tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post5118557540501671817..comments2024-03-28T22:30:17.628+13:00Comments on How to be Chic: Interior décor on a budgetFiona Ferrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-52931218845963442272017-09-28T06:20:50.551+13:002017-09-28T06:20:50.551+13:00What a delightful compliment, Fiona! I've alwa...What a delightful compliment, Fiona! I've always felt that way about your writing too. Auroranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-5938793516381037832017-09-26T15:33:15.285+13:002017-09-26T15:33:15.285+13:00Your comment and words echo your favoured decor st...Your comment and words echo your favoured decor style too, Aurora, just lovely! The way you write is soft, feminine and gentle.<br /><br />'Mostly, I want to walk into my home and feel welcomed and comforted. ' - Perfection :)Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-47552045612012285202017-09-26T15:30:41.163+13:002017-09-26T15:30:41.163+13:00My words are feminine/quiet/comfort. I don't w...My words are feminine/quiet/comfort. I don't want a flashy place, or one overloaded with bright colors. I like grays and silvers, soft lavenders and pinks, gentle blues and greens. Not frilly, necessarily, though I do like some, but not everywhere. I'm not a red person when it comes to the house, except for flowers. <br /><br />Mostly, I want to walk into my home and feel welcomed and comforted. Auroranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-3638305074034830002017-09-26T15:17:49.246+13:002017-09-26T15:17:49.246+13:00I'm glad you had a great experience with decor...I'm glad you had a great experience with decorators. Just from our few chats, I can see that they take what you like and bring it to life. I used to think they told you what to do, but ours listens to our ideas then formulates how we are going to achieve that look (on our budget too). It's fabulous!Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-86791930570104155382017-09-26T15:15:58.747+13:002017-09-26T15:15:58.747+13:00I love having all the storage we do at our new hou...I love having all the storage we do at our new house, so I know where you are coming from with all your different kitchen areas.<br /><br />Love, love, love your four words!Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-10527799541366815912017-09-26T15:12:59.954+13:002017-09-26T15:12:59.954+13:00So cute Missy, and I can't stop laughing that ...So cute Missy, and I can't stop laughing that you planning to outlive him so you can get your way!Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-37259428167572987052017-09-26T15:12:27.276+13:002017-09-26T15:12:27.276+13:00It all sounds wonderful, and so English :) Our in...It all sounds wonderful, and so English :) Our interior designer advised to shop second-hand online and go to auctions rather than buy new items ('hard' items I mean, such as dining tables, occasional tables, sets of drawers). She said they dragged a second-hand dining table - upside down - up a driveway to get the look they desired! I need to become friends with paint, it works magic.Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-35132827984310831232017-09-23T02:07:39.426+12:002017-09-23T02:07:39.426+12:00I would say my style is classy/classic/traditional...I would say my style is classy/classic/traditional. I have used a decorator twice and was pleased with their ideas and suggestions. Although my home is somewhat formal (yet comfortable), I think if I were to change it would be less formal with more of a French Country flair mixed with perhaps some unexpected delightful pieces. joyjchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13773132785541910721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-36476355143813822012017-09-22T09:44:24.402+12:002017-09-22T09:44:24.402+12:00Contemporary elegance opulence luxury, with touche...Contemporary elegance opulence luxury, with touches of warmth to keep it from being/looking cold (like fireplaces). There is a house design in Canada I fell in love with last year made of slate blue stone, warm wood staircases, tall ceilings, huge kitchen with a hearth room off to the side. Alpha Hubby and I made a deal we would never have a small kitchen again. This is where luxury comes in - the small details like an under-counter top refrigerator drawers for baking goods items (butter, milk, eggs) near the coffee pot and area for rolling out those baking goods. A walk-in pantry designed just for me. A butler's pantry for my china and crystal collections. OK OK, I need to stop now. I've been saving pictures on my laptop for my dream home we're building. Learning appliance names (Sub Zero, Perlick), and getting ready.LBDDiarieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12095130599361379113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-26909573355588688752017-09-22T03:14:50.242+12:002017-09-22T03:14:50.242+12:00Mine are "pink, frilly, romantic". My hu...Mine are "pink, frilly, romantic". My husband's are "gray, modern, minimal." I adore him. I let him win. The plan is to outlive him. Would love to see pictures as your beautiful home evolves!Missyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09985576218237198142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-76367375619480846982017-09-21T21:43:50.179+12:002017-09-21T21:43:50.179+12:00We have just moved into a beautiful flint and ston...We have just moved into a beautiful flint and stone cottage in norfolk in the Uk its small but comes with fab views a fantastic flower garden and a meadow we too have chosen to ditch the mortgage and go smaller but less worries for the future, my style is old country cottage loving open fires and cosy sofas big dining table, a bit squished in when all the kids and their partners come home but hey-ho!!I read alot of interior mags but its all very expensive so I shop around, charity shops and paint paint paint. Loving your books. xnorfolk country girlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-28411941256921346922017-09-21T20:21:53.235+12:002017-09-21T20:21:53.235+12:00I can picture that, Susan 💜 I have one of Rachel ...I can picture that, Susan 💜 I have one of Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic books and it is a delight to page through 💝Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-88655887992984629322017-09-21T20:18:25.424+12:002017-09-21T20:18:25.424+12:00My words are country comfy shabby chic. My words are country comfy shabby chic. Susan Telfordhttp://www.susantelford.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-46169176860999878472017-09-21T19:36:27.373+12:002017-09-21T19:36:27.373+12:00Beautiful word combo, Maureen ❤️Beautiful word combo, Maureen ❤️Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-15934098135087044032017-09-21T17:54:30.684+12:002017-09-21T17:54:30.684+12:00Great story, Fiona! My dream home aesthetic is cri...Great story, Fiona! My dream home aesthetic is crisp, elegant, and warm. 😊Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06332498327460781946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-61014914446367674362017-09-21T16:57:07.089+12:002017-09-21T16:57:07.089+12:00From what I've seen of your home, Mrs Shockely...From what I've seen of your home, Mrs Shockely, you could be the decorator! I love your elegant femininity. Yes, early mortgage payoffs can be done - we paid ours off within five years :)Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-87219396347025691732017-09-21T16:56:19.642+12:002017-09-21T16:56:19.642+12:00You always have SUCH great comments, Margaret - th...You always have SUCH great comments, Margaret - thank you! I adore your style, and love the photos you have sent me. I also know now that I can enjoy looking at something but need something else entirely for me to live in. You would probably be bored rigid living in a hotel style home like I covet!!Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-57587881539275798702017-09-21T16:55:03.838+12:002017-09-21T16:55:03.838+12:00That's my plan too, D. As we replace items th...That's my plan too, D. As we replace items they are going to be our forever piece(s). Love your essence words.Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-16739773556318373532017-09-21T16:54:13.637+12:002017-09-21T16:54:13.637+12:00I agree, Ksenija, I like a slightly more elegant/g...I agree, Ksenija, I like a slightly more elegant/glamorous country style than cottage. I adore looking at cottage style books though!Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-34024341721634524482017-09-21T16:53:17.305+12:002017-09-21T16:53:17.305+12:00Cozy chateau chic sounds wonderful Stephanie, and ...Cozy chateau chic sounds wonderful Stephanie, and is definitely you!Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-74506777713874677502017-09-21T16:52:36.014+12:002017-09-21T16:52:36.014+12:00I believe in synchronicity too, Mimi. That cream ...I believe in synchronicity too, Mimi. That cream leather sofa was definitely meant to be yours!Fiona Ferrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01493105915055099408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-58716474110673144212017-09-21T13:39:52.913+12:002017-09-21T13:39:52.913+12:00Hello Fiona,
Never used an interior designer befor...Hello Fiona,<br />Never used an interior designer before but I am quite inspired by your desire to pay off your mortgage. Very inspiring!!!!Mrs. Shockleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13096874352420168568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-18028649055940780912017-09-20T09:04:59.246+12:002017-09-20T09:04:59.246+12:00I love everything connected with interior design, ...I love everything connected with interior design, but I have my own style mantra: if it isn't good enough for Chatsworth, it's not good enough for me! This is, of course, a tongue-in-cheek joke. As people who live in the UK will know, Chatsworth is the ancestral seat of the Dukes of Devonshire and is a very grand house indeed. What I mean is, I use this as my bench mark: would a grand house such as Chatsworth have vertical office blinds in a domestic setting? No it would not. So I only have Venetian blinds (plus curtains, of course) which I think are acceptable in a domestic setting, whereas vertical blinds - to me anyway - look suitable for an office or showroom. But some people like them, and everyone must decorate their homes in the way they that suits them. There are no rights and wrongs only preferences. <br /><br />I also do not like leather furniture; this, again, is purely personal and I know leather is long-lasting, but again, I ask ... would it be in Chatsworth? And the answer would be No, not unless it was the billiard room. <br /><br />When we moved here, we didn't engage the services of an interior design company, but the shop from where we bought our large sofa and our curtains (they were made specially for the rooms) came to visit with lots of pattern books and together we worked out colour schemes which were so pleasing that we still have the curtains in our sitting room and in our study, even though the sofa has been reupholstered, and a further sofa has been purchased. <br /><br />I like the faded look of an English country house even though we live in a very ordinary 1980s house in suburbia. I do not subscribe to any particular 'look' and following the latest design trends to the letter is anathema to me. If a paint colour is proclaimed "paint colour of the year" then that to me is sufficient reason not to use it! <br /> <br />I love your mood board, it is as D says, very stylish and elegant. Your interior design person is right, paint colours can achieve a lot inexpensively and if you get it wrong - not that you will - it is less expensive to change than a new carpet or suite of furniture! Good luck with your homemaking, Fiona, you have a lovely home as a starting point!<br />Margaret P <br />galanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14190356279359463949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-18887652953170709732017-09-20T05:30:10.841+12:002017-09-20T05:30:10.841+12:00I think classic-elegant-natural-zen would be my de...I think classic-elegant-natural-zen would be my decorating words with a tiny bit of whimsy thrown in there. We've never changed our interior because most of what we have doesn't go out of style. Also, we did what you do which is to buy the best quality we can afford. <br /><br />I like your decor board, it's very stylish and elegant. For some reason I thought you might go for a more rustic look since you moved :)<br /><br />D.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4130537499074859934.post-51158387532519216182017-09-20T01:50:28.564+12:002017-09-20T01:50:28.564+12:00Although I enjoy perusing interior design magazine...Although I enjoy perusing interior design magazines, I find the task of decorating my own house stressful and unfulfilling to say the least. That's why I would love to have an expert on board! I find colors, shapes and textures the most important guidelines when deciding upon furniture and other home goods so I have compiled my House Style List I keep on my google docs and update regularly, but overall I would define my style as elegant country chic (not cottage chic though that's too boho for my taste :).Ksenijahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03655413636874621026noreply@blogger.com