Thursday 6 June 2013

Terracotta Tragedy

I was incredibly excited to discover that Annie, an awesome blogger I follow, was hosting a competition that involved a rather scrumptious prize - a £1000 Laura Ashley voucher! Now it's no secret that I love a bit of Laura Ashley (I mentioned in an earlier post that my bedroom is decorated in their duck egg tatton wallpaper), so naturally I was intrigued and excited to get involved.

The focus of the competition is taking a room in your house which has seen better days, and re-visualizing it as a godly Laura Ashley haven. This was not difficult, as my ENTIRE HOUSE has seen better days (sorryyyy Mum and Dad, but you know it's true!)

We moved into our semi-detached house 13 years ago, and since then, apart from my bedroom, it hasn't seen so much as a lick of paint. Let's just say that there's an unpleasant smell of the 90s in the air.

One room that particularly gets me down is the lounge. Supposedly terracotta was fashionable back in the day, but I can't personally see the appeal. The moldy brown theme with a hint of Africa going on in there is dreary and dismal. Even my parents admit that they'd love to spruce it up, but we simply don't have the money.

That doesn't stop a girl from dreaming though, right?

Here's the lounge in its current, err...state.



But there is hope!

There are elements that I really like, such as our antique court cupboard and very comfy wingback armchairs. They're a gorgeous shade of blue (anyone notice that it doesn't go with terracotta?), which greatly inspired my redesign:

As an art student, I was only too delighted to crack out my pencil case and sketch up the room. I then scanned in the image and digitally coloured it, adding photographic elements from my current room, and of course the Laura Ashley website! As you can see, I've put my two staple bits of furniture in. Here's what I added afterwards:

WALLS:

Lille Whisper Stripe Wallpaper - Grey and blue always seem to be a soothingly soft combination to me, so I chose the Lille Whisper Stripe Wallpaper for two walls (the bay window wall and the back wall, invisible in the image). Vertical stripes create the illusion of a higher ceiling and a bigger space.


Water Based Paint, Pale Seaspray - I love love love the colour of this seaspray blue paint. It's the right colour palette for the sofa/armchairs, but much lighter so really brightens up and refreshes the space. This would go on the two walls which aren't papered.


FURNITURE:

Garrat White 12 Drawer Coffee Table - Thank you, Garrat coffee table, for hiding that awful radiator in the bay window! I love your adorable little drawers and how well you work with the wallpaper.

Tate Wooden Floor Lamp - I want this space to mock how dark it was before. One gorgeous tate floor lamp coming up!


TEXTILES:

Lawler Grey Shaggy Rug - Our current rug is hands down one of the WORST parts of the lounge. It looks like a mixture of dirt and landfill and spilled milkshake, all stirred together in a giant cauldron of doom. I know that the Lawler rug will now only go with the blue-grey theme, it will also be the softest, loveliest thing to curl up on.


Lynton Eyelet Ready Made Curtains - I feel that in a small room like ours it would be easier to overwhelm it with too much pattern, so I enjoy the simplicity of the lynton curtains. Having a neutral backdrop in a room means that you can add pops of colour with accessories afterwards.


Kirin Stripe Cushion - I would feel blessed to see the back of our current cushions, which are cheap reproduction African pieces and not at all easy on the eye. These Kirin cushions, on the other hand, are like a zoomed in version of the Lille wallpaper...simply divine.


Ascot Silver Striped Shade - More striped goodness...how could I resist! Perfect for my floor lamp.


DECORATIVE ACCESSORIES:

Cream Decorative Floral Mantel Clock - The little things are as important as anything if you ask me - this floral mantel clock is certainly a gem. I can see it sitting quite proudly on our antique court cupboard.


Kubu Waste Bin - And last (but not at all least!), a waste bin which for once won't be a blot on the landscape. Subtle, organic - I love it.


Thanks for taking the time to read my ideas, hope you like them! :)





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