When I imagine my ideal home I either imagine a barn with low ceilings, wooden beams and plenty of character, or an old house with high ceilings, original features and white washed walls. The element they have in common is lots of space. The house we live in now is modern, so often when I buy things, I’m not buying for this house – I’m buying for my ideal house. With this in mind I look for things that are useful, classic and durable…and it certainly doesn’t matter if it’s old or new. I also love flashes of colour.
I was invited to take part in the Home Challenge at Junction 32 to see what home accessories it had to offer and I was pleasantly surprised with what I found. It was quite overwhelming!
After my husband and I went into almost every homeware shop once, we then decided what would be useful and what we had space for. We received most of our crockery on our wedding day (nearly 6 years ago now) and lots of it is chipped, smashed and lost, so Le Creuset and Denby were good places to start – the colours and shapes are perfection.
Jane Plum interiors was another shop that we loved. It is full of cushions, rugs, bedding, vases and home accessories, as well as curtains and bits for your bathroom. We loved Bedeck and Tefal too.
Some other bits that I loved and didn’t purchase were:
– Joules bedding – horses, the circus, boats, cats and flowers. It is all gorgeous.
– Yankee candles – these are always a winner and essential to make your home feel cosy now dark nights are upon us.
– Slate, cork and wicker place mats, along with wooden boxes of various shape and size. I love natural textures.
– The entire Denby collection! I’ve always wondered what all the fuss was about with regards to Denby and now I know. The colours, the shapes and the weight are spot on.
– Throws for every occasion – faux fur, cable knit, ethnic, chevron. They have everything.
– Cushions and more cushions. Tartan, wool, fur, knitted, plus lots of quirky cushions with reindeers, horses and foxes on.
Junction 32 caters for all styles and tastes, and I would definitely allow slightly more time than usual to ensure that you manage to look at all the options.
How will you make your home more cosy this winter?
E xx
At Junction 32 there are over 90 stores including many homeware shops – Denby, Gaggia, Bedeck, Jane Plum Interiors, Le Creuset, Pagazzi, Peter Jones and Tefal. Junction 32 has more than 1,800 free car parking spaces and late night shopping on a Thursday. Junction 32 offers a wide choice of fashion, homewares, cosmetics, home accessories and gift ideas. All available at up to 60 per cent of the usual RRP.
I was gifted £150 worth of vouchers to spend at Junction 32 as part of the Homeware Challenge. All thoughts and feelings are my own.
This is an excellent write up for Junction 32. I want to go! Your ideal home sounds a lot like mine. I would LOVE an old house with high ceilings and original features, though I’m definitely into loud colours and, erm, clutter, I guess! India Knight’s home is pretty much exactly how I’d like to have mine —> http://www.housetohome.co.uk/house-tour/picture/be-inspired-by-india-knights-vibrant-victorian-home/5
As for Le Creuset and Denby, don’t even get me started: I LOVE THEM SO MUCH! I really like that vintage brown bottle as a vase, it looks brilliant. The teacup and saucer on the bedside table are gorgeous too. You’ve got great taste. P.s. MOM jeans rock! x
Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I love India Knights house – beautiful bits and bobs everywhere just looks amazing. Organised ‘clutter’, of course! I am in love with Denby. Oh my goodness. I had no idea what I was missing. I’m going to buy one thing at a time…all from you know where! The brown bottle really took me by surprise, I wasn’t expecting to find such a gem xxx p.s. Mom jeans are taking a while to get used to…but they are SO comfy!