Pallet for Home

Nina's Apartment is now open every Saturday from 10am - 2pm, thanks to the help from the ladies of Willow Cottage, a fellow local business with a shared love for vintage and upcycled furniture. Lisa and Debra from Willow Cottage are big Annie Sloan chalk paint fans and are regularly bringing beautifully upcycled pieces of furniture in - from cute little chairs to full-size kitchen dressers. I am delighted to have their items in my shop, adding that bit of classic 'Country Living' flair to my more continental, eclectic, colourful 'Elle Decoration' style! Come and see for yourself, we'll be happy to help you find something you love.

I love Scandinavian fabrics. The simplicity of the geometrical patterns and the strong colours have been used for decades but are still so timeless and work well in most interiors - contemporary or traditional. Marimekko is an obvious name in the 'Scandi' fabric design world, but I have recently discovered Lotta Jansdotter, who makes the most stunning prints and whose fabrics I have incorporated in many of my cushions. One day I might try and design my own Scandi-style fabrics, but for now I source beautiful material already available.

Here are some cushions I have made recently using various Scandinavian fabrics.

(PS: If you like this style, I do take commissions and can make a set for your own home, based on the colour scheme of your interior. Just contact me for a free consultation!)

Well, not quite yet...but soon!

Sometimes things change quickly. Less than a year ago I set up my own business and started promoting my ventures online. In January I set up an Etsy account, in May I started selling at Yeadon's bookshop in Elgin and I've done a number of craft/vintage fairs since last Christmas.

(Oh yeah, I also had a baby)

It is August now and I have just got the keys to my very own studio & shop space. Eeek! What's going on?! Am I scared? Yes, I am!

It is out in the sticks and not on a busy high street, so I am going to have to shout loudly to draw attention! Nevertheless, it is hugely exciting and I will be part of a lovely old building housing other creative people who make furniture - and even complete handmade kitchens (the woodworking workshops there would make any joiner drool!). Oh yes, and it has lots of parking space (try to find that in a city!).

It will be my own little work space where I can let my creative juices flow, paint, sew, design, make and also show off and sell my furniture, vintage, unique and handmade homeware and other nice things. I hope to make it a fun, inspiring and welcoming place to be, where people can come and spend some time, find inspiration, join me in creating things - or just catch up over a cup of coffee.

But first things first: redecorating! An opening party will follow. Promise.

x




Nina's Apartment will soon be located at:
 
Lethenty Mill
Inverurie
Aberdeenshire
AB51 0HQ

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Using words in home decor has been popular for a while now, with most high street stores selling decor items to go along with this trend.

Personally I find the use of single letters or the words 'Love', 'Home', 'Welcome' and 'Eat' becoming a bit tiresome by now, especially when done in a faux-vintage style, but I do like the use of text in interior design. As usual I have been pinning myself silly on Pinterest lately, so today I will share some text-based styling ideas with you around ways to use words, letters and complete articles in your house without becoming boring.

Here we go!







Write your favourite quotes or inspirational words on found pebble stones and display them around your house or in a bowl.  Love this idea.

http://pinterest.com/pin/259027416038835870/

Reading newspapers in bed gets a whole different meaning with this wall! Using newspaper as wallpaper creates a great graphic effect:

http://pinterest.com/pin/259027416038835999/

The use of blackboard paint has also been popular in home decor for a while and a great way to introduce text in your interior. Good thing is, you can alter it if you get bored with the words ;-). Use it on walls or cupboard like done here:

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You could be bold and write your house rules on the wall. Bit intimidating perhaps? Or pretty cool?

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And why just use paint or chalk? Here's a wall with words made with thumb tacks / push pins. Not sure what it says, but the effect is good.



If you can't decide what words or text to use, just chalk single letters on your wall!

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This idea takes a bit of time to gather so many wooden printers block letters, let alone putting them all together on the wall, but the effect is great:

http://pinterest.com/pin/7036943138327305/

Who says to use words exclusively indoors? Paint words on or create text out of metal and attach to a wall in your garden:

http://pinterest.com/pin/45247171226773159/

I already mentioned the over-usage of words like 'Home', 'Love' and 'Eat' in homes, so I thought I include this image! You can be as bold as you want and the possibilities with words, text and languages are endless. So why limit yourself...? Have fun!

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We're just back from a lovely two weeks' holiday in the UK. I guess you could call it a 'stay-cation' since we decided to stay in Britain this summer, but with a long drive of about 1500 miles in total you can hardly speak of 'staying local'!

The good thing was that on our epic journey from the North East of Scotland all the way down to Cornwall we stopped for three nights in the beautiful Lake District. You could pick any of the many B&Bs dotted around this area, but we picked the Dome House, a stunning piece of architecture overlooking lake Windermere and a place that added a real bit of 'designer flair' to our trip.

It comes as no surprise that it featured in the BBC TV programme Grand Designs, and with its domed roof and facade of wood and glass it really stands out from any of the historic homes and cottages in Bowness-on-Windermere. Although very 'grand' on approach, the guest rooms have a lovely, welcoming feel to them, with their open plan living space, vintage furniture and view to die for. Our room, the 'Green Suite' also features a rather unusual and very large wooden bath, which was a real winner - even our 7-month old baby loved scooting around in it. Rather than having to rush to a communal breakfast room, at the Dome House you are provided with a well stocked 'breakfast hamper', which makes your stay even more pleasant and relaxed.

We really enjoyed staying here and would recommend this place any time, whatever the weather. A thunder storm and torrential rain shower never looked more impressive than from the window of this grand design house.


www.domehouselakedistrict.co.uk

View from our room after the storm

The fabulous wooden bath and my fabulous baby boy

I always keep my eyes and ears open on the hunt for great vintage treasures. Last week I decided to randomly type in the words 'bentwood chair' in the search box of our local Gumtree and in the listings I found something that immediately caught my eye. I contacted the owner to arrange a viewing and in his back garden I found five battered, dirty, damaged chairs - but of an unmistakable design and the leftovers of the labels on the bottom made me smile from ear to ear: here I had no less than five original Hans Wegner wishbone chairs. He got them from a house-clearing somewhere, some time. I couldn't believe my eyes - nor the price: £60 for the lot! They do need complete re-lacquering and seat replacement at some point, but for now I am the proud owner of a beautiful set of salvaged Danish designer classics.

Looking good around our beech dining table!

I added cushions...to prevent my cats from getting their claws into those vintage paper cord seats!

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