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05 Nov 20

House selling tips and interview with ethical designer Chloe Bullock, Podcast show notes S9 ep3

Sophie Robinson and Kate Watson-Smyth recording the Great Indoors podcast at Kate's London home

Hello and welcome to my Great Indoors show notes where I chat with interior designer Chloe Bullock about the importance of sustainability in the home and Kate and I discuss selling houses and those all-important details to think about.  You can catch the full episode here.

Tips and tricks on selling houses

There seems to be quite a bit of movement in the property market of late and as we discussed a couple of episodes ago people’s priorities have changed due to the pandemic. With social distancing becoming the norm, many people are viewing houses virtually so we thought, how do you get your house ready to sell?

It’s all about the view on Selling Sunset.

Now, I did confess I don’t know that much about the UK property market, however, I am all over the Netflix hit show Selling Sunset. For those of you who don’t know it focuses on realtors selling the million-dollar pads in Beverley Hills, Hollywood – not at all relatable I know but that’s why I love it. It’s a bit of escapism – the houses, of course, the clothes the women wear and the sunshine it’s basically house porn on the highest level!

From an interior design point of view, it’s a little frustrating, as once you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all! They all have the pool, the large sliding doors and marble in the kitchen. It’s all ‘California Cool’ which is basically white, white and more white and these premium pads must have a view – there’s certainly not much to look at inside! Yes, this is another world, but what I took from it is that they are selling the dream and are immaculate and they hire in furniture and artwork to enhance the look.

If we think back to when house flipping and property ladder TV shows were very popular we were encouraged to de-personalise our homes and go neutral for prospective buyers. I think you can never second guess what that buyer’s taste will be – these are homes and we’re not talking about selling sunsets! Don’t get caught up in the fear of having to de-personalise, you never know you could be selling to someone like me!

We have moved on from this thankfully, and your house does still need to be clean and tidy. In terms of the virtual tour, do think about what you might not be seeing behind the camera and as Kate pointed out – think about the scale, think about the size of the furniture in there and whether you would need the same. Don’t forget to compare the video and photographs to the floor plan – this may be a bit dull but may help get your head around room sizes and give you an idea about where you could potentially knock down walls (not the thick black lines as these are supporting walls and very costly to move).

Don’t be afraid to add some natural colour to liven up the space. Photograph by Alun Callender

This is all practical stuff, but part of the magic of selling a house to me is to bring in some fresh flowers and yes those cliche ‘homely’ smells of coffee and freshly baked bread, it’s all about adding to the sensory experience. We obviously can’t do that virtually but adding plants and greenery is a great way to create a sense of calm and relaxation.

Do share your house moving hacks either on Insta @sophierobinsoninteriors or our ever-growing, ever-resourceful  Facebook group.

Interview with Chloe Bullock

We have broached the subject of sustainability quite a bit on the Great Indoors, whether that’s buying vintage, upcycling, recycling or challenging businesses to be more responsible. But I thought I would go to someone within the interior design industry so I got to chat with Chloe Bullock of Materialise Interiors, who is a member of the BIID and the first UK based designer to be Vegandesign.org certified.

Chloe began her career with The Body Shop back in the 90s when they were rapidly expanding and needed a retail design team.  The team needed to be aware of the origin of every single piece of material used and had no animal content – in line the brand’s products. Chloe says that there is a lot of animal content within our homes and without going into any detail she says “animals and commerce don’t mix too well.” One thing that did shock her was the wool industry although treatment towards sheep has now improved considerably.

Ikea is known for its sustainability beliefs and policies

She also mentioned live plucking! Which when you think about how many interior products are feather filled, it’s things like this we need look into before we buy. Ikea is one brand there is known for stringent animal policies:

‘At IKEA we believe that in order to achieve improved animal welfare, the environments animals are reared in, the way the animals are handled and standard on-farm practices must prioritize good physical health, good mental health, and the expression of natural behaviour.’ You can check out the full animal welfare document here.

Yes, there is a lot to think about when buying anything, but it’s worth it, Chloe says, “Asking questions en masse will get companies ready to answer those questions.”

“Those companies who are doing good should shout about it and make it easy for people to find them”

Q. Is this information being shared between designers or are you keeping it all close to your chest?

“I feel very strongly that this is all something we should be sharing and not something I should keep to myself. I’ve been behind Kate’s Do Less Harm directory and I would love people to continue adding to that as I think that would help enormously. I am a member of the BIID and I have nagged them a little bit and I have been brought in to help with sustainability to try and help our members to learn more and hopefully will have a trickle effect.

Chloe designed Nostos in Hove and note the use of plants en masse.

Q. So what questions do we need to be asking?

“At the top, is it FSC or PEFC certified (for timber). Recycling – there many products with high recycled content and we should be opting for that.”

“It can be very overwhelming for people but if we all take small steps and together it will start to make changes.”

Chloe wanted to share these links;

Made in a Free World, madeinafreeworld.org which is a survey which looks at who made the items you have bought.

The Well Building Standard “is about designing spaces looking at the air and water quality, materials used and are bringing in biophilic aspects. Initially used for offices but can also be applied to homes and other spaces. It’s all about making the building and interior healthy for use, so it’s human-centric design.”

“We need to collaborate at an early stage and sharing of information is our way out of the problem we have.”

If you do one thing today, change your energy provider to a green one – it’s so easy and doesn’t have to cost more!

A huge thanks to Chloe for sharing her knowledge and insights and do check out her Instagram feed, @materialiseint where she shares lots of info.

 

Finally we answered a listeners question about how to add colour to a seventeenth century cottage with oak beams and low ceilings. Kate and I both agreed that old period properties can really take the colour and I’d argue that white is the last colour you should choose as its far to modern and stark. Softer earthier shades work the best and natural motifs, like William Morris prints for example support the character of a rural property.

 

On our regular Style Surgery slot, we help one of our listeners add colour to her 17th C cottage. Image of Plum Sykes home for Vogue.

If you have a question for our Style surgery, head on over to our Great Indoors podcast facebook group. We’d love to see you there.

 

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Just jumping on here to high five all the parents Just jumping on here to high five all the parents who saw their kids off to school this morning after two long months of home schooling. While some are bouncing out the door my Arthur was full of anxiety this morning after so long at home, going back to school feels overwhelming. However I know that once he is reunited with his friends he’ll be back in the swing by the end of the week helped along by his amazing teachers who have just been incredible throughout this whole ordeal. 🙌  And I’m slightly giddy at the thought of reclaiming my office and being able to actually focus on work. Gosh it’s been hard hasn’t it but things are looking up! Have a gorgeously productive Monday folks! 

📷 @aluncallenderphoto 

#backtoschool #homeoffice #workingfromhome
It was an absolute JOY to pop up on @interiordesig It was an absolute JOY to pop up on @interiordesignmasters_tv last night and I feel super lucky to have been part of the show and to meet the talented line up of designers that @michelleogundehin had lined up! Michelle is a rare gem in the design world. She’s 100% authentically committed to championing the power  of design to exalt our experience. Which has nothing to do with ego and everything to do with creating extraordinary and thought out spaces that make us FEEL GOOD. Nothing does this better than a pink polka dot beach hut in my view! 
It’s this little bit of magic that’s hard to translate on mediums like Instagram and TV. You have to take our word for it! 
And while I’m  here, so much love for my Mac, the DM’s have been insane! I bought it last year from my fave little boutique @sirene.boutique and the label is @muntheofficial . Glad it brightened up your screens! 🥰 

#interiordesign #interiordesignmasters #interiordesignmasters_tv
Interiors Design masters is on the telly tonight! Interiors Design masters is on the telly tonight! BBC 2. And I’m sidling up with the fabulous @michelleogundehin and hilarious @chattyman on a joint mission to bring you the best in interior design talent. The competition hots up at this half way point as the designers are given beach huts in tonight’s challenge. The perfect brief that demands full throttle on the creativity while throwing every practical problem at them too. A tiny multifunctional space, sea, sand, sunshine and rain storms. And two judges who want to feel transported to sunnier climes. What could possibly go wrong! If I wasn’t blown away by the high winds I was whipped away by the incredible talent of @moneypennyinteriors @interiorcurve @charlottebeevor @lynseyforddesign @micaelasharpdesign . Enjoy! It’s a real beauty of a show, see you tonight at 8! @interiordesignmasters_tv 

#interiordesignmasters #
DAY 20 of #easywininteriors and I’m bringing the DAY 20 of #easywininteriors and I’m bringing the outside in! 20 days ago I was feeling heavy with lock down fatigue and endless grey skies, rain and endless mud. But as we reach the end of February the sun is coming out  and we’ve just been treated to the most beautiful blue skies and birdsong this weekend! It feels amazing that spring is around the corner, a time of rebirth, new life, hope and optimism. While this challenging period has highlighted to us the importance of home and our interiors have never mattered more, our outside spaces have also become fundamental to our wellbeing. I feel it’s really important to incorporate the great outdoors indoors. You can do this with a collection of houseplants and fresh flowers but also in the way your decorate. It’s no coincidence that we are drawn to floral and botanical motifs in our wallpapers, fabrics and artworks. They make us feel connected to nature and that makes us feel good. Nothing feels better than natural materials and indeed it’s been scientifically proven that when we touch real wood, it actively lowers our blood pressure. So if you don’t already, celebrate all of nature’s gifts and incorporate them in your schemes somehow.
So here we are, my 20 day count down to bring you to the doorstep of March has come to an end. I’ve loved seeing your #easywininteriors and getting a glimpse on how important our homes are to us and how they have the power to give us a little boost no matter how small. The wonderful  @kinteriorsuk has taken on the hashtag and will be posting daily for the next 10 days in March and so if you want to keep the easy win inspo  flowing, give her a follow, she has lots of ideas lined up for us all to get involved with. Thanks so much for following ime on this journey and hurrah for Spring! 

In the words of George Michael 
“I think I’m done with the sofa
I think I’m done with the hall
I think I’m done with the kitchen table baby
Let’s go outside!”🌷🌈😍 

#thegreatoutdoors #thegreatindoors #outsidein #happyinside #colourlover #banthebeige
DAY 19 of #easywininteriors and we are almost acro DAY 19 of #easywininteriors and we are almost across the finish line! Today my easy win to brighten up your home is artwork. I’m obsessed. I can remember the first piece of ‘art’ (as in not a framed poster) was back in 2000 at Battersea affordable arts fair and I bought a limited edition litho print of a blossom tree  and it felt so grown up! I still have it now, up in my hallway and it’s been in five different homes since I bought it. Collecting art, (as well as posters in frames) really makes a house a home for me and I love how certain pieces really make me remember particular times in my life . This is my latest piece, a portrait of my dog Lucy. I’ve discovered so many amazing artists here on Instagram but when I fell upon @georgiafiennesstudio I knew I had to have a piece of her work in my home. It’s just heavenly! I’ve never commissioned a piece before so it feels even more grown up but it’s just perfect because I love chintz and I love my dog and she bought both together. I’ve just got to wait to take it to the framers and then I can hang it in pride of place. I might have a switch about too and give the walls a new look while I’m at it. 🤩 

#easywininteriors #minibullie #minibullterrier #ihavethisthingwithchintz #ihavethisthingwithflowers #colourlover #banthebeige #artathome #portrait #countryinteriors
DAY 18 of #easywininteriors and I’m getting the DAY 18 of #easywininteriors and I’m getting the paintbrush out! Giving old and unappreciated brown furniture of coat of colour is not just easy but quick too and you get ooodles of satisfaction giving something a new lease of life. Since the sun is starting to poke it’s head out it’s the perfect opportunity to fling open the windows, roll out the dust sheet, and calm your senses with the therapeutic strokes of a paint brush. I transformed these battered old Ercol chairs that I found at a car boot sale with an undercoat of Zinsser and a top coat of eggshell so they really can withstand the knocks. ( here’s a tip, use a sash  brush for spindly furniture) I love how the pink legs pick up on the pink in the wallpaper. I’ve got a couple of pots of chalk paint waiting in the wings. This just might be the weekend to tackle the bedside tables at last! Have a wonderful weekend  and I hope the sun shines on you wherever you are! 

CREDITS Reclaimed terracotta tiles @ca_pietra_  Borastapeter Rubarber wallpaper @wallpaperdirect Clock @newgateclocks Doors painted in Rose Ash Light @sanderson1860 Everything else is vintage 

#easywininteriors #kitchen #countrykitchen #upcycle #upcycledfurniture #countryliving #countrylivingmodernrustic #countrykitchen #greenkitchen #greenandpink #interiorinspo #interiordesign
DAY 17 of #easywininteriors is all about making do DAY 17 of #easywininteriors is all about making do with what you’ve got and making it work. For most of us, decorating our home and choosing all the things we want to go with it is a long if not a life time journey and there are plenty of compromises along the way. One of the ways I make do with things I’m less happy about is with distraction. You can use colour to draw the eye and highlight the bits you do like and similarly blend away the areas that need to fade into the back ground. For me joinery, radiators and my unattractive windows all get painted in the same colour so they fall to the background and then the cushions and artwork can come to the fore and catch your eye. I painted these lovely old solid wood doors bright yellow on a whim with some left over paint. It was a quick and easy way to inject a burst of  colour joy. So don’t discount doors and architraves as a fun way to play with colour, but only if you have nice ones. 
On the PODCAST today @mad_about_the_house and I discuss more ways you can make do. I interview leading interior designer and queen of colour and pattern @nicolahardingandco who has amazing insights on how to go about planning your schemes, conjure mouthwatering colour palettes and work with what you’ve got. And our style surgery is from Callum who finds himself stuck with a shiny blue green sofa which he doesn’t love and doesn’t know what to put with. Obviously cover it with cushions and distract the eye with A bright yellow door Callum! 

If you have a question for our style surgery do please send it in as we are lining them up for the next series and we’d love to hear from you! Drop us an email to thegreatindoorspod@gmail.com.You can here all our ramblings and insights on today’s show The Great Indoors and thankyou to @katetaylorldn for producing the show. 

#thegreatindoors #bluesofa #yellowdoor #banthebeige #interiorspodcast #podcast #interiordesign #interiorinspo
DAY 16 of #easywininteriors and I’m extolling th DAY 16 of #easywininteriors and I’m extolling the benefits of an occasional chair. I’ve always loved occasional chairs primarily for their decorative function. I’m a patterned fabric addict and so an occasional chair I’d another opportunity to add more pattern, more colour and another cushion to boot! But during these extended periods of lock down and staying at home I’ve appreciated the quiet little corners they offer. I’m lucky enough to find a space for one here on my landing but they can also find a home in a bedroom, a home office, under the stairs or indeed #lifegoals in the bathroom. So rather than playing second fiddle to THE SOFA put your occasional chair in pride of place and grab yourself 5 minutes solitude! Most of mine are junk shop funds bought back to live with my hoarded stash of remnant fabrics. So it’s time to raid grannies attic and  create a seat that makes you smile . 🥰  use the hashtags #easywininteriors to share your favourite corners of escape.

#easywininteriors #vintagearmchair #armchair #occassionalchair #colourlover #banthebiege
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