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Five Easy Pieces

Remember when you were in your teens and early twenties and you used to treat yourself to a new thing on payday. Or sometimes on a Friday to wear out on a Saturday night. Perhaps you still do it now. I do. Although there comes a point when you seem to stop buying things for you to wear and start being irresistably drawn to things that your house can wear instead. Emily Murray, of The Pink House, calls it cheating on fashion with furniture which is a great expression. Although that’s in your 30s. Come your forties the relationship may well be more with the furniture anyway. Now in my 50s (I think I have to say that now) I’m swinging back the other way and flirting with the idea of cheating on the furniture with the fashion. It all goes full circle in the end.

Peili bowl by Zone Denmark
these bowls are for food storage but the lid also doubles as a chopping board and serving platter, a set of three is £53. by VE2 for Zone Denmark from Connox

Anyway, that’s by way of a (long) introduction to a new series which will run once a month called Five Easy Pieces. Unfortunately as we all get paid different times of the month I can’t guarantee to run it on your payday but you can always hang onto this post until that day rolls round.

cubiko wall mirror and storage unit from future and found for £80. The black lines are very on trend for 2018 - think crittall inspired.
cubiko wall mirror and storage unit from future and found for £80. The black lines are very on trend for 2018 – think crittall inspired.

The idea is that there will be five things – loosely tied to one of the rooms in the house – kitchen, sitting room, bedroom bathroom and then perhaps home office or playroom, that cost under £100 that you might want to treat yourself to when your bank account has had that little monthly refresh.

scissors made from recycled materials with brass desk accessories from nkuku £11.21 and perfect for instagram
scissors made from recycled materials with brass desk accessories from nkuku £11.21 and perfect for instagram

I was going to make them under £50 but then the first thing I saw was £53 so that blew that. So you can either create  list as the year goes by, or gather some ideas or perhaps just have a little splurge on something that is for the house (completely justifiable) but makes you happy (even more justifiable) because it makes that corner function better or look better or just because.

retro brass lamp from french connection
retro brass lamp from french connection is £145 – yes I blew the budget on this one – the table version is £75

Because just because is what our parents said to us when we were small and it doesn’t seem to wash with our own 21st century children these days so let’s go back and keep it for ourselves. I bought that just because…..

round mirror with wooden frame from zara
round mirror with wooden frame from zara because this year you can have any mirror you like as long as it’s round, this one is £69.99

 

Kate Watson-Smyth

The author Kate Watson-Smyth

I’m a journalist who writes about interiors mainly for The Financial Times but I have also written regularly for The Independent and The Daily Mail. My house has been in Living Etc, HeartHome and featured in The Wall Street Journal & Corriere della Sera. I also run an interior styling consultancy Mad About Your House. Welcome to my Mad House.

6 Comments

  1. Your ideas are great, Kate. All of them. But my favorite ones are the round mirror – it looks really romantic, and the cubic wall mirror and storage unit for the bathroom. It makes the room look larger. Thanks for this post.

  2. Oh dear I see this series is going to be bad for my bank balance! Great suggestions and I too am trying to buy less and save for the quality i really want – furniture and fashion 😀

  3. Shruti, I am trying that too but wondering whether I should go more with Stella McCartney’s philosophy around sustainable products and buying less but better quality 🙂
    and yes, Kate, they’re all beautiful products

  4. Great idea Kate, and love your writing style. What about those rugs in the picture of the brass retro lamp? – may not come into your new month budget but they’re just what I’m looking for.

  5. LOVE all the pieces Kate. However you are a temptress! This year my intention (not resolution, see?!) is to buy less and consume less. Let us see how many days that lasts! *Sigh*

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