Design Dilemmas
Episode 111. This week we're discussing window dressings for conservatories, budget knobs and backplates and kitchen repairs. Plus clever ways to disguise a fuse box and the Sunday Niche Edit.
Good morning, Substack friends and I cannot believe that we are almost in July. JULY! This year is flying by but I don’t mind one bit, as long as the sun continues to shine (although maybe not QUITE as shiny as it has been in the UK this past week). I’ve had all three of my children at home this weekend (I’m writing this on Saturday) and this morning, I had to drop my daughter and two of her friends to York Races. Bear in mind that today, it’s almost 30 degrees, they are on the cheap side (AKA, the paddock area that you only pay £15 to get into and don’t need to wear a hat etc) and they have gone equipped with cans of cocktails, an M&S party food haul and a Primark blanket to sit on. What could possibly go wrong? This will only end in carnage, I know it. After I dropped them off, I passed hundreds and hundreds of York race goers who had got off the train and were walking to the Racecourse, wobbling on their heels in either excessively floaty dresses or dresses so small that if the wind blew, you’d have to hide your eyes and so many fascinators that you could head dress a small country. By the time it gets to 7pm this evening, these hundreds will be filling the pubs of Micklegate, the shoes will be off and the fascinators will be long gone. And then at 10pm, England is playing in the World Cup. I can assure you that I will be directing myself well out of York to my friends house for dinner tonight and not going anywhere close, ha.
On Monday, the landing carpet will hopefully be fitted and this space will then be finished. Quite exciting, I feel. Once that is done, the only rooms left to decorate in my house are my bedroom, the spare bedroom and Leo’s macerator shower room which I am holding off on going near until the very, very last. Bathrooms really are the worst when it comes to decoration upheaval. Tbh, Leo could well be off to University this time next year and then I might never have to go up there anyway. Am quite looking forward to doing my bedroom although I’m not in a rush (despite the fact that it is really quite terrible) because I have the BEST black out curtains which are super effective, albeit not very nice at all. It could be pure bright sunlight at 7am and I’ll still be in pitch darkness and fast asleep. Heaven, ha.
Back to business and this week, we are looking at the different types of window dressing for a converted conservatory space and how to make it feel like a proper room. We’re checking out knobs and backplates that don’t cost a fortune in order to update IKEA furniture on a budget. There’s an edit of companies who can update and repair any kitchen or work surface, in this case a sought after but damaged Alno German kitchen. And finally, we’re looking at clever ways to disguise fuse boxes in a tall thin space. Plus the Sunday Niche Edit is picnic bound with the very best in wine carriers. I mean, everyone needs a wine carrier, right? And paid subscribers (particularly if you’re new), remember that you can add your dilemmas or quandaries below here in the comments or you can join in the Group Chat (the speech bubble on your app or just click the link below) where there are thousands of you waiting to help with any issues that arise (I pick ones from both of these locations for my weekly post, so whack yours in).
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