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We are in the thick of rebranding and updating our company website. I last did this in 2018 which seems like a long and very distant time. Back then we were working from my home, not because we feared the outside world, simply because that is where we were, taking over too much of my home.
Move forward four years, and it’s a whole lot different.
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So, I decided at the end of last year that it was time for a refresh. It’s a massive undertaking; you interview and hire a web design team but the text, the images, and the image order all need to be agreed on in-house and then sent over to the designers to execute.
It’s a lot like having another design project on the go. It’s exciting and it has made me look at all the touchpoints in my business - you know me, never do anything by halves. So, I have taken a complex project and probably doubled the amount of effort required to bring it all to a beautiful conclusion.
We are planning a May launch and you will be the first to know when all goes live.
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THE ART OF THE PHOTOSHOOT
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We have several projects getting photographed this spring, and it will be lovely to add some new content to our site.
I have had an on / off relationship with Instagram in the past few months, but I will get back on that soon, I think. I do enjoy sharing images and seeing what my friends and industry allies are up to, but I dislike the shady side of social media, the competitiveness, and the fact that it can seriously impact people’s mental health.
I try to show the good, but also the real without it being over-filtered and unrealistic. It should brighten someone’s day, not make them feel like rubbish.
I’d love to know your thoughts on social media. How do you feel about Instagram?
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I do love seeing our projects through the camera lens, it's always interesting to see which ones are going to be supermodels and steal the show.
Supermodel rooms are the ones that through the lens really shine. The proportions scale well and the lighting is impeccable. There are others which although beautiful in person, don’t suit the camera. Bathrooms can be tricky to shoot; those with an abundance of glass and daylight are really tricky to capture as there is so much reflection bouncing off every surface.
My studio kitchen is gorgeous in person but it’s not a supermodel, there isn’t enough space to back up and get a good room shot. In this case, we take smaller textural shots instead of trying to encapsulate the whole room.
Rooms really are like people and sometimes having a happy wonky smile instead of perfect teeth works to the camera’s advantage.
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Gone are the days when I style my own projects for shoots, I now hire professionals who style for the camera. They are worth their weight in gold and have taught me so much about placement.
My dream team come armed with boxes of stuff to make every space shine. At the end of the day, my clients are left with a very clean and polished home, with fresh flowers and some new accessories. We always advise that they book a dinner party for that night to take advantage of all that we have done.
A shoot involves a good old tidy-up, clearing clutter and making space. In these COVID days with installs happening over multiple weeks, most of the rooms have been put to really good use prior to the shoot so we come in and fluff everything back up to its freshly installed glory.
Stuff does tend to accumulate but it’s always interesting for me to see what is piling up where and if a solution can be found to remedy this if it's something my clients would like.
Some of us are filers (we put our stuff away) and some are pilers (we like to see what we have and worry that if we don’t see it, we will forget about it), so it has to work for you. Often filers and pilers live with each other and then the fun really starts!
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One area that I do believe in being clutter / pile free is bedrooms or Sleeping Sanctuaries as I may now refer to them.
I believe bedside tables should be clear of stuff as should dresser tops. I also am not a fan of TVs in bedrooms, but for some, it’s the only place they can peacefully watch what they want to see!
Linens should be cotton or linen and the bed should be easy to make in the morning. Last year I watched the Nicole Kidman series Nine Perfect Strangers and was totally captivated by the bedlinens. This is the best bed picture I could find online, see below. I just wish Melissa McCarthy was looking a bit cheerier, but it wasn’t a really cheery show!
Melissa did have the best bedroom – l love the carpet with the inset detail. We have a similar detail currently being finalized for a client’s sleeping sanctuary. It’s going to be tone-on-tone but plush and tailored. The inset is round, and it’s not under the bed, so actually nothing like this image below apart from the fact it's carpet. I digress.
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The Nine Perfect Strangers beds were perfectly rumpled in that gorgeous way that only linen can provide and the mix of solid colours and textures was divine.
I loved the raw edges on the pillow shams, the textured throws and the fact that things are not a perfectly matched set.
So I set out to source them, they were from Hale Mercantile Co. They ship globally – the supplier is based in Australia, and I have yet to see anything as close to gorgeous as these in North America. The only item I am not a fan of is their bed skirts. I like mine tailored, skimming the floor, whilst theirs are puddling - I feel it's too much. I like a tailored headboard and skirt and then you have rumpled sheets and duvet. All rumpled, all the time, to me is a pickle.
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Oh, how I long to travel and to take my design inspiration on the road again. Here’s hoping that this year I’ll book some flights and actually take them!
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We have been taking Reba out on mini-hikes (no more than 5 km yet) and she is loving them. She loves being out in nature and is very well behaved when she is not on her leash. We were both slightly terrified the first time we tried this, but she likes to stay in the middle of us and stay close - she was trained really well!
She loathes wearing her coat and tries to shake it off as she walks (even when it's freezing cold) but apart from that, life with Reba is pretty perfect. Thank you all for asking!
She is in the studio normally half of the week and welcomes visitors like they are long-lost friends that have come solely to see her. The UPS man is a tad confused…………
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I wish you all a wonderful March, the days are definitely getting longer and that is lovely to see. I always know that by March we are through with winter. Yes, it will probably still snow, but we know that the majority of the cold and ice is behind us. I long to feel the spring sun on my face and see the first magnolias bloom.
Thank you for reading and for your feedback, it means so much to me!
Warmest,
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Credits
Textural Shot, Photographer Unknown
The Black Sheep (reminds me of so many things in my life), Photographer Unknown
Pears sourced via Aran Goyoaga, Cannellevanille Instagram
Gillian Gillies Studio, Virginia Macdonald Photography
Gillian Gillies Instagram
Delightful Den, Historic Townhouse Renovation, Gillian Gillies Interiors, Virginia Macdonald Photography
Kitchen, Historic Townhouse Renovation, Gillian Gillies Interiors, Virginia Macdonald Photography
Moody Teen Bedroom (the room not him!), Gillian Gillies Interiors, Virginia Macdonald Photography
Mellisa McCarthy, Nine Perfect Strangers, Hulu, Hale Mercantile Co Linens
Hale Mercantile Co Linens
Reba, The Wonder Dog, Gillian Gillies
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