Shed some light on the whole DIY situation...

Sometimes people don't know they have it in them until they try. If you had asked me 5 years ago to get my hands stuck into a lamp shade, I would have given the best look of confusion and said "What?"

Not only do I deal with decorative elements on a day to day basis, it also becomes important to get familiar with the terminology.

I was asked to repair on old lamp in the shop today. I was given all the tools and sent on my way!
I learnt that the trim on a shade is also known as 'gimp'. I discovered that Copydex is the choice of adhesive when attaching the gimp to the rim of the shade. And I learnt the art of 'slow and steady' wins the race.

The attention to detail were required to ensure a smooth and proper finish.
I started off on a practice shade just to get my hand and eye ready.

Here, I measured the size of gimp I needed and cut it to size. I just practiced along the top edge of the shade.














Once I had the correct measurments, it was time to apply it.
Using a paint brush and about a large teaspoon size of Copydex, I was well on my way to creating magic (Or as I like to think of it).

Even the glue is quite quickly drying, it was suggested to me to maybe hold it in place for around 30 seconds to best secure a grip

All the practice with the green gimp left me and well and prepared for the task I was set out to complete initially.

The gimp was used to hide any undesirable joint edges as well as give an old lampshade a mimi makeover.

Say hello to the pink beauty that was born under my careful supervision. And its only fair to say what a proud parent I am!



And who knows, a lampshade today...... the Sistine Chapel tomorrow. Watch this Space!!

My room needs a personality please!

Some days have passed within the internship and as my time there grows, so does my knowledge of fabrics and colour co-ordinations.

Coming from a technical background, I wasn't always too sure as to what looks best with what.

As part of an ongoing project within the firm, I was asked to assemble two colour combinations to compliment an already existing space. Sounds easy enough, huh? Wrong!

Its one thing to come up with a colour scheme that seems appealing to you but here we have to provide a pallette according to the taste of someone else. The trick is to apply your better judgment with the direction of your clients vision (as i am slowly learning along the way).
Time to breath some life and personality into an already existing space...

This part of the project dubbed 'E55' is regarding a spare bedroom in a holiday house. 

So picture this:

Existing walls are in a light green, almost champagne colour with a subtle detail.
The curtains are a faded green, almost one shade darker than the walls.
The head board looks almost to boast an olive colour.
Side tables are in a rich dark brown.
There are gold decorative accents, such as a mirror, around the room.

Ok, so having the project brief disected, it was time to put on the creative gloves and dig through all the fabrics I could find.

Firstly:

A pallete of rich and warm colours. The idea was to with neutral tones around the room and accent the greens with a red tone. By keeping the bedspread neutral  the addition of coloured throw cushions will make the colours pop. The addition of rich textures, such as silk, will carry through that elegant and rich feel that is distributed around the room already through the use of colour.

....Then in contrast

A pallette of calm and fresh colours. Now, initially the introduction of such a fresh blue was a bit risky but set against the other elements such as dark furniture and gold decorative accents, it really brings the green to life. Its not to be used as a consistent tone, rather a highlight- such as in the bed throw cushions and the upholstery of the study chair. The strips maintain a clean line and draw your eyes towards the complimentary greens, both olive in colour and in marriage with the wall existing wall colours.

This is still a work in progress but its always fun to add on and look back at ideas, you never know what you might stumble upon!

Even the window needs an outfit

Window Dressing: the act of decorating and arranging products to display in a store window.

First off, its definitely not as easy as it looks. The previous intern had set up an industrial feel about the display. Now it came for me to up-style and create a new and different selling point for the store.

Stripping down the window definitely gets the old elbow grease going. Moving, pushing, pulling, uncapping .. you have to be prepared to get stuck in. Literally!

My initial idea was to go on a Fresh burst of summer within the store. Retaining the elements of summer ahead of the doom and gloom of winter. My direction was slightly altered by Ciara who presented me with a new Sanderson wallpaper that had just arrived into store.
A wallpaper that needed the attention it deserved.

Wallpaper: Sanderson Themis Wallpaper, Carbon/ Purple 

So my course of action changed. Having the wallpaper as a guideline, it altered the colour direction of display, I picked up on the rich tones and gave my window the title of...... 

"The Bronze Age"


Using different elements around the store, I wanted to maintain a clean and simple look with highlights of the bronze and rich colours.

I added in decorative highlights such as mirrors, bronze lanterns and a stack of books. It all adds to the character and feel of the window.

Highlighting the simplicity of the display through angled facades created a more dynamic look which worked well the simplistic elegance I was aiming for.
 

In the end, I was highly satisfied with the result. This didn't come to me straight off the bat, but after a lot of back and forth... "The Bronze Age" was born.

Window Display: Outside shop front in Sandycove.

The First of Many.... But lets start with Day One.

Wednesday 18th September

Today is my first day of the Internship at Martin-Hudson and Gibson Ltd.
After fighting with the snooze button, I eventually get up and get ready to make my way out to Sandycove.
Talk about a beautiful seaside little village. It definitely reminds me of being holidays.

John and Ciara give me a tour of the shop and give me a chance to familiarize myself with all the products.
I now get the chance to work with fabrics and wallpapers that I haven't used or seen before. Definitely a great scope of learning for me.

While fishing through the wallpapers, I cant help but notice an opportunity in the store.
A chance to remodel the space.

Being day one, people would say it is bold (and cheeky) for me to attempt but I was just using my initiative....

It was simply looking at an exiting space and seeing how the different positions of the furniture pieces could create a new and different space whilst highlighting the best sell-able items withing the store.

There was lots of pushing and pulling but the outcome was definitely satisfactory.

Kerry 1 - 0 First Day Nerves