Hotel Review: The Guardsman Hotel, Westminster, London

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Blue, pink and even yellow colours in a nursey are seemingly on their way out of fashion, as black nursery decor is taking off as the stylish, gender-neutral alternative.

With two children under 2 years, Interior designer, Lucy Sear-Barlow, is all too aware that practical function is more important than pretty aesthetics when it comes to researching nursery decorating ideas. However, the Creative Director at  Barlow & Barlow Design, believes that doesn’t mean you have to turn down your decorating style-dial as you look forward to the arrival of your new tiny housemate.

Black nursery decor

Image credit: Pottery Barn

Skandi decorating ideas are always popular and trends such as farmhouse and bold colour schemes are making waves within interior waters. So, it’s no wonder striking black is the go-to colour choice for nursery schemes amongst decorators and designers right now.

‘Whilst I wouldn’t ever use too many big blocks of black in a scheme as it does absorb a lot of light, used sparingly on furniture legs, tablecloths, cushions, and vases it immediately makes schemes feel a bit edgier. It’s a way of giving some immediate attitude to a scheme,’ explains Lucy.

Black is already gardened a following of celebrity parents.  Jools Oliver‘s son Buddy Bear has fun black pom-pom and superhero garlands highlighting a cool Nubie Kids house bed, while Dani Dyer has seriously cute animal prints with black frames on her new baby, Santiago’s wall.

Stacey Solomon‘s son Rex has his favourite animals; pandas as a featured motif in his nursery. The fury, and monochrome friends are teamed with black and white bed linen and a cosy Berber rug.

Lucy Sear-Balow tips for styling the black nursery trend

Lucy recently worked with the Norwegian manufacturer of children’s furniture Stokke to share her top tips for introducing the colour black into our family homes:

1. Use black as an accent colour

We often lean towards black as an accent colour for accessories at home. I have a bit of a penchant for animal print and black accessories work so well with a little bit of leopard print! I also love a gingham or big scale check; however, this can look very twee if done in colour, but a gingham in black immediately looks younger and cooler.

2. Black is a gender-neutral essential

Image credit: Instagram / @winterdaisy

Investing in children’s things that are in gender-neutral nursery shades such as black means that you can reuse everything for each child. Just like your wardrobe you will have to stare at your children’s things for a long time and so investing in smart and timeless colours like black means it will last through many fashion cycles and you will hopefully never tire of looking at it!

3. Style up the storage

With all the kit and caboodle that comes with children, some of it nice to look at and some not, the key to keeping it in some semblance of order is attractive black toy storage solutions.

Image credit: Nubie Kids

For me, the easiest and most achievable way to do this is through baskets. Whether cane, jute, or wicker, they are easy to come by, come in multiple sizes and most importantly suit every style of interior.

As soon as you sweep up the chaos of children’s plastic tat and hide it away in the nice basket suddenly all feels well again, and your house looks ordered and chic.

Furthermore, if you choose something beautifully designed in a timeless colour, such as black, it will look smart in the nursery, living room or kitchen no matter what fashions come and go and how many times you repaint your cabinetry.

The post You’ll never guess the new popular nursery colour that is taking off this year appeared first on Ideal Home.

The use of external plaster or render goes back nearly 10,000 years. Its potential to effortlessly transform a tired old house into something sleek and sophisticated with a few waves of a plasterer’s arm is undoubtedly alluring. Combined with the use of external insulation this transformation can not only be aesthetic, but comfortable and sustainable too.

The same benefits also apply to new builds but be warned, rendering a house is hard to get right and even harder to keep looking good.

The benefits of rendering a house

Where many materials used for exterior cladding soften and look better with age, render rarely does. The moment it’s finished and perfect is when the render is at its best. However this can be avoided by careful design and specification.

Image credit: Future PLC/David Giles

1. It allows the building to breathe

To achieve your flawless vision you need to start with some physics and understand how your building breathes. The idea of a ‘breathing building’ may sound weird but all buildings absorb and release moisture; this is known as its breathability. This moisture is not from driving rain (although this contributes) but is mostly water vapour that cooking, showering and breathing produces.

This moisture generally moves from inside to outside through the walls of your home. Older buildings, especially without DPCs (Damp Proof Course) are very moisture permeable and rely on this to keep dry. Therefore the render you put on the outside of your house has to match the breathability of your existing walls or you will trap moisture within the structure and create a problem, resulting in looking at how to get rid of damp.

Image credit: Future PLC/Claire Lloyd Davies

2. It’s suitable for older buildings or modern properties

There are traditional and modern lime plasters that work really well with older buildings and more modern cavity walls also benefit from a vapour open (breathable) render to ensure you don’t get damp, and possibly mould, in your home.

If water does get trapped in your walls by a non-breathable render or exterior paint it can cause the top finish to blister and fail which looks like an outbreak of boils!

3. Good detailing ensures no cracking or staining

Getting breathability right is all about specification and is the first step. Next is to ensure you don’t get cracking or staining, this is all about good detailing.

As the temperature swings between day and night, summer and winter, buildings grow and shrink so carefully located expansion joints are needed to allow for movement between sections of render rather than in the render itself. This will stop your beautiful surface cracking.

Perhaps worse than cracking is weathering stains around windows, overhangs and gutters. Preventing this is again about careful detailing especially around windows and doors and ensuring your gutters are working properly.

4. It can improve thermal performance

Image credit: Future PLC/Robert Sanderson

If I’m being honest, I have mixed feelings about the appearance of render. It can be well done, but is often bland. However, I am a huge fan of render with exterior insulation. This is insulation fixed to the exterior of a house that is usually rendered to provide waterproofing.

Given that an average house loses about 40% of its heat through the walls, wrapping them up transforms both air tightness (reducing draughts) and thermal performance. It allows for a sustainable makeover without the expense and inconvenience of internal wall insulation, which means redoing most of the rooms after installation.

5. A professional installer will ensure a perfect finish.

It is important to do your research to understand the basics and crucially find a reputable, skilled installer. I always recommend visiting their previous projects and specifically something that was finished a few years ago as ageing is critical to successful render. When correctly installed and combined with some thoughtful design, external insulation will mean your home can look great, and be comfortable and affordable to heat.

The post The 5 benefits of rendering a house according to Charlie Luxton appeared first on Ideal Home.

One thing is for sure, there’s enough interior design blogs on the web to please everyone.

There are so many amazing bloggers out there, doing an awesome job at giving advice, inspiration, motivation and stories across all spectrums of design.

Blogs can be great sources for inspiration for interior designers and consumers alike. From finding unique ideas for quirky spaces to creating more accessible living spaces – there is an interior design blog for every need.

This list of 51 (I tried to get it down to 50 but just couldn’t cut it down anymore) best interior design blogs isn’t based on metrics such as number of followers, amount of traffic or anything like that.

It features interior design blogs that I personally read and bloggers I highly respect. They all feature truly amazing articles, images, guides that I’m sure you’ll love too. Also, they are not ranked (I’ve put them in alphabetical order) as they are all amazing bloggers.

I’d love to hear your favourite interior design blogs too!

+Deco

Elena has created an incredible platform of ideas, advice and interior design inspiration inspiration for decorating your house with +Deco. A lover of the best pieces of design, she is a strong believer that great design doesn’t have to cost the earth and is on a journey to bring you the best of design right to your inbox.

Anika’s DIY Life

Anika’s mission to inspire and encourage everyone to fill their lives with DIY no matter the experience level really strikes a chord with me who struggles with most DIY I attempt. Her project guides are both categorised by difficulty and also effortless to follow so really anyone can complete the project.

Anita Yokota

If you want to combine wellbeing and interior design then Anita’s blog is the place to start. As a licensed family and marriage therapist turned interior designer she inspires you to create empowering spaces in your home.

Ariyona Interior

Based in Mumbai, Rittika’s passion for some decor shines through in every post. From following along her interior design project updates and room reveals to trends, tips and ideas. She’s been on an incredible journey and you can join in anytime.

Beth Diana Smith

Beth doesn’t post all that often. But what I can tell you is that every post is 100% worth the wait. The archives are a treasure trove of inspiration and interior design ideas for your home. I particularly loved her post about her journey as an interior designer, truly incredible.

Black Southern Belle

Michiel offers a soul-infused southern inspired, filled to the brim with inspiration for almost every home. From home tours to virtual shopping, Michiel has you completely covered with all your home decor needs and more.

Boreal Abode

As well as being one of the nicest people you will ever meet, Juan offers interiors-lovers advice on how you decorate your home with both style as well as boosting your wellbeing making it one of the best interior design blogs. Be happy, and love your home. He also runs #InteriorsChat which you should definitely check out.

Carmeon Hamilton

Carmeon has one of my favourite mission statements ever, “MY PURPOSE IS TO NOT ONLY DISCOVER THE BEAUTY IN ALL THINGS, BUT TO ALSO HELP OTHERS FIND THAT BEAUTY IN THE THINGS THAT SURROUND THEM EVERY DAY”. Her interior design blog truly lives up to her purpose. She does not hold back with her photos, which only serve to inspire every reader.

Cate St Hill

Cate started her blog sharing simple interior design for everyday living and has built upon this to prioritise simplicity, sustainability and design built to last. She manages to create stylish, minimal spaces that you will want to experience and bring into your home. If you don’t end up pinning almost every image on her blog you must have some real self-control.

Charis White

A stylist that enjoys every aspect of interiors, Charis provides you with an abundance of inspiration for your own home. Unique finds from design shows to sustainable interior design ideas, you have a never ending supply of ideas coming out of Charis’ blog.

Charlotte Nichole

One of my frequent go-tos for interior design blogs, Charlotte offers everything from how to use the latest colour trends in your home to productivity-boosting interior design styles. She shares her own inspiration for her own apartment to really bring to life the inspiration she shares.

D For Design

For Silvia, interior design is much more than just aesthetics. Her mission is to make interiors great for both wellbeing and the planet. Her works is always inspired by nature and sustainable at its core. You’ll come away with new perspectives and also a sense of calm.

Damask & Dentelle

Running a interior design blog in one language is impressive enough, but running it in two is another level. That is exactly what Vanessa does on Damask et Dentelle, offering ideas and inspiration on decor, interior design, style and life. Just be careful you don’t get lost in her amazing writing, you could lose hours if not days.

Decor By Delali

To call Delali a colour queen, if anything, is an understatement. The colour loving interior designer shares the favourite finds, interviews with inspiring designers, and colour advice for your home. If you are looking for something bold and colourful then you need to get involved with Decor by Delali.

Design & Beyond

Take a trip of the journey of Paul, the interior stylist come jack-of-all-crafty-trades. He takes you on a true craft journey whilst inspiring you to get crafty yourself. Whilst you’re there, check out his Etsy store.

Dove Cottage

I’m always so impressed with how much incredible content Sam publishes on a regular basis. From budget-friendly garden ideas to updating her own kitchen for just £10. You’ll come away with more ideas than you could possibly do in your own home. Her down to earth and approachable style will have you losing yourself in her interior design blog for days if you aren’t careful.

Film & Furniture

Ever been watching a movie and love the decor of someones house and wanted to know how to recreate it in your own home. Well you need Film & Furniture in your life! Paula has created a truly unique experience that helps you find those iconic pieces in whatever film you are watching.

Flipping The Flip

If you can DIY it then Becky has you covered. Her super-actionable step by step guides allows even a beginner to complete with ease. Recording every change they make to their house, however small, shows just what can be possible in your own home.

Forward Features

The award-winning London based interior design blogging duo, David & Mark have created a haven of content around their flat. Featuring the latest industry events, hottest trends as well as need to know info on renting in the city, it’s so easy to get lost in the incredible archives of posts.

Fresh Start Living

Interior designers Beth and Jon, who left the busy life of London to start their new life and business in Leeds have a truly amazing blog. Their actionable guides, often featuring their own home, give you more ideas than you could dream of having for your own home. The only problem, where to start.

Grace In My Space

Sarah’s goal with her interior design blog is to inspire Haven Makers daily while seeking to inspire women to love themselves and their home with grace. And she smashes this goal out of the park with incredible guides and free printables. Go check it out.

Greenbank Interiors

Kirsty does the interiors research so you don’t have to. She curates the best tips, advice and inspiration all in her interior design blog so you don’t have to spend hours elsewhere trying to find the perfect product or style for your own home.

Grillo Designs

An award-winner and genuinely incredible person! Medina deserves every success she gets, her blog is absolutely filled the brim with easy to follow tutorials from upcycling to woodworking to IKEA hacks. If you like getting your hands dirty and trying new DIY things – then make sure you sign up. Also, if you are renting and want to make your place the best without losing your deposit, make sure you check out her book.

Handmade Haven

The software engineer by day, self-taught woodworker by night, Ashley showcases her DIY and woodworking projects to inspire you to dream big. From small modern coat racks to an industrial coffee table – whatever you want to make, Ashley has you sorted.

Hello Central Avenue

Everything Rebecca writes is for you. Her goal is to inspire you to have a home you are happy in and proud of – and she achieves this and more! Decorating, DIY, organising – it all adds up to turning your house into a home and reading Rebecca’s journey makes it even easier to achieve this.

Interior Notes

Be careful when you enter the interior notes of Mariana, you might never leave. The Italian interior designer writes about her own inspiration, the latest trends and literally everything interior design. The simplicity of the design means before you know it you’ve read hundreds of posts and lost hours.

Interiors by Jacquin

Jacquin has created something amazing with her blog. With an abundance of decorating inspiration, fine artist interviews, latest design trends and incredible features on the best products. Her warm and contemporary aesthetic shines through in every post.

JenPen Creative Studio

Since Hubertienne was first nominated for an Amara Interior Blog Award, I’ve been in love with her blog! From colourful finishing touches and trends, to project profiles and event round ups. There is endless inspiration.

Jungalow

I fell in love with Jungalow the first time I set eyes on it. The design of Justina’s blog is amazing and it just sets the scene for her amazing writing. There is nothing plain, beige or boring about her blog, its an abundance of fun, creativity and good vibes.

Live Pretty on a Penny

Live Pretty on a Penny is a home decor lovers and DIYers dream! Since launching in 2012, Erin has gone from strength to strength with her blog now becoming a go-to destination for all things DIY projects and interior design inspiration.

Lucy Loves Ya

Lucy was one of the first bloggers I had the honour of working with when I was at Amara and I’ve been an avid follower ever since. If you need some colour inspiration (for which she is award winning) then you need to start reading this blog.

Mad About The House

No list of interior design blogs is complete without Kate from Mad About The House. Filled with more inspiration than you could think possible. Now with her own book, joint podcast and design consultancy. There’s not much Kate doesn’t know about interiors.

Marie Burgos Design

Interior designer Marie uses her blog to showcase her clear depth of knowledge of the interior design world. A Feng Shui expert, her blog showcases everything from before and after design projects to colour specific advice to design inspiration for all types of homes.

My Warehouse Home

What Sophie has achieved since launching My Warehouse Home is nothing short of extraordinary. The magazine is now read in over 100 countries, a fully-fledged design service and book all showing the wonders of loft living and vintage industrial style. If you haven’t already, go check it out.

Repurpose & Upcycle

A fellow introvert. Repurpose and Upcycle is Lindsey’s creative outlet. If you are after simple DIY’s, budget friendly home projects, refinishing furniture and scoring vintage finds, then you need to subscribe to Lindsey’s blog.

Segreto Secrets

There are not many people I know that truly understand colour as well as Leslie. And she has built a thriving design practise off the back of her impeccable style and eye for design. Her blog (and books) is filled with inspiration which will leave you wanting to make so many improvements to your home.

SG Style

SG Style is where small spaces, little hold house and moody eclectic interiors are a big deal. Shavonda has really honed in her niche and her style shines through in everything she does. An amazing blog filled with inspiration.

Soonafternoon

Soonafternoon is the definition of natural beauty. Join Barbara where she seeks to explore the nature of beauty, the beauty of nature and the artistry of design.

Style So Simple

Aoife has worked on design projects all over the world and this experience has allowed her to set up Style So Simple as a way to bring affordable design to everyone, no matter where you are. Her ethos that beautiful interior does not need to be expensive. The inspiration you get from her blog will leave you with ideas to improve every part of your house.

Swoon Worthy

One of my all time favourites. Kimberly’s eclectic-boho style has drawn in millions of readers, won her multi awards and there is no wonder why. From her DIY projects to her styling advice, Kimberly has become a household name in interior design blog circles.

Te Esse by Velvet

Velvet explores the vast space of inspiring ideas and possibilities with an open mind and the conviction that good design begins with an even better story. If you want to pursue a more meaningful life, embrace slow living and delight in all the little things in life that matter most then you need to subscribe to Te Esse.

That Scandinavian Feeling

If you didn’t already guess, Ingrid’s blog looks as good as the content she writes about. The Norwegian journalist’s (in Italy) blog represents the feeling of cosiness and calm with a Nordic simplistic, minimalistic style. If you want some scandi style inspiration then there is no better place to look.

The Curious Designer

Paula is awesome. I’ve had the honour of working with her a few times and she knows her stuff. Her blog is rammed full of inspiration and super actionable guide. Her design service is incredible so make sure you check it out.

The Design Twins

I’ve had the true honour of meeting Jodie and Julie on two occasions at the Interior Blog Award ceremonies. Not only are they some of the nicest people you will meet they have also created one of the best interior design blogs ever! From organisation tips to DIY projects and everything in between these two lovely ladies are an absolute must-follow.

The Girl With The Green Sofa

Nicola shares how she has created the spaces in her own house to inspire others to what is possible. Featuring small interiors businesses and her favourite suppliers makes turning these ideas into reality in your own home is super easy. And to think, it all started when she bought a green velvet sofa.

These Four Walls

Abi shares inspiration for simple, relaxed living for your home. She focuses on minimalism, muted colours and understated, considered design. From home tours and brand features to decorating project guides it is so easy to get lost in Abi’s blog. So make sure you subscribe to never miss out.

ToolBox Divas

The lover of power tools handy woman Timisha has created an incredible home decor blue as she remodels her home without breaking the bank. With step-by-step guides on painting, DIY, home maintenance and more. Whatever you want to do, Timisha will have a guide for it.

Topology

Athina and Amy are on a mission to show that great style doesn’t have to come at a cost. Only started in 2016, their interior design studio and award-winning blog has gone from strength to strength really owning their niche within the market. Two of the best people in the interior blogging world.

Wheel Chic Home

A blog as unique as it’s writer, Vicki has created one of the most helpful blogs I have ever read. Wheel Chic Home is a hub of inspiration of interior ideas for dealing with disability in the home. Product specific suggestions, room design ideas and tips on how to future proof your accessible home – Vicki has you covered.

Whitney J Decor

Interior designer by day, super-star blogger by night. I love everything about Whitney’s blog. It’s filled with tips, tricks and ideas for every room in the house you won’t be disappointed if you spent days lost in her content.

Wise Owl Interiors

Great design doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg. Nicole’s mission is to offer high street items to create affordable designs for everyone to enjoy. She guides you how to put your own stamp on your home and feel inspired to make your home beautiful.

These are my favourite interior design blogs, what are yours? There are thousands of interior design blogs all over the world catering to every niche within our huge industry. New ones popping up every month, including The Wellbeing Style, enhancing wellbeing through home styling, make sure you check it out.