Three New Houseplants

It wasn't that long ago that I said I wouldn't be buying any more living plants to adorn my house with. I'm afraid I didn't keep my word. I gave in; and I'm so glad I did because the plants look great and thankfully haven't shriveled up just yet.  My new green friends all sneaked into my shopping trolley at the supermarket and are now happily dotted around the house. I really do love seeing a bit of the outdoors inside, they make such a difference. 

My fireplace in the front room is now home to a lovely fern. I've mentioned previously that our living room is rather shady; and fortunately ferns don't mind that too much. 

Our bedroom fireplace is perfect for this little succulent fella. Unfortunately I don't know it's name - it has tiny heart-shaped leaves that grow from long stems and tumble delicately over the edge of the pot. Any guesses? 

And last but not least the bathroom window has a happy little Christmas cactus also known as Schlumbergera. Our cat Bella has taken quite a fancy to it.

Adding a little splash of green to my home has really helped set the tone for summer. How are you prepping your house for the change in season?

Claire x

Home Goals

As well as sharing my general plans for 2015 here, I thought you might be interested to read my plans for our home this New Year. 

Our hallway when it's seen better days (and light!)

Decorate the bathroom: I've mentioned previously how I've been feeling the need to decorate our bathroom and hopefully this will be the year that we get round to it. I want to say goodbye to the current pastel yellow and hello to something crisp and clean. I've been gathering inspiration on Pinterest, if you'd like to take a look.

Touch-up the hallway: I love our hallway. From the dark grey carpet on the stairs, to the light fittings and the radiator covers to the art on the walls. I think it is a great welcome to our home and accurately sets the tone for the rest of our house. However, it's been looking a little bit sad due to wear and tear. I guess that's the trouble with high-traffic areas like hallways. If you're planning on decorating a hallway, then make sure you go for a tough, hard wearing paint. Lecture over ;)

Sand and repaint kitchen cabinets: Our kitchen cabinets are a country-esque cream colour but over time they've become discoloured and cracked in places. They need some TLC. I think we will be able to get away with sanding and repainting them but if not then we might have to look into replacing the doors altogether. This will be a spring/summer job because we will need to do the sanding outdoors. 

Repair kitchen sink: Our kitchen and utility room boast Belfast sinks and I think they look fabulous, but a disaster recently struck one of them. Unfortunately a mystery chip has appeared on the rim of the kitchen sink. I actually nearly fainted* when I spotted it. Thankfully, after a little research I found that there are DIY repair kits, so I shall be giving this a go in the near future. Fingers crossed!

Repaint the outside of the house: We live in a typical Victorian red brick terrace and it's stone masonry is painted an off-white colour. It needs a fresh lick of paint to get rid of flakes, marks and paw prints (thanks, Bella!). This is going to be another warmer weather job. 

Decorate the utility room: The utility room at the back of our kitchen will be the last stronghold of the dreaded pastel yellow. This room requires a very hard wearing paint, as it's the first room we enter after walking our puppy. She is quite often wet and/or muddy so the walls are constantly getting wiped down. I'm yet to feel inspired about how to approach decorating the space so expect lots of new pins on my Pinterest boards in the near future. 

Plant a herb garden: I've already planted some Mint (don't worry gardeners, it's in a container and so won't take over my whole garden) and when the frost stops I'll be adding some Rosemary, Basil and Thyme. The wall baskets are just outside our kitchen door and so will be the perfect spot for us to nip out to when cooking. 

Well, I think that's about everything. Other bits and bobs may creep onto this list over the coming year and we may end up deprioritising some of the above tasks depending on time and money. I'm excited to get stuck in and of course I'll be sharing updates as often as I can. 

What are your decorating plans for the New Year? How do you prioritise what to do first?

Claire x

*slight exaggeration

Bathroom Trials

Our bathroom has not changed one little bit since we moved in. It features pastel-yellow walls and laminate flooring. It has become the itch I want to scratch. 

One aspect that keeps popping up on my Pinterest feed and generally all over the blogosphere is a multitude of beautiful tiled bathroom floors. 

The monochrome look is hugely popular and I would love to rip up our fake wood floor and replace it with something inspired by the below set of images:

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The striking patterns go great with a basic subway tile, another one of my favourite tiles. Basically I want this look, and I want it baaaad. I think this project will have to wait until after Christmas. 

What flooring do you have in your bathroom? 

Claire x

P.S. If you know the source for the above image, please do let me know so that I can update the post, thank you.