There is nothing quite like moving into a new home. I mean this in every possible sense. The exhaustion of moving, the making-do until the right (insert as appropriate: bed, desk, lamp etc.) comes along can be frustrating. Asides from the stress though, it is an exciting and self-nurturing time and a wonderful opportunity to start afresh.
I recently moved into a flat in Kentish
Town on one of my favourite roads, with one of my favourite people. I had been
camping out for a few months before with much of the contents of a flat that I
had furnished entirely from Ebay with me in one small bedroom. At times I was
tempted to get rid of some of the bulkier pieces, but my attachment to them
came through and I endured a life of clutter and bruised legs from tripping
over my stuff (thank god it was winter).
My approach to furnishings has always been to have a vision of what you want before you start to shop for it. There was the red velvet 60s inspired chair that I had seen for £5,000 and then found a copy of on Ebay for £50, the Liberties curtains I got at a snip from a hotel second hand, the Moroccan rug that someone didn't need anymore etc. These were all parts of my jigsaw puzzle vision for what I wanted in my last flat. I pieced this vision together by reading interiors magazines (usually in doctor's surgeries or equivalent waiting rooms) as well as various blogs. Everyday Emily and What Katie Does are both good for this, as well as the Stylist website, the weekend supplements in The Times, The Guardian and The Telegraph (don't judge - the supplements are good).
So once you know what you want, how do you find it for a good price? It basically means becoming an Ebay trawling obsessive-compulsive but it’s worth it. It also sometimes means holding out for the January sales to buy from brands that I know will stock a pattern I like (Zara home for bedlinen, see below bought for under half price in the sale.)
So once you know what you want, how do you find it for a good price? It basically means becoming an Ebay trawling obsessive-compulsive but it’s worth it. It also sometimes means holding out for the January sales to buy from brands that I know will stock a pattern I like (Zara home for bedlinen, see below bought for under half price in the sale.)
This antique mahogany desk like this one was the
product of 3 months of waiting until supply outstripped demand and a personal
lister got a little unlucky, whilst I got very lucky indeed. The desk should
have been between £400 and £4,000. Admittedly its wear and tear would put it at
the lower scale, however the £67 I paid more than make up for the scratches,
which I like and think add character.
The desk and a little gold sprayed chair
that my grandmother bought in a set of 30 to seat people at the opera recitals
she held at her house are the only naked wooden elements in the room. The rest is painted and though not as authentic, are rendered in the
Belle-Epoque trend for worn-looking white latticed furniture. This makes for easy elegance and simple style. This bedside table and dresser set was bought on Ebay
from here for £175 for the entire set, including mirror and drawers for jewellery. The towel rail was from here, and my shoe shelf/ shrine was from these lovely and very helpful people.
I line up my perfume bottles on my dresser as decoration - including some old ones of my grandmother's that probably smell like moth balls but look so pretty. False advertising this may be but it adds a touch of colour.
I line up my perfume bottles on my dresser as decoration - including some old ones of my grandmother's that probably smell like moth balls but look so pretty. False advertising this may be but it adds a touch of colour.
This mirror was another bargain, brought
with me from my last apartment at great pains – it’s a heavy object, be warned.
It’s from another of my go-to Ebay sellers not that I’m often mirror
buying, but because people ask me where it’s from. Mirrors do an incredible job
of making a room feel bigger and lighter so this one was just as at home in my
old living room, acting when placed above a book shelf like a mantle piece
mirror, as it is in my bedroom, hung portrait and used as a nearly-full length
dressing mirror.
When I was living in Marylebone I
discovered the trick to buying gorgeous and unusual well priced cushions entirely
by accident. I was living right by Alexander Furnishings on Wigmore Street and lusting after the fabrics in the window every time I walked past until one day when I saw that they use the best offcuts to make cushions. These Mulberry fabric ones are my favourite.
So once you’re all set up with everything
you need, how do you dress your walls? This is a question I often get asked as
I studied art history at university.
There are a few simple rules to this that you can follow to make sure you don’t
go wrong. Don't buy the same poster that everyone else has. Until you can afford to dress your walls with art that you actually love, try using different things instead. I picked up these hand painted flamenco fans in Barcelona for 7 € each.
My grandparents gave me this silk painted horseman painting which I've paired with a framed Jeff Koons catalogue - you can get cheap, simple frames from The Covent Garden Graphic Centre for almost any size piece.
Ok, I admit it. I have a chandelier in my bedroom. Oh the looks I got when this beauty arrived at work… “Elle, there’s a chandelier in reception for you. Could you come get it please.” Whoops. It isn’t really all that fancy though. The simple lilly heads complement the white French style furniture and, once again the best bit here is the price, at £30 down from £79.99 from here (also on Ebay). There is a small factory flaw that can’t be seen once the light is hung. Not bad for a bargain and with 5 bulbs at a lower wattage but pointing in different directions, it makes for a far cheerier glow once the sun has gone down.
So there you have it. Let me know if you use any of my tips or add your own.
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