Sisterhood and Mavens

There seems to be a spiritual consciousness in the ether this year, which for me comes at a really good time.  Never has it been easier to meet new people via social media and network with those sharing the same passions and interests.

I believe that women are really coming into their own in this regard, good at socialising and empathising there has never been a better time to find support from other women. Or so I thought.  

Perhaps it's because the changing times find us able to work on our own from home, using the web to connect, and creatives now have more platforms than ever to show their work, that a new generation and style of networking has begun.

Thanks to a few risk taking individuals, those not afraid to say 'hey lets get together", some of us are finding the support that we seriously need. At a time we really need it too.

I was going to talk about a bad experience I had on twitter, but I'm not giving that air time, they can sweat and wait to hear from my solicitor. But it does just go to show that social media is a double-edged sword and it's sharp so use it wisely.

Through this media I have met an enormous amount of great great women, all making a way in their businesses and looking to create opportunities and introductions to others, as together we are stronger.

The two saving graces for me most recently are called Conversational and Sisterhood, both of which have organised face to face events, on different scales, but just as fruitful in their outcomes.

Last weekend I attended one of the Sisterhood events - the winter supper which can be found on instagram with the hashtag #sisterhoodsupperwithtoast.

The event was visually stunning and with workshops which provided me with the chance to try modern calligraphy with Quill London. The venue has just opened and it's called The Forge Bristol. 

After the supper I drove on into Wales to The Welsh House group of cottages for a few days break without wifi or phone signals.  

I think we all need reminding of how life used to be, and how great it feels to try some slow living, simple pleasures.

This house has made me look at a few things differently, a great lesson in dealing with low light which is much needed as the days get darker and I only like to use natural light in photos.

The cottages have a weight, a gravitas to them, visually stunning inside and out, they must be the most beautiful places to stay in the whole of the UK, and trust me I've stayed in a lot of places.

The attention to authentic detail by owner Dorian is second to none, I am usually highly critical about other people's decorations but here I couldn't fault a single thing. In fact, I would happily buy the cottages with all the furniture in them as it was just perfect.

I have so many beautiful shots, I fell in love with the window ledges, is it possible to have a love affair with a window ledge? Perhaps because mine at home are so wimpy and rubbish in comparison. I want to knock the windows out and start again!

I will be talking about this trip quite a bit in the coming weeks and have put together Christmas styling ideas for a visual story illustrating A Child's Christmas In Wales.

The area in Carmarthenshire has stunning hills and valleys and very interesting historical sights, including woolen mills and cheese making. One trip which has been on my hit list for some years was to visit Jane Beck Welsh Blankets, an adorable shop in the middle of nowhere with the largest selection of vintage and new Welsh wool tapestry blankets. 

Jane Beck Welsh Blankets 

If I have enticed you to think about booking The Welsh House go to http://www.thewelshhouse.co.uk/ and see the choice of three cottages along with the history of how Dorian made a dream become reality by building and renovating.

I'm sure by the time you have seen all my photos you will be rushing to book a long weekend for yourself, they can also be found on Air bnb here.  You have a choice of three different style cottages and I will be featuring the two which are next to each other, Bryn Eglur and Ty Unnos.  I didn't get many outside shots of the house as the weather took a turn for the worse, however, I'm sure you will agree that these cottages are so cozy it hardly matters.

The word Maven came about from a meeting with Hayley who sells her own range of clothing and organised Conversational it means : A maven (also mavin) is a trusted expert in a particular field, who seeks to pass knowledge on to others. The word maven comes from Hebrew, meaning "one who understands", based on an accumulation of knowledge.

Be a MAVEN and not a TROLL ...

Styling The Seasons with Annie Sloan Wall Paint

Last year I was a 'painter in residence' for the chalk paint by Annie Sloan, before being chosen I had been using it for some time on walls, despite the fact that it was originally intended for furniture. For me it was a welcome change to traditional emulsion paint, giving a velvety matt surface.  The lack of sheen on the surface gives the colour more depth which changes throughout the day depending on the light. 

This however is not for everyone and is probably not ideal for areas of high wear or where water might splash. So now to fill that gap, Annie Sloan has developed a specific wall paint and this week I got to try it out.

My studio has wooden 'tongue & groove' panel walls, so in actuality I was painting over a standard emulsion on wood. This made the roller slip a bit so there is some slight patching, this would only take a few minutes to rectify and was down to the roller and not the paint.

I'm so familiar with the original chalk paint I find normal major brand paints very weird. Firstly, emulsion wall paint is so thin and splattery, needing several coats very often and the cheaper the paint the worse it is.  Secondly with wood paint Im allergic to the fumes and this was the major reason I changed to chalk paint in the first place.

The colour I've used here is Versailles, but please don't take these photos as a good representation of it, I was shooting in quite strange light and depending on your computer screen settings, the colour will not be precise.  For a truer colour look at the Annie Sloan site  and get tester pots, paint large areas of the walls you want and see how it looks in situ. I have seen Versailles look quite yellow in some light but in my studio it is a pale coffee beige. I wanted a neutral that seemed quite seasonal, matching the tones of changing leaves in nature. 

So how is this paint in comparison? Well, firstly I was really surprised with how thick it is, it must be the thickest wall paint on the market.  This I think would be particularly useful if you are painting a light colour over a dark colour, on the last photo I painted over a very dark blue chalk paint on the chimney breast and it covered it just fine. Also as I was painting onto a wall there was no slipping with the roller so its incredibly flat there.

I used a very cheap and very rubbish roller to apply the paint, just to put it through its paces.  It went on the wall a treat and while it didn't look 'even' when wet, it dried all one colour. 

The paint has a very slight silk finish so is suitable for wiping down or splashes of water but still matt enough not to be shiny.  

  

You can see the range here.  The coverage was good for a thick paint too and so if you are using the furniture paint you can find a wall colour that will work with it as Annie's paints sit very well together and she gives excellent tips about which ones sit alongside each other. 

While I'm here I would like to say a thank you also to stockist Dawn at Halcyon Days in Rye who very kindly gave me a tester of the wall paint in Duck Egg Blue, which I've used in a few photos now. I wandered into her shop when on holiday this year and we spent lots of time there chatting and laughing, she has some great vintage items too. 

The wreath on the chimney breast is now on its third or fourth incarnation. It was the one that I was given when we went to the 'Styling Spring At Mine" workshop.  It is now resplendent with dry hydrangea heads and I expect will get a bit of ivy and maybe even some holly nearer to Christmas.   

This wall paint has given me the bug again, I'm thinking about some other lighter colours now the natural daylight is disappearing. Also time soon to dig out the furry rugs and woolen throws. I've already started to light fires as there is a distinct nip in the air, and yet there are still roses on the bushes outside so it's an odd time to be sure.

Janice. 

Country Curtains - Divinely Vintage

This week I had the pleasure to work with a lovely lady called Sue from Divinely Vintage.  

Sue has been specialising in curtains for 20 years and certainly knows her stuff.  The main part of her business is in second-hand designer curtains which originally would have been extremely expensive. We aren't talking flimsy ready mades here, but bespoke heavy curtains made for country homes and manor houses, all at a snip of their original price.

You can find Sue's curtains through a number of different ways, theres a facebook page, website, ebay and etsy shops and also several Antique shops where she sells (Ampthill Emporium and St. Martins Antiques Stamford), all the links are on their website.

There are many big designer names in Sue's stock, Colefax and Fowler, Sanderson, Zofany etc. Most of these curtains are lined and inter-lined, and as the weather is now turning colder this is a perfect time to change over from your Summer lights to some serious draught preventing door and window drapes.

Sue stores much of her stock in a listed barn, which it is hoped will be turned into a showroom.  Amongst the beams are piles of gorgeous vintageness, so we had a rummage and took some of the stock outside. 

As this was probably the last of the beautiful weather we were so happy that the sun shined for us this week, a nip in the air but oh so lovely and much appreciated after the rain.

Recently Sue was commissioned to re-home all the curtains from Toddington Manor and this is another of the services she offers, working on commission to find a good home for a used quality item.

Im sure if you read this blog then you are like minded when it comes to second hand, it's not always perfect and even if it seems dated in some settings, it is possible to re-invent a look for it.  In the 1980s the fashion for floral was to have it everywhere, every surface covered, with extra borders and frills, a bit much Im sure you will agree, but take out some elements from that period, like some lovely Designer Guild curtains and put them in a setting with wooden floors and plain walls and you will create a whole new look.

For all the links to see Sue's curtains and outlets go to her website http://www.divinelyvintage.co.uk/ and give a home some old manor glamour.

1960's to 1970's looks and vibes

Wake up, its the swinging sixties and the groovy seventies and ORANGE has arrived!

There's so much that could be said about these two decades but I'm here to talk about colour and interior ideas so I shall try not to get side tracked and wander off down memory lane.

In 1964 Habitat was born and this was to shape the style of our interiors and create trends and desires for objects that were new and cool. Conran bought us the Duvet, paper lantern lampshades, the wok and the chicken brick. Here in the UK we now had our own trend leaders; Mary Quant gave us legs with her hot pants and mini skirts, modeled by Twiggy, Vidal Sassoon supplied the wedge bob hair style and everyone wanted to drive around in a new Mini car. The Brits were fashion leaders with The Beatles flying the flag for Brit style.

The patterns in wallpapers and fabrics were verging on the psychedelic, large rounded motifs in shades of orange, yellow, mustard and brown. During the 60's the department store Heals were commissioning some iconic designers like Peter Hall and Barbara Brown to produce fabrics with big stylised shapes in rich deep teals and emeralds. But it was orange that really hit big and if you want to replicate this era then its an absolute must to include. 

Habitat, not surprising considering its history, still do the best hues of orange, mustard and green in paint to replicate the sixties to seventies time. And they also still sell beautiful lampshades made of paper and have even reintroduced the chicken brick.

Another great place for getting items that fit the look is IKEA. During the sixties and seventies we began to see Scandinavian influences appear more and more, these shapes can still be found at our favourite Swedish superstore who have built their name on affordable design, primarily using wood which is a large resource in Sweden.   

There were some other colours apart from orange and brown, a sage green, olive is the best description and it was frequently used in excess, almost in saturation in some homes. If you find yourself some vintage Hornsea ware (kitchen jars and cups) then these colours give you the right idea.

A few years ago a friend and I made-over a bachelor pad in north London. The flat was in a building that was a design icon, the architect being Peter Tabori and built in the early seventies. So taking that as an influence we wanted to bring a bit of cosy and warmth to the owners rooms, adding fur rugs, pampas grass and voile curtains in cream and brown, while keeping to the building's era.

As we move into the seventies things tone down a bit, the colours become more muted and a reaction to all the plastic was a fashion for more natural materials like wicker and rattan. Brown and corduroy on clothes and furniture and a back to the earth approach came along with lots of house plants. Hessian even featured as a wall covering, and it was murder to remove!

I've made a pinterest board that features both authentic photos and current products that will help you pull this fab look together (double click for the link direct to the product). Homebase stock Habitat paint and their products are all available on line, some of their furniture is influenced by 70's designs like the Tisno chair. 

Other touches that will help you create an authentic look would be to add macrame either in wall hangings or plant holders. House plants took a real upturn in the seventies, possibly because now the exotic was traveling across borders. Ferns hanging from macrame holders, large Swiss Cheese plants were all essentials in the homes of that era.

As I mentioned before, the seventies also had some revival styles happening, Art Nouveau became popular, with Mucha's ladies appearing on mirrors.  

I shall be back to normal next week with the Styling The Seasons and Urban Jungle Bloggers photos, have a lovely week and keep your fingers crossed for me in the Amara Interior Blog Awards. 

Peace.

Style and colour of the 1940's and 1950's

Second in my series of decades and colours is the 1940's to 1950's. The reason Ive grouped two decades together in this series is that it's never clear cut from one decade to another where one style stops and another starts, so I'm going for a general overall impression of the colours that were popular during those eras and how to replicate that feel with modern paints and products.

Sadly the 1940s being a time of World War gives a hiatus to style and colour as utility and functionality took precedent over design and art for arts sake. Having said that, the events during that decade did shape the progress of inventions and practicalities in dress and homes.

The reaction to the end of that time of repression and rationing was the explosion of frivolity in the fifties. Clothing became more flamboyant and consumerism started in ernest.

The age of the slow Ocean Liner was surpassed by the age of Air travel, and the scientific and engineering progress which came about during the war was to influence designs in home accessories and fabric and print design.

Colours that stand out to me are pastels with pops of red. A primrose yellow, a special shade of blue and mint green that remind me of ice cream colours. Black and White checkered floors, and the 'atomic' shapes which came about after the Festival Of Britain.

Let's have a look at some films that will put us in the mood. The film industry was dominated by Alfred Hitchcock classics, Rear Window, North by Northwest, Strangers On A Train. James Dean, Audrey Hepburn were making their debuts and the film industry moved into colour in full glory.  America dominated the style, and in the UK we craved the American fashions.

Above in my own kitchen I decided to go retro with appliances because it was the best way to add colours. We all know that SMEG sell these glorious Fridge/Freezers in classic retro colours with handles reminiscent of old Fifties car door handles and that smooth sleek rounded corners of old American fridges. The fabric I've used to hide the washing machine is original fifties barkcloth. The background being pale grey with pops of red, blue yellow and green which were fashionable then. The little scenes are of European influence, like Italy and the Mediterranean, places that were now accessible.  

The room that is the easiest to style in these decades for me is the kitchen.  There's a fabulous array of items available from high street and online stores for appliances that scream American fifties. Have a look at online store Wayfair.co.uk for the clocks Ive featured and the 'petrol pump cd rack'. It's quite easy to buy kitchenalia from that period too, as the enamelware lasts forever!

Young couples like my parents wanted everything modern, Britain was rebuilding at a rapid rate and they had big aspirations. In kitchens the labour saving devices were king and surfaces were Formica in an array of new colours and patterns. The new transistor radio brought rock n roll and the teenager was born, having their own fashions for the first time, rebelling against their parents buttoned-up lives. 

During the 1940's there was still an abundance of floral motifs on walls, floors, curtains but as time moves on into the 1950's this changes into these more 'atomic' shapes and the abstract takes over.

I took this photo at Bletchley Park, this green was one of the few colours available during the war

There's a pinterst board featuring more of the forties and fifties over at this link https://www.pinterest.com/JaniceIssitt/1940s-to-1950s-home-styling/

Hope you find this useful if you are going for a vintage look, see you soon in the sixties and seventies. 

Get the Art Deco look

Over the next few weeks I'm going to feature some ideas about how to style in different decades using colour to bring the look together.

Im starting with the 1920s/1930s, and focusing on Art Deco, I will move onto the 40s/50s, 60s and 70s  in the coming weeks. My mission is to find things that you can buy from high street or online stores if you don't have the time and cash to find the original vintage item. While Im all for buying second hand, antique and original, it's not always possible to find those things and whether you have the original or a modern copy, you will still need to hone the style with your colour choices. Certain decades speak in specific colours and it's my aim here to condense these looks for you.

So, starting with Art Deco, we are looking at Black with either gold, pink or green as seen below. Its always Black and something, lots of black ..

This first moodboard is featuring pink and black combinations, here we have a selection of original Deco fabrics and bathroom mixed with items from the House Of Fraser Biba range and the Linea Lustre set of Martini glasses. Farrow and Ball Calamine is in the right hue for this period pink, its slightly salmon and dusky.

This pink seems to work particularly well in bathrooms, although I don't suppose you are lucky enough to still have an original Art Deco bathroom in your home. Adding the pink black and gold with touches of green can help you get that feel of decadence while you sip martinis in the bath. Biba have a good selection of towels for your Deco bathroom as well as perfume and toiletry bottles.

The second board features the green and black combination which I feel sums up the Art Deco look completely.

This board features a classic Deco ceiling Lamp from House Of Fraser called Tiffany New York Ceiling Pendant.  They also have black glasses (Linea Black Ghost glassware), and the gold mirror (Biba). This black and green combination works well in a dining room. The clock is from Wayfair (I shall be featuring this online store with my retro fifties look) their website is here.

glassware from
http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Wine+Glasses/80373,default,sc.html 

The Art Deco period ran from the mid 1920's, the term is attributed to Le Corbusier, he of the iconic chaise in black leather and chrome, and he used it describe an exhibition of 'art and industrial' in 1925.

To get you in the mood, think about what was happening around this time, it was the great age of shipping. Ocean Liners were the big thing and if you look at Deco buildings you will see that they resemble ships, with port hole windows and railings in tiers.

The latest Great Gatsby film by Baz Luhrmann will certainly get you in the right spirit of that age, Liberated ladies free from the shackles of corsets, smoking, cocktails, stylish fast cars and hedonism for those wealthy enough to be the beautiful people. 

Farrow and Ball make two colours which closely resemble the hue of pink and green synonymous with that age. Calamine Pink and Arsenic Green, they also have several shades of Black. 

Last year as part of my Painters In Residence season for Chalk Paint maker Annie Sloan I did my take on Art Deco when I made over this original piece of furniture. Can you believe I bought this cupboard and chair for 11 pounds! The Chalk Paint colour Graphite is ideal for your black wall or furniture and Annie Sloan also sells Brass Leaf for adding those Gold highlights. On this cupboard the green was Florence with dark wax. I used a crackle glaze on the doors to age the colour Florence and try to tone it to the right hue for the period. 

I added a twist to the chair with this Van Asch fabric

There was a great revival for the Art Deco period in the seventies, I can't quite find where exactly this stemmed from. There was 'Bonnie and Clyde' the film in 68 featuring the acheingly beautiful Faye Dunnaway and the not too shabby Warren Beaty. In 1976 we had a brilliant child version of the gangster and moll story in "Bugsy Malone" with a fabulous performance by the 13 year old Jodie Foster. 1974 also brought us the first film of The Great Gatsby with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow

But for me the most important thing was the move of Biba to the Big Biba store in an old department store building on Kensington High Street in 1974. This was the most amazing shop of all time, it would take me all year to explain how every detail was perfect from the ground floor right up to the roof garden with flamingos. I visited the store by bunking off school with a friend and using our dinner money saved up for the train fare. A major influence on me was not only the awareness of style and styling but the images produced to advertise the shop by my hero Sarah Moon, still an influential photographer. It may have been 1975 ish but I can close my eyes and feel how it was to be in that shop, I would give anything to be transported back to that time but with more money in my purse.

More recently the originator of Biba, Barbara Hulanicki has put her Biba brand-name to a range of products for House of Fraser. Lots of items from clothes to homeware. You could literally decorate yourself and your house with all the items from her range, so if Hollywood glamour is for you then head down to House Of Fraser.  

Art Deco is a great style to refer to if you are decorating for a man who doesn't like floral but does like antiques and vintage. The shapes are more masculine and the colour range is pretty sexy and bachelor style, much like Gatsby himself. 

This style mixes well with industrial as it brings gloss to this rough beaten style. Thinking about textures and keeping them in balance, all shiny and hard or all wooly and furry, neither is particularly appealing, but mix them up in equal portions and you are onto something. 

For the House Of Fraser glassware please click here for the link. They sell everything from the Biba range too, from clothes to towels. Perfect for party styling with a theme, maybe have a Gatsby style Christmas party, how very chic that would be.

For all things Farrow & Ball click here where you can find stockists or order online.

For the complete Biba range click here and for Annie Sloan Chalk Paints click here 

All the above can also be found on my Pinterest board and the links on there will also take you to the source.  

Styling The Seasons - August

Funny old month eh? usual weird weather, hot then cold then rain then sunsets.  Still it doesn't stop us Brits getting out and about, we are made of stronger stuff.  Nothing is going to scupper our holiday plans.

As per usual, I try to make my birthday celebrations last as long as possible, every year I use it as an excuse to spend loads on trips away and presents for me and home. 

Since loosing my parents I've taken it upon myself to take control and mostly I do stuff as a distraction to the fact that they aren't around to spoil me anymore. I'm very spontaneous these days so our trip to the coast was rather last minute. Having now also been reminded how quick and easy it is to fly to Amsterdam, this too is something I need to do more often.

My styling the seasons this month is to feature all my new purchases from the UK and Amsterdam, combining the finds from The Firle Vintage Fair, various shops around Hastings like Butlers Emporium and the enormous flea market in Amsterdam.

My photos are a reflection of the different moods that this August has provided us with, dark and light.

Almost autumnal in parts.  Above is a lovely vintage picture from the East Sussex Firle Vintage Fair held in the grounds of Firle place. I thought it had overtones of being Chinese and put me in the mind set of things from the Orient, Im definitely on a trip with Japan and China at the  moment, this was to come to a head in Amsterdam, when my host showed me her Japanese textile collection.

The cone of wool was from the flea market in Amsterdam and I will use it in weaving, I couldn't help popping those feathers in the top. They are from Eagle Owls and Hawks. Im going to hang them from the wall hanging I think. 

Above here, in a more pastel mood are two more purchases from Firle, the blue glass 'milk of magnesia' bottle and the green glass dish with lid.  The tray was also from there and has mother of pearl set in with bright reds and greens.  Look out for that tray again in photos as I haven't featured its full glory yet. The flask was from the Amsterdam flea and was only 5 euros. I photographed these against my work area cupboards which Ive painted in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, mixing up green and white and grey.

The book above is clearly from Holland, its about house plants and the pictures inside I think are cards stuck in from tea or cigarette packets maybe. This again is sure to feature in future so that I can show you the inside. I may need help with translation but Im sure that my Urban Jungle Blogger friends will help if need be. The wooden spoon is the best priced hand carved spoon Ive yet to find and this was from Butlers in Hastings.

The highlight of my trip to the coast was to meet up with Jeska and Dean from the online store The Future Kept. I'd arranged to collect my little hand thrown ceramic mug from them (above). They sell out of these super fast so you may need to message them.  

And my  last picture is the fruits from my trees. The apple and plum trees were already in the garden at our house when we bought it. We struggle to make use of the fruit, Ive tried cider, chutney, jam .. you name it. But this year we are on our Nutribullet diet so this lot will end up in the juicer.  I photographed them on the dark wall with rust and galvanised iron because I thought the colours of the fruits shone out more this way. Its a good example of how to work with a dark wall, using natural bright pops like apple green. The colours in the plums are so beautiful a perfect example of how to mix shades of pink and green.

Lots of my friends, along with myself, have been nominated in different categories in the Amara Interior Blog Awards so please do look out for Lobster & Swan, A Quiet Style, Capture by Lucy, The Cabinet Makers Lovetale, At Mine, Apartment Apothecary, Breath Happiness, Make, Joelix, Happy Interior, Lotts & Lots,  oh and so many other great ones, Ive mentioned just a few of the 589 blogs nominated just to help you maybe find some new ones. 

If you have a look on the right hand side of this blog you can click on the Amara IBA15 badge and it will take you straight to the voting page for me.  I would love to be shortlisted. 

Thanks for reading as usual, see you next week. 

Coastal Art and Colours - Lewes to Rye

I thought I'd just do a little round up of my  latest trip to the coast with some recommendations of lovely grownup things to do if you are interested in art and interiors particularly.

We drove to Lewes as our first stop, which unfortunately didn't give us a very pleasant hotel experience, having left it a bit late to book we chose what seemed to be ok location wise but was a very run down and overpriced place. In fact the worst hotel on our trip and the most expensive, I won't name it but its a pub/inn on the high street.

The best part about this location was its proximity to three things we went to, firstly the Vintage Fair in Firle, then Monks House the former home of Virginia Woolf and then Charleston House, the home of Virginia's sister Vanessa Bell, an artist. Have you been watching the tv series about them "Life In Squares" - love in triangles. Its worth catching on iplayer to get the general feel of the stories behind this set of bohemians and is also filmed at these locations.

Monks House

The best part about Monks House for me is that you can take photos inside and their welcome to visitors is very warm. The green colour in the lounge was mixed for them by Farrow and Ball and is truly stunning. 

Monks House is not as decorative as Charleston but the garden is just as stunning and the collections inside are also lovely. 

Firle House vintage fair was glorious, mostly because we had a really sunny hot day.  I knew the traders would have great stock as lots of the vintage sellers from the south coast go across to France buying. Disaster number two came when my other half got stung by a wasp on the lip! we are calling it wasp gate. The traders there were so kind, they found him some medicine and remedies. Naturally I picked up a few cute things as souvenirs and then we headed down to the coast to Eastbourne. 

This stretch of the coast is classic British and really quite smart and clean. We booked a comfortable hotel on the beach front, one of the old Victorian buildings. Laying in bed listening to the sea and seagulls was so lovely. What else should you do there? well buy some fish and chips and eat them on the pier of course.

We didn't do so much in Eastbourne, just sat on the beach and collected shells, soaking up the sun and fresh air.

From there we tried to stick to a coast road and in my search for a nice cappuccino we stumbled across the De La Warr Pavillion which is showing an exhibition of Bridget Riley paintings. I have wanted to see her work up close for so many years, I couldn't believe it! The exhibition runs to the 6th September with information here http://www.dlwp.com/event/bridget-riley-the-curve-paintings the cafe was also very nice so that was a totally unexpected bonus. 

Style guru Jeska at Lobster and Swan gave me some recommendations for shops she thought I would like in Hastings and thank goodness she did as I don't think we would have found them. Theres an amazing selection of vintage shops in lovely old buildings in the old town near George Street. The High Street and Post Office Passage will keep you amused all day exploring if you like a rummage. Butlers Emporium was recommended to me and it is really beautifully curated. I bought a few lovely things which will be featuring in my photos soon. We ate in Nazar a Turkish restaurant with very good food, its on Robertson Passage. We love lots of 'picky bits' so a Meze is perfect for us, me who grazes and the other half who eats like a horse. 

It was quite sad to say goodbye to Hastings, I could have done with another day there but Dungeness was calling. Since I worked at Mute Records with musicians who put music to Derek Jarman's films, I have wanted to visit his cottage and garden. It is so lucky for us that it is still possible to just drive up to the cottage and wander round, but please respect the occupiers. The cottage is called Prospect Cottage and you can see its location on google maps.

I read that Derek Jarman chose the yellow of the windows to reflect the yellow in the plants which grow there. Please do some research before you go so that you can better understand about the planting and how the garden grew into an art work organically.

We lost the good weather but somehow grey and dreary does really suit the area of Dungeness, a truly strange place.  Theres a toy train which the school children still catch, but we didn't actually ride on it ourselves. 

Our hotel in Rye was such a joy after a windy drizzly day. Perfectly located and with lovely decoration, the Hope Anchor was great value for money with very good breakfasts. Just round the corner from great shops and beautiful old winding cobbled streets. Mermaid Street has been used in so many films, transporting you back with buildings from the 1400's.  The Mermaid Inn is on my bucket list of places to stay, maybe next time, its one of Englands oldest Inns having been rebuilt in 1420.  

The George and The Standard are great places to eat, but you need to book. A lovely combination of interior design shops and antiques. It is good for mens clothes which is unusual. Rye is definitely another place to go back to and quite magical.

Tomorrow I pop over to Amsterdam to visit an old friend. Rosey is a very stylish girl and Im sure I will have some lovely photos of her cool house to share.  Have a lovely weekend everyone, and please don't forget to vote for me in the Amara Awards the link is here :
http://www.interiorblogawards.com/vote/janice-issitt-life-style/

Your support is really appreciated.