Design Dilemmas
Episode 65: This week we’re talking shipping furniture, updating bedroom furniture and getting motivated. Plus half tile or full tile bathrooms and the return of the Saturday Niche Edit. On a Sunday.
[Cover photo credit: Lucy Clemenger Architects]
This week has been a flurry of never before seen organisational prowess as I start to work out how and when I am going to do all the things that I want to do in our new house. It seemed very easy before I got the keys - some quick decorating, a bathroom out, some coving ordered. Of course, the reality of coordinating all this stuff to happen on the right day at the right time is like herding sheep as I am fast discovering. I am actually (though it may not seem it) a very organised person and if I don’t have all my ducks in a row and ready to quack then I start to feel out of control and panicky and NO ONE WANTS THAT. Not least my husband and children who can see the signs a mile off and start to run like hell the moment they realise. It’s going to be a fun six months for them, ha. Anyway, I have managed so far to book in the landscapers who are going to dig out the front and make it look beautiful in the next four weeks, hopefully, so that’s one thing ticked off the list.
As I write this, I am about to get on the train to London because tomorrow morning, I’m on a 6am Eurostar to Paris for the day. Yes, the day! I am actually super excited about it - I’m going to see the new La Redoute Interieurs range and meet the designers who have created it so it should be really interesting. It’s also going to be really, really, REALLY hot. Thirty two degrees hot, which is a disaster for me as I am certainly not in any situation where I want to be whacking on strappy summer dresses at this point in time. I need at least five layers of good fake tan to get those babies out and I didn’t realise quite how warm it was going to be until this morning. I can’t wait to see all the new things though so I’ll report back to you with the best bits next week Also, rather brilliantly La Redoute is great for all of you, whichever part of the world you live in, as they ship everywhere (the readership of Joie De Vivre covers 108 countries which rather blows my mind).
Okay now back to business and this week we are starting with how to ship furniture from one end of the country to another, a common question on my Instagram feed. What to do if you’re saddled with a bedroom furniture set that isn’t quite floating your boat and how to get motivated to clear out storage areas and the best way to do it (in my experience anyway). We’re discussing the pros and cons of fully tiled versus half tiled bathrooms and finally, the return of the Saturday Niche Edit, which my Instagram followers will remember from days of old (an edit of 12 niche items in the same category for your viewing pleasure). But on a Sunday. Ha.
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