I feel like all I’ve talked about this year is my bloody dining room.  Promise at some point soon, I’ll stop banging on about the dining room but I had to share some of the changes with you that I made just prior to the photoshoot for 25 Beautiful Homes because once I show you the ‘behind the scenes’ pics (I actually got some this time! Woohoo!), all surprise will go out the window.

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook or Instagram (yes, I’m a social media whore) and you have an eagle eye, you may have spotted these changes already but if not, then hopefully you’ll like the look of some of my tweaks!

First things first, remember how ugly my new chairs were?  Well, it’s amazing how things get done when you’ve got people coming around to take pictures of the place.  And plus if you add to that near-hysterical pleading for your boyfriend to paint them in his bodyshop NOW because OH MY GOD PHOTOSHOOT PANIC PANIC PANIC, it gets done even quicker.  Not that I did that or anything.

So, happily, the chairs have finally been painted white to match the others.  It’s not a huge deal to me but when the chairs finally were delivered, I was a little disappointed that while the 4 armless chairs were faux bamboo, the end chairs were real bamboo.  This doesn’t really affect the look of them too much because they fit well with the others and they were in relatively good condition but they aren’t as well made as the faux ones, so in the back of my mind, at some point, I’ll like to replace them with proper faux bamboo.  Regardless, this is how they are looking now…

It is so nice to have 6 chairs around the table (despite the state of my floors – DEAR GOD), it really makes the dining room look more complete.  For now, I just used a couple of cushions to liven up the chairs but eventually, I’ll need to get some proper seat cushions made and I haven’t yet made up my mind what fabric to choose (why is choosing fabric so incredibly hard?!).

Adding to that look of completeness, I finally got some window dressing! *throws confetti*  It’s only been 2 1/2 years.  Ahem.  My original plan was to use the Chiang Mai Dragon fabric I had to create a roman blind.  Well, the more colour and pattern I added to this room, the more I came to the crushing realisation that the fabric just wouldn’t work in here.  Sob!  I love using patterned tablecloths and it would have severely limited that enjoyment of being able to change up the look and feel of the room just by changing the tablecloth.  So that fabric will have to be saved for a future project.

What I decided was to use something that was a lot more neutral and would work with the rest of what was going on in the room.  When I was at IKEA, I spotted some dark grey linen-y look ready-made panels that I knew would match the dark grey paint in this room.  I matched it to an inexpensive bamboo roller blind to add some layer and texture and hemmed the bottoms of the panels.  All for less than £35.  Get in.

It’s so hard to get a decent picture because the (surprisingly) sunny day blows out the window but you can get the idea here…

And with the roller blind down a bit (so hard to get good shots, all apologies)…

I’m pretty happy with the overall effect it has in the room.

I’ve also made a couple small changes to the gallery wall, namely to bring in the two new prints I got in Stockholm as well as incorporate a few more splashes of colour on the wall.

Both prints are little reminders to myself to keep moving forward and challenge myself in my life.  I love typographic prints, don’t you?  Especially typographic prints with naughty words.

As you can see, I also painted little tiny canvases (just on the cardboard backing!) similar to my large canvases to sit in my ornate gold frames to pull some more colour on this wall.

I added some little blue pots with plants (fake ones! Egads!) from IKEA (it was a pretty successful trip, what can I say) and painted the frame around the ampersand symbol blue to match.  And never one to shy away from a bit of sparkle, I spray painted the ampersand gold and jigged a few things around to make it work…

So here’s what the whole wall looks like now.

Including a few splashes of blue ties it nicely with the canvas art and adds some depth to the room.  I still want to add more art to the gallery wall to make make the whole effect floor to ceiling.  However, I probably only need about 4 more pieces for it to be complete!  Hurrah!

Finally, I finished everything off with a bunch of gorgeous colourful tulips.

So that was what the room looked like for the shoot.  Considering I had merely a week to prepare myself, I could really only tweak a bit but I’m pretty happy with how the room is shaping up and I like the addition of more colour in the room to liven it up and make it look all the more layered and interesting.

I’ve got more things to share with you (in different rooms no less!!) plus of course the behind the scenes pics so stay tuned!

Also, just a little reminder if you are in the UK, to make sure you enter to win a gorgeous velvet love seat like the one I have in my living room – it’s the first time I’ve done a competition for the @Home blog and I really want it to be a success and give my readers back a little something that I absolutely love.  The competition ends on Thursday, 21st February so make sure you get on that quick!


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Meet Kimberly
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Ad (Press Sample) There are few kitchen products that are considered absolute classics but there is one that I have lusted after for YEARS and that is the utterly iconic @lecreusetuk large casserole pot. 🤩

For nearly a century, Le Creuset has been trusted for its superior performance, lasting quality and iconic design and the enamelled cast iron allows incredible versatility - not only can you use it with just about any heat source (from induction, glass, electric etc), you can also do everything from stir-fry to slow cooking to baking a cake in it and more. 

So, imagine my delight when Le Creuset got in touch to ask if I'd like to shoot their brand new colourway 🍑 Pêche 🍑 in my kitchen. I mean, there couldn't be a more perfect colour match with that juicy coral shade which if you've followed my account for any length of time, you'll know is one of my all-time favourites (not to mention that beautiful soft gold knob! 😍). The matching petite casserole dish and mugs are the perfect companions but you could easily mix and match this colourway with Le Creuset's other designs (Might I suggest the Sea Salt, a soft blue-green which would be gorgeous with Pêche). This new juicy summer shade is currently available exclusively at Le Creuset Official. I'd love to know which colourway is your favourite in the range?

#lecreuset #kitchendesign #kitchenstyling #kitchinspo #victorianhome #englishhome
My little neglected makeup/dressing room has had a glow up 🥰

#swoonworthy #beforeandafter #dressingroom #makeupvanity #closetgoals
My new rug can't compete with that belly.

Rug is from @laredoute_uk (not an ad) not that anyone cares 😅

#kitchendesign
I've really loved making these pretty reusable Christmas crackers! I'm still in the process of finding cute bits for filling them but they'll definitely be a centrepiece for my table this year!🎄💕

Suggestions for what to fill them with coming soon!

(By the way, I'm not a skilled seamstress so I'm sure my techniques can be improved but just sharing what worked for me 🤗😅)

Let me know if this is something you'd try? ❤️

#swoonworthy #christmasdecor #christmascraft #diychristmas #diycrafts #easysewingproject
On 22 October 2022, I married my best friend! I can't believe it's been a whole year (and one day) I've been calling @2nilup my husband 🥰 We've been together for 15 years now and I simply can't and wouldn't want to imagine my life without him ❤️ 

#youandmeagainsttheworld #2222 

Photography: @violajayphotography 
Flowers: @primroseavenuefloral 
Dress: @camillawithlove
DIY REFILLABLE CHRISTMAS CRACKERS 🎄🎉

I've been thinking about making refillable crackers for so many years now - I just hate the waste the disposal ones create! So I'm so excited I've finally gotten around to starting this project!

I will be sharing more details on how to make them as well as ideas for what to fill them with too so stay tuned for more but in the meantime, what do you think? 

#swoonworthy #diychristmas #christmasdecor #christmascraft #easysewingproject #sustainableliving #ecofriendlyliving
Just wanted to introduce my latest plant baby in my dining room 🪴

It's from @botanique_shrewsbury and it's a Peparomia (I am probably pronouncing it wrong, I keep wanting to say
GUEST BEDROOM REVEAL 🌟

I decided on a whim, 2 weeks before we were expecting visiting family, that our guest bedroom was in desperate need of a refresh.

Well there's nothing like an impending deadline to light a 🔥 under my 🍑 and I managed to clear out the clutter, repaint the woodwork, ceilings and walls and hang wallpaper as well as restyle the room in one week 😅 (Meisha was zero help 😼)

I'm calling it Boho Vintage Victorian Grandma 😆

This wasn't sponsored in any way but the wallpaper and bedding is from @lauraashleyuk and the paint is @earthbornpaints Peach Baby - everything else I already had!

What do you think of the new look? ❤️

#bedroombeforeandafter #guestroom
#bedroommakeover
#beforeandafter
#bedroomdecor #cottagecore #vintagestyle #victorianhouse #ihavethisthingwithpink #bengalsofinstagram
🔥JOIN US ROUND THE FIRE PIT! 🔥

ad | One of my favorite things to do in summer is sit around the fire pit in the evenings with a cold beer 🍻 There's just something incredibly relaxing watching those flames and embers crackle, warming yourself up and taking the edge off falling temperatures as the sun sets!

Thanks to @homefireuk they've made the whole process incredibly easy and enjoyable with their Handy Firepit Bundle which include 2 bags of kindling, 2 bags of natural firestarters and 3 large bags of kiln-dried logs 🪵 for a really great price! 

No more standing around waiting for things to light properly or billowing smoke from wet wood, everything burns beautifully! ☺️ We literally sat around this for hours as the logs last so long, long after the sun set, just chatting and enjoying ourselves! 🥰🍻🔥

Do you love a good firepit in the summer?

#homefire #readytoburn #smokelessbyhomefire #heartofyourhome #logsbyhomefire #summerideas #firepit #gardenideas
San Sebastian photo dump - just a tiny selection 😄

We have had such a fabulous holiday to Basque Country - our first 4 days spent in the beautiful city of San Sebastian, land of pintxos, stunning architecture and some damn good wine.

#sansebastian #travelgram #photodump
A little kitchen reshuffle today so I thought I'd share 🥰

It's been 4 years since we created this space and it's still one of my favourites ♥️

#kitchendesign #kitchendecor #kitcheninspiration #kitchenideas #openshelvingkitchen #kitchenstyling
Ad 🩷 Before and after Deck makeover! 🩷

This little decked patio was looking worse for wear after a wet winter but @frenchicpaint came to the rescue with their beautiful Dusty Blush Alfresco Paint, perfect for all your outdoor projects!

The deck has been a few colours over the past few years but this is definitely the most fun and gives the whole space such a tropical vibe - even in Shrewsbury! 🏝️ 🦩🍹😄

The paint has incredible coverage and was so nice to use - I loved the tools they provided too, especially the oval brush which got into all the nooks and crannies easily!

Let me know what you think of the new colour! 

#frenchicpaint #beforeandafter #deckmakeover #gardeninspiration #gardeninspo #outdoorproject
So on a whim I decided to paint the bedroom pink yesterday 😅🩷

This room has been neglected for so long as I've wanted to fully redecorate for about 3 years now but there are always other bigger priorities or a lack of time/energy/money so I keep putting it off 🙃🙃🙃 (tell me I'm not the only one) but happily this didn't cost a penny as I used what I already had although it did take me the best part of a day!

I went through my paint stash and found that I had extra @coatpaints Percy from when I did the living room early last year -- well I'm not one to let something this good go to waste (honestly this paint is absolutely wonderful to work with and has amazing coverage) and my goodness it's just so pretty in here 🥰 I also moved my pink curtains from my office into here and the whole room just glows!

I might actually be able to live with the mural a little longer until the room gets the attention it deserves! Let me know if you like the change ♥️

*For those who are wondering, it used to be white walls and I had grey curtains! 😅

#swoonworthy #bedroomdecor #bedroommakeover #bedroomdesign #pinkpinkpink #pinkinteriors
A little photo dump from my recent living room shoot because I still love to dig into the details of a still photo 😄💕

#swoonworthy #swoonworthyscents #livingroominspo #livingroomdesign #photodump
ad How to De-stress at Home in 6 Simple Steps 😊

April has been #stressawarenessmonth and so I've teamed up with the wonderful @frenchbedroom to share a few simple tips in creating a cosy sanctuary at home!

One of my favourite ways to add a feeling of comfort and relaxation is with glorious touchable textures and the stunning Mulberry Silk ruffled cushion from French Bedroom not only looks spectacular but feels incredible too! Pairing this with other feel-good fabrics will add depth to your design and will beg you to sink in and unwind 😍

French Bedroom are also now stocking my own home fragrance brand @swoonworthyscents candles, adding another element of calm with scent to your home. I chose No 02 Sunday Morning for my living room with rejuvenating Jasmine and refreshing pine and lemon notes 🥰

Check out my latest blog post for more tips on creating a relaxing sanctuary in your home via the link in my bio!

#swoonworthy #swoonworthyscents #frenchbedroom #livingroominspo #livingroomdesign #calming #aesthetic #cottagecoreaesthetic
Who needs pancakes when you can have Lemon Drizzle Cake with Lemoncello glaze?! 😉🍋

I've had such a craving for this cake for a while so figured I'd make it today! This is a recipe from @bbcgoodfood and it's rather gorgeous 🥰

#baking #lemondrizzle #lemoncake #bakewithlove #shrovetuesday
Are you lucky enough to be owned by a cat? 🐈🐾

#bengallove #bengalsofinstagram #bengalcat #bengal #catsofinstagram #catlife
Finally managed to get the gallery wall completed in our hallway!

I couldn't have been happier with @violajayphotography capturing our little intimate wedding in October and knew as soon as I saw the photos I had to print them for our home! I admit, I've never been one to hang photos but it's probably because all we ever had after 14 years together was selfies 😂🤷🏽‍♀️ I'm so pleased we finally have some lovely shots of us together 🥰

Do you have photos of you/your partner/your family up around your home?? 🤔

#gallerywall #autumnwedding #hallwaydesign #hallwayinspo
✨These little vintage copper pans needed some TLC! ✨

After searching for a while for vintage copper pans, I found these on eBay - they looked quite grim on the ad but I knew they could be shined up nicely! A little @barkeepersfriend later (not an ad!) and I'm loving how they look in my kitchen 🥰

Let me know if you like the new addition ❤️

#kitcheninspo #kitchendesign #vintagestyle #kitchenstyling
Oh hey living room, nice to have you back ☺️

I always feel very ready to remove the excess of Christmas decor pretty much as soon as the 26th arrives but I've been later than usual this Twixmas as we've both been unwell the last couple weeks 🤦🏽‍♀️ Nevertheless, I've managed to get things packed away and I styled this little faux arrangement today for my coffee table so ya know, small victories 😄🙌🏽

#livingroom #livingroominspo #fauxflowers #coffeetabledecor