The Chairs!

Ok so not exactly the catchiest title in the world for a post, but I just wanted to share a few pictures of my newly recovered chairs. So excited about them. In fact I was so excited that I haven't even sat on it yet...just been oogling them lovingly. Hooray! Here's the before and after shots.

Before:

After:

Adventures in Green

The other night while eating dinner I was looking around and trying to imagine what the dining room will look like when it is all finished and opened out. In my mind it is light and bright and most likely green. I know most people think of deep reds and other similar shades when thinking of a dining room, but our dining room is going to be too small and the only thing I like red about my dinner is the center of my steak.

Our hallway in our flat was green (check first post for an image) and we're probably going to go for something similar in the upstairs landing. Since the dining room is open to the stairs it make sense that it's the same color. Feeling particularly grand I started browsing the Farrow & Ball website for possible options (both green and a few not green).

What I love about Farrow & Ball is not only that it has really lovely historical colors with many based on 18th and 19th century wallpaper and paint colours, but they also have the best descriptions. For example: "Colour No. 81. This colour is lively both by day and candlelight." Candlelight? Was this brochure written pre-electricity...I now demand only candlelit dinners because it makes my walls look good. I digress

Here are some of my favorite options (love the names):

Vert de Terre

French Gray                              Pale Hound

And if the room was bigger:

 Breakfast Room Green                   Cat's Paw 

Getting in the summer spirit

Well spring has sprung here in London and then promptly fled for the hills as the cold weather came back! That hasn't dampened my determination to actually use my back garden this year as something more than a builder's dumping ground (much to my husbands dismay). So there goes my sudden obsession with bright colours and outdoor furniture. As you may know I'm a big entertainer and love nothing more than filling my house to bursting point with friends. 

So I've started to look around for a stylish table and chair set that will let me entertain lots of people while also being stylish and an addition to the backyard not a space absorber. Here are two that I love:

I really love how the seats form a circular banquette which gives it a very different feel, but also means that no one is out on a limb and it's space efficient. Definitely a plus when you are having friends and family over and you have a city garden. Plus with what looks like space for eight you can definitely fit plenty of people around.

The second option I totally love is from Crate and Barrel made of nice sturdy aluminum. While I'm much more of a wood person myself I really love the colors. Seriously enough to brighten even a slightly cloudy afternoon. Plus I think it has just enough of the girly touches to please most without having to resort to bribing the other half to allow it to live in the garden.

Now I just need to find something that won't break the bank!