On the Wagon

I found these two gorgeous images of gypsy caravans on this blog post. The wonderful 'anything goes' attitude towards filling such a tiny living space with sumptuous soft furnishings, colour and texture, may not adhere to any so-called interior design rules, but I just I love this look.

Whilst most of the walls in our home are painted white or soft pastels, I do embrace colour in the accessories and vintage treasures that I love to collect, such as my 50's floral hats crammed into a glazed cupboard in our living room.

And my scrap books that I told about on my blog here, where I save images from magazines that speak to me, show a love of colour, fabrics and those special little treasures vintage or handmade.

There is a large variety of decorating styles that appeal to me...

I really do find it hard to chose just one look and to stick with it...

And just recently I have become a little, (dare I say it?), bored, with the pared-down white interiors with 'tasteful' rustic linens and faded florals....Given the doom and gloom that the media seems intent on reporting most of the time...I feel a need for colour right now to give a bit more cheer and warmth to my surroundings.

It may just be a phase...but we'll see... ;-))

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My shop continues to have more than its fair share of colourful objects too, for those on a similar wavelength!

...Anyway, all of this waffling is my way of telling you about where the inspiration came from for my latest make-over project, which was this rather plain little cupboard given to me by a friend who thought I might be able to do something with it.

Its been made from hardboard on a wooden frame, (and has three little hardboard shelves inside) so really needed a makeover.

Anyone who has painted hardboard will know that it is prone to warping when wet, so unless you can thoroughly paint both sides to reduce this risk, it can be a bit of a gamble.

Besides, I had other plans...

I started by painting the wooden frame in a vibrant pink emulsion that I mixed myself.

Yes, I know its bright! :)

I waxed the surface to knock the colour back a little and to protect the paintwork.

Then the fun bit! I found this amazing vintage wallpaper at a car boot sale over the summer. I don't know the make of it, as it was just this half-roll that was available, but it has a very useful wipe-clean finish (almost like sticky-backed plastic) and a fantastic gypsy style design.

The smooth finish of the hardboard made the task of covering it quite straightforward. I used the paper on both of the sides, on the top and for the two door panels.

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I realise this won't be to everyone's taste, but it was fun to do and will surely bring a cheerful accent to a boudoir, bathroom or gypsy wagon!

A touch of black in an interior can work wonders to create depth and contrast...

But probably needs to be used in moderation...

I put my black china tea cups down somewhere, but now can't seem to find them...

You haven't seen them, have you?! ;-))

I added a small porcelain door knob...

Then it was off to the shop with it yesterday, where it now awaits a new owner who also embraces a touch of colour in their life.

Have a lovely weekend!
Niki x

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PS: Thank you to all who visited my on-line shop and for your interest in my calendars (details in previous post) - Your continued support means so much to me. I've started to dispatch orders, so hope you will be pleased with your purchases and will enjoy your new calendars throughout 2012!