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How To Cope with Lockdown in a Small House



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pink and green kitchen at sophie robinson house
A post in two parts for you today as part of the show notes for the latest episode of the The Great Indoors podcast which is out today. We spoke to Julia Samuel, a psychotherapist, whose book This Too Shall Pass, came out (with uncanny timing) last March. She specialises in bereavement counselling and dealing
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10 Small Changes That Will Make A Big Difference



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choclate brown wall in alcove, pink chaise longue, large corner book shelves in the sitting room at madaboutthehouse.com
As Lockdown drags on the motivation is hard to find isn’t it? I found this list the other day and think I was preparing it for a book but not sure it made it,  so I’m posting it here as it’s a list of suggestions for small things you can do that will improve your
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Monday Inspiration: Beautiful Rooms



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vintage chaise longue via stadshem. se
So who's seen The Dig then? I was all set to bring you a post of fabulous wallpaper and antiques based around the themes of the film (I've bought a pair of brogues) but I haven't, as yet, been able to track down any decent interiors shots of the film (I'm all over Carey Mulligan's
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10 Feature Lights for Under £150



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whitney cluster pendant from made.com
You ask and I shall (attempt to) deliver. Herewith, as requested, ten of the best affordable feature lights. Now affordable is one of those weasel words that means different things to different people. For some it will mean the cheapest, for others the one that suits their style so well that they will pay extra
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Home Office Makeover Part I



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home office with panelling at madaboutthehouse.com
I wanted to show you the first stage of the home office makeover because I have been talking about it for a long time and while it's broadly finished I am waiting for some blinds and also for the gloss paint to fully cure which means I can't put anything on the shelves but I
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Monday Inspiration: When the blues don’t make you blue



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The Fife Arms in Braemar in the Scottish Highlands, designed by @russellsagestudio via @yarn.home
And welcome February - let's hope by the end of this (short) month that things are looking up. Vaccination is proceeding and numbers are dropping and, what's more, by the time the 28th rolls round those who have had their jabs should be on the way to being immune. So there are reasons to be
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Is E-Design Right For You?



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interior e-design by topology from £299 per room
Online interior design, or e-design as it’s more commonly known, is a phenomenon that has grown hugely over the last year, partly out of necessity and partly, I suspect, because we have all had to adapt to a more online life and familiarise ourselves with the technology that comes with that. interior e-design by topology
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Monday Inspiration: Tongue and Groove Walls



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Now I'm aware that after nearly ten years together (for some of us) I don't need to tell you this; but if ever you were having a wobble about how to redecorate know that I read this week in one publication that the trend for tongue and groove was definitely over. The following day I
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The Househunter: A House for An Artist



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Now I hope you'll like this, it's very calm and peaceful and leaving aside Storm Christophe raging outside I feel in the need for a little calm and peacefulness. It's a three bedroom, two bathroom, three reception room house in west London which has served as a family home for the last 18 years. It's
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Elevating The Ordinary: Tablescapes



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nona pink plates from Habitat on black dining table with black dining chair on large check black and jute rug
I have never been one for what is these days called a tablescape – readers of my generation will refer to it simply as laying the table in the same way that we used to put things on the mantelpiece rather than style it up… gingham tablecloth from etsy But here we are in the
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Design Storey Shop is Open



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Design Storey landing page for Sitting room. Peach graphic with neutral geometric patterned wallpaper and sand velvet sofa
And it's live. I am loosely calling it a shop but Design Storey is more of an all round platform with collections of the best of the high street, styling tips and links to blog posts helping you to make the most of your space. The Sitting Room in Design Storey Shop As I mentioned
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Monday Inspiration: Pushing Your Creative Boundaries



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Half height black panelled wall and black cat print wallpaper catitude by divine savages. Charcoal velvet headboard grey painted cornice and ceiling
Right we're really going for it this week. We've had lots of pale neutrals and calming colours making sure you choose the shades that are really right for you but this week we're going to push some envelopes. Starting off with this new wallpaper... catitude wallpaper by divine savages Now, this is as much about
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A Home Office for Life



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I am delighted to tell you that this year I am collaborating with USM, a Swiss company that makes modular furniture which has become a design classic. We first met over a year ago to discuss working together as I am a huge fan of the brand and, as you know, I love learning about,
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Monday Inspiration: Beautiful Rooms



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Hallway landing with dark wood banister, jute floor runner, William Morris wallpaper in soft tones, wooden bookcase.image by @home_stead
By many accounts last week was a tricky one, not just because of events in America which will have touched some of you personally, but also the first week of a new year which was, for many us, spent in another lockdown with dire news reports coming in from every direction. So, as usual, I
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The Househunter: Room by Room



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The first househunter of the year is here and it's a beauty, well I think it is. This four bedroom detached house has a courtyard garden and direct access to 12 acres of private landscaped gardens with lawns, tennis courts and a lake. Coming to see? It's in Twickenham, London and was built on the
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FIVE INTERIORS TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2021



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yellow window frame at the home of skye mcalpine by madaboutthehouse.com
Normally at this time of year I would be heading off to Paris to visit the Maison e Objet trade show to see what looks the designers are predicting for the months and year ahead. Obviously in the current circumstances I’m barely allowed to the end of the road, never mind abroad so I have
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Giveback January – Recycle or Donate Unwanted Electrical Goods



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Boxes of electricals in front of book shelf for Giveback January – Recycle or Donate Unwanted Electrical Goods
It seems appropriate for this first AD Break of the year to begin with a piece about recycling. And I’m also posting this the day after 12th Night (yesterday for the record) when new research has found that the UK alone has thrown away nearly 35m Christmas tree lights - enough to wind around every
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Get Cosy for Wintering



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Kate Watson-Smyth's library with reading chairs in Velvet Spot Flower Jade by Orla Kiely, cream chaise, large mid-century pendant light and yellow vase with dried hydrangeas
Well here we are again and I don't mean that the blog is back. As I write from my Tier 4 category in London, rumours are swirling of a new national lockdown in the UK. And I know that many of you in other countries are facing new restrictions and measures designed to stop the
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Monday Inspiration: The New Stone Collection from Little Greene



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The new stone collection from little greene: brunswick green and portland stone in light and pale
There is always much fanfare when Dulux and Pantone release their colours of the year shortly before Christmas. This time it was Brave Ground for the former - a sort of greyish mud that was instantly polarising as everyone demanded uplifting colours given the year they had just been through, not realising that Dulux picks
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