We had a young lady come over to the design studio recently. She's working in a furniture company run by a male MD. She's having a great time in her job and says she is definitely learning a lot from them and the projects she has been involved in. However, she feels she's missing something. Her hope was that in internship with us would teach her a little something extra about interior design with "a woman's touch". I initially wasn't sure how to take this but I decided it was a compliment.

It got me thinking though, about how male and female designers or architects might approach a project differently. It reminded me also of a project I was asked to look at a couple of months ago. The prospective clients were are well known restaurant in Lagos that had recently had a huge makeover. They'd flown in an Italian interior designer who had put together a gorgeous scheme. But after millions of Naira spent, they called me in to have a look at the space because it was still missing 'something'. Turned out the designer (very talented I might add) was male. I am not sure how relevant that was to the outcome. He was also gay but again the relevance of that is debatable.

I've put together a few images and wonder if you can tell which ones have 'a woman's touch'.

Photographs courtesy of  www.oliversteel.com and www.sheilabridges.com.

Beauty is...

not just in the eye of the beholder, but in all the senses.

We had a few people over for dinner this weekend. Simple nibbles, everyone brought a bottle... It was meant to be one of those evenings where you enjoy good company and have a great time with minimal effort. After just coming back from holiday I was still in a 'chilled out' state of mind. I wasn't about to slave away in the kitchen, spend ages agonizing over flower arrangements and then eons more picking out the perfect hostess outfit. This time I couldn't be bothered to be bothered.

That's what I thought until the first guest called for directions to the house. And then I felt that little flutter of anxiety. OMG, how can we entertain and the house not be absolutely, perfectly... beautiful? What to do, what to do? When in doubt, whip out the props! I've found that the right lighting and a strategic bowl of fruit can do wonders for a room. And scented candles? Absolute magic.

Two lanterns just outside the front door make people feel welcome and a little bit special as they approach. Almost like you rolled out a red carpet, just for them. I cheekily snuck in a squirt of room fragrance by the entrance so that as you walk in you are welcomed by this lovely calming feel-good scent. Dim lighting creates a nice 'restauranty' ambiance and flickering candles dotted around the room suddenly turn our living room into this glamorous entertaining space. Trust me, almost anything looks glamorous in candlelight! Ipod and dock, check! Set to shuffle and turn down just so. By the time you get to the dainty canapes laid out on sleek black platters, you have no idea that really they are just little crackers with a bit of cream cheese, salami and black pepper that literally took us 10minutes to rustle up!

If you ask anyone who was there that night (apart from that weird guy with the tacky belt who looked like he'd rather be at a Timaya concert), they would all say they had a great time and the evening was just... beautiful!

Uno Home Accessories presents...Sexy Summer 3Some (Home accessories, lingerie and delicious cupcakes and desserts)

 

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10 days to the Sexy Summer Sale Event!!!

Ceiling paper

Who ever said wallpaper had to go on the wall? Loving my office even more now with the new lighting.

SATC2

As far as movies go, SATC2 was fun and entertaining enough to keep me amused for 2hours 20mins and not even notice the time. And the interiors were pretty cool as expected. Thank goodnesss for the solace of darkness, otherwise I would have looked pretty weird making notes on my blackberry throughout most of the movie. Interesting combination of patterns and texture... perfect balance of masculine and feminine... I wonder how they keep that headboard white... the fabric has most likely been treated with a good stain repellant... pretty flower arrangements... Roses and hyacinths? Nice. I wouldn't have thought of that....

The clothes were as bold as expected and in some cases even more crazy that one would have imagined, but Carrie's home? It was just so.... right. It wasn't anything super fabulous or trendy or overly sophisticated and impossible for mere mortals to achieve. It was in fact quite cosy and homely. Definitely the product of a creative mind. A mixture of expensive velvet sofas and vintage silk, with interesting glass bottles and vases that could have been picked up in a flea market for a few bucks. Tasteful with just the right amount of quirk. No wonder Mr. Big never wanted to leave the house! I could just imagine living there. So much so that I've taken a few tips with me that I will definitely be using in my own home.

Sex and the city, yay!

I'm off to the movies this afternoon. I'm calling it research. Seriously! Sex and the city came out recently and so far all the comments I've heard from friends who went to see it boil down to "no story line whatsoever, but Carrie's home looked amazing!". So of course I have to go see it. Who cares about a plot when you can get a good full hour of inspirational interiors, while digging into some guilt-free carbs?

Look out for my comments and tips on "how to get the look" in my column this weekend.