Is it just me, or did this January seem the longest month ever?! I am so glad to see the beginning of February, it really feels as if Spring is almost here …

Although, I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed all the snow we had (Shropshire had masses!), but I still seem to be clearing up a very muddy garden with lots of random branches still scattered after the storms. I had the huge silver birch reduced though, and ended up with some pretty branches which I rescued before they put them in the chipper. They were decorated for Xmas, and I think I’m going to keep them in place for Spring too – I’m too lazy to remove all the outdoor baubles and think they’ll do for Easter as well! *Note to self … find some outdoor Easter bunting!*

As we are all deluged by images of beautiful homes and kitchens, I just wanted to show you a little look at one of my favourite kitchens. It’s by Martin Moore, and is so simple and stylish that I had instant kitchen-envy the moment I saw it! See some of their other projects —— I love the idea that it’s a pale neutral – with plenty of opportunity to update the entire colour scheme in years to come simply by painting that pale-coffee coloured wall in a zingy shade!

It’s nearly time for the big KBB trade show (March 2018 in Birmingham), so we’re already getting lots of news of newly launched products. These are the new Solo and Mixer taps by HotSpot Titanium & Inventum – a new name to me, but I will definitely be checking out their stand at the KBB show. This pair is Agostina and Lucca. Find out more here.

The Franke Omni Duo 2-in-1 tap is a familiar name to kitchen people, it’s a single lever, dual-dispense tap that provides 100 Deg C filtered boiling and cold filtered water from one compact tap. A good idea as an addition to a kitchen that already has it’s standard hot and cold mixer tap/s in place. The Duo is a great price too – from £799 with a three-year guarantee. Check out the range here.

I’m always on the lookout for new splashback ideas – although I admire many tiled splashbacks, I know that at the end of the day, in a busy (and messy!) kitchen, the grout can become grubby and start to look less than pristine. The answer, of course, is to have a glass, steel, or laminate sheet splashback. This is from AluSplash; it’s an aluminium-based splashback which of course, is grout-free, non-porous and straightforward to install. Good news is that it can be installed behind a gas hob (which is what stopped me from having a copper laminate splashback when I was designing my kitchen). From £109 for a 900 x 600mm panel, also in Grey Lavender, Ebony, Totally Teal, Aubergine, Spanish Red and Blueberry. Very tempting! See the colour range here.

RED ALERT!

Red isn’t one of my favourite colours, but I have been inspired by colour news from Benjamin Moore paints, along with a set of images that dispelled my fear of red paint! If you’re thinking of adding some colour but perhaps want to avoid the usual suspects, why not go for an outrageous shade of red? This is Caliente, just named as Benjamin Moore’s colour of the year for 2018. See the collection here.

If you feel the need to calm all that red down, do it with a bold stroke of dark and moody grey-green; this is Sharkskin, from Benjamin Moore, as before.

TIME FOR A G&T!

Ok, so we’ve struggled through dry January and what better to get over it than to raise a self-congratulatory glass with a lovely G&T! Or, if you’re planning to stay on the wagon for a while longer, treat yourself to some of the Dartington Crystal glasses to perk up a refreshing tonic on it’s own. These are from the Gin Connoisseur range; from left, Copa glass, Highball glass and Tumbler. In the shops very soon, see the range here.

SHOPPING TIPS …

We always love a stripey rug, and the new Outdoor Rugs from Angie Parker (no relation, honestly …) tick all the right boxes. Bold, bright colours teamed with some neutrals mean the rug can perk up a travertine or wood floor, or be used outside as they’re made from recycled plastic. See the range here and make an investment for outside-the-patio-doors for spring and summer.

I’m looking forward to the KBB show for many reasons (including catching up with all the latest kitchen and bathroom gossip!), one is to see all the fabulous copper finishes in the flesh, so to speak. We’ll be reporting on new ideas and launches over the next couple of months, but in the meantime this is the Ancona Galvanised Antique Copper four-column horizontal radiator, 600mm high with 15 sections and welded feet, £2756. But so worth it … from The Radiator Company, view their collections here.

AND FINALLY …

I can’t resist these inspirational ideas from Little Greene, the paint and wallpaper company. Beautiful quality paints in amazing colours, and gloriously flamboyant wallpapers which are perfect for that statement wall concept. See all the colours and patterns here.

Above, Basalt paint.

Above, Brooke House wallpaper in Cinder.

Above, Asterid Lantern wallpaper.

Above, Camellia wallpaper in Smalt, alongside Smalt paint. The perfect blue – for kitchen or bathroom.