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Never ever letting go of this wow-factor Jonathan Adler vase

Never ever letting go of this wow-factor Jonathan Adler vase

The Pink House London sitting room - big festive reveal!

November 17, 2017

Welcome to my newly renovated London sitting room - and welcome to Christmas! This shoot is not only the big reveal of this room, but also my response to Amara's challenge to style their Kitschmas trend (one of the luxury online retailer's four Christmas trends for 2017, and definitely the one best suited to The Pink House's aesthetic). I do love multitasking. 

This room is kind of a big deal for me and The Pink House. It's the first room I've finished renovating (well - nearly finished; just the windows, wiring, art, handles, etc etc to go...) in my new London home, since me and my fellow Pink House Dwellers moved here from Edinburgh four months ago. I won't lie: I've felt the pressure to get my new home photo-ready as quickly as possible, while making sure the room is as fabulous as possible, and functional for family life.

When I say 'family life', I obviously mean 'me'. The Pink House Dwellers (both small and large) are only allowed in this particular room after their hands have been inspected for mud/chocolate/unidentifiable smegma, and they can prove they're not carrying any food, drink or mess-making toys. I learned my lesson on the latter after a nasty incident involving one of my gorgeous snugglers and the 7yo's magnetic putty (yes that's a thing) which he managed to sit on while watching telly in this room, ruining his trousers and staining the sofa; thank goodness for reversible seat pads. 

But you're not here to listen to me bang on about my grubby little boys  - you're after a room tour, right? Luckily, I have a whole host of photos taken by the fabulous Susie Lowe to show you. And while I'll credit the decor as I go (with a full click-through list of the Amara items I used in the shoot at the bottom of the post), might I just say upfront how grateful I am to Hayford & Rhodes, the wonderful florist that supplied the stunning flowers for this shoot (check out their gorgeous seasonal wreaths, tables centres and bouquets HERE). 

OK then...off we go!

The Pink House does Christmas - sitting room reveal
The Pink House Kitschmas sitting room renovation

Let's start with the big picture, before I drill down into decor details further on. In these pics you can see some of the biggest changes I made to this room, including removing the laminate and sanding the original floorboards, uncovering a scorch mark on the floor near the fireplace in the process. The Pink House Husband doesn't like it (messy), but I don't mind - it's proof of the house's history. I enjoy imagining what might have happened to create that mark (an over-enthusiastic festive fire? a waffle iron left lying for too long?), and who the guilty party might have been ('Egbert! Straight to your room!'). I'd so much rather have an imperfect house that feels lived in, than an impersonal showroom that tries to pretend people don't live in houses.  

Scorch mark by Egbert

Scorch mark by Egbert

This desire to feel the history of the house was behind my decision to reinstate the ornate cornicing and add a ceiling rose. I can't recommend Cornice London highly enough - they have a huge range of plaster cornice designs, organised by era. I chose this egg-and-dart design as it is typical Edwardian, but also because it's very similar to the cornice we had in our previous Edinburgh home. And of course because it's pretty!

I had the alcove shelves built out of MDF by the excellent Lee at Freeborn Carpentry, which were then painted the same Farrow & Ball Hague Blue as the rest of the room, and lined with Designers Guild Cielo rose wallpaper, to give a sunset effect and match the blush pink velvet curtains (which you'll see in a minute). It's like they've always been there. I also love how they're the same pinky-lilac as the background to my beloved Bowie print by Rugman (an artist who happens to be best mates with Tom Hardy, not that this has any bearing at all on my desire to be buddies with him, no way). It is a little small for the space over the mantelpiece, but I'm currently trawling eBay for a pair of vintage brass candle sconces to go either side of it, in which I plan to insert hot pink candles (obvs).

OK, so how do you fancy a bit of before-and-after?

BEFORE

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER

I don't have quite the same camera angle (and the before photo is an estate agent pic from when we bought the house), but I assure you it IS the same room. You'll have seen the Christopher Farr-covered sofa bed, Sofas & Stuff Haresfield snugglers and 'Ain't Nobody Got Time For That' cushion in my Edinburgh home, But nearly everything else in this room is new to The Pink House. And of course those OMG dusky pink velvet curtains by The London Curtain Girls. Never in my life have I loved a curtain (or two curtains) more. If I could sleep in them I would. So much is there to say on these beauties, in fact, that I'm going to save it for a dedicated blog post, coming soon. 

The Pink House Sofas & Stuff snuggler

In fact, there IS one more piece of furniture in the shot above that I had in my last house, and that's the corner drinks cabinet. Can't remember even seeing it? Well, that's partly because it was hidden in a dark corner of the dining room, and partly because it used to be an unappealing dark brown, but has now been totally transformed by the luxecycling genius that is Zoe from Muck n Brass. I asked her to cover the cabinet in Kelly Green and gold and this was the fabulous result.

Can we just take a moment to welcome the pretty-in-pink new cushion additions to this room? These include the super-soft Palmier Elizabeth Scarlett velvet cushion in Rosewater (as seen on the snuggler above), and the hot pink Silken Favours Cactus Combustibale cushion (as seen on the other snuggler). The Pink House Husband says his feelings about each of them are 'neutral at best'. 

Now - on to the Christmas styling!

The Pink House Amara Kitschmas styling

Amara's Kitschmas trend ticks all of my Christmas decor boxes: Pink - tick! Irreverent - tick! Luxurious - tick! Shiny and sparkly - tick! Confectionary-as-Christmas-theme - tick! This made choosing from the wide selection of decor deliciousness very difficult, as you can imagine. But choose I did. 

Emily Murray from The Pink House with her Christmas tree

I started with this Grandis Fir tree from Amara's collection. I've always been a real tree kind of girl, but I tell you, this evergreen has turned me to the art(ificial) side. I couldn't BELIEVE how realistic it was; even up close you'd be hard pressed to guess it wasn't alive. And of course there are the huge benefits of a) not being spiked a thousand times while hanging the decorations, b) not having to hoover afterwards (I don't even know where the hoover IS, let alone how to change its bag), and c) not finding pine needles in your socks in June. And I didn't miss the lack of scent, thanks to these dreamy scented Laduree candles (which smell like parma violets), and this one from Bella Freud (which actually SAYS 'Art' on it - perhaps it was designed to be paired with an art-ificial tree? Just a thought...). 

Laduree pink scented candle
Bella Freud white Art scented candle
The Pink House Christmas tree with pink roses

In the shot above you can see a few of my fave tree decs - these ice cream cones; these sweetie jars, and - perhaps my favourite of all - this Battenberg cake. I love that someone in the decoration-making department said, 'Hey Colin, you know that cake - what's it called again - the pink and yellow one with marzipan?', and Colin said, 'Battenberg! I loved that cake as a kid, Dave!' and Dave said, 'Well, let's take the Battenberg and make it out of sparkly stuff and add a blue velvet ribbon and then everyone can hang it on their tree and remember being a kid and not having to cook Christmas dinner!' and Colin said, 'It's genius! Let's make loads!' 

Pink cadillac Christmas tree decoration

Also this pretty pink Cadillac car, above, is the perfect combo of nostalgia (old fashioned car; snow-covered tree) and contemporary (it's a pink car on a Christmas tree innit). It seems to be unavailable on the Amara website right now, but I think I almost prefer this pink car decoration anyway...

Macaroons, parrots and real pink roses on the Christmas tree

And how about THIS rather fabulous Christmas tree corner (above)? Real scented roses from Hayford & Rhodes (each of which has a tiny tube of water to keep it fresher for longer), these sparkly macaroons and this cockatoo - I just LOVE the combo of hot pink, turquoise and gold against the green.

Flamingo Christmas tree decoration from Amara

Oh and how could I not mention this little pink dude, above? Mine and Sara Miller's crusade for the #flamoji continues, but for now I'll have to be content with having this one on my Christmas tree. Isn't he adorable?!

One of the things I love most about Christmas is the excuse to decorate every available surface with beautiful sparkly things. And the Pink House Husband can't even complain about the 'clutter' without sounding like a massive Scrooge. So let me show you some of the other ways I decorated this room...

Pink roses in a blue malachite Jonathan Adler vase

Pink and blue is, as you can probably tell, one of my all-time-fave colour combinations. So the pairing of this Jonathan Adler blue malachite vase with the pink roses really got me going. I love this vase so much, in fact, that there are actually three of them dotted around the room for extra decadence. Can you spot them all (it's like a home decor Where's Wally)?

The Pink House Christmas mantelshelfie
Pale pink roses as Christmas decorations
Flower-filled marble mantelpiece at Christmas in The Pink house

If you love flowers (and if you don't, what are you doing reading this post?), then vases are an excellent way to bring some extra-special festive sparkle into your home, without going down the traditional decor route. These turquoise-and-gold House Doctor beauties look magical filled with Hayford & Rhodes' so-pretty-I-might-have-a-little-cry blush pink roses. Sigh! I've also used these gold-and-glass tealight holders as mini bud vases. Obviously they'd also look fab with actual candles.

Bloomingville gold side table with Sara Miller London ceramics
Retro sweets in champagne coupes and Laduree candles for a very sweet Christmas
LSA pastel champagne coupes

With the tree covered in sweets and treats, I thought I'd continue the sugary styling over the other side of the room. I used this Bloomingville side table as a base, and these pastel champagne saucers to hold the sweets (yes the sweets are real; yes I ate them all afterwards; no the kids never had a look in). Then I filled this glass bon-bon jar with baubles for extra colour and kitsch.

Sara Miller London Portmeirion teapot and cups

I was delighted when I heard that super-talented designer, all-round lovely person and fellow #flamoji campaigner Sara Miller was now selling her beautiful Sara Miller London ceramics (above) and other items through Amara. Click here to see the full range. The jewel-like colours pop so well against my dark blue walls.

The Pink House's Farrow & Ball Hague Blue sitting room in London
Yeah Baby That's Good print from Print Club London

So there you go! The full story of my sitting room's renovation, and how I used Amara's gorgeous decorations and home accessories to kitsch it up for Christmas.

If you're after inspiration on how to decorate during the festivities using fewer calories, might I suggest visiting Gold is a Neutral, 2LG Studio and Apartment Number 4, as each excellent blog has been tasked with styling one of Amara's other three Christmas trends. Cheers!

Happy Christmas from The Pink House

AMARA PRODUCTS USED IN THE SHOOT - CLICK-THROUGH LIST

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

Multicolour tree decorations

Vintage car tree decoration

Mini candy jars tree decorations

Pink ice cream tree decoration

Enchanted trees ornaments

Pink lollipop tree decoration

Ice cream cone tree decorations

Feather tail flamingo tree decoration

Macaron tree decoration

Little Battenberg tree decoration

Bauble cactus tree decoration

Little deer house ornament

Polar bear music dome

Knirke cluster fairy lights

Blue cockatoo tree decoration

Decorative glitter gold cactus in pot

Pink dress tree decoration

HOME DECOR

Polka champagne saucers

Serve bonbon jar

Mini Laduree scented candles

Bella Freud Art candle

Must have pink blanket

Palmier velvet cushion

Lost vase green/gold

Combustibale cactus cushion

Globo vanity lamp

Tripod table lamp

Arris rug

Taffeta dark blue glass vase

Bangle vase rose

Blue malachite X vase

Gold and glass vase/candle stand cluster

Kin azure tealight holders

FURNITURE

Grid side table

Acid burnt cowhide pouffe

Ace lounge chair velour dark blue

This post was sponsored by Amara, but as always, all opinions are my own. If I don't like something, I won't write about it. If you're a brand looking to work with The Pink House, please contact me at emily@pinkhouse.co.uk

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"Fabulous family living!"

Emily Murray founder of The Pink House Living

"Hello! I’m Emily Murray, founder and editor of The Pink House. I’m a lifestyle journalist who has written and edited for loads of different publications, including Stylist, The Guardian, Grazia, Cosmopolitan, Conde Nast Traveller, Brides, and Mother & Baby. Here I am in the bricks-and-mortar Pink House in South East London, where I live with the Pink House Husband (PHH) and our two small, semi-feral boys. Our fabulous Christopher Farr sofa is covered in marker pen and chocolate, and the Eames rocker has a few suspicious stains. Come in and make yourself at home. No need to take your shoes off." 

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Bringing your first book home to show your parents is a bit like introducing them to your new boyfriend:
😅Will they like it/him? 😅Are they just being polite? 😅Does it/he look comfortable in its/his new surroundings? 😅Will it/he stand up to scrutiny?
😅What are the chances of them flicking through it/him when you’re not looking...😳
Luckily, the first meeting of Pink House Living (the book) with the Pink House Grandparents has been a success so far. Not only did the book make itself at home on the pinkest thing in the house (this chaise in the garden room), but my dad was heard to make a number of enthusiastic-sounding noises before opining: “This one’s a keeper*” 💖
*He didn’t exactly say this, but I thought it would be a fitting conclusion to the book/boyfriend analogy. 
OVER ON STORIES: A mini tour of my rug-mad mother’s super-stylish Edinburgh home, plus her verdict on her aesthetic vs mine 😒. #meettheparents #sorryabouttheswearing #lookatthespineonthat #sexybook
A few days ago the Pink House Husband and I agreed we’d postpone Valentine’s Day until next Thursday 💝🚫. As well as the fact that this tedious lurgy should have buggered off by then, it makes lots of sense from a restaurant-finding, bouquet-pricing, babysitter-booking perspective to make February 21st our own personal V-Day. I’m thinking I might apply the same principle to Christmas - just add a couple of weeks and your present budget will stretch a LOT further 🎁💯. Anyhow, this week is exciting enough without a posh dinner and some pink (never red) roses...because this week my kitchen was included in interior gurus @apartmenttherapy ‘s feature entitled These Are Our Favorite Kitchens Ever 😊. I’ve added the link in my bio if you want to check it out. This kitchen here, which belongs to @kipandco founder Alex McCabe, was also featured. Actually, sod PHH; I think Alex’s kitchen can be my Valentine - pink, gold and gorgeous: what more could you want from a life partner?🥰.
📷: @nikoleramsay #cheatingonPHHwithfurniture
Gutted. Tonight I was supposed to be heading to a glorious Galentine’s evening at the gorgeous @whitecityhouse with top gal pal @katefaithfullwilliams to listen to @bowelbabe talk about dildos with @cherryhealey as part of a @thehotbedcollective live podcast recording 🍆. Perfect night, right? Except I’ve got girl flu which means that instead I’ve got a date with my sofa and some Vicks Vaporub 😳. To cheer me up, Emma from my fave florist @hayfordandrhodesflowers showed up with this stunner of a love-wreath for my front door (#gift). It’s for all of you, too - my little Galentine’s gift to anyone in need of a bit of love 💗. Swipe for wreath close-up 😍. Right: better get into the Lemsip before my chat runs out...🤒
It’s like @houseofhackney read my mind sometimes 👩🏻‍🎤💭. There I am, trying to find a cool, jungle-with-a-twist wallpaper for my 9yo son’s bedroom when WHAM! the kings of maximalism serve up these rolls of dino-design deliciousness 🦕🦖 - swipe for the Ecru colourway. Obviously I prefer the pink but I don’t think the progeny is going to go for it 🙄. Hell, I might just paper the walls of the kitchen with it instead! PHH is going to be absolutely THRILLED! 😃💖😃
#pinkisforpeople
[AD] What an INCREDIBLE holiday. The main aim of this, our first ever family skiing trip, was to introduce the kids to a sport me and PHH both love with a passion, and show them how much fun it could be. Mission accomplished ⛷ 😍. And that’s thanks to: excellent ski instructors (St Gervais ski school 🙌🏻); wonderful weather (loads of snow, blue skies nearly every day); and, of course, @chalet_mirabelle, which has taken what is a potentially fraught situation (first time away skiing with two young kids) and turned it into a truly magical experience for every single one of us. Yes, this is an AD, but don’t for one second think I wouldn’t have written exactly the same thing had we been paying full price. And yes, I fully intend to book the chalet for next year, no AD required. 
p.s. That is a cup of tea I’m holding #rocknroll 
OVER ON STORIES: PHH jumping out of the hot tub into piles of snow. There are other Stories but they pale in comparison. 💖
#familyskitrip #stgervais #montblanc #hottub #thepinkhouse
[AD - #guest] This seriously stylish ski lodge comes with a serious story...As a result of @chalet_mirabelle owner/designer Jacqueline’s cancer diagnosis at the start of the chalet’s build (she has thankfully now been given the all clear), wellness played a huge part in its design. From the products - which are all sustainable, recyclable and eco-friendly - to the catering, with its emphasis on local, organic and seasonal ingredients, Chalet Mirabelle is full of thoughtful touches, with the well-being of its inhabitants and the planet in mind. But that’s not where the story ends...
Having survived the c-bomb (and the chalet build) Jacqueline pledged to give back, especially to cancer and family trauma support areas. And so she has committed to giving 2 weeks’ free stay per year at Chalet Mirabelle to charitable causes, starting with the chalet as an auction lot for @maggiescentres ‘Secret Garden Party’ this March. 
It’s been an honour to stay at @chalet_mirabelle - not only because it has provided the venue for our family’s best EVER holiday ⛷🕺🏼🌭🥂 (and we still have 2 whole days left!), but also because of what it gives back to the world, in so many senses. 
Photo: @susielowephoto 💖 SEE STORIES FOR: The 9yo’s reaction to apres ski | What kids can learn after 3 ski lessons | Ski style in the 1980s 💖
It’s been a brilliant, beautiful bluebird day up here in the French Alps above St Gervais 💙. But there’s no doubt that skiing - and especially skiing with kids - involves rather a large amount of faff. Is it worth it? YOU BETCHA! Especially if you’re staying at @chalet_mirabelle [AD - #guest], where they have genuinely thought of everything when it comes to ensuring all members of the family have the best possible skiing holiday. So for anyone who’s considering hitting the piste avec progeny, once I’m back from this snowy paradise I’ll be writing a blog post sharing my dos and don’ts of a successful family skiing holiday. Speaking of which, I’m just off for a sauna before I finish the champagne I started in the hot tub earlier 🥂. The kids? Oh they’re playing with the mountains of Lego and watching Netflix in the gorgeous playroom (pic to follow soon). Haven’t seen them for hours 🙌🏻. OVER ON STORIES: Me making an apres ski tit of myself as per 🕺🏼 | Lunch with a view | The 6yo ready to ski | Sauna @chalet_mirabelle
❄️ #skiingwithkids #bluebird #stgervais #ihavethisthingwithpink #ontopoftheworld #thepinkhouse #pinkhouseliving
Life’s pretty full on right now and I have a sneaking suspicion I may have taken on too much (ground floor renovation and wall knock-through; bathroom extension building; kids bedrooms renovation; blog relaunch; book launch; kids to keep alive; Pink House Husband to entertain...etc). But I refuse to be beaten. And I refuse to be one of those constantly busy people who are always rushing around saying how busy they are (I have been guilty of this on a number of occasions). Because, as The Beatles remind us, life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans. So to ensure I enjoy the life I’m living right now, as well as the life I’m planning for, I’m currently doing the following things:
* Listening to my favourite musical soundtracks (today was West Side Story and Crazy For You)
* Dancing to said musical soundtracks in the kitchen and imagining I’m on a West End stage until someone shouts they can smell burnt fish fingers
* Buying and appreciating lots of pink tulips (see Stories for the most amazing pink-and-yellow beauties)
* Gazed at these glazed breakfast bar tiles (@bertandmay Siham tiles) which are just the perfect shade of pink and one of my favourite parts of The Pink House
* Lapping up (not literally 😳) the hilarious memes involving #fyrefestival ‘s ‘take one for the team’ boss Andy King (see Stories) 🍆
What about you? What’s giving you life this week? 
#cheatingonfashionwithfurniture #pinkhouseliving
This where I’ll be having breakfast on Sunday morning 🥐. And for the next 6 mornings after that 🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐. Except the view from the beautiful @chalet_mirabelle doesn’t look like this right now. Because the mountains around St Gervais in the French Alps are COVERED IN SNOW! ⛷☃️ Yup - me and the Pink House Husband are taking the kids skiing for the very first time, and we couldn’t be staying in a more beautiful, or more family-friendly place 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦✅. If you’ve ever thought about taking your kids skiing but were worried it would all end in tears (yup 🙋🏼‍♀️), Chalet Mirabelle could very well be the answer. I’ll be reporting from the slopes, sofa and sauna next week (I know; tough job) so you can see how we get on ⛷🛋😅
FULL DISCLAIMER: My family and I will be staying at Chalet Mirabelle as Jacqueline’s guests. Jacqueline followed me on Instagram and asked if I would be interested in staying in her brand new chalet in return for Instagram coverage and a blog post, as she thought you, my style-savvy Pink House Guests, would appreciate the place (spoiler: it’s completely gorgeous.) Even better, when Jacqueline was looking for an interiors photographer to photograph her beautiful new chalet she decided to ask The Pink House’s very own @susielowephoto out to the Chalet in the summer, so I have Susie’s beautiful interior shots to share with you, which will be interspersed by some snowy scenes when we actually arrive. I’m so excited I might cry; though it’s been 11 years since I last went skiing so let’s hope the crying isn’t as a result of a downhill race against PHH that goes badly wrong... #guest

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