Design Dilemmas

Episode 60: This week we are talking bookcase styling, hidden desks and what to put in a shallow alcove. Plus brightening dark kitchens and how to choose paint, paper and pattern when overwhelmed.

[Cover credit: Design by Anna Haines, photography Boz Gagovski for House & Garden].

This week, my main life dilemma was how to deal with a complete lack of enthusiasm for eating anything but solid carbs. I have had a cold virus for two weeks (I know, so dramatic, like no one has ever had one before) and I have been incapable of going near a vegetable or even peeling a satsuma. I have survived almost purely on cheese, crackers and Walkers Chicken & Thyme Sensations plus a significant amount of Magnum Double Gold Caramel Billionaire ice lollies. These, my friends, are the ultimate in ice lolly loveliness. Two layers of caramel ice cream with caramel inbetween PLUS caramel infused ice cream within. I have never looked at how many calories are in one of these beasts but when I just googled to try and recall the actual name, it immediately came up with it as a question. No one needs to know this information so I studiously ignored. Anyway, if you have a sore throat I would thoroughly recommend, although possibly not in the same quantities that I managed to scoff. You’ll be pleased to know that I am now on the road to recovery and last night ate a salmon salad for dinner, so Waitrose can rest easy on their freezer restocks from now on.

Whilst on the subject of food, I am very glad that I am back in the food game as when you read this, I will have spent the entire day prior having a tasting menu lunch as a special treat outing. We have booked a local sought after countryside restaurant with our friends as a general celebration of life (we don’t need much encouragement to do nice things, if I’m being honest, and quite frankly, nor should anyone) and I am SO looking forward to it, partly because it means that I will be able to wear something on my feet which are not Birkenstocks or trainers due to ‘dressing up’. We are also going to do the wine flight - yes, we are really blowing the budget for this - and I LOVE a wine flight so I am very much looking forward to the whole experience. It’s the first weekend that Leo doesn’t have football as the season has finished (thus why we booked) so we are leaving him home alone with his GCSE studying, pizza and the remainder of my Chicken & Thyme Sensation stash to spur him on. He starts on Monday so PRAY FOR US ALL.

But back to the main event and this week we are talking about styling bookcases with books (I know, a genius idea) and other stuff and how to get it to look interesting rather than boring. Plus how can decisions be made on paint, paper and pattern when there are SO MANY OF THEM? We’re discussing guest bedroom desks that can fade into the background and don’t even look like desks, plus what to put in a shallow alcove and how to brighten a dark kitchen by playing about with the lighting options.

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