So, Victoria Plumb, inspirational designers and purveyors of stylish bathrooms, are asking us to take part in their
Great British Home quiz to find out what our homes say about our style. I duly took part to discover that I am in fact channeling the interior design inspiration of none other than Joey Essex! Now don't get me wrong, I love Joey, but to compare me to someone who "screams glamour" is probably against the Trade's Description Act! Glamorous I am not!!
At first glance, my home is probably more bland than bling! However there are some aspects of the results of the quiz that I can relate to...slightly. I love being snuggled on my sofa but tend to be wrapped in an old sleeping bag rather than a faux fur throw. I love a good cushion, but there is no embellishment on my practical, plain brown ones. Sequins and embroidery are just too uncomfortable when you lie down for a snooze. I do favour neutral tones such as browns and creams, but would never go metallic and crushed velvets are just too 1980's for my taste. I've been there and done that already. Ostentatious soft furnishings are so not my thing. Family portraits do feature in my decor and I love a good kitchen gadget. So maybe there is an element of Essex in my style somewhere, I'm just bypassing the glamour and going for a more practical approach. Possibly having five kids has eradicated all attempts of glamorizing my living space and suppressed my inner glamour girl. Middle aged and practical seems a more befitting description of me these days.
Looking around my living room, I see very little of my personal style. Everything is most definitely here for practicality. A huge DVD, game and Blu-ray collection has seen a need for a huge storage solution dominating one wall of our living space. Practical laminate flooring provides a fuss free, easy to clean alternative to carpet. A huge corner sofa is needed to seat the whole family whenever they all descend, and the punctuation of beige cushions does little in the way of adding any pzazz. It's a functional room for watching our big TV...but when it is filled with family and the love, fun and laughter that comes with that, it comes alive! Piles of Freddy's toys that migrate their way into the living room are a constant reminder of the fact that my home is a place where the children feel comfortable and free to have fun. There are no ornaments, breakables or trinkets on display, no fine fabrics or delicate soft furnishings that could get damaged. This is a house for relaxing and enjoying some family fun, not for being on your best behaviour.
My kitchen is again modern, practical and functional - although I do dream of a having a country kitchen with a range cooker, a central island workstation and a plethora of matching crockery at my disposal. It's where I knock up family meals and bake cakes, do the laundry and wash up. There is no seating so it isn't the hub of the house or the heart of my home. It's where things get done, which makes me a bit sad. I'd love one of those kitchens where you can sit around the table with a cup of coffee having a chat while the smell of freshly baked cookies fills the air. Instead it's just me and my utensils doing a job. But it is a lovely working environment for my solitary pursuits, and sometimes one of the kids will perch themselves on the work surface to keep me company, or Freddy will grab a stool to stand on and be my little kitchen helper.
We recently revamped our bedroom to make it more of a sanctuary and less of a storage facility for everybody else's stuff. Some new paint, new blinds and new bed covers certainly gave my room a new lease of life and brightened up things for the better. The silky duvet cover does have a touch of glam in its gold and black design, and the silk Roman blinds really open up the space. I think even Joey Essex may approve of it! It's nice to have somewhere with a hint of glamour as my own personal space, to unwind in. Maybe there is a little TOWIE in me after all!
My ensuite bathroom is one of my joys! I love it, with its big walk in shower unit and mirrored back wall. It's lovely having such a great space attached to my bedroom - but because it is so cool, the kids insist on using my shower and not the bath in their family bathroom. Consequently, I have a trail of teenagers coming through my bedroom day and night, leaving crumpled, wet towels and a myriad of potions and lotions in their wake! Perhaps it's time to upgrade their bathroom so I can free up my ensuite! Maybe the modern, trendy Princeton suite that Victoria Plumb tells me is perfect for adding TOWIE glamour to my home, would suit my three glamour puss daughters! Definitely something to consider.
At the end of the day, we have a comfortable home where we can relax, kick back and enjoy family life. It's modern and functional, but still has the touches that make it special to us like our family photo canvases, our big TV and our big, old comfy corner sofa. It's spacious and light and provides a place for us all to be together in comfort. For me, my home is a reflection of our family's needs. It may not be fancy, it may not be glam or adorned in ornamental embellishments, but it is our home.
Our home may be functional...but by golly...we know how to put the FUN in our FUNctional approach to style!
“This post is an entry for #GreatBritishHome Challenge sponsored by Victoria Plumb, a source of quality bathrooms for every type of home. Take its “What’s Your Celebrity Home Style?” quiz to discover what your home says about you.”
