WHAT TO BUY NOW - HEMA

I've met HEMA for the first time in the Marais and I thought it was the genius version of an H&M for housewares. Relatively low pricing of generic house goods, often with a Nordic and minimalist design.

The first HEMA opened in Amsterdam in 1926. Since 2014 HEMA is present in France, Spain and the UK.

They also have other products that I would recommend checking out, like:

Beauty and Make-Up

Travel and Luggage

Canvas Bags

Toiletry Bags

Find here below my selection of what is interesting to buy for your home now at HEMA:

1. Vase in sturdy and glazed ceramic, 22 cm high - £5.00
2. Cheese Knives - £10.00
3. Ball-shaped BBQ - £20.00
4. Salad Spoons - £5.00
5. Woven burlap pouf - £35.00
6. Tea Towels - £2.00
7. Hammok! - £15.00
8. Thermal Jug - £20.00
9. Metal Case - £4.00
10. Flower Pot - £2.00
11. Sea-grass Basket - £3.00
12. 100% Cotton Throw with frills at the ends - £7.00
13. Glass Jar - £6.00

DIY - HANDMADE PURSES

DESIGN EVENT - MADE LONDON

In the next couple of months London will host most of its highest quality contemporary craft and design fairs.

Last week Made London run for 5 days in Canary Wharf showcasing about 100 exhibitors.

What is interesting is that during this event the makers themselves meet the public to discuss inspirations, design processes and future projects, enabling maker/consumer relationships.

The next interesting ones are the London Craft Week (9-13 May) and the Clerckenwell Design Week (22-24 May). www.londoncraftweek.com | www.clerkenwelldesignweek.com

Please see here below what I found interesting at Made London:

Alex McCarthy Ceramics

mccarthyceramics.com

LONDON ART FAIR GUIDE 2018

Art fairs: if you ask me, there is no better way I would like to spend my time. Yeah yeah, art exhibitions too. But at an art fair... all you can see, you can buy! Ain't the definition of paradise? It would if I could afford all that I like!

DESIGN EVENT - HOUZZ OF 2018

Houzz is a website about architecture, interior design, decorating and home improvement which is hosting an event live in London right now: Houzz of 2018.

The interior design studio Run for the Hills transformed a stylish five-storey Soho townhouse into a complete flat reflecting all that's current in home design. 

If you love snooping around other people's homes, this is the type of experience you'll have, and you will be able to buy anything you see for a 15% discount on the original price.

The pop-up is open to the public between the 26th January-31st January and is free.

DESIGN SHOP - ARKET

Arket belongs to the H&M Group and defines itself as "a modern-day market". The first Arket store was opened in Regent Street in August 2017 displaying homeware and stationery items along with clothing and accessories for men, women and children.

Prices are not H&M aligned, it feels more like if Uniqlo and COS had a baby, and the baby has also a homeware line.

I've been there three times, and so far I've bought only notebooks and socks, but I'm sure I will soon surrender to that cast-iron pot, the umpteenth thin-glass set, one green vase or an overpriced terracotta flowerpot.

The in-store café has a very distinct northern European style, and good coffee.
Let me know what you think.

THE CHOICE - DOOR WREATH

One of my all-time favourite festive (and not festive) home decoration is the door wreath.

I favour it totally natural, predominantly green, with modest coloured - but still natural - insertions, and very circular and lush.

London offers many occasions to see gorgeous door wreaths this time of the year. If you live here, you don't need to buy them at the Botanique Workshop or at That Flower Shop. You can find very nice wreath at Borrough Market, Whole Food, Liberty, and at every small florist down the road.

But most of all, here’s a link on how to make one: it’s easy and cheap DIY XMAS WREATH.

Enjoy the gallery below (the last one is our very own!)

THE CHOICE - IN THE WIND BY NEMO

Many friends fell in love with it. This incredibly contemporary and elegant beauty it's Nemo's best product In The Wind.

INTERIOR INSPIRATION - DECORATED PEBBLES

Black ink patterns on white matte background. Who knows me since I was a compulsory doodler teenage can tell that this was my true obsession. Still is.

And the below is pure ASMR for me. Simple and yet so stylish. You can try too.

Enjoy!

DESIGN EVENT - LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL 2017

Didn't have the chance to visit the London Design Fair? Here's below some pictures of what I found interesting. For informations on products or designers, you can write to me privately or check the exhibitor link below.

Enjoy!

EXHIBITOR LIST

WHAT TO BUY NOW - WEST ELM DISCOUNTS!

BEFORE & AFTER: KITCHEN MAKEOVER

There had been nothing really wrong with the kitchen that we bought with our apartment, it was just a bit tacky and poorly assembled. The main idea behind this renovation was to create a solid, uniform, almost monolithic base and leave the rest of the room uncluttered, bright and airy.

DESIGN SHOP: COS X HAY

Actually it makes a lot of sense: COS + HAY.

The Scandi clothing brand COS (my favourite shop for clothes and accessories, as my good friends Ilaria and Pragya know very well) and Danish designers HAY joined their aestetics into a curated collaboration featuring dreamy classic and unique pieces.

In London the homeware collection is available at COS Hi St Ken (124/126 Kensington High St, W8 7RL), while a selection of items are also available online here.

Enjoy the gallery!

BEFORE/AFTER - EDWARDIAN FIREPLACE

When we bought our apartment one of the first changes that we decided to make was to replace the existing fireplace surround with an original one.

BOUTIQUE HOTEL - ACE LONDON SHOREDITCH

More hipster than the hipsters.

The Ace Hotel based in Shoreditch perfectly embodies the creative and alternative character of this London area. Black metal frames, dark wooden floor and scandinavian style furniture contribute to the hip industrial atmosphere.

The lobby is a public space where to work, socialize or just hang around at the coffe/juice bar. But the ACE Hotel Shoreditch is mainly an über-trendy place for design and fashion lovers where to get inspired, to see and to be seen: everybody here look effortlessly cool, including the staff.

Designed by London practice Universal Design Studio. Photos: TAC and Ace Hotel.

LONDON MARKETS - PORTOBELLO

Portobello Market in West London is one of the most famous street markets in the world, and in 2015 celebrated being 150 years old.

Stretched for around two miles, it offers endless opportunities to buy antiques, second hand clothes, old print and maps, used books and records... but really all sorts of everything, old and new.

A lots of unique independent shops surround the market and on Saturdays hundreds of dealers open their kiosks at the antiques arcades. Here anyone can find something really unique!

The market it’s constantly changing and it's truly impossible to show or list all what is there. But have a look at the photo gallery below and you’ll get a good idea what you might find at Portobello!

PS. Below you find 10+ website and contact details of the shops worth visiting. Enjoy!

PREPARE TO MOVE

Here a list of things that need to be done when you move to your new home:

1. Notify that you’ve changed address to:
Work
Banks
Pension company
DVLA for your driving licence
Mobile phone company
TV licensing
Water, Gas & Electricity Broadband suppliers

2. Register with:
BT, eletricity supplier
Thames Water, water supplier
Broadband supplier
Council tax

FROM EXCHANGE TO COMPLETION

Here is timeline:

PRE-EXCHANGE CONVEYANCING
You send to your solicitor your signed copy of the contract.
You send to your solicitor a non-refundable deposit (usually 10% of the purchase price).
A completion date has been set.
Either party is still free to pull out at any time.

EXCHANGE
Solocitors go through the contracts by phone to check they are identical and they agree that the contracts are exchanged.
Your solicitor call you and afret getting your approval she/he sends the deposit to the seller's solicitor.
The agreed terms become binding on the buyer and seller.

POST EXCHANGE CONVEYANCING
The buyer must send the purchase price less the exchange deposit.

COMPLETION
Funds are sent by your solicitor to the seller.
The seller must vacate the property.
You receive the transfer deeds and title deeds.
You receive the keys from the estate agent and may move in.

HOW MUCH DOES A RENOVATION COST IN LONDON?

The cost of a London flat refurbishment depends upon several factors:

1. Size and condition of the flat
2. Structural or non structural alterations
3. Necessity to comply with building regs (ie. listed building, alteration of the building facade, etc..)

NB. Professional consultancy (structural engeener, party wall surveyor etc...) adds up around £500 each.

BASIC REFURBISHMENTS
Installing new flooring, fitting a new kitchen, installing some new lighting, painting, joinery work (shelving or cupboards), modifying an existing bathroom = £10-£15k

FULL REFURBISHMENT
Structural work (alteration of internal wall position), replacing ceilings, installing new electrics, installing a new boiler and radiators, re-plastering walls, replacing flooring, fitting a new kitchen and bathroom = £15-£30k

SPECIAL REFURBISHMENT
Major structural internal alterations, addition of insulations, extensions = £35k +

THE COSTS OF BUYING

Here a list of the expenses you might occur when buy a property, based on the purchase of 1 bed flat in London at the date of December 2015, (please note that figures are just indicative and derived from searches and direct or indirect experiences):

Buying Agents around 2.5%t of the agreed purchase price. Sometimes totally worth it.

Mortgage Broker around 250-300£

Mortgage Offer around £200

Solicitor around 2.5% of the agreed purchase price, including

Solicitor's Legal Fee: between £350.00 and £800.00

Leasehold Fee: £125.00

Telegraphic Transfer: £30.00

Bankruptcy Search: £4.00

Priority Search OS1: £3.00

Survey (including “fall through protection”): from £150.00 up to £1000.00
How to chose the right survey

Land Registry: £135.00
VAT@ 20% (Not all costs are subject to VAT)