Long before I had given weddings a second thought – (long before I had even met James in fact)… I was into interior design.
I bought my first home in 2001, a tiny 1 and a half bedroom terrace with the most tragic decor you could imagine. I’m talking avocado bathroom suite, peach wallpaper throughtout…complete with various floral “boarders” and a scarily unattractive burgundy carpet IN EVERY ROOM.
Beautiful….
Not.
So I got myself a lodger, lived off beans on toast and rich tea biscuits for 12 months, didn’t buy any new clothes ( I know can you believe?!)….and set about re-decorating the whole thing from top to bottom.
Some things I just couldn’t afford ( had to live with the avocado unfortunately) but in general I made it into a simple, stylish and modern home which I sold on a few years later for a worthwhile profit.
The house that James and I live in now was in a similar decorative state. No burgundy carpets I’m pleased to report but a whole heap of half arsed “renovation” work that we had to put right.
Not to mention the fact that on the first viewing we were greeted in the living room by a zebra print sofa, a tiger print chaise lounge and a cow skin rug.
Really.
Was like walking into Joan Collins’ closet.
Circa 1985.
Luckily once the unsuitable furniture and huge flouncy curtains had been removed we were left with an easily modified blank canvas and our old Victorian semi was ready to have the O’Shea seal of style approval stamped all over it.
* The kitchen – we have a walk through arch way from the living room
So I bet you gorgeous lot are thinking “eh? What the hell has this got to do with my wedding?!”
Right?
Well then, let me explain my reasons:
1) It’s easy to get confused by all of the loveliness out there, magazines, wedding fayres, other peoples weddings… and let’s be honest even blogs like Rock My Wedding. There is so much choice on offer it’s difficult to know what is right for you and your Big Day.
The only thing I would say here is to remember to stay true to yourself and don’t be swayed by what other people think you should have and what is currently in “fashion”. Take a look round you – and by that I mean your home, your interior decor, your every day wardrobe……and remember what it is YOU really like.
2) Consider re-usable decor. My biggest bugbear when planning the venue decoration was the thought of shelling out a whole lotta dollar for things that essentially we would only use once and that would spend the rest of their life gathering dust in the loft.
There is a ton of pretty available that you can use for W-day and then use in your home too… or indeed vice versa. I’m sure most of you already have lots of lovely in and around your abode that would be just perfect for adding some style and sophistication to the proceedings…..
Scented candles? cool pictures/photographs? vintage vases? glamorous trinkets?
* We used a whole bunch of heart decorations that we now hang on the kitchen cupboards…, the retro mugs are from www.notonthehighstreet.com
3) Sometimes it is nice to escape from weddingville altogether. If only for 5 minutes. And occasionally at Rock My Wedding we like to go slightly off the long road to “I DO” and just post about something a bit different.
As above – don’t underestiamate the power of a bright bloom in a bud vase – these were £1 each from Sainsbury’s. And if your bloom budget is limited then how about having a go yourself?
Oh and correct me if I’m wrong but what is the deal with peoples reservations against carnations? I think they are just divine not to mention dirt cheap and long lasting.
Unfortunately we didn’t discover Coulson Macleod until after the O’Shea Big Day but had we I so would have used this ” Love does not make the world go round, Love is what makes the ride worthwhile” piece for decor.
The juice bar clock and rustic/distressed chairs are by Laura Ashley and the retro inspired Bush radio was from Asda…. ( you’ve got to love supermarket chic)
The one thing we didn’t put enough thought into and is a big regret of mine was the guest book. We made a small last minute purchase, didn’t put it in an obvious place for people to find and didn’t let anyone know it was there.
If I had my time again I would use a picture that James bought me for the first birthday I celebrated since being together and have everyone sign around it. Then it would be significant, it would be very “us” and it would be taking pride of place it our home as a lovely memory of all our guests and the best day of our lives.
I am also a big fan of the cute couple canvases/prints that we are seeing used where the guests sign around the image, a lovely “forever” type keepsake.
* Limited Edition print by Kate Martin at www.55max.com
I would say our home decor is a kind of “rustic retro romance” ( completely made that phrase up but you get my meaning)….and that’s what we threw into W-day.
Be true to yourself and be true to your style – that’s all I wanted to get across.
And if you like “home is where the heart is” then drop us a comment, we have a whole bunch of rooms between the RMW team that we can post about.
Big Rustic Retro Romance Love
Charlotte xxx
I absolutely love this post – it’s nice to go slightly off-track sometimes! And I love it even more because I have the same Coulson Macleod print hanging in our open dining/living area (thanks to an impulse buy after seeing it on RMW!) and it looks FAB!!!
xxx p.s. I love carnations, and we’re using them in our wedding flowers – tons of them tightly clustered together to get a really lovely soft blousey effect xxx
Loving this post! We’ve got several pieces of retro decor in common – your great taste is why I love this blog!! Jx
Wow, that was just what I needed. A nice break from weddingness. Thanks. Now must get to work! x
I love this post Charlotte! I’m obsessed with all things interior and you have decorated your home beautifully x
ooh, here’s to hoping your new side-blog is about interiors…!! More like this please
I love this post I work as an interior designer and have been planning my wedding I have set myself the stupid task of decorating the venue (partly a control freak thing,partly budget but mostly because its what I love to do) with my job I have access to all of the manufacturers of interior accessories but they still cost a lot of money I am doing my own budget versions without loosing the style. If you are clever and shop around you can get the exact same look from all the glossy wedding mags at a fraction of the cost. Ebay is a god send,as charlotte has mentioned the supermarkets have some great homeware pieces.
P.S Charlotte I have that kate martin picture from 55max it is divine and carnations are fab I cut mine really low and put them in black glass tea light holders to decorate the dining table! xxx
Wow, yep I totally agree. I love the styling of weddings and seems to be the part I’m spending most time on. I also love interiors and think interior design is great escapism. Charlotte, your home looks fabulous, I bet it’s great to come home to.
Just read the two last posts and love them! I heart RMW! I would definately like to see more RMW “rooms” as I will be redecorating my own home after my summer holiday and also I just love a good nosey round other peoples homes! Especially when they are so tastefully decorated! I will definately be stealing a few ideas
OMG please let the RMW sister site be about interior design! Rock My Abode!
We are saving for our first house as well as our wedding (no social life for 6 months so far, only 12 to go….) and although I have tones of ideas (courtesy of RMW ) for the wedding Im completely at loss when it comes to interior design!
Charlotte, what you have shown is my vision of what I would like our house too look like…PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE post more rooms!!!
xxxxxx
I heart this post!!!!
P.S – How do you get a little picture next to you post anybody? I don’t like being a blank face! x
Another brilliant post – I love having a good nosey around other peoples houses and stealing ideas! Just read the last post too – exciting times ahead – I really can’t wait to find out what all of the new RMW ideas are… hurry up girls! (And adam….) xx
Good god, Charlotte. I would KILL for your kitchen. That is all.
What a beautiful home! Uber jealous
xx
I think you’re the first blog to have FINALLY make the connection between home design and wedding design. I’ve always felt they are in the same arena. Designing your wedding is practically the same as designing your home. You want it to reflect your personalities, you want to create the perfect balance between who you are and what you want it to be.
All my wedding purchases (as unfortunately the wedding market has made it more expensive to hire than to buy) have been made with consideration of where all the items will end up… including the sweetie station!
So we have 10 candelabras, 17 vases, 10 gold frames, a large Eiffel Tower wall hanging, and 16 sweet jars that will definitely have a place in our home.
I’ve even incorporated this into my outfit, leopard print shoes…. sooooo yummy and definitely will be used very much after the big day.
Thanks RMW <3
We have the same lovely retro mugs, and actually matching retro vinyl placemats – love them – get a good sized cuppa in them too!
Your house is beautiful Charlotte
xxxx
Hi Charlotte,
Thanks so much for showing off your Coulson Macleod print and we’re dead chuffed that it’s hanging in such a totally gorgeous home. And yep, we’re jealous too. Loving your worn-in kitchen chairs in particular.
And of course a big “hello” to Rach, another one of our super lovely customers.
“Rock my Abode” would be cool! Was hoping for “Rock my ‘Moon”… and at some point (but not just yet) “Rock my Baby”.
A whole set!
Couldn’t agree more with all of the above. Fabulous post! Inspired and inspiring! x
Rock my baby! What?! It would be beautiful but might be frowned upon in the way children/baby beauty pagents are.
Oooh i love a good interior! I’m using loads of stuff from my home to decorate our venue, it’s all about creating ‘your’ space and using your imagination. Love it, please add more rooms – I am a nosy girl xx
I meant Rock my Baby in jest.
As in clothes, food, nursery decor ideas, kiddie furniture, vintage books, homemade games, retro wooden toys etc – a bit like “You and Your Baby” but with “RMW” styling!
I wasn’t suggesting dressing up babies and posting them on the web… eeek! Sorry if that was how it sounded!
I don’t have babies but all my friends do and rave about lots of different websites for information sharing and tips, patterns for making toys/clothes, baby food recipes etc but I doubt they’re quite as pretty as the RMW franchise!
Love this post! I got married last year as did you two lovely ladies (November 2009)and continue to read your blog as I can’t resist. We are decorating our second home together and so I would love to see more interiors/home postings to inspire me!
This post is great! I love the retro style decor and have a few pieces dotted here and there in my house!
Great post and in my opinion one of the best yet! I love the pretty in relation to weddings..but its so niche and only really directly relevant for 2 years of a woman’s life (average!).. I think Rocky my Life is a nice idea… rock my moon – not sure there is enough scope with that…perhaps better to have a regular honeymoon feature fortnightly or something… x
Good luck girls… x
Rock My Life is soooooo what my life needs!! Love this post – like everyone else Charlotte, I have ‘house envy’!!
I love snooping in people’s houses. I’m one of those people who can’t help but peer into someone’s living room if I walk past a house with no curtains up. You’ve just made my pastime slightly less leery.
Who lives in a house like this….its like that programme isnt it!
More rooms please – specifically front room and bedroom! ha!
Your house has got a lovely country cottage feel to it!
Perhaps we could have another guessing game, i liked the last one.
Post yours, Rebecca’s and Adams bedrooms and we have to guess whos is who!
x
I love this! I’m moving later this year and it’s giving me some ideas!
xx
omg!! Totally heart this post. Love your home style Charlotte. I have the rustic hearts hanging on kitchen cupboards thing going on, too. Am thinking now how to include them in our big day decor..clever
Love the light and bright feel to your kitchen and the retro chic touches. You have a great eye for the right look! xx
Hi ladies!
So glad you like a bit of interior and thanks so much for the lovely compliments, I too am a right old nosey parker at peoples homes!!
Not only do I buy every fashion mag on offer but I buy a fair few home decor ones too…. our living room often resembles WH Smiths.
A few of you are on the right lines with the sister site and of course we won’t just stop there….
I just wish we had more hours in the day to make it happen sooner. Promise we are working really hard behind the scenes to get everything moving as soon as we can.
Big Love
Charlotte xxx
Hi
good to see some styling ideas on RMW, i’m an interior architect/designer and coming up with styling ideas for our wedding venue has been more exciting for me than styling myself!! Its a shame though that so many british wedding venues cant give you much room besides flowers and a few table decorations to style your venue, i am getting married in edinburgh and must have found less than 5 places where we could have free reign to do as we wanted. Luckily our venue (a converted barn) allows us to go the day before to decorate so we are doing everything from flowers to table linen ourselves (i didn’t realise i was a control freak until this point!)
I hope more venues allow time for styling, i think its so important to get your own personalities across and good in a time when people are trying to save some money
Love this too! What a beautiful house! I also have the Kate Martin print but on a small canvas…
And I am also “having a moment” with carnations – I had some hot pink giant ones in my living room the other day and thought they looked fab!
Rachie xo
OMG – Charlotte, please tell me your house isn’t that tidy all the time!! If that was my kitchen (which I would love it to be BTW), I would have had to spend at least 4 hours cleaning and tidying it!!
Seriously though, I am loving this post and would *definitely* like some more along these lines. Like some others on here, we have free reign with our venue which is pretty much a blank canvas so inspiration is very much appreciated (our house is in a state of ‘previous owner horrible taste’ at the moment so hard to draw ideas from!!).
Charlotte all of your posts are always great – please do more generally from you and loads more on this theme!
I want to see the O’Shea bedroom!
xxx
Abso-blummin-lutly. Although I do wish I did have a light curtain in my actual home…We are taking parts of lounge to decorate our reception venue. The jury’s out as to how I shall use my paper pompoms however!
I am LOVING this post…I love interior design too and I’m also enjoying picking out bits and bobs that can be used at the wedding & in our house afterwards. I’d love more posts like this – I’m nosey and love getting tips. I’d spotted Coulson Macleod’s prints before on NOTHS I think – will have to go have a look at the site, I love your one
Oh and carnations are awesome – they last about 3 weeks! Such good value and so many bright cheery colours! xx
ooh perfect timing our flat has just had a offer on it today so very into interiors at the mo.
I read your blog religiously but have never commented although I love it all! Compelled to today as I am a real believer in the sentiment that your w-day should reflect you as a couple. I am completely jealous of your beautiful kitchen as I haven’t had the opportunity to put my own stamp on our property yet.
I am using our wedding day to show/cement our style and hopefully using it as a starting point for our interior decoration for the rest of our lives.
As always thanks for your unique stance on weddings and all things gorgeous!
xx
Hi again ladies
So glad you all like this type of post, I know my phtotography isn’t of a professional standard (!) but I needed to make sure the images were half decent before I put them on the blog.
So cool that so many of you have the Kate Martin print – I love a nice pair of lucious lips to brighten up the place!
And carnations – so glad you lovelies are sharing the love!
Rach – yay! I never knew anyone bought a Coulson after seeing it on RMW, I love it when that happens
And again welcome all you new commenters – we love feedback!
Plenty more rooms coming up – watch this (blog) space
Charlotte xxx
Hi Charlotte,
I’m not sure if you will get this after new posts have been put up but if so, I just wondered where your wooden blocks are from with the books and photo inside? I have been looking for something similar but no luck at all! I love this post as we have literally just bought a house and spent all day yesterday starting our gift list! So much fun! I too wanted to be an interior designer post like this are great!!
You have a lovely home!!
Sarah x
Absolutely beautiful!
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