A lifestyle blog
This post has been long overdue since we finished phase one of our bathroom renovation in August already. It simultaneously feels like yesterday and months ago! You can see what our initial plans were here and because I don’t want to underwhelm you, below is what it looked like before.
I’ve shared my love of Christmas and particularly decorating my home for the holiday before, but it bears repeating. There is something so magical about winding down the year, getting to spend extra time with all your loved ones and generally just celebrating love and my religion.
This plus I’m just a massive magpie and struggle to say no to anything that sparkles! I’ve shared what our Christmas decor used to look like in our previous house, both in 2016 and 2015. The following two years didn’t look very different since I we just used the same things time and again. I’m very sad that I don’t have a record of last year though, as it was our first year celebrating in our new home. So this year I had to make up for it!
I haven’t purchased much decor this year. Last year I invested in a few decor pieces that we’ll hopefully be able to use for the foreseeable future. So this year I just added a few accents from Mr Price Home to the colourful tree.
I know that you might not be able to celebrate this holiday with everyone you usually would, but that doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be special and treated as such. I hope you all have a very merry and safe Christmas with your loved ones – whether over Zoom or in person.
Speaking with friends and family throughout our renovation, some who are also homeowners and undertaking their own renovation, we’ve picked up that lighting can be a source of mayor reno nightmares. My husband and I have had our own struggles trying to find something that not only fits both our tastes, but is also reasonably priced. Add to that all the extra requirements like good quality, from a trustworthy source (there are some convincing looking dodgy websites selling all my dream lights) that uses bulbs that are readily available and you might as well ask for chocolate that isn’t fattening.
Pic of Athena Calderone’s bathroom
I’ve previously shared some details on phase one of our house renovation and while we haven’t completely finished these rooms, we’ve decided we’re ready to tackle phase two. This phase will see most of the outsourced work that has to be done inside our house completed. Unfortunately right after we committed, coronavirus and lockdown struck. As lockdown has started easing, the workers are returning. So we’ll finally get our master bathroom plumbed and tiled.
Much like the rest of the world, I was sent to start working from home at the end of March. With no inclination of how long this would last and very short notice, my home work set-up is far from ideal. I’ve had to make do with what we have and I have an idea many of you are in the same situation. I hope my tips will be helpful if you also find yourself unable to get your hands on anything non-essential or you don’t want a permanent solution for a temporary problem.
I have to recognise that there is so much sadness and worry in the world right now, but blog posts have been a great source of distraction from all the terrifying news for me. So I hope mine can do the same for you!
One of the best home trends I’ve seen this year has been all the fun pouffes. From scalloped edges to channel tufting and interesting textures, there is no excuse to settle for a boring pouffe. I’ve compiled a few of my favourite styles below. Things like tassles, interesting textures and fun shapes will help introduce a touch of whimsy to any room.
If you’re decorating your tree this weekend, then you might be on the hunt for a few new additions. Instead of doing gift guides this year, which can be overwhelming, I’m sharing my top decor picks. Whether you want to add something special to your tree, or simply love seeing all the glittery items, I hope you enjoy my favourites from this year’s selection.
I’ve been absent from the blog for the majority of the year, but I’ve been itching to get back at it. Initially I had a lack of inspiration. Then in May we bought a house, which we hope will be our forever home, but it has ended up taking A LOT of our time. Now I have more than enough ideas to share, but feel like there isn’t enough hours in a day.
I want to preface this by saying that I know that we are incredibly fortunate to be in a position where we could purchase a property. I feel incredibly lucky and appreciate that this isn’t something within everyone’s means. In saying that it also wasn’t easy, we saved for several years and the bank still owns the majority of the house. We’ve also sold our old property privately. But if all goes according to plan, in twenty to thirty long years it will be ours and will be almost unrecognisable.
I’ve been hunting for beautiful mirrors for our home for the last few weeks. I’ve subsequently developed a minor obsession with beautiful mirrors. Since I’ve found way more amazing mirrors than I could possibly every need, I thought I’d share them with you. I’ve tagged the ones that I own, but I love all of these. You’ll notice I’m obsessed with antique-style mirrors. Anything in brass, with an interesting shape or with a shelf has drawing my attention. Unfortunately many of them aren’t very budget friendly. Don’t let that put you off though as Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree are also great resources.
I recently purchased myself a cast iron skillet and it has legitimately revolutionised my way of cooking. I took the plunge after seeing a heat mark emerging on my beloved non-stick pan. It made me realise what I have always known, non-stick or Teflon coated pans simply can’t handle high heat. Surprisingly a cast iron skillet also wasn’t as big an investment as I had anticipated. So with my recent purchase in mind, I thought I’d share my five essential pots and pans that everyone needs in their kitchen drawer. If you have any to add, please drop a comment below! I’m sure that this list could grow.