Day dreaming at the Ideal Home Show

I'm not yet a homeowner and although I rent I rarely personalise the property apart from a few throw cushions and none-permanent fixtures. I dunno, I just don't feel quite ready to commit to styling somewhere unless I know I'm going to be living in it for a few years - call me old fashioned! Still, that doesn't mean I can't appreciate day dreaming about my future home. Last week I had the perfect opportunity for some mental interior design when I attended the Ideal Home Show Exhibition in Earls Court. My lovely friend Kimberly from Swoonworthy and I had been kindly invited by Magnet to check out what the show had to offer. I hadn't seen Kimberly since my move to London so it was the perfect opportunity to catch up!

We arrived early afternoon and were greeted with a scene that wouldn't be out of place in John Lewis's latest advert. Fake snow and pine trees abounded outside the exhibition centre. Inside was similar with a whole area customised to look like a snow covered forest. Very cute without the accompanying cold weather!

Very sweet bath bombs by Pretty Happy Lovely Stuff.

In between gossip about work and general girly chit chat (she's going to kill me for saying that :-P) Kimberly and I took in the delights of the Home Show. From hot tubs and roofing to knick knacks and bedding, this place had it all - including an ice rink! While most of the stands showcased some genuinely lovely homewares, we did have some questions about others (E Cigarettes?)

My favourite stand was the opulent Moroccan Bazaar feature - I'm a sucker for anything Morroccan! I also loved the his and her bedrooms designed by Laurence Llewelyn Bowen. The colours were probably a bit too bold for me but there were definitely elements I'd love to incorporate into my (future) home. That bath tub is gorgeous!

Classic luxury from Moroccan Bazaar.

An LLB designed room - naturally!

LLB's 'her' bedroom

After a few laps of the ground floor we were exhausted! A short recharge session at one of the bars (non alcohol - we were working after all!) we decided to see what the upstairs had to offer. It was delicious - literally! One half of upstairs housed all the food stands and we were kicking ourselves that we hadn't started our tour of the show there first. (Apologies for the lack of images from my favourite section - I got too distracted, the curse of being a food loving photographer!)

I'm a sucker for food stalls of any kind and could happily spend a day (and a few hundred pounds) browsing all the treats on offer. Sadly, we didn't have very long to spend upstairs as we'd underestimated how much time we had left before Kimberly had to catch her train back up north (sob). We tore ourselves away from the food, had a quick look around the fashion section (disappointing) before we bid goodbye to the fake snow and cheery elves still waving outside and hopped on a tube home.

Sarah x

Did you visit the Ideal Home Show? What was your favourite part? 

Image credit: Demotix/All other photography my own

InStyle Hot List Ideas

Well, dear readers, woman cannot live on blogging alone and so while most Londoners fight for space on the Tube I'm fighting for my dream job. Elbows at the ready!

One application for InStyle magazine (!!!) involves me suggesting three ideas for a March issue hot list. Not wanting to be selfish I thought I'd share my ideas with you.

Wish me luck!

Hottest Staycation Destinations in the UK - Forget travelling overseas, whisk yourself off for a spring weekend and see the best of Britannia.

Hottest Springtime Shops - Forget just one or two pieces from these boutiques, we want the whole store! We tell you the only places you'll need to shop this Spring.

Hottest Treats - Last year was all about the cronut, what delights will the world of pastry offer us this year? We check out what you'll be craving on your cheat days!

Sarah x

London Christmas Windows: Part One

Ever since I was little, visits to big cities near Christmas time have always meant one thing - Christmas windows! While department stores wow us with their creativity to entice us to spend more inside, I'm sure mine and many other parents saw them as an opportunity for some free entertainment for the kids (which of course they are, although cynics among us know it's savvy marketing). Even now, Christmas isn't complete without a visit to see some department store windows. One of the benefits of living in London is having the creme de la creme of department stores on your doorstep. This weekend the bf and I visited Knightsbridge (natch) home of my favourite Christmas window displays, Harvey Nichols and Harrods.

Our first visit was to Harvey Nics, ever famed for its connection to Absolutely Fabulous. Edwina might have enjoyed their luxury lunches but I felt their windows were a bit lacking. Sure they were suitably stylish but they failed to tell a story and instead just showcased the products inside (the cheek!). C'mon HN you can do better!

Of course, we should have known that round the corner was the star atop Knightsbridge's Christmas tree. Harrods always puts on a show with their Christmas windows and this year was no different. The whole row of windows along Brompton Road has been designed as a steam train with each window a different carriage. Love!

Of course, a visit to Harrods wouldn't be complete without a bit of indulgence...

Stay tuned for more Christmas window adventures soon!

Sarah x

Which is your favourite carriage on the Harrods Christmas Express?

A new adventure

Dennis Road has had a bit of a relocation in these past few weeks. That's right folks, I've taken the big girl step and moved daarn south to the big smoke. London baby! Now, I might be a walking cliche, another Aussie in London, but living in the city of palaces and plays has always been my dream so I couldn't be more excited at my new adventure.

Our current residence is south of that big river from the Eastenders intro, Vauxhall. Home to gay clubs galore and the iconic MI5 building it's my new home for the next year. I'm sure there'll be plenty of excitement beyond this door so stay tuned to see what I get up to!

Sarah x

Vogue Fashion Night Out (or How I died and went to Fashion Heaven)

‘Sup fashion lovers! This post comes a few weeks late but nevertheless it’s full of sartorial goodness, so go on, eat it up!

While London has long dominated the fashion landscape in the UK, Manchester is slowly starting to make its way down the runway. Helping out in a huge way this year was the fact that Vogue (yes that Vogue) hosted its annual Fashion Night Out on the humble streets of Manchester. Excitement amongst local fashionistas had reached fever pitch in the weeks before the big night out and while I’d always thought I’d pop along to see what was on offer I never thought I’d be doing it VIP style!

My lovely friend and fellow blogger LilyKitten was offered a suite at the Radisson Blu Edwardian hotel for herself and some friends. Naturally I jumped at the chance for an afternoon of pampering – what gal could resist! While Lily was whisked away to take part in a styling session and interview with BBC (!!) I made myself at home in the Radisson’s plush suite, helping myself to some champagne while a MAC makeup artist transformed me into a Cara Delavigne look alike (well not quite but she still did a pretty good job!)

MAC’d out and made up with our new looks we headed off to Selfridges, one of the main locations for VFNO. The yellow store certainly didn’t disappoint, I spied Henry Holland soon after we’d walked through the front door closely followed by a smiling Daisy Lowe who glided past so quickly I’d barely had a chance to fumble in my high street bag for my camera before she was gone! 

Celebrity sightings over we lined up next to one of the stylish snack carts, bedecked with festive umbrellas which were dotted amongst Hermes bags and McQueen scarves (bit risky if you ask me!) We had crepes for starters, washed down with some designer prosecco. 

A wander through the rest of Selfridges revealed cotton candy machines, mini hotdogs, cup cakes and numerous cocktail bars on offer. Naturally, as a food lover (and because I hadn’t eaten all afternoon) my eyes were drawn to the nibbles but Selfridges also dished up temporary Matthew Williamson butterfly tattoos and Chanel manicures.

Eager to explore what else Vogue had up their Armani sleeves we wandered over to Harvey Nicholson. At first I was ready to dismiss HN as the poor sibling of Selfridges but a quick trip to the second floor revealed a sartorial wonderland, complete with mini huts housing designers who were customising the official VFNO t-shirts. Most popular of all the designers was Proudlock from Made in Chelsea who seemed to have given up customizing t-shirts and instead was patiently posing for photographs with the horde of girls outside his hut – nice work if you can get it. I’d had a run in with Proudlock before at London Fashion Week in February (you can read all about my experiences here) and had been so nervous about taking his photo I kept messing it up. He was very patient about it though and being a bit cheeky (must have been all that prosecco) I approached him (when there was a centimeter of space between him and the next girl) and asked if he remembered me messing up his picture at LFW. He said he did and asked if the picture I took that night had worked out. Giddy that he’d remembered me I said yes. The bf thinks he was lying but I’m having that one!

Already on a high, the evening’s delights still had plenty to offer! I spied one of my favourite shoe designers Sophia Webster in a hut customizing tees with one of her famed designs. Excited, I ran to buy one of the VFNO t-shirts (hats off to Vogue marketing, those t-shirts were flying off the shelves faster than a supermodel avoids a food table). 

I felt like I was waiting to see Santa at the shopping mall I was so excited but after standing for almost 20 minutes Sophia quickly ducked out of her hut off to another event. I heard whispers that she would be back and so undeterred I wandered around Harvey Nichols biding my time like any good stalker. After almost an hour though and no sign of Sophia I reluctantly lined up to have my t-shirt customised by someone else. That is, until I saw Sophia standing in a crowd watching an interview. Emboldened by my encounter with Proudlock I approached her and asked if she would be coming back to customize t-shirts any time soon. She looked a bit deflated (I don’t blame her, 30 minutes in that hut would be the end of anyone) but said she’d do one for me. I was on cloud nine! I chatted with her and her boyfriend about my impending move to their hometown London and they absolutely couldn’t have been nicer. Excited beyond belief I left Harvey Nics absolutely buzzing, what a way to end the evening. 

And, although impulse event t-shirts are usually a great idea on the night and are relegated to the pyjama draw for the rest of their lives I’ve been rocking my Sophia tee numerous times since VFNO. Well, it’s one of a kind dahling!

Sarah x