bathroom, bedroom, budget design, color, dining room, DIY, inspiration, kitchen, lighting, living room, my projects, presentations, property development

Mission: complete / Misja: zakonczona

So, we’re finally back from Poland. I know, I said I’d be sharing pictures as we go along but things were changing so quickly, and we were literally working 24 hours a day… so instead, let me just share with you the video I’ve just created, I hope you’ll like it 🙂

A few details:
– I have managed to stick to my motto (design on any budget!) and have not spent a fortune on the flat!
– bedrooms are still unfurnished – we’ll see who will rent the flat and furnish according to requirements
– we had to compromise a few times – mostly due to funds, or lack of time. E.g. when we get to live there, I’ll change the window treatments, buy a proper coffee table etc. But things I cared most about are all there – my beautiful white high gloss kitchen, Indian-marble mosaic in the bathroom, and three built-in wardrobes… for all my shoes and bags!

More info and detailed photos will follow soon. All comments welcome.

——————-
Nareszcie wrocilismy z Polski. Tak wiem, mowilam ze bede sie dzielic zdjeciami w trakcie pracy, ale wszystko tak szybko sie zmienialo, a my pracowalismy doslownie 24h na dobe… dlatego w zamian, pozwole sobie podzielic sie z wami tym filmikiem ktory wlasnie stworzylam, mam nadzieje ze sie spodoba 🙂

Kilka szczegolow:
– udalo mi sie podtrzymac moje motto (dezajn nie musi byc drogi!) i nie wydac na mieszkanie fortuny!
– sypialnie poki co nieumeblowane – zobaczymy jakie zyczenia bedzie mial wynajmujacy
– kilka razy musilismy pojsc na kompromis – glownie z powodu kosztow, lub po prostu braku czasu. Kiedy my sie tam wprowadzimy, na pewno kilka rzeczy bedzie do zmiany, kupimy porzadny stolik kawowy, dodamy troche wiecej koloru, zmienimy wystroj okien. Ale to na czym mi najbardziej zalezalo – jest 🙂 Moja piekna biala kuchnia na wysoki polysk, mozaika z indyjskiego marmuru, i trzy garderoby… na wszystkie moje buty i torebki!

Wiecej informacji i zdjec detali wkrotce. Wszystkie komentarze mile widziane.

accessories, art in interiors, lighting, presentations

Mounted deer head / Jelen na scianie

Don’t you find it fascinating how trends you were sure were so tragic you won’t see them again come back – and in such a victorious fashion? 🙂
So, will you let the deer into your living rooms?

Gold deer head sculpture from miaderoca
Gold deer head sculpture from miaderoca
Old deer by Eskimo
Old deer by Eskimo
Lucite Deer Head from Patrick Baglino
Lucite Deer Head from Patrick Baglino
SNOW WHITE - Hand Knit Scandinavian Buck Deer Stag from Attiladesign
SNOW WHITE - Hand Knit Scandinavian Buck Deer Stag from Attiladesign
Faux trophies from Thisnext
Faux trophies from Thisnext

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Czyz to nie fascynujace jak trendy ktore uznalismy za tak tragiczne ze bylismy pewni iz nie wroca – robia zwycieski come back? 🙂
Czy poroza wroca na Wasze salony?

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bedroom, budget decorating, furniture, home office, lighting, presentations

Habitat on a budget / Habitat taniej

I’ve spent yesterday strolling around Regent Street and Oxford Street here in London – not really to buy anything but to have a look around, see new collections etc. I found a few nice wallpapers and fabrics in House of Fraser and ordered free samples (I might use it with my next assignment, part of which is to create a sample board). In Zara Home, nothing show-stopping this time.

…and then I went into Habitat and remembered why I love this shop so much 🙂 Seriously, I could live in one of their displays and would happily get anything from that place so if you are looking for a present for me, don’t hesitate anymore! :))

Ok, so here are some of the finds from this trip – and all of them under £100 – most of them well under!

First some lamps.

  • First – two lamps presenting the super-hot industrial design; both will add sharpness to the home office, living room or minimalist bedroom:

Tommy - Desk lamp from Habitat
Tommy - Desk lamp from Habitat

Photographic - Tripod floor legs & shade from Habitat
Photographic - Tripod floor legs & shade from Habitat

  • How fresh is that! Simple yet delivers the style. Look out for tealight holder of the same design. The lamp below boasts similar take on the shape.

Ribbon - Desk lamp from Habitat
Ribbon - Desk lamp from Habitat

Juno - Desk lamp from Habitat
Juno - Desk lamp from Habitat

  • Did I say the lamps above were simple? Well… simple that! Perfect for complementing geometric wallpapers.
Jazmine - Desk lamp from Habitat
Jazmine - Desk lamp from Habitat
  • So that no one thinks Habitat is too serious, this cute flower lamp will be great for a funky take on romanticism:
Helena - Flower table-wall lamp from Habitat
Helena - Flower table-wall lamp from Habitat
  • (no description required for Boontje’s design, is there?)
Garland - Pendant shade by Tord Boontje from Habitat
Garland - Pendant shade by Tord Boontje from Habitat
  • Do candleholders count as lamps? Well, they definitely count as light sources, which works for me. Check out this stylized object which is 1m high!
Bailey - Large nickel plated candleholder from Habitat
Bailey - Large nickel plated candleholder from Habitat

…And you won’t believe what they’ve done at the shop – they used around 20 of those candleholders in transparent glass, put LED lightbulbs in them and hung them upside-down from the ceiling at various heights, forming a very dramatic take on the bubble lamps we just discussed. What a view – shame I didn’t have my camera!

  • Finally, Klara was just fun to move its arms around in various angles 🙂
Klara - Dinner candleholder from Habitat
Klara - Dinner candleholder from Habitat

And now to coffee and side tables.

  • I love love love, for the obvious reasons of lightness, versatility and adaptability to small spaces – and price! £69.
Tablo - Nest of 3 tables from Habitat
Tablo - Nest of 3 tables from Habitat
  • More expensive but very original – the Shuffle:
Shuffle - Low occasional table from Habitat
Shuffle - Low occasional table from Habitat
  • How pretty is that! The intricate ornaments will work perfectly with next year’s trends for artisanry:
Palonia - Decorative cube from Habitat
Palonia - Decorative cube from Habitat
  • I do love multifunctional items 🙂 This cube is not only a table, it is also a lightbox 🙂
Mr Woo - Light box-table from Habitat
Mr Woo - Light box-table from Habitat

How can one not love Habitat?

——
Chodzilam sobie wczoraj po Regent Street i Oxford Street, zbierajac probki tapet i materialow do mojego kolejnego zadania i rozgladajac sie za nowymi kolekcjami. Weszlam do Habitat… i od razu przypomnialam sobie dlaczego kocham ten sklep! Normalnie moglabym w nim zamieszkac, a jezeli ktos szuka dla mnie prezentu, to dylemat rozwiazany 🙂

Powyzej przedstawiam wczorajsze znaleziska w dwoch kategoriach – oswietlenie i stoliki. Zgodnie z moja idea ‘organiczonego budzetu’, wszystko, co pokazuje powyzej kosztuje do 100 funtow, a wiele z nich nawet sporo mniej.

Kilka typow? Industrialne klimaty zaprezentowane przez pierwsze lampy i stoliki; minimalistyczny ale bardzo kreatywny design w postaci kolejnych ‘skreconych’ lampek; wariacje na temat romantyzmu w kwiatowych swiatlach i drewnianym azurowym stoliku; niebanalny pomysl w szescianie Mr Woo bedacym i stolikiem, i swiatlem (swieci od wewnatrz), no i moj niesmiertelny Namber Lan – czyli zestaw trzech stolikow, za ich elastycznosc i lekkosc.


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accessories, budget decorating, budget design, inspiration, lighting, presentations

Bubble lamp / Lampa ‘babelkowa’

I have always loved bubble lamps. They look so light, airy and magical – an absolute stunner in any space. The bubbles can be perfectly round, and the arrangement geometrically perfect, as here:

Round glass bubble chandelier
Round glass bubble chandelier
Next - bubble glass flush wall light
Next - bubble glass flush wall light

…or it can have slightly uneven bubbles and be more messy in arrangements, which makes them all the more natural-looking:

Glass bubble long chandelier
Glass bubble long chandelier
Bubble - metal table lamp (Tischleuchte) from Impressionen
Bubble - metal table lamp (Tischleuchte) from Impressionen
Glass bubble lamp
Glass bubble lamp

So imagine my excitement when I went to this Homebase-style shop in Poland and found this gorgeous chandelier:

My bubble ceiling light
My bubble ceiling light
My bubble ceiling light
My bubble ceiling light

I loved it, I checked the price, I could not believe it, I confirmed it with a shop assistant (as surprised as I was), and I bought it! Look how stunning it looks in this arrangement from a designer house:

Boston Concept Home 2009 from Apartment Therapy
Boston Concept Home 2009 from Apartment Therapy
Boston Concept Home 2009 from Apartment Therapy
Boston Concept Home 2009 from Apartment Therapy

Since it’s pretty long (80cm) and will probably end up over our bed.

Or the coffee table in the living room.

Or the dining table.

… no, I’m definitely not one of those who never change plans for their interiors.

—————–

Od dawna uwielbialam ‘babelkowe’ lampy. Te regularne, jak z dwoch pierwszych zdjec – ale jeszcze bardziej te z ‘niedoskonalymi’ kulkami wzmacniajacymi efekt recznego wykonania, do tego nierownomiernie rozlozone na plafonie z halogenami.
I, o niebiosa, znalazlam taka lampe w sklepie budowlanym – i to w takiej cenie ze musialam oczy przecierac, po czym szybciutko zlapalam za fraki pania sklepikarke ktora musiala sie wspiac na wieeeeelka drabine po moja lampe – no i jest 🙂 Zobaczcie jak pieknie wyglada w Domu Koncepcyjnym 2009 przedstawionym na Apartment Therapy!


Z powodu rozmiarow (az 80cm dlugosci) zawisnie pewnie nad lozkiem.
Albo nad stolikiem kawowym w salonie.
Lub tez nad stolem jadalnym.


…nie, zdecydowanie nie jestem jedna z tych osob ktore nigdy nie zmieniaja planow wystroju swojego wnetrza.


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accessories, budget decorating, budget design, furniture, home office, inspiration, lighting, presentations

Shop finds / Znaleziska sklepowe

Further to my post about vintage, second-hand finds a few days ago, let me share with you what I found in shops on my Polish trip. You know I love a budget find – and all that’s featured below comes from high-street retailers.

One of the super-hot designs of this season – cross-legged side table. I’ve seen it on cover of the new John Lewis catalogue, of the Dream Bathrooms (from Homes & Gardens) too, and inside many recent magazines! I find it so light and delicate – it can visually lift up any sofa it stands next to, and add elegance and subtleness to the bedroom when used instead of heavy bedside tables:

Cross-legged round black glass side / coffee table
Cross-legged round black glass side / coffee table

Funky retro lamps – white & black – absolutely spot-on for now and for such a good price!  Found in the local equivalent to Homebase and consting from £30 for a table lamp, through to £60 for the floor lamp.

Retro eye-ball desk / table lamp
Retro eye-ball desk / table lamp
Retro eye-ball arch floor lamp
Retro eye-ball arch floor lamp

The huge wall light from the series is the truly fabulous – it has this designer feel to it which makes it a great statement piece, and it’s so versatile due to the long arched arm – one moment it can be used over a table, another – give you the reading light over the sofa…

Retro eye-ball wall lamp with long swing arm
Retro eye-ball wall lamp with long swing arm

Another (bargain!) table lamp replicating the eye-ball shape, working well with minimalist, retro and modern interiors:

Eye-ball glass table lamp
Eye-ball glass table lamp

Is it only me or does this lamp look like it was made from a jar? 🙂

Funky jar ceiling light
Funky jar ceiling light

And now – inspired by nature and thus timeless, but fun at the same time, the ‘twigs’ lamp:

Night / table lamp made from twigs
Night / table lamp made from twigs

Loads of such ‘wavy plastic‘ designs around, both on high street and at designers, and yet few of them cost £10…

White retro plastic floor lamp
White retro plastic floor lamp

This gorgeous glamour, delicate ceiling lamp with crystals-and-sheer-white-glittery shade will most probably find its place in the yellow bedroom. Under £30.

Glamour white ceiling lamp with crystals
Glamour white ceiling lamp with crystals

Now to some coffee tables.

This one intrigued me with its lovely visible wood design (check out both the general pattern and the 3 tiles in the middle of the top), its practicality (huge drawers) and its lightness achieved thanks to slim metal legs (this photo does not show off the lifting effect too well). Price: ca. £200.

Wooden chunky coffee table with drawers
Wooden chunky coffee table with drawers

This one I love for its functionality and versatility – not only in size and shape but also colour and finish. I adore such items for their aplicability to small spaces, when you need something smaller for everyday, but need space when entertaining guests.

Adjustable coffee table - 3 elements
Adjustable coffee table - 3 elements
Adjustable coffee table - 3 elements
Adjustable coffee table - 3 elements

This one is pretty simple, not from best materials either, but interesting enough to have cought my eye… and I had to give it a second look when I saw the price – for £80 you can buy it for a few years or for your rented flat without guilt!

3-tier coffee table
3-tier coffee table

Sleek, linear design makes this chair a great addition to a sharp, elegant home office:

Sleek elegant wood, metal and leather office chair
Sleek elegant wood, metal and leather office chair

And finally – what lovely fabric! Believe, when I cast my eye on the same sofa in cream alcantara, I haven’t blinked twice. But this is an example of how the choice of fabric can dramatically influence the look, instantly making it a fashionable statement for the bachelor’s pad.

Silver shimmery L-shaped sofa for a bachelor pad
Silver shimmery L-shaped sofa for a bachelor pad

…believe it or not but this is not all I want to share with you from my trip – there will still be one more buy, and a DIY project we’ve completed in our flat back home.

——-

Tak jak obiecalam, po znaleziskach ‘z drugiej reki’ – czas na to co znalazlam w polskich sklepach podczas mojej ostatniej wizyty. A bylo tego sporo i naprawde pozytywnie mnie to zaskoczylo – a zgodnie z moim motto, szukalam jedynie produktow w dobrych cenach!

Znalazlam wiele pieknych dizajnerskich lamp – niektore retro; najciekawsza z nich to ‘kinkiet’ z biala kula na bardzo dlugim ramieniu dzieki czemu moze oswietlac dwie strefy – no ale zyrandol ze sloika nie odbiega oryginalnoscia!. Inne inspirowane natura i dzieki temu ponadczasowe (bardzo ciekawa lampka nocna z galazek drzewa), a takze lampa podlogowa z falujacych kawalkow plastiku, bardzo modna w tej chwili – a jeszcze za taka cene?! No i piekny delikatny glamour w postaci krysztalkowego zyrandola z przeswitujacym abazurem, ktory, cos tak czuje, znajdzie swoje miejsce w zoltej sypialni.

Dalej – stoliki kawowe. Piekny wzor slojow przyciagnal moj wzrok do pierwszego mebla, ale tak samo interesujace sa w nim dwie niezwykle pojemne szuflady i metalowe nozki dodajace stolowi lekkosci. Potem trafilam na kilka stolikow ‘warstwowych’, interesujacych tym bardziej im wiecej mozliwosci ustawienia daja (idealne do malych pomieszczen!). No i moje ulubione ostatnio – stoliki ze skrzyzowanymi nozkami, ktore nadaja niezwyklej lekkosci kazdej sofie przy ktorej stoja, oraz elegancji i delikatnosci sypialniom, gdzie zastepuja ciezkie stoliki nocne.

No i jeszcze dwa ciekawe meble do siedzenia – przepiekny, elegancki i prosty w formie fotel laczacy drewno, metal i skore doda szyku kazdemu gabinetowi, a kanapa z niezwyklym lekko blyszczacym szarym obiciem bedzie wygladac pieknie w kawalerskim mieszkaniu modnego mezczyzny – idealny przyklad jak duzo zmienia material, gdyz ten sam model widzialam moment wczesniej w bezowym obiciu z alcantary… wystarczy powiedziec ze nie spojrzalam na niego drugi raz, a ta wersja az wyprosila zdjecie.

…ale ale, to nie koniec relacji z tej podrozy – podziele sie jeszcze z Wami kolejnym zakupem i projektem zrob-to-sam ktory popelnilismy z mezem w naszym polskim mieszkaniu!


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bedroom, furniture, kitchen, lighting

New season in IKEA Part 2

OK – so I’m finally back from my day of window-shopping (well, not exactly – I actually bought some side plates, two books on design and color, and hand cream!). First, let me share with you the furniture side of my IKEA findings.

– a space-saving solution for small kitchens. Also, table top is bought separately so one can get a bigger one if space permits:

Ikea Billsta table and Sebastian bar stools
Ikea Billsta table and Sebastian bar stools

– one of the more stylish double desks I have seen on the high street (and it is not easy to find a desk for two…)

Ikea BESTA BURS double desk
Ikea BESTA BURS double desk

– an interesting dining table ‘for surfers’ as my husband called it :). Not sure what the name is though…

Ikea oval dining table
Ikea oval dining table

– …and that’s how the Bernhard chair looks in reality – was very comfy as well!

Ikea Bernhard leather chair
Ikea Bernhard leather chair

– nice idea for kitchen fronts – in wide-and-glossy units-dominated kitchens, this vertical beech set provides a welcome change:

Ikea Solar kitchen units
Ikea Solar kitchen units

– Now the tricky part – what the hell is this wallpaper / material on the wall? I thought I’ll find it in the online catalogue but there are no matches to ‘wallpaper’ and I am pretty sure it is one, as it reflected light when photographed with flash. Really pretty French country style, with roses and birds… anyone knows?? I attach a magnified view of the design as well. HELP! I see it in my mother’s bedroom and I need it desperately and why oh why have I not asked anyone of the staff?!

Ikea wallpaper / fabric?
Ikea wallpaper / fabric?
Ikea wallpaper closer look
Ikea wallpaper closer look

– …and finally to lamps / shades. I have chosen three of the new designs that seemed most interesting:

Ikea Knubbig table lamp
Ikea Knubbig table lamp
Ikea Tallvik table lamp
Ikea Tallvik table lamp
Ikea Klavsta lamp shade
Ikea Klavsta lamp shade

That’s it for now. To follow – some nice fabrics I found, as well as a few finds from another shop 🙂

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