tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53367051470332169352024-03-17T07:58:42.720+00:00YOUR HOME IS LOVELYAFFORDABLE INTERIORS AND HOME INSPIRATIONKate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.comBlogger830125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-20710009498276836862017-08-28T18:32:00.001+01:002017-08-28T18:35:16.511+01:0010 Truths About Renovating With Your Partner
I wrote this piece for Houzz a while back; Houzz is where I spend my working days – come and say hello over there some time. From a survey we'd done a while back it seemed that, for many, renovating with a significant other can be an emotional rollercoaster. So it is an apt piece to share over the Bank Holiday weekend, I thought, when many of us may have been tackling a spot of Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14345459435102157852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-81134943509263522572017-08-24T21:29:00.002+01:002017-08-24T21:29:41.832+01:00My House: A Basic But Happy-making Ikea Hack
As Ikea hacks go, giving one of the Swedish homeware giant's classic Frosta stools a paintjob is as simple as they come. But sometimes simple is what's required – especially in my house where colour and pattern can get a little carried away together.
I found this sorry looking stool on the way back from a dogwalk, sitting sadly outside someone's house with a note saying 'take me'.
I'veAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14345459435102157852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-36536201416799984462017-08-08T23:25:00.001+01:002017-08-09T19:05:20.782+01:00Lovely Places: Foxfire Mountain House, New York
The roof is down on the convertible Mustang. Twinkling in the sun, the mountainsides and their gentle peaks are lush with midsummer greenery. Pristine lake after pristine lake is making you feel kind of romantic. You might find yourself humming 'Hey Baby' by Bruce Channel*. Welcome to the Catskills, upstate New York.
That this is the area where 'Dirty Dancing' was set is only one of two Kate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-57189407044934323642017-01-22T13:40:00.001+00:002017-06-05T13:58:47.867+01:00Spotlight on... Naomi Vona, vintage photo artist
Aren't these beautiful? They were a Christmas present to Declan and me from his sister, and I absolutely love them.
They are collages created on original old black and white photos, and are the work of Dublin-based Italian artist Naomi Vona.
Vona uses different materials to create her doctored photos; these use stickers and washi tape. But she also uses pens, acrylics, highlighters, paper Kate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-68230891489044835812017-01-21T17:48:00.000+00:002017-03-28T13:52:29.421+01:00Before & after: garden makeoverIt's been a very long time since my last post, for which apologies. In the interim, I've got married and done up a house, as well as generally working full-time.
I'll dig out some suitable wedding pix and post those soon, but meanwhile – there was also the garden makeover, which came about thanks to the wedding generosity of our friends and family. I'm going to start with the (almost) Kate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-43041758471714724102016-02-04T20:41:00.002+00:002017-07-27T23:33:17.588+01:00I'm dreaming of a zen bedroom
This has to be the most drawn out room pimp ever – and the changes weren't even that dramatic. But it's done, and our sleep space now feels calmer, zenner and softer underfoot.
Here's how it looked before:
Kind of busy, right? It was always a temporary arrangement; the bridge between the long period when the room – the biggest in the house, and an ensuite – was rented out, and the period Kate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-62691547430742624862016-01-03T20:29:00.002+00:002017-03-28T15:04:21.964+01:00Christmas lights – should they stay or should they go?Every year we seem to accumulate more fairy lights – this year we acquired some gloriously garish multi-coloured ones from an ancient box of Christmas decorations that belonged to my gran.
And, every year, as the decorations come down, I find it hard to part with the joyful sparkle of a string of festive bulbs. Well... should these ones stay or go back in the box until December 2016?
Kate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-59905969621950707982015-12-09T10:45:00.001+00:002015-12-09T11:02:28.258+00:00Spotlight on... The joy of a chaotic Christmas treeGood festive baubles aren't cheap. And I'm in awe of my friend who, sensibly, has been treating herself annually to one good Christmas tree decorations for at least a decade.
The habit has caught on, and friends now buy her additions, too. This is the colourful, shamelessly clashing and gloriously chaotic result (and proof that a good bauble can be a brilliant gift).
She nowKate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-8409540474872872092015-10-27T09:00:00.000+00:002015-10-27T09:00:10.137+00:00Shopping: Embrace your inner geek...Today – a guest post from Abi...
I've never been one to fully embrace the total devotion to a 'style'. My natural inclination is towards the mid-century end of things, but I can't help but chuck in a little bit of geek every now and then, which is where this glorious print by new print designer We Love Robots comes in.
Called Tin Men and Iron Giants and printed on A2 Giclee, this is Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-11854889405046334322015-10-05T23:35:00.000+01:002015-10-05T23:35:24.617+01:00Spotlight on... a good smellEver since I interviewed Abigail Ahern a couple of years ago, and she told me about her secret to a good smelling house, I've been meaning to visit the shop where she gets her secret good house smell.
The shop is Santa Maria Novella, founded in the 15th century by Dominican friars and one of the world's oldest pharmacies.
Santa Maria Novella in Piccadilly, London. Image via The Kate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-56235286682729435362015-09-25T20:55:00.002+01:002015-09-25T20:57:54.499+01:00Spotlight on... PencilsI've been snooping around the London Design Festival this week, of which there is SO much to see.
More about that anon, but a quick share to tell you about an exhibition that's part of the event, on this weekend in London, dedicated to the humble pencil.
The Secret Life of Pencils exhibition had its debut earlier this year. But if you, like me, missed it, then do check it out at Kate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-67675242617408215852015-09-09T23:29:00.002+01:002015-09-09T23:29:24.363+01:00Spotlight on... Artbooty, Brixton London Design Festival looms and details of interesting events are popping into my inbox.
If you've never been, the main thing to know is that, aside from the main events (the likes of Design Junction, Tent and 100% Design) it's pretty much an excuse for the design-inclined to show off and have visually stimulating parties for the best part of a week in September. What's not to love?
One suchKate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-1488831358629499102015-09-03T21:58:00.001+01:002017-08-09T19:16:24.114+01:00Object of the Day: Dutch StoryTiles part III was excited, last year, to discover StoryTiles, a collection of hand-made tiles, some based on traditional Dutch 16th century designs given a modern twist, others just about the modern twist.
The tiles are designed and made by Marga Van Oers, who has just launched a new collection of tiles in collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. As you'll see, she's taken one of the artist's Kate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-13640411598584375492015-09-01T21:50:00.001+01:002015-09-01T21:50:07.618+01:00Shopping: Guest ed Abi's picks
Today another
guest post from guest editor, Abi.
I thought I'd ease myself back into blogging here by sharing some good things
I've discovered recently while pottering around shops, the internet and various
fairs, markets and exhibitions. It's an eclectic bunch – just lovely stuff
that I'd like to put in my home. Maybe you might like some of it too. So here
goes...
Yellow pouffe, £Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-3992083461822855832015-08-19T20:48:00.004+01:002015-08-19T20:48:55.616+01:00Object of the day: Stig Lindberg mugsLate to the game, I've only just discovered these appealing mugs featuring the drawings of Swedish midcentury artist, Stig Lindberg, available exclusively at Skandium.
And I've got my eye on that chessboard horse...
...then again, this solitary sailor figure and his dog, floating on a wardrobe is good too.
The drawings are taken from Lindberg's 1959 children's book,Kate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-91678176380232936602015-08-11T22:11:00.003+01:002015-08-11T22:12:08.439+01:00Guest post: cunning buntingToday, a guest post from sometime contributor Abi, who has been missed!
(I will be back very soon as well, in case you were missing me, too.)
I know it's been a while. But what better way to return to YHIL than with this...
A few months ago it was my birthday. Yes, I turned 35 for the nth time. But that's not important. What is important is the spectacular gift I Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-28516115589074709452015-06-08T07:29:00.000+01:002015-06-08T18:50:41.065+01:00Introducing... stylist, Jasmine Orchard & Collectie I discovered Jasmine Orchard's style resourcefulness and good taste a few years ago – and loved it – when I interviewed her for a piece in the Independent.
Jasmine is a stylist and I interviewed her because of her skill for repurposing unwanted or not very useful items into pretty and practical ideas for the home (you can read her tips on that in this previous post). We stayed in touch, Kate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-29456008156859473182015-06-02T23:27:00.000+01:002015-06-02T23:27:00.950+01:00Japanese ceramics newsflashA few weeks ago I wrote, with a heavy heart, about some very marvellous Japanese plates I'd discovered. Heavy hearted because I could find nowhere outside of Japan that sold them.
You may recall, they looked like this...
The plates are not only beautiful, but have an interesting 400-odd year old history and each design depicts a good-luck emblem. (Find out more about them in this previous Kate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-88189011617540184992015-06-01T19:48:00.002+01:002015-06-01T19:48:15.392+01:00DIY: Sofa pimping with DFSIt's only a small pimp, but a significant one I hope you'll agree. And one not unlike switching the buttons on a high street coat to give it a posher edge.
So this is how my sofa looked before I got into the DIY lite zone during a holiday at home, last week.
My sofa, before
Ever since I bought my DFS green sofa, quite a few years ago now, I'd wanted to customise it. Had I had the upfront Kate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-27260873393025876542015-05-14T19:41:00.001+01:002015-05-14T19:42:34.310+01:00My radical radiator transformationAbout a year ago, I put this radiator on eBay for sale.
It had been in the kitchen (it looks old, but I think it's an Acova column design, which you can find in B&Q). Anyway, it took up too much space and got replaced with a tall, skinny one.
At the time, I wrote briefly about a man who'd come to buy it, because I'd been fascinated to discover he was planning to turn it into a Kate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-71714953694636893562015-05-05T21:26:00.001+01:002015-05-05T21:31:22.570+01:00Homes: Porn for modernist architecture geeks
A while back I posted some photos of my kitchen, in which you could just see a little of my worktop...
And it inspired Adam Jacobs-Dean to post a comment and a link to some photos of his own kitchen on Pinterest. He was too polite to say so, but his worktops are how mine should have looked.
My own kitchen work surface is a slightly bodged-together affair, constructed from a Kate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-36166753044575492722015-04-30T20:18:00.001+01:002015-04-30T20:23:21.238+01:00Slow WallpaperAn exhibition devoted to wallpaper designs is my kind of exhibition.
W is for Wallpaper, at the Ruthin Craft Centre this September, is rather special for two reasons – most importantly, because of its focus on traditional hand screen and lino printing techniques, which many of the papers exhibited used. And secondly because it takes place in North Wales, one of my favourite places ever. I Kate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-29331506518949015662015-04-01T20:06:00.000+01:002015-04-01T20:06:07.316+01:00Before & After: the dark grey hallway takeover continuesI've been banging on about my hall sporadically over the past couple of months. The entryway part of it got quite a major overhaul to boost light and declutter it.
But leftover was this little understairs nook. Which I sort of liked as it was...
But since we'd painted a wall in the top part of the hall dark grey, there was an argument that the new wall needed a same-coloured buddy toKate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-7496451820670248352015-03-24T12:50:00.002+00:002015-03-24T12:51:36.091+00:00Object of the day: new Muji shelvingI can lose hours going into a branch of Muji. All those satisfyingly minimal solutions for storage you never knew you needed...
Sometimes I just like to imagine I'm really organised and, if I was, what I'd put in all those little acrylic containers. But this season it's Muji's wood that's got me going. And since last week was all about beautiful Japanese things that are hard to buy, it only Kate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5336705147033216935.post-237718324669585962015-03-16T20:07:00.003+00:002015-03-16T20:07:54.763+00:00Object of the Day: Japanese Kihara Komon porcelainI stumbled across these Japanese plates a few weeks ago and can't for the life of me remember how or where. But I bookmarked them because they are so very appealing.
However, like many things worth having, they're not that easy to get hold of.
The range is called Komon, which is the Japanese for "eblem" and, from my research, the plates only appear to be available in their country of originKate Burt: Your Home is Lovelyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15588793491851143827noreply@blogger.com2