It seems these days if you're not knitting, crocheting, or at one with a tub of Copydex and some odd buttons, then you're not really with it. Thanks to Kirstie Allsopp with her Homemade Home and books such as the gorgeous Homespun Style by Selina Lake, stores are becoming inundated with chunky knits, ditsy prints and clashing colours that will definitely not help in a hangover situation.
Last week I assisted the very lovely Alison Nicholls on a shoot along this theme for Kitchens, Bedrooms & Bathrooms magazine (a bit of a mouthful, so let's call it KBB from now on!)
The location for the shoot was the house of Homespun Style's photographer, Debi Treloar, a huge Edwardian semi near to Kensal Rise. It was easy to see why it was chosen for some of the pictures in the book and also as a backdrop for our very own take on the trend: 'shabby chic' is definitely the way to describe it. A glorious riot of colour and pattern in every room, from the patchwork wallpaper in the dining room to the fluorescent pink painted chairs around the kitchen table, it is a look that might not be to everyone's taste but certainly evokes feelings of fun and cheerfulness - even on a miserable Wednesday in October it was bright and happy.
To shoot enough to fill eight pages in one day meant there was no time to lose and with a van load of fabulous products unpacked and de-bubblewrapped, Alison and photographer Gary Hamill set to work.
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| One too many? |
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| The props table |
On a location shoot like this, as with an Indian takeaway, you always order far too much but this allows for a stylist to mix and match products and try different combinations to see what works best. Not everything that we bring on a shoot gets used. At the end of the day, everything is meticulously repacked (as close to) the same way it arrived and labelled up to either be returned direct to the sender or taken back to KBB HQ. Delivery notes have to be kept to one side so that, when it comes to writing the copy for the article, the stylist knows exactly what pieces have been used, the company they came from and, of course, the retail price. Here's a little taster:
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| Love this Snurk Granny bed linen, from £70, Heal's |
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| How about this 'Macie' knitted lamp by Melanie Porter, £450, Notonthehighstreet |
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| My favourite: 'Are You Sitting Comfortably?' cushion by Imogen Luddy, £45, DesignersMakers |
The trend for crafting has made itself very at home in our lives, the old 'make do and mend' mentality is a reflection of the hard economic times. However, the irony is not lost on me: buying something that is supposed to look homemade kind of defeats the object, doesn't it? But with so many beautiful products to choose from, for those of us not blessed with the patience of a saint and a penchant for Prittstick, it could save an awful lot of time and anguish.
I'll leave the Blue Peter chic to Kirstie et al!
The full article as styled by Alison Nicholls and photographed by Gary Hamill (and ably assisted by yours truly!) can be seen in the January edition of Kitchens, Bedrooms & Bathrooms magazine (out early December).