Painter Man

Operation stair sanding avoidance goes from strength to strength. This weeks diversion, the back bedroom. In many ways the back bedroom has been something of the underdog, one of the first to be done, at that point we had neither time nor energy to think about it so simply white washed. The time hath cometh to give it some love.

Usual colour debate ensued and many samples toyed with. I was initially keen on the pale walls/ dark wood combo which I often think looks great. Contenders included Farrow and Ball's Blackened, a shade which provides a satisfying range of colours depending on the light. But it is a cold colour and in an actually cold room I had reservations. For one crazy moment green was considered - green! A lovely rich, dark green, which wouldn't be out of place in a dining room. It looked great, the only problem with green, well it's not grey!

It's a fairly small room and not particularly light at certain points of the day so a vast majority would say go pale and there is some wisdom in that, so, I thought about it..... for about a milisecond. We all know that the samples were just tokenistic, there was only ever one contender - downpipe. I had my doubts, let me assure you, even I was concerned that it might be too muddy for a dark room. But it has never let me down yet and I had faith. Sure enough the wonderful moody hue is working it's magic, it doesn't look dark it looks rich, from green to blue to black depending on the light, it makes all the other colours stand out ... I love it!

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Sweden to see the lovely Maya. It got me thinking how all of our styles are so very influenced by our neighbourhoods. None more so than Sweden which has an incredibly strong signiture style, not so much of the downpipe here. Everything is very perfect and uniform, with nothing out of place. The fact that Ikea came up with all those brilliant storage devices is no coincidence! It's not my personal style (alas) but it has a real beauty, I admire it's crisp orderliness and man they give good light!

My hood, on the other hand, could not be less ordered, a total melange, with sleek million pound homes next to semi-derelict high-rises. But wherever I am in this crazy town I can't help but find inspiration in the oddest places - a beautiful window here, a cart that could be an amazing coffee table there. I sometimes wonder if everyone thinks in interior?

With the mix of styles there is the equal mix of people. Crazy crazy times round these parts and many others and like alot of us I have a love hate relationship with the area. Some times you literally fear for your life walking down the street and sometimes, like a few moments ago, a neighbour you haven't met before knocks on the door and gives you a bag of greengage plums from his garden.

We might not have a deli on every corner and there might be many many problems, but mostly, it feels like a community who care and are trying and I like that.

Neighbourhood

Firstly I think I need to clear something up, contrary to my last slightly misleading post. Project squat is by no means over and neither is this blog. 'Phew' I hear you communally cry, I know you would all be lost without it.

Simply, we are considering options. With work all but done (all but, being a flexible term), I am obviously looking into what next. Heaven forbid I have any free time to enjoy the summer or spare cash to, I don't know, buy an ice-cream. No no no, as many of you know, I, like many other ladies, need a project and a project I will find. Chances are nothing will come of it but I am currently spending many an hour, perusing house websites and visiting properties in need of a total overhaul. If I had my way, and ALOT of money I would have snapped one up ages ago and be knee deep in plaster dust buy now, such is my enthusiasm for the world of decorating. Thankfully I have an altogether more sensible voice in my ear and a total absence of readies... so for now we continue to consider...

My research has resulted in some lovely outings. On a recent visit to Walthamstow whilst cycling through the marshes, along the canal, past the families with small children picking wild blackberries and the groups of Australians picnic-ing on the vast green landscapes and swathes of wild flowers, I literally felt like I had stepped back to my childhood in Yorkshire. (Minus the Australians, we didn't have so many of them in 80's Ilkley).

Walthamstow village itself was a delight a veritable oasis in the heart of the city - little cafe's and bars and THE most beautiful streets with incredible houses... Who knew? (well no doubt alot of you, but not me!).

From one extreme to the next, I then ventured to Hackney Wick to sample a bit of Hackney Wick-ed (see what they've done there?) So, this is where the cool kids go?? The most urban of urban landscapes, towers of rust, dis-used warehouses car-parks come theatre spaces, cinema's set up on dis-used fridges, but mainly thousands of trendy young things with wild eyes and cans of red stripe. No doubt all artists, DJ's or photographers. I was immediately taken back to Brooklyn, Bushwick to be precise (so post Williamsburg!)

Both areas have their charm and both contenders for squat number 2.

Meanwhile back indoors we are still left with the one major piece of refurb, the beast that is the staircase. I am between jobs at the moment, 'resting', I believe they call it. Ample time to tackle the monstrous task. So, I have resorted to the only option left, procrastination. Suddenly, even though it never bothered me before, I am struck by the monstrosity that is the bathroom door is. A cheap, pine emergency purchase, how could I have let this go, it MUST be painted, I can bare it no longer. So bathroom door is now the same delectable shade as the walls, yes your favourite and mine.. Downpipe.

As for the stair case... have you seen the state of the shed....?

Moving On Song

I remember once upon a time, along time ago, going to a rather terrible B&B in Minehead (a fairly terrible place - at the time) with my family. Every night at dinner the owner would read through the menu and list the vegetables one by one, after which he would say 'fresh from the garden', "Coq Au vin with carrots, fresh from the garden, peas fresh from the garden and potato's dauphinoise fresh from the garden". Clearly this was the source of endless jokes throughout said holiday and will frankly still cause some hilarity when resurrected.

But now.. I GET IT! I am that man. A friend came over for dinner and I couldn't stop myself... "erm that lettuce you are eating - it's from our garden, and the peas and the spring onion - yup, that too". Such is my shock and delight that we have literally grown real life vegetables and fruit (4, count them, 4 strawberries), that I can't hold back, I realise it's dull and not really even surprising to most but I am AMAZED!

Moving on (temporarily of course). It has been an interesting few weeks chez squat. Not one to let the (literal) dust settle for long, I have been having valuations on the house. The first one I thought was slightly crazy but after 3 more it seems not, the changes in the area combined with the work we have done means the value has risen, not insignificantly. This pleases me of course. What pleases me more however is the compliments - admiration for the radiators or niches in the bathroom, an odd 'lovely fireplace' and I am putty in their hands.

I KNOW they are sales people and I KNOW they want my business, but yes, asking me if I am an interior designer will work every time! It's not definite that we will sell and move and yes I would be sad to leave the hard work behind but every time I walk past any of the many building projects down the road I can't help but feel a pang of envy. Besides, the hallway needs re-painting so it must be time to move on!

Strawberry Fields

There are half drunk cups of coffee all around me, the lingering smell of freshly smoked cigarettes hangs in the air, Euro trash beats blares out of the stereo. A holiday in Greece? Turkey, a quick trip to Paris... no no my dear friends, I am in my very own kitchen. Except, it is no longer my own, it is well and truly theirs, buildersville. 5 of them, large and Polish, they don't say much but I can't help but worry about their diets.

At this point there is no point trying stake ownership over the house... it's so much easier to accept that for now it is theirs, they will do with it what they will. So, I creep apologetically around them and watch as things slowly but surely progress.

I am shocked/ amazed about the quantity of produce the consume, coffee, cigarettes, wallpaper, paint, all of it in such ludicrous quantities I honestly don't know where it goes.
A 10m roll of wallpaper is surely enough do approx 5m of wall - apparently not, 2 rolls doesn't even cut it. 7 litres of paint for the outside, no no no, of course they need more. However much you think you need, double it and you might be getting close.

The results, as ever, are pleasing, in fact the newly painted WC door, brought squeals of delight. As ever my love of a dark bold colour knows no bounds. Doors which were previously the cheapest, lowest quality emergency purchase have been transformed into an elegant statement of a door, all through a lick of paint. The paper, I am sure, not to everyone's tastes, but I love it adds a real point of interest to a tiny non space. The exterior, slightly disappointing, mostly due to our choice of hue, is still a vast improvement and the outside light at the back is a literal delight.

Last night I consumed my very first home grown, perfectly formed, deliciously ripe strawberry. Oh the joy!

I Can't Stand The Rain

The rain, whilst doing wonders for the plants, has reeked havoc with general garden progress.
How is a man to lay his grout when no sooner is it down, the rain is washing it away. When a task is as tedious as grouting you really don't want to be doing it multiple times. Oh it's been a fun week!

Still with a little help from Ken the DIY/ Gardener (complete political rants a plenty) we have a garden, well except for the 2 missing slate slabs which we failed to buy to complete the space and the right hand bed which needs populating, and the furniture, and the whole bit down the side of the house.

Veggies are coming on a treat, in a competition the mint would be winning hands down, rhubarb a close second followed by cauliflower, the basil, alas, appears to be drowning.

Tomorrow sees the fateful return of the builders, I am avidly baking in preparation (I find bribery works wonders). And so commences some of the finishing tasks -downstairs WC, leaky roof, loose guttering, and painting the front of the house.

Samples have been liberally applied and colour chosen, a light khaki as inspired by a splendid looking house up the road. Possibly risky due to hideous white plastic windows which I would move heaven and earth to not emphasize but what's life without a few risks! The previous owners, who spent literally no money on the house, had delightfully invested in staining the bricks around the top windows a tasteful bright red!!! This must be dealt with, I don't know how, but I know a man who will....

Light up

Loving the Plumen bulb, which won the Design Of The Year 2011. Just saying!

http://plumen.com/

Singing In The Rain...

I don't know how it happened, I'm not sure when or even why exactly, but somehow it crept up on me and I can deny it no longer. I am officially middle aged. How do I know this? Well during the recent bout of relentless rain my first thought was not, well there go my plans for sitting in London Fields drinking warm white wine out of plastic cups and talking about which party to go to.... no no no, I found myself uttering the immortal words "Well it will be very good for the garden". Dear God save me!

Moving swiftly on. This week has all been about wallpaper, hardly less middle-aged I hear you cry, but not so, my wallpaper inspiration comes from wayyy more cutting edge/ teenage sources.

Stripes - long been a fashion staple but hadn't entered my consciousness for walls, until that is, I found myself wandering round a Jack Wills store in Stratford Upon Avon (so not middle aged!). Entirely unimpressed by the teenage, frat boy clothing (middle aged), I was, however, very impressed by their interiors. An interesting melange of bold colours and styles, modern and vintage (of course) but also pinks next to greens, via blues and purples, stripes next to damasks, with the odd spot in to boot. Somehow it worked, personally I was most taken with the bold coloured striped wallpaper.

This then led me onto stripes more generally, actually it seems, a long time wall classic through the designs of legendary designers such as Sue Timney, love, love, love her simple black and white stripes, bold, classic and contemporary all at once.

I also paid a visit to the uber, uber House Of Hackney, a fantastic new husband and wife interiors design duo. I am not alone in my admiration, they have been all over interiors and main-stream press and rightly so. I visited their brilliant pop up in Dalston a couple of months ago and having decided to plump for their Dalston Rose in my downstairs loo, went to their house/ office/ show-room just off London Fields. A beautiful house, of which the front part acts as a show-room for their designs, the rest is their office and home, taking live-work to the max. All in all very impressive, I was personally most taken with their chosen hue on their exterior render!

I am very excited about the soon to be redecorated WC - floral walls with deep blue wood panelling. It is a tiny room and some schools of thoughts would argue should therefore be kept light and simple to make it seem bigger. I couldn't disagree more. Embrace the smallness, embrace the darkness, and use it's size as an opportunity to make a statement. I predict a dramatic, bold, amusing room which could otherwise be a tiny, nothing space..... we'll see.

Enough of this tittle tattle, back to the important stuff, the tomatoes are doing well, the lettuces at the back thriving, we have 2 little green strawberries and the rhubarb may well need re-housing to a bigger pot... ROCK.... AND.... ROLL!