Outdoor Entertaining

We all knew it was too good to be true, bathing in Mediterranean style sunshine for the majority of the full lock down period. It felt like summer had arrived and the idea of staying at home really didn’t seem too bad. Who needs to be getting on an aeroplane when the sun is out here in the UK? Sadly this did not last and the timing of the change in weather meant the excitement of being given the go ahead at being allowed to meet in socially distanced groups of six in an outdoor space soon proved difficult for most as the weather took a turn for the worse.

So with intentions of outdoor entertaining in everyone’s minds we thought we would put together some tips for prepping your outdoor space so you will be ready to rock n’ roll when the weather decides to play ball once more (fingers crossed for this weekend!)…

Dining Space-

We have never been a fan of matchy matchy so don’t be afraid to pull in some creative ideas to give more room for dining. A wallpaper pasting table from the garage with a table cloth thrown over, add picnic tables, if children are included then you could even provide a blanket and create a den for them to dine in with beanbags and upside down toy boxes for tables.

Seating-

Buying some additional outdoor dining chairs may be unavoidable but there are plenty of affordable ones out there. Ikea have some great fold-able ones for as little as £15 fold-able and affordable! They can always be stored away easily and used indoors at a later date when additional seating is required. Benches are also a good investment and are perfect for squeezing in extras. As long as they are shared with members of the same household of course!

Gather any crates, beanbags, stools that you may have around the house these can all be dotted around in various zones (dependent on space) allowing people to move around and be social but still keeping a safe distance apart.

Lastly, on the list of things that make you feel like you have your house (and life!) together are fresh flower arrangements gather a selection of old jars bottles, and vases then go foraging in the countryside for a few of your favourites, even cow parsley looks cute in a bottle. Dot your finished displays around on the tables….voila a perfectly styled table, surrounding yourself with nature and loveliness sure helps to keep spirits up!!

Have fun, be safe & enjoy your homes this summer!

London Design Week 2020

Design week once again did not disappoint despite all the worry of ‘Corona virus’ and…who knows if it had been just a week later perhaps it would not of gone ahead at all. We were glad that it was able to & that we were a part of it.

If you are interested to hear just a little of what we learnt while we were there then do read on....

First showroom stop on the Interior Designers tour of the harbour-

Sacco...

Founded in 2001 on the principle of producing the highest quality carpets for the world’s leading interior designers and architects. Sacco’s reputation for excellence and quality grew fiercely when they developed Sacco’s Chinese Persian knotted silk collection and South African hand-woven mohair collection, both colored by the famous John Saladino. It was designers like John Saladino, Charlotte Moss and Joe Nahem who caught sight of these collections, earning Sacco a fine reputation for excellent products in high-end residential spaces.

They later moved onto also supplying commercial projects such as to The Breakers hotel in Palm Beach Florida-

Here you can see a rug that was designed and made for the hotel with the dimensions of the rug being 45 metres long by 15 metres wide with no pattern repeat whatsoever. When we spoke with the showroom manager she simply said “there are no limits” 

We can not wait to land a project whereby we can put this to the test!

Next stop…

Espresso Design... “live, cook,sleep”

Espresso Design was founded in 2006, and the first retail showroom opened on St John's Hill, South London in 2008, followed by a branch in Cape Town two years later. There seems to be a British/South African theme running here!

During our visit to the Chelsea harbour showroom the owners of this innovative brand were very happy (& understandably so) to shout about their latest product ‘The dialogue by Miele’.

• Innovative cooking every day in your own home thanks to M Chef

• Improved results in terms of texture and uniformity

• Demanding dishes made easy with Gourmet Assistant and Gourmet Pro

• Multi-stage cooking with M Chef Menu

• Time savings of up to 70 % combined with excellent quality

The revolutionary ‘M Chef’ technology cooks the entire volume of the food from the outset to ensure that it is heated evenly. ... At the same time, the cooking process is monitored and adjusted constantly. This allows you to prepare dishes that wouldn't have been possible before.

A snip at £7,999.00

Saving however our most exciting discovery to last ..…

Andrew Martin...

Who are about to launch their own range of water based paint! We were able to get a sneak peak at the amazing colours that have been created by one of our favourite brands & unsurprisingly, WOW!… is all there is to say, they will retail at £79 & will official launch in May 2020 so watch this space… Shout now if you want your project to be one of the first to use ANDREW MARTIN PAINT we would be only too please to make that happen!

Last but by very means not least…

The best (visually inspiring) showroom award goes to…

‘Style Library’

Here you can see the amazing designs by Emma Shipley designing for Clark & Clarke. Her designs need very little explanation they are simply stunning, quirky and everything that we love at Morris Molloy Interior Design.

Do get in touch if you would like to see what we can create for you. Good design is not always as expensive as you may think! Its bad design that costs the earth! Get in touch with us today - hello@morrismolloyinteriordesign.com

Getting Organised

I can not tell you how excited we are that even though we are still in January (just) it does feel like a glimmer of Spring is in the air.  Each day, aside of the dull and gloomy ones it seems to be staying lighter just that little bit longer and we have even spotted some daffodils popping up in our clients gardens.

As Interior Designers we are huge fans of the Christmas festive period as well as enjoying all of the festivities that Henley has to offer we also had a great time getting peoples homes ready for their families to descend, and now we are enjoying getting homes organised and ready for Spring (a perfect time to re evaluate and get more organised). Let’s face it, Easter will be upon us before we know it and families will descend once more!  

So here are some top tips for getting organised now and being ahead of the game-

Baskets

Use baskets as a quick tidy up/storage solution for anything from outdoor clothing (shoes, gloves, scarves) to dog leads, sports accessories and even torches & spare light bulbs! If it helps then you could even label them to say what is in them or who they belong to. Baskets can be stored on top of cupboards or stylishly placed together in a cluster in a corner of any room or hallway.

Storage BENCH'S

If you have space in the hallway this is an obvious place to position a storage bench useful for taking shoes on and off and for storing larger items as well.

Empty Jars

All of those lovely candles we burnt over the festive period and during the long dark winter nights, the empty jars can now be put to good use (we all keep them but none of us actually know what to do with them), give them a good rinse with warm water to remove any remaining wax and pop pens, crayons or even makeup brushes in them to keep surfaces tidy and clutter free.

Glass display cabinets…

…or glass fronted kitchen cupboards. These are always any interior designers worst nightmare when you walk into a home that has even one that is simply used as a storage cupboard. Despite our best efforts to style them with the most beautiful accessories it is obvious that nine times out of ten they will become a dumping ground once more.  Therefore we suggest screening them off using either fabric covered mdf or even simply lining the glass with wallpaper off cuts. 

Radiator covers

We do love a nice radiator cover, not only do they disguise an otherwise ugly but necessary item in our homes (unless you are lucky enough to have underfloor heating of course). They also act as an additional shelf in any room or entrance hall where you can then display items such as books, vases, photo frames plus store keys, pennies and other small items in a decorative dish for quick and easy access.

They are not as expensive as you might think and we do have our sources so please do get in contact if you would like to us to measure up and source them for you. We will also help you to choose a complimenting paint colour to tie in with the rest of your interiors.

Happy organising!

“A place for everything and everything in its place”

A quote by ‘Samuel Smiles’, ‘Isabella Beeton’ and ‘Benjamin Franklin’.

Summer isn't over yet!...

If you are not heading abroad for your summer holidays this year then read our blog for some serious Summer Styling tips to really make the most of what we have left of this good old British summer. 

Ok, so we are not going to pretend that you will suddenly feel like you are on a Mediterranean holiday or about to have a sun downer on Safari  but a few tweaks here and there and you may feel a little closer to it or at least more enthusiastic about enjoying your staycation at home.

Below we have put together a shortcut guide to summertime style in the home, most of which are pretty intuitive but that's good because you don't have much time so hurry as it will soon be time for our Autumn/Winter styling tips:

 So here goes…

Soft Furnishings

Keep the cosy winter fabrics stored for a little while longer yet and instead use lighter ones, go for linens, bright and bold colours and patterns- Nothing says summer as much as bright summer tones and vibrant patterns. Summer is the perfect time to add some punchy pops of colour to your home.

Use much lighter blankets and throws that can be taken outdoors.  Some people even choose to swap rugs between seasons, there is nothing better than feeling the light and airy feel under your bare feet of something like a rattan or natural jute rug but then swap it in winter for something much more luxurious and carpety! Just changing the soft furnishings can really change the atmosphere in the house.

Botanicals

 Greenery is still everywhere in the world of Interior Design, which is fabulous as house plants including the ever popular succulents really do bring interiors to life.  Don't be too put off by the fear of Killing them they are often easier than you think to look after with succulents only needing watering around once a week.  

Summer Scents

Even in Summer use reed diffusers and candles in the home, carefully select the ones that remind you or holidays such as Seashore by True Grace the scent is described as…‘A bracing walk on the cliff tops and the light-headed feeling of being by the sea’ what more could you wish for?

Another favourite of ours is Coconut Grove by Urban Apothecary ‘ Go island hopping in the Indian Ocean with this memory of sparkling seas, white sands and palms. Coconut Grove gives a shout-out to wanderlust and brings adventure to your mood’ who wouldn't feel better smelling this fragrance inviting you to warmer climes?

Flowers

Saving the most obvious until almost last! Adding flowers throughout the house in summer, particularly ones picked from the garden, not only do they add colour and joy to the house they also add to the summer scent aspect as well. Don't get too hung up on how best to display them as casual displays of flowers around the house is most definitely the way forward.  Try just popping them into a jam jar or even a single stem into your favourite beer bottle.

 We thought we would wrap things up by sharing with you our favourite Summer 2019 cocktail recipe, enjoy it in your beautifully summer styled home-

Gin Pink Fizz:



• 50ml Gordon’s Pink Gin

• 50ml Lemonade

• 25ml Prosecco

• Ice

• Strawberries cut into halves or quarters depending on size (optional)

Fill a large glass with ice, add the gin and the lemonade then top up with the Prosecco and garnish with the strawberries!

Enjoy  x

10 Top Tips for Styling Children’s Spaces

1. Apply wall stickers to add interest to a plain wall, specifically purchased wall decals make bland walls come alive!

2. Personalise with prints- Add fun prints that can be changed as and when your child changes too

3. Blinds- double up with a Blackout Roller Blind (for purpose) and combine with a beautiful Roman Blind to really style it out

4. Frame their own pictures- Use a selection of frames and create a unique piece of wall art- Something you can then cherish for years and move to another room when they no longer want it in theirs #TooCoolForSchool

5. Make tidying easy- Use large pretty lidded baskets, then there really is no excuses for keeping tidy, even when unexpected visitors arrive at short notice

6. Stick with a theme for a cohesive look using wall art, bedding, accessories, rugs. Just be sure not to make it look too twee-Need any help with this?… You know where we are, its our speciality!

7. Soft toy storage idea-Use an empty bean bag, stuff it full of all those soft toys that are cluttering up the place and gathering dust to create multifunctional hidden storage, providing a comfy seat to sit & relax as well as easy access to all those toys when the need arises 💕 #TheStruggleisReal

8. A child’s bedroom needn’t look childish & can go on to last them for several years, it is the ideal place in any home to use bold bright colours so do be brave!

9. A colourful wall paper on a chimney breast or in a little nook creates interest. If you are not feeling quite that brave then simply add colourful painted shelves & try wallpapering inside cupboards

10. Create a special reading corner for your little one using low level shelves, add a comfy bean bag & rug & encourage them to keep books to this area only! #GoodLuck