Interiors

Jane Austen, the writer of such books as Pride and Prejudice, apparently wrote everything sitting at the corner of the dining table. I get this as I work on our old French farmhouse wooden table which has travelled with us over the years. It is the anchor of the dining room which also acts as an office. Made of sturdy pear wood with finely turned legs, it is much admired and loved. Our new dining room was a bright pink second bedroom with a navy 1980s sofa bed that had seen better days. Just to give you an idea of

So many chefs talk about the kitchen being the heart of the home and even having a lovely dining room, guests end up visiting the kitchen. We pulled out depressing battleship grey 1980s cupboards and tiles that were so dowdy to work in. It was as if the space was asking to be upgraded. A challenge was the water boiler, a pipe running along the wall, a broken sink u-bend and walls needed plastering. It was more work than anticipated! Ivory glossy doors were chosen, limestone tiles and a coffee coloured ceramic sink was put in. The same bench

As Terence Conran said, "furniture and food are ways that people define their attitude toward life". It is interesting to read this as an exhausting week comes to an end for a new beginning. Every wall, corner, skirting board and door has been painted. Floors have been cleaned and Feng Shui mirrors are in place. One crystal is up and others will be hung. Our furniture arrives from storage and we haven't seen it since the end of August. It will be a Christmas gift! Our stuff is full of travel memories, the good, the bad and the ugly of

What a week! We are almost there with ceilings and cornices up, walls painted, bathroom installed and kitchen space waiting for the kitchen. A deep clean will be done this week and new doors put in. It has been a long three months with lots of stressful moments, choices made in the hope they turn out and good faith in the builder/client relationship. Even the soft green canopy looks great and adds a gentle shade to the balcony. Feng Shui First Curtain rails need to go up first and then crystals will be hung in what is called 'the

The quote rang in my mind, ‘be careful what you ask for as you may get it’. Taking on an interim leadership role to help a wonderful colleague and team has also resulted in concentrated hours focused on finding solutions. That and renovations has led to a ‘snappy, not happy’ girl! Travel for a client meeting was canceled at the 13th hour so a cheap train ticket was bought to travel with my best man to Milan. Work will still be there but already a different vista has me pause and breathe.

Let's jump straight in. Feng Shui loves square rooms and simple shapes but we live in a world of either modern form or ancient use of space with places on top of each other. It is rare that we have a perfect shoe box area to work with which means we need solutions and to make choices. We are renovating and have discovered a range of old architecture including old painted ceilings and marks on the wall of children's heights. A sense of history that has been hidden by a depressing 1980s overuse of tiling and too many down

Fred Machetanz, a famous Alaskan painter stated that, "when you gaze on a bright white ground it is like looking through colour rather than at it – like looking through stained glass". I thought about this as I saw tables full of white on white and everything plain. It is tempting to go for a clean look but is it really just playing safe? In a world that is upside down at the moment across politics, economics, health and just plain good old fashioned manners, are we seeking security and what we thought we knew? Just this weekend, I

We were in London for work and were catching buses, planes, taxis and trains. Included was an unexpected visit to Dublin in one day. No idea what it looks like but the taxi drivers were great. Two days of holiday were included but ended up being a hybrid of answering calls and attempts at taking time off. We could have bought concert tickets but were exhausted each day. That is when unexpected moments are so important. Two hours wandering in Hyde Park's autumn tones with dogs let loose to gallop at invisible life; The Serpentine lake in the park

And so we start. We have found a builder/renovator we feel confident in and a kitchen design company that will work in tandem. It is with slight nervousness that the internal demolition will start this week and we are away for work! A friend is cat sitting and the builder has promised to send photos as he goes. Crossing our fingers that nothing major is discovered and that solutions are found. The previous owner had been in mourning for a long time and the apartment felt depressing and sad when we visited it. So many ornaments, awards and stuff.

I didn't have a clue as to what to write about this week as we are in the final stages of banks, signing, slow notaries and juggling finances. I just wanted to sit on the sofa and in doing that, I realised that other than the bed, this is where life happens. A sofa with two cats and a husband, cocktail at hand and criticising a poorly made crime movie. Doesn't everyone know not to go down to the basement and why don't they turn the lights on? Honestly! I digress. The sofa is probably the most important piece