Sometimes things just come instantly. Sometimes you need to give it time. Sometimes it’s a matter of working harder. Does this make any sense? Never mind.

Today it’s sunny and it feels like summer. I like to think that today my kids are appropriately clothed. I have dressed my kids with woolen jumpers and tights (not the boy, I may add!) when it turned out to be scorching hot and equally have given them flip flops to wear when clearly all the sensible well adapted and ‘never- phased’ mum’s wrapped their kids up in thermals. Some just know what to do. I don’t. I must admit I try but get it wrong quite often. I don’t feel I am totally to blame with weather forecasts getting it wrong and summer not really being summer and winter not really being winter.

Today it looks, feels and smells like summer. I am in need of some colour. I  like things to be dark and ‘club- like’ but I do love pops of colour and layers of textures and patterns. This sounds very simple and it is, but not everything works. I don’t like the circus and I don’t like things to be too overbearing.

When my 5 year old gets full control over what she wears it has to be pink with pink, a bit of lilac thrown in for good measure and more pink. Although I understand it is part of the role description not to like what your 5 year old picks and this is where good parenting comes in….I really cringe. I can’t bear seeing all that pink… As a child growing up, my mother and sister loved pink and I don’t know whether it was a reaction to them liking it so much or whether I just liked being different or actually had different taste but I really detested the colour. I loved – and still do – blue and green. That isn’t to say a little pop of pink against a grey wall can look fab or that a powdery pink cushion combined with some sage green is stunning but in the main it isn’t for me….Colour combo’s that I think do work: * ) Yellow and gold with blue or teal,*)Yellow and green,*)Green and pink.

A few easy ways to add colour – to my dark and moody interior –

Flowers

When it comes to flower arrangements everything goes! I love all colours combined and my preference would always be a wild unstructured bouquet over a very well manicured bunch. If you want one type of flowers then a bunch of roses, peonies or hydrangeas in one colour works well. A large bunch of lilies is always a good bet. Here’s a lovely casual arrangement, the photo is taken in one of my favourite local restaurants – Fleurie – www.restaurantfleurie.nl

Art work

Please do not colour co-ordinate – art can add colour to a room but never match the colour in your artwork to your interior. Art is personal and should speak for itself. Great if it happens to add that bit of colour the room needed.

Cushions

I think enough said on this topic, please see my other posts.

A bit of quirkiness – Jujuhats

I was literally laughed at by quite some of my family members some years ago and told that because of my latest purchase – a Juju hat – I had now really lost the “design” plot. The Juju hat which is a traditional African head dress, symbol of prosperity made of chicken features and dyed in the most beautiful colours, has become popular in interiors. It is a great way to pop some colour and texture on the wall. I may add that one of those family members has now purchased a Jujuhat herself!

I am going to keep going with this……