A peek at Farrow + Ball's new countryside wallpaper collection + the one I've chosen

You've probably noticed if you're wandering through the Fifi McGee archives that one of my favourite ways to spend a weekend is on a country walk. Those walks often inspire colour choices I go for in my outfits (autumnal shades of oranges, reds and browns) and interior plans (mustard cushions, fur textures and wild flower arrangements.) Farrow & Ball, a company every period home owner should - and do - know about for their quality paint and wallpaper, recently launched a wallpaper collection back in September and I am head over heels for it. They too are inspired by their very surroundings.

The prints in their new collection were born from countryside scenes, hazy grasses and endless hedgerows in Dorset, the home of Farrow & Ball, the very place they craft and manufacture each sheet of wallpaper one by one. 

Neil grew up playing as a kiddy in those very Wimborne fields, so the inspiration for the prints feel very close to us. Above (left to right) is Blostma, Hornbeam, and Feather Grass available in various other colour stories.

We've been looking for a fresh new look in our living room that's a little less "the previous owner" and a little more us, since the day we moved in. I always loved the Eating Room Red Farrow & Ball paint inside our alcoves (as seen) but felt like the colour story didn't quite match the Farrow & Ball Bone seen on the skirting boards (which run all throughout our flat). 

In need of colours and textures in line with our personalities, Farrow & Ball's Hornbeam wallpaper seemed a really obvious choice for us with the connection between Dorset, and the inspiration we get from country walks.  I saw the Hornbeam BP 5004 colour variation, took one look at it and said, "that's it".  Something I've never ever done before. It's previously taken me days if not weeks of wallpaper samples to choose. 

As you'll see from the photographs I'm sharing, I've incorporated our love for country walks in wellies, picnics and tartan blankets - a regular scene on our weekends. Choosing wallpaper prints that have a story behind it, and represents the places we love is really important to us. Bringing in prints, textures and looks that represent your personality, upbringing or memories is the only way you'll ever make a house a home. 

Now, I just can't wait to start putting it all up on the wall and show you the finished result. 

A little back story behind this post...

Farrow & Ball challenged me and fellow interior bloggers to create a country style vignette of our favourite past time, with one of their new wallpapers as a beautiful backdrop. This was my take on it :)

All of our creations will be shared on the Farrow & Ball pinterest really soon, where Charlotte Cosby, Farrow & Ball's Head of Creative will judge the best. One blogger will be picked by Charlotte to visit the Farrow & Ball factory in Dorset and see the process of everything being made, as well as visit some places that inspired the collection. I'm keeping everything crossed so I can take you with me for the ride <3

Meet our mattress, Eve | Review

This post contains affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.

She has arrived. In September I spoke about my need for a new mattress. After a long google around (procrastination session) I realised the reason my sleep was a bit shoddy was because our mattress was so old and lumpy. I'd never really considered it before until it dawned on me, yep, we needed to shell out on a new mattress before my sleep will improve. I spotted Eve mattresses online and was intrigued, now I'm here to share my thoughts.

Why I opted for Eve

As I mentioned in my previous post, there were 5 core things that have led me to opt for an Eve mattress as opposed to a Dreams mattress - the brand we had before. I'll run through them again.

1. When I first hit up the website it quickly dawned on me that Eve sell only one mattress. The only one we will ever need, they say. It made me trust the design process fully. When crafting this mattress, their focus was on making every single part of it the best it can be, no shortcuts or things that were compromised because it had to cater for different materials or springs etc. It left me thinking, damn, this must be good if it's the only one they sell. 

2. Eve is delivered within 5 working days. Brilliant, I thought. Only 5 more days of crappy sleep, no waiting around a whole 10 weeks like those darn DFS sofas. Speed is everything when I buy online. I also loved how I didn't have to cart it home from a shop, imagine the hilarity putting a double mattress on a roof rack the size of a 2p?

3. The price was in the right range for me. I didn't want anything too cheap. A mattress is an investment you'll be glad you considered heavily rather than rushing and having to spend the same amount again 3 years down the line. Similarly, it wasn't too expensive either. I've seen some that reach the thousand mark - say WHAT. 

4. Eve mattresses are guaranteed for 10 years whereas we only had our Dreams mattress (the one before it) for 8. And even on reflection, I realise we should have replaced it a lot sooner. 

5. I loved the sunshine yellow around the base. What a lovely thing to wake up to (when not covered by a valance sheet)

So we took the plunge.

The setup

After we put our order in, I only had to wait about 2-3 days for the delivery confirmation and was called by a lovely Eve representative to arrange a window to deliver the mattress in. 

Fantastic. 

Really prompt delivery meant I had enough hours left in the day to potter around town to look around for bed sheets to adorn it!

The mattress arrived in a cardboard box that looked so small, I couldn't believe a double mattress fit inside it. It was SUPER heavy. I was sweating buckets just shifting it from our front door to the bedroom and unpacking it. Thankfully we have no stairs. I'd recommend getting the delivery men to bring it up stairs for you if you're planning on buying one. 

I unwrapped it all which took no time at all, popped it on the bed and rolled the memory foam mattress out which expanded before my eyes, to about triple the thickness it was rolled to. After a quick cuppa tea I popped out for a while, came back a few hours later and the Eve was looking full and beautiful on the bed.

Thoughts after 1 week's Eve sleep

I feel like it was the best investment of my time I've ever made getting this mattress. I once had really interrupted sleep, but from day 1 with Eve, I haven't woken up at all during the night (apart from when a fox started howling in our garden!)

The memory foam really works for me. I can feel it moulding to my sleeping position taking pressure off certain places that the previous mattress (a pocket sprung) didn't. I've discovered that if you share a bed with someone who moves a lot in their sleep, having a memory foam Eve mattress is a really good choice because you can't feel the bed moving. Well, not much anyway. It's sturdier than a pocket sprung mattress, but comfortable too. 

You can buy the Eve mattress on Amazon

My favourite thing about the mattress, aside from the colour obviously, is it's thickness. Our old mattress was pretty light and thin. We've kept the same bed frame and having the thicker Eve mattress has given a new height to the bed. I love it. It's about 2-3 inches higher than our old bed and I feel like it fits the frame in an all rounded way. 

My frame, by the way, is a standard UK double I purchased from Dunelm Mill about 4 years ago that's not selling there now. They sell the exact same for double the price in Dreams now. It's the Cadiz Bed Frame and I love it. 

Back to the mattress. See that polka sorta material on the top of it? It's a removable lining *hallelujah folks* the lining is machine washable! Genius idea. I haven't tried unzipping it all yet, but I think I'll wash it in a few weeks time as it has a very memory foam smell to it - as do all new mattresses. 

All in all though, I'm delighted with it and hope to have 10 more years worth of happy sleeps in it. Thank goodness this mattress exists! I've pimped out my whole bed since and got some really cushy things from Slumberdown to make it as cosy as it can be. A quilted mattress protector (which I'm yet to add to the bed to try out) and a new winter warm duvet and pillows for the cooler months coming in. I wanted the Goose down duvet as I've never had one and have heard people raving about them but alas it was a wee bit out of my price range. Absolutely dying to try Goose down though, how sad am I?

See my gorgeous bedding there by the way? It's from Bohzaar. A new bohemian brand I love which will be featured on my blog super soon so stay tuned if you're into boho interior looks, you'll LOVE their stock as much as I do. Oh yep, and in the background there you'll see my night time stash of Lindt chocolates on the bedside table. They've got limited edition orange chocolate truffles in for when I'm peckish around midnight. It happens.

What do you make of the new mattress then? Do you like the colour too?

Fi xoxo

If your home decoration plans are lacking something, turn to nature

I'm a proud brand ambassador for Graham + Brown   which means that every month  I introduce you to Graham & Brown's home trends  offering ideas to help style your home with their range of wallpapers and home accessories.  They have spectacular ranges, all fantastic quality too - and their wallpapers are a breeze to work with.
Read about their vintage floral  Northern Rose trend, candy colour Popsicle trend,  their Precious trend and  their fun 60s Eureka trend.
This month we're looking at Horizon.  
A trend that sees tranquil colours and luxury textures introduced  inside the home. Horizon is all about  focal points in a room bringing the outdoors in and  it's  influenced by nature all around us - from lapping oceans and seaside themed interiors, to cosy wood and wicker rooms inspired by fields and forests.
Nature has a huge part to play in interior design, and if at times you're looking at a room (maybe in your own house or a clients)  feeling like something isn't quite sitting right, it's usually that there isn't enough nature inside it. Think about plants, silks, woods, wicker and texture when you're decorating and don't be afraid to add elements of outdoor detail. 

I try to introduce elements of colour and design from country walks Neil and I regularly go on. In our living room we have lots of wicker baskets and a bare brick fireplace we are soon to install a wood burner inside. Whilst in my bedroom, since it's been in the middle of a redecoration phase (see the before and after shots here) it's lacked a certain je ne sais quoi. So I've introduced these beautiful silk-like Meadow cushions to temporarily give the room more colour and life.  

They have a really beautiful piping detail of purple around the edges, and the watercolour splashes of purple and yellow remind me of evening light and country drives. 

If you're less of a country bumpkin and more of a city girl, Graham + Brown have some really iconic wall art that would suit more modern looks. From urban landscapes made from water colour to cute framed pug pictures (I love these), there's lots of ways you can bring nature in to a home if you aren't brave enough to go all out with nature inspired wallpaper. But of course, if you're on the market for a statement wall, you've got to check out the new Honolulu Palm Green print that is so on trend at the mo. 

It's National Wallpaper Week from the 5th-11th October so stay tuned for more G+B love really soon. 

Follow the fun on twitter: @NWallpaperWeek

And facebook: www.facebook.com/NationalWallpaperWeek

#NationalWallpaperWeek

Eclectic favourites from the Home Sense A/W 15 collection

I've been eyeing up Home Sense's Autumn / Winter collection today. It certainly caught my eye. 

Think cottages, cosy fires, blankets + eclectic, mismatched (but in a cool way) patterns, and you're on to a winner. 

In my world, nothing beats winter interior styling. Layers, cosiness and autumnal colour are so inviting and homely. 

When I was creating my Define your interior style class, I worked on a number of different exercises to find the best way to come up with your unique, individual style. During the process, I discovered it largely came down to interests and passions. If you take a look around a home, it has to speak volumes about the way you live life and the things you love to do. Without that, a room feels clinical and empty. 

When I worked through the class (which you're welcome to download for free by the way) I discovered my style had a strong folk feel to it. I was drawn to autumnal shades, furs, small herringbone prints and thick knitted textures. Very similar to the route Home Sense have taken with their new collection this Autumn, hence me sharing it with you right now. 

A few favourites in particular:

- that embroidered stool, £39.99

- those traditional printed storage tins, from £4.99

- that red wicker chair, £24.99

I've heard there will be lots of Russian inspired Eastern folk prints and textures hitting the stores come September, so make sure you stop in for a look, I know I will be.

Quotes to live by for your home

True story. 

I spent about 4 hours in one day looking for the perfect wall art for our bedroom. It had to be something that suits us both as a couple, something that suited the colours of our room and most importantly the words had to mean something when I looked at it a whole year down the line, I tend to lose interest in things after a few months.

I ended up finding nothing. Then I realised. You can totally make your own quotes, get them printed on Photobox, and buy a cheap or second hand frame to hang it. 

It's a fraction of the cost for something that's perfect for you, and essentially hand made. 

Here's one I made earlier (above). I'm still playing around with quotes, photos and colours before I print and hang something though. It's so much fun and I'm learning a lot about photoshop & design.

Do you have this problem too?

Okay, so tell me whether you're the same.

You know the exact look you want to achieve in your home, you set up a Pinterest mood board of ideas and go about planning colour schemes, home furnishings and piecing together ideas. But when you come to buy the products to make the vision a reality, something doesn't click. 

I have this problem all the time. It takes me a long time to bring the ideas to life. I'm not sure what holds me back. 

Is it the fear of buying the wrong things? Is it the budget being spread too thin?

One way around this I've recently learned (listen up budding interior consultants and stylists) is to

build up your little black book of stockists you love. 

You know what I mean, those brands you turn to where you're sure to find exactly what you're looking for. Or what your client is looking for. 

It makes dreaming up new decor a breeze because you know exactly what's available to you and where to source things. 

I've decided to share posts on new or current stockists I turn to. It'll be a quick introduction to the stuff they offer, a snippet of my favourite products from their ranges and what kind of prices you can expect to pay so we can build up our wee list together. 

If you want regular updates as I announce them, sign up to receive email alerts straight to your inbox up there in the yellow bar or

follow me on bloglovin

:) 

Interior Bargains #8: The perfect Herringbone blanket

Grey/White Herringbone throw £10, Primark

Hallelujah. It's a miracle. I've knabbed myself a herringbone blanket that looks the part and didn't cost the best part of £90 like all the others I want online.

Not sure if you know of Bronte throws? Non? Well I've had my eye on their soft, pastel grey blankets since forever. There's something very traditional and 'farmer-chic' about them that I've fallen head over heels for. 

Whilst I save up for a much better quality, thick Bronte version to call my own and keep me warm on wintery nights, I picked up this rather bargainous stand-in for only a tenner. It certainly looks the part, although there's about as much heat in it as a cat in an igloo. 

I love the delicate grey print, the white tassels and the way it effortlessly tosses over the new love of my life (Chesterfield sofa) giving it a wintery feel. Shame it's very thin, but in this case, I don't mind channelling style over substance. 

What do you think? The blanket comes in lilac and green too (at least if I remember correctly).... Let me at 'em!

Ps, just in case you didn't know, I'm trialling a little thing in October. Every day at about 9am (well, whenever I can muster up the energy) I'll be sharing a DAILY HOUSEPIRATION link/image on my facebook page to get inspired. If you fancy cheering up your newsfeed with some home love, give my page a like and get daily snippets of home ideas :), go ahead.

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