{slight obsession...}

Alright, this is becoming a little obsessive. Is it just me, or do Waterworks and Plain English Kitchens have an awful lot in common?

One is American, specialising in bathrooms, delicious hardware in every finish imaginable and a sleek crossover between traditional and modern. And, well, Plain English does too, only for kitchen design. I've alternated images from the Waterworks' latest collection, Henry, with images from Plain English. Don't the meld beautifully with one another? Yes.

{bathroom love}

I thought I would share with you a moodboard I've created to inspire me in a bathroom design I am putting together. Some of my keywords: Charcoal grey, warm white, maidenhair ferns, bright nickel and unvarnished brass, slabs of soap, coarse wood, old bottles, chunky tiles and smooth slate. I'm in love with the soft white bleached floor in one of the images above, and the simple but thoughtful styling. Very peaceful.

The collage above is assmbled from the catalogues of Toast, Waterworks and Remodelista.

{wintry toasty cosy}

It's that time of year again - it's Toast time. Even more, it's WINTER Toast time, a season at which they have always excelled. I myself have been dreaming of a all-in-one cashmere suit in which I might snuggle. My bedside mug of tea has been freezing solid in the mornings, camping as I am in a canvas wall tent in a very chilly desert. So this snowy white outfit is looking ever so tempting. I'm also thoroughly enjoying these toasty vignettes {above}. You just know - you just know - the Toast styling team carefully chose warm, tanned looking eggs for this warm, woody, bright layout.

I have been busily, no, MANICALLY, researching cosy bathrooms for a project, so I was very pleased when I came across this sink photo. Isn't it lovely? Though I do feel like a sinks primary concern should be to contain water when you're splashing your face and whatnot, and somehow, I think this particular lovely would require a bath mat underneath.

Princess and the Pea! Gorgeous. Anyone feel like baking a crusty, buttery pie?

dear lovely {grey}

Taken from Anthropologie.

So like the rest of the world, I too have a deep affection for all things grey. However, I also believe that you can get it really rather wrong. There are cold greys, warm greys, blue greys and pink greys and on and on and on. My mother is particularly fond of grey woodwork, whereas I love how light can transform a grey wall into millions of dappled shades of this gorgeous colour. Though I do like a nice charcoal front door, it has become something of a painful cliche in London. The newly done up white facade, the lavender in the galvanized steel window box, the brushed steel door knocker and the glossy grey front door. I now associate it with rich generic style. Shame. But here are some interiors that offer a more unique use of that darling colour on the spectrum, grey.

More can be found here.

I love how the dark grey floor merges with grey tub. Very clever. I also adore the entrance below. Perhaps this is one grey front door I can forgive! I'm also coveting that table...

A cool grey, modern take. The wood windows, door and floor really help warm this up. Note also that the window wall is painted a warmer shade. This shade should be used in small quantities!

Thank you iSuwannee!

This is one of my favorites, but I think the secret is the molding, which breaks up that deep colour. Also it's incredibly cosy, and the headboard, lamp and rug are bright and heavily patterned which lifts it.

From the wonderful Emma Lee.

blog of the month

There are many, many takes on Nordic white interiors, but I think the bathroom above shows how it can really be done well. Normally being one who likes a proper bit of bold colour and pattern, I do think a pale bathroom can be riddiculously peaceful. I love the bedroom below too, as it demonstrates beautifully how to incorporate a panel of wallpaper without dominating the room. The green really helps balance it out, and it makes expensive wallpaper a heck of a lot more affordable!

Yes I'm going all interiors on you again... but i needed another injection of inspiration as I tackled the guest room today and the discovery of the blog Sanctuary hit the spot - a scrapbook of interiors and creative inspirations with a strong Nordic theme. It's my Blog of the Month! Da ra ra da ra da ra! Pow! (That's my game show music kicking in).

That's pretty much a studio apartment...

It was so pretty, I couldn't leave it out! Doesn't it make you want to pull out a paintbrush?

Images via Living Etc. & Santuary.

country haven

For my birthday, my mum is taking me to Babington House for a couple of nights in July, where hopefully we shall be scrubbed and pummeled and buffed till we're shiny bright and new again. I've been looking at images on their website and i've been positively salivating at the romantic, rustic, English country house haven they've created. They have stand alone bathtubs in some of the bedrooms, plonked beautifully opposite a roaring fireplace - actually, it's inspired aforementioned mum into relocating an antique bath into my former bedroom... hmmm... I can't wait to stock up on loads of design ideas and as the dress code simply states - barefoot or ballgown - i'm guessing there'll be some pretty interestin' outfits going round too.