Remember a few weekends ago when I visited Home Barn? Well, despite winter deciding to come back in full (gail!)force on Monday – the wind was biting and snow was gently falling – I decided to venture back out to Home Barn, this time with my pals Igor and Caroline joining me for the antiques adventure. When you enter Home Barn there’s a real sense of excitement as you have no idea what you are about to find; a feeling only accentuated by the softly falling snow that managed to fall through the gaps in the barn’s roof. The barn itself is of lofty proportions, with wooden beams so wonky they might as well call them The Definition of Character! Swooping drapes accentuate the height and create an almost theatrical feel to the space, within which I discovered an eclectic mix of vintage furniture and accessories across industrial, reclaimed, antique and modern themes. The owners, Sarah and Sally, regularly change up the assortment of products and finds on offer, cleverly weaving modern day trends through the myriad of vintage pieces. This is most notable with the fluro accents seen across both furniture and accessories throughout the barn. I may have left HomeBarn with a cold nose but I was fizzing with creative ideas for my home – have you ever had a magical antiques experience?
// Photography by Will Taylor
Thank you all so much for the warm hearted and generous words of congratulations about the Bright.Bazaar book – your support and encouraging comments were much appreciated as I head into this daunting (but ever so exciting) new chapter. Having been lucky enough to travel to Cologne/Dusseldorf, Paris and Stockholm during January, I’m relishing the opportunity to spend this weekend at home; my fiancé and I will be attempting to make croissants and pain au chocolat from scratch for the very first time (we’re gonna need all the luck we can get!). Before I head off to kick up my feet I wanted to share these snaps of the Scandic Grand Central Hotel in Stockholm where I stayed on my recent visit. The hotel is located in a building that dates back to 1885 and while the lobby offers an indulgent mix of rich colour, the corridors remain monochromatic with typographical quotes adorning occasional walls – a feature that runs through to the artwork in the rooms themselves. As well a the lobby, I loved the cosy, industrial meets Moroccan chic bar area; those floor tiles are heavenly and I couldn’t resist a cheeky Instagram shot of them during my stay! Talking of Instagram shots, it was so fun to hang out with both new and old blogging friends after my keynote speech, like Jeanette, Arianna and Ilaria, amongst many others. The Scandic Grand Central Hotel Stockholm was one of the best hotels I’ve stayed in for a long time; do you have any great hotels to recommend, friends?
// Photography by Bright.Bazaar Instagram, Scandic Grand Central Hotel, Idalifestyle & Arianna Interiors
The Conran Shop always have such creative and inspiring window displays; it's often the simplicity in their approach that makes them so creatively inspiring. Their current window displays are a feast of colour (que yelps of delight from Mr. Bazaar!) thanks to an abundance of paper decorations hanging from the ceiling. Stylish gifts have been placed upon hot-hued plinths and around larger presents like scooters. There's a huge Christmas tree at the centre of it all with mini paper bell decorations and brightly wrapped presents beneath it. All in all it's pretty wonderful! So, you can imagine my delight when the brand invited me to curate my Top 10 Gifts for 2012. Which, of course, is packed full of colour. I definitely have my eye on the yellow O Clock watch and the Atelier Ruby Silk scarf, but which gift would you buy for the colour lover in your life? Click here to see all my gift picks.
// Photography by Will Taylor & The Conran Shop
