Hi lovelies, Charlotte here…just a quick intro for Lauren C’s first blog post. Lauren runs our Facebook page as well as assisting with styling for our various editorial shoots. You can see her introduction post HERE.
This afternoon she’s taking us on a tour of her home and it’s BEAUTIFUL. If you like what you see please do leave some interiors love in the comments section below.
Lauren C: Just after we said ‘I do’, we put our little two bed on the market and six months later moved into a three bed cottage.
The house itself had a fabulous bone structure, so to speak, but was in need of a little make-over to bring it more in keeping with our style. I’m a huge fan of what I like to call ‘Rustic Luxe’, a combination of rustic tones with a heavy dose of antique accents and romantic touches.
Two years on and the house is just about ready for public consumption, and so one afternoon a few weeks ago, the lovely Mrs O’Shea and Mr Crohill popped in for a few cakes and a bit of a photo shoot.
As you are well aware, RMW is a blog all about weddings, so why are we suddenly talking so much about houses and interiors? Well, I looked to the said ‘Rustic Luxe’ style when I was planning my own big day, and working with the style features of your own home is a great place to start when considering wedding decor.
So come on in and make yourself comfy, as here is a little home tour for you.
All images by Adam Crohill.
First up, there’s the Lounge. Many an evening has been spent on our two Snowdrop Sofas from Sofa.com. We’ve piled them high with cushions from H&M, Not on the High Street and Home Sense and I’m looking forward to curling up in front of the fire when the nights start drawing in.
Rather than using standard bookcases, we decided to go for a few crates and an antique ladder (you may recognise from the recent En Pointe shoot) to pile up our books and trinkets.
In the alcoves, the shelves are made from old floorboards and are thankfully sturdy enough to hold the vintage typewriter that we used as our wedding guestbook.
As I’m a huge fan of all things rustic, the table is a customised affair; an old iron framework bearing a wooden pallet across the top.
Moving on to the other side of the house is the Dining Room, painted in Farrow and Ball’s finest, Elephant’s Breath. Now there are some people who don’t favour some of the pricier paints but my view is always to buy one less picture, one less cushion etc and splash out the extra £20 on one of the finer paints; the shades and finish beat some of the DIY store offerings hands down.
This room has a lovely open (but rather blustery) fireplace that became an ideal home for one of our tree trunk wedding centrepieces . As the seasons change, I’ve swapped the votives that used to sit on here, for a few antlers to add more natural elements.
I’m rather proud of my Bar Tray in this room. As envious as I am of those gorgeous gilt affairs that are adorning many a page on Pinterest, it just wouldn’t fit with the style of our 1850’s cottage. Instead I grabbed an industrialesque tray and loaded it with all of our favourite tipples. I adore gin anyway, but there is something mighty fine about a Hendricks Bottle that means it takes pride of place. If you’d like to recreate something similar be sure to get yourself some snazzy glasswear, (Zara Homeware is a great place to start) striped straws (there’s a massive selection on Etsy ) and a load of limes. The cake forks are optional, but you know Charlotte has a thing for the pineapple…..
Onwards to the kitchen….Now I’m not really known for my culinary prowess but we were lucky enough to inherit a rather nice Esse Gas Stove and a custom built kitchen that my other half James seems to use on a daily basis.
One element that visitors always comment on is the gallery wall that we’ve created using Marks and Sparks Photo Frames) We used a combination of photos, prints and general paraphernalia to create this wall, and it’s a real reflection of both of us.
My favourite piece in the collection is the Wuthering Heights quote. You can find similar at Etsy.
Next up is the utility room/downstairs loo, which has been painted in a rather fetching shade of Slaked Lime from the Little Greene Paint company. This muted and earthy tone goes well with natural elements such as the wicker baskets and wooden mirrors.
The frames down the wall are always a bit of a talking point. I took three heart shaped frames and added old eBay maps to mark the spot that we met, married and mini-mooned. Luckily all three locations were in the UK so I just needed to buy the one map!
Upstairs, bedroom number two is a guest bedroom-cum-dressing room. It’s all about the monochrome in here and the recent addition of the Polka Dot wallpaper has really added some oomph to the walls.
I’ve started to add a few blush accents to break up all the black and white (in the form of two antique side tables painted in F&B’s Middleton Pink). As I mentioned earlier, I do like my interiors to have a romantic feel and you can’t get much more romantic than Paris. I’ve taken a lot of the vintage bottles that adorned our wedding tables, complete with Eiffel Tower charms, and dotted them around the house. I usually buy one or two bunches of flowers a week and break them down to individual stems to make sure that there’s flora or fauna all over.
You can similar bottles from Etsy, eBay or your local antiques shop.
You know when you and the other half have a discussion about the desired features of your future home? Well my list would often jokily include a Carrie Bradsaw style closet, and I was overjoyed on viewing the bedroom, to realise it had a little space that could technically be referred to as a walk in wardrobe.
Rather than pack away my wedding dress in a plastic bag and stick it in the attic I decided to hang it out there in its full glory so I can spy on it every day.
Bedroom three is not in a state for viewing just yet so I’ll take you through to the main bedroom.
It’s all very neutral in here as we wanted this room to be super relaxing. Neither of us are particularly tidy and so we kept furniture in here to an absolute minimum and as clutter-free as possible.
Despite the white walls and bedding, I didn’t want the room to appear too clinical so we have started to layer up the room with different textures; knitted throws, a faux sheepskin rug, waffle cushions and linen style curtains. The focal point for this room is definitely the beautiful Velvet Love Tub from Oliver Bonas.
I adore personalised, romantic mementos and one of my favourite framed pieces in the bedroom is the custom calligraphy from Em Dash Paper Co; Emily created a bespoke anniversary card for James based on a few lines of our wedding vows.
I am a sucker for neutrals but I’m really pleased that in the bathroom we extended the palette beyond grey and white to add in a bit of mint too.
Like the bedroom, I wanted this room to be calm and tranquil. We were lucky enough to inherit the claw foot, roll top bath (though it was in a more vibrant royal blue shade) but we still did a lot of work in this room to create the sanctuary we were after. The painted white floors would probably be a bold choice in a more highly trafficked area but we are really pleased with how hard wearing they are turning out to be.
The week before our wedding, I noticed that a recent celebration at the same venue had huge lanterns hanging from the ceiling. I dashed to Homesense to buy some similar ones so that we could recreate the same beautiful scene!
The gorgeous glass frame (also available from Rock my Boutique!) is perfect for displaying mementoes, in this case a Catalan postcard.
Finally I’ll take you outside, across our courtyard garden to a room that we refer to as the Summer House. Yes, there are possible illusions of grandeur here, but it’s what the Estate Agent termed it and it’s stuck.
This space has become a bit of a multipurpose area and we use it both to relax and work in. As it’s a narrow room, we added a John Lewis String Curtain to separate our old sofa from the office space.
This room was only finished recently and it’s a definite departure from my usual style. It’s probably a lot more modern than the rest of the house but with all the pieces we’ve collected over the years it definitely still feels very homely.
There’s a whole load of Ikea in this room (shelves, picture ledges, curtains, and table) but we’ve been careful to mix it up with more unique pieces such as the Jessica Durrant Fashion Illustration and Sarah and Bendrix artwork, and the authentic Moroccan pouffes from a Marrakesh souk.
All images by Adam Crohill.
The garland that hangs across the end of the room was a custom order from Pom Pom Studio and I love how it ties together the pink and metallic scheme of the rest of the room.
You may well be struggling for a style that will befit your own wedding day. Be it shabby chic, vintage romance or thoroughly modern, the possibilities can seem overwhelming. However, have a little look around your own home, consider your personal style, and I’m in no doubt that you will have a wedding that’s a true reflection of you as a couple.
Alternatively use it as an excuse to splash out on pieces that will fit in with the styling of your future home!
So my loves, how’s the styling for your own Big Day coming along? What elements are you using of your usual decor style?
Also, any recent redecoration or interior design purchases that you’d like to share?
I heart interiors!
Lauren C x