a pretty how town: decorating

I love fashion. But more importantly, I love style - and really, that encompasses every aspect of your lifestyle and your being really.

For the last couple of months, I've been trying to make my room in my flat at uni reflect my personal style - not easy with a limited budget and minimal space for many, many possessions (mostly books, clothes and accessories).

I'll give you the grand tour...

The windowsill.

Kind of the centrepiece of my room, and home of my beloved candles.

My latest purchase for the windowsill:
Love Hearts tealights from Urban Outfitters, £6

...and in action.
SO much nostalgia.
Get them here!

My windowsill. The other candles are from I love... and
are the best-smelling candles ever.
(check out their flavours, seriously)

The Wardrobe.

Goes without saying that this is the home of some of my most prized possessions. I keep half my clothes at uni in Leeds and half at home in London, meaning I can travel pretty light most of the time.

Dresses, bags, belts and shoes. Yes, it's
colour co-ordinated. It honestly makes
getting dressed that much quicker.

Front row: Topshop, Rocha by John Rocha (Debenhams),
and Kurt Geiger. Back row: Dune, Shellys
(I hide my more 'functional' shoes under the dresses!)

Most of my top drawer. Also colour co-ordinated.
(I know it's weird). Nude, nude nude.
No prizes for guessing what colours I wear most.

Second drawer. Blues and black and florals and stripes
and greens and dark greys and stuff.
Somehow not as pretty as the top drawer.

These boxes are from Ikea and are filled with trousers,
shorts, skirts & anything warm for the Yorkshire
winter; (hoodies, scarves, hats, jumpers, gloves).

The Walls.

I love pictures.When I'm not taking them, I'm looking through them and reminiscing. I love getting corkboards (these are from Tiger for next to nothing) and spending ages arranging them with pictures and little things I've collected on my travels. I have one huge one in my room at home, and these two small ones at uni.

Featuring polaroids of Russia, a painting from Bali, postcards
from Hong Kong, Tokyo, Prague, Paris, Siena and Amsterdam.
(And my boyfriend & I just below centre!)

A painting from Prague, pictures from Paris, Egypt,
Singapore, Thailand, Toronto & Manchester, Disneyland
souvenirs, festival wristbands & a cute baby panda.

I love Polaroids. I take a lot of my own but I
also love these Polaroid Notes I stuck up.
So whimsical.

I got them from Urban Outfitters for £9.99
Find them here.
(Took forever to get them this straight!)

The Desk.

Both worshipped as the home of the laptop and feared as the altar at which studious sacrifices must be made, I figured the least I could do was make my desk both functional and kinda pretty.

20th Century American Drama, speakers, & my favourite
Banksy, the original of which says 'There is always Hope'.
This is where my laptop usually lives.

2 months' worth of Vogue, pens, a bird-cage
housing jewellery, & language books. (p.s. I
love my Starbucks carving from Hong Kong!)

Under the desk, where I can ignore them: Folders.
And my sub-woofer, for big sounds that I don't
want to ignore.

So many books.
I get scared this shelf will collapse when I'm sleeping.
The little empty shelf usually houses jewellery boxes.

The Bed.

Where the magic happens. And by magic, I mean sleep. I have to say, I love this bed. It's the same one my big bro has at home (it's from Ikea) and it's so comfortable, it's sometimes impossible to get out of in the morning. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

My lovely, soft bedding was quite expensive but totally
worth it. I got given a throw at Christmas
to add to the cosy effect.

On my bedside table I have this picture of a huge
chandelier installation at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo.
It's nice to fall asleep to and wake up to.

Vanity Corner.

My wardrobe doors are mirrored (very handy), so next to it I store my cosmetics. I keep most of them in these boxes I've acquired over time. I think the first one came with toiletries from The Sanctuary in, and the other was a shoe-box from a purchase in Singapore.

Pretty, fun-filled boxes. I mostly store
things like moisturiser, hair products
& make-up in them.

Jewellery, Miu Miu sunglasses, Chanel Allure,
I love... mango & passionfruit body butter
& flowers in a Malibu bottle (it's my drink)

Yes, the jewellery that's not in a bird cage
or on a tree lives on a cake-stand. Why not?
One of many randomly acquired items.

The futon.

So, recently my Nana gave me a little futon that folds out into a spare bed. Super-handy, and soooo comfortable, but kinda decorated with an 80s/90s pattern. Like, something you'd see in Saved by the Bell. And not in a cool, retro way. Honest.

So I went out and bought a throw and some cushions.

At some point I plan to go scouring my favourite fabric shop and vintage stores in Manchester to find something a little more imaginative, but for now I got these from Primark (hell on Earth. Just about the only things I have ever bought there. Don't get me started on my hatred for that place). They're surprisingly soft, though.

Taking bets on how long that throw will be
as white as that.
Can't fault it for comfort though.

When I'm organised enough to know what I'm
wearing the next morning (never), or when I
can't decide (always), I lay it out on my futon.

So I'm pretty pleased with my room at the moment (when it's tidy, at least); I feel very at home here, it gets great light and a decent view, and it goes without saying that a positive environment makes for a more positive, proactive and productive lifestyle.

Next project: Getting some of my favourite pictures from my travels printed off and filling the empty wall opposite my bed to make it a bit more personal. (Like my Paris picture at the header of this blog).

I also really love this ingenious temporary wallpaper, available at Modcloth.

Arbemarle Street Temporary Wallpaper
$79.99 at Modcloth.
Just stick it on and peel it off!

Alternatively, you can actually blu-tack smaller sections of wallpaper to the wall, in which case I love Cole & Son, for whom Vivienne Westwood has designed a range of wallpapers to go alongside their more traditional flocks and florals.

Enjoy making your house a home!

Ciao for now,

Charlotte

... And I'm back in my house. Yes, I'm back home in London finally, after staying in Leeds for work. Preparations have been in full swing today. There's been last-minute present-buying, a few more decorations thrown up, and the pile of presents under the tree is slowly growing. (Although my parents still do the overnight-Santa thing. Cute, I know.)

I had a whole post lined up about cute, unorthodox Christmas decorations I'd seen at Modcloth (here), Starbucks (here) - seriously, and at Christmas Unwrapped. But I'm super-disorganised lately and now it's way too late so instead I'll share a bit of my Christmas Eve with you.

Note: We go all-out traditional in my house so it's chestnuts roasting on an open fire, etc. And yes, it's looking like it'll be a white Christmas this year. There's a reason I get referred to as Tiny Tim a lot around this time of year, and it's not just because I'm short. Christmas-cynics amongst you, prepare to feel queasy...

Going home for Christmas...

Leaving Leeds (so many books!)

Leaving Leeds.
Christmas tree in the office district.

Leaving Leeds, sky so pretty and wintery.

Wrapping the presents.

I am the worst present-wrapper in the world; this took me forever.
And yes I know the paper's not very festive but it was all I had!

Some more of my wrapping 'skills'; there are
many more little piles like this one - I go a bit overboard
buying gifts.

The Food...

Love them or hate them, the brussel sprouts are
prepped for tomorrow!

Chestnuts. My absolute favourite.

Clementines... A Christmas staple.

Nuts. Also, for some reason, a Christmas staple.

Ok, it doesn't look like much but once heated
it will be Mull and it will be yummy.

RECIPE: 1 ltr apple juice, 1 cinnamon stick, 2cm strip of fresh ginger, 3tsp demerara sugar, apple slices studded with cloves - and, for a less virgin mull (a slutty mull?), some whisky or brandy. Heat over the stove and voila!