The art of decorating your home well is highly sought after.
We are always on the look out for pieces that will make us happy and will create a comfortable and stylish home. But we often struggle to meet the standards that we constantly see in magazines, blogs and shops. More often than not we end up with a mish mash of styles that suit us, but don’t bear any resemblance to the pictures.
Some people seem to have the talent or knack of doing this effortlessly. The interior designers whose homes regularly appear inspire us on the one hand, but also can make us feel foolish and inadequate. It would be lovely if we could all employ these professionals to style our homes but few can afford that luxury.
I try to recreate the kind of style I love and am for ever studying online or in magazines, using vintage or restyled pieces acquired in auctions, charity and vintage shops, or on online marketplaces. I love to take photos of the kind of style that appeals to me and then try to reuse or restyle found pieces to design my own décor schemes.
Using vintage or restyled pieces in our homes produces an interesting and sustainable look which will be personal and unique to you. And of course they can be a lot less expensive than buying new.
BK Inspiration Blog posts will feature items and displays that inspire me in creating my sort of vintage style.
Here are a few- see if they might inspire you too!
Saw this sofa in my local fancy interiors shop - so I created this one. I bought the Marks and Spencer sofa from Gumtree for £35 and recovered it using Ikea grey velvet curtains. A lot cheaper than the shop one!
I saw this lovely footstool in Sofa Workshop at £599 - so I made this one from an old wardrobe base at a fraction of the cost.
This collection of old deed boxes were in my local auction - I cleaned one up and used it for a plant on my fireplace in the summer. I wonder who Miss Ball and Rev Jas Knowles were?
And what did they keep in their boxes!
This magnificent grey dresser was in a fab antique shop in the west of Ireland at 1500 euro - mine was acquired from a friend who was downsizing and getting rid of it. It was in pretty poor condition but after some time in Mr BK's shed it emerged like this and now sits in my study housing my cutlery and vase collections.
Drinks cabinet made from an old tallboy, inspired by an article in my favourite magazine Reclaim @reclaimmag. Article by Nicky Cash @doneupnorth
Here are some of my other creations, inspired by things I've seen in magazines or shops.
Green velvet sofa on its way to the dump, recovered with two sets of vintage curtains from a charity shop
Open shelving in my kitchen, with vintage storage jars and greenery
Table made from bits being thrown out locally, and old school chairs reupholstered with lovely tropical and velvet fabrics. These kept me really busy during first lockdown!
Distressed frames from bits of skirting board and architrave
Trendy mustard cushion from a £2 scarf in charity shop
Keep an eye out for stories about BK restyling projects in our RRR blog posts, to see how you can use old things to create sustainable vintage style.
Comments