now. I hope you like it as much as we do.

Drake Green velvet sofa £999, West Elm ; Staggered glass floor lamp £199, West Elm; Cushions hand made in House of hackney fabric.

Our old chunky sofa-bed sofa has now been replaced with this longer, green velvet goddess named Drake from West Elm. He’s much bigger than our previous sofa, but actually makes the room feel bigger due to the sleeker frame which actually feels like it takes up less room. He’s super comfortable and even long enough to be stretched out completely if you want a little lie down. As you do.

I made the cushions a couple of years ago after visiting a House of Hackney sample sale. The printed velvet was a bargain in comparison to buying the actual cushions, so I went for the budget version and made my own.

Drake Green velvet sofa £999, West Elm ; Staggered glass floor lamp £199, West Elm; Distressed Arabesque Wool Rug - Steel £449, From West Elm. Pair of prints on the wall are from Divine Savages

A room can never have enough lights and I chose the West Elm staggered light as it’s sleek brass thin frame doesn’t take up too much room, and the white glass sphere pops against the dark walls. It’s a great reading light for this corner, and the large round base tucks neatly underneath the Drake velvet sofa.

My track record in keeping real plants alive isn’t good, so in this room I have mostly opted for faux greenery. Most of my faux plants are from Homesense and the little man vase is also from here.

Solid brass candle sticks are antique; Vases are from Homesense.

The brass candlesticks were inherited from my husbands nan. They’re Jewish ancestry, not that we’re Jewish, but they were gifted by a jewish relative many years ago and have now been passed down the family. I love the family connection and their timeless design. I’d pick these out if they were in design store, so I’m pretty chuffed that they have a family connection too.

Draper Navy velvet sofa £1,499 , From John Lewis; Distressed Arabesque Wool Rug - Steel £449, From West Elm; Lampshade was made by me. See blog post for details.

I made the fringed lampshade a couple of years ago. I had lusted after one for so long, but couldn’t afford it, so decided to make my own. I wrote a previous article about how easy it was to make your own and luckily he’s stood the test of time.

I opted for the West Elm Distressed Arabesque wool rug from West Elm for this room. The dark mottled traditional pattern makes it great for hiding dinner stains…. jokes. We never eat in here, honest guv. But in truth I really struggled to find a rug that went in here without courting too much attention. I really wanted a rug which didn’t dominate the space, but yet filled it, adding texture and pattern but wasn’t the main focal point and I think this rug fits all of the above.

The shelving unit in this room is old and a nod to the industrial trend which I fell for hook line and sinker when we first bought this house. It now houses all my knick knacks and collectables, not forgetting my Pablo Escobar pineapple ashtray which was gifted to me by the legend that is Barbara Hulanicki.

Drake Green velvet sofa £999, West Elm ; Staggered glass floor lamp £199, West Elm; Distressed Arabesque Wool Rug - Steel £449, From West Elm; Large Nikolitsi Vase £14 from Oka.

As I head towards my forties I’ve become a bit of a vase collector. It’s the new lightbox, letter board fad for me. I can’t get enough of them and can’t seem to leave a store without buying one. The brass one above is a previous season West Elm one.

The brass drinks trolley is a still a favourite piece, which i’m reluctant to move out of the lounge even though our soon to be baby will be toddling around here.

(Our drinks trolley is sold out but West Elm do similar style ones).

Solid brass candlesticks are antique; Vases are from Homesense; Faux flowers are from Homesense; Brass plant pot is from H&M. Black Mirror from Wayfair .

Plants and art; my two favourite things to pad out and accessorize a room. My tips when buying art is to really love it. Think about the longevity and don’t be afraid to move pieces around the house to give them a new lease of life. And regarding plants, choose ones which are easy to maintain and less hard to kill. Cheese plants aka Monstera deliciosa and Mothers tongue house plants need little watering and thrive in dark moody lounges like mine.

And a lounge can never have enough side tables. Especially now our baby needs the maximum floor space to crawl around. I chose the gorgeous brass martini table by West Elm for its timeless look, plus I love the huge dose of metallic in this room. (Its also light enough to move around depending on who needs a table.

And that’s it for our lounge refresh. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the pieces I chose and how I’ve styled them in our home. Please feel free to leave me a comment below. I’m off to go plan the next room thats in need of a little refresh!

Drake Green velvet sofa £999, West Elm ; Staggered glass floor lamp £199, West Elm; Martini side table in brass £159, West Elm; Distressed Arabesque Wool Rug - Steel £449, From West Elm.

West Elm Source list - Drake Green velvet sofa £999, West Elm ; Staggered glass floor lamp £199, West Elm; Martini side table in brass £159, West Elm; Distressed Arabesque Wool Rug - Steel £449, From West Elm.

This room refresh was generously gifted by West Elm. I was extremely lucky to choose the pieces that I love and I will cherish these for years to come. All words and opinions are 100% my own.

MY MID CENTURY BEDROOM UPDATE

There’s nothing I love more about travelling than staying in boutique hotels, and when it came to updating our master bedroom, this is exactly what I had in mind. So when West Elm asked if I wanted to collaborate I jumped at the chance to create our own boutique vibe, in our Victorian mid terrace. Plus this is West Elm we’re talking about and a collaboration with them, is a dream come true for an interior gal like me.

We decorated this room fairly recently in February this year after the loft extension was completed, and although I went for Farrow and Ball railings paint again, I felt like it was lacking a wow factor with the old white bedside tables and a gallery wall which looked more cartoony than classic luxury. Plus throw in the fact that Otis had up until recently slept in here in a snuzpod cot, it was time to reclaim our grown up bedroom and hide away the changing mat and wet wipes.

I’ve attached a couple of previous photos to refresh your memory…

So the first thing I wanted to change up was the bedside tables. I chose for the Penelope bedside tables from West Elm as they’re part of their signature mid century range which has been inspired by 1960’s G-plan/esk furniture, but modernised with marble tops and metal handles. Personally I think these look much better against the dark walls, as the previous white ones stood out too much and looked cheap even though they weren’t cheap bedside tables.

Penelope bedside tables £349, West Elm, Staggered glass table lamp £99, West Elm. Ombre Reactive glaze mug £10 from West Elm, Agate blue/ gold coasters - pack of 4 £54

I then chose the gorgeous staggered glass table lamps to accessorise the bedside tables, giving us more light for bedtime reading and nappy changing. One of my favourite hotel chains to stay in is the Soho house group, and what I love about their bedroom styling, is how they mix wall and table lights, so this was something which I wanted to do as well. There doesn’t have to be set rules when it comes to lighting and accessories make a room, so my theory is always more is more.

Sunset lake rug £499 from West Elm.

Another stand out piece in here is the gorgeous West Elm sunset lake rug. I originally thought this would look good in our kitchen, but once it arrived it was far too lovely to have baby puree chucked on it, so it moved straight up into our grown up bedroom and I think it looks gorgeous in here. My husband has been crying out for more rugs around the house, as our house has all wooden floors and can seem drafty, and this rug is not only super soft and comfortable to hop out of bed onto, but its really bloody pretty. Do you think it’s possible to be in love with a rug? Because I love this one. My only annoyance was I should have gone for the bigger size as this room could of taken the next size up. But thats my own mistake.

Box frame bench £499 from West Elm.

One of the most important factors of this makeover for me, was choosing materials which felt and looked comfortable but luxurious. I fell in love with the metal box frame upholstered bench from West Elm for its gorgeous brass frame and navy velvet upholstered seat. I also loved the dusty blush pink velvet luster deco bedspread from West Elm which I’ve used with an older blue velvet bedspread to get a layered look. These colours were so easy to mix together as they replicate the colours in the gorgeous sunset lake rug.

Penelope 3 drawer dresser £599, West Elm. Nova table lamp £129 from West elm

Then for a more practical approach, I chose the Penelope 3 drawer Dresser as our bedroom lacks storage as we’re in the loft and it fits perfectly under our sloping roof at the front of the house. Don’t feel too sorry for me though, we do have a dressing room for our clothes, but you always need more storage for those keepsakes/nicknacks, right? So I chose this dresser as it compliments the penelope bedside tables so well and even has the same marble top and curved wooden veneer.

Modern Brass Candle holders from £29, West Elm. Brass tray from H&M (old), Purple jewel glass vase by Louise Roe at Heals.

Penelope 3 drawer Dresser, £599 from West Elm. Nova table lamp £129, from West Elm

And then for the finishing touches I chose 3 round velvet cushions to dress the bed, two in Regal blue and one in blush pink to match the velvet quilt, two modern candle sticks in medium and large and the staggered glass floor light to match the side table lights. And for the real statement piece I chose the West Elm striking gilded wall art to go up on the wall bedsides the bed to finish off the boutique hotel vibe.

Disclaimer. I would have put this artwork above our bed, but we don’t have the ceiling height as we’re in the loft, but I still think it looks lovely to the side of the bed.

Curva mirror from Select mirrors £99, Cat limited edition print from Divine Savages £45, cast iron radiators from the Cast iron radiator company, Staggered floor lamp £199, from West Elm.

And that’s it for my mid century bedroom makeover tour. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the pieces that I chose and how I styled them. I’m off to go have a lie down in my own boutique hotel bedroom.

Gilded wall art £299, from West Elm. Box upholstered bench in navy and gold, £499 from West Elm.

Source list - Penelope Bedside Tables £349, West Elm; Penelope 3 drawer dresser £599, West elm; Nova Table Lamp £129, West Elm; Staggered glass table lamp £99, West Elm; Luster Velvet bedspread £129, West Elm; Round lush velvet cushion in Blush £39, West Elm; Round lush velvet cushion in Regal blue £39, West Elm; Agate coasters £64, West Elm; Modern Brass Candle holder £39, West Elm; Modern brass candle holder in medium £32, West Elm; Gilded wall art £299, West Elm; Box Frame upholstered bench £499, West Elm, Sunset rug £499, West Elm; Blue Velvet throw £140, Christy; Sateen white bedding from £50 , Christy; Curva long mirror £99, Select mirrors; Skye kingsize bed £699, Made.com;

This room makeover was generously gifted by West Elm. I was extremely lucky to choose the pieces that I love and I will cherish these for years to come. All words and opinions are 100% my own.

COAT RACKS- MY PICK OF THE BEST

This month’s pick of the best is all about coat racks and hooks. Yep, random I know. But sometimes it’s the little things which are the hardest to source, and it’s no secret that I’m into the detail.

In the lead up to decorating our hallway/ landing it got me thinking about the little details which I’ll want to add and a new coat rack was one of them. Then once I started doing my own research I thought I’d share my top picks with you lovely bunch.

We currently have individual hooks from Anthropologie which are lovely but were a nightmare to line up, and space out evenly which is why I’d recommend going for a fixed plate set like any of these.

The main thing to consider is practicality over style. Our hallway is less than a meter wide so we can’t have anything which includes a shelf as it will stick out too much… although I do love them. Definitely one for the next house! 

**My favourites are number one and five. Both are from West Elm. The only thing that’s putting me off is West Elm’s customer care. After we bought a dining table and chairs from them, we had and are still having terrible service to replace a scratched chair. But annoyingly they do offer the most stylised versions of coat racks available in the UK.

My third favourite is number three, the three-piece brass and black hook rack from Cox and Cox. But with only three hooks its not a practical choice. Which is your favourite?

1. Geo Multi Hook, West Elm £59

2. Vintage style 5 hook, Rockett St George £35

3. Black and Brass Hook rack, Cox and Cox £40

4. Heritage shelf 6 coat hook rack, Wayfair £62.99

5. Deco marble Multi Hook, West Elm £69.00

6. Vitra Hang it all coat rack, Heals £225

7. Graham Hook Rack in Bronze, Anthropologie £88

8. Mid Century stained beech hooks in Natural, John Lewis £49 

9. Industrial rack with mirror, Graham and Green £75

10. Heritage coat and hat rack in satin brass, door handle company £26.09

11. Five hook coat rack, Graham and Green £45

12. Lasso black 4 hook, Amara £25

13. Traditional vintage painted wood coat hook, Not on the high street £55