Think outside the box – 5 ways to make storage stylish.

Posted on 12th April 2018 by n1kkir33s

With the Easter holidays being a bit of a wash out I have been a little sad and enjoyed a spring clean much to my kids delight! Their Lego is now colour co-ordinated and all toys are stored by type, cars in one box, super heroes in another. Oh, the simple pleasures, now pass me that Lego Kraggel glue!

I spend a long time listening to my clients to understand how they want to live in their homes, what will make their lives easier and how best to hide the less pretty things that we might need every day but don’t want to see. Storage is key for making your homes work better for you and with a little bit of thought and a creative approach to storage you can make it work effortlessly whilst still looking beautiful. Here are my 5 top storage hacks.

It’s the little details

Take time to think about what you want to see everyday and what you want to hide. creating a storage solution that works for you. Look at the space you have available and how best to store or display your items, hiding the ugly items away to give a clean seamless look. You should think about power, lighting and illuminating shelving to make it look more interesting and cool. I love the wall lights we added on the outside of this bespoke bookcase. I mixed the clients art work with books and hid the boring files in the cupboard below.

Think floor to ceiling and wall-to-wall

Make your walls work for you. Think vertically to maximise the space and to create an architectural look. Break it up by creating indents for display and remember to balance the design. This loft en-suite had tricky eves so we created bespoke storage with fold down cupboards. I love the Egger wood veneer we added to the inside of the storage, it adds a little surprise and makes your bathroom products look super luxurious.

Think out side the box

In some spaces, such as alcoves, completely bespoke storage is best as you can maximise the space. However there are many off the shelf options out there that you can ‘hack’. I have utilised many Ikea products and adapted and personalised them to create original designs. In this loft bedroom we used the Ikea Pax system and added bespoke doors sprayed to match the Little Greene Knightsbridge 215 paint used on the walls.

Storage can be sexy

To make the storage blend into the room a simple trick is to paint it the same colour as the walls. However, if you want to make a statement think about the finish, woods or veneer options come in myriad of finishes. Play with wallpaper or fabric and don’t forget the inside. You can introduce a contrasting finish or a pop of colour. For the shelving in my family room I painted the shelving the same colour as the walls but added a silk effect wallpaper on the back of the shelves to add texture. I love it as it’s calm.

Handle with care

Handles give that all important finishing touch. There are some beautiful options out there which really create a unique piece of furniture giving a personal touch to your interior design. The Bedside tables we specified for our Maida Vale project allowed us to select gorgeous leather pulls which finished the room design by adding a touch of luxury.

Have fun with storage and don’t just settle for the practical. We have used antique hatboxes for side tables as the client wanted something unique so make sure you also check out your local antique fairs or charity shops as you can pick up some great pieces.

Photography Credits

Bill Prentice

Claire Williams

How to create a Christmas window on a shoe string

Posted on 14th December 2016 by n1kkir33s

We have been working harder in the studio this month than Santa’s elves completing the finishing touches to a couple of interior schemes so our clients can enjoy their homes in time for Christmas. We were also in the festive spirt early this season as we have enjoyed working with a handful of local businesses in South London to create simple, yet stunning, Christmas window campaigns on a shoe string. As a little gift to our local small businesses here are our top 5 window display tips.

Christmas Hero
The key inspiration this holiday season is to ‘hero’ your product in the window and less about theatrics. This is perfect for smaller retailers as you can create a real impact with a little imagination and a sprinkling of fairy lights (which are definitely not just for Christmas!) At Paint the Town Green an Eco Paint company based in Wandsworth, we wanted to hero their paint. We created a simple yet effective window by stacking their beautiful graphic paint pots into the shape of an abstract Christmas tree. We decorated a few pots with gorgeous oversized red bows and draped them with fairy lights to add a little sparkle. We then made sure to continue this in-store to make a bigger festive statement. A very cost effective yet bold statement for Christmas that was easy and quickly achieved.

Brand your window
Remember to always keep your brand message clear, yet seasonally inspired. Try to create an experience for your customers. Our Christmas message for Paint the Town Green was “Give the Gift of Colour”, highlighting their gorgeous colours as well as advertising the Christmas gifting pop up shop created instore. So many designers and artists this year have collaborated with brands and Paint the Town Green have cleverly collaborated with local artists and small creative businesses from the Decorcafe to create a stunning mix of thoughtful gifts and original homeware within their pop up gifting shop. This is a perfect idea for small retailers such as furniture and kitchen showrooms that want to increase footfall over the festive season while supporting other local creative business that complement your brand.

Winter Wow Factor
I have designed for many luxury brands and you don’t have to spend a small fortune to make a window look festive and luxurious, you just need to give your scheme a little thought. Simple oversized Christmas decorations grouped together and repeated can look stunning and impactful. Fresh real garlands giving the customer a full sensory experience or olive trees look super stylish and are a modern twist this season. DZD and Moorplan are specialist visual merchandising retailers who have plenty of window display ideas, you don’t have to buy in bulk and you can tailor to look bespoke. Also, high street favorites such as Paperchase and Muji are brilliant resources. You just need to keep your brand aesthetic in mind and think about the customer experience.

Let it shine
You need balance in the window scheme so think about creating height in the form of a pyramid shape with product and not just filling the whole window as your customer won’t know where to look. Remember to look at the shape of your window and to focus the display. Items always look better arranged in multiples of 3 and 5 rather than 2’s and 4’s – trust me it’s a visual trick. Try and tell a story by grouping items with a similar theme together or arranging by colour to create a bold statement. Give special items space to ‘breathe’ – abundance is good for bestsellers but a 100 of an expensive item tends to devalue the item!

It’s not just for Christmas
There are so many simple off the shelf modular systems out there now that you could hack and use to create an effective window display. You should not just think about Christmas when planning the window so keep things reusable – a simple set of wooden crates or cubes can be transformed with a lick of paint each new season! Your shop front is the window into your brand and should be as big a focus as any social media message so make them work together and have the same look and feel, whether it’s too celebrate the Tennis in Wimbledon fortnight or to highlight the new spring summer range these are the little details that enhance your brand and make you stand out on the high street. But most of all try and enjoy the process and have fun with it.

We hope this helps and if you’re still struggling – we offer a practical and hands on approach to visual merchandising giving inspirational advice for window and in-store displays, project management through to installation. Contact us if you want to know more. hello@nikkirees.com

Mums the word

Posted on 6th March 2016 by admin

When I first started my interior design practice a good friend of mine tried to talk me through branding. He asked me did I want to brand myself as a designer who also happens to be a mum or a mum that designs? I did not have a clue and put this in the too hard pile along with marketing, sales and scary financials. So, I decided to just get on and do what I know and start designing and that’s what I did and I’m fortunate that I’m still doing it to this day.

A second child later and while I’m sort of on maternity leave (I’m not too good at taking time out) I decided I should properly start thinking about my “brand”. I found Instagram quickly became my obsession while breastfeeding in the middle of the night. I quickly discovered how many amazing mothers are out there juggling a family life while trying to run a creative business and posting gorgeous images and blogs. So many women have started completely new paths as their careers could never work with their family life. Their words are inspiring, honestly funny and creative. They think outside the box because let’s face it as a mum there is no neat little box. Each kid brings a different dynamic and challenge, if you bring this free way of thinking to your business it can only be inspiring and give you an edge over the big boys as they have so much red tape.

Back to my friend’s question, do I want to brand myself as a designer that happens to be a Mum or a Mum that designs, well currently on my instrgram page it’s all about the kids with a few interior shots when I remember, my goal is to always work the business around my family and that is my daily challenge as it’s hard to get the balance right as I can never stop thinking about new design challenges. I can always make more money or sleep more but I can never get this time back. Design is a passion and I need that for my sanity. I am fortunate that I love what I do so it never really feels like work. I know I over share about my kids with my clients and I bore them with their achievements but I decided if you work with me they come as part of the package. Harry has had a cuddle with all my clients and Jack is always on hand to give me his keen creative eye before a major presentation.

Some days it’s hard but this is not a sob story this is a thank you to all my amazing Mum friends including my own amazing Mum who all give honest advice whether I want it or not. Thank you to the Mums who have their own challenges but get by with so much grace and with a big smile on their faces and to the oh so cool creative mums on Instagram who keep me company in the small hours when I can’t sleep as I’m either worrying I have forgotten something or I’m feeding the munchkin, to you all I wish you a Happy Mother’s Day.

Mumafesto

Remember to enjoy it all. Put the iPhone down and get on the trampoline with your kids. We had a little night time trampoline in the summer and Jack has not stopped talking about it. These are the memories they, and us, will have forever.

If you are working Mum enjoy it, if you are a stay at home Mum enjoy it, but whatever you do don’t judge another Mum for their choices, working or not, its not cool.

I have realised there is no such thing as a balanced life, you just have to take it as it comes and plan your family life like you would a work project, that way the year does not run away with you.

You will hear your Mum’s words coming out of your mouth and it will scare the life out of you. But it’s ok. I now realise my Mother was winging it just as much as I am. I think she did a pretty good job so hopefully so can I.

When I had Jack I realised I knew no one in my local area with kids, all my friends were in the City working and I had never felt so isolated. I tackled it like speed dating! I turned up at as many Mothers groups as possible and introduced myself to everyone I could. It was so scary but it was worth it as I have a strong group of friends I can turn to. Your network of friends is so important, you need to surround yourself with people that make you feel good about yourself and who you can have a laugh with when the sh!t hits the fan, or the down the slide in my case

My Top 5 Christmas ideas

Posted on 19th December 2015 by admin

Whilst at University I spent a summer working in a farm house on a country road called Christmas Pie lane. There I was armed with a glue gun sticking baubles onto garlands and Christmas trees, which would then be displayed in high streets up and down the country. During my visual merchandising career we would start planning Christmas window schemes in July with Christmas songs playing while drinking ice lattes in the studio. I love the run up to Christmas. So I always feel a little late when decorating my home in December.

Personalising Christmas

I love clean lines and simple interior design, however this all goes out the window at Christmas. My tree is full of hand made felt or knitted decs, I love monogramed miniature stockings, bespoke gift tags from the lovely Fraser and Parsley or beautiful white ceramic baubles with our names in metallic. You can’t beat the personal touch at Christmas.

Faux vs Real Tree

I’m a real Christmas tree girl. However, I also like my tree up on the 1^st December thus ensuring all my decorations are on the floor come the big day with a very sad dead tree in my bay window. This year I purchased a *whispers* faux Christmas tree. It took me longer to dress as I became obsessed about angling the branches like a real tree. The benefit is I can display the heavier decorations without worrying that they will fall off and it will still look great on Christmas Day. The trick is to invest in a very good faux tree which looks real and spend the time playing with the branches and make sure it is not too uniformed. However, I do keep smelling the real Christmas trees in Wimbledon Village High Street as I walk by and ‘pine’ for a real tree.

Lights Everywhere

If something stays still long enough in my house it will end up draped with fairy lights. There is something magical about fairy lights, bistro lights and scented candles this time of year, in fact any time of year. I was a little thrown this year as my lights had broken and it seems you can only purchase LED lights now. My golden rule with lights at Christmas is it has to be soft glow lights and you always need a little more than you think. I have a 7ft tree this year and 400 lights look perfect. More than that and I would not have been able to see the tree or decs. Use a green string of lights on the tree so it is hidden but a clear string if you are draping around frames, mirrors or plants or family members if they stay still long enough.

Bringing the outside in

You can’t beat a little winter foliage to complement the metallic baubles and tinsel. I suggest using eucalyptus and foliage from your garden such as ivy, holly and rosemary. It creates a wonderful woodland feel and an amazing scent without spending the big bucks. Take the kids on a walk to forage for foliage. They will love being a part of it and making table decorations or a Christmas wreath. We always collect pinecones in the autumn and fill vintage glass vases and hurricane lamps with them. Try grouping them into 3s and dot them over the tree. Always dress the tree with pinecones or decs in odd numbers. 3’s and 5’s work best.

Little Gifts

I love giving my clients a small gift at Christmas to say thank you. Last year I gave clear bauble and filled them with chocolates, tied them with a simple bow and a Nikki Rees stamped gift tag. This year I found the cutest miniature brown paper bags, popped a little scented white candle inside and stamped the tags again. It’s just a little gift that I hand deliver. It also doubled up this year as gifts for my son Jack’s school friends. You don’t have to spend a lot it, just needs a little thought and a personal touch.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year

Nikki xxx

Wimbledon Interior designer mixing business with babies

Posted on 9th December 2015 by admin

I have dithered more about the opening post for my interior design blog than any interior.

I’m writing this on my maternity leave with all the time I have, or thought I would have while my 5 month old baby boy is sleeping. A maternity leave is very different second time around, particularly when you have your own company. With Jack, now 7 years old, I worked for a corporate company and totally switched off, only counting down the months until I had to go back to work and enjoying sitting around in circles waving colourful parachutes above my head and singing nursery rhymes and blowing bubbles.

This time it’s completely different. When I get a moment to myself I can’t help wanting to be inspired and working on ideas. I have come to the conclusion that I love working! (I say with a little guilt) I’m passionate about what I do. The highs, the lows, it’s all part of the design process and when it’s your company and an idea comes together it’s an amazing feeling. It just does not get better than having happy clients enjoying a space you have created for them. Apart from hearing the comical belly laughing from the boys. That’s what it’s all for.

So the juggling act has begun, I have always managed my design work around the school run. With 5am starts and late evening emails after story time it’s all part of the fun of a start up and wanting to be around for the kids.

So if I’m not enjoying baby yoga or pilates to lose those extra baby pounds, Harry and I are off soaking up the new cool things at trade shows, experiencing exhibitions or just taking in our surroundings wherever that may happen to be; Wimbledon, London or on our travels.

It’s going to be an exciting maternity leave and I hope to share a few new ideas with you along the way.

Nikki x