Farm House Inspiration

I cannot wait for tomorrow. I'm getting on the train and going up to see our new house for my second only ever visit. When we first went I took 300 photos and Chaz and I have looked at them every single night since. No Joke. I'm quite looking forward to taking some new ones. So I'm going to have a proper look at everything. I need to work out what we want to do paint wise, do we need to get the carpet men in, take curtain measurements etc. All the usual bits you do before a big house move.

I adore this Martha's Vinyard farm house below. It belongs to New York restauranteur Keith McNally, his wife and their five children. There's something very 'back to nature about it'. All the exposed wood and natural linen fabrics everywhere. It's slightly too rustic for our new house but I would love to recreate some parts of it. I think i'll start with making the Cub a bed like the bottom photo. He'll think he's climbing into a boat every night.

I love the mish mash of this room and how amazingly light it is from the huge windows

Definitely up for a few chicks

Love the slatted wooden walls

Bed idea for the Cub

photos courtesy of elle deco.com

Ten Minutes With...

Model, Writer and Oxfam Ambassador

Laura Bailey

Current fascinations?

Currently googling - Paris hotels, Botswana safaris, vintage Chanel, Oxfam projects, Bon Iver and bicycles.

What scares you?

Making a speech at my best friend's wedding next weekend.

Describe yourself in three words.

Mother of 2.

Laura in Ghana for Oxfam

Perfect holiday destination?

North Island,Seychelles. But happy with Cornwall...

What would you eat at your last supper?

A vegetarian feast cooked by Skye Gyngell...

Skye Gyngell

Which five people would be joining you?

My best friends. They know who they are.

Last fashion disaster?

Packed a favourite vintage dress next to a bottle of red nail varnish ..

Favourite London hangout?

Bay 66 skatepark with my kids...Quite like a cocktail at Claridges in the tiny Fumoir bar too. Or a pizza at Pizza East Portobello.

The Fumoir Bar in Claridges

You can wear three designers for the rest of your life. Who are they?

Chanel, Stella McCartney and Isabel Marant.

What annoys you?

My failure to learn to speak fluent Italian despite it being my new years resolution for the last ten years...

What impresses you?

Loyalty and fearlessness.

What would you do with a day to yourself, no children, no work?

Big sleep,long walk in the park with my puppy,lunch with all my favourite girls..and a matinee movie.....

What's next?

Backwards and forwards from Paris to write and shoot for Vanity Fair....and hopefully the whole of August off with my kids....

Laura for Comic Relief

Full English or egg white omelette?

Proper omelette.

What was your inspiration for the Made collection?

To make a collection that was authentic,affordable and ethical...that me and my girlfriends would want to wear,and which fuses traditional skills and techniques with my own style and vision.My sketches and moodboards included tribal headdresses and the simplest geometric shapes,spears and jasmine buds...colour palettes and beading patterns....Much happy experimentation in the workshop. Plus my desire to tell the story of a business that grew out of the Kenyan slums at the same time...

In the Made workshop

Who do you admire?

Christiane Amanpour,Livia Firth,Stella McCartney,Thandie Newton,Sam Taylor Wood....I have a long list of heroic women in my life...

With Thandie Newton and Tory Burch

What's on your Autumn Winter shopping list?

Bella Freud knitwear,a Roland Mouret gold dress I wore on a shoot last week and cant stop thinking about,and a pair of scarlet heels by Charlotte Olympia.

Icing on the Cake

This might temporarily knock the Rich Moist Chocolate sensation off the top cake spot. A proper culinary vision. But possibly too pretty to eat?

This could mean my chocolate might still reign supreme...

Made by Netherlands design studio, House of origin

www.houseoforigin.nl

Praia Piquinia

I love this series of photos taken by self taught French photographer Christian Chaize. They're really getting me in the mood for our holiday in the Scilly Isles. Chaize sat in one place and took this series of photographs of his favourite beach in Portugal. There's something quite old fashioned and innocent about them; like he's stepped back in time.

Praia Piquinia by Christian Chaize

www.christianchaize.com

Chocolate for the Weekend

If I could only have one cake to have for the rest of my life. It would be this. The Rich Moist Chocolate Cake from an ancient Aga cookbook. It was the first cake I ever made, probably when I was about ten and still comes out most weekends.

If you feel like giving Nigella a run for her money today, definitely give this one a go.

Add the first six ingredients on the list to the Magimix bowl.

Make sure you sieve the cocoa and flour.

Throw in the eggs.

Then measure out the oil and milk into a pouring jug.

Switch the Magimix on and while it's whizzing around pour in the oil and milk mix down the spout.

Pour equally into your parchment lined cake tins.

Cook at about 180 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Or until a skewer comes out clean if you spike the middle.

I'm often far too impatient and cook it too quickly at too high a temperature.

While the cakes are cooking away it's time to make the icing. Very simple.

Melt the butter in a pan. When it's melted stir in the sieved cocoa powder.

When it's all smooth, bit by bit stir in the sieved icing sugar.

Stir in the milk until it's the consistency that you want.

When the cakes are cool, spread the icing in the middle and top of them.

DIY Moccasins

I came accross this post the other day on one of my favourite blogs, honestly...wtf. Moccasins and I go way back but this is something that I've never even considered doing. It's genius and going to be keeping me very busy this weekend. I feel another little side line business coming along...

"Our love on Minnatonka moccasins and obsession with Balenciaga's Fall 2010 shoes made this DIY we created for Foam Magazine a no brainer. With just a tube of Tulip Soft Fabric Paint, a pair of paintbrushes (one thin, one thick) and a pair of suede moccasins, you'll be ready to make your own colour block shoes."

To paint the tops of the moccasins, the fringe will have to be tucked under. Simply untie the bow, pull the suede strings out of all the holes (note how it is assembled), and fold the flap under.

Start by making a test patch near one of the holes, as this part will be covered and it’s a great way to get comfortable with your brush and paint. Once you’re ready to tackle the rest, paint the inside edge of the moccasin with the small brush. Then, switch to the large brush to fill in the rest. Finish it with another layer or two for maximum color.

Let dry for at least 2 hours and reassemble the fringe to reveal your new pair of colour block mocs!

(images by Honestly…WTF)

www.minatonka.com for moccasins

www.amazon.co.uk for the Tulip paint

The Tulip soft paint can be bought from amazon.co.uk

And mocassins from www.minnetonka.co.uk

www.honstlywtf.com

Colour Inspiration

I seem to be spending a lot of my time at the moment looking for inspiration for doing up the new house. It's quite hard considering I've only ever been there once and don't have one measurement to go by. I guess the moment I do get all the dimensions it's going to be slightly less leisurely and a bit more hands on. I think I should enjoy the day dreaming while I still can.

My usual style of home is very white, wishy washy, I hate this word but 'shabby chic'. Ideally there would be a lot of white washed floors, faded florals and a stripe thrown in here and there. I've recently been leaning towards a much brighter, bolder colour palette. More bohemian perhaps. Lots of colourful walls, bright but faded rugs and cushions. Still sticking to natural materials. I don't suddenly want plastic or metal everywhere.

It's in a different climate to ours but I love the way Liza Bruce has done up her riad in Morocco. There seems something very homely about it too.

photos from www.elledecor.com