Design Dilemmas

Episode 30: Making cavernous rooms cosy, indoor/outdoor parquet ideas and debating the pros and cons of sisal. Plus shallow alcoves and donating to charity.

This weekend, I am aiming to be the hostest with the mostest as my mother in law, Judith and father in law, Barry come to visit. Our family are all in the South; we are at least 350 miles further North than anyone else and as such, when anyone visits it’s really quite an event. Judith and Barry are quite well travelled, both across the UK and abroad and as such have a large selection of friends here in the upper part of the country and I’ve offered to make dinner for them all on Friday night in the courtyard. After counting the numbers, there are 12 which is actually my perfect amount of people to cook for (said no one, ever, but me). I LOVE cooking for a crowd. I love the whole planning of it, the table laying, deciding on the drinks, ALL the stuff and this weekend is no exception.

To achieve maximum fun levels, I have invested in a Polaroid camera which I am VERY excited about. I have wanted one for ages and managed to convince myself that since Judith and Barry didn’t see their friends that often, it would be an excellent table game and a nice memory for them all. There is truth behind this, but really it’s just an excellent excuse for me to buy one for myself and I cannot wait to try it out. There is something about a Polaroid photograph that is weirdly exciting. I suppose it’s because in this day and age everything is so instant, that even an instant camera isn’t instant enough for the way that we live. But the surprise of whether or not you’ve successfully taken a good one is well worth the effort, I think. Aside from the fact that the films cost about about £4,454.25 each, I can see myself using it a lot over the dark and sociable winter months when we have friends over for dinner. I will report back and let you know if it’s worth the investment.

Okay, back to your quandaries and this week, we’re discussing the pros and cons of sisal, plus an excellent solution if you are really worried about your animals ruining it. We’re talking about what to put in shallow alcoves and how to make the most of them, plus making a large cavernous room feel cosy as. Indoor and outdoor parquet that does the job whilst still looking super stylish and finally, what to do with things that you’ve lost the love for and a great place to donate them to.

You can READ ON by becoming a paid subscriber which means that not only do you receive four free posts a month but also a minimum of four EXTRA posts a month (including this weekly post) plus Chat threads so you can join our blossoming community and exclusive discount codes which are just for you. Plus, you’ll also be able to access my archive to read ALL of my past posts (including recipes and travel write ups) for the price of one Starbucks a month. I would thoroughly recommend it!