House & Home - House of Feminine

Perhaps you can relate to this "My home is my sanctuary", therefore I have to create a homely comfortable space, especially as I work there too!

Sometimes we are not in a position to have our Ideal House when we want it, but that does not mean we give up on those dreams and goals. We may have to get creative on how we will achieve our desired goal with a future date. In the meantime, we certainly can have our dream interior to make our home a place we love to be rather than it serving a function only.

Creating this sanctuary isn't difficult. With that said, you have to put some thought and effort into what you are aiming to achieve in style and colour. Then comes the fun part. I happen to believe strongly in recycling, rarely buying anything brand new, except something personal such as a mattress. There are some things I won't buy second hand. What that is for you will be quite different to me or anyone else. Personally, I have found that when I decide what piece of furniture I need, or what furnishing I want in the colours I like, I find it easily either online or by being in the right place at the right time. Now, sometimes you may find it very quickly, other times, patience is required as it may take a few months; totally worth the wait!

Making the interior look more expensive than it is, happens to be a speciality of mine, frequently finding bargains in the strangest of places. It's served me well over 30 plus years. You can thank my friends for prompting me to share my 'how, where, when, why' with a wider audience; the second layer of the Three Layer Lifestyle Process, fit for House of Feminine Exceptional Women no less.

Also a well-known fact about me, is that I abhor waste and the "throw-away consumerism society" we inhabit. I'd rather buy something well made, standing the test of time, to upcycle, or has already been so, than something new that won't transport well to another home due to it not being a solid, quality piece of furniture.

This works the same for the garden as indoors. It's quite amazing what you can find second hand to turn a back yard or garden into your own piece of paradise.

My personal taste is eclectic, largely due to having an exotic childhood in the Persian Gulf, fortunate enough to have inherited some choice pieces. Arabian Tents and Moroccan interiors play a part too, especially mosaics. Then there is the romantic Boudoir side of me, with fairy lights, faux fur throws, lots of mirrors and sumptuous bedding.

Having accompanied my parents to a few antique auctions in my teenage years, I fell in love with Mahogany, although I evolved from that thinking, as it's too big and heavy to move from house to house, often impractical pieces, albeit beautiful. So I chose my second love, Pine, which actually suits my preferred colour scheme. Now I have a mix of honey pine and white painted pine in my home! I've been through the Bohemian style with lots of plants, hammocks, drapes, candles, rugs, buddhas, fairy lights; far cry from the traditional country Manor House filled with antique furniture I grew up with. That said, even there we had select pieces brought back from the Persian Gulf. These days as I age, I've simplified everything to have only what I need, use and love.

My adult son, is more high-tech, and has been through his phase of glass, sleek lines and minimalistic, which looks good having transitioned from all black to navy and grey. Now he's chosen dark wood furniture, which in my experience, most men tend to prefer this style, whereas most women opt for lighter coloured woods, or paint dark wood pale colours. There is no reason to not mix dark and light woods or old and new. No rules, it's yours to choose what you do and how you do it.