We Love: Willow & Hall

 

I love a classic and relaxed style sofa, especially in a family room.  A piece that you can snuggle down in to and watch films on a rainy day.   My new recent find is Willow & Hall, a Surrey based company that makes a varied selection of sofas, sofabeds and armchairs, in the UK (so refreshing to hear), and they are budget friendly too!

 

Here the founder of Willow & Hall, Sarah Massouh, answers a few questions about her creative job and her personal style...

What is the favourite part of your job?

I really enjoy the creative side of the business such as designing new furniture from scratch from the initial sketches to the first prototype; working with our photographer and set designers to get the right shots of our lovely items; and working with the brand agency to develop our marketing and website for customers. We are also in the processing of looking for our first showroom in South West London so I am enjoying working with the team and the property agent to find something perfect for Willow and Hall customers.

How would you describe your homes style?

Our home is very calm, relaxed and welcoming (well we like to think so!).  The colours are all very neutral with warm greys complimented with soft pastel furniture pieces and injected with colour through various small soft furnishings.  I also love my candles. I think a home should be a space you love and for me colours, textures and smells all play an important part in creating the right ambience in any home.  Likewise, like my candles I also love flowers.  I buy lots of beautiful fake flowers then create my own big displays around the house.  I find it’s a great way of creating a focal point in a room and to bring all the colours in the room together through the mixture of the flowers used in the bouquet.

What is your favourite piece from the Willow & Hall collection?

I can’t really pick a favourite but I do really like our new corner sofas and sofa beds which offer fantastic comfort for families and have a slightly more relaxed look to some of our more traditional 2 and 3 seater sofas and sofa beds – which I think is how it should be with corner units

Do you favour country living or city chic?

I am not sure I fall into either camp.  I really just love stylish, elegant and timeless interiors and like to buy pieces which will reflect this and then combine these with fun smaller pieces to add a touch of playfulness.  My style is really translated into our products and photo shoots. Willow and Hall is an extension of the type of interior design I love and more importantly our customers love. 

Visit Willow & Hall here:  www.willowandhall.co.uk

Easter Ideas

 

Easter is upon us and it is one of my favourite times of the year.  Not only am I addicted to buying the most gorgeous chocolate and cake creations, and filling my home with fresh flowers, but it feels like the official start of a brand new season.

More on my favourite chocolate and cake finds later, but for now here are some of my Easter must-haves...

Flowers!  This spring-like bunch look fabulous sat on a bed of eggs...you can't get more Easter than that!  Perfect for an arrangement in your kitchen.

Easter lunch can be just as formal as your Christmas Day soiree (although this year I'm cheating and opting for a 'help yourself' buffet style...with Easter touches of course!).  But if I was hosting a sit down affair, I just love these bunny menus with a flower tail to sit at each place...so cute!

A gorgeous table setting fit for an Easter feast.

Now if like me you're hosting a more relaxed Easter lunch but still want to inject some Easter fun, these mini terracotta pots (found in any garden centre or hardware store) look a treat filled with hummus and mini carrots.  A healthy addition to your buffet too!

Happy Easter everyone!  Have lots of fun!

Time to Accessorise Your Garden

Perfect for a country cottage

It's that time of year where we are all beginning to spend more time in our gardens, and it's got me thinking about garden accessories.  Well, yes I'm sure you are thinking that a pretty array of flowers and shrubs are accessory enough for your garden, but I have found some lovely pieces to add a wow factor to your space.  I'm not talking gnomes and ornate statues, but instead simple accessories to add a point of difference to your garden.  

Garden centres (I'm lucky to have a fabulous one a couple of miles away) are great for collecting garden art and stylish pots and planters, but you can also make things too.  This plant pot wreathe is gorgeous for a country cottage, and filled with herbs will smell divine!  

If you want a more contemporary feel, keep everything uniformed.  These white plant pots in varying sizes look so stylish and filled with a classic buxwood looks chic. 

                                 

A garden mirror can create a feeling of space and tranquility in a courtyard garden and this one from Butterfly Lane (coming soon at £200) is gorgeous.

Place pre-orders at info@butterflylane.co.uk 

Garden tools can look stylish hung from the wall as a piece of art...

Fill mini plant pots with church candles for a nighttime glow.

 Do you like accessories in your garden?