industrial lighting

I have a fondness for vintage industrial style homewares - simple things with a bit of knuckle. I don't decorate in a particularly feminine way, and some might say my taste is quite masculine or at least utilitarian. I don't do florals, girly colours or that annoyingly contrived brand of shabby chic that appears in so many magazines. It makes me shudder.

I would (ceiling height permitting) like to fit some industrial/café style lamps to hang over my kitchen table or to light a loft space or studio. There are many shops out there who sell light fittings like this, but I like the ones that appear in period hardware shops such as Period Features, Holloways of Ludlow and Willow and Stone. Some of them lean a bit too far in the shabby chic direction - you have to be careful what else you put in the room or it can look a bit twee - but I think they can be used very effectively to give a clean, smart look.

(Clockwise from top left) I'm not too sure about green - I prefer white/grey/raw metal - but these green lamps from Holloways of Ludlow, £89, or (if you're crazy) Pedlars for £175, are suitably masculine.

If you want the real vintage deal, check out these (and other amazing options) from Trainspotters £75 +vat. Or if you are particularly wealthy :-) how about these for £240 +vat?

This cafe style lamp, made in Wales, appears in lots of shops. It is cheapest from Welsh metalware shop, Gwyneira, for £41.10, but is also available for £48.00 at Pedlars again if you're into overpriced goods :-)

There is a particularly good selection of styles at Holloways of Ludlow, including this spun aluminium pendant, £115.00. It also comes in other colours and there are lots of styles to choose from.

You could even fit some vintage style light switches from Period Features if you are feeling particularly retro. Similar available at Holloways.

Gwyneira also stocks this raw aluminium lamp, £46.03, which is available in cream or red too. You can find the same lamp (for a bit more money) at Willow and Stone, but I like the shade of grey on the Battersea light, £50.

I don't mean to write negative things about Pedlars, their products are lovely but I just think their stuff is a bit expensive. Absolutely fine if you are a city-dwelling sort who likes to shop in Notting Hill or Selfridges, where they have shops, and you can't be bothered to hunt around for things or to rummage at antiques fairs, but I like to source my own junk :-)

One Hundred Days - no. 80

Can you tell that there are some animals I don't draw very often? It's time to expand the repertoire, I think.

Hope you all had a good Easter weekend. We spent it with our families. As usual, I ate too much pork.

One Hundred Days - no. 79

Happy Easter! I will be away until Tuesday visiting my parents and going to a Ukrainian Easter Mass with the husband's family! Anyone doing something more interesting than sitting in a cold church being stared at by nonagenarian Eastern Europeans? :-P

Have a restful holiday!

kitchens

Here is the kitchen in yesterday's house. I think you'll agree that it needs work i.e. gutting and starting all over again. I mean, that pine ceiling and strip lighting make my eyes hurt.


So I had a little scout around for some inspiration, just in case I get hold of a house that needs a new kitchen. I don't really know what I want, but from these images it appears that I like painted cabinets in white or greyish neutrals, a little bit of pattern and touches of wood. But knowing me and our potential budget, I would end up living with that awful pine-y kitchen forever! One can dream, though :-)



I am a bit scared of pattern but I'm strangely drawn to this Portuguese tiling. It reminds me of the riotous beauty of Parc Guell in Barcelona and brings a touch of character and whimsy to the space. You could try similar ideas with some of Fired Earth's lovely patterned tiles, or use an eclectic selection of beautiful antique tiles.




Images from: nskwood.net, Vila do Artesao, Tumblr (sorry, the actual owner of the image wasn't credited where I found it), Flickr and Wet Behind the Ears. All via We Heart It.

Anyway, I am getting a bit ahead of myself! I think I need to stop fantasizing.

The National Trust Summerhouses

I was talking about railway carriage outbuildings the other day, but what to do if a train wreck doesn't just happen to be sitting at the end of your garden? The photo above is of an outbuilding on one of the properties we have been ogling recently. It has two rooms and a loft space and sounds absolutely perfect. I would trim back some of those hedges to bring more light in, put some potted plants outside, a table and chair for the summer, and paint the door Oval Room Blue or something greenish by Farrow and Ball. Then one room could be my main studio, and the other my 'wet' room where I can make a mess. See? I've already moved in :-). The property also has a wooden summerhouse, which I would probably turn into a retreat away from work.


I just stumbled across these National Trust Summerhouses, built by Scotts of Thrapston. Each one was inspired by a National trust property - George Bernard Shaw's summerhouse, and Virginia Woolf's converted tool shed. They are perhaps a little too neat for me, too 'finished', but I love the idea of having a place tucked away in the corner of my garden where I don't have the distractions of the internet, telephone and housework.

One Hundred Days - no. 78

Today I haven't even the will to pick up a paintbrush... Does anyone else go up and down in energy and zeal like I do? If you look through my blog, there are weeks where I will post twice a day and have lots (too much?) to say for myself, and other weeks where I'm listless and lazy. This is one of the latter. I think I am suffering from having to talk to too many estate agents...

One Hundred Days - no. 77

I'm so lazy today I can't even be bothered to clean this one up.

Elspeth Thompson

I made a quick search yesterday for more railway carriage houses and came across the beautiful home crafted by writer, gardener and all-round amazing lady, Elspeth Thompson. It was created on the Sussex coast from two dilapidated Victorian railway carriages and her ambition was to turn it into an eco-home, complete with a sedum roof, greywater recycling and solar panels. It truly has been a labour of love, and is more beautiful for its green credentials.

Sadly, however, I discovered on her blog that she passed away less than two weeks ago, having suffered from severe depression which resulted in her taking her own life. I really don't know how to express what this made me think - that life isn't about having the most amazing home, or an apparently enviable lifestyle. Thompson wrote beautifully and lived her life with such honesty and joy, and goodness - it makes me quite sad to think how it must have been blighted in the end by her illness, despite outer appearances. It makes me grateful for my own health and what I have, which is a wonderful husband and a beautiful home, exciting possibilities on my horizon and a lifetime ahead of me, I hope. I would love to conduct my life with as much grace as she did.

Read her obituary in The Telegraph here.

One Hundred Days - no. 76

I'm sorry, I have nothing to say for myself today. I am already tiring of estate agents. Can't someone do it all for me, please?

One Hundred Days - no. 75

Gosh, suddenly I'm on 75!

I'm so listless today. I feel like we have a million things on our to-do list but have done none of them so far. I also sound like I'm talking about myself in plural, but I mean the husband and me :-)

upholstery

I would love to be able to upholster my own chairs, I see so many at fairs and auctions that would be magnificent if only I knew how to fix them up. I have so far managed a piano stool - not difficult :-). I think I could do a few other things too, but when it comes to chairs like these from The French House (do take a look around their site for some lovely farmhouse tables and some nice industrial chairs), I wouldn't have a clue. I am sure they would turn out all saggy and wrinkled and then fall apart after the husband had been at them (he has a particularly damaging way of sitting, I think!). I rather like them in this skeletal, raw state, but how lovely would they be, covered with a nice stripe or a plain linen? I like simple fabrics from shops like Tinsmiths and Ian Mankin, and have a weakness for ordering free samples just so I can coo over them.



Anyone else fancy going on an upholstery course like The Traditional Upholstery Workshop in Wales? I think it sounds like the perfect way to spend a week.

One Hundred Days - no. 73, 74

Two for the weekend. I was busy cleaning and painting the outside of the house with the husband, making more soup, eating curry. It was hard work :-)

Railway carriages

I would love to have an outbuilding in my garden to use as a studio and hideaway. I would make it my own space, paint it pretty colours, furnish it with things I love. Right now I work in our spare room, which gets precious little light even on a bright day and is usually also occupied by a rack of drying laundry, piles of paperwork (I'm in the process of selling my London flat and I had NO IDEA how many questions I'd have to answer for the solicitors!), and plenty of electronic ware, all at risk from damage if I were to tip over my painting water. It is a chaotic dump. If I had an amazing space where I could have two desks and somewhere nice to lounge for frequent tea-drinking maybe I would keep it much better. Or maybe not. I'm an incurably messy girl and I hate to admit it.


I have seen a fair few old railway carriages in interiors magazines mostly used, like this one, as an outbuilding or summerhouse. They are always utterly beautiful, surprisingly spacious and ooze a very special vintage railway charm. This would do very nicely as a work space, but could inspire any interior with its loving preservation of detail and simple decor. From Light Locations.

One Hundred Days - no. 72

More from the football.