[int]: grand designs live - trends

A final mop-up post for you all, looking at the odds and ends from the exhibition.

Sofa, Adventures in Furniture

Everyone loves leather sofas, right? Wrong. The pieces that stood out for me the most were much more textural, more interesting to touch. Using light neutrals helps to bounce natural light around your space, and the base colours can be accessorised with throws and cushions that permeate your colour scheme throughout the room. Big, blocky styles like this sofa are really comfortable to sit in and have real presence in the room.

Hanging planters from Where the Wild Things Are room set, Nisha Stevens

These hanging planters were everywhere in the show, and turn up on my pinterest feed all the time. There are loads of different tutorials available with different knotted patterns, so have a look around and see what you like best. Be careful what plant pot you use, though; one with a hole in the base will drip dirty plant water through to your floor!

Herringbone flooring, Jack Evie

I absolutely adored this flooring idea. Herringbone patterns in tiles are everywhere now, so why not floors? The use of stained or painted pieces brings a subtle colour into the room, in a really unique way. And this effect is so easy to recreate at home with reclaimed flooring or even by applying wood stains to shop-bought pieces. Test the mix out first before you lay them, to make sure the effect looks right in the room.

That's it for Grand Designs Live. If you'd like to see more photos from the show, look here or go to the Grand Designs Live twitter feed.

[int]: grand designs live - lighting

I got seriously excited about some of the lighting at Grand Designs Live, and I'd like to let you in on the hype.

Statement lighting is one of my absolute favourite tricks to a great interior. The quality of the light you put into a room really effects the mood, and that draws a lot of attention to the lighting you use. It's a great opportunity for an accent piece, especially in a room where you have little other opportunity to make the space your own, like a rental or a small home.

Pendant lights, Culinary Concepts

Small pendant lights like these, or clusters or arrangements of them, look great in small spaces. Be careful in larger rooms, though, or they might start to get swamped. A line of these gorgeous jam jar lights along a breakfast bar in a kitchen, or a cluster in a small nook, would look great and wonderfully atmospheric. They're very of their time, though, so be aware that in a few years time you may want to change the look up.

Pipe chandelier, Jam Jar Lights

This light is a little more lasting, provided you're a fan of industrial chic. There's a range of interior styles it can be used in, from sleek and well curated to a little bashed up around the edges. I've also seen this pipe style in floor lamps which, at eye level, can be more prominent in the room with careful placement.

Floor lamp, Culinary Creations

This was my absolute favourite floor lamp at the show. It was made from a Rolls Royce headlamp, or so I heard, and it's beautifully unique. It would provide a stunning focus in a minimalist living room, but it definitely needs to be given some space to breathe.

Table lamp, Raft

For a smaller budget, or a smaller space, table lamps like this can be used to bring a similar character to the space. I love the proportions of this little light, bringing the attention to the fitting itself.

Pendant lights, Jam Jar Lights

Whatever your project, there are a few things to consider with statement lighting. Make sure you fit the size of the light to the scale of the room or area you're looking to design. Don't let the light get lost, or overbear the space. Match the styles of the light and the room, otherwise the whole space will feel discordant. And most of all, consider the type of light you need to use the space. It's no good putting a small pendant light in your living room if you want to sit on the sofa and read in the evening, it's just not going to direct the light where you need it.

If this post has piqued your interest, or helped your project, please don't hesitate to like and share!

[int]: grand designs live - wood furniture

With this series of posts I'll be putting the focus on specific groups of furniture to talk through what I saw at Grand Designs Live. This time, it's the turn of wooden furniture of all shapes and varieties.

I love using wood in the home. A lot of people shy away from it because they think it doesn't look 'modern' enough and use chrome or painted furniture instead. But well designed wood furniture is stunning and adds warmth both to your colour scheme and to your interior - unlike glass or metal which saps the heat from your skin when you touch it, wood feels the same temperature as the rest of the room. Touch is a very important sense to consider when buying furniture, as you're going to be interacting with the piece with more than just your eyes.

Dovetail Joint, Fineline Furniture

It's tempting to be taken in by the overall look of a piece, but make sure to check the detail. The more you use a piece of furniture, the more you will notice every single aspect of it, good or bad. I love this dovetail joint by Fineline Furniture, using dark wood for the vertical pieces and light wood for the horizontals to highlight the junction. It's stunning how the designer has drawn attention to the joint rather than trying to hide it.

Chair, Joined + Jointed

There were some gorgeous pieces on show, like this chair from Joined + Jointed. Its 70s style curves give movement and balance to the chair, and it would be ideal as a statement piece.

Bureau, JackJames Furniture

I absolutely loved this fold-out bureau from JackJames Furniture; the bright corners of paint give a modern, fun feeling to the piece when closed, and it's filled with functionality when open. It would work so well in a project where you're tight for space.

Table, Fineline Furniture

But style alone isn't the only reason to choose furniture. Take this table from Fineline Furniture. I love the ingenious way that tables like this open up to add a couple of extra spaces. There are a few types of systems that you can get like this, folding or opening, but this is one of my favourites with its sleek mechanism. You can tuck it away when you want some extra space, or open it out for guests.

Dining chair, Fineline Furniture

Comfort is also something to consider. Again from Fineline Furniture, this seat back follows the gentle curve of the spine to support the back, and gives the chair its elegance.

Lamp, Joined + Jointed

I'd like to leave you on this lamp by Joined + Jointed, an all-wood lamp. It's finished to a high polish so the light plays of the curved surface of the shade beautifully. And it's just that little bit different, which really adds a touch of individuality to your room.


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[int]: grand designs live - show interiors

I'm pleased to say that the photos are now up on pinterest! I'm planning a whole series of posts on the things I've seen at Grand Designs Live, and how you can take those ideas into your own home and designs. But for now, I'd like to take you through my favourite of the Room Sets (located around the Grand Interiors Theatre).

This year the rooms have been themed around fictional places, and I was amazed by how they captured the feel of the place while still, a lot of them at least, feeling relevant. I've picked out my three favourites to talk you through.

Neverland, Zoe Hewett Interiors

Neverland was gorgeous, a very masculine space that felt like a 'den', themed around travel but dark and textured and homely. To get this look: you want a colour palette that focuses on warm greys, deep blues, and a light contrasting colour. Warm, dark wood is key, and a few statement pieces that draw the eye. This coffee table from Made.com really makes an impact and the triangular metal frames of the legs add to the transitory, camp feel.

Fass table, Made.com

Scatter prints across the wall, though choose them carefully to reflect the colour scheme, like the pinks in the print on the right echo the flamingo at the back. Most importantly, don't overdo it! This tiny space has been filled as an exhibition, rather than something you would want to live in, so it's important to take the ideas of the look and not try to replicate it too faithfully.

Pandora, STEFA Interior Design

The Pandora (you know, from Avatar) inspired space was much more contemporary, with a lot of block blues and greens. The wallpaper was beautiful, a Morris-esque palm frond pattern that the rest of the interior hung off. However, I think it was a little overdone. In your own home, I would bring in a contrasting colour, or perhaps some more chrome or wood, to break the single-colour monotony and bring a little more sophistication into the space. John Lewis has some great wallpaper, like this one, which can be used as a feature wall.

Manila wallpaper, Sanderson @ John Lewis

Take a sample with you though when you go to buy furniture, the worst thing that can happen is for a colour to not quite work. It ruins the whole room and isn't easily fixed, especially if you've just bought an expensive new sofa in slightly the wrong shade.

Secret Garden, Create Perfect

My absolute favourite was the Secret Garden themed interior. Plants wound around shelves and crates and I loved the copper-coloured leather chairs. This was all set against a brick-effect wallpaper which, while I hate false prints like that, would work very well against a brick wall in a real home. This look is something to bear in mind for an extension to an older house. Building up against an existing wall brings the weathered brickwork inside. Or if you want something like this in your existing kitchen or dining room, consider aged floorboards instead of the brickwork to bring that bashed up around the edges feeling in. Pair a solid oak table that will last you for years with some statement chairs. These from Made.com give you the leather look on a budget.

Braga dining chairs, Made.com

There's still a lot more to come from Grand Designs Live, but if you've liked this post please let me know by sharing or liking it!