A Shared Style - Julia Smith
This month, it is lovely to have my friend Julia sharing a space in her home for the A Shared Style column. I expect you will also know Julia, either as instagrammer extraordinaire @juliabesidethesea or as writer of the delightful blog Humphrey and Grace. Julia and her husband, are still in the process of renovating their gorgeous home, (and I can say that as I have seen it in the flesh), but the room she is sharing today, is not only well and truly finished, it is also beautiful to boot! Here is what she has to say about it:
Which space in your home have you shared?
I have shared our dining room. We are slowly renovating our home, slowly partly through choice and partly as each room throws so many curve balls our way that it takes much longer than planned, and the dining room has been the largest part of this years projects. Everything in the room has been redone, from ceiling to floor with wiring, plastering and plumbing along the way. It connects with our kitchen after we removed a large piece of the wall between the two and is the busiest part of our house.
How would you describe your interiors style?
For some reason I find this tricky to answer! Simple. Minimal. Functional. We consider each room before beginning work. How do we use it, how do we want to use it, how will it work for our family life? Then include all the essential elements, lighting, warmth, furniture. Beyond that the accessories and finishing touches can take a while to decide, and also tend to change with the season.
Do you have any home styling tips?
Simple changes can make a big difference without breaking the bank. We have largely white walls and plain window dressings in our house as it means that changing the accents of a room can be done without a complete redecoration. By changing the accessories, photos, pictures, plants, anything and everything else you can change the feel of the room. In spring and summer this space is full of garden flowers. I love to connect the inside to the garden. In winter fairy lights play a big role.
Whose interiors style do you admire?
No one person in particular, but I do appreciate a Scandinavian style interior. Not everything translates well to our very English 1930's home, and If I'm honest I am a country girl at heart, so of course elements of this inspire me too. I guess you could say I draw inspiration from a lot of places. I use Pinterest to collect them, like an online scrapbook of ideas.
Any favourite places to shop?
Again no one place in particular, I really enjoy sourcing items that compliment each other from all over! I’m a dedicated online shopper. Free time isn’t something we have in abundance and taking three children homeware shopping is not my idea of fun so I source a lot via the internet. The lamps here came from Loaf, the table was found on eBay made by the seller with old rafters from a demolition site and newly turned legs. The chair at the left from Cox and Cox, the Vitra Eames DSW chair was discounted at John Lewis (possibly the most comfortable chair I’ve ever sat in!) and the curtains were from The Natural Curtain Company. I also love a vintage find, like the chair on the right.
All photos by Julia Smith
Thank you so much for letting us visit your stunning dining room Julia. I have serious parquet floor and clean line envy!
If you haven't already, you can find Julia here:
Blog - Humphrey & Grace
Instagram - @juliabesidethesea
Pinterest - humphandgrace
Twitter - Humphandgrace
Have a great weekend.
Emma x