Shades of Grey by Kate Watson-Smyth

A while ago I decided to join the craze for grey and painted my hallway in Little Greene’s French Grey Mid. The only problem was that it was brown in my flat – massive error. I just wish I had had the insight of journalist and blogger Kate Watson-Smyth at the time and her brilliant new book, Shades of Grey.

I’m thrilled to be the second stop on Kate’s book blog tour because I fell in love with her style and AH-MAZING home a while ago so I knew her book would be filled with brilliant advice, inspiring images and Kate’s witty writing style is the cherry on the top. I particularly enjoyed the practical advice in the book, which makes it a really useful design resource: which shade to choose, advice on paint finishes, what works well with grey.

Here are a few of my favourite interiors and pieces of advice from the book to give you a quick sneak peek…

Shades of Grey by Kate Watson-Smyth  | Interior design advice | How to use grey paint in your home | Book review by Apartment Apothecary

Shades of Grey by Kate Watson-Smyth, published by Ryland Peters & Small, all photography © Ryland Peters & Small p.42

I have always wanted to find a pale neutral grey like the colour in the bedroom above. There is in depth advice in the book about specific paint colours, which is always useful.

Shades of Grey by Kate Watson-Smyth  | Interior design advice | How to use grey paint in your home | Book review by Apartment Apothecary

Shades of Grey by Kate Watson-Smyth, published by Ryland Peters & Small, all photography © Ryland Peters & Small p.106

Kate advises using a very dark grey, similar to the image above, to give small objects or pieces of art great impact – isn’t that bedroom beautiful?

Shades of Grey by Kate Watson-Smyth  | Interior design advice | How to use grey paint in your home | Book review by Apartment Apothecary

Shades of Grey by Kate Watson-Smyth, published by Ryland Peters & Small, all photography © Ryland Peters & Small p.96

There are also ideas in the book for different ways to use grey, whether it be painting  kitchen cabinets or pieces of furniture. I love the kitchen above and the way grey has been used to give greater impact to the shelving.

Shades of Grey by Kate Watson-Smyth  | Interior design advice | How to use grey paint in your home | Book review by Apartment Apothecary

Shades of Grey by Kate Watson-Smyth, published by Ryland Peters & Small, all photography © Ryland Peters & Small p.160

My current favourite combination of dusky pink and grey works perfectly in the bedroom above. I really like the idea of painting half the wall, too.

Shades of Grey by Kate Watson-Smyth  | Interior design advice | How to use grey paint in your home | Book review by Apartment Apothecary

Shades of Grey by Kate Watson-Smyth, published by Ryland Peters & Small, all photography © Ryland Peters & Small p.46

Kate also explores how grey can be use in modern settings as well as more traditional rural settings like the dining hall above.

Shades of Grey by Kate Watson-Smyth  | Interior design advice | How to use grey paint in your home | Book review by Apartment Apothecary

Shades of Grey by Kate Watson-Smyth, published by Ryland Peters & Small, all photography © Ryland Peters & Small

As the grey bandwagon looks set to continue rolling for a long while if you would like to use it in your home, this is the book for you.

Katy x

 

New Farrow & Ball colours

Last month I was very excited to be invited to a secret preview of the nine new Farrow & Ball colours with Joa Studholme, their International Colour Consultant. I arrived to the beautiful Albany apartments in Piccadilly having always admired F&B colours from afar, told others to use them but only gone as far as using their All White floor paint in my own home – because why would anyone ever need anything more than white walls? However, I left that evening determined to paint both my sitting room and kitchen in pretty bold colours and hatching plans for how I was going to persuade Jules that that was an excellent idea. What on earth happened?! It definitely wasn’t the bubbles being served because I stuck to dry January that evening *smug face*.

Well, I think it was a combination of two things. Firstly, Joa is simply brilliant and I could have listened to her all night; who was I to argue when she suggested I use Peignoir in my sitting room and told me that her own sitting room is painted in that colour? Secondly, I genuinely fell in love with the colours and the stories behind their names alone were enough to seduce me away from my beloved white walls.

And so the day after the preview I put my order in and as you can see in my Styling the Seasons post my sitting room is now Peignoir and proud.

New colours

All nine of the new colours were launched this week and just in case you missed it here is a brief run down of my favourite in the the collection and how Joa introduced them to us.

First up was Shadow White, predicted by Joa to be incredibly popular as it is a very “safe pair of hands”. A muted shade, a true neutral without the yellow of Slipper Satin, perfect for any style of home.

Next came Drop Cloth, a name that I love taken from the decorator’s dust sheet and Joa told me that her decorator had suggested it. This colour is not too yellow, nor too grey and works beautifully with Shadow White and Shaded White for those looking for a neutral colour scheme with understated sophistication.

And here’s my favourite. As soon as Joa pulled up the board painted in this colour I whispered to Kate, who I was sitting next to and who has tipped it as being one of the most popular of the new colours: “I think that’s my colour”. Inspired by the chiffon gowns in which ladies traditionally brushed their hair in boudoirs (that description clinched it for me!) it is a very soft pink with a huge amount of grey. As I said in my post this week, Jules thinks this colour is grey, which goes to show how different in looks in different lights. As I sit here typing with the sun streaming in it is the blushest of pinks. I love it. “Pink for boys,” as Joa put it.

I also fell quite hard for Cromarty, which piqued my interest when we were told it was named after the shipping forecast – there’s something quite romantic about that, I think, conjuring up notions of swirling seas and winds. A soft muted green, lighter than Mizzle and would work beautifully with Blue Gray or Pigeon and perfect for a kitchen.

Worsted slips seamlessly between Purbeck Stone and Mole’s Breath on the colour chart. Named after the Norfolk village where the flat woven fabric used for city suits was originally woven, Joa forecast that it will be a hit as the obsession with grey looks set to run for a while longer.

To see the other new colours have a look here and I’d love to know which one is your favourite.

Katy x

Twelve styled days of christmas: day 5

I’ve gone a bit gaga for Christmas this year and it all started with a project that Teri from The Lovely Drawer conjured up back in September. Along with eleven other bloggers we have all come together to style twelve different Christmas tables with lots of lovely West Elm goodies. You can follow all twelve days on Teri’s blog and and West Elm’s Front + Main blog.

As a child the thing I looked forward to most about the festive season were the mornings; I would jump out of bed every morning, so excited to see what picture was behind the door of my advent calendar and don’t even get me started on the excitement levels of finding and opening our stockings on Christmas morning itself.

Therefore, I had to choose an advent breakfast table with hot cinnamon rolls and a special homemade advent calendar present. Being a cold, dark December morning there are plenty of homemade candles and twinkly lights and a cosy blanket so everyone can stay in their PJ’s all morning.

Twelve days of Christmas with West Elm | How to style your Christmas table with dusty pink | Apartment Apothecary

Cosy texture throw from West Elm

I have never been a big fan of the traditional red, green and gold so I always opt for soft pinks, white and lots of natural green. To make it feel more festive you just need a good dose of Christmas lights and candles, which also really help to make the dark mornings at this time of year feel more cosy.

Twelve days of Christmas with West Elm | How to style your Christmas table with dusty pink | Apartment Apothecary

My homemade advent calendar is simply two pieces of wallpaper (or you could use brown wrapping paper stamped with Christmas images) sewn together with a chocolate coin or two popped inside. You could even put a little note inside with a different Christmas related activity to be revealed each day.  Such a lovely thing to find every morning.

Twelve days of Christmas with West Elm | How to style your Christmas table with dusty pink | Apartment Apothecary

I made delicious Christmas scented cinnamon candles in small vintage cake tins (or patty pans), which work perfectly with the fresh cinnamon rolls. You can find the recipe for the rolls in this post and the tutorial to make the candles here.

Twelve days of Christmas with West Elm | How to style your Christmas table with dusty pink | Apartment Apothecary

Twelve days of Christmas with West Elm | How to style your Christmas table with dusty pink | Apartment Apothecary

I really can not explain to you how excited I used to get about my advent calendar, although we had a very strict ‘no chocolate’ rule in our family; it was all about finding the most beautiful calendar with the most beautiful illustrations. I think if there had been an advent present for me every morning on our breakfast table I would have internally combusted with excitement!

Twelve days of Christmas with West Elm | How to style your Christmas table with dusty pink | Apartment Apothecary

This Christmas we are spending the day in London with my family. We take the dogs for a walk in the morning and then have drinks with friends. We then walk through the quiet streets of London to a special restaurant for lunch – no cooking or washing up for us! Then home for lots of Christmas telly and more drinking and eating. I can not wait.

Pop over to Teri’s blog to see day 1, Heather’s blog to see day 2, Ruth’s blog to see day 3 and Fran’s blog to see day 4 – all completely different Christmas tables and different traditions, which makes it such a lovely project. Thank you so much to Teri for bringing us all together and the folks at West Elm for the perfect Christmas tableware (although I snuck a blanket in there as we all know you can never have enough blankets, especially when they are so soft and pink). Don’t forget to follow the remaining seven days on the Front + Main blog – there are some amazing tables coming up so you’d be a fool to miss it!

Katy x

 

Styling the Seasons – December 2015

I love the lead up to Christmas, probably far more than the day itself. I love cosying up at home, making, cooking and preparing; those quiet, candlelit afternoons making and wrapping presents –  just love it all! Therefore, I wanted the first of those afternoons to be all about setting up this month’s Styling the Seasons.

Styling the Seasons - December 2015 | Christmas branch | Christmas table decorations | Nordic style Christmas | Apartment Apothecary

We went for a walk in the park and I brought home a big fallen branch (with Otto going nuts trying to jump up and steal it from me) and let it dry out for a few days. I painted it white and then strung it up over my dining table (using command hooks stuck to the ceiling) with a bit of help from Jules. I wrapped the branch with sparkly lights and hung a few tea light lanterns. I made a few bundles of herbs from my balcony (bay leaves, thyme and rosemary) and some eucalyptus and myrtle that I bought at the market last weekend. I added glitter to a swan feather that Jules had found in the park and added one glass bird tree ornament. Such an easy thing to do and it was a very happy afternoon putting it together.

Styling the Seasons - December 2015 | Christmas branch | Christmas table decorations | Nordic style Christmas | Apartment Apothecary

Sheep skin on chairs from Modern Rugs.

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I sprayed the bottom half of the swan feather with glue and added gold glitter.

On the table itself are the remains from preparing my Christmas branch and some hyacinths that I potted up for the  festive season in a vintage jelly mould. I have added sheep skins from the Modern Rugs to the dining chairs for the winter and I love the way they look, as well as how soft and cosy they make my Ercol chairs.

Styling the Seasons - December 2015 | Christmas branch | Christmas table decorations | Nordic style Christmas | Apartment Apothecary

Styling the Seasons - December 2015 | Christmas branch | Christmas table decorations | Nordic style Christmas | Apartment Apothecary

Nordic mini lanterns from The White Company. Make sure you string them up with metal wire, not string.

Styling the Seasons - December 2015 | Christmas branch | Christmas table decorations | Nordic style Christmas | Apartment Apothecary

We had a dinner party the evening after we’d put the branch up and it was so lovely sitting under the lights and candles. The herbs also smell amazing.

Styling the Seasons - December 2015 | Christmas branch | Christmas table decorations | Nordic style Christmas | Apartment Apothecary

Bundles of rosemary, eucalyptus and bay leaves, which smell wonderful.

Styling the Seasons - December 2015 | Christmas branch | Christmas table decorations | Nordic style Christmas | Apartment Apothecary

Styling the Seasons - December 2015 | Christmas branch | Christmas table decorations | Nordic style Christmas | Apartment Apothecary

I have never liked the traditional red and glitz of Christmas in my small home; I never feel like I have enough space for it and it just feels like clutter. However, bringing the outdoors in feels so much fresher and simpler.

Charlotte and I would love for you to join us this month and style a surface in your home to show what this month means to you. Blog about it or post a picture on your favourite social media platform and tag us in so we can see. We can not wait to see all your festive decorations!

Katy x

 

And so it begins…

I sat down yesterday and started to plan my Christmas content for the blog (probably should have done that a while ago!) and I am now so excited about the start of December. I wanted to share my inspiration with you today and what I hope to share here over the next few weeks. So here goes…

Styling the Seasons for December

I am very excited about putting my first Christmas decorations up this weekend for my Styling the Seasons post. I’m thinking hanging lights, candles and I have an amazing white swan feather that Jules picked up for me in the park that will get this glitter treatment!

Christmas decorations and homemade gift ideas | Gold tipped feathers | Apartment Apothecary

Image via Ruffled blog

Christmas table with West Elm

A group of my lovely blogger friends have come together to style twelve different Christmas tables for the twelve days of Christmas, organised by the gorgeous Teri over at The Lovely Drawer. I have styled up a breakfast table so keep your eye out on the West Elm blog.

Christmas decorations and homemade gift  ideas | Nordic Christmas table | Apartment Apothecary

Image via  100 Layer Cake

Decking the halls

I would love to put together a simple green garland for you all to try as well as a wreath with a bit of a twist (think succulents).

Christmas decorations and homemade gift  ideas | Simple Christmas garland | Apartment Apothecary

Image via HOMEY oh my!

Homemade gifts

I would like to show you a few easy gift wrapping ideas that can make the smallest of presents extra special as well as a couple of cheap and easy homemade Christmas presents.

Christmas decorations and homemade gift ideas | Gift wrapping station | Apartment Apothecary

Image via The Gifted blog

Christmas decorations and homemade gift  ideas | Christmas in a jar | Make your home smell like Christmas | Apartment Apothecary

‘Christmas in a jar’ that you simmer in water to make your home smell like Christmas. I made these last year and you can see the tutorial here.

Pooch packages

I am ridiculously excited about the dog gift exchange that is being organised by Em over on Oh Gosh blog. Em has asked dog owners to sign up their pooches and everyone will be allocated a dog to make a gift package for (quick, you need to sign up by November 30th!). Otto can not wait to get to work on making his pooch package…

Dog gift exchange for Christmas | Golden Retriever | Apartment Apothecary

Don’t forget, I will also be starting my gift guides on Friday (get a sneaky peek here) so keep an eye out for that and if all the stars align I may be able to squeeze in a few things you can do to prepare your home for house guests over the festive season. As an added bonus I will be running a competition to win this radio (I have one myself and it is my new favourite thing) just in time for the perfect present.

What have you got on your Christmas ‘to do’ list?

Katy x