Can't stop looking at . . .

Each week, I'll be sharing with you something that has caught my eye. It may be a picture, blog, product or website.

I've just seen this picture of this fantastic cubby hole while looking at Odeedoh:

Image found here.

It looks like the perfect fun den for teenagers (or fun loving adults!) to hang out. 

It made me smile as I remember trying to get my dad to cut a big hole in one of the eves of my childhood bedroom so I could put cushions in there. My bedroom had a big dormer window in it, and therefore had two sloping ceilings in it. I remember conjuring up the idea with one of my friends and then badgering my dad to chop a hole in the wall of my bedroom so I could sit in there. I must have been a complete pain!

Just a quick one . . .

Firstly I just want to say thank you to all of you for reading Beautiful Square Feet! Its just reached over 2500 page views and I'm really pleased that you seem to be enjoying what I'm writing! Thanks for stopping by!

This week Torin and I are going to be spending a relaxing time with my parents in Kent - very much looking forward to my mum's cooking and it'll be lovely to catch up with other family members and friends! While we're away I'll still be blogging, but I'm not going to have as much time as I usually do to do  varied posts, so I'll be having an extended week of Can't stop looking at . . . which I usually do on Fridays.

First up, is the new attic bedroom that Benita of Chez Larsson has created for her son Wille in their new house:

Image from here.

It's a lovely, clean den that's perfect for a teenage boy don't you think? I really like the fact that the room is so simply decorated, but that there are a few really funky touches such as the map lampshade and the Kartell storage unit.

If you haven't already, you should really go to her blog and see what this room looked like before this transformation - it was just a little different to say the least!

Can't stop looking at . . .

Each week, I'll be sharing with you something that has caught my eye. It may be a picture, blog, product or website.

Very good friends of ours are expecting their first baby in September (very exciting!), and yesterday the mum-to-be told me they are planning on painting the nursery in Farrow and Ball's Teresa's Green. I wasn't familiar with the shade so took a look at a colour card that I had in the house. It's the perfect calming shade of pale greeny blue and will look great in a neutral nursery - they don't know what they're having:

Paint chip from here.

I then had a quick look around for rooms that were painted in this colour, and was very pleased with the relaxing havens I found.

The perfect bathroom mix - period colour with a plain tub and antique accessories:

Image from here.

Setting off plain glass bottles and white accessories perfectly in this very lovely TV room:

Image from here.

Adding to the beauty of this jug (the middle colour):

Image found here.

Helping this Swedish style kitchen to feel light and airy:

Image from here.

Hope you all have a wonderfully calming weekend!

A space on a hill in Bristol

Yesterday I ventured to Bristol with Torin and David as David was doing some fieldwork in a school there, and I wanted to go and look for a bed for Torin. The bed I'd seen was the single Oundle bed from ASPACE and, having only seen it in their catalogue and online, I wanted to see it in the flesh. 

Before we left Cardiff I checked where the shop was, and the directions told me it was on Whiteladies Road, which, I thought to myself, was good because I knew where that road was. For those of you who are local, David's office is in Clifton, so I knew the road I needed was nearby. What I had forgotten however, that most of Whiteladies Road is on a steep hill! Eventually, after much puffing and panting (I was pushing Torin in the buggy; it was hot; I'm pregnant etc.) I found where the shop was and stopped outside to have some water and compose myself a little before I went in.

This is the bed I went to see:

Oundle bed in antique stain, available here.

Oundle bed in matt white finish, available here.

Luckily, they had this bed on display in the shop in the white finish, so I was able to see the dimensions of the bed were like, inspect the slats (my dad said this was important!), and get a general feel of the quality. Although the single bed was only on display in the white finish, they had a double bed on display in the dark antique stain that I like.

Overall, the bed seemed pretty good quality, although it was a little scuffed from being on display, and I was pleased with the colour of the dark antique stain. It's also very reasonably priced compared to a lot of other places - it retails for £199 and ASPACE often have 10% off everything sales. I realise that there are cheaper places (like IKEA for example), but ideally I really want this bed to last him into his teens (this is also the reason we're looking for a full sized single bed rather than a toddler bed), so I really want a bed that is good quality, and that will hopefully last. I believe that the Oundle bed is one of ASPACE's best sellers, and I have read some good reviews of it - do any of you know of it already?

I think if we do decide on this bed, that we'll get it in the dark antique stain. I have changed my mind on this however, as I was very drawn to the matt white finish initially. My parents suggested that it would perhaps a little feminine and childish for a teenage boy though - and I think they might be right - what do you think?

I need to go and look at a lot of other places before we actually buy a bed for Torin, but at the moment, based on its aesthetics, quality and the price, this is the front runner.

Where did you go to buy beds for your children?

Chores, chores, chores . . .

Sometimes I wonder if my house will ever be truly clean. I do try and keep on top of things, but it seems that no sooner have I done one job, it needs doing again. I guess with three humans and two cats living in a terraced house, we're going to generate dust, but sometimes I'm really shocked at just how quickly the surfaces get covered again!

I think I may need to make myself a daily cleaning schedule and then at least if some of the jobs get done on it, it's better than nothing, right?

I found this handy one at www.housetohome.co.uk

Available to download here.

This calendar looks like it might be a good starting point, but there are some jobs like vacuuming the floors and the wiping of kitchen sides that really need doing daily in our house (sometimes even more frequently!).

It is hard to keep on top of everything and look after a toddler all day (and be pregnant!); however, it does feel sometimes that because I'm not working, there isn't really much of an excuse for washing up to be on the kitchen surface, or for weeds to be taking over the garden!

What about you? Do you have a set routine? How do you keep on top of your chores?