House Doctor Archives - Style&Minimalism

Christmas Gift Guide 2018

As I’m a little short on blogging time these days I thought it best to combine my Christmas gift lists into one big Christmas gift guide this year, covering all the family. It’s much easier for me and, hopefully, easier for you if you’re able to see everything in one place.

I prefer to order online as I’m not a fan of crowds or wet weather, and if you can have something delivered to your door then why wouldn’t you. I just hope that my orders arrive in minimal, recyclable packaging; nothing worse than a huge box with a tiny one inside, such a waste.

My preference is towards more unique gifts that are harder to find but worth trawling for. I love to support small shops and brands, so I hope you’ll find something unexpected and special in my Christmas gift ideas. You’ll also find a few well-made, timeless classics; good investment items that everyone can appreciate.

1. Study 34 Crew Neck Baby Alpaca Jumper in Grey | 2. Cox & Cox Drip Glazed Table Lamp | 3. Wood & Meadow Japanese Sentei Garden Scissors (use code welcome10 for 10% off) | 4. Architectmade BIRD | 5. Price & Kensington Teapot 1100ml in Grey | 6. Grainger & Jameson Children’s Bunny Stool (website closed)| 7. Tilly Sveas Small Gold T-Bar On Fine Gold Belcher Chain (sign-up to their newsletter for 10% off) | 8. Susanne Kaufmann Best of Body Limited Edition | 9. Allbirds Wool Runners in Kotare Jo | 10. Sunspel Woven Cashmere Scarf in Navy | 11. uki.be Toothbrush & Spoon | 12. Beatrice Felicki Nordic Light Print | 13. House Doctor Atmospheric Matter Wall Hanging Mobile | 14. Jono Smart Low Bowl in Textured Grey | 15. Laura Lombardi Curve Hoops | 16. Chemex 3-6 Cup Filter Drip Coffee Maker

I won’t go into detail about everything in my guide but I wanted to highlight a few of the brands so you understand a little more about why I’ve chosen to include them.

Study 34 is a wonderful, sustainable brand that uses baby alpaca in their knitwear; it’s very warm and incredibly soft. Everything is designed in Newcastle and made in Peru.

Allbirds are an environmentally-friendly footwear brand that use natural materials like merino wool, eucalyptus tree fibre and sugar cane to make their comfy, machine washable trainers.

uki.be specialise in teethers for babies that are BPA-free and made from food-grade rubber. They don’t look like your standard teethers either.

Beatrice Felicki‘s beautiful monochrome prints are atmospheric and eerily beautiful. (Thanks for the introduction Abi.)

Jono Smart makes his minimal ceramics in a studio in Glasgow. His timeless pottery always sells out fast so be quick. (Also check out his partner, Emily’s wood turned creations.)

Time To Slow Down with C.P. Hart

This post was created in collaboration with C.P. Hart.

**The White Company** Wooden Bath Tidy | **Iris Hantverk** Bath Brush | **Meraki** Sponge | **Ex Nihilo** Ultra Rose Candle*

**C.P. Hart** Winchester Freestanding Cast Iron Bath

The latest addition to our house is a new roll top bath from C.P. Hart. We finally have a bath, it’s only taken us 7 years!

At the beginning of the year I wrote a post about my New Year Intentions, one of which was to slow down. Learning when to slow down (especially when you live in a city like London) is an important skill to hone, and one that often takes time to acquire. I’ve lived in London for around 12 years and it’s only now that I truly appreciate the need. Life can pass you by in a flash, so it’s important to take your time to appreciate the simple things. Whether that’s reading a book/magazine/newspaper whilst sitting in a favourite café and sipping on a freshly made coffee. Or taking a walk in a local park/favourite part of town/the countryside and enjoying taking everything in without an alternative agenda. Or (for me) slipping into a deep bath scented with my favourite bath oil (currently Olverum) whilst listening to calming music.

**House Doctor** Large Rustic Bowl | **House Doctor** Pure Nature Stool | **Iris Hantverk** Body Brush | **Meraki** Nail Brush* | **Meraki** Pumice Stone* | **Pai Skincare** Rosehip BioRegenerate Rapid Radiance Mask* | **Olverum** Bath Oil

Pregnancy really forced me to slow down, I would get tired after the least taxing of activities and, as the months wore on, I got more and more achey as my ligaments softened. Getting our new bath from C.P. Hart was an absolute game-changer. Barely a day went by when I was pregnant that I didn’t take a dip in it, whether that was to soothe my aches and pains or to chill out from the insane heatwave. There’s nowhere I felt more relaxed and would happily wallow away an hour.

There’s not a lot of time for me to wallow these days but I still grab a bath whenever I can, the pregnancy aches have been replaced by back and shoulder aches from carrying my gorgeous little girl around (she’s now 6.5kg). Little Isabelle, on the other hand, uses it daily as part of her bedtime routine.

**Balance Me** Super Moisturising Body Wash* | **Immunocologie** Cleansing Lotion* | **Immunocologie** Exfoliator Lotion* | **Susanne Kaufmann** Witch Hazel Bath

You might be wondering why it took us 7 years to get a bath. When we bought our house we completely gutted the kitchen and bathroom, removing the floor in-between and the ceiling above. This hadn’t been our plan but that’s what you get when you buy an old Victorian cottage with character. This, sadly, used up our budget and we just couldn’t afford the dreamy cast iron roll top bath I had planned for. Fast-forward 7 years and it’s been worth the wait, I couldn’t be happier with our beautiful bath, it’s just the right size and fits in perfectly, bringing together the old character of our Victorian house with my minimal style.

Just before the bump got too big I was on my hands and knees priming and painting the bath, a week later and the bump was too big and I wouldn’t have been able to. I used Johnstone’s Anti-Rust Metal Primer in Red Oxide and Farrow & Ball Estate Eggshell in Off-Black No.57. I used two coats of the primer and then two coats of the top coat. The 750ml pots of each were more than enough.

C.P. Hart were the obvious choice for me, they’ve been around for over 75 years, are well known for producing high quality products and work with some incredible designers (including Alessi and Philippe Starck). I can’t fault them on quality, our bath has been very well made and will be here for many years, long after we’ve moved on. It’s given our bathroom a stunning focal-point and finally it feels complete.

Wall Decorations

**Desenio** ‘Let The Light In’ Print 50x70cm* | **Desenio** White Passe-Partout 70x100cm* | **Desenio** Black Picture Frame 70x100cm*

**IKEA** Round Metal Mirror | **H&M** Men’s Black Leather Belts

**House Doctor** Everyday 2016 Concrete Wall Clock*

**Desenio** ‘Simple Balance’ Print 30x40cm* | **Desenio** Black Picture Frame 30x40cm* | **Desenio** ‘Hellebore Leaf’ Print 50x70cm* | **Desenio** Black Picture Frame 30x40cm* | **Desenio** ‘White Stroke’ Print 50x70cm* | **Cox & Cox** Oak Display Dome* | **H&M** Metal Candlestick Holder | **India May** Large Nordic Candle Holder*

**Samantha Totty** ‘Circle No.1’ Print 50x70cm | **Desenio** ‘Black Forest’ Print 50x70cm | **Habitat** Dark Birch 50x70cm Frames

A home never feels quite finished without artwork on the walls, like the books on your shelves, there’s something so personal about what you display on your walls, and what it says about you. It’s really important that it’s something you’re going to appreciate whenever you look at it. When it comes to knowing what works where, how high or low to hang it and how to group things I’ve found that it takes a lot of time and consideration. So I don’t end up with hundreds of holes in the walls I use masking tape and greaseproof paper to give me an idea of what size works where. I’ve also found that lots of websites will give you examples of what prints work well together or what frame suits the print. If not, a set of two or three prints in the same series always look great together. Or try playing with proportions mixing prints of different sizes. If you want to mix and match different styles, black and white prints will usually work well together.

I’m not keen on hanging prints on every wall (I prefer to keep things minimal) so I’ve found that decorative hooks, clocks and mirrors are a great way of breaking things up, as well as being functional. The mirror in our living room was inspired by the 1950s designed Gubi Adnet mirror, which has a fairly hefty price tag. My DIY version uses a cheap IKEA mirror and some leather belts from H&M to create a similar look. It wasn’t until our concrete clock from House Doctor was up that I realised just how useful it is. I love the concrete and brass together, and it looks great on a white wall. I’ve also become a bit obsessed with hooks in the house lately, I don’t think I’d appreciated how useful they were before. There are some great designs available from Scandinavian brands like House Doctor, Muuto and HAY.

New Season Bedroom Accessories

Spring is only a few weeks away and I’m looking forward to the longer days; for me more daylight means more shooting time and not worrying if I’ve missed the only good light of the day. As we’re coming out of winter I feel like it’s a good time to freshen things up in the house.

I’ve been thinking more and more about how we use our bedroom and the kind of mood I want to inspire. Above all else it’s where we sleep so the bed, bed linen, pillows and duvet need to work hard. I think textiles are key when it comes to creating a comfortable and relaxed space. The White Company are one of my favourite brands for bed linen, the quality is exceptional and although not cheap I think their products are good value. I’ve been on the lookout for a great quilt for a little while and their new Bourton Collection has a gorgeous grey one that has matching cushion covers. It’s grey herringbone on one side and a stripe chambray on the other, so when I fancy a change I can flip it over.

I’m starting to experiment with lighting, we have downlights in most rooms but I think we’re missing a trick and could do with a few lamps here and there. I’ve seen a lot of great designs out there that don’t seem too expensive, especially for something that makes such a big difference to the mood of a room. Scandinavian designers are particularly good with lighting; maybe as daylight (or lack of it) has such a big impact on them. MENU and ferm LIVING are two brilliant Danish brands that not only make great lamps but lots other great homeware products, too. I’ve picked out a couple of my favourites above.

Like many of my Instagram buddies I’ve become quite obsessed with Beni Ourain rugs. They’re traditional Moroccan rugs woven from undyed natural wool by the Beni Ourain people from the Rif Mountains. Modernist architects, Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright were also known to like them. Like those guys, I’m a fan of order but I love the imperfect nature of their patterns. The thick pile is perfect for rubbing your toes in as you get out of bed. With their current popularity there are so many great Beni Ourain style rugs available online, I particularly love this one from West Elm. It’s not a traditional Moroccan rug but was made in New Delhi as part of the Craftmark initiative, “which helps denote genuine Indian handicrafts, develop sector-wide minimum standards and norms for labeling a product as a handicrafts product“. If you’re looking for a genuine Moroccan rug, India May Home have some coming soon.

One of the other things I like to do in bed is read a good book. I read a lot, I have a book on the go constantly. Usually I buy three or four at a time which I keep beside the bed. I’m planning to put up a new shelf in our bedroom to keep them on so I can keep my bedside table clear. I’m undecided about the style and size of the shelf at the moment as I’ve yet to decide where to hang it but I love the simplicity of this one by Frama. And being a book lover, the recent discovery of Folio Society has got me all excited, their beautifully bound editions are keepers.