A weekend of Deco Indulgence - Part one - The arrival!!

Last weekend my lovely Hubby and I stayed once again in one of the most fabulous places to celebrate my 50th birthday - I know it isn't official until later in the year but you only hit that age once so I am allowed to have more than one treat.

 

 

Claridges is the most wonderful place - this was our 2nd stay and the staff welcomed us back as if we were honoured guests.  From the moment you step through the revolving doors into the grand entrance hall you are transported back to a bygone era of Art Deco splendour.

 

 

After checking in we were shown up to our room - which never disappoints - with original wardrobes and walnut writing desk, while we unpacking the door bell rang - yes you have a doorbell and a bottle of champagne and cake arrive with compliments of the hotel.

 

 

The way in!!

 

The room and marble bathroom!!

Plenty of room for all the clothes.

 

Claridges know how to treat a birthday gal!!

 

 Once we unpacked we headed just around the corner to a great restaurant called Hush that I had been wanting to try for while - tucked away in a corner of Mayfair we sat outside in the courtyard - relaxing over a delicious lunch and bottle of wine.

 

 

 

Salmon and saffron fishcakes, sorrel sauce, hand cut chips and green beans.

 

 

 

On arriving back to the hotel we changed for cocktails - in keeping with the tradition of the era of course, then downstairs to the hotel bar to have a drink or two.

 

 

Love the pic of Liz behind us!!

 

 

 

Worn out after a long day we retired to bed - the maid had turned down the sheets, laid out our PJ's, drawn the curtains - sweet dreams until tomorrow.

 

 

 









Spring blooms - garden ideas!!

Our garden has been looking a bit sad recently - we lost a lot of plants a couple of winters ago and we didn't do much with it. Then with the strong winds this winter our fences blew away so we got rather cosy with our next door neighbours but now they are back up again so this Sunday we headed out to the garden centre to buy a few plants to brighten it up a bit.

Lots of digging, pruning and re-discovering the water feature under an over grown olive tree we - well I say we most of the hard graft was done by my lovely hubby while I sat around giving instructions!!

It is still work in progress so I won't post any pictures yet but here are some of the ideas I have been collecting.....................

 

My initial plans were for a Mediterranean style garden as I love the lush green foliage but as with the house the collector in me takes over and I end up with an eclectic mix of vintage pieces that I find on my travels. I also like the idea of picking flowers to put into the house so now I am investigating lots of colourful blooms that I can brighten up the rooms with.

 

 

I love the idea of making the garden into an outdoor room - I am not much of a gardener but potter and like to have a glass of bubbly in the sunshine

Photos to follow when it is how I want it - need to find some fabric for the LLoyd Loom chairs, a couple more chairs and a new table - so watch this space.

How does your garden grow? Do you have an outdoor space or window box - I would love see how you plan yours??

Spring clean your wardrobe.

The sun keeps popping it's head up through the clouds promising the start of Spring so now is the time to get your wardrobe prepared for the warmer months to come.

First things first - get your winter coat dry cleaned, make any repairs that need to be done - don't pack it away if the hem or pocket needs mending then cover it (never in plastic and on a proper sturdy hanger to keep the shape) and put it in a separate wardrobe if you are lucky enough to be able to store your winter and summer clothes in different places or put it at the back out of the way.

Do the same for your heavier weight knits, jackets, woollen skirts and trousers. If you haven't got much space to store in the wardrobe - vintage suitcases or boxes look great, wrap in acid free tissue with a few lavender bags or cedar blocks to prevent moths.

Next step is take all you spring/summer pieces out and give your wardrobe a good clean - I know it is tiresome but you never know what you find lurking in the back, last time I did this for a client we found two pairs of shoes and a to die for 1930's dress that she had forgotten she had!!

Put back all the items that you love but make sure that none of them need cleaning, washing or mending - put all these in a pile - there is no point in putting them back in the wardrobe as you will forget and go to wear it when you are in a rush and find that the hem is coming down and you have to re-think your whole outfit for the day.

Be ruthless if there are any items that don't work, are too small then put them to one side to send to the charity shop, sell on ebay or store out of the way so it gives you space in your wardrobe for things that you wear all the time.


Move onto to your accessories, hats and shoes - clear away the heavy felt hats that don't fit in with your lighter weight suits and dresses, store away winter boots and thick tights ready for Spring sandals.

 

Taking time to sort out your wardrobe makes it much easier to get dressed in the morning, plan your outfits and keeps your clothes in good condition.

 

I recommend that you make a few investments to keep your vintage buys in tip top condition:-

• Proper hangers - wooden ones for suits and coats. Padded ones for dresses and blouses - they will help to keep the shape.
• A mending kit - buy a small vintage tin and keep a few needles, cotton in basic colours, a small pair of scissors - store it in the wardrobe so you can go to it if you need to make a repair.
• Shoe cleaning kit - regularly polishing your vintage shoes and bags will help to keep the leather soft and stop it from cracking and splitting.
• Hat boxes and vintage suitcases for storage.

 

 

Quite a daunting task so if you do find it all a little overwhelming you can always book me to come along to do it for you - check out my website - www.fabulousmissk.co.uk for all the details of how I can get your wardrobe Spring Ready??

 

 

 

Work Smart

I was thinking of getting an office space in town to get me motivated but looking at the cost of this at the moment it just isn't practical or financially viable for me to do.

So I need to create a fabulous area at home to work from - the problem that is always raising it's ugly head in our house is space!!!  A two up two down terrace is lovely but as any of you who live in one will know it is soooo hard trying to cram everything you want into a small area.

I really want to turn our spare room into dressing room but I also need to fit in an office somewhere too - such a dilemma?

So here are some ideas that I love and although don't think that they the solution for my space, I will take some of the options as inspiration.

This room is going to be one of my major focus for the New Year, along with one other room that I will talk about later??

This is a fabulous space from B Jones Style, a fashion blogger I love, she has based in the States, she has a totally different style from me but I love the way she has put her workspace together.

Both of these are also from B Jones Style.

Loving this chair covered in the vintage style fabric.

So organised and sleek, I love the dark wood and the whole style.