New Revival Colours with Getting Stuff Done in Heels
Sally resides behind the infamous pink front door in leafy Surrey and shares her love of interiors and lifestyle with her Instagram followers, along with her knowledge about blood cancer and stem cells as a proud ambassador for DKMS, the stem cell donor registry. In this blog Sally talks to us about how to discover fresh sources of colour inspiration in the home, tips for bringing the indoors outside in Summer, and gives us her must-listen Podcast recommendations. Read on to find out all…
What sparked your interest in interiors?
Our first house was a 1930s farm worker’s cottage. It was fairly dilapidated when we bought it, so I was thrown in at the deep end decor wise. We added a spiral staircase and converted the loft, along with knocking down walls, replacing the bathroom and kitchen. It was a baptism of fire and I loved it! We knew we had to honour parts of it, like the gorgeous leaded windows, but other parts could go, like the electric fire and the gloss paint on the beautiful old panelled doors! Decorating was done on a tiny budget as we got married that year and money was incredibly tight. I discovered a love of vintage pieces which I found at Ardingly Antiques Fair – loving the fact that these pieces were often far cheaper (and lovelier) than their new counterparts. It’s a place I visit regularly even now, and I still get a buzz from finding the perfect thing! Quite often a thing I didn’t know I needed… haha! My house is currently undergoing a major renovation and when Roberts got in touch to chat about the beautiful new colours of their Revival Radio, I was delighted as I am a long time Roberts customer and the new colours have inspired me!
"I can clearly remember my Grandmother saying ‘Pink and green should never be seen’. If she was here now, I’d have a word or two to challenge that!"
Where do you get your colour inspiration in the home from?
Colour inspiration comes from everywhere – I don’t think I have a particular ‘style’ – I am not afraid of bright or deep colour and also have an appreciation and love of the neutrals. I look at nature and note that ‘Everything goes with green’. With that in mind, while planning the colours for our new bedroom, I can clearly remember my Grandmother saying ‘Pink and green should never be seen’. If she was here now, I’d have a word or two to challenge that!
I take a lot of inspiration from Instagram – It’s like having a master key to countless houses! I often save an image I like. It can be anything from a single flower in a colour that catches my eye, to a whole room. I LOVE that we are all getting braver with colour and style. Colour is so accessible isn’t it? When I painted our front door pink, it took a couple of hours yet can so easily be painted over, which would totally change the look of the whole house. I love that.
We’ve just launched five new Revival colours, which is your favourite?
Ahhhh now, should I make you guess? It’s the Dusky Pink of course! I absolutely love the soft ‘old rose’ colour – it’s not a sweet candy kind of pink- more a chalky soft pink. She will live in my kitchen until the house is finished, then, who knows! I am planning a soft pink and green bedroom so she might end up there!
How would you recommend using the other four colours – Teal Blue, Berry Red, Mulberry Purple, and Charcoal Grey – in different interiors?
I love the strong colours – if you are looking to update a room but don’t want to go to the faff of painting a wall, one of these would provide a beautiful stylish and very useful, pop of colour.
Imagine the teal in a modern white kitchen. I have a friend with a wall to wall white modern kitchen – she has bright coloured chairs around a gloss white table – the Teal would look FABULOUS in there!
Imagine the Berry Red against a grey wall – Grey, after all, is the new magnolia isn’t it – I can see why, it goes with everything – but I am thinking it’s time to switch up the greys a bit!
I have a long time love of a decent shade of Mulberry – I have a mulberry purple Aga – we had it re-enamelled 10 years ago (it used to be racing green) and I ‘ve never regretted it. Mulberry is one of those colours that is what I’d call, a ‘gentle statement’. It goes so well with the Farrow and Ball painted units next to it in our kitchen. Pop that Mulberry radio next to a wall painted in Hardwick White and Bob’s your uncle! A gentle statement. Here is a pic of my kitchen.
I guess to me, the ‘safest’ colour is the Charcoal Grey. It has a slightly more grown up vibe and it think it would look lovely in a study. It would also stop a pink wall, looking too girly. Paring it down a bit from twee to understated. I’d like to sneak one in to one of my boys’ rooms – I reckon this is the most sneakable colour to smuggle in under the radar! The perfect crime.
Do you listen to the radio at home?
In our house, the radio is constantly on. I am the proud owner of a Roberts clock radio Circa 1995, still as good as the day we bought it, and can report it’s still going strong! We wake up to the radio and the habit continues throughout the day. I have a duck egg Roberts Radio on the landing and a purple one in the kitchen. Very decadent having an upstairs AND a downstairs Roberts Radio! Haha. We have Alexa in the kitchen too, so I am really looking forward to pairing the iStream and listening on that instead, HURRAH!
Can you share your favourite Podcasts with us?
I LOVE listening to podcasts – I recently ran a 10k for DKMS and (when I remembered to bring my earpods) I’d train and listen – I find running really boring so filling my mind with a 35-minute podcast was brilliant. I also listen to them while I am cleaning the house, or on a long drive, I feel bereft once I am all caught up with my favourites!
So here are my favourite pods that I subscribe to:
I love Hashtag Authentic with Sara Tasker
Another fab listen is Letters from a Hopeful Creative with Sara Tasker and Jen Carrington. Sara is an Instagram guru and runs her own massively successful business off the back of it and Jen is a life coach.
A recent favourite is The Great Indoors with Sophie Robinson and Kate Watson-Smythe – I don’t know how they manage it considering interiors are so ‘visual’ but they chat so brilliantly it’s easy to imagine you are there with them on Sophie’s floral sofa in Sussex or in Kate’s Victorian house with her love of chocolate rich colours.
I love listening to Deb (AKA Bowel Babe) and co on You, Me, and the Big C – a scary subject that we should all talk about more if you ask me! Knowledge is power after all!
And last but by no means least, I find Verified Views with Sedge Beswick from Seen Connects, a really good listen if you are interested in social media and how brands and, well, people like me, work together and the burgeoning dawn of influencer marketing and all it brings with it.
What are your top tips for enjoying outdoors in late summer?
Enjoying the outdoors can be done without straying too far from the back door – One of my favourite things to do is invite the family over and have a BBQ in the garden. We have an arbour and I love to dress it to make the space feel magical. Never knowingly under catered on the fairy light front! I have an old apple picker’s ladder Gav threatened to take to the tip!! I KNOW!!! Ten seconds later it was safely hung horizontally under the arbour with lanterns and flowers and fairy lights wrapped around it!
If we venture to the beach and the sun is shining, we love to walk the coastal paths – especially in North Cornwall. There is something magic about the light and the air in Cornwall isn’t there. Cornwall is ALWAYS a good idea.
One thing that’s vital in our campervan is a radio! Bringing your radio is a basic home from home necessity – the familiarity of the voices coming with you to any location – well, it’s like tea and biscuits isn’t it! Hand in hand with feeling at home. Not to mention handy for the weather forecast when you are camping as the phone signal in the middle of a field in Cornwall can be hit and miss!
Love
Follow Sally on Instagam @gettingstuffdoneinheels
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