A couple of months ago, my other half and I were taking a stroll through the wooded area of Roundhay Park. It was a beautiful spring day and despite the birds and squirrels bustling around, it felt calm and peaceful.

We rounded a corner and came across a den.

I’m going to be honest with you.

I think you’re getting overwhelmed with your re-design and re-decorating because you’re not trusting your choices. You’re overthinking and everything is taking forever to do.

When you first get that design inspiration, it’s exciting and you’re so ready for it.

This week, I played a game of Would You Rather with my Instagram followers.

And man, you lot love to give me your opinion. It was great, I really enjoyed hearing your ideas and insights.

So if you’re not following my socials (er, why aren’t you?) then you’ll wonder what it was I asked.

Do you remember the emergency table?

Do you still have one?

Do you know what I’m talking about?

I’m talking about Christmas Day when the whole family gathers to celebrate and of course, the usual 4-seater dining table isn’t going to fit everyone around it.

So out comes the emergency table, tacked on to the end of the 4-seater and reserved exclusively for wallpapering (because it’s a pasting table) or large family events.

BYOC (Bring Your Own Chair) is also encouraged.

It was chaotic, but it was fun, wasn’t it?

If you’ve been following me on instagram this week, you’ll have seen I’ve been banging on about the importance of visualising your space.

It’s really important.

Really, really important.

Why?

Because if you want to save time and money this is the one thing you can do that will make a difference.

I bet you’ve heard it all before…

‘Your interiors should have lots of texture’ - and rightly so, it adds interest and warmth and makes it feel less like a clinic and more like a home.

And so out come the cushions and the blankets and it’s lovely and cosy. But adding texture is more than that.

Here’s 3 ways to do it, without spending a penny…

What I’m acutely aware of is that in another 6 months or so, all the interior design bloggers, tik tok accounts, and home magazines are going to tell you what trends to leave behind in 2022 and what is hot for 2023.

How fantastic! Just give me a minute then to get up to date…

We’ve all been at home a long time now, and working from home has become the new normal. Some of you will be back into the office part time but still working from home too, whilst some of us have set up or expanded businesses and side hustles. For some, the kitchen table still reigns supreme and for others, that under-used, over-filled back bedroom has been given a new title - The Home Office.

As I sit here, writing this with a strong cup of Yorkshire tea and a recently opened packet of Jaffa Cakes, I find myself in the very lucky position of being able to work from my own home office. Whilst the Jaffa cakes won’t even make it to the end of this blog post, the feeling of satisfaction in having a designated space will last long after I’ve closed the door on my working day. Literally - shut the laptop down, close the office door, run away screaming.

It hasn’t always been this way though, in fact, I spent most of the pandemic working from my sofa. I also moved house at this time and so my new back bedroom became what was effectively a storage facility for months on end.

Eventually, I decided enough was enough. My lower back was crying out for a proper chair and the “room of doom” back bedroom was slowly becoming less storage and more landfill.

So I got to work on designing myself a brand new home office. By watching Emily in Paris.

I’ve just had a conversation with someone about sausages. No I’m serious, sausages - as in, what’s in them and what makes them delicious. Now, when you think about what they’re made from and how unappetising it sounds, then quite frankly, I’ll pass but when you put them in a pan, that’s a different story. In fact, one whiff of that tantalising sizzle makes you completely forget that you’re trying to embrace the vegetarian life. Stick a bit of HP Sauce on and you’ve got magic. Comforting and delicious.

So why am I telling you this (I can only assume that’s what you’re asking - if you’ve made it past that ridiculous description of a sausage then more power to you, I guess)? It’s because I was asked what the sizzle in 155 is? What is the bit that excites people about this business?

Well, what if your home was the sausage? Bear with me - I swear I’ve got a point.