Friday’s Fetish: decorating with moody blues

My hungry decorating eye has definitely got the blues … but in a good way! I saw these stylish schemes in the May’s Livingetc and loved them. They might not be the most summery of schemes, but boy do they pack a stylish punch.

I’ve STOLEN Livingetc‘s top tips on how to get the look, but don’t worry, I left a note.

Keep things sophisticated in the living room with a spectrum of blues, and team a modern sofa with natural accessories and textures.

roomenvy - blue decorating ideas for living rooms

Add a glossy finish to a mix of rough-luxe textures to up the glam factor.

roomenvy - rich blue living room reading area

Mixing pattern and scale is a classic way to add depth and impact to a bedroom.

roomenvy - blue patterns bedroom

When mixing eras and styles in the hallway (ie, the Ercol chair and the chinoiserie console table) choose a unifier – in this case, jewel blues.

roomenvy - elegant hallway flooring

Duck egg blues are the perfect foil for bold pattern, and are a great way to update your dining chairs!

roomenvy - blue dining room furniture

Bank holiday DIY ideas – get organised!

Sometimes a rainy weather forecast is a good thing (… I said sometimes!) and in this case, it means we can use our bank holiday weekend to get those niggling DIY jobs done without imagining your friends basking in a sunny park.

I might well take this opportunity to clear away clutter, there’s nothing like a good old clear-out before the hot (here’s hoping) summer months arrive. I’m tuning into Housetohome’s DIY webchat with the Guardian’s Julian Cassell this lunchtime at 1pm, to grill him on my DIY queries, so I might see you there!

In the meantime, find inspiration in these bank holiday organising ideas.

Clear out garage clutter – if a small family could be living in your garage without you noticing, then this one’s for you!

roomenvy - summery activities garage

Organise your potting shed – there’s no better way to promote organising to your husband than with the prospect of a gleaming new shed!

roomenvy - pretty potting shed

Plan the perfect laundry room – clever tricks to make ironing those shirts that bit more bearable. Although, they’ve missed the CD player and outrageously cheesy pop songs!

roomenvy - organised laundry room

VIDEO! Boy’s bedroom ideas by the real experts!

Do you remember me RAMBLING on about how excited I was to see Ideal Home‘s stand at this year’s Ideal Home Show? (hmmmm, should I admit I was that excited?) Well here’s the video of the boy’s bedroom scheme I was telling you about. Here, Jen Morgan, decorating guru and Ideal Home magazine’s deputy editor shares her top tips on how to create the bold, multi-tasking boy’s bedroom, they created for the show.

My thoughts:

1) I never thought I’d be jealous of a teenage boy, but if the teenage boy in question has a Union Jack fridge in his room then …

2) I love how this scheme is a winner for children AND for parents – no more fighting over the living room TV remote!

3) I can’t think of a better way to promote homework time than to create a super-sleek workspace and invest in a shiny new laptop … and to hang a ‘revise your world geography or ELSE’ wallpaper!

Enjoy!

Garden design envy – pretty dutch courtyard

Oh Apartment Therapy, how you cheer me up this morning with this pretty Dutch courtyard garden tour! I’ve just discovered their ‘My Great Outdoors‘ section, it’s PACKED with garden design ideas from across the world, so bear with me if I start posting garden tours until my blog BURSTS!

I love this Gaudi-inspired dutch garden idea, it’s happy, it’s pretty, and it’s practical, too!

roomenvy - colourful garden design

A colourful path is created with concrete stones, mosaic tiles and broken dinnerware!

roomenvy - relaxing garden hammock

… and zzzzzzzzzzzzzz! Hang plant pots to add interest to a garden wall, it will look fantastic when they bloom.

roomenvy - alfresco dining area

The alfresco dining table matches the garden path, and brightly coloured planters add even more sunshine to this pretty outdoor space.

Glam bathroom chandelier

This has got to be the most co-ordinated bathroom I have ever seen, I mean how often do you see a bathroom where the lighting, walls, bathlinen AND bathroom flooring match perfectly? I’d feel compelled to wear only navy and white just to see how invisible I’d be. This bathroom from Homes & Gardens is way to formal for my taste, but I am obsessed with bathroom chandeliers at the moment … and I’d never say no to an oversized tub.

For me this is the decorating equivalent of the Shining Twins – it creates a dramatic effect, but it’s ultimately, quite scary!

roomenvy - super swanky bathroom

Kitchen diner ideas

Anyone planning a kitchen update? Not everyone’s lucky enough to have an extra room to use as a dining space, so why not combine the two? This morning I’ve been inspired by Housetohome‘s three kitchen-diner looks. They’re perfect for family breakfasts; informal dinner parties; or the times when your friends are round, you’re preparing dinner, and you simply cannot BEAR the thought of missing out on the gossip.

Modern brights kitchen-diner

roomenvy - shot of pink kitchen-diner

I love the contrast between the sleek modern kitchen units and white walls, and the warm oak table and benches with fuchsia seat covers.

Country-style kitchen-diner

roomenvy - spring whites kitchen-diner

This is more modern than most country kitchen schemes, but I LOVE the traditional dresser, and shots of blue against the white furniture.

Smart contemporary kitchen-diner

roomenvy - luxurious kitchen-diner

This kitchen-diner has oodles of glam, with smart soft furnishings and shots of rich green.

Can I come in? Luxurious country garden

Sundays in the park? Move over! Check out this stunning Sussex country garden – it’s enough to rival any Chelsea Flower Show Garden, and has left me with serious GARDEN ENVY!

I’d expect nothing less from Homes & Gardens‘ stylish readers, this beautiful outdoor space was designed from scratch and provides oodles of glamour and pure swankyness!

Fancy a little tour?

roomenvy - funky children's tree house

What a stunner! This is a child’s dream getaway – a great place to pretend you’re starting your own B&B at the age of 7 (or  was that just me?)

roomenvy - striking garden pond

This is one of the main features of this garden. The globes add a real designer-chic vibe.

roomenvy - outdoor seating area

Fancy a spot of champagne as the sun goes down? (something tells me the owners don’t drink cheap Chardonnay) then layout beautiful woven furniture on the patio and relax!

roomenvy - county-style garden room

And then there’s the billiards room … this really is one of the poshest gardens I’ve seen … and I LOVE it!

Can I come in? The ultimate floating home

That’s it, I dont feel I deserve to complain about my small flat anymore, especially considering the great use of space in this funky floating home. I’m not saying that I’m quite ready enough to abandon London city living in favour of a riverboat, but I was suitably impressed by this seemingly spacious narrowboat, designed by Dominique Brown.

roomenvy - small space living room

A multipurpose living room and a half! A sofa that folds out to a double bed and a tabletops that extend as a dining table.

roomenvy - narrow kitchen gallery

Now that’s a galley kitchen!

roomenvy - practical kitchen storage

And of course, it’s all about kitchen storage. Hang hooks and pots to stash kitchen utensils, and leave no cubby unturned!

DIY advice for the bank holidays

Don’t Mondays seem so much more neighbourly when there’s a bank holiday weekend in sight? With the weather teasing me like it is, I might actually get some DIY jobs done this weekend … obviously trying to recruit someone strong to help me!

Housetohome‘s hosting a decorating webchat with DIY expert for the Guardian and Focus DIY, Julian Cassell, this Friday (3oth) at 1pm, so I’m going to be quizzing him on everything from putting up shelves in my living room alcoves to fixing my kitchen cupboard door (bane of my life!).

Click now to register for an email reminder so you won’t miss out!

roomenvy - smart shelving dining room

Decorating ideas for bedrooms – soft metallics

I’ve been getting bags of inspiration from Ideal Home‘s recent feature on ‘blast away the beige with modern neutrals‘ – perfect if you don’t want to add to much colour, but are about as tired of cream as you are of Mondays!

This bedroom design idea is sooooooooo pretty – best ask your hubby for permission first, mind – there’s a lot of girlyness involved! Add softly shimmering shades with with a metallic feature wallpaper, silk cushions and mirrored accessories. Don’t go too crazy with the metallic tones though, highlight just a few areas NOT the whole room – remember sleek, not freak!

Finally keep the furniture simple and not too ornate to avoid the decorating scheme from looking too fussy.

roomenvy - metallic bedroom decorating idea