print on demand

So you know how I'm always going on about alternatives to wallpaper and how big canvases are a great way to get colour/pattern/art on your walls? How about ordering one (or more!) from a museum shop? A lot of museums have a print on demand feature on their online retail outlets allowing you to choose from hundreds of image options in different sizes and finishes. The perfect way to find exactly what you want to adorn your walls. I'm recommending canvas prints because they are lightweight (and therefore easier to hang) and cost effective in large sizes, whereas the cost of framing large prints can be eye-watering. Sure, you can buy cheaper canvases elsewhere, but buying from a museum supports the work they do and you get some amazing choice, what could be better?

Here's my pick of the best along with a guide to who does what:

1. The British Museum - Best for prints and drawings. Canvasses are not available in all sizes and price ranges as it depends on the image chosen, but range from £50 for 50x 35cms cms up tp £115 for 100x 69cms. This print is Ohisa of the Takashima tea-shop by Kitagawa Utamaro.

2. The V&A - Best for pattern. Although they have a huge amount more on offer, if you're looking for pattern, this is your museum. Whether you want classic Arts & Crafts or a 50s abstract pattern the choice is huge. Canvases in 4 sizes from £75 (50cms) to £225 (125cms) This pattern is Furnishing Fabric by John Drummond.

3. The Fitzwilliam Museum - Best for Victorian, Tudor & Georgian paintings. Canvasses in 4 sizes from £25 (40x26cms) to £75 (100x65cms) This image is White Cup & Saucer by Fantin-Letour.

4. Birmingham Museums & Galleries - Best for Old Masters & Pre-Raphaelites (but I couldn't resist this beautiful William Morris fabric design) Canvasses in 4 sizes from £75 (50cms0 to £225 (125cms) This image is Printed Fabric Design - Tulip & Willow by William Morris.

5. Natural History Museum - Best for nature, from botanical drawings to abstract landscapes and photographs of amazing animals. Canvases in 4 sizes from £40 (27x40cms) to £80 (67x100cms)This print is Chachalascape by Gregory Basco.

6. The British Library - Best for maps, manuscripts, drawings & religious iconography. Canvas prints in 4 sizes from £45 (40x32cms) to £90 (100x80cms) This image is 'The Cittie of London' by an anonymous draftsman.

7. The National Museum of Wales - Best for British landscapes and portraits. Canvasses in 3 sizes from £45 (30x40cms) to £65 (50x70cms) This image is The Little Interior by Gwen John.

8. Tate - Best for modern paintings (although they have lots of classics too!) you can select from the permanent collection or temporary exhibitons, although canvas is not always an option for these. Canvasses in 4 sizes from £65 (30x40cms) to £125 (84x100) This image is Azalea Garden: May 1956 by Patrick Heron.

9. Ashmolean Museum - Best for Eastern Art (although the choice is huge!) Canvasses in 4 sizes from £55 (40x30cms) to £100 (100x75cms) This image Grylle of a deer like animal.

10. The National Gallery - Best for classic paintings, from renaissance masters to the impressionists and perfect for landscapes, still lives and portraits. Canvases available in 3 sizes from £35 (40x31cms) to £130 (100x78) This image is Lake Keitele by Akseli Gallen-Kallela

With up to 2000 images available as canvases per museum, there really is something for every taste and budget here. The fairly lightweight nature of these canvasses means hanging is easy, either using brass picture hooks (which leave only tiny holes) or with Command Picture Hanging Hooks, for an easy, removable hanging option.

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love your home

I've been inspired to write this weeks post by an overheard conversation. It was between two girls on the train and went something like this:

"How's your new place?"

"Yeah, it's really nice...quite big really, almost perfect"

"Almost?"

"I hate the colour of the living room"

"Won't they let you paint it?"

"Yeah, but they said they won't do it or pay for it because it's just been done"

"But you could do it?"

"Yeah but why should I pay for it? It's not my flat"

It got me thinking about thinking about how people who rent feel about their homes, after also hearing about about someone else who has moved to London for work, rents during the week and goes home to their owned home at the weekend. This person has apparently never even unpacked and doesn't like being away from 'home'. I guess I find it surprising that people don't make the effort with the places they live if they don't own them and that some people won't even consider spending a small amount of money or time on improving the place they live. 

Print £20 from Lovely Cuppa at Not On The High Street

I did a quick calculation. Two tins of a DIY stores  own brand paint is about £37.98. Divide that by 365 days (a minimum term contract if you don't utilize the break clause) and it equates to about 10 pence per day. 10 pence per day and a couple of hours effort was all that stood between that girl and her perfect flat. If the guy unpacked and had a few home comforts, maybe working away from home wouldn't feel so bad? I guess what I'm trying to say is that even if you don't own, it doesn't take much to make a house a home. I'm not suggesting making major improvements, that wouldn't make financial sense, but small changes are a small price to pay for creating somewhere you're happy to come home to at the end of the day, surely? 

I believe that having a home you're happy in makes the world of difference to you life. Waking up and coming home to a place that is anything less that what you want can be soul destroying. Whatever your situation, your style or your budget by doing a few simple things you can create your sanctuary.

Lavish some time on it:
A bit of cleaning and tidying is the cheapest, simplest way to transform your space. Start with one room, one corner or even one shelf if you feel overwhelmed just thinking about this task. Setting aside as little as 15 minutes a day to attend to cleaning and tidying will make a huge difference.

Fix it:
Tired or broken fixtures drag the look of your home down. Make running repairs, throw out or recycle broken things and make plans to tackle larger projects or resolve to take them up with your letting agent or landlord. Weed the garden if you have one. Care for communal areas, pick up the junk mail and recycle it.

Decorate it:
Paint a wall (if you can) or look at other ways of 'decorating'. Buy some curtains, a duvet cover or some cushions to add colour or pattern. Have a couple of plants, buy flowers occasionally, put up some artwork that you like to look at and display a few treasured possessions, make your home a feast for the eyes (and therefore the mind!) make it an inspiring place to be in. Don't worry too much if you're not confident about it will look,  you can always change it and anyway, the only goal is that you like it and it makes you happy. 

Show it off: 
Invite friends and family over for a simple meal or a drink or even for popcorn and a movie. Nothing makes a house come alive like company and there's no greater incentive to get those niggling jobs done that the thought of people coming over!

Love it:
You can only do the best you can with what you've got, the rest is all in the mind. If you don't love your home, take a few moments to think about why, can you change what you don't like? If you can't, change your attitude towards it. If you hate the colour of your walls and can't change it, look at ways to work with it. Your place might not be perfect (very few are!) but it's yours, maybe not forever, but for now. Make the most of it.

Being happy at home is so essential so spend some time assessing your home & your happiness there and resolve to make it the best it can be for you.

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weekend craft - patterned canvas

I've mentioned this before, but a great way to get some color and/or pattern on to your walls is to use fabric stretched over canvas. Easy to do and reasonably cheap it makes for a great weekend project. So, inspired by the latest fabric available from the V&A Shop, and continuing my crafty weekend,  I've given it a go using a bright abstract print that I thought would translate well to an art-like piece. Of course you can choose whatever colour or pattern you like! For £3.75 you can get a fat quarter which is the perfect size for covering a 40x40cm canvas frame. You can buy three of them for a mere £19.99 from Hobbycraft. I like the ones with the deep edges, I just think they are much more striking. If you fancy a larger piece of canvas, all the fabric can also be purchased for £11.50 by the metre. I think it's a great way to use these fantastic patterns from the V&A archive, even if, like me, you can't sew to save your life!

So here goes with step by step instructions! First up, you will need:

1 40 x 40 cm box canvas

1 piece of fabric (fat quarter)

Iron

Drawing pins

Hammer

1. You'll need to iron your fabric to get the fold out. I ironed on the reverse, just to be on the safe side.

2. Next, on a flat surface like a table, place your fabric right side down and centre your canvas on it.

3. Pull the centre of each side of the fabric tight and push a drawing pin into the frame, but only about half way. The wood on the frames is quite soft so it's easy to push in. If you only push the pins halfway though, it makes it easy to adjust them later on if you need to.

 

4. Fold the corners round the edge of the frame like you're wrapping a present, pulling as tight as you can so the fold stays flat. Pin into place.

5. Finally, make sure the fabric is pulled tight all the way round and adjust by removing pins and re-pinning if needed, before hammering the pins home.

You can hang your finished canvas on it's own, or in a group. It's very light so these can be hung with brass picture hooks, or command hooks if you don't want to hammer into your walls.

If wall hanging isn't an option at all, your canvas will look just as lovely propped up on a dresser or shelf.

From start to finish the whole project should only take you about 40 minutes and for a total of just over £30 you can have some great patterns to adorn your rented home, no wallpapering required. Have a look at the whole range of fabric here and be inspired!

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weekend craft - no-sew cushion cover

The V&A Shop have just launched a new range of fabrics inspired by the V&As archive and produced by Westminster Fibers. The fabrics are available by the metre or in handy single packs of 'fat quarters' (a quilting term) They really are beautiful and I wanted to use them in some way, but I don't sew. Casting aside painful memories of failing a home-ec patchwork cushion project when I was 12 (it was in late 80's grey & pink to match my bedroom... it fell apart even as I was finishing it) I made this a 'no-sew' project. I wanted to prove that you can make the most of beautiful fabrics even if you don't have a sewing machine and are no friend of needle and thread.

What you will need:

16" square cushion pad
2 x fat quarters
About 170 inches of wonder web
Tape measure
Scissors
Iron
Damp cloth

1. Start by ironing both fat quarters on the reverse to get out the creases from the packaging. I chose two pieces of fabric in the same palette, with the pattern on one repeated in the other.

2. To join the two pieces together, turn over a half inch piece of one fabric and iron flat. I find this helps to line up the wonder web. Place a length of wonder web on the right side of the fabric. Place the second piece of fabric on top and iron over a damp cloth to bond.

If you have a decent steam iron you may not need to use the damp cloth as well, I just find it binds easier using the cloth combined. The join should look like this. Just iron it flat when it's bonded.

 This is the same join, right side up:

3. Next, hem the short sides. I turned the hem and ironed it flat before turning again and ironing again. Then I sandwiched the wonder web between the folds to give a neat edge. Once the short sides are done, repeat with one of the long sides. Before you hem the last side, you're going to need to trim it a little. I cut it to 18 inches so that when the other side is hemmed the finished width is just over 16 inches (the size of the cushion pad)

If you're using a different size pad, this is how you measure, from seam to seam.

At this point extra 'help' may be offered, this is one of my tabbies, Tjia, making sure I'm doing the measuring right!

4. Once you've trimmed the fabric to size hem the last side and re-press all the corners to flatten them.

5. Once you have hemmed the whole piece of fabric fold one side over, about 3/4 of the way up and fold the opposite side over the top. I measured to make sure the fabric was square at about 16.5 inches.

6. Now to put the whole thing together. I found it easier to cut a 2 inch piece of wonder web and bind the small overlap first.

 

7. Next, I cut a piece of wonder web the length of the cushion to bind the whole side length together. Repeat both steps on the other side, leaving and opening across the middle.

8. Once the fabric has cooled, check the seams are secure. I found I needed to re-press in some places, especially the corners. When you're happy with the cover, carefully turn it inside out and push out the corners. It's now ready for the cushion pad to be inserted. 

This is the cushion 'right side out' looking rather good against crisp white sheets.

This is the reverse of the cushion. The envelope closing is quite snug so it looks just as good from the 'back'. I'm keeping on my reading chair I think, with the Peacock fabric as the predominant pattern.

The fabric I used was Peacock in tan & Tree Buds in tan but as the fabrics are all grouped in one of five palettes, it's easy to choose two that go together well. If you don't want a two-fabric finish, use a metre of fabric cut to size and hemmed. You could also fold the fabric at a different point before bonding the long sides together so that the top of the envelope closure is right at the top of the pad, meaning each side only shows one pattern. See the full range of fabrics here and to see more projects and ideas, check out the V&A Shop Facebook Page.

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nbtr on Instagram

I have to confess, some weeks it's just impossible to find the time to blog... this week was one of those weeks. However, it doesn't mean I'm not thinking about and being inspired by all sorts of things. This week, aside from housing issues (more on that in a forthcoming post) I've been thinking about how else to share that inspiration, along with tips and advice I've picked up. So, to begin, I've started up a nothin' but the rent Instagram account, not only because I find other people on there inspiring, but also to share things that I've seen that don't warrant a big ol' blog post of their own. I want to challenge myself here so all the images will be mine and I'm aiming to share bits of my own home as well as styling, which I want to do a lot more of. If you're on Instagram, come find me! I only have a few images up so far but there will be plenty more to come...

In addition, I also started a dedicated Pinterest page for all those things I like and find useful that aren't my own work and I've been neglecting it of late... so, as of today that will be updated more regularly. It only takes me a few minutes and there are so many ideas and tips out there that can be adapted to renting that it seems a shame to not be utilizing more regularly.

Don't forget you can also follow me on Twitter especially if you're interested in housing issues:

And of course on Facebook:

By being able to update snippets on these platforms throughout the week, I hope to keep you all inspired and updated on a more regular basis both between blog posts and on weeks where there isn't a full post. Get in touch and say hello, I'm interested to share ideas and hear what you think!

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April inspiration

It's that time of year when all the blogs and magazines run a 'Spring Special' mainly full of bright greens and fresh yellows to get us in the mood for lighter days and warmer weather. While I do find these inspiring, green and yellow really aren't my colours and so those of us who want more than white on white (the other overriding theme at the moment) but don't want bright colours either, may be left wanting. As those of you who read this blog (and indeed know me in the real world) will know, I'm not a fan of colour. It scares me to be honest. I don't wear it and I don't have it in my home. However, since reading Abigail Ahern's book (see my last post) all I can think about is painting a wall in a dark inky blue but I guess the thought first entered my head when I got a mail out from Farrow & Ball featuring this seasons new colour combinations. 

I can safely say it's been well over 10 years since I had anything on my walls that wasn't black, grey, beige or white so this is all a bit of surprise for me but I plan on painting one of the living rooms walls in the gorgeous Hague Blue from Farrow & Ball and below are the things I'm currently coveting to go with it...

1. Peony bulb in white, £10.50 per stem Atelier Abigail Aherne It may be a bit pricey to fill a whole vase, but they are the best fake flowers on the market and you could just use a couple in a small vase. Perfect for adding some glamour to a bedside table or in the centre of a dining table.

2. Hague Blue Estate Emulsion 2.5l £34.50 Farrow & Ball (although Homebase also stocks it) The perfect inky hue in a chalky finish. Choose Modern Emulsion if you're paining in high traffic areas like hallways.

3. Cornforth White Estate Emulsion 2.5l £34.50 Farrow & Ball is a grey-ish white perfect for offsetting Hague Blue. It's neutrality should meet with landlords approval, so you may only have to offer to paint out the feature wall when you leave.

4. Light Grey Panelled Wallpaper £45 Graham & Green I like the idea of adding some period features via wallpaper, or wallpapering a hinged screen if you can't put it on the walls.

5. Metallic Knitted Cushion Cover £14.99 H&M Home It's also available in silver but you can't beat this coppery brown colour for drama.

6. Black & Gold Hammered Metal Bowl £12 Rockett St George I adore this little bowl and it looks far more expensive that it is. Perfect for holding a candle or jewellery or just on it's own.

7. Willy Dessert Set, Plate £7.99, Cup & Saucer £8.99 Zara Home Perfect for coffee and toast at breakfast or an indulgent afternoon tea & cake this pretty yet bold set should be proudly displayed, not hidden away in a cupboard.

8. Unscented Black Candle £3.99 H&M Home It may be unscented but it looks great, both opulent and utilitarian at the same time. Buy a few and group the together for maximum impact.

9. Fisheye Convex Mirror £65 Rose & Grey An opulent looking mirror at a reasonable price.

10. Yves Table Lamp £75 (base & shade sold separately) Habitat. The shade can also be used as a ceiling shade so you can change it up later.

Dark walls may not be to everyones taste but if you do like them, don't hold back and forget the old adage about dark colours in small rooms, one bold wall in any size room will work to add drama and warmth. 

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bedtime reading - Decorating With Style

Decorating With Style - Abigail Ahern
Quadrille publishing £16.99
Published 28th March 2013

Who?

Abigail Ahern is an internationally renowned designer, writer, TV presenter and owner of an eponymous interiors shop in Islington with something of a cult status. Her first book 'A Girls Guide To Decorating' came out in paperback last year. You can visit her site here and her blog here.

The Promise

"Forget perfection. Decorating with Style is a fabulous, hands-on decorating guide that gives you the confidence to bend the rules, embrace what you love and create interiors that ooze style - all on a shoestring budget.

Alongside stunning photographs of inspiring spaces, world famous interior designer Abigail Ahern offers her expertise on all aspects of home style, shares her inside sources and delivers sound practical tips for how to take every room in your pad to the next level.

Packed with clever tips, speedy updates and easy DIY projects - from creating a cool letter light to zizzing up your stair risers - Decorating With Style delivers the know-how of a successful and original designer in brilliant bite-size chunks. For style aficionados on a budget, interior design just got fun!"

What works
The book is broken down into sections to help you plan and build up your room, from assessing your space, to choosing colours and adding the finishing details that really make a room look stunning.

The sumptuous images are a total delight and I defy all but the most committed minimalists to feel inspired. Aside from a few irritating repetitions (see below) the text is casual and easy to read, offering advice and ideas without being too complicated. It reads very much like her blog in fact, drawing the reader in and making you feel like she's imparting secret advice, dispensed only to you. The continuous encouragement to make bold choices, even in small steps is surely one of the books best assets. How many of us have lived in 'safe' bland rooms because we were too afraid to be bold and make a mistake? She advises to make your space personal and experiment to let your style evolve.

Abigails advice on lighting, introducing textures, patterns and layers to a room and on colour choices are all spot on and it's these core themes that really help define her style and the rooms she creates. The room analysis sketches are really useful for seeing how all the elements are pulled together to make a cohesive look and offer a visual break from the photographs as well.

For those just starting out the 'practical stuff' section at the back will be useful, but for anyone else the advice may be a bit basic. The 'little black book' section might be short but it's stuffed with useful places to buy, on-line resources and blogs for further reading.

What doesn't

While the deliberately casual and upbeat tone of the book suits Abigails style, certain phrases started to really grate by the time I was near finishing it. I don't know anyone who calls their home a 'pad' and every time the text insisted you 'plonk' somehting somewhere I wanted to scream. This images in this book are beautifully shot and styled and I don't believe for a second that anything here was  just 'plonked'. 

Some of the 'how to' projects are also less successful than others. Any home craft project that involves hot glue gun leaves me cold and a beautiful 70s console that could have been restored to it's former glory is instead covered in blackboard paint and chalk stars. They cheapen the overall message here I think, and look so much less sophisticated than the other projects. 

I also found it odd that while praising the art of eclecticism on one hand the book starts off with a section called 'what's your style?' advising readers to identify with either 'classic, ' glamorous', 'boho', 'rock n roll' and 'eclectic' styles, when in fact most people will find elements from each that they like and given the advice in the book on combining all of these things I hardly think it's necessary to separate each style out in that way. It's probably just me being picky though.

What's in it for the renter?

Some of the projects, like painting floor boards or cladding a wall are certainly out of the question for many renters, but many of the smaller furniture projects are entirely do-able. The main strength of this book though is the styling. Anyone can be inspired to style their home in a similar fashion and be encouraged to completely re-think any room, the tips on furniture arrangements and the room analysis sketches are especially useful. 

In addition, Abigail's assertion that "Style has absolutely nothing to do with money..." is both true and comforting in the face of a recession and the designer price tags that anyone interested in interiors sees on a daily basis. The encouragement here is for the reader to be inspired to find their own style using lots of different sources and she again hits the nail on the head when she says "You can't get this look from one store, whether that's a chain like Ikea or a designer like Ralph Lauren". Which leads me to the final point I want to make. Abigails style is full on eclecticism, which actually suits renters quite well. You may have accumulated many different bits and pieces as you've moved from home to home and there's a good chance at some point you'll have to incorporate furniture or other elements that you otherwise wouldn't have chosen. This book goes a long way to showing you how to bring all those disparate elements together while adding your own touches in order to make your home one you want to celebrate.

Worth buying?

Yes! If you like her style, you'll love the book and even if you don't like everything in it, you'll find yourself inspired and refering back to it. It's a great price too so you can either treat yourself to it, or buy as a gift. I for one am completely re-thinking how to dispaly all our prints and accessories and I'm longing to paint something in Abigails signature inky hues...

You can see some preview pages from the book from Amazon here.

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