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Monday Inspiration: Beautiful Rooms

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 wardrobe though) so that will have to wait a little…. Don’t worry I’m on it.

vintage chaise longue via stadshem. se
vintage chaise longue via stadshem.se

Instead, a mixed bunch for you this week starting with this apartment in Gothenburg which is for sale via Stadshem and while I love the high ceilings and large windows, what drew me in was that vintage chaise longue which looks fantastically comfortable and so pretty with those cushions and throw draped over it. I know though, that if I left an artfully draped blanket over the end of mine The Mad Husband would come along behind me and fold it. I might try and see how long it takes him. Although the cat might glue herself to it quite fast which would thwart him.

And if you’re looking for something similar I found this William Morris quilted bedspread. I have saved myself £275 because the pink and charcoal is out of stock. You might not be so lucky if you have an indigo space…And this is half the price from Oliver Bonas if you fancy green… I’ll stop now… just as soon as I find the one I want. Oh hell it comes in pink and green..

arsenalsgatan for sale via entrance makleri.se
arsenalsgatan for sale via entrance makleri.se

Moving to a kitchen, this time from Entrance Makleri (still in Sweden) and this soft olive green is such a pretty colour. Note how the tall cupboards that reach to the ceiling make the room look taller because the cupboards look overly tall, in a good way, which has the effect of raising the ceiling. Of course you will need a ladder to reach them but if the cupboards were shorter you’d need a ladder AND a duster.

vintage pantry shelves via jamb london
vintage pantry shelves via jamb london

Now we’re in a pantry and I’m finding myself drawn to the idea of a fully tiled wall of metro tiles. Not sure it will work in my kitchen diner but I have to replace the shower room (which has a leak from the roof… sigh) so this might be the moment I make up for the lack of tiles elsewhere in the house.

But it was the yellow door which drew me in here and, if you are also flirting with the idea of a touch of the sunshine shade, then allow me to point you in the direction of this rather lovely Pollen by Cassandra of Atelier Ellis. It’s just soft enough to not be scary but also it’s definitely yellow. Perhaps I will paint this on the ceiling of my yet to be fully tiled shower room….

pollen yellow by atelier ellis
pollen yellow by atelier ellis whose fallen plum I have used in my sitting room

And finally, because I seem to have started something with the blue last week, this pretty pantry by Sabbe Interiors. It’s a warm blue for starters and the terracotta floor tiles make the floral wallpaper sing. It’s a tiny working space but all the more reason to make it fabulous no? I have a tiny larder and if I could face emptying it I would really like to deck it out in a great wallpaper… and with that we’re back to The Dig again.

blue cabinet and floral wallpaper by @sabbeinteriordesign
blue cabinet and floral wallpaper by @sabbeinteriordesign
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.

16 Comments

  1. Hi Kate,

    Thanks for sharing an amazing post on madaboutthehouse.com. I wish I had the same interior at my apartment. loved all that you shared. Thanks.

  2. Just love your style of writing – “ladder AND duster” made me chuckle out loud. Quite a lift, thank you.

  3. Those metro tiles are recycled tiles from the New York Subway apparently. I did wonder if they looked better photographed than in reality.

  4. Love these interiors! Also loved Carey Mulligan’s wardrobe in The Dig – especially her high waisted trousers and silk blouses! I already have a few pairs of brogues, even a pair in a cracked silver leather!

  5. Love every single picture especially the pantry but then I am drawn to dark rich colours and although would shy away from too much pattern on walls definitely would try it in a small space. Also enjoy the names given to paints …..’pollen’ and fallen plum’ .

  6. This is really well written! I really liked the apartment in Gothenburg it is peaceful yet purposeful. looking forward to articles like this!

  7. Mmm, The Dig, yes. I have a pair of monk strap flats and a good number of soft silk shirts and also keen on Carey Mulligan’s wardrobe. The interiors also gorgeous and for me, more about the painted panelling and other artfully ratty painted woodwork (Charleston came to mind) than the wallpaper, but now you mention it. I am thinking of doing a pink and green combo in our north facing dining room – Little Greene’s China Clay (mid) on all the wood, and Fired Earth’s Opal Green (which looks great in our north facing bedroom). It’s currently all yellow (Fired Earth’s Ringwold Ground, bored to hell with it now) and brown (previous owner’s choice, bah!) and I really want to change it. Anyone used China Clay?

  8. We watched The Dig last Saturday – what a treat. I wondered if the house was the same one as Lesley Manvilles character lived in in World on Fire.

    I have the brogues – they’ve been all over Pinterest for about a year and they are fiendishly comfortable.

    1. I’m pathetically intrigued by this – when you say you ‘have the brogues’, which brogues do you mean? The exact pair CM wears in The Dig?
      In shame…
      K

      1. No shame! We don’t have shame on here! I meant the brogues as in part of the outfit that seems like the sort of thing she wore. It’s just a pair of brogues – they are these from Dune, which are apparently very popular as lots of people on instagram have told me they own them (one person has them in three colours). Mine haven’t arrived yet but I chose these because I didn’t want an expensive pair of Church’s (for example) would take 10 years to wear in by which stage I might be dressing more like Nora Batty with slippers.

        1. Thanks so much for your reply Kate! My first time commenting but I have been reading you for ages and enjoying it very much. I’m onto the brogues….

  9. That blue pantry was like a punch in the stomach it’s so gorgeous! Do you know what the wallpaper is?

      1. Would you by chance know what wallpaper is in one of the rooms that is a large blue floral with what appears to be a man on a horse? Would love to know –thank you in advance.

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