by Helen | Mar 5, 2020 | Interiors
Pink has never been my colour. I think I’ve always associated the colour with being “girly” and so have largely avoided it. But, I’ve been wrong, Oh, so very wrong. And now I’m letting pink into my life. The image above, sort of sums up why. From the palest baby pink through to almost plum, pink is pretty perfect. A colour for every mood. I’ve been experimenting with pops of pink in the house. An old carpentry table, rescued from a family garage, and covered in old paint splodges and oil stains and wood cuts, took on a whole new lease of life when it was sprayed hot pink and stood defiantly at the top of the stairs…
And this got me thinking, about larger spaces and use of colour. Our stone house isn’t a style which lends itself to crazy colour, I don’t think. We’ve used quite bold colours, but they fit in with their surroundings. However, our thoughts are turning to another property. Hopefully, the next renovation project – and this one is potentially a blank canvas. So, inspiration is being sought and pink is featuring quite heavily. Pink concrete, especially…
Images : www.pinterest.com // Pink table : We Are Life Photography
by Helen | Mar 4, 2020 | Interiors
We’re suckers for stylish interiors. The kind of interiors that we maybe wouldn’t be quite bold enough to go for at home, but love experiencing. And if anywhere does stylish interiors, it’s the new kid on the block in Istria – Roxanich Wine and Heritage Hotel.
When we moved to Istria in 2017, we’d often drive past a very intriguing, but derelict building, on the road below Motovun. A bit of research revealed that this had been a winery, and in its heyday it must have been majestic. And then one day, the demolition guys arrived and work started on it. We knew pretty soon that this renovation was going to pretty special, as even just from the roadside, we could see that sympathetic, but contemporary design, was the order of the day. It finally opened early 2019 and in the summer we were delighted to experience Roxanich.
Friends from Manchester came out to stay out to stay with us, and as a birthday was happening mid-visit, we booked into Roxanich, on their first night. The hotel has private parking – always good to know if you’re in a hire car, for example. We had thought that spaces would be at a premium, becasue you can see the car park, to the side of the hotel, from the road, and there are only about ten spaces here. However, Roxanich has this covered. With a car-lift, down to a secure underground car park. Very James Bond.
The hotel itself is an utter class act. Everything is on point. Perfect. It’s wild and raucous in terms of decor, in places, but cool, calm and supremely elegant, in others. It’s a hotel that knows when to be playful and when to be more decorous. The reception area is wide and expansive, with a sweeping arched ceiling and crittal doors, providing immense views across the Mirna Valley.
As its name suggests, wine is at the heart of this hotel.
One of the greatest treasures of Roxanich estate are undoubtedly its wines. It is fitting then, that they should be kept safe, deep inside a hill. Visit our winery and cellars, snugly fit inside the landscape, based below the hotel…
We didn’t get to visit the wine cellars, but did check out the wine shop. Although “shop” doesn’t really convey just how beautiful this area is, which is accessible from both the hotel and the outside area, meaning if you’re passing and need a top quality bottle of wine, this is your place.
So, to our room.
- Bizarre;
- Amazing;
- Eclectic;
- Views to die for;
- Super comfy.
Did I say bizarre? And eclectic? A double dose of both! Imagine a room with a four poster bed. You’re not even close! Imagine that four poster bed, not with a wooden frame, but with a caramel coloured leather frame. Yep, that;s what we had, but you’re still not even close. Imagine that four poster bed, also being a… bunk bed. This is one of the Family Rooms, Roxanich-style. You in the bed. Kids up the ladder and onto the top double bunk. Only it’s also a proper, grown-up bed, with fabulous bedding, pillows and duvet. Perfect if you fall out. Although hopefully, not literally!
If you’re on a cheeky night away, sans-kids, but fancy the Family Room, let it be known that that this particular four poster bed has a mirrored ceiling. I know…
Style-wise, this hotel is just sublime. Definitely not to everyone’s taste, but it ticked every one of our boxes. Playful, light-hearted and cheeky, but with super attention to detail. We love it. And, if we’re bold enough in our next reno project, who knows? Maybe we’ll find a new place for a mirror…
by Helen | Mar 4, 2020 | Lifestyle
With our lovely new kitchen, we are trying to be more organised, have food in, take advantage of our new cooking facilities and eat more at home. We love risotto and have been meaning to try out the Three Cheese Baked Risotto spotted in a Donna Hay cookery book – bought primarily for the beautiful design, so it’s been a bonus to find that the recipes are really, really good!
The best thing about this baked risotto is that it’s baked. No standing stirring. Just shove it in the oven – and if you spend a teeny bit extra on the parmesan and prosciutto, I promise you, it is delicious. You’ll never stand, continuously stirring a risotto, again ?
what you’ll need
- 1 cup (200g) arborio rice
- 2.5 cups (625 ml) stock (we used vegetable stock, but Donna Hay suggests chicken)
- 1 leek, very finely chopped
- 1 tsp of chopped oregano leaves
- 30g butter
- grated parmesan (as much as you like!)
- salt & pepper
- creamy blue cheese, roughly sliced
- 150g fresh ricotta
- 4 slices of prosciutto
what you’ll need to do
Preheat oven to 190C/375F. Place rice, stock, oregano leaves & butter in a baking dish and cover tightly with a lid or piece of foil. Bake for 40 minutes or until the rice is soft. Stir in the parmesan, salt & pepper and continue to stir for 4-5 mins or until the risotto is creamy and the remaining stock has been absorbed. Divide the risotto between serving plates and top with blue cheese, ricotta, chopped prosciutto and remaining parmesan.
by Helen | Feb 5, 2020 | Interiors
Not long ago, who’d have thought you, or me, could have a piece of Jean Paul Gaultier in your own home?
If you’re a fan of the unconventional designer, you can now have a roll (or two or three) of wallpaper from his couture collection, Les Papiers. We saw, and fell in love, with this gorgeous design, when we flicked through the showroom samples in David Gavin Design, in West Didsbury. Elegant, but utterly playful, the Recreation wallpaper features classical bathing beauties dressed in contemporary clothes, chubby cherubs and stripe-clad sailors, all vying for attention. It’s a definite hark back to 18th century Toiles de Jouy (meaning, “cloth from Jouy”), a type of print that is characterised by complex vignettes scattered over the surface. But with the immediately recognisable Gaultier motifs.
Although not in this house, I have a wall ear-marked for a couple of rolls of this stunning paper.
Just need to move first…
by Helen | Jan 26, 2020 | Travel, UK
It turns out Christmas Eve was just about the most perfect time to visit Salts Mill, in Saltaire, on our way up to the North East for our festive break Now a Unesco World Heritage Site, like the very beautiful Port Sunlight on The Wirral, Saltaire was an industrial village, purpose-built in 1851, by philanthropic industrialist, Titus Salt. The village’s huge factory was once the largest in the world and Saltaire was created as a model village of neat, honey-coloured cottages, leading down to the River Aire, intended to create a close and upright community of workers. Its name is a combination of Titus’s surname and the nearby River Aire.
Now, Salts Mill is a bright and airy cathedral-like building which houses a permanent exhibition of works by Bradford-born artist David Hockney, as well as being a wonderful opportunity for some pretty amazing retail therapy, with an excellent and vast book shop, and a fabulous home-wares area, packed full of unique and exquisite furnishings, fabrics, accessories for the home and just general loveliness.
We didn’t have time to visit the Hockney exhibition, sadly, so made the decision to explore the bookshop and interiors areas and have a spot of lunch in Salts Diner, more of which later. The renovation of the mill has been extremely sympathetic, with many of the original features and much of the layout, retained. It is definitely cavernous – and amazing photographs illustrate what the mill would have been like in its heyday, full of people and noise. Today, it is a whole lot more tranquil – or at least it was on Christmas Eve. It was an absolute pleasure to be able to wander without throngs of frantic Xmas shoppers – most people seemed to be visiting on this particular day to have “a day out”.
Just look at those beautiful pillars. Tall and imposing, now looking almost delicate in crisp white, with the intricate detailing at the top picked out in a beautiful blue. And, because it was Christmas, complemented with subtle, colour co-ordinating decorations.
We rarely now get a chance to visit bookshops, so it was a sheer delight to just browse the shelves, leafing through books. It would have been very easy to spend a fortune, but I managed to just about restrain myself, justifying purchases on the fact that I couldn’t buy the books I wanted in Istria. And, because we are giving the big bedroom a complete make-over, I couldn’t resist three Scandinavian Swan mobiles and a butterfly pop-up. The homewares section is truly fantastic. From small tealight holders to incredibly expensive pieces of one-off, bespoke furniture, there is definitely something for everyone and I would defy you to make a visit here and not spend a few pennies. Again, because it was Christmas, it was exquisitely styled – and I have to say, I’ve returned with a heap of new ideas. As a well a few bits & bobs to help the make-over along.
Salts Diner reminded me very much of the lovely Tebay Services on the M6. Well thought out in terms of industrial design and interiors and with fresh food, largely made on the premises – the open kitchen is huge and you can see exactly what’s going on. Its reputation obviously precedes it, as it was very, very busy even with early closing on Christmas Eve.
The food was amazingly delicious – so much so that it was snaffled away before anything could be captured for posterity!
We absolutely loved our short, but sweet, visit to Salts Mill. There’s so much more to see than we experienced and so we will, on our next visit up north, take the opportunity to stop and get to know this wonderful place a little bit more.
by Helen | Jan 22, 2020 | France, Travel
We first discovered the beautiful medieval city of Metz, two years ago, on our first road trip from Istria to England, for Christmas. Positioned where it is, in north eastern France, it was a good place to stop and break up the journey to Calais. We’ve stayed a few times since – and although there are undoubtedly many fabulous places to rest our heads, we now just opt for Hôtel de la Cathédrale, which, as stated on the website, is very definitely, a hotel full of charm and character, in the beautiful heart of Metz. Housed in a 17th C building, the hotel is utterly charming, full of French antiques and, certainly in the variety of rooms we’ve stayed, oozing with vintage vibes. I’ve never stayed here and not returned home with a few ideas…
We arrived earlier this trip, and so took advantage of the additional time we had, to take in the festive atmosphere in Metz. There’s something about being abroad at Christmas – especially if it’s quite cold and everyone is wrapped up. It’s also really lovely seeing how other places “do” Christmas – I’ve yet to see anything on our travels, that’s not utterly exquisite. See for yourself – this is how Metz does Christmas…
Iconic city centre buildings, such at the Cathedral (right opposite our hotel), were illuminated at night, to stunning effect…
Another advantage to staying in the hotel we stay in, is that literally next door, is the most amazing restaurant – La Cucina di Casa. Always packed with locals – no English voices, all French. Always a good sign when the locals chose it! Not only is it sumptuously decorated with rich red velvet drapes, deep red and navy blue walls and packed full of gorgeous French paraphenalia, but it also serves the most mouth-watering pizzas. Thin bases, with just the right amount of toppings.
We do keep promising ourselves that we’ll make the trip to Metz in the spring or summer as it will be beautiful, but for us it’s just such a Christmas city, that I don’t want to break the festive spell, just yet…
by Helen | Jan 21, 2020 | Travel, UK
When we drive back to England, we tend to do a much needed stopover in the south-east after the ferry crossing from Calais. This year, we plumped for The Falstaff in Canterbury, which, according to its website –
…has been a focus for hospitality in Canterbury for over 600 years. A traditional 15th century coaching inn, the hotel is steeped in history…
Only 30 minutes from the Port of Dover, we found it to be absolutely ideal for what we wanted. As we were travelling for a few weeks, and therefore staying at a quite few places on our travels, we couldn’t splash out on the most expensive rooms. The hotel (the rooms are situated above a bar and restaurant, more of which later) offers rooms called “Cosy Doubles”, and we decided to book one of these, knowing that it would probably be a bit on the small side, especially given the description on the website –
Our cosy double rooms comprise one small double bed and are all ensuite. All rooms have baths and integrated showers or walk-in showers, hairdryers, tea and coffee making facilities and flatscreen televisions with Freeview. They are best suited as double rooms for single occupancy, but do make for very cosy double rooms also. If you require more space we recommend booking one of our traditional double rooms. Cosy double rooms cannot accommodate extra beds and cannot be used as twin.
We were prepared to be a bit cramped but it was only for one night, so weren’t overly concerned. But, we definitely weren’t expecting what we were actually allocated.
First impressions of the hotel were excellent. Located just outside the famous medieval gateway, known as Westgate Towers, it was clear immediately that a lot of thought and creativity had gone into the refurbishment of The Falstaff. The reception area is a beautiful room in its own right, and I think we were lucky to visit just before Christmas and see it in all of its festive glory.
Room 1 (take note of that number if you want a room that doesn’t break the bank, is much larger than you might think it will be and doesn’t scrimp on design details) is up in the eaves of the building – it’s called one of the Turret Rooms. If you are tall, you need to be aware that the ceilings are low, with exposed beams – there are notices alerting you to this, but best to just watch out. Once inside the room, we were really, really surprised at the size of this cosy double. The bed was definitely not small – it was more than spacious and super comfortable, with gorgeous white Egyptian cotton bed linen. Sumptuous velvet cushions and throws, in pale pinks and greens, added texture and colour. The room had everything you would need for a stay – excellent wi-fi, wall-mounted TV (so out of the way), a good size table/desk & chair, ample storage, soft lighting with switches next to the bed (always a plus point!), tea and coffee making facilities and a really good selection of said teas and coffee. Thick curtains and a double glazed panel, which slid across the old leaded windows, kept the heat in and the noise out. If you like your rooms to be on the toasty side, then the cast iron radiator will definitely warm your cockles. However, it was just a bit too toasty for us and we actually turned it off completely – and the room was still warm enough.
When we are travelling, we usually accept that if a room we book, offers a bath or a shower, we’ll end up with the shower, unless we specifically request a bath. We didn’t on this occasion, and so expected a teeny weeny bathroom with a shower shoe-horned in. Wrong! The bathroom was huge, with a great bath and a very powerful shower. Double treat! I think you can tell a lot about a hotel from the attention to detail in the bathroom. It’s easy to bung in a relatively inexpensive white bathroom suite and for it to look OK, but when you can see that what has been installed isn’t budget, it does make a massive difference. A heavy ceramic bath and sink, beautiful waterfall taps, rain-head shower. And metro tiles. Plus, another leaded window. And the fluffiest, whitest, cleanest towels.
As mentioned previously, downstairs there is a bar and restaurant area, with a number of interesting rooms, perfect for groups of friends or cosying up by one of the log fires. Again, Christmas time definitely lent itself to a more cosy look, but I’m guessing The Falstaff gets it right all year round. (And, with it being Xmas, the bar was busy, but we didn’t hear a thing once we’d retired to our room).
A big plus for us, as we don’t travel light on our roadtrips, was the secure car parking (for an additional £10 per day), at the rear of the hotel. Easily accessible and as far as we were concerned, super secure. Breakfast was another plus. Buffet style, and in a lovely dining area, there was more than enough choice. Cereals, cheeses, hams, bread, fruit, juices – as well as a hot breakfast, with excellent quality produce.
We actually rated The Falstaff so highly that we chose to reurn, this time for two nights, on our journey back to Dover. Booking directly via the hotel (as opposed to Booking.Com) meant a discount was applied to both the room rate and the breakfast. And we got Room 1 again. Just like a home from home.
PS – the bar has a very extensive cocktail and gin menu. I’d like to personally recommend the Salted Caramel Martini. Probably the best I’ve had…
by Helen | Jan 10, 2020 | Lifestyle
When we travel back to England for Christmas, we don’t fly. Flying is a real hassle, even when it’s the short two & a half hour flight we do from Pula to Manchester. Plus, we’re becoming more & more aware of the impact of flying – but, we have to get back some way, and so driving is the best option open to us at the moment. I know that what we’re gaining from not flying, we’re losing by driving, but there’s no viable alternative. So, this year I made a determined effort to try and do what I could to make a tiny contribution to being a bit more ethical at Christmas.
It would be brilliant if we could buy everything locally and be able to walk to independent shops – but we’re not in West Didsbury any more. Where we live now, in northern Istria, driving is unfortunately part and parcel of every day life. So, buying things does mean driving – and sometimes ordering online. Therefore, I decided that rather than wrap presents in paper which was foiled, or contained glitter, or use that curly shiny ribbon, I’d try and be a bit more “eco” – especially given that our current lifestyle doesn’t easily lend itself to doing this on a grand scale, currently.
So, what did I do? I bought the following…
- Rolls of brown paper
- Twine & string from a local garden centre
- Corrugated cardboard luggage labels
- Faux sprigs of eucalyptus
…and, hey presto! For very little money and using components that could be reused and/or recycled, some very pretty packaging emerged. And not a sheet of shiny paper involved…
Like I say, it’s not quite as easy – or as convenient – here in Istria, to be eco on a consistently daily basis. We do recycle as much as we can at home, and we use the public recycling facilities here. We’ve just bought re-usable veg bags (spotted in Sainsbury’s over Xmas) which can be washed, so this also means we’re able to cut down on plastic fruit & veg bags when we go shopping. Bags for life have replaced throwaway plastic bags. We use a water filter jug, so no longer buy plastic bottles of water.
However, because of our location, we are very much reliant on our car. There is no local transport network to speak of, so driving is how get around. We are very conscious of this – but hopefully the small steps we are starting to make, will begin to make a tiny difference.
by Helen | Dec 18, 2019 | Travel, UK
Although it’s been a while since I lived in the North East, we do still get to experience it when we visit family. It’s become a bit of a tradition that we do a bracing post-Christmas walk, usually on the coast, and this year was no exception. On the day after Boxing Day, we headed to Tynemouth. The weather was as we expected – windy, cold and drizzly. But that didn’t stop people being on King Edward’s Beach, under the imposing priory.
We decided that the weather was just perfect for a fish lunch. This being the hardy north east, where a blustery wind from Scandinavia doesn’t stop things – you just adapt and do them differently – Riley’s Fish Shack was open, and a very long queue starting to form. If you’ve not heard about this place, where have you been? Snuggling in under the cliffs – if you don’t peer over the Edwardian railings at the top, you’ll miss it – is the most wonderful eatery, we swear you’ll ever encounter. Constructed from two open-fronted shipping containers, this is steampunk heaven. With fish. The best, freshest fish you can imagine.
The menu is simple. It consists of what fresh fish they have, at the time you arrive. When it runs out, it runs out. Everything is sourced locally – I mean, how could you source from anywhere else other than the North Sea, when it’s literally lapping around the containers? There’s always a buzz in the queue – and there is *always* a queue as this place is beyond popular – about what’s on the menu. Listen to what other people are drooling over, because if they’re in the queue ahead of you, they’re watching their fish being prepped and cooked. We knew on our last visit that the Goan Monkfish Curry and the Monkfish Tail Kebabs were dead certs – more of the food later, but wowsers!
If you like your interiors to be pristine, with bookable tables and table service etc, this may not be for you. But, if you like quirky surroundings, where you sometimes need to table-share with strangers, and be warmed up with throws and by woodburners, this place is probably right up your street. There is bench-like seating at the front, overlooking the beach and three or four larger tables inside, behind glass doors. For the super-hardy – of which there were many on this very brisk December day – there are groups of canvas deckchairs, around a number of firepits on the beach itself. So, plenty of seating options, but you need to be prepared to be flexible as you might not get exactly where you want.
The interior has been really well thought out – very industrial and very raw, with some beautiful touches to soften the edges. Just like its surroundings. Lots of drift wood, metal, high stools, sharing tables, faux sheepskins, twinkling lights and throws. Perfect for a winter’s day.
but, what about the food?
Well, let’s say, we’re on the same page as Jay Rayner and GQ Magazine on this one. The menu, on the day we visited, was extensive – sea food wraps, mackerel, cod, monkfish, kebabs, lobster, squid and side dishes such as Brussels Sprouts (it was still Christmas!), garlic potatoes and breads. The choice was amazing, but monkfish can never be resisted, so the curry and the kebabs were ordered. With drinks, the bill came to £48, so not cheap, BUT the portions were huge! The chunks of monkfish were plentiful and succulent in the Goan Curry and this dish came with jasmine rice and a very large flatbread. Be aware, though, this dish comes with a kick…
Over Christmas we travelled from Istria in northern Croatia, through Italy, Austria, Germany and France on our way to and from England. And, without a shadow of a doubt, our meal at Riley’s Fish Shack was miles ahead of anything else we ate in the various restaurants we visited, on our trip. We cannot recommend this little slice of culinary heaven enough. Just don’t forget your hat & scarf!
by Helen | Nov 12, 2019 | Renovation
Yes, we are edging closer and closer to having the house fully renovated, with the completion of the renovation of the second guest room. This room, on the top floor, currently looks out over the village and has a great view down onto the piece of land, with a tiny little abandoned house, which we are in the process of buying. Meaning that one day, this room will have a much nicer view. One day, it will be looking down onto a walled garden, or a pool or a renovated annexe. Depending on our future plans – more of which later – this room will definitely be a Room With A View. However, let’s go back over three years, from when we first viewed the house and look at how it’s changed…
This room was actually one of the first to be tackled – probably because it was quite an easy shape and it was fairly obvious what we needed to do to make it look a lot better, very quickly. Walls were all painted white, the woodwork was done in the same pale blue satinwood that was being used on the external shutters and the pine floorboards were painted grey. First mistake, right there. When the floor was finished and had dried, we knew immediately we liked neither the colour nor the sheen of the topcoat. Too late though, as we had friends coming to stay and beds had been ordered.
We wanted flexibility with our guest bedrooms and so opted for two single beds in this room which could be fitted together to make a large double, when necessary. The arrival of the beds meant that the room eventually started to take on more of a homely feel…
Because we work from home, we have to actually have somewhere we can actually work – and during the house renovations, we really needed to create a quiet space, away from the demolition, drilling and general rebuilding. This second guest room was the perfect place – well away from all of the work going on downstairs and in a room that had the space to serve both functions.
During spring/summer 2019, we joined a scheme called WorkAway – a scheme which puts together people who are travelling and who have skills to offer, with hosts who need people with specific skills. We wanted our WorkAway guests to have their own space in the house, and as we were using this particular bedroom less as an office, we decided to take it back to a bedroom. Meaning that when WorkAway visitors arrived, we weren’t constantly changing the room and moving out desks and PC equipment etc.
We did still feel that this room had never been quite finished – not all of the beams were painted, the beam above the window was still in its original state and we’d decided we definitely didn’t like the floor colour – so the decision was taken to finally get it completed. And that meant moving everything out – again! – so that the floor could be painted in the same colour as we were doing throughout the upper floor and the beams finished. So, back to bedroom chaos for a little while…
A room never seems a finished room until we’ve put thought into it and worked out what the purpose of it will be. I think we’ve finally decided that this room will stay a bedroom. We have The Snug downstairs, with a woodburner, so you can decamp in there with a laptop and we have a funky desk arrangement in the corner of the living room, so we’re definitely not short of work space. Our internet connection is now strong and so we can work from almost anywhere in the house, so it finally makes sense to have three decent sized bedrooms, all ready to go, for visiting family and friends. Once the floor and beams were finished, we decided to upcycle an old cabinet we’d brought over with us from Didsbury. Matt, at David Gavin Design on Burton Road had put it outside his shop for anyone to take, and we saw a lot of potential in it. Hope he approves of its elegant new look…
Because this room has always been a bit neglected, we decided to inject a little more oomph into it. A thick-pile cream and blue rug adds warmth underfoot and blue velvet curtains now block out the light, ensuring a very relaxed night’s sleep. Our love of faux foliage comes out strongly in this room, with vines and swathes of ivy wrapped around the beams and long fronds of greenery hanging down. New bedding, including a very comfy new duvet, makes this room a real room now. Not an after-thought.
