Interiors

There are so many songs about needing a friend, standing by each other, being there and reaching out. All inspire and are necessary to hear in challenging times. While not life threatening, we have had several months of reality checks with work, moving and selling an apartment and other frustrating moments. It is at these times, that people offer support and sometimes from where you least expect it. We have had bank managers in two countries known for challenging bureaucracy, help in ways outside of their jobs, real estate agents organise furniture delivery and sort out taxes and new

I am recently attracted to emerald green and anything tropical. Colour psychologists - yes, they exist - state that green resonates with feelings of growth, safety and tranquility. Green is associated with forests, plants and water and nature. It can also be used to increase reading ability and I love a good book! Hospitals have used a particular shade to relieve stress. Others say it can add a sense of luxury and new beginnings giving a sense of excitement.   Those who read my blog, know that I have been practicing Feng Shui for years and that green is

We had been buying light fittings for our past French apartment and suddenly, I was focused on various lighting around restaurants and hotels for inspiration. If you can, sit under the light fitting you are considering and ask what you sense. Having sat under crocheted bohemian lights, I realised that I felt as if I had string hanging over me! Then I sat under wooden slatted Chinese lanterns and immediately got a sharp 'poison arrow' energy. So let's talk about light. In Feng Shui, light is seen as a key energy that can add yin and yang, light and

Robbie Burns said, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”. We flew down just before Christmas discussing paint colours, cushion covers and candlesticks. One small delivery of furniture had happened and we were looking forward to the main delivery and sleeping on a real bed. It didn't happen. Our removalist was unusually silent and we finally received a text that he had suffered a heart attack and was in hospital with three stents! We reassured him that it was just furniture and went back to our empty space and inflatable mattress. Vintage Furniture We had

Green is a colour that resonates with nature, freshness, new life and a sense of calm. It comes in a range of shades and you need to decide, carefully, if you go for a yellow-based green which produces happy apple green and citrus lime. If you are considering blue-based shades there is a wide range of turquoise and emerald. It is important to remember the base, otherwise you might end up with different greens that clash. You can now by from paint companies such as Farrow & Ball, hints of green but be careful as they can give the

Deck the halls with boughs of holly! It is that time of year where trees, decorations and lights come out. Trouble is, I don't like the traditional Victorian style decor of Father Christmas, chubby angels and general red and green shiny baubles. Fortunately, there are now lots of different styles of decor you can consider. Traditional Victoriana This is where it all started commercially . Queen Victoria's German husband, Prince Albert, brought over some of his family traditions of candles, cake and small gifts opened on Christmas Eve. Along with sugared almonds, Christmas pudding with charms inside to find,

There is that wonderful jazz song that says to, accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative and don't mess with mister in-between. It was one of those weeks where it was necessary to remind yourself about perspective and what is important and to look for the positive. It started with a small operation that didn't happen, continued with a furniture delivery that wasn't possible and snowballed with various minor disappointments. We had organised a weekend to start some work on our Antibes French apartment which required some organisation and planning. As with all good plans,

We were about to embark on decorating our Antibes apartment pre-Covid and as I reword posts in a different French apartment, it seems like a life time away. The space has been renovated but left at a raw state with a soft grey putty paint colour and lots of light. We needed to think about style, colour and furniture! After using Feng Shui practices, we took a step back and decided that we still wanted an Art Deco feel with modern furniture and a welcoming atmosphere. For us, this means clean lines, soft curves and fun decor. The Entrance