patience is a virtue

I've been a very bad blogger...but this is all for a good cause! I have finally gone freelance and have been busy busy busy working on projects and having a generally fantastic time. I am currently deep in projects and will be fully back on the blogging scene in the next month, with pictures of all my work too. Please follow me on pinterest and instagram where I am constantly pinning and keeping you (and me) inspired! So until then...

www.pinterest.com/nicolamasi

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I hope all your 2013's are happy and productive too!

xxx

bath time

i love a fancy bathroom. its a room you use every single day so i think you should give it personality and pay as much attention to it as you would do your lounge or bedroom, it'll make brushing your teeth and shaving your legs a much more luxurious experience.

stairway to heaven

oh hello...

what an insanely beautiful staircase. 

the four variations of pattern create a striking look that is intricately pretty. i think using just one pattern would create a more geometric look, and perhaps in this glorious goldy-yellow the mix of pattern and the amount of white is what makes it so perfect.

'not all those who wonder are lost' J.R.R.Tolkien

i have the overwhelming urge to go on a adventure...

"to awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world"

 Freya Stark

most of the images above are courtesy of the amazing tumblr: http://www.kingcreative.tumblr.com/

go and see it for yourself, i cant stop looking at it!

address book

finally getting back to you about my hunt for a side table. i stayed local, so north London, and found so many gems that i am now even more frustrated that i don't have a big old house to fill. Ooh La La... no im not sighing about my lack of owning a three floor gorgeous town-house, i'm talking about the shop on Holloway Road ofcourse! Ooh La La is such a treasure and brimming with all manner of oddities amongst tables, chairs, cabinets, lighting, huge chests and trunks...its slightly bohemian in its appearance so there's a lot to rummage through. the staff really know their stuff too, so when i asked about a few things i was looking out for for a job, they were full of information and were able to get things in for me. Perfect. Such a great place even just to have a little browse, go have a look and ill bet you'll be happy you did.

Ooh La La, Holloway Road, N7

a little way down the road from Ooh La La is another great shop called D & A Binder, which stocks things from old shop fits- cabinets, display cases, all manner of storage options, cloth covered mannequin busts, giant letters and so much more. Handy little place to know about. Visit 101 Holloway Road or www.dandabinder.co.uk


in lovely crouch end, a 5 minute bus ride from finsbury park station, lives Junk n Disorderly, who house a varied selection of antique and vintage furniture and oddities. they have a lot of stock so its well worth a visit, i've had my eye on a gorgeous mirror they have that i really need to go back and get. its the kind of thing you don't really need but always wish you bought...i had been trying to forget about it but alas, i must have it! for more info check their website 
http://www.junkn8disorderly.com/

spitalfield market, it never disappoints. the antique market is on thursdays and i go there often for pieces for shoots or displays. they have everything and anything, all  the stall holders are professionals so they know their stuff and are great for advice or even bringing that perfect something to you that they don't have with them at the time. did you know the way to date things pre-war or post-war is that things engraved 'British Made' is before the war, and after the phrase 'Made in Britain' was used? Just a little something i was told by a dealer there, but thought it was a good basic bit of knowledge to remember! i love looking through all the old postcards and books of which there are piles, there's something so sentimental about those personal items. i digress, so for props, accessories, furniture, and inspiration go to spitalfields market on thursdays.


 if thursdays you cannot do, pay a visit to Elemental which is housed within the market. Elemental is absolutely divine and a joy to visit, they sell unusual pieces of antique and vintage furniture and lighting. look at their website as you can see the store itself and also what's on offer to tantalize your designing taste buds. i want it all. the link to Elemental is below and you can also shop online.
http://www.elemental.uk.com/index.aspx  


so the result of my expedition? a perfect little walnut table that not only is the same colour as my ercol chair, but has the simple clean shape that makes me think its maybe ercol's cousin, or half sister perhaps. i picked this little beauty up from Ooh La La for the grand total of £15. 
delightful!

sneaky peek

i write about interiors, so look at endless pictures of peoples homes and have opinion and ideas on them. a judgement i suppose. so im a little scared to show you all my little corner of the world as it suddenly scares me how personal it is and how i wouldn't like someone to not like and judge it badly! i live in a rented apartment with a friend in a gorgeous part of London, i am lucky to have a huge room with two floor to ceiling sash windows which i only hope the house i one day own has this feature. but obviously with renting comes the annoying fact that i cant paint the room a shade of my choice, nor get rid of the back wall that has, gulp, textured wallpaper....there it is i said it!! i have a (mildly) blank canvas of creamy walls and neutral-ish carpet. so enough excuses, here's a few snaps of my bits and bobs and how i live! don't judge too harshly, ok!

my white linen bed sheets are heaven

my favourite hat, belt and old trunk

love my huge windows

my office! ikea desk, vintage stool.

i recommend all these, varied but such great reads

these stacks are everywhere, and building!

vintage bag that was my mama's, so beautiful

favourite vintage jackets and grey chest

trinkets and photo of granny & granddad

the view from our terrace, so peaceful.

annie leibovitz

i adore Annie Leibovitz. her work can be captivating, beautiful, inspiring, enchanted, honest...and so much more than that. she is wildly celebrated for her genius and there are countless books and websites to read about her life story, but the best account by far, (trust me i have read a lot about her!) which also includes beautiful photographs, is Annie Leibovitz At Work, which was released in time with her retrospective at the National Portrait Gallery in 2008. this is a book in her own words about how she made her pictures, how she got where she is today, working The Rolling Stones, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Queen Elizabeth, Kate Moss and her take on Fashion, War, Lighting and everything in-between. its beautifully written and a great coffee table book. mine sits on my desk as i often leaf through it and am always in awe of the work she has done. inspiration is so important and can come from anything and trigger something you never knew was possible, i really recommend this to get your juices flowing!

Natalie Vodianova in Vogue By Leibovitz

Penelope Cruz and Woody Allen by Leibovitz

Martina Navratilova by Leibovitz

buy it on amazon here: 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Annie-Leibovitz-at-Work/dp/0224087576/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341235689&sr=8-1

treasure hunting...

i've been sat on my very beautiful and very very comfortable Ercol chair internet shopping for a equally dreamy side table to compliment my 'lounging' corner. my definition of a lounging corner is a cosy space to snuggle up with a drink to read or write or chat with loved ones. This requires comfy seating, mood lighting and a suitable surface for copious cups of tea and nibbles or glasses of wine depending. 

i have the seating covered- my beloved Ercol, a cushion covered 2 seat sofa, a moroccan style leather embroidered poof and a perfect for relaxing sloping  wooden arm chair i rescued from a skip!

these are haphazardly placed around a cow skin rug and its snugly lit with my antique metal lamp stand and copious candles. I use a steel stool and the floor as our table- and its getting on my nerves! so i have made my bank holiday mission to fill the void and after some well earned party time my hunt has begun. i couldn't be more disappointed! alas, my budget is meagre and at the moment i can't invest in anything too fancy but i really need something to do the job and not offend or ruin my little corner of the world. 

the internet has provided me with one bland coffee table after rectangle disaster after another. i didn't realise how difficult it would be. even magical ebay drew a blank. anything remotely 'vintage' or 'retro' looking is priced beyond belief due to current popularity. what about just good design? i don't want a mdf  plank or a perspex cube so my options are limiting. possibly my dream of finding a Ercol-alike table on a budget is the problem. not that I want a rip-off piece that copies the work with half the skills and quality of an original- but isn't there anything out there for a bargain price that doesn't look like its come Argos?

on the high st, Habitat have the most unusual designs and some great designer collaborations-  the Gavin Proud side tables are great. if the furniture delights at Tom Dixon or London's SCP are out of budget ('Yes!') then where do we look?

so, tomorrow I am going junk shop hunting. will this be more ethical? yes. more fun? yes. better for me than sitting on my arse internet hunting? most likely. 

second hand furniture has a history which is such a lovely thing and it's what helps add character to your homes and individuality to our spaces. until the day i can buy the odd designer beauty, i will steer clear of the high street and stick to treasure hunting. it may take longer but im hoping the result will be far more pleasing.

check back soon as i'll post a run down of good places to look in London once i've returned from my adventure, as well as pictures of my finds.

Gavin Proud design for Habitat. 'Blythe' occasional table, £90.

very similar to my comfy Ercol chair, love the colour of the wood. 

model home

The eccentric and bohemian brilliance of Ricky Clifton is hard to explain, but easy to understand once you see the photos of mega model Agyness Deyn's New York apartment which he has transformed into visual eye candy of the most elite standard . 

Her huge loft apartment located in the trendy Williamsburg area, was once a plain open space with only iron columns to separate the space. Now it is adorned with a Picasso inspired painting on sliding doors, Fornasetti furniture, an aquatic bedroom and leopard print carpet. Sounds strange, looks incredible. Clifton distinguished separate areas in the loft creating different living areas, but it still has the 'lofty' open feeling as he has regularly used mirrored glass.

Clifton had a beautiful canvas on which to create- the loft boasts 3000sq ft of space, featuring 13ft ceilings, wide planked hardwood floors, enormous windows and beautiful wooden beams.Below are some images from the The Word Of Interiors feature in the April 2012 issue. If you can get your hands on the issue its an insightful read into Clifton's life, and the relationship between the model and the artiste. Plus the glossy photos show the details that you won't appreciate in these snaps but you should definitely see. This man is inspirational and his inspirations have sent me on a new tangent of research, which I'm sure you'll hear about in future posts.

 Deyn's apartment was put on the market for a cool $2.5 million, so if you have some money going spare, I suggest you BUY IT. Or better still, give me the money to me to buy it.

flamingo!

i'm feeling a little smug... i am in possession of Cole & Son's beyond gorgeous Flamingo wallpaper! take a look...

i wish i could cover a wall in my bedroom with it but as i rent this isn't a wise idea as i would be heartbroken to leave it behind for someone who doesn't appreciate it like i do. so im using it for now to cover the door of a gorgeous painted grey cabinet, i have been looking at prints for a while to bring it to life and finally went for the plunge, i'll post a picture soon when its done!

heart of the home

for whatever reason, a lot of the images i have been collecting recently are full of interiors with white as the main colour- white walls, white furniture. i always thought of myself as a colour fiend though so maybe this is just a growth in style, i like the combination of very neutral with dramatic additions of colour and print, maybe on a sofa or a huge framed piece of art on one wall.
my interior fantasy that never seems to change is a huge kitchen that has beautiful salvaged wood worktops with cupboards and dressers painted in a velvety, navy charcoal...with white wall tiles mixed with found patterned  tiles... a Belfast sink...steel chairs around the island unit....a bench covered in eclectic cushions on one side of a huge kitchen table so you can squeeze lots of bums around the table...industrial style lights over the work space and a gorgeous chandelier style low over the table...oh to dream!
below are some mood board images for my kitchen.

gorgeously stacked open shelves

think this looks great as well as being practical, also love the matt black

quirky chandelier

factory pendants

love the these patterned tiles

 units painted in farrow&ball, no31. railings

perfect sofa for guests to laze on while dinner is cooking