18th Century English Room

Image credit- Country Living

18th Century English Room

The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries witnessed a remarkable transformation of daily life and domestic decoration in England due to availabilty of products & materials thanks to international trade coming in from continental Europe, the Far East, and North America. Italian Renaissance gave shape to interior design although England was far behind the rest of the world after HenryVIII renounced the popes authority and had us estranged from Italy and the rest of Catholic Europe. The increase in trade between England and the Far East also brought with it a fascination for all things Chinese . The chair below was actually made in England, but is decorated in imitation of Chinese lacquer, and the central splat bears an image of a mandarin with an umbrella.

 Source: Giles Grendey: Side chair (37.115) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Period pieces are becoming ever popular once again, the attention to detail in furnishings, playful colours & beautiful florals are all playing a large part in the country style home. We often now see rosy pinks and crisp greens teamed with richer colours like reds that were seen in 18th-century English living rooms. The modern take is a decadent interior that’s both lustrous and cozy.

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Drawing Competition Winner

Remember the kids drawing/painting competition to win the kids cooking company starter kit? Well we have a winner. There was some fabulous enteries but there can only be one winner & that was 5 year old Isla Williams who drew this beautiful picture below. Well done Isla x

Talking of kids cooking check out my 'Cookery Corner' for this weeks recipe of yummy chocolate brownies. Click the link at the top of the blog to take you there.

All Kids Cooking Company products are available within my showroom or to order by phone or email (also soon to be available on my online boutique)

contact me on +44 (0)1440 708243 or sarah@finishingtouchinteriors.co.uk 

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Jo's Fabulous Finds

Its Monday once again & welcome  to the lovely Joanne from House Of Fabulous Finds with her Monday series especially for us, lets see what finds she has for us this week....

MARVELOUS, MODERN. SLEEK & SASSY

If I had a choice of bathroom then this would be it, it's so modern isn't it. I was so surprised when I saw where it comes from......wait for it......Tesco's!!!!!!  Yes, the Valencia suite is available from the Tesco finest bathrooms range and is the ultimate luxury.  It has a free flowing Italian designed waste to give it that ultimate designer look.  I think the bath in this suite is the bathroom statement it's so lush and I have always thought how smart and crisp they look. The freestanding bath is contemporary and does make a great focal point in any bathroom, if indeed you have the space.  Looks great with the dark wooden flooring and the clean crisp white walls which makes it look super clean and modern.  Accessorize with chrome fixtures and keep as minimal as possible and  you will have a fantastic style bathroom.  Tesco's......every little helps!!!

Living House are a UK online suppliers of a large collection of bathrooms, toilets and bathroom suites which I have found these amazing shaped loo and bday.  This nouveau white wall hung toilet is manufactured in Italy and has such individual style which cannot fail to impress dont you agree, so modern and chic!!.

I love the unusual style which would look great in a bathroom preferably minimal as possible.  They might be a bit pricey but hey you'd have the best looking loo in the street!!

£530.00 with matching bday.

The above dresser is from one of my favourite shops, The White Company, obviously alot of it is white and crisp and clean and ultra luxurious and so special.  This piece is beautifully sleek and has matching accessories to set off it's own prestine look, it costs £895.00. I think a massive white fluffy rug under this would be so snug underneath, you'll never want to leave your dresser! The White Company is available online and has many store's around the country, once a visit I can gurantee you'll go back for more.....It's contagious xx

Recently I have been away camping and have visited some lovely shops in Southwold Suffolk.  It's a lovely beach boutique called Runaway Coast and was launched in 2009 and has a wonderful range of coastal inspired designs especially for the bathroom.  I especially loved the jar above of sea breeze sea salt scrub, it's lovely presented jar would look fab on a shelf in any bathroom or just around the bath itself. have a look at their website www.runawaycoast.com and see how many luvlies they have, I hope you like it as much as I did, I just kept going back in for a browse!.  Read below what the owners have written about this item.

Our Sea Salt Scrub was bought by one of our female customers as a treat for herself, and when her husband came down saying he'd just experienced the most relaxing bath ever, she felt compelled to tell us it was because of our product. 
Each pretty jar with traditional opening, is filled with a sea salt scrub which sits in a layer of nourishing oils.
Simply scoop a little in your hand, rub over your body and as you rinse it off, it will leave your skin feeling smoother and more nourished than you would ever imagine.
Smells delicious too! So if you know someone or just fancy a Friday night in pampering yourself, this might be the answer...
Made with care, especially for Runaway Coast, in Britain. Each product is created by hand from wild plants and flowers native to the British Isles. Relax and enjoy. Each jar is 350ml.

For Jo's Hot interior item & Hot Shop of the week click here :-  http://houseoffabulousfinds.blogspot.com/
posted by Joanne Sizer

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Perfect Family Kitchen -Diner

Following on from Friday's kitchen swooning here is a beautifully designed open plan kitchen - dining space. I am a big fan of open plan living I dont like being shut away in a kitchen when we have guests & I also love the idea of a space being open so you can interact with the rest of the family. A dining table doubles up as a homework space or art space in our house so being busy in the kitchen with the kids close by is a perfect solution for me. This open plan conservatory extension creates a perfect space for entertaining. Its a classic choice of kitchen cabinet in a light & airy modern space that works well. it gets a 10 out of 10 from me.
















image credit -house to home

Dont forget to pop by tomorrow for the Monday Series 'Jo's Fabulous Finds'. If you missed last Mondays post you can read it by clicking here http://houseoffabulousfinds.blogspot.com/ & also here you will catch Jo's Hot Shop of the week!

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Kitchen Swooning

I thought today we would have a little nose around some swoon worthy kitchens starting with this beautifully put together traditional style kitchen below. Where to start it has some gorgeous finishing touches. I absolutley love the light fixtures they are a bold yet classy statement. Often in kitchens light fittings are over looked & forgotten about. Yes the most important aspect of lighting is how functional it is & how much light it over all brings to the room but it also needs to look good to compliment the cabinetry. Another feature that caught my eye in this image was the beautiful wallpaper, again very bold but still classic with a modern twist.  The dark contrasting worktops really finish this design for me.

Photo by Elizabeth Gilbert
The island here is magnificent, the beautiful piece of granite must have weighed tonne & been hard work for the fitters to put in. But it looks amazing & theres plenty of room to be preparing a meal while guests sit comfortably chatting with a glass of wine. I do love the brick work feature around the range area it makes it feel very traditional & homely but in a modern way.

Photo by Andreas Trauttmansdorff
The colour pallette in this kitchen is beautiful very warm & inviting. The mix of colours with the cabinatry works well & stops it feeling to dark. I completely adore the lighting.  Again the chimney around the range cooker is very traditional feeling & plenty of working space with the island unit & the addition of the beautiful wood block table. The brick affect tiles are another winner with me, this is very much a kitchen I could see myself in.

Gorgeous rich play of textures and woods, Downsview
A more contemporary feel here for my next swoon worthy kitchen. I like that they have revealed some bare brick as a feature it brings some warmth to this otherwise pretty cold feeling space. The contrasting wall cupboards also give this kitchen a little character.

image via blogpage Design Addict mum


Want to ask me a question? whether its about work or my favourite food or what sport I did as a child, you can ask me anything over on formspring. So get comfy with a coffee or a nice cup of tea & hop over to my formspring page now. Ask me anything http://formspring.me/SarahatFTI

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My New Cookery Corner

This is my gorgeous son Joseph & we have been busy in the kitchen doing some baking. I love to cook with Joe & we decided together we would bring our hobby to a little corner of my blogpage. So I have a created a page 'Cookery Corner' (please see links at top of the page). It's Joe's & my little space where we will share some recipes regularly on things we have baked together. So why not take a little peek now for our delicious chocolate cake recipe.
On other news dont forget the childrens drawing/painting competition to win this fabulous Kids Cooking Company starter kit in blue or pink. These cute character based cooking utensils are available within my showroom & can be also ordered by telephone or Email. They will soon also be available on my online boutique.

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Jo's Fabulous Finds

Please welcome my guest writer Jo for our NEW Monday Series 'Jo's Fabulous finds' ....

Hello and welcome to ''The House of Fabulous Finds'' cant tell you how excited I am to be here sharing with you all my passion and love for gorgeous things, whether it's interior or my shop of the week to item of the week. I will be blogging on a weekly basis and am thrilled to showing you whats out there, what's new and how you can get your faboulous finds to look perfect. I look forward to seeing your comments and meeting lots of new people on here, and of course more than anything I want you to come back and see some more, have a cuppa and relax. Thanks for visiting my luvlees, ta ta for now xx

Jo.x.x.

Wallpaper offers designer looks

 Monsoon launches its first wallpaper range which has been designed exclusively for Graham and Brown. Original artwork from the Monsoon archive has been re interpreted to offer stylish and unique patterns. The designs are available in several colour ways from soft luxurious neutrals to rich and exotic bright's. The diverse choice in designs and colour offers a solution for the classic interior to the more contemporary.

To see and purchase the Monsoon Wallpaper collection,please click here:
   http://www.grahambrown.com

So here we have a beautiful round petticoat pillow from Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture website.  This would complete any room with this finishing touch.  It is so pretty and such a delicate colour light dusky rose pink.  So shabby yet so chic dont you agree. Effective on either bedding or on a single chair when entering. I love the frills and the center lacing which makes it a very gorgeous pillow, I want one!!

This union jack throw is also from the couture website of Rachel Ashwell and would look fab on a netural sofa or draped over the back like above.  My preference would be as a wall hanging instead of a picture frame, as it makes more of an eye catching piece hanging on a large area of wall, the bigger the better.  Being handmade and the attention to detail is without a doubt luxurious and cosy if used as a throw.

Where do I start with this entire room.......ULTRA GORGEOUS or what, well to my taste anyway. The interior company is Italian and are called Altamoda ultra luxury Interiors. They define rooms with new luxury and different features in it.  They have experimented with a whole wide range of soft colours and luxury materials including best woods, crystals, leather and ostrich feathers in this room, and looks utterley divine I might say......well I would.  It makes me feel invited with it luxurious and cozy feel to it....timeless.  Yes it's a very unique style in it's own way and the texures in the room are varied, which makes it interesting and perfectly fitted. I think my favourite item of the room is the leather headboards used as background against the walls which makes a nice contrast.  And the fireplace, I would never of thought to have added leather there, a great center point indeed.  Their creative humour with the finishing touches of adding the white deers as elegant figures scattered around the room is different but I like it.  This is definitley a room where I wouldn't want to spill my tea in, a great place for showing of I think with the girls whilst sipping pink champayne and eating lots of scrummy cupcakes!!.

Please take a look at other rooms they do at www.homeinteriordesigninfo.com

please pop over to Jo's own blog page to see her shop of the week....

http.thehouseoffabulousfinds.blogspot.co.uk/

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Cosy Coffee Shop Moodboard

It's been a little while since I posted a mood board so thought I would leave you for the weekend with one I prepared for a cosy coffee shop. I have a crazy few days ahead so please excuse the lack of posts over the coming days's I am off out tonight for a friends leaving do as she is moving away to Devon next week so think there will be a few tears later & then tomorrow I am off to V Festival in cChelmsford. Among the line up there is Rhiana, The Script, The Wanted, Scouting for Girls, Ellie Goulding, Eminem, Calvin Harris, The Saturdays...the list goes on & I have to say I am very excited especially since last year I missed out. Its a fun packed couple of days but Monday my partner goes into hospital for a knee operation. I have to have him there at 7.00AM (harsh with a hangover) & I am a nervous wreck about it, not looking forward to seeing my baby in pain. However while I am on my bedside vigial the lovely Joanne Sizer will be popping in with her very 1st post of her new series on FTI 'Jo's Fabulous Finds' I cannot wait to see what she has up her sleeve for you. Take care of my beautiful friend & show her some love.
Have a great weekend all
Sarah xxxx

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Celebrity Homes - Mr & Mrs Smith

Recently Hollywood stars Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith opened the doors to their stunning Malibu home, offering a glimpse into their opulent lifestyle in a glossy feature for Architectural Digest Magazine. Here you can see the smiling couple posing with thier two children Willow & Jaden alongside Will's son Trey. It is the first time the five of them have been pictures together. Lets move on & take a look.

The sprawling 25,00sq ft pad that boosts stunning mountain views was designed by architect Stephen Samuelson & was created as a spiritual family retreat taking inspiration from various cultures from Persian, Moroccan to Spanish & south west American. It even includes a meditation room for Jada

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Visit here to read more... http://www.architecturaldigest.com/homes/homes/2011/09/will-and-jada-pinkett-smith-home-slideshow#ixzz1U5YoURHH

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Stunning Arhitecture

I stumbled across these completely stunning images from architects Pitsou Kedem  
of this Jaffa Apartment they designed. It completely blew me away with its stone archways & high ceilings mixed with such contemporary interiors. The mix works beautifully & the apartment is worthy of an award win. Take a peek inside for yourselves.

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I would like to introduce you to a very good friend of mine, the very gorgeous Joanne Sizer......

Joanne will be joining my blogpage every Monday as a permanent feature writer. You see Jo has a very good eye for style whether that be interiors or fashion. She studied fashion at college & has a range of talents from art, design & photography & now works as an event stylist for www.shabbychicvintageteaparties.moonfruit.com Jo is often sending me links to fabulous blogs and websites as well as spotting a great bargain. So I got to thinking that maybe she should be sharing these wonderful finds here on the Finishing Touch Interiors blogpage for all my lovely blogger friends to find out about too. I love Jo's taste in interiors & she has the same passion for all that is vintage as me so I am very excited to have her join me here. Jo is in the midst of starting her own blogpage 'Thehouseoffabulousfinds' and so Joannes series will be aptly named 'Jo's Fabulous Finds' & will be featuring here every Monday from next week. So keep you eyes peeled for this exciting new series & show my gorgeous friend some love xx

Want to ask me a question? I am now on Formspring.me so pop over & ask me anything http://formspring.me/SarahatFTI 





If you could be a star athlete in any sport, which sport would you pick?

Probably a runner I love to run & used to run for my school otherwise I always secretly thought I would love to do gymnastics

 

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Bath Like A Millionaire

This tranquil haven is part of a $3 Million mansion just take a loving look at the gorgeous marble tiled floors and walls. There is certainly no being squashed in this spacious walk-in shower cubicle is there?. You often see two sinks beside each other but here the basin units are opposite each other instead working as two completely separate spaces.

The bath sits at the far end of the room in its own little alcove. The over sized shells work well in this spacious bathroom but I would personally use the deep ledge space around the bath for lots of candles for complete relaxation. This is a simply beautiful bathroom I just need $3 Million to achieve it.........

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