Reading Nook

Reading Nook

images via 

Ciao bellissimas! I hope you all had an ace weekend, and are looking forward to kicking ass this week! I am totally starting this one with that kind of attitude! The past few weeks I have found it tricky to lock in desk time - time for posting and e-mails, in amongst face to face commitments. It's been kinda stressful. How to manage time, delegate tasks, maximise every hour . . . ! Phew, I feel like I'm figuring things out daily - if not hourly - and time management is one of my greatest challenges. To try and help me along I've been flicking back over my work from home posts! If you have any tips on staying on track at work, with productiveness, time divisions, scheduling . . . I am all ears! And I'll let you guys know how I get on too. 

OK back to nooks . . . 

As you may recall, Habitat recently came to shoot mine and Oli's new apartment. It was so lovely getting a different perspective on a space we are still getting to know ourselves. We have been quite hesitant in filling our rooms up with furniture, as 1) We have a major fear of cluttering, and 2) we are trying to invest in pieces we will love for a long time. What we've come to realise though is that some spaces do need more. I've harboured a fantasy of creating a little reading nook since we moved in, and now it looks like that fantasy may be becoming a reality! We have our eyes on one of those swoopy floor lamps, and I can't wait to select the perfect chair to curl up in. Naturally Pinterest has been a GREAT aid. 

Read on for more inspirational pics . . . 

What are your thoughts on a reading nook? Do you like the idea of curling up with a book - in a space just for that. Let me know your feelings below . . . !

Have an awesome day all!

Love, 

MB  x

Our Home | Our Habitat

Our Home | Our Habitat

Good morning lovely ones! I am super excited to share with you the fruits of a very special shoot   with one of my favourite homeward brands - Habitat. Habitat popped on over to our apartment a few weeks ago and here are a few of my favourite images . . . 

You can see the full feature on Habitat online now. 

Love, 

MB x 

Halfstack at Home - Office Style

Halfstack at Home - Office Style

Hey Everyone! Jen Lezan here with Halfstackmag.com! Today I am excited to share a project we’ve been working on and some tips on how to create a functional yet stylish office space when you are working with minimal space, a shared space or have an at home office. You can watch the video and below you can find an outline of our tips for how to make a functional yet chic office space in a small area.

For our first tip: When working with a space that is in a home, functionality is most important. You want the space to work well and blend nicely into the surroundings, yet set it apart. The easiest way to do this is by utilizing paint.  We used (c/o)  Clark + Kensington paint from Ace Hardware in the Can’t find my Czechbook color from their OPI collaboration collection. This is a fun line of  fashion forward colors that are not for the faint of heart. The aqua style blue worked well against the white and wood furnishings we utilized in the space. The paint comes in matte, semi gloss and gloss. We used the semi gloss so it is easy to clean. This is a primer and paint in one, but it went on kind of light so we suggest more than one coat to get an even and sleek finish.



We added some pops of warmth and complementing color by using pillows and throws from (c/o) Lacoste Home available at Macy's. This helped add a lived in feel to an otherwise cold space and added a touch of comfort. If you’re going to be working somewhere for hours upon hours, you might as well make it comfortable.

A majority of the office space was furnished with Ikea to maintain our budget. In. particular, we utilized the Algot system from Ikea; which is just a system of shelves and brackets that we attached to the wall. This brings me to our next tip, make use of your wall space.  If you have a small space to work with, build up or use shelving as potential workspace as we did here. Rather than setting up a large desk, we kept it modern and minimal with white shelves that we can use as desk space.

Our final tip is to de-clutter and organize. We incorporated bins and desk organizers from Target, The Container Store and the dollar tree.  Group like items together, file away paper work you must keep, pitch the junk you don’t need and make sure everything has a place. This will help you keep track of where things are, find items more easily and keep your space clear to create. A quick little insider tip – utilize command strips plastic hooks on the underside of your desk area to corral your chords and keep them off the floor.

We hope you enjoyed this DIY video from Halfstack! If you like what you see, please take the time to subscribe and please feel free to leave comments to let us know what you think or are interested in seeing! Oh! And our Fall Music Issue Releases Wed. Sept 17! So, check it out at: www.issuu.com/halfstackmag. Thanks!!
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Jen Lezan
Editor-in-chief

3 Fun Ways To Include Flowers Into Your Home

3 Fun Ways To Include Flowers Into Your Home

Filling your home with flowers is one of my favourite ways to feel positive and inspired day by day. I've been saving my big flower trip of the week for Friday, as I have a few of my girlfriends coming to stay for the weekend. I can't wait to get my hands on some newbies, but for the time being here are 3 fun ways to include flowers into your home right now: 

1 - Fake It

High quality crafted flowers look bang on the same as real ones and they last forever. Ols gave me a large bouquet of faux flowers two years ago, and they always brightened up my old apartment come rain or shine; since we've moved in together I've been separating them and arranging them in various vases. In times like now when I am waiting to buy my fresh flowers for the week, I love having pretty blooms in my eye line. Faux flowers can be expensive so if a bouquet feels like too much of a commitment, invest in a single stem and display in a glass bottle.

The Hambledon have excellent fake flowers.

2 - Desk Space

This week I've had my first real taste of working from my new home office. Yes my feet still graze cardboard boxes under my desk, but the space is MINE and I am bum-wigglingly happy! At the moment it is pretty basic - white desk + laptop - but this week I'm aiming to add a display of pretty flowers - I'm thinking ranunculus like the pretty desk above. 

Check your local flower markets for options. 

3 - Maximise Your Outdoors

I love the idea of potting a few small tubs of flowers and placing them either on the outside of a window sill, or on a small balcony. Many apartments tend not to get a lot - if any - outdoors space. By implementing small flower boxes we can create our own mini gardens! Awesome.

Nip into your local DIY or garden centre for supplies.

How do you guys like to incorporate flowers into your home?

I'm off for a day chocca with meetings! Follow my adventures on Instagram.

Have a super day all!

Love,

MB x

Picture courtesy: 1 // 2 // 3 

3 Unusual Vases To Display Your Flowers

3 Unusual Vases To Display Your Flowers

I love all of these sweet ways for displaying flowers! They are brightening up every corner of our home, especially on drizzly days like the one we have today. How cute is the popcorn vase?! 

Read on for my favourite combinations . . .

SHOP 

SHOP  

SHOP 

Which is your favourite? Do you have any other unusual ways of showing off your Spring blooms?! I love this post from Oh Joy on funky flower holders too. 

Have a super day all!

Love, 

MB x 

Home On The Mind

Home On The Mind

All images via my Pinterest

When I moved into my very first flat, to go to University, I remember discussing with my best friend how clothes had been usurped entirely, in our shopping consciousness, by home ware. Now that I've moved for a second time it is literally all I can think about again. Any spare cash is immediately dedicated to improvements, any spare time to tidying and building furniture - have you guys ever experienced this total brain takeover?! I guess as a student we were thrifting everything too, and didn't have a choice over the furniture which was already in our flats; now having moved to a totally unfurnished apartment it's like a whole new world has opened up, although finding second hand treasures is still one of my favourite past times. 

Right now I am on a mission to assemble my home office. In my old place I holed myself up in the kitchen/dining/spare bedroom, but now I have (in theory - although it is currently taken over by boxes) a neat little area all of my own. Working from home, feeling comfortable, inspired and focused is so important, and so I am taking on board as many inspirational images and suggestions as possible. Pinterest and I are very close right now. 

Read on for some of the office ideas and space I love…

This weekend I got to catchup with a ton of my girlfriends; seeing their beautiful faces and laughing over good food is possibly my favourite thing ever. 

For the rest of the week I'll be travelling, and we're wrapping up the filming for Rock The Look too! I am so excited to see the series unfold. 

I hope you guys all had an awesome weekend too! If you have any home office tips - I am all ears!

Have a super day and start to your weeks all!

Love, 

MB x