Design Dilemmas
Episode 18: Today we are talking big pots that don't break the bank, grouting choices, coffee table styling, sofa cushions and beating the clutter.
Good morning, good morning! It has been a week of glorious sunshine but as I write this, I am currently on the receiving end of a Force 10 gale through my office window. I am not complaining. Having to only wear trainers for exercise and not for general warmth is enough to lift my weather spirits and it does feel as though summer has finally arrived, albeit slightly late and with a few blips incoming according to my iPhone weather App. And most significantly, the heating has stopped coming on in the morning which is excellent news for both the forecast and my gas bill.
I also finally watered my plants this week after what must have been a six week drought for the poor, abused things. I have a lot of plants in my house and despite my very lacklustre care routine, they astonishingly appear to survive. One of the reasons that the watering is so rare is that it takes bloody AGES as I’ve got so many plants that I have to make at least 20 return trips to the kitchen for water. I’ve got a monstera that I bought eight years ago that is now over eight foot tall - I know, right - and which probably doesn’t get watered more than four times a year. I also have a Boston Fern, renowned for being the most difficult plant to look after in the history of plants, that simply refuses to die. About five years ago, I repotted it into a white ceramic pot with no drainage and it’s got bigger, bigger and bigger until I now struggle to find a place to put it. Occasionally, I pour two pitchers of water into the marshy pot and leave it for months. They are hardy, my plants, I tell you. Every now and then I take it too far and there is a casualty, but the big ones all hang on in there. Miraculous, really.
Right, back to your dilemmas and this week, we have some classics to tackle including how to find pots for massive plants that don’t require a small mortgage. We are talking about coffee table styling and how to get it right, cushion rules (are there any? OF COURSE NOT, is the answer) and tile grouting (including rude bloody tilers who think they know better). And finally, banishing clutter and my top tips and tricks for kitchen storage, AKA how to get your kids to not leave empty Belvita boxes in the cupboard to throw you into a fury.
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