The Fantasy Decorator

Forgive Me Blogger, I Have Sinned...

2012-01-16T13:20:00.000Z

Any of you out there that haven't totally given up on my blog might be forgiven for wondering whether I have...The truth is, I've been unfaithful to the old Blogger platform, for a few months ago I discovered a new love.

That love is tumblr - for those of you not familiar with tumblr, it's a blogging platform that in a lot of ways bears a lot of similarity to posterous in that it is used mainly for images. At the risk of making this an advert for tumblr, its main beauty, as far as I can see, is that you can easily "re-blog" other people's images to make your own amalgamation. So, for those of you who are interested, I'm over at http://fantasydecorator.tumblr.com, reposting stuff that catches my eye for one reason or another.

The good news is that I've found some cracking Retro Decorator posts that I also want to share on here, so look out for those shortly!

Calling all REAL decorators...

2011-10-09T08:14:00.000+01:00

It's no secret that the inspiration for this blog is that most (if not all) of the decorating I do is in my head, somehow managing to spend vast amounts of imaginary money in the process. Much as I'd love to transform our home into something worthy of all the interiors magazines I devour, it's something that our somewhat hectic lives never quite let us get around to.

I recently got an email from the folks at Endemol TV, who are looking for participants in a new show on UK's Channel 4 called "Super Scrimpers" looking for people with "expensive taste when it comes to interior design". Sadly, whilst I probably do have expensive taste in my head, I'm not sure my home applies quite yet...

However, maybe yours does, and you'd like to participate in a show that will show you how to get the same look for less? After all, there is a credit crunch on... If you fancy learning to decorate on a budget, send your name and contact details to family@endemol.co.uk or call 0333 577 7773.

Oh, and let me know if they pick you - I'm sure I could learn a few things...

The Retro Decorator - 50s Living Room

2011-09-29T10:19:00.000+01:00

The rich backlog of catalogues handed down to me by my mother that normally make up my retro decorator posts sadly only go back to the mid-80s. I'm therefore always pleased when I find something older on my travels through the internet, and this case is a real beauty.

Source

No doubt the height of sophistication in its time, and very fashionable thanks to the enduring appeal of "mid-century modern" and the Mad Men revival, this living room is just missing the perfect 1950s family...

Random Hotel Room of the Week; The Hoxton Hotel, London

2011-08-12T11:34:00.000+01:00

These pics actually from a while ago, but as I've been having a few problems with my phone not recognising my SD card recently, I haven't got round to posting them.

This is the Hoxton Hotel London - an achingly trendy part of London, slightly off the normal touristy traps of the West End. The room was comfortable and well equipped - no different to most higher end hotel rooms. I did, however, love the quirky little details, such as the "Boring Signs" dotted around the room. They just added a little humour and individuality to the space.

Divaani Magazine Finland - June 2011

2011-08-09T10:41:00.000+01:00

This is the second of the magazines that my parents kindly brought back from their travels for me recently. The June edition of Divaani has a much more relaxed vibe about it than perhaps some of the homes in the previous issue I posted about.

I love the airy feel of this Stockholm apartment that also makes the cover:

Also included is the home of the founder of the Swedish soft furnishing company Lexington - a real cross between New England and Scandinavia:

The Retro Decorator - 90s bedroom(s)

2011-08-03T11:41:00.000+01:00

We're in the late 90s for the Retro Decorator today. The November 1998 edition of German Homes & Gardens, to be precise. These pictures are in fact taken from the 1997 book "Making the most of bedrooms" by Karen Howes (only available second-hand by the look of it).

Two four-poster beds, but with quite different styles - the first being more modern, lots of wood, bathtub in the room (can hear my father's comments about condensation...!). It's quite difficult to make out on the scanned photo, but I love the look of the brick floor:

The second being in a much more traditional setting, but still with quite a minimalist feel about it:

Divaani Magazine - March 2011

2011-07-28T18:04:00.000+01:00

When I started this blog almost exactly a year ago, it was my holiday in Finland that sparked the idea. Sadly this year we are holidaying elsewhere - new inspiration no doubt - but my parents have recently returned from Finland and brought back a little fix for me in the way of a couple of editions of Divaani magazine. These pictures are from the March edition, and once again I love the contrast between the typically white, Scandinavian feel of the first apartment, and the way it is juxtaposed against a very different style of the second, which has a very Oriental inspiration.

The Retro Decorator - 60s (?) Kitchen

2011-07-17T14:11:00.000+01:00

I haven't done a Retro Decorator post for aaaaaages, but I knew when I spotted this one on My Future House I had to include it here too.

I do love the colour red, but I guess sometimes you can have too much of a good thing...

Obviously I don't have a date or anything, but the pattern looks like late 60s/early 70s to my untrained eye. Maybe one of you can pinpoint it more accurately?

Family-oriented home

2011-07-11T15:57:00.000+01:00

This home has to be one of the most "lived-in" I have seen in a long time. You really can imagine a family growing up in this home, a dog sleeping on the mat, and the father snoozing by the chair. There's a real old-school, laid-back Californian charm to it.

In some ways it reminds me of my own parental home - plenty of white walls, colourful rugs and an eclectic mix of furniture, including many antiques. I especially love the unique artworks on the walls.

The rest of the pictures can be found via Re-Nest

Side Return Kitchen Extension

2011-06-28T12:46:00.001+01:00

Dear Santa,

For Christmas, I would like a lovely new kitchen extension in my side return. Something like the ones below (ok, maybe not the first one, I realise I would have to move house first, and even I'm not THAT greedy).

Is that really too much to ask?

Yours,
Fed Up Of My Small Poxy Kitchen, (aka The Fantasy Decorator)

Apropos

The London Kitchen Extension Company

Architect Your Home

Trying to Avoid Dirty Washing in Public

2011-06-21T09:52:00.000+01:00

Like any family with young children, laundry is a Big Thing in our household. Dirty washing piles up easily - and don't even get me started on the ironing pile...(which, as a permanent member of the family was deemed to deserve its own name, and has been known as Keith for some time...)

We have two of the open-style laundry baskets in our bedroom that a) have seen better days and b) show a little too much of the dirty underwear hiding inside. I've therefore been hankering after something a little more stylish and discreet for some time now. My preferred option is the lovely leather bins from The White Company:

White Company

Sadly (and in my book quite unreasonably!), my husband thinks £160 is too much for a dirty clothing receptacle so I am still on the lookout for alternatives.

Funky though this one is, it doesn't really fit the "discreet" criteria:

The Holding Company

This one of course is practical I guess...

The Holding Company

...but possibly a little on the small side for our washing mountains. Wicker or seagrass seem to be popular these days:

John Lewis

..but there's something about this one that (maybe irrationally) makes me think of snake charmers...

It seems I am being particularly fussy - all suggestions gratefully received...

The New Love Of My Life

2011-06-13T14:01:00.000+01:00

I've been whining on about the fact that the chair in my home office (where, after all I spend 4 days a week pretty much solidly in front of a computer) has been below par for as long as I can remember.

Finally, this weekend, we did something about it, and visited a local retailer of second-hand office furniture, where I found this little beauty...

Yes, I am finally typing this post on a lovely comfy Herman Miller Aeron...I may never leave my study again...

Playing at being Lady of the Manor

2011-06-08T12:49:00.001+01:00

We spent a wonderful week's holiday in the Peak District of Northern England last week, with a large group of friends - 25 of us in total. A group that large needs a big place to stay, and we were lucky enough to find Park Hall Manor. Sadly, the house is currently for sale, so who knows whether we will stay again, but we did joke that we'd have loved to have scraped our pennies together to jointly buy it!

The Retro Decorator - 50s/60s bathroom

2011-04-15T09:36:00.000+01:00

Way back when I was young, my parents temporarily rented a house originally built in the late 50s/early 60s, that still contained an original 1960s pink and black bathroom. Of course, I regret now the fact that we don't appear to have a single photo of that bathroom, as it really was a classic - in excellent condition too. Since then I've been scouring the web to find something similar, and this is the closest I have come; just amazing.
(Unfortunately, I didn't bookmark the original source when I found it)

Hitting the Slopes (3)

2011-03-10T10:25:00.001Z

Final selection - and back to the more "traditional" ski chalet style. This is the Chalet Rocher in Val D'Isere. I think it was probably the sauna that sold me this one - although I guess you can't go wrong with double height ceilings. There's just something wonderfully over the top about this one that I just love!

Hitting the Slopes (2)

2011-03-08T10:53:00.000Z

...if Richard Branson's chalet was too "safe", too ordinary, and you expect something a little different when on a ski holiday, maybe the White Pod Camp in Les Cerniers, Switzerland might be more to your liking?:

Hitting the Slopes (1)

2011-03-07T14:53:00.000Z

I mentioned in my previous post that life is hectic - well, thankfully next week I get to have some time out. We are off on a ski holiday - a total of 6 adults and 7 children. I'm sure we'll have a fabulous time. Even more fun was looking at all the ski chalets before we booked. Whilst the "standard" end of the market all starts to look pretty similar after a while, the luxury end really goes to town. I therefore thought it would be fun to choose a couple of chalets that I would love to stay in if when I win the lottery!

First up, The Lodge in Verbier, owned by Richard Branson and hired out for the princely sum of £56k upwards for a week's hire.

2011-03-01T10:46:00.000Z

Once again, life has been getting in the way of blogging. Life feels busy and sort of cluttered... Looking at these images of clean, bright and clutter-free Swedish apartment is therefore the perfect antidote:

alvhem

Some Mid-Century, Some Modern

2011-02-16T14:21:00.000Z

Today I just love this Swedish house, rebuilt from recycled materials and furnished with a great mix of modern and vintage:

Journal de la Maison

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T12:16:00.000Z

I admit, I'm not a fan of Valentine's Day- I like to believe that romance is more than just one day.

Still, if there is one thing I do love it is receiving flowers. In fact, I'd love to have them in every room of the hous, just like in this one:

all images via

The Retro Decorator - Then & Now, Chalon

2011-02-11T14:56:00.000Z

Advert from November 1997 copy of Country Living - or image taken straight off the Chalon website. Which picture is which?

Random Hotel Room of the Day

2011-02-10T11:54:00.000Z

This from a stay in London a couple of weeks ago - the NH Kensington

Wouldn't You Rather Be Here On a Monday?

2011-02-07T15:49:00.000Z

e clectic patio design by other metros media and blogs Beach Vintage

The Retro Decorator - Living in the Year 2000

2011-02-04T17:21:00.000Z

I love all the different mirrors in this house - from an issue of BBC Homes & Antiques magazine from November 2000, especially that quirky collection of hand-held ones in the middle picture.

Happy Weekend!

In the Mood for Some Rich Colour

2011-02-03T12:51:00.000Z

housetohome