A (very) industrial look

Wendy Goodman of the New York magazine gets to nose around some excellently unusual homes, and this recent tour of a Brooklyn apartment that used to be a motorcycle repair garage caught my attention.

The owner, sculptor/architectural designer Elena Columbo (great name!) really kept the building's former industrial life alive. I'm not sure I'd have been quite so brave with the raw approach, but it's got some really interesting ideas...

Love the massive desk as a kitchen work surface. I recently saw a fantastic kitchen where the owner had converted an old wooden chemist shop counter into a kitchen island, with the oven built in where the till used to be. It looked amazing. Here, the warm wood also adds some much needed warmth to the cool concrete walls and stainless steel appliances and cupboards.

Top marks for the most surprising use of old printers' trays: the owner has fixed them together into a room divider to screen her bed from the rest of the space.

You can see more pictures and read all about the conversion (and what that propeller's doing there) on the NY Mag website.

Best of 2011

I meant to collate a selection of some favourite and popular posts from last year as 2012 rolled in. It's been a busy start to the year though (and I STILL haven't finished the decorating!). But, finally, here it is...

There are lots of exciting features coming up in the next few weeks and months: a new how-to slot with a clever new contributor, an inspiring interview with Abigail Ahern, some brilliant images showing you how to get new furniture and accessories for FREE and lots of brilliant guest posts for starters.

And if there are any specific things you'd love to see more of – please do get in touch (the request for more before/afters has been noted and is in progress... watch this space). Anyway, here you go with the highlights meanwhile (just click on the images to go to the original post).

Antoni & Alison's guide to doing up an old house

Vintage Beefeater plates

How to live with toddlers in style

How to fill a big, blank wall

Industrial house tuning

Vintage kimono cushions

Upcycled jam jar lights

Fisherman's Cottage, Deal

At home with Adelle  and Justin from 'H is for Home'

John Hinde's postcards

My Cool Campervan

Industrial house tuning

Sticking with the industrial theme (see post below), I have been poring over the luscious new images illustrating French company, Bodie & Fou's new range by the Danish design firm, House Doctor (love their blog). 

Below are some favourite shots and products, plus a few cheaper copycat tips...

(C) lifestyle image courtoisy of Johanna Vintage

The 'Have a seat' industrial stools, above, cost £79.99. But what about that great idea on the wall in the background – dinky box shelves, backed with different scraps of wallpaper. Clever.

This Industrial clip-on light, above, would make a great kitchen task light, clipped onto some shelves in your favourite recipe book reading spot: cosy yet no-nonsense. £82.

I've been nurturing a monochrome urge for a while, this look (top) shows just how soft the look can be. I'm inspired. Don't you just want to move in here? I do. Love the cute, white ceramics on the black shelves. The Owl Vase is £22.50. 

As recycling goes, this Pallet Coffee Table (above and below) is a pretty swish version – it costs a whopping £550. But you could knock one up yourself for just a few pounds. There are plenty of sites selling big castors from around £10 a pop. Ideally, find a salvageable pallet that's been chucked out, or sweet-talk your local DIY store for one as they generally come in bulk if you want to buy, or can be expensive. When you have found one, there's even a rather brilliant looking book all about building stuff from pallets to provide the technical tips.

Still on the pallet tip, I thought these cinema seats (below) made for the stylish Deptford Project's Silent Cinema by JailMake last summer were very clever – and beautiful. Let them inspire you into creating your own designer piece.

Nice big red letters. Not cheap (£139). But do check out the inspiring Bodie & Fou blog, which has a long post featuring lots of lovely pictures of variations on these letters, used in various creative ways in nice rooms (see above for starters). 

And for a shabbily chic – and much cheaper – version, try Camel and Yak. While Into The Woodshed has some nice colourful varieties, from around £40.