Top of my home Bucket "Lust"- chatting with Kevin McCloud

Jen from the constantly inspiring *The Interior's Addict*  spoke to one of my all time favourite architectural/design experts Kevin M.

{see the full interview here }

So, what is Kevin’s own home like? “It’s as shambolic, autobiographical, worn around the edges and unplanned as anybody else’s in truth! You and I know that the rooms we see in mags are highly engineered to meet the demographic and advertisers of that mag. Sometimes I look at those homes with a single pineapple in a bowl on the side and think where’s their toaster?! When we’re filming for the show, I always prefer the homes which are a little more shambolic, they’re more interesting.”

How much do you love this quote!
Shambolic and autobiographical!

What some may see as total disorder and personal chaos...is simply life- true and honest!

I have a serious soft spot for Kevin- having lived with him on our doorstep for four years in England- he inspired me to embrace the *way of life* in the Northern Hemisphere {freezing temperatures in Winter, homes orientated to towards indoor living etc}, but to still hold true to my Australian principles for decorating and *the way* we lived our days.

With three kids used to an outdoors life of sand and salt air, I can assure you there was quite a love of inside disorder and chaos the "shambolic and autobiographical" in our big old rambling house in the country!

{You can read posts of our life in England living with local farm deliveries, travels through Europe and village markets {here} {here} {here} and by clicking on any one of a number of those little wordy links up there on the right, such as "country life", "village life" or "travel"....}

As I sit here typing at the family table, and look around, past one poorly girl {again!} on the sofa, to the baskets of washing and the piles of homework and school notes, past the ugg boots at the door and the cushions on the floor...I still see my favourite couches, my artwork, my piles of beloved books and magazines...my vintage collections from all over the world- the personal, autobiographical, special to us pieces that make this our home!

I'm seeing the delightfully *shambolic and autobiographical* that make this house our home.

Thank you Kevin.

I truly love you.

Melissa 

xoxox

{you can see the daily reality of our home below on IG HERE}

beach house living down under...

g'day sweet bloggy friends...

we are connected *for this moment*- so i'm here *for this moment*...

life is pretty flippin GREAT in this country down under by the sea...


the kids look taller...fresher...they are swimming like they've never not been here...

little Miss.6 is approaching it all with such endearing *gusto*- our front balcony has become a little

botanical lab showing all things Australian...banksia's...bindi's...cicarda shells...christmas beetles...

she is catching up on a childhood under the Australian sun she can't recall she was so tiny when we left

for the English countryside...

it makes me swell with pride & a new love for our little beach existence here...

the house is getting a lotta love too...boxes are still being unpacked &  treasures found...

the walls have all been freshly painted white white white & the floorboards stained a deep dark rich

luxurious brown...

for me....a simple, gorgeous fresh backdrop to combine *all* our collected goodies...

when that crate is dropped on our front lawn from ol'Blighty i am gonna be in home heaven...

coastal farming...country coastal...

the new decorating term for gals who love both sides of the globe...two *ways* of living...

we're sorting life from the bottom up- drivers licences, insurances, school gear etc...but amongst all this 

we are planning...sorting paintings on walls...arranging shells in vintage boxes...

when out connection allows me to upload more than two pickies- i'm going be sharing the lot 

with you all...

happy monday to you lovelies...

see ya when random borrowed wi-fi allows.....xxx

french stencilling...a great fix...

welcome to a regular sight in our *hallway-of-ongoing-projects*...


coastal farmhouse inspiration people...


fresh...white...simple...french inspired...with a little industrial hit...


i've gathered many treasured old *chippy-picked-up-in-french-brocnate-on-holidays-zinc*

buckets, since moving abroad from Oz...


they are all gathered, potted with herbs &  flowers at our front door...


these are a little take on them- but clean & new & great for the kitchen...& cheap!


£1 each at an english supermarket -in the seasonal isle- i love that - an isle that changes with the

seasons...i guess these were autumnal ??

 i've no idea but at a pound a pop i grabbed the lot....

i smiled throwing these in my trolley- there's only so many buckets a girl can justify you know... :)

but i had halloween in mind...i had my french humber stencils in mind...& i knew i could hide the pile

inside one another- should anyone want to discuss my problem with buying endless things we don't

 need buying essential tins in the supermarket & forgetting someone's fave cereal....

i seriously don't know why i even try to pretend - as this is what everyone came home to...

some more very cool looking buckets - french inspired with a good dash of industrial...

"so ....really just buckets with a melissa-ism title" grinned the hubster...

& your problem with that is??

you see- the radiator there works well with my kinda crafting...

it works quite simply like this...

grab bucket

stick on stencil whilst shaking the c*** outa the spray on paint

spray bucket & stick in front of radiator

spray anything else that needs doing at same time

line everything up in front of radiator alongside *almost dry cool looking buckets*

peg up stencils

vow to put it all away bf school pick-up

get doing other stuff

forget

walk in on organised creative chaos....

sounding familiar???

and....they came in black... chalkboard black....

& i do love me some chalkboard...

& they were only a pound a pop...

toooo cool!

obviously...we needed somewhere for our chalk....

love love love

i have raved endlessly showed you these french stencils before...{here} & {here}...

the creative fix is instant & sooo good- i can't recommend them enough...

gorgeous for holding drinks in the garden in the summer...

perfect for gathering in the winter as i did {here} with little miss.a...

great for sitting round the kitchen making you feel like a creative diva...

something has to be said for embracing both the authentic, memory laden collecting of wonderful old 

treasures...& the making of new, with a similar twist...

i don't care how the kids enjoy these...

halloween sweet buckets...in the garden collecting dirt...down the road {cockle collecting}...

all i know is i loooove them...

french number stencils from {here}

happy thursday gals

xxx

a virtual coffee in the english playroom...

morning sweet bloggy friends..time for a virtual coffee....?!


it has been too long since the last...

summer kept me outdoors...travelling...kiddo organising...thinking...creating...
so it's now time to take stock of what is a new school year here in ol'Blighty...& to share with you a long awaited virtual coffee....

i've been struck with the spring cleaning bug...so grab your coffee & head with me, if you will, to the kiddos domain...the playroom...


not the season to clear out...i realise...but for me, having grown up down under where the start of a new school year is january...clearing out is what i do when they all go back to school!

(a gorgeous gift from the lovely anna to our little vegemites)

i'm starting a fresh new school year with organised cupboards...clear under beds & a full re-cycling bin...
just as i would in january living on the beaches back home...

you can sit in the sunny bay window whilst i tell you about this playroom...


when we first moved from our sandy-toed life in sydney, to our *horse-riding-football-mad-milk-from-the-local-farm-country-inspired-life* here in ol'Blighty...i had my check list in hand...

my own personal *what-i-want-english-house* check list...
&
right up at the top was a playroom...

not a rumpus room- as friends had had in australia when we were growing up...
not a family room- where the toys were dumped & everyone ate round a coffee table...

i wanted a real mary poppins playroom...where the kids had their games...the girls had their doll houses...& there was a drawing desk...

a playroom where they all snuggled down in winter to watch movies...
& where in summer, we opened the windows & let the air in...
& where kids could climb in & out from to the garden with their friends...

so when we looked at big old english houses...i just held my breath for a playroom...

& we found...on the edge of our little market town...a perfect playroom...with a bay window...& high ceilings & lotsa light...

aussie kids need a lot of light & a lot of space...suddenly our outdoor life was about to become indoors and this playroom was the perfect mary poppins inspired answer...

so for three & a half years we have lived in...& so loved this playroom...


but just because i wanted it so desperately didn't mean it was my space...
chippy was not high on the kids list of decorating...
nor was a sense of calm white or jugs of flowers...

this playroom was for kids...& toys & colour & dancing & wii & karaoke & lotsa fun...
so we met half way via ikea & some very special vintage car-boot, thrifted finds...

i must admit...i don't usually share a coffee in here...it's only cause i'm on this cleaning thing that i'm giving you the bay window seat...


you've not had to side step any little animals living in castles...leggo scooter sets...i-pods...art supplies...drink bottles...tents...cubby houses, sweet rappers or soccer boots...

the floor is clear...
the kids are at school...

come 4 o'clock & i'm back on my chair in the sitting room...
pretending the floor hasn't been covered in up-ended baskets of kid crapola special bits...

so...if we were really having a coffee today...i would ask you if you've ever dreamed of a real life mary poppins playroom....


i'm not into the singing birds...or the ordered shelves...or the links to a world of children seen but not heard that a playroom used to represent...

but i do love me a space to hold all the kid stuff...

everyone always harps on about the long nights, the broken sleep and the constancy of having and rearing kids...

i just wish someone had told me about all the stuff !

(the daunting after-summer-before-cleaning-out-very-used-playroom!)

so...coffee drunk...playroom seen...i'm either pushing you back out into the wind with a bag of pre-loved toys under your arm...or you're coming with me to attack my sewing room & office space...


totally up to you...


but from here on in...it's pots of tea...garbage bags...a ruthless edge to the day...perhaps a little cursing thrown in for good measure and a promised sense of satisfaction at the end of the day...

let me know if you're in...

&

you can still take the bag of toys...

&

we may even find you something special in the sewing pile...

tempting i'm sure ;)

~~~~

yep...i thought you'd be away...thanks for the coffee...

(there's more coffees to share here with my sweeeeeet friend amy)

(disco ball + world globe + vintage map + doilie bunting = playroom heaven!)