Provence summer '12- Villa Bastide Oleander

Recently I've been back with some good friends to their villa in Provence, South of France. It is a beautiful part of the world. I have taken some snaps of the villa for you all to enjoy!

'The purple room' (as I named it) Ella and I stayed in..

View from our room over the pool and further landscape -

ENTER, THE MASTER BEDROOM:

Came across Ella and Henri looking at family photos along the stairway..

And downstairs..

Available to rent throughout the year, website - http://www.bastideoleander.com/

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Skull lighting

This is the perfect lighting design to have in a country home! As well as being a striking piece to hang on your wall but its also a practical lighting design. Now I know not everyone agrees with this sort of thing but I love it and can really at a fantastic dynamic to a room. 

Looking forward to another visit to Limewood country hotel..

Next month I am heading back to Limewood, a fairly new country hotel based near me just outside of Lyndhurst in the heart of the New Forest. I am heading there as part of my friends 21st birthday, The plan - Manicures and pedicures in the spa (which I haven't seen as of yet) and then some lovely afternoon tea in the main building with macaroons, sandwiches and maybe a glass or two of bubbly! Whenever I visit Limewood (designed by London based designer David Collins) I really love looking at all of the details throughout the design of the whole place, seeing how it all ties together so elegantly. Will take, and post more pictures after our visit in a few weeks!

http://www.limewoodhotel.co.uk/

Garden eating

Its so easy to jazz up a simple wooden table as we do at home! Last night we sat out and simply added some tea candles with some fresh flowers from the garden. Fill some small glass pots and place within small contained wicker baskets for an alternative to vases. This works really well with smaller flowers. And of course dont forget to add some wine glasses and food! 

Mix and match your stripes!

I love everything about stripes, I love wearing them and I love them in interiors. Mix and match your stripes as shown here using different shades sizes and tones of stripes. Beware: don't have stripes on both your walls and furniture! It can often look too much.

http://www.architecturaldigest.com/decor/2012-04/striped-rooms-slideshow#slide=10

Adding a splash of vivid colour

Add a splash of vivid colour to certain aspects of a room, for example here with the use of the velvet seat and the lampshade. This colour is so gorgeous and can work really well. Be aware not to mix up too many bright colours together as it can become too lurid and can become as I say 'yucky'. The violet colours within the frame on the wall break down the colours and tie together the wood with the bright pink. REMEMBER: don't be scared of something if it's too bright. Colour can really bring a room to life! 

http://www.architecturaldigest.com/decor/2012-09/jamie-drake-manhattan-apartment-slideshow#slide=1