MY DINING TABLE UPDATE WITH WEST ELM

I thought it was about time our lovely concrete top dining table finally saw some dinner party action since we had Otis, so last weekend we threw a diner party for some of our friends and American family in celebration of thanksgiving, aka our friends giving feast. And not only that, for the occasion I worked up with my favourite American brand West Elm for our second collaboration, to decorate our already owned West Elm Tower dining table in their lovely dinnerware plates, glasses and accessories.

It certainly gave me all the hostess with the mostess vibes.

Tower concrete top dining table £899, West Elm; Orion Blue rug £499, West Elm. Blue frame wire dining chair £199, West Elm. Round velvet cushion £39 on the chair from West Elm.

Orion rug £499 from West Elm.

I rarely snap this room. Mostly because I hate the ugly UPVC doors which are in the back of the room, but I suppose they’re not so bad, and I bet you didn’t even notice them from looking at all the shiny bits on the table. So let’s talk about those items, and how West Elm helped me make this our most memorable dinner party to date.

Half circle metal vase £49, West Elm; Modern Brass candle holders from £32; Large glass hurricane £59, West Elm.

I chose the organic washed cotton runner and napkins in Graphite to set the tone and then layered the West Elm 5 pc brass cutlery set for each person.

I personally think the brass pops lovely against the dark grey and they also contrast great with the grey concrete table top, while still picking up the hints of brass on the table legs. Oh yea, this dining table even has brass legs.

Being an all white dining table, it means I can really have fun with the highlight colours switching between blues and greys, and the Orion rug from West Elm, really helped pull all the colours of the dining room chairs and linen all together.

Organic washed cotton runner £19 from West Elm, Organic washed cotton napkins £4 each from West Elm. Half circle metal vase £49, West Elm

I then chose the West Elm Metallic charger plates as the base for the plate layering. I love a charger plate. They’re so much more sophisticated than any placemat, and not only are they decorative but they’re also great at stopping the heat mark your dining table. I then chose the reactive glaze dinner plates and pasta bowls and the gorgeous West Elm constellation salad plate as a middle layer plate for the 3 courses. This little plate was a real hit due to its striking design as its a work of art in itself.

We chose to to do a self serve menu using the reactive glaze large platters to hold the different courses. And it was all about the glassware for this table setting and the stunning agate blue/ gold coasters bought a touch of luxury, so I chose the stemless water and shorter wine glasses. These glasses are beautifully edged with metallic gold around the rims so these pull on the pops of brass from the metallic chargers and cutlery.

Reactive Glaze dinner plate £12 each from West Elm. Reactive glaze pasta bowl £12 from West Elm.

Our brass drinks trolley was purchased years ago and this was great to hold all our alcohol and to be a little self serve drinks station, I chose the West Elm brass wine cooler and icebucket to compliment the drinks trolley, and I already owned the West Elm Deco brass barware collection for mixing up cocktails and shorts. It’s these details that add glamour and sophistication to any dinner party/ christmas table and we’ll certainly be using them over the coming months as we entertain guests for Christmas drinks.

Reactive glaze dinner plate £12, West Elm; Metallic charger plate £29 each, West Elm.

Brass wine cooler £49 from West Elm

The centre of the dining table was decorated using the West Elm Half circle metal vase in brass. The flowers are artificial sprayed gold from John Lewis’ christmas decoration range and I also chose the West elm large and medium Modern Brass candle holders and the Large glass hurricane which is also in brass, so it all tied together nicely. I love layering candles and using different height candle sticks and hurricanes. It definitely gives the table decor more dimension and makes things more interesting.

Mongolian lamb cushion 41cm x 41cm £69 from West Elm. Orion

The red wine was decanted into the West Elm glass wine holder with wooden stopper, which prettied up the table, and the great thing about this holder is it can hold two bottles of wine, which is always a win win with me.

Brass ice bucket £69, from West Elm.

Orion Rug £499, from West Elm, Tower dining table £899 from West Elm. Grey Lenox dining chair £249 from west Elm

We bought our West Elm Tower dining table and dining chairs last year as an investment purchase, and they were worth every penny. At first I was scared about how to treat the concrete top, but after it arrived we soon realised that the concrete had already been pre treated, so it was ready to go and nothing (so far) has ever penetrated through into the concrete. Basically what I’m trying to say in a not so fancy way is, you can just wipe any mark or spot of grease/ dirt off and it never marks it, so it’s still really practical and looks really nice too.

Blue Reactive glaze vase £79 from West Elm; Brass ice bucket £69, from West Elm; Brass wine cooler £49 from West Elm

Blue Reactive glaze vase £79 from West Elm. Drinks Trolley old Marks and spencer. West Elm do similar; Deco barware set £79, West Elm

And lastly the menu, because no dinner party is complete without talking about the food. We did camembert rigatoni pasta to start, a Italian salad with panettone croutons and a beef wellington for our main. Desert was my signature chocolate mousse and coffees to finish. All accompanied by all the drinks! My favourite Chablis for the white wine drinkers, a Rioja for the red and of course, plenty of prosecco. Chin Chin.

Constellation salad plate £12 each from West Elm. Agate blue/ gold coasters £64 for a set of 4 from West Elm.

This dinner party has got me all excited for Christmas now. What did you think of my table setting, I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas on how to revise this for Christmas.

Source list - Constellation salad plate £12 each , West Elm; Gold Cutlery set 5 pcs £34, West Elm, Large Oval platter £39, West Elm; Reactive Glaze pasta bowl £12 each, West Elm; Reactive glaze dinner plate £12, West Elm; Organic washed cotton table runner £19, West Elm; Organic washed cotton napkins £4 each, West Elm; Modern Brass candle holders from £32, West Elm; Tower dining table £899, West Elm; Lenox grey dining chair £249, West Elm; Wire frame dining chair £199, West Elm; Orion blue Rug £499, West Elm, Stemless glassware - Water glass £7 each, West Elm; Stemless wine glass £7, West Elm; Glass wine bottle with wooden stopper £34, West Elm; Gables large round velvet cushion £39 from West Elm; Large glass hurricane £59, West Elm; Hipped Glassware £6 each, West Elm; Agate Coasters £64 for a set of 4, West Elm; Chelsea brass Ice bucket £69, West Elm; Chelsea brass wine cooler £49, West Elm; Deco barware set £79, West Elm; Reactive Glaze large vase £79, West Elm; Half circle metal vase £49, West Elm; Metallic charger plate £29 each, West Elm; Mongolian lamb cushion 41cm x 41cm £69 from West Elm; Blue Reactive glaze vase £79 from West Elm; Hayle large round mirror in champagne £199, Select mirrors; Brass drinks trolley, Old Marks and Spencer; 3 Industrial pendant lights £69 each, Industville; Paper honey comb decorations from Christmas Time UK.

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. Thank you West Elm for making for making my dinner party of dreams come true.

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.

MY SHELFIE UPDATE {IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WAYFAIR & IVYLINE}

I’m quite partial to a shelfie. If you follow me on Instagram then you’ll know that I’m always faffing with my pots, vases and candlesticks to curate new assortments, and glazed ceramics are my current obsession.

So when Wayfair asked if I wanted to showcase some of their latest indoor plant pots from Ivyline, I jumped at the chance.

I’m always looking at new ways to update my shelves and fireplace mantels, so to be given the opportunity to dress my house plants in glossier, crackled effect pots was an easy win.

Our spare bedroom is painted in a dark rich green and has brass accents, so I chose three items which complemented these tones perfectly.

First was a large plant pot, called the Como cachepot in sage green which I filled with a large succulent, the second are two smaller pots which I planted two small cacti in, and the third was a brass Terrarium which I planted three small succulents in and covered with small garden stones. **Disclaimer : when putting your hand in a terrarium, choose succulents over cacti. Unless you’re extremely flexible at dodging the thornes**. These pots have a gorgeous crackled effect, and a raw ceramic edge around the top. I’m in love with the shades of greens and the textures between the glazing and natural look. I think the sage and teal colours pop beautifully against the wall colour in my spare room.

I then faffed about with the display of my new pots, moving them from the fireplace mantel to the top of the chest of drawers. For now they will live on the fireplace mantle. It’s a much brighter spot, and great for some natural sunlight (Plus, I can see it every time I walk past the room).

I’d love to know where your favourite spot for a shelfie is?

The potting process.

Wayfair products used for this post

Como cachepot £19.99

Yuan Terrarium £29.99

Wayfair.co.uk is one of the world’s largest online retailers of home furnishings and décor and they offer value across a range of price points (from budget friendly finds to high-end styles) allowing everyone to bring their own vision of a happy home to life, which is why they are always one of my go to sites for all things home related. Just check out my latest rug purchase in this instagram post to see what I’ve been buying recently from Wayfair.

This post was sponsored by wayfair and Ivyline. All words and opinions are 100% my own.

HOW TO ADD CHARACTER INTO YOUR NEW EXTENSION

When we were planning our loft extension, I didn’t want the new extension to feel like an ‘extension’. I wanted it to feel like it had always been there and flowed with the rest of the house. Of course the exterior would always look slightly different and more contemporary, since slate cladded boxy dorma’s weren’t exactly a trend back in the victorian era. But, what was important to me was that the fixtures such as skirting and architraves all matched (or at least the best they could) to add that beloved character back into the new extension.

So here’s my guide on how you can add character into your modern extension..

Skirting Boards

Our lounge had the original deep victorian skirting boards when we moved in, the 195mm kind, so this is something we wanted to replicate across the rest of our house as we started our renovation project. In hindsight we probably should have ripped the original ones out at the beginning, as we ended up sourcing the almost the exact same ones in MDF from skirtingworld and the time we spent sanding the trillion layers of paint off the originals could have been better spent on pinterest or in the pub. But, never mind. Lesson learnt.

And something which is a huge bug bear for me is that when we had our flooring laid, we had to have a horrible beading edge trim the old skirting boards to hide the expansion gap. Unlike the new skirting boards, which could sit ontop of the new flooring and hide these gaps. But unless your a pro DIY-er, how would you know these things!?

For the record I chose the 324 Skirting board in size 195mm from Skirtingworld.

Loft landing. Rug Runner Wayfair £113.00, Wallpaper- Divine Savages Deco Martini , Plant Stand - Matalan, £6 - shop here for similar , Paint - farrow and Ball- Railings.

Architraves

Does your home have the original architraves? Or are you starting from scratch? It was the same story for us. Original architraves on the ground and first floor, which again had accumulated layers of thick paint over the past 100 odd years.

This is also something that can easily be ripped out and added back in if you have a good carpenter, and can still feel very much ‘characterful’ if thats a word. If you already have original ones and feel as though your monster to rip them out, I feel your pain, however you are NOT a monster. However having flush closing doors and beautiful architraves which emulate your houses period style is the way forward.

I chose the Victorian 1 MDF Architrave in 95mm width and 18mm thickness for our loft extension as these matched the old ones the best. If I could start the house all over, I would have these everywhere. But that’s another story for another day.

Dado Rail

If you know me, then you will know this is something I’m passionate about. We added a dado rail into our hallway to break up the wallpaper and paint. See previous blog post to read more on that. Top tip, choose a dado rail that looks most similar to your architraves to keep in with your homes period style.

Loft landing.

Coving

If you can afford it, and again its in fitting with your homes period, why not add that beloved coving back in. Find local coving/plaster specialists in your area who can make a mould to match your original.

Ceiling Roses

If you have the head height in your new extension, and the room calls for it, add a ceiling rose to your extension. But only if its appropriate. Many modern extensions have skylights, and feature lights which might not work with a ceiling rose. However, it’s something to keep in mind if you want to add in.

Victorian style ceiling Rose in our lounge, with original victorian coving.

Spindles / Handrails

We had lovely spindles on our original landing/banister. They weren’t the original ones, but they were beautifully shaped and fitted with our homes victorian style. When the new stairs went in for the loft we needed new spindles, so made the call to replace them all. This is something I would completely recommend. At the end of the day, consistency is key in any home, so choose new ones and choose ones which emulate your homes original period.

Brick Slip Tiles

When planning our loft we talked about keeping the original brick chimney breast wall as a feature. However, once the stairs went in, and I saw the original walls in all their jagged and dusty glory, I changed my mind. We did however consider using these old stock style brick slip tiles from UK feature walls though to achieve the same look. But in the end, we went down a different root and kept the walls plastered and painted.

Brick slip tiles are a great way to add character back in to create that old cottage, or loft apartment look without having to chip the plaster off the walls. The texture is just like real bricks and if you use a traditional mortar mix, the end result will look like its always been there. And, did you know you can also use brick slips on the outside of your home too? So you can say goodbye to the pebble dash/ plastered exteriors, and hello to old style bricks again. It’s definitely something to bare in mind if you hate the exterior of your home.

Image credit from Pinterest

This post was sponsored by UK Feature walls and Skirting World. Everything written is 100% my opinion.