Today we head to the UK to tour the home of illustrator and all around creative, Kate Reid of Kroma by Kate. Kate’s creative brand Kroma by Kate has recently been expanded to include surface design and fashion and even more to come. Her eclectic home serves as an influence for her artistry and creative career. Here’s our recent chat on home decorating and being a creative entrepreneur!

Jacquin: Hi Kate! How would you describe your artistry?

Kate: I have always had a thing for colour and after graduating as an Illustrator, I became fond of the idea of branding myself so that I could explore more creative outcomes under one name. So, my roots are within illustration and painting, but I tend to branch out to surface design and textiles too. I enjoy working in pen and ink as well as paper collage. I try to balance using older techniques such as screen printing with keeping up with the digital age!

Jacquin: Tell us about your new collection! What was your inspiration? What was your process for creating this collection?

Kate: My newest collection is based around fashion styling and trends using bold motifs and pattern. The collection will include silk scarves, sweatshirts and t-shirts. I am also working on some new limited edition screen prints. I feel that this collection, much like most of my work, combines both modern and nostalgic elements.

Jacquin: I love that you and your husband are both creative types (with your husband working on screen printing, sign writing and more). Have you two had the opportunity to collaborate on any creative projects? What future creative project would be on your bucket list together?

Kate: Thank you! Our biggest collaboration was probably designing all our stationery for our wedding last year. It was so fun to work together, Joff doing the typography and screen printing, and I chose the colours and layouts. I think we make a good creative team. We’ve spoken about collaborating again sometime soon!

Jacquin: How has your experience been decorating your home as newlyweds so far? What has been your favorite home décor DIY up to this point?

Jacquin: Where do you like to get your creative work done? What makes a great environment for you to be creative?

• RebeccaWilliam’s Home Tour on apartment therapy! (I know it was done
  a while ago but it’s still so relevant and inspiring, I keep coming
  back!)
• Beck Rochhi’s photography work because it always puts a smile on my
  face!
• Peach interiors! Love that color!
• Green marble
• Lucky Horse Press for retro screen prints and patches!
• Adeline
  Waugh’s Instagram feed for beautifully styled and delicious food!
• Eloil ceramic rainbows
• …and Ellen
  Fisher’s youtube channel for an inspiring and positive lifestyle!

Balinese Interior with Green Shutters, Gauche on paper, Greg Irvine

Artist Greg Irvine is the creator of vibrant paintings capturing scenes from his travels across the globe. Irvine’s works are known for being boldly colorful and meticulously detailed and have won multiple awards from the art community. He also happens to be a fierce admirer of antiques, patterns, and exotic textiles which really comes out in his paintings of global interiors. In Irvine’s paintings you’ll find that textiles and patterns are painstakingly recreated with a healthy dose of whimsy, which I absolutely love. While Greg Irvine’s multi-decade career has been based in Australia, his artwork is loved internationally.

Grey Palace Kolkata – Part 2, Oil on canvas, Greg Irvine

Indian Garden with Saffron Shutters, Oil on canvas, Greg Irvine

If the artwork of Greg Irvine has captured your attention and imagination, you’ll truly be amazed by his South Melbourne, Australia home tour featured on The Design Files. Irvine’s home is a haven of global antiques and creativity, providing constant inspiration for his paintings. The Design Files also has an impressive video of Greg Irvine’s home tour that you will not want to miss.

Balinese Tropical Outdoor Setting, Gauche on paper, Greg Irvine

Cuban Interior with Portuguese Tiles, Oil on canvas, Greg Irvine

Greg Irvine shares images from his sketchbook and more on his Instagram page so if you’re a fan of his artwork you’ll definitely want to follow him on Instagram, as well. To inquire about purchasing his artwork head over to Greg Irvine’s website. 

I’m proud to say that I’m slowly, but surely developing my green thumb and knowledge of plants and flowers. A few things I’ve learned is that the world of plants is quite vast, and that plants and flowers can really add to my at-home experience. While I only own a few plants right now, my goal is to surround myself with gorgeous greenery at home… executed tastefully and with style of course! 

In honor of my botanical goals, here are some of my favorite interiors giving major indoor garden vibes. I’ve even included 6 great ideas for making potted plants work for you at home!

Idea #1: 

Cluster your potted plants in an empty corner of your home to maximize space. Using small side tables of varying heights will create great visual interest and allow you to see all of your plants at once. 

Idea #2: 

You can never go wrong with symmetry! Choose two matching potted plants and place them across from one another for an upscale look like in this stunning Atlanta home.

If you’re tight on space, choosing just one great oversized plant will go a long way. And you’ll love the pop of green it adds to your space!

New home tour alert! Today we’re touring the chic and relaxed home of Brit Pierce, founder of blog House Updated. Brit’s home decorating is all about soft neutrals, while using black decor elements to add a touch of upscale sophistication. While you peruse this home tour, lookout for the pops of black paint and decor she uses in several rooms of her home (LOVE!) and see if you can catch all of the gorgeous, textured fabrics used. Brit successfully achieves a home that is warm, welcoming, and approachable while still being stylish, which I’d say is a decorating win!

Jacquin: I love the fresh feel of your home! What did you set out to achieve when decorating you home?

Jacquin: How was your decorating experience? What was the most difficult part? What was most rewarding?

Brit: I’ve enjoyed decorating our home but the most difficult part is committing! There are so many wonderful design options out there that picking just one lamp or just one chair can feel overwhelming. But, by far the most rewarding part is to see everything come together in the end and just enjoy the finished product.

Jacquin: Do you have any changes you’d still like to make to your home or any other projects you’d like to undertake?

Brit: I’m always changing our home! This year I’m hoping to tackle some bathroom projects, update our living room, and another big one is to take our untouched office and bring it into this century. I like to mix big remodels and smaller decorating projects throughout the year to keep me motivated and enjoying our house progress.

Jacquin: What design element in your home do you thing made the biggest design impact?

Brit: I think the design element that has made the biggest design impact is starting with neutral spaces everywhere and layering on top of that. All our walls are white or light gray (except my daughter’s room is a pale pink) but in every space we’ve added a lot of texture and color on top of the neutral base to keep things interesting. This allows for easy changes but also makes all the spaces seem cohesive and clean.

 

The first day of Spring is finally here and you may be ready to refresh your home on a budget. I happen to be on a mission to redecorate my own bedroom right now. Carrington Court has been an amazing resource for finding quality upholstered furniture at reasonable price. I have just traded out my traditional wood headboard for Carrington Court’s Bergman Headboard, which comes with custom nailheads in the finish of your choice. They offer over 200 custom fabric selections ranging from bold patterned fabrics, to solids, and even leather. You can check out how my custom headboard with Carrington Court turned out in the photo above. It is extremely well-made and I love the fabric. I selected their “Dakota Snow” fabric, which has a subtle sheen and a nice reflective quality that really brightens my room.

I’ve styled 3 of my favorite Carrington Court furniture selections below to inspire your next redecorating project. These looks all have a fresh contemporary feel and feature Carrington Court’s budget friendly upholstered furniture. You will seriously love this brand!

 

1. Bergman headboard w/ custom upholstery & nailheads | 2. Bubbly Green Table Lamp | 3. Alegria Sital Woven Tasseled Pillow | 4. Nearly Natural Agave Succulent in Vase, set of 3 | 5. Auric Orbit Table | 6. Nika Throw Blanket | 7. Coconut Milk Mango Lavish Hand Cream | 8. Tonka Noir Diffuser

When it comes to relaxing at home transforming your bedroom into your own personal sanctuary will go a long way. Here’s how to style this chic headboard complete with custom nailheads. This luxurious bedroom design will make relaxing at home so much easier!

1. Keats Seat in ‘Angela Lime’ | 2. Carved Wood Coffee Table | 3. Allurine Floor Lamp | 4. Costura Sectional with Chaise | 5. Agua de Oro framed print by Parima Studio

This compact seat will impress you double when styled as a set of two in your living room. These seats will also do well as a set at the foot of your bed. The lime green upholstery accented with blue piping makes this seat a unique original. Here’s how to add a dose of style and color to your living room with Carrington Court.

1. Salisbury Leather Parsons Chair | 2. Hand-Painted Moroccan Pillow | 3. Horne Scholar Table | 4. Cog Desk Tidy in Gold | 5. Yuda Table Lamp | 6. Nearly Natural 64″ Faux Palm Tree & Cylinder Planter with Black Metal Base  | 7. Paris Map Print | 8. Natural Agate Bookends

Love the luxe look of camel colored leather? You’ll love this FAB parsons chair from Carrington Court. Try this chair in your office paired with casual-luxury decor elements. If you prefer a more contemporary look, style this tan leather chair with contrasting black decor for a truly eye-catching look.

Which of these Carrington Court furniture selections is your favorite? The Leather Parsons Chair, the Bergman Headboard, or the Keats Seat in lime green? I happen to also really like their classic Hemingway Wingback Chair which would go well in nearly any space. Hoping you’ve learned about a new brand that can meet your future furniture needs. Visit www.CarringtonCourt.com for more information!

Warehouse Home Magazine is a publication that explores the transformation of warehouses into homes. 

One of the design ideas I’ve been especially inspired by lately is the idea of transforming and living in non-traditional spaces, like old industrial warehouses. My interview with the CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Warehouse Home Magazine Sophie Bush was my introduction to this new way of living, and I must say that I am loving it! Warehouse Home Magazine features the best of historic and industrial warehouses in London and beyond, made new through architecture, interior design, and the imagination of their passionate owners. See the interview below.

Warehouse Home CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Sophie Bush.

Jacquin: Tell us about how your love of warehouse homes came to be. What do you find most charming about taking non-traditional spaces like warehouses and turning them into lovely decorated homes?

Sophie: I have always been passionate about architecture and interior design. When I moved to London, I was immediately drawn to its industrial conversions. These buildings represent a by-gone era of manufacturing that I find fascinating. And they have so much grit and character – they offer a very different way of living for more conventional and contemporary flats. Authentic features like exposed brickwork and concrete are incredible backdrops for adventurous homeowners and interior designers – normal interior decor rules don’t apply here, you can really get creative! At the same time, steel columns and more unusual proportions, including high ceilings, can represent challenges when it comes to establishing different living areas in an industrial conversion. But no two warehouse homes are the same – and that’s what I think really appeals to their residents and to anyone channelling that industrial look.

CEO of Warehouse Home Magazine, Sophie Bush, photographed in front of one of London’s historic warehouse homes, revived with contemporary style. 

Transformed warehouse home in London.

Jacquin: How was your experience transforming and decorating your own warehouse home, Sophie? What challenges did you face? What was most rewarding?

Sophie: I’ve drawn a great deal of inspiration from the heritage of the building – it’s a grade II listed former mill on the banks of the River Thames. Much of my furniture has been sourced via London-based salvage experts like LASSCO, The Old Cinema and Retrouvius, but I’ve had quite a bit of success on eBay too – including a beautiful old school desk, used as a side table. I love hard-wearing, heavy-duty pieces and classic industrial designs that started their lives on the factory floor. But I’ve combined these with contemporary designs from high-street brands like Made.com and H&M Home. 

The ceilings are relatively low and combined with exposed brickwork that could make spaces like the living room look gloomy, so I’ve incorporated bold splashes of red. Large-scale typographic prints create a contemporary effect and modern metal cabinets on castors reference the industrial features. Right now so much of my time is spent on Warehouse Home magazine, that I am still transforming my own home. It’s a careful and considered process where the spaces are gradually evolving. And I actually really like that – there’s a sense that every item has ‘found its place’ over time.

Peek inside the warehouse home of Warehouse Home founder, Sophie Bush.

Jacquin: What details should home buyers consider when deciding whether to pursue a warehouse home or other non traditional space as a home? What advice would you give to people in the process of transforming a warehouse into a well-decorated home?

Sophie: The debut Warehouse Home book provides so much inspiration for these scenarios. It showcases the most incredible homes all over the world, from San Francisco to Sydney, London to Hong Kong, and numerous locations in between. There are family homes in former factories and foundries, bachelor pads in old printworks and cement works and much more besides! The homes are collected together in chapters themed around typical industrial architectural features – like brickwork, beams, columns, warehouse windows – and showcases the many ways in which these heritage elements can be preserved, celebrated and adapted for modern living. These properties vary enormously so there is no one-size-fits-all solution for a conversion home – I would simply suggest really embracing the industrial characteristics and enjoying the process of finding both vintage and contemporary furnishings to complement them.

The debut BOOK Warehouse Home will be available for purchase April 2017.

Inside of a historic Spratt’s factory renovated unit featured in Warehouse Home Magazine.

Jacquin: What are your all time favorite warehouse homes that you’ve featured in your magazine, Warehouse Home?

Sophie: In Warehouse Home Issue Four, photographer Debbie Bragg contributed photographs of her own home, together with the homes of three of her neighbours, all in London’s iconic Spratt’s Works – a former dog food factory. When the building’s conversion was completed in 1989, the units were sold as empty shells – so every home is entirely unique, as Debbie’s photographs demonstrate. One of the apartments depicted belongs to the incredible denim artist Ian Berry – he lives entirely surrounded by scraps of the fabric in every conceivable shade of blue, it’s a truly unique live-work environment.

We also featured the home of chef and entrepreneur Patrick Drake, co-founder of HelloFresh, in Warehouse Home Issue Five. Situated in London’s fashionable Shoreditch, it’s light and airy with white-painted exposed brickwork and a minimalist scheme.

London’s historic Spratt’s factory revived into several individual homes. 

Warehouse home of HelloFresh founder, Patrick Drake.

Inside of a historic Spratt’s factory renovated unit featured in Warehouse Home Magazine.

Jacquin: What can readers expect from Warehouse Home Magazine in 2017? What are you most looking forward to for your business this year?

Sophie: You can expect to see more furniture and lighting added to our online shop over the coming months. And the debut Warehouse Home book published by Thames & Hudson will be out in April – there will be various exciting events to coincide with its launch. We’ve also launched an online subscription service, which is proving incredibly popular and enables customers to order any of our back issues, as well as pre-order Warehouse Home Issue Six (which will be out in June). 

We have ambitious plans to grow the Warehouse Home brand even further over the coming months. In addition to raising angel investment, we’ve received a number of enquiries about crowdfunding. So, on 13th March we’ll be launching a crowdfunding campaign with Seedrs – a platform which enables anyone to invest in businesses they believe in from as little as £10. It’s easy to register and we would love as many people as possible to watch our video and hear what we have planned. 

If the idea of transforming a spacious warehouse property into a contemporary home peaks your interest, be sure to subscribe to Warehouse Home Magazine for more industrial-style inspiration. 

Isabelle Feliu’s art is fun and playful, with fluid figures and bold colors. Many of her designs on Society6 are whimsical in the way they flatten space with beautiful patterns. Feliu describes herself as illustrating with a focus on fashion, and her art certainly is stylish. In the lush world she creates, figures interact with nature and wildlife in a haze of color and detail. Feliu’s illustrations are so engaging in their color and design.

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And while I don’t have a way for your bathroom to magically clean itself, I do have something just as good: Proven Tricks and Tips to Organize and Clean Your Bathroom. With use of these proven cleaning methods, I’ll help you make your bathroom tidy and pristine. Because if the place you go to get clean isn’t clean, then what’s the point?

Lara Michelle Beautiful Interiors, Inc.

From Grout to Grime, here are 7 proven tips to make bathroom cleaning easier:

A dirty bathroom is not only unsanitary, but unsightly. Who wants to wash in a room where there are soap rings around the toilet or grout that looks gray?

To combat these common stains and achieve floors that are clean enough to eat off of (not really, but you get the point) we found simple, effective mixtures that will get the job done. Read on and find out the answers to your most stubborn cleaning problems.

TOILETS

It makes sense that toilets, the place where we empty out tummies, are one of the hardest to clean parts of the bathroom. Plus, standing water can cause lime build-up and mineral deposits, making it hard to keep fresh. Luckily, there is an easy way to keep it clean, and it’s using household baking soda.

Amber Interior Design

For daily cleaning: pour a cup of baking soda into your toilet, let sit for 5-10 minutes, then brush gently around the sides using a soft-bristle brush and flush. You can also use this solution on the outside of the toilet and the seat, using a rag to wipe and rinse.

For built-up stains and caked-on grime: use the same amount, but allow it to soak longer and use a damp pumice stone to scrub clean. Pumice stones work well without scratching the toilet surface.

TILES AND WALLS

Image via DecorPad

Tiles can be a pain to keep clean, as every splatter and fingerprint tends to show. A quick, efficient way to clean them involves just 3 basic items (a rag, bathroom cleaner and your shower), but done in a different and more efficient way.

Simply spray the walls and ceiling with a basic bathroom cleaner, then run a hot shower and let the room steam up. Close the door, keeping the steam in for about 20 minutes, then go back and wipe down the walls and ceiling with a rag. The steam loosens and moistens the tiles, allowing for a much deeper clean with minimal effort.

SHOWER

Lara Michelle Beautiful Interiors, Inc.

While the trick above works great for shower walls, it won’t do much for your shower head, tub, or doors, which are breeding grounds for bacteria.

To get your shower head clean, fill a Ziploc bag with white vinegar, then submerge the head in it, securing it with a rubber band. Leave it to soak overnight, then rinse with warm water. This can be done weekly for a deep cleaning. 

For shower doors, make a paste, using a few drops of distilled white vinegar and baking soda, then apply to the door. The paste should be thick so it sticks to the door. Let sit for an hour, then rub it off using a microfiber cloth. Rinse with water and dry.

BATHTUB

Lara Michelle Beautiful Interiors, Inc.

Bathtub’s can be an annoyance to keep clean since they are used so frequently. An easy solution is to mix pack of baking soda with vinegar to lightly scrub the tub with, then rinse with warm water. This solution is also very effective for removing stains from grout.

GROUT

Cleaning grout is tedious but necessary. To get it white and looking new, dip a toothbrush or brush in bleach and rub over it. Rinse after with water to prevent yellowing. The previous baking soda and vinegar solution is also great for grout. 

SINK

Brooklyn home of Catbird founder Rony Vardi

Sinks are one of the most used areas, so keeping them clean is essential. To keep the faucet and water knobs sparkling and germ-free, use disposable cleaning wipes regularly if you’re on the go. Especially since soap and water alone will not kill all the germs. Wiping down your sink daily will really go a long way. For the drain, pour white vinegar down the drain and flush with hot water to keep bad odors away.

Once you try these easy cleaning techniques you’ll find that you have more time to enjoy your house- and the people in it. And once your bathroom and home are cleaned to perfection, you’ll also have more time for the luxuries of life… like enjoying a spa day at home. Cheers to a life that’s not only cleaner, but more relaxing!