west egg: May 2012

Tuesday, 29 May 2012

Downsizing Dilemma

The June issue of Period Homes & Interiors magazine is out now and I am so thrilled to feature in the regular Q&A Expert Panel section. The question this month was about down-sizing from a large Georgian house to a smaller cottage which I guess it is a fairly common dilemma. Take a look below for my advice.

Reading the story of how Maria and Chris Rosalyn renovated a run down wreck of a cottage instantly caught my eye, it is such an inspiring feature although I wish they did "before & after" images - I'm a sucker for a transformation and from reading their story it sounds like an amazing journey. They raised ceilings, lowered floors and had to sandblast the beams in every single room. All the effort was so worth it as their home is now incredibly light and airy: no mean feat for an old Grade II listed cottage with tiny windows!

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Wednesday, 2 May 2012

Industrial Chic | Keep the Cogs Turning

As you probably know, West Egg sells restored antique and vintage furniture and decorative home accessories. Part of the fun of this is taking something and giving it a new, functional use. For example, we restore vintage trunks and these get used, more often than not, as coffee tables. We recently had a wonderful vintage toolbox which was re-purposed as a magazine rack and we sell vintage French glassware which can be used as vases or utensil pots.

Taking this idea to the next level is Guy Trench at Antiques by Design. I first came across Antiques by Design when they joined West Egg's SourceBook last year. Guy sources antiques, old materials and reclaimed items and then creates really beautiful and unique indoor and outdoor pieces.

His latest design inspiration is to use old cogs as lighting which is, frankly, genius. With industrial chic at the top of so many interior design wish lists, he has really created something original and stunning.

I love the fact you get something 100% original and new but you're also re-using materials that were already created. These lights would make a great feature over an island unit in a kitchen - they are definitely going on my wishlist.