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HOME DIY

5 Ways to elevate your home without spending a penny

We all want our homes to look and feel like a space we can be proud of. However, to really achieve this, we need to spend money. But what happens when you can’t afford to dip into your savings right now? Here are some each home hacks to elevate your space…

Living Spaces

3 Reasons to embrace minimalism when you want to save money

If you’re considering reducing your possessions and embracing a minimalist lifestyle, there are many benefits – including saving money every day. Here are 3 reasons to consider letting go of some of your belongings if you’re moving house or want to cut costs.

Bedroom

5 Clever storage solutions for new homeowners

As a new homeowner, finding innovative ways to store your belongings is essential for maintaining a clutter-free and organised living space. Here are my ultimate space-saving storage ideas…

Garden

The best houseplants to buy on a budget

Houseplants are great for health, productivity and positivity. They brighten a room, release oxygen into the air, remove toxins from the atmosphere and add character to your home or office. But they do tend to cost money. Here are some ways to still grow house plants, without the hefty price tag…

Living Spaces

10 Things to consider before installing a cosy fireplace

There’s nothing more festive than a real log fire burning in the grate of a fireplace. However, many homes have had their fireplaces removed over the years and no longer have that cosy Christmassy feel. So, if you fancy reinstating your fireplace this winter, here are some facts to consider…

Bedroom

3 Hottest wallpaper patterns to try & how to do it your own way

Wallpaper is one of the easiest ways to bring a whole new look to your interior. Just a roll or two can make all the difference with a feature wall that brings impact and colour. Here are three of the hottest trends, and different ways to make them work in your home…

Home tours

Mid-century urban jungle home tour with before + after photos

Take a tour of Elle Collins’ mid-century style home, which became an indoor jungle after her houseplant collection thrived in the airy vaulted space. Here are before & after photos of her interior revamp plus lots of pics of her gorgeous cat Mia…

HOME DIY

How to create a feature wall that works for all seasons

At this time of year I often start thinking about redecorating my home. With the darker days I like the idea of adding dark colours and feature walls, but I know that it won’t work for the rest of the year. So, how do you create an interior that looks seasonal but all works all year round?

Garden

House tour of pattern designer Rachael Taylor’s vibrant home

After having the pleasure of writing about surface pattern designer & illustrator Rachael Taylor’s home, I just knew that her vibrant interior & gorgeous garden would inspire you to inject some colour into your own home. Check out this exciting house tour:

HOME DIY

Why I love using vintage record players and radios in my home

There’s something really soothing about listening to an LP on a vintage record player. Likewise, I quite like the occasional crackle of an analogue radio tuned into my local station. Here’s why you should include retro music players in your home…

Art & Photography

4 Ways I’ve personalised my gallery wall with custom artwork

While it’s incredibly cool to have a gallery wall in your home, it’s also great when the images mean something to you. There are plenty of ways to include customised artworks in your home and here are a few options to help you fill your home with pieces you love…

DIY furniture makeovers

My Ercol sofa makeover – finding fabrics and choosing colours

What do you do if you have a sofa but don’t like the colour of the fabric any more? Why, re-cover it, of course! Okay, okay, that’s a rather flippant way of looking at upholstery, but why not give it a go yourself? Especially if the alternative is just to get rid of the sofa and buy a brand new one. By attempting to revamp my sofa, I’ll not only save money, it’ll be keeping a bulky item out of landfill too. Let’s get aboard the upcycling train and try to make the most of what we’ve got, right?

DIY

How to upcycle a mid-century cabinet into an indoor plant nursery

If you’re a big fan of house plants like me, here’s a quick and easy DIY plant nursery unit that you can make to keep all your cuttings, off-shoots and baby plants safe and cosy while they grow. You can choose a cabinet to suit the style of your home, and it looks pretty darn cool too! Here’s how to do it…

DIY

Upcycling a writing bureau into a cocktail cabinet for festive parties

No festive party should be without a cocktail cabinet, which is precisely why I’ve DIY’d one this month! Turning this writing bureau into a drinks bar is a relatively easy upcycle (no power tools required!) and it’ll be the hub of all your gatherings over the festive period, so read on to find out more…

HOME DIY

Planning the right furniture layout for my living room (it’s taken years!)

Have you ever had a room where you just don’t know how to lay out the furniture? One with an unusual L-shape, or alcoves, or windows on two or more walls? In most rooms you can just ‘feel’ where the furniture should go and, in many modern homes, you can see exactly where the bed should go, because there are two plug sockets either side where your bedside lamps would plug in! But what if your room isn’t quote so ease to configure? Here’s what I learnt when tackling my own 1950s home…

DIY

How to upcycle a pallet & charity shop trunk into a storage coffee table

Another day, another DIY! This time, it’s a classy coffee table that doubles up as handy storage. And would it even be a Cassie Fairy DIY if it didn’t include pallets?? The rustic-yet-cool chevron effect top is all refinished pallet wood – making this a money-saving project too. Read on to find out how to DIY a coffee table for yourself this autumn…

Autumn

3 Ways to merge your summer living room decor style into autumn

Ahh it’s September. No sooner had the 1st of the month hit than my Pinterest and Instagram feeds became awash with autumnal colours and pumpkins. It’s like the whole online world was just waiting for summer to be over so that they could begin the wind-down into the cosy season. Here’s how to merge your decor from summer to autumn with the addition of just a few low cost accessories that’ll get your home ready for the changing season…

HOME DIY

Why timeless furniture choices can save you money time & again

Timeless decor items will be different for every person, but once you find them it can give a sense of comfort and permanence to your house. Plus, I’m a firm believer in ‘buy well, buy once’ so it’s a good idea not to follow interiors trends with your bigger investment pieces, such as the sofa, storage, tables etc. You can, of course change up your style over the years using soft furnishings and paint colours, but having those classic pieces as the basis for your future designs will save you money throughout your lifetime. Here’s how to figure out your style before you invest…

DIY

Step-by-step guide to turn an old hostess trolley into a colourful bar cart

I don’t know why hostess trolleys ever went out of fashion. They’re so handy for gathering everything you need together, and wheeling it right where you need it to be. So, when I spotted this old wooden trolley in a skip, I was keen to rescue it. Here’s how to upcycle a retro trolley into a vintage style bar cart for bank holiday parties…

HOME DIY

Take one neutral sofa – how to style your living room 6 different ways

Whether you’ve got a grey, beige, white (or even black) sofa those neutral hues can look a little bland, but they’re also a fantastic base upon which to create a variety of interior design themes. Here’s how you can style up one neutral sofa in six different ways to change the look of your interior for less…

DIY furniture makeovers

How to incorporate mid-century design into your contemporary home

You only have to open up the Pinterest home page to discover a multitude of ways to incorporate mid-century design into your home. It’s no longer about choosing a ’50s, ’60s or ’70s “theme” that you have to commit to, it’s about choosing sleek designs that fit into your 21st century home perfectly. Here’s how…

DIY

4 Hacks for renovating vintage Lloyd Loom woven bucket chairs

After decades of use and sun exposure in a conservatory many classic Lloyd Loom chairs are faded or damaged. While it’s still possible to buy the originals (I picked these up at a car boot sale) it’s likely that they’ll need a little care and attention to bring them back to life. Here’s some simple tricks to renovate vintage woven chairs and bring a touch of retro design onto your patio this summer…

HOME DIY

5 Ideas for using Eileen Gray’s Bibendum chair as an accent piece

An accent piece needs to stand out in an interior and the stylish Bibendum chair is a versatile piece furniture to use as an feature piece in room. It goes beyond mere functionality and you can play around with colour, texture, and location in the room. Here’s a rundown of five among many ways you can use the Eileen Gray Bibendum chair as an accent piece in your interior:

HOME DIY

How to identify vintage Hornsea & 3 ways to style it in your home

If you’ve got some Hornsea pottery or simply like the mid-century style of their designs, here’s how you can identify the pottery as original pieces, and some suggestions for using the designs to style your modern home with a touch of mid-century pattern…

DIY furniture makeovers

How to upcycle an old side table into a chess-board coffee table

Today, I’m putting an old side table to good use by upcycling it with paint, sticky vinyl and acrylic to create a multi-purpose piece of furniture that serves as both a handy coffee table AND a games table! Want to make one for yourself? Here’s the project…

Cassiefairy's News

How to style a retro cocktail cabinet for your New Year’s Eve party

If you’re planning a party for New Year’s Eve, why not make it a retro one? Step back in time to the 70s and recreate the cocktail cabinet that all mid-century housewives wished they had. We’ve styled up this G Plan Fresco cabinet with vintage barware and snacks so here’s how you can do the same…

DIY furniture makeovers

How to DIY a retro cocktail cabinet for your festive parties

If you’re planning to entertain over Christmas and New Year, it’s a great idea to have a cocktail cabinet ass a place to serve delicious drinks to your guests. Here’s how to make your own DIY retro bar from an old display cabinet…

Bedroom

The history of Stag furniture + Badger Cottage interiors feature

If you love iconic mid-century design as much as I do, this month’s Reclaim magazine is for you! My Design Icon feature is all about Stag furniture and, in particular, John and Sylvia Reid’s designs. I also got the chance to visit the beautiful Badger Cottage to write an interiors feature so it’s well worth a read…

Bedroom

Cosy autumnal styling hacks from Danish, Irish & US homes

Are you feeling autumnal? Has the new season hit you yet? If you’re already putting the thick duvet on the bed and adding blankets to the sofa, this interior styling post is for you! Here’s how to get that cosy autumnal feeling in your own home, taking inspiration from Irish, Danish and American interiors…

Cassiefairy's News

Mid-century modern clocks – my article in Reclaim Magazine!

I love a good retro clock. Along with lamps, they’re one of the few household items that I seem to collect. I just can’t resist an interesting clock face, an iconic number style (can I refer to it as a typeface or font when talking about numbers?) or a fun frame. So it’s no wonder that I decided to write about mid-century clocks for my latest Design Icon feature in Reclaim magazine. 

Books

Step-by-step tutorial to make a macramé daybed

Macramé is everywhere these days, isn’t it? I can barely open up Pinterest without pinning countless designs for plant hangers and knotted wall art. Today I’m sharing a step-by-step guide to making your own macramé daybed – it’s a rather impressive project but it’s one that you definitely can make at home.

Cassiefairy's News

My Picquot Ware article is in Reclaim magazine!

They always say ‘write what you know’ don’t they? So, I couldn’t ignore my instinct to talk about this British brand with as many people as possible. I sat at my laptop and blurted out all the knowledge I’d gained over the years and then carefully spent many hours refining my excited ramblings. The piece has been published in Issue 30 and it’s on sale now! I just hope Reclaim’s readers enjoy the piece as much as I enjoyed writing it!

DIY furniture makeovers

DIY Mid-century marquetry project using vinyl

Have you noticed that wood marquetry is making a comeback? I’ve spotted countless mid-century pieces with a variety of shapes and patterns adorning the wood. If you’d like to recreate this look in your own home without spending a fortune, you can upcycle your furniture yourself and here’s how…

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