10 Beautiful Rooms

Morning and welcome back to the new (school) year and the first full week of fresh blogging since the August holiday. It's Monday, so 10 Beautiful Rooms is back to start you off and (hopefully) ease those morning blues. We're kicking off with this rather lovely kitchen below.

black and white kitchen with window seat photo by Kristofer Johnsson

The first thing I love is the tiling on the wall – both practical and cool – but also look at that window seat, which you almost don't notice at first. They probably did it because of the position of the window and were annoyed that they couldn't have a longer run of worktop. Now, I bet they're really pleased with it. It's one of those things which, in the middle of a project you think has thrown a whole spanner in the works, and then it turns out to be really good after all. That's another reason why I love old buildings because they do throw up quirks and oddities that you have to think around but they make for more interesting end results.

black and white apartment by Laura Lakin photographed by Juliet Murphy

I discovered the work of the photographer Juliet Murphy earlier this summer and promised that I would feature her pictures in this Monday series. It's much harder to take good interior shots that you think (I know because I have tried) and Juliet's pictures are great. I particularly love her images of the work of interior designer Laura Lakin, which is what I wanted to show you today.

designed by Laura Lakin, image by Juliet Murphy

You might think that black and white can be cold, but as these images show, you can layer different whites and bring in lots of different textiles and surfaces and it's anything but. It doesn't need to be expensive either – I'm pretty sure that's an Ikea rug and desk.

Design by Laura Lakin, image by Juliet Murphy

One thing to always remember though is that natural wood will always bring in warmth. Bringing in a high table is a great idea to vary the levels a little. It also creates a more informal look for an open plan space. I included one in my round up of the 10 best dining tables last week if you are interested in this look.

home of designer Joao Botelho

Next up is this wonderful house belonging to the Brazilian designer Joao Botelho. This one is grey and white rather than black, with lots of exposed brick to warm it up and hints of gold.

home of designer Joao Botelho

I think this might be one of those bathrooms that are hashtagged #goals on instagram. We need say nothing more than that. Except that perhaps I shall stick a marble bust in mine when I do it up… Oh and if you want to know about hanging huge lights over baths, you can read more about that in my How to Get the Lighting Right series – you will need  a high ceiling if you want it to go directly over the bath as it does here.

home of designer Joao Botelho

Talking of bathroom goals, how about this? This may look like just a pretty bathroom – albeit with marble tiling and cool black and white photography but then look at the image below and see where it's situated.

freestanding bath by Laura Lakin Design, image by Juliet Murphy

Imagine that! Now the bath in the bedroom concept is controversial, and I can see why but this is a bit more hotel as it does actually sit in an alcove, so it feels a little more private. It also has a door on it which is, let's be honest, better for the loo side of things. But you could imagine lying on the fabulous purple sofa and chatting to whoever was having a soak. Although in my case that purple sofa would be mainly full of clothes that I hadn't got round to hanging up but hey, you know, #goals and all that.

white bedroom with en suite by Laura Lakin Design and image by Juliet Murphy

This is the other end of that bathroom. The wooden unit was custom made by Laura Lakin Design and is perfect for the space. Wood is brilliant in a bathroom as it softens all those hard lines and the patterned tiles are pretty and practical. You can see why the wooden floor was kept for the main part of the room as it continues the line from the bathroom.

bathroom by Laura Lakin, image by Juliet Murphy

So there we have it. Ten Beautiful Rooms. Done. I hope you like this week's selection. Let me know in the comments below which are your favourites.

 

 

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