Bar Cart

One of the first pieces of furniture we purchased for our new home was a bar cart. I'm not a heavy drinker but I'd seen them on various blogs and liked the idea of them. Finding one required many hours of scouring ebay. It would seem they are a common feature in American homes, but not so much in England. I finally found this grubby one for a bargain £15 that needed hours of polishing to make it presentable.

Then I turned to Pinterest to look for inspiration on how to style the bar cart.

Glasses are a must, along with a bottle opener, decanters, an ice bucket, matches, straws, a candle and even a pretty posy of flowers can be added.

I've collected vintage glassware from charity shops and car boots for years so I chose my favourite pieces for display along with a vintage Soda Stream and a brass crocodile nut cracker.

I also found this wishbone bottle opener from Anthropologie which works perfectly with the other brass items.

Then it was onto the drink. The boyfriend sourced a vintage crystal decanter for his whisky which we placed with our other favourite spirits.

And the finished bar cart!

Here are a selection of items that are bar cart must haves.

Glass £6 John Lewis

Straws £2.95 Rockett St George

Tool Bar Set £39 West Elm

Images: Pinterest, West Elm, Rockett St George, John Lewis

Interiors: The Washroom

We've been in our home for almost 2 years now and finally it is all coming together. We love DIY and have spent many evenings and weekends ripping out then installing bathrooms (which led to a trip to the hospital for stitches!) painting, hanging wallpaper, laying carpet and floorboards, the list goes on. We only have the kitchen left to do this summer and then we'll probably get bored and start again!

While most rooms are grey and simple, my tiny loo was the only space I felt I could go a little mad. I liked the idea of a patterned wallpaper in a small space as seen in these washrooms.

I'd seen this wallpaper from House of Hackney ages ago and instantly fell in love. So much so that I purchased it as soon as we'd exchanged contracts!

We installed a new sink, light fittings, re-tiled everything then finally hung the beautifully bonkers wallpaper. As soon as the first drop went up I knew we'd made the right decision, I mean how good is it to be sitting on the loo looking at a pina colada drinking badger wearing an eye patch! The effect is quite intense especially as we decided to cover the ceiling too.

I found a quirky soap dispenser from Rockett St George that looks pretty but isn't so speedy when it comes to dispensing the hand wash!

My beloved flamingo (also from Rockett St George) hangs out in the loo with all his wallpaper animal buddies.

I also added some vintage apothecary jars I picked up from Wimbledon car boot sale.

And the finished room that makes me smile!

Images: camillestyles.com, Pinterest, cupcakesandcashmere.com, the-frugality.com, House of Hackney 

Weekend Scenes

Happy Easter! I trust everyone ate too much chocolate and too many hot cross buns. We didn't leave home due to the rotten weather on Sunday but thankfully we'd packed lots in the day before. In preparation for the London Triathlon with Simply Swim, Saturday morning was spent doing lengths at London Fields Lido. It wasn't as cold as I'd imagined and swimming out in the open air is quite invigorating. 

London Fields Lido

We then spent the rest of Saturday exploring the East End. First stop was The Curious Duke Gallery to see an exhibition by Roy's People. I find the situations he creates with tiny figurines cute and interesting and was fortunate to pick up a print from the exhibition, 'The Only Escape', which I can't wait to hang on my picture wall. I may have to go back and buy the hilarious 'Work's Every Time' as well.

The Only Escape by Roy's People

When I was working in Australia at the beginning of the year I was given some delicious T2 Tea as a gift, so I was very pleased to discover they have just opened their first UK store in Shoreditch. I will definitely be going back to buy some of the creamy choc chai. If you're in the area pop in for some tasters and check out the beautiful black and gold interiors as well. 

T2 Tea

Sunday was all about DIY, oh the joys of owning a home! We put the finishing touches to our loo with this retro soap dispenser from Rockett St George. Washing my hands has never felt so chic!

Soap Dispenser £62 Rockett St George

Sadly both the boyfriend and I will be working on Monday so we said goodbye to the weekend with movie night; Wes Anderson + homemade popcorn = bliss!

Images: elleuk.com