Credit Buy: The Dolly Knit

Today I will be mainly transporting myself back to Bank Holiday Monday morning, lying peacefully on an Isle of Wight cliff top covered in heather... Opposed to dealing with having just found my home completely splattered in Carnival paint.  All together now; "Ommmmmmmmm...!!"

In celebration of Dolly Alderton’s witty memoir, ‘Everything I Know About Love,’ British knitwear brand Hades has created a lambswool ‘Dolly Knit’ inspired by the brainy Bardot’esq babe herself (RRP. 160.00).  

Available in Powder Pink and Blood Red, these sweaters both have ‘Know Thyself’ embroidered onto the inner sleeve of the left arm, which is perhaps wiser than the usual heart we’ve been known to leave there...!

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My Colour Consultation with Farrow and Ball

If you, like me, have ever felt totally overwhelmed by paint charts, spent far too much money and too much time testing various (and usually pretty identical) colours on your walls, ordered the wrong amounts, or just simply got the choices so completely wrong and had to end up repainting entirely… Then, breathe easy folks… Farrow and Ball have got you!

Having experienced the aforementioned paint frustrations more times than I wish to remember, I was determined that my boyfriend, whilst coming to the end of a long and tiring house renovation, was not to have this last and final hurdle be a stressful one.  Although we both had some ideas for what colours we thought might work on each floor and room (mine perhaps being the less subtle of preferences, unshockingly…) I suggested we get a Farrow and Ball in-home colour consultation to give us both some guidance and some peace of mind on this frequently daunting mission!

Within one hour of Scott our colour consultant arriving at the house, during which time he speedily analysed both the structural detailing and lighting plan of the house, and listened patiently to our haphazard thoughts, he had brilliantly helped us devise an entire paint scheme to fit both the house and our lifestyle using some of the 132 beautifully rich Farrow and Ball shades.  

We decided on Farrow and Ball's Green Smoke for the hallway (above), using Strong White for the skirting boards and doors.  In a room that is used more as a walk way than a living space, you can afford to be a little bit more dramatic and daring with your choices.

To compliment the Green Smoke, we chose Farrow and Ball's French Grey, which we moved into halfway up the stairwell at a natural divide, and then throughout the sitting room. This is a particularly calming colour, and it has a really chic feel to it.

We decided on painting some of the kitchen cabinetry in Farrow and Ball's Smoke Green, which once more created a real synergy and flow between each floor.  

Whether you're veering towards the subtle or the statement, the Farrow and Ball consultants understand the particular way each paint responds to light throughout the day, and which colours and textures combine to achieve the perfect, unique scheme for your home. 

Scott's advice was decidedly helpful when deciding on the master bathroom colours, as the light changes so dramatically in there throughout the day. We chose Inchyra Blue for the cabinets, which is inspired by dramatic skies (much like the usual view from the bathroom window!) which when contrasted with Farrow and Ball's Cornforth White, a magically versatile grey'ish tone, and the bathroom's dark wooden floors and herringbone white marble, creates a wonderfully intimate space. 

Following up from our consultation with Scott, we received a colour fan deck with our choices and the all-important quantities of paint required to complete each room. During a time when our minds were already pickled with light switch and cabinetry handle decisions (the last few months of last year were beyond rock'n'roll, can you tell?!), having this expert and invaluable help from Farrow and Ball, and being able to confidently make our paint order, took a huge weight of our shoulders, and is worth the investment many times over! 

Now, if only Farrow and Ball did carpet consulations…

In collaboration with Farrow and Ball

Photography: Ella Sadika

Hair:  Taylor Taylor London

Nails:  Sophie Gass

Thomas Sabo's Generation Charm Club

From the Babylonians to Queen Victoria, the collecting and wearing of charms to commemorate milestones and honour cherished memories has been one of the most enduring of jewelry styles. When I was at school (alongside the Babylonians, it now feels!) all the coolest of cats in my class had charm bracelets dripping with trinkets; the Eiffel Tower, precious sparkly dogs reminding them of their own… Fast forward just a feeeeew years this chaaarming trend is back with a bang.

Today, Thomas Sabo launches their Generation Charm Club, releasing an abundance of chic, beautifully detailed charms which can easily clip on to our existing Thomas Sabo necklaces and bracelets. I was amazed at the variety available and was excited to pick pieces and that were unique only to me.   

What I really love about these charms is how easily you can switch up the combinations of what you wear, depending on how you feel.  Whether you want to wear just one, or many charms together, or in this maximalist magpie's case, layer up a few chains of differing lengths with several charms together, for a bohemian, 70's feel.  

I was particularly drawn to the more celestial Thomas Sabo charms, immediately gravitating towards the moons, stars and zodiac charms (although, should I really be advertising that I'm a Scorpio?!)  The Vintage Moon and Star pendant, combined with the Star Mother of Pearl pendant reminded me of stargazing on my rooftop back at home in Watamu, Kenya. 

Although I only prefer to wear mostly yellow gold, the current trend is to mix your metals, and I can really see myself embracing this idea through incorporating some silver and rose gold charms.

I obviously had to have a charm of my initial (love me a 'K' anything!) and with a trip to Joshua Tree coming up next month, I feel I might commemorate this with a gold cactus charm... Watch this space! 

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In collaboration with Thomas Sabo
Photography: Ella Sadika
Hair: Taylor Taylor London  
Nails: Sophie Gass