design and sentimentality

I have always loved clean, modern design. When I had a bit more disposable income I used to spend my time browsing the SCP website for cutting edge design pieces. I must note at this point, that most of my lusting was in vain as my public sector salary didn’t quite meet my ‘collector of modern design’ aspirations. Despite this, when I did have a little bit extra to spend it was invariably on something clean and modern.

I have noticed a phenomenon amongst friends after they have their first child; they become Cath Kidston crazed. I think it might be a modern woman’s way of coping with the shock of early motherhood. It’s almost as if buying into the idea of a perfect 1950’s housewife will show the world that she’s coping just fine with her new role.

I know many people love Cath Kidston and I am partial to a bit of flowery chintz but this stuff is, in my view, more than a bit contrived and totally twee. I’ve definitely indulged in it, but I put this down to post partum hormones which bring on loony nesting instincts. Admittedly (I’m embarrassed to say), I do own a few Cath Kidston items; a few shopping bags (great for lugging child related paraphenalia), one quilt (hormonal looniness) and a sewing basket (a gift). I think there is something a bit novelty (and not in a good way) about design that replicates the past rather than uses the past as inspiration for something new.

Despite my hardline views on modernism, I’ve noticed a change in my tastes over the past few years. When I occasionally treat myself to an interiors magazine I find myself opting for The English Home rather than Living Etc, my old favourite. Could it be (nearly - I’m 34) middle age? Could it be that having children has made me sentimental afterall? 

A recent trip back to my parent’s house highlighted to me how much I have changed. My maternal grandmother who is in her 90s and is in the final stages of alzheimer's disease passed on her wedding dinnerware to me and my mother was keen for me to take it back home. It is a combination of Rosedawn by Johnson Bros and Peach Petal by Grindley Pottery. I have since found that these feature regularly in a utility china group on flickr.

As I sorted through the box in the dark attic I remembered having many a Sunday roast on these plates. Suddenly the pink and peach seemed so appealing to me. The gentle design is so pretty and of it’s post-war age.

I found some of my paternal grandmother’s Belleek pottery too. I remember this jug and vase in her home as I was growing up and I always thought they were a bit over-the-top. Now, I find it is these pieces rather than the more discreet items that I want to bring into my home to remind me of her and my childhood visits to her house.

I’ve definitely softened. I now think that sentimentality can be a good thing when considering design... although I still won’t be buying into the Cath Kidston brand any time soon.

i love autumn

What a busy couple of weeks it’s been. Autumn is my favourite time of year and I’ve been throwing myself into it. There’s been pumpkins, fireworks and even a short, child-free holiday. I’ve been thinking about the things I love most about this time of year, and here they are in no particular order...

Frosty mornings when the moon doesn’t bother going into hiding because it will be dark again soon. Time to get the chimney swept! 

Christmas!!! I know it’s about six weeks away but this is the time of year when I begin obsessing about Christmas preparations. What I’m going to cook and how I’m going to decorate the tree are my two biggest concerns. Inspired by my mother I’ve got into the habit of buying one or two special decorations every year in the run up to Christmas; usually from Newbridge Silverware in Dublin Airport when on the pre-Christmas visit to family. This year I could not resist the ceramic and filigree dove. I’ve been doing this for a about eight years now, so I’ve got a really eclectic selection of decorations that are very special to us all. 

Food, food and more food. Whether it’s cooking a warming soup for bonfire night (thank you, Mark Hix for this amazing recipe for spiced autumn squash, chorizo and chickpea soup) or flicking through recipe books to give me festive ideas; I am in foodie heaven. This year I’m really enjoying baking cupcakes. As we’re not big into traditional Christmas cake I’ve decided on cupcakes with brandy butter frosting from the Primrose Bakery cookbook.

DIY. I don’t love DIY. But I do love the fact that Christmas focusses the mind on completing those jobs that have been lurking around in the background for a couple of months; like those shelves over the sink that have finally been put up.

I could go on with this but I’m going to save it for a later post. Happy Autumn everyone!

scenes from the weekend

Waiting for Halloween...

Attempts to tidy up end up in chaos.

a room of one's own

I’ve been somewhat lacking in inspiration recently. I seem to go through peaks and troughs of productivity, I’m definitely in a trough at the moment. I have been immersing myself in organising and tidying ‘corners of my home’. I know that many bloggers show corners of their home to give and insight into the kind of person they are. My corners are messy and disorganised. 

Maybe it’s autumn that makes me want to put everything into it’s place, but I’ve been maniacally tidying the dark recesses. We moved into this flat two weeks before James was born. The previous occupants brought up their four children here and it was a well loved family home, but it hadn’t been redecorated for 44 years. We’ve had a long haul with a preschooler, new baby and acres of woodchip to scrape off of the most unlikeliest of places. Despite two years worth of hard work, lots of things still don’t have their place. Everything having it’s place, in my mind, is the mark of a mature and comfortable home. We’ve still got work to do.

I am a consummate nest builder. I love nothing more than the idea of a room of one’s own.  I think everyone should have a place to call home. So much so, that when I took my masters degree I specialised in housing policy, I then went on to work in the housing policy arena tackling issues of homeless and housing need. Having children has definitely made me less strategic in my need to focus on the idea of home. A need that was once channelled outwards, is now (to the exasperation of my husband) channelled inwards. 

Being a nest builder gets bad press though. A good friend of mine (who really is lovely despite the following comment) recently said to me of another friend who is a stay at home mum “she has a lovely home... that’s because she’s got nothing else in her life to be proud of” (meaning, a career to be proud of). I also vaguely remember being stung by a horrible line in a Hanif Kureshi story about a man whose awful wife was the kind that read interiors magazines in bed.

What is so wrong with being interested in your own home and others’ homes too? A comfortable and welcoming home improves your experience of the world. Having a place to decompress at the end of the day surely makes us better people. I’m not saying cushions and quilts can make the world a better place... actually, I think I am.

P.S. The notebooks are a project from Last-minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts. I grabbed a few scraps and started messing around on the sewing machine.  The journals are Moleskine Cahiers, the fabrics are by Amy Butler and I used inkjet cotton to print out the words. It all took about 15mins.

an edinburgh weekend in pictures

A quick walk from home through the West End to the farmers market on Castle Terrace...

A restorative cupcake, to replace those calories burnt off while walking...

A stroll through Princes Street Gardens to the Royal Scottish Academy to take part in the Big Draw.

On Sunday, a visit to Kiss the Fish for some egg cup decorating.

Followed by a stroll and some castle building on Crammond Beach.

I hope you had a good one too.