General

Just back from a fantastic shoot at a wonderful home, right next to the River Thames.

When I typed the postcode into the SatNav, I’d no idea that the property would be in such a stunning waterside location, or that I was about to meet one of the most positive men I’ve ever encountered in all my years in journalism.

His story was incredible and made the little wooden Living The Dream sign, hanging in the living room, extremely poignant.

Discovering you’ve got prostate cancer in the middle of building your new home is not what any man wants. However, despite this, and not the easiest of upbringings, this genial owner was there yesterday, greeting me with a huge smile and a very warm welcome at the start of one of the most memorable days of my career.

This house, complete with a mooring for his motorboat, is a total triumph, particularly when you hear the moving backstory. Now it’s time to tell the tale….

Morning all. What a wonderful weekend – long may this fabulous weather continue.

Thanks to the terrific response following last week’s ‘sun-filled shoot at your home’ blog.

I’ve just received a request from a magazine looking for homeowners who’ve recently completed makeovers on either bathrooms, kitchens, kitchen/diners, hallways, conservatories, living rooms and studies/craft rooms.

If you’ve put your heart and soul into transforming any of the rooms listed above and are delighted with the result, drop me a line at mail@janetmcmeekin.co.uk or call 01243 792379 to discuss featuring it in a national magazine.

Can’t believe it was a year ago since I was writing a feature for Real Homes about Penny Jackson’s delightful home in Kent. It was such a great shoot – we’d lots of fun and, just like today, the sunshine poured into her gorgeous kitchen, complete with a super trio of stools that had just been painted in Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paints.

While photographer, Bruce Hemming, was busy taking shots of Penny, I left them to it for a couple of minutes, and plonked myself down outside on a garden bench. After such a harsh winter, it was so lovely to feel sunshine on my skin again and, I remember thinking we’d turned a corner and that warmer weather was finally on its way.

Well, two weeks later, Penny sent me the picture below! Clearly we’d another few corners still to turn.

So, today as I glance out of the office window and toy with the idea of putting some of my wintery clothes away at the weekend, I’ll be bearing that snowy photograph in mind. What is it they say about ‘Ne’er cast a clout’ and all that?….

A big thank you to all the homeowners who’ve sent me shots of their much-loved homes recently and for all the new Facebook likes and Twitter follows. Hope you’re all making the most of this fabulous glimpse of sunshine…let’s hope it’s here to stay for a while!

To find out more about having your home featured in a magazine, email mail@janetmcmeekin.co.uk or call 01243 792379.

Gorgeous outside and I couldn’t resist sharing this quick snap taken this morning in our garden.

I have to confess, when it comes to interiors, the purple and orange combo wouldn’t be top of my list but, somehow, when Mother Nature steps in, it’s a different matter.

Hope your day is going well and that you get the chance to nip out into the sunshine too…even if it’s just for a few minutes.

I’m juggling feature writing with interviewing and…with any luck, I might just squeeze in a lunchtime bike ride. Enjoy whatever you’re up to.

Oh…what a treat. I’ve just signed up for a five-hour mood board workshop at Caroline Ivory’s gorgeous shop Ivory & Pitch and…I can’t wait.

Last year, I’d an absolute ball at Caroline’s Annie Sloan Introduction to Painting Furniture course, before launching into a bit of a painting frenzy around our home.

That course, held in the store, based in Westbourne, Hampshire, was not just great fun but also very informative. I’m certain that the mood board workshop, on Friday, March 21^st, is going to be equally as inspiring and a rare chance to take proper time out to start planning the makeover of my own rather challenging living room.

The workshop, running from 10am to 3pm, aims to equip people with the skills they will need to confidently decorate any room. There’ll be an abundance of expert tips from experienced interior designer Caroline thrown in for good measure.

Caroline says: “Those attending will learn how colour and texture work together in any space. The emphasis is all about getting hands-on with colour and fabric swatches, inspirational images and objects. The pace will be lively yet informal.

“You will arrive with dimensions of the room/space to work on, along with a couple of photographs for reference, and leave with your own personalised mood board.”

The cost for the workshop is £85. A light lunch, plus tea/coffee will be provided. For further details, visit the Ivory & Pitch website by clicking on the link.

Photograph above: A mood board for one of Caroline’s clients

Anyone remember seeing a feature about the fabulous Vintage Scoops ice cream business in Coast magazine last year?

A keen Coast reader spotted the colourful article and, a couple of weeks ago, she dropped me a line to see if I’d be interested in writing her coastal-themed story too.

After a great chat with this lovely lady and receiving some of her super photos, I approached Coast to see whether they could find a spot for an article.

Well, the fantastic news is that the Coast editor loves the feature idea and wheels are now in motion to line up a shoot and a more in-depth interview.

Clearly, we’ve got to wait for the weather to brighten up (!) but, when it does, it will be all systems go.

I can’t reveal too many details just yet but, as soon as this hits the pages of Coast, I’ll keep you posted.

Thanks to all the new Facebook likes and Twitter follows. Have a lovely day. 🙂

How’s this for a fabulous kitchen? The justifiably proud owner is Rachel Fraser – half of the dynamic duo Fraser & Parsley who sell their own beautiful range of bespoke stationery that’s definitely worth checking out.

Rachel took time out of her busy schedule to be interviewed for the feature that is in the current (March 2014) issue of Beautiful Kitchens.

Creative storage solutions were paramount in this project that involved cleverly transforming a rather garish library into this wonderful space that’s been painted in a sophisticated palette of taupes and greys from Little Greene.

It’s great to see that the magazine has used one of photographer Richard Gadsby’s shots showing Rachel’s wooden wine rack, complete with a neat Fraser & Parsley tag.

Recently, I had the pleasure of chatting to Josie Parsley about her gorgeous house in Kent that’s since been featured in 25 Beautiful Homes.

Both go-ahead businesswomen have been a complete delight to work with – efficient and au fait with the correct stockist information – always a huge bonus for anyone writing about interiors, I can tell you!

The pair’s flair, energy and attention to detail are obvious not only throughout both fabulous homes but also their successful business.