15.04.2010
This week we have a special guest post from interiors expert Jennifer Drew, from Housetohome, who writes the fantastic blog Room Envy. She’ll be talking about what makes her dream kitchen.
GUEST POST BY JENNIFER DREW
www.roomenvy.wordpress.com
The only downside to working for an interiors magazine, is that just when you’ve updated your teeny kitchen to within an inch of its life, an image of your dream kitchen comes along and pretty much knocks its lights out.
I love this kitchen, I always have and I always will. I remember spotting it in 25 Beautiful Homes a year or two ago, and like a teen with a crush, I knew we’d be together at some point … unfortunately the cut-out of the kitchen still remains pinned up on my noticeboard, waiting for the day that it can be designed (although I abstained from drawing hearts on it).
First and foremost, I’ve always wanted a kitchen with beautiful exposed beams. I’m not sure if there’s a better reason to move to the country! Make sure you keep the walls neutral though – it will allow these original features to take centre stage – and DON’T paint them – for me it’s the same as painting an antique fluorescent pink.
Secondly, I love the chunky cream units, they’re rustic and perfect for this look. Oooh and the storage baskets are ideal. It’s great to keep a lot of your kitchen accessories on display, but baskets like these are great for stashing away the less attractive items. I LOVE the Linton range by Magnet for the rustic look, and the baskets featured in the Buxton range are perfect. All you need to complete the cabinetry is a classic Belfast sink.
And the icing on the cake? KITCHEN COLOUR! An AGA is a must-have in a country kitchen and I love how this ruby red design adds real pizazz, it’s teamed with a colourful tile splashback which looks great against the rustic brick.
Finally, it’s all in the accessories. Display your best china and glassware in a cream kitchen dresser. This one is perfect for storing cutlery while showing off your favourite trinkets. Add to this some chintzy floral fabrics and linens here; some polka dot hearts there; a whistling kettle and a nice cup of tea, and you’ve got yourself one super good-looking country-style kitchen.
09.04.2010
Next week we have a special guest post from Jennifer Drew, author of the hugely popular Room Envy blog.
By her own confession, Jennifer just can’t get enough of snooping around other people’s homes (on the web of course) and checking out the latest in living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms.
Jennifer has a real passion for interior design so working for www.housetohome.co.uk is the perfect job as she gets to see the best in interior design from several top magazines including Homes and Gardens, Living Etc and Ideal Home.
She loves sharing the latest finds (and opinions) with people so we can’t wait to see watch she has to say next week!
05.02.2010
We thought we would share some of our favourite blogs with you, and tell you why we love them. We have included the best places for finding bargains for the home, blogs for practical info about every query you could ever have for your home and blogs that look so gorgeous they will make you want to redecorate every week!
Let us know what you think and if there are any more you think we should have a look at.
Best for all round ravishing rooms
Room Envy is a great blog for interior inspiration and it shows some fantastic pictures of rooms where things have gone just hideously wrong. This salmon pink bathroom is the stuff of nightmares! 
Best for country looks
If you aspire to live in the country or decorate your home with a relaxed, traditional look then the blog from the editor of Country Homes and Interiors is a great place to look for some inspiration, Country Days.
Best for bargains
My Deco 
If you have not been on already, go and try out the tool to create a 3D room with all the products on the site. Moodboards can also be created and stored on the site – perfect if you want to compare several ideas side by side.
Best for practical advice
Home-Blog – includes updates on all the new rules and regulations covering paving on the driveway to electrics and environmental updates
Best for ultimate design dreams
Often, hotels lead the way in interior design and this blog looks at the best hotels around the world. Look here to source a sleek, five star look for your home Home Design
Best for home envy
ChicTip contains thousands of images from stunning homes around the world. Some of them are just to drool over, but the affordable designs section includes items we can all afford.
Best for kitchen accessories
Once you have got your new kitchen have a look at Kitchen Critic which is a wealth of products and accessories to make the heart of the home your most loved room. 
Best industry blog
The Kitchen Directory is an industry blog which highlights different manfacturers and looks at different designs throughout the UK.
Happy blogging and interior designing!
Tags: design ideas, home design, interior design, interior design blog, kitchen blog, kitchen critic, my deco, room envy
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