My Afternoon Designing at Christies Auction House....

A month or so ago I got an email that left me speechless for about an hour... an invitation to be one of 4 Interior Bloggers to Design a space at Christies Auction House in South Kensington. The brief was to create a room using items from their November catalogue...

This was a total dream come true for me. As kids me and my sister would look though catalogues and choose outfits and furniture we would buy when we were older..... only this time i actually got to play....

With such an open brief I decided to create a room for me. I wanted to make it feel like somewhere friends and family would be happy to sit and relax and chat, that my son could play and that after a day at work I would be happy to kick off my shoes and unwind. Nothing was to be perfect.... just homely.

So I started with the most comfortable looking sofa in the catalogue, a tan Mid-century Percival Lafer. Not only was this chair really quirky looking, it was so unbelievably comfortable, It was slightly worn in places and this just added to its charm.

Photo by Carol Sachs

Then I added a nice big low level coffee table that I could happily sit crossed legged at to eat some food, do some colouring in with Alex at, or use as a meditation altar. On the table i arranged a tray with some personal items from home including my chunk of Amethyst I had brought from Glastonbury, and some Nag Champa incense.

A huge beast of a bamboo plant was borrowed from Christies Reception area. The bamboo was probably the most important element to making this room feel cosy. As soon as I saw the plant in the room I felt a lot more relaxed about the project. I also loved the way the plant worked with the sofa.
 
I chose the Dutch Jungmann painting because i lived in Holland as a child and just loved that wonderful bright blue. Looking back this is the item that I wish i could take home. ..... I have even considered a bank loan :)

Of course it wouldn't be fair to exclude my sister from playing the game this time so emailed Lizzy the catalogue to see what items she would choose and used a couple in the room....... this was a really important part of making the room feel more personal, and it was nice to be reminded of her and feel her support, when in such an alien environment. As we look around out own homes we are reminded of the people in our lives or the places we have been to collect the items that really make up 'Home' .

I am so pleased with how this room turned out. I had such a wonderful day. I have also left with a new view of Christies. I have to be honest I have always regarded it as a little stuffy but it was anything but!

The only element that I would probably change is the larger of the paintings. I love the colours and the ruined building but this painting was a last minute choice as the two African pictures I had chosen could not be hung.

Mid-century sofa's, Moroccan Lamps, funky Indian cushions...... and the nicest team of people from the Receptionist to the Chairman.


 A big thank you to Christie's, South Kensington, especially Katy who organized the day. What a wonderful opportunity xx

So what do you guys think? I would love to know?

Please check out the full article (and my slightly rambling interview) on the Christies Website. It is so interesting to see how different each of the 4 rooms turned out considering we were using items from the same catalogue!