Tag: wallpaper

gilhoolie loves… botanical prints
gilhoolie loves...

gilhoolie loves… botanical prints

Julie GardnerLeave a comment

I’m really loving all the botanical print wallpapers and fabrics available at the moment and I’m thinking about using some to freshen up our living room curtains. Coincidentally, I have also been working on some floral illustrations to liven up my website so look out for those soon.

Here are my favourites. You can see lots more botanical prints on my pinterest page, as well as more gilhoolie loves… boards, from wallpaper to chevrons to tea and print-makers, something for everyone!

Of course, if you fancy a botanical print bespoke lampshade you won’t find in the shops do get in touch.

From left to right:

Cottage garden wallpaper and fabric by Debbie McKeegan, Botanica wallpaper by Engblad & Co – Simplicity, Bloomsbury Neo Mint wallpaper by Graham & Brown, Removable wallpaper ferns by If Your Walls Would Talk on Etsy, Perdana by Nina Campbell and Bilberry fabric by Sanderson – Potting Room.

Decorating Projects · gilhoolie loves... · Interior Design

gilhoolie loves lampshades and…wallpaper

Julie Gardner2 Comments

As I type, Terry the plasterer is skimming our dining room ceiling to remove all traces of the horrible artex. My latest decorating project…

So, I had already chosen some wallpaper about a year ago but I thought I should have a quick look to see if there are any others I like more (did I say a quick look? – arghhh! SO much choice out there!) Anyway, here are some of my personal favourites right now, a real mix from geometric to paisley to floral to 1950s to wildlife (told you there was lots of choice!)…

Lots of lovely wallpaper

1. Festival wallpaper in concrete from Mini Moderns – reminds me of my Interior Design studies on Lucienne Day

2. Love the geometric shapes of Erin in chalk and sky from Harlequin

3. Had to include Linear Stem by Orla Kiely

4. Tulips are my favourite flowers – Tulia from Harlequin

5. I quite like subtle paisley patterns so had to include Paisley Crescent from Mini Moderns

6. I think hares are quite in aren’t they?! – Harvest Hare from St Jude’s

7.  Pretty leaves, very autumnal – Lucerne by Harlequin

8. Simple florals in Lacarno from Harlequin

9. My original wallpaper choice – lovely Craven Street in greystone from Little Greene

The question is, do I stick to my original plans?! Watch this space…

Lampshades

Lampshade commissions…

Julie Gardner2 Comments

I have a feeling I won’t be posting many updates over the summer so I thought I’d better get one in quick before the schools break up and the holidays begin. I’m looking forward to spending some quality time with the family but I’m sure I’ll find time to sneak away and make something at some point. Here are some shots I took at home last week of a lampshade commission for an Interior Designer. I’m hoping to get some photos of it in situ soon so I’ll add those separately.

gilhoolie lampshade commission
gilhoolie lampshade commission

This large lampshade is for a floor lamp; the bottom ring measures 22″. The exterior is a woven plain fabric from Designers Guild called ‘Shima’ in a rose colour. It’s thicker than the dress-making cottons I would usually use so I fitted it on the bias. The interior is a balloon lining in 100% silk. The trim is a looped rouche from Osborne & Little called ‘Kediri’.

Kediri trim
Kediri trim

That was last week… this week has been equally busy, with two birthday parties to organise, along with all the other end of school activities. However, in between making a birthday cake and running errands I managed to make this lampshade today for a client. It’s made from wallpaper, with bias binding trim and has a clear backing giving it a translucent quality when lit.

stripy wallpaper lampshade
Wallpaper lampshade

stripy wallpaper lampshade closeup
All important careful packaging and gilhoolie tag

Well, hopefully it won’t be too long before I post something on here again. Have a brilliant summer everyone, the sun is going to shine soon I’m sure of it!…

Decorating Projects · Interior Design

Art Deco with a twist…

Julie Gardner2 Comments

It’s been quite a while since I studied Interior Design and it was really good to have the chance to refresh that knowledge by putting together a sample board for a client last week. I didn’t have to do this but I find it helps visualise how a scheme is going to look with the wallpaper, cushions, lampshades, furniture, fittings and ornaments all on the same board together. I would always recommend doing this when putting a scheme together plus I enjoyed doing it too so that was a bonus!

This project has been based around an Art Deco fireplace and the client wanted to keep that Art Deco feel but with a modern twist. This is the kind of Interior Design I like as I love mixing up styles rather than just sticking to one.

We chose the wallpaper a while ago but now that I offer a bespoke lampshade making service, I’m able to combine the two skills and complete the room for her. We’ve gone for a simple geometric wallpaper behind the bed, to go with the Art Deco fireplace on the opposite wall.

Then a lovely floral fabric from John Lewis will adorn a pendant lampshade in the middle of the room and cushions on the bed. The two small bedside lampshades will be replaced with plain, muted pink drum lampshades and an Art Deco mirror will go above the fireplace. I don’t have pictures of all the furniture on this sample board but they would ideally be included to finish off the whole picture. I’ll put some more photos on here once the lampshades and cushions are made… I wouldn’t mind a bedroom like this though, a bit girly but not too much so and very calming zzzzz……

Wallflower fabric in magenta and grey
Large pendant lampshade in wallflower fabric

ArtDecoInspiredBedroom SampleBoard
Sample Board for an Art Deco Inspired Bedroom

Decorating Projects · Interior Design

Did you know John Lewis sell disco balls?!

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!)

Front roomThe 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

Our bedroom, a calming gooseberry fool!

Julie Gardner

Okay, so it’s true, I am no decorator but I do like seeing the results of all that hard work (well, a few days painting and a day wallpapering). So I thought I’d post a few pictures here even though it’s not quite finished (I’m waiting for the fabric for the cushions). I know it’s hard to tell from my amateur photos but the walls are a really calming green (gooseberry fool apparently) which goes really well with the white fireplace and amara wallpaper on the wall behind the bed. I’ll post a picture of the cushions in a few weeks hopefully, plus I’d like to re-cover the tub chair but I’m not sure whether I’m up to the challenge!

Our bedroom 1Our bedroom 2Our bedroom 3

Decorating Projects · Interior Design

I’m no decorator…

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 wallpaper
Amara wallpaper from John Lewis

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.

Olivia mirror
Olivia mirror from Laura Ashley

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

Decorating Projects

Designing an eclectic pantry – my first project

Julie GardnerLeave a comment

Last week I decided to revamp our pantry. I really didn’t want to spend lots of money on expensive wallpaper for a cupboard so I decided to use the wallpaper samples I’ve been collecting (I’m fussy when it comes to choosing a wallpaper and I can’t find one I like for our bedroom!)

Here is a picture of the cupboard before – a bit messy and cluttered but I love it.

I know it’s a bit weird to show pictures of a cupboard for my first project but I’m starting small, future projects will hopefully be more exciting!

I’ll post a picture of the after later this week…