Thursday 21 February 2013

A peek inside

I am endlessly nosy and never tire of seeing photographs of bloggers' houses.  It's always fascinating to see how writers I have a lot in common with may differ from me when it comes to interior decoration, but I don't often post photographs of my own place.  So when Louise posted her living room tour on Monday, I knew straight away that I fancied doing something similar.

I am lucky enough to live in what is pretty much my dream house.  Five years ago, if you'd asked me to write a description of the home I wanted, I would have described a Victorian terrace with a front yard (rather than fronting straight onto the street), a step up to the front door (weird I know, but I always wanted one!), stripped wooden floorboards, open fires, original features like cast iron fireplaces and ceiling roses.  I got all of those things, and more, although the further you get into my house, the more it deviates from my 'dream house' template.  My kitchen and bathroom are still in the same, erm, slightly 'grubby' state as when I bought the place four years ago, but I've never had the money to do anything (or, more accurately, whenever I've had the money I've gone travelling instead!).

I actually have two living rooms; preferring to not lose one of the two downstairs rooms to a rarely-used dining room, I use the front room as a reading and music room, and the back room as a cosier TV room.  This is my front room, which is a sunny, bright space in summer and a somewhat chillier proposition in winter.


When I walked into this room on my first viewing, my eye was immediately drawn to the imposing tiled fireplace and lovely stripped floorboards.  So much so, that I managed to overlook the fact that the walls were bright yellow.  My first job on taking posession of the keys was to get a gang of friends together and slap on layers and layers of white emulsion.  I love having a white background against which to display my favourite things, like this fabulous starburst mirror (a fiver in the Matalan sale!  Bargain).

 
My unread book pile (non-fiction only - novels are a whole other shelf upstairs), plus my lovely vintage rotary dial phone, which actually works but is never plugged in because I don't have a landline.
 

Terrible, blurry photograph of my beloved wall of books.  My absolute number one essential for a house is: is there space for an entire wall of shelves?  The books in this room are organised according to an arcane system only discernible to myself.  The shelves are also home to the objet d'art (otherwise known as random crap) that I collect: Buddha statues, soapstone African carvings, a set of Russian dolls, a giant pinecone. 


Vintage film posters, bought from a street market in Manhattan, adorn the walls.

 
I don't actually like purple all that much, but it just seems to work well in this room.  The Victorian features called for fairly traditional furnishings, although the cross-stitch cushion on the chair says "Bollocks", because I find swearing amusing.  So mature.
 
 
Never has a truer word been spoken.  This hangs next to my front door, so I see it and smile every morning as I leave for work.


10 comments:

  1. I'm loving these living room posts, and have taken photographs to share my own! Your living room is so nice, and I really like the fireplace. I have a horrid clunky gas fire in mine. The last print is great, too, and so true. Oh, and I love your wall of books! I recently moved and couldn't bring my big bookshelves and CD racks with me, so left a load of books behind. Now I just have a little bookcase, but I do miss having almost a wall full higher than me!

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    1. Thanks :) My dream is having a wall of books so high, that I need a library ladder to access the top ones (never mind that I'm terrified of heights, and can't get more than two rungs up without crying...!)

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  2. I love your fireplace, it's something I wish I had in my little flat.
    Sometimes white looks clinical, but your front room looks great and cozy, especially with the splashes of purple.

    kesizzle.wordpress.com

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    1. I really like bright colours on the walls and 'soft furnishings' so I think white walls look best, otherwise it would all get a little overwhelming.

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  3. Your room is gorgeous! I love the wall of books so much. I wish we could give more space to books in my house. We only actually have two bookshelves, but about 1000 books (if not more!), which are currently taking over the spare room, stairs, beroom and living room. I can't think of one room without lots of books in actually... *blush* I am a book fiend, clearly.

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    1. Thanks! Seriously, I have books in EVERY room of my house, even the bathroom has a basket full of things to read. I can't imagine a room without books in it.

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  4. Ah, that's pretty much my ideal living room (except the winter chilliness!). And a house? A real, proper, actual house? *swoon*

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    1. I know, I'm really lucky :) That's what comes of buying a house in one of the less salubrious parts of a city that isn't all that salubrious to begin with!

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  5. What a lovely lounge! How about a full house tour next? x

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