Not on the high street…

October 24, 2012February 8, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

I love lined drum lampshades. They just look so neat, professional and finished with no hint of PVC showing. Not only that, they also look beautiful when lit as the pattern on the inside shines through faintly. It takes a little more time and patience to make them but well worth it in the end.

I made this one yesterday for a client who wanted a lined lampshade to match her curtains in her dining room. The outer fabric is a white linen which is tricky to work with and I wouldn’t recommend using it if you’re making a lampshade for the first time, as it frays very easily. But it’s fine if you treat it very gently and carefully. The inner fabric is a cotton/linen blend fabric from Laura Ashley, featuring a subtle wisteria-inspired flora pattern.

So if you dream of owning a stunning, hand-made, bespoke lampshade that you simply can’t buy on the high street and that ties in with your interior, get in touch for details, you won’t be disappointed, promise…

Did you know John Lewis sell disco balls?!

July 13, 2011February 8, 2025 Julie Gardner1 Comment

Walls, ceiling and woodwork painted, fire surround painted, fireplace tiles painted, shelves put up, wallpapering done, mirror put back, new light put up… not a quick job this one but worth it in the end! I can’t believe how much lighter the room feels now that it’s a cool duck egg rather than a dark red.

The floral wallpaper is called Hudson Mohair from Laura Ashley and has a pearlescent sheen (not available any more though so the pressure was on when we were trying to wallpaper round the fireplace!)

The Dante chandelier is from John Lewis and has already been described as a disco ball by my five year old but I’m hoping it adds a bit of glamour and impact to the room.

My last task is to frame some pictures I’ve been collecting for the wall behind the sofa which is looking very empty – more photos of the rest of the room to follow, I just thought I’d do a quick update now.

Even the beanbags I made back in March match the scheme…

Decorating Projects · Interior Design

I’m no decorator…

March 30, 2011February 8, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

This week I am mostly decorating….. (our bedroom) As usual it’s taking far longer than I expected and I just want to do the fun bits so I thought I’d put them on here while I have a break from painting.

I’m kind of cheating a bit by putting together a sample board as I go along but sometimes it’s easier that way and I can because it’s for me. I haven’t based it on a mood board but on a wallpaper I liked.

Amara is a wallpaper from John Lewis which is a ‘folk inspired floral pattern in an illustrative style, with accents of vivid citrus’.

This will go on a feature wall behind the bed with the rest of the walls a pale gooseberry fool green colour.

I’m going to make cushions next week and I’m probably going to go for this Romo fabric from their Casson collection. It’s a 1950s inspired geometric print (see, I told you they were in at the moment).
Romo Quadra is a striking geometric design printed on linen. I realise the wallpaper and fabric I’ve chosen don’t go brilliantly well on a computer screen but they look good in real life, honest. The pink compliments the green in the rest of the room and I really like mixing floral designs with geometric patterns. I’ll put an update on here once the room is finished, soon I hope…

romo quadra dahlia — Romo quadra fabric in dahlia

I’ve bought an ivory mirror from Laura Ashley to go above the fireplace. At the moment I’m thinking about painting the woodwork an ivory colour too but not quite decided yet.

That’s it for now, I’m hoping to make lampshades myself but that’s another project for another day…