We are back in Norway after 3 weeks in England over Christmas. We spent most of the time in England indoors and under lock down. But luckily, we had one day early in our stay where we were able to explore Hampshire and its cute cottages and country houses.
Shopping in New Alresford
This time, we visited New Alresford, a small market town in the City of Winchester. The town can be traced back to the 11th or 12th century, but there have been people living in the area since the Bronze and Iron Age. Most of the houses that are in the town today are from the 18th century, since wars in 17th century burnt down most of the town.
The town was known for selling wool and leather and has a long heritage. It also has a steam railway station where the Watercress Line runs today. The town has a T-like structure with lovely Georgian style houses and there is a river at the bottom of the T.
Here are some pictures from the visit of houses and shop interiors. I hope you like them.
Decorative Place Mats
I love place mats. Decorative place mats are not used that much in Scandinavia, but heavily used in the UK. They bring so much character to a table. The best way to add place mats like this to a table is to have a theme – it could be complimentary shapes, colours, or items on the placemat.
Stoned Marble
Stoned Marble is a timeless element to add into a home. It’s a hard and clod feature, but also clean and light in colour. I really like adding marble to the kitchen since it can break up a room that tends to have a lot of colour and texture.
Red velvet
Red velvet makes anything feel luxurious. A great fabric to use when storing jewellery or for the inside of draws.
Warm yellows and greens always work well together, especially in a Georgian home.
Blanket on sofa
I love the way we can add a blanket to a sofa to break up the colours, but also protect at the same time the sofa fabric. This is done brilliantly here with adding pillows to support the colour transition between the blanket and the sofa
Adding Oriental items
I love the use of oriental and exotic items in a home and how you can mix and match them with what you already have. One way you can add oriental items to your decor could be to find a transitional theme, for example in this case, nature and colours compliment and build synergy.
Mixing patterns
This picture is a great example of using different patterns and how you can make them all work together. Different patterns create depth to the home. The key here are the colours – you can see the reds in the ottoman that are also reflected in the pillows, blankets and the berries. The yellows and orange on the sofa, pillows, chairs, ottoman, lamp and rug. Even green is used multiple times in pillows, decorative items and garland. The green breaks up the reds, orange and yellows as the accent colour in this room.
What a lovely room with yellow wallpaper on white walls and with oak floor. All in warm colours.
Decorative lamps
Amazing lamps with so much character. If you want to add lamps like these to your home, you should also consider using complimentary colours that work well with the lamps. Avoid using lots of pattern next to the lamp – instead, you could try to use a table cloth that is plain in one of the colours featured on the lamp. This will enable your eyes to naturally transition between the items and patterns in the room.
Antique finds
The above picture is from a local antique shop. I love buying 2nd hand, it can really make a difference to a home adding items with history.
Unfortunately, my suitcase was already full of Christmas presents, so I was not able to bring much back to Norway. So it will have to wait until next time! It’s definitely not the last time I will visit this charming town.
What inspiration does your local town provide for your interior design ideas and projects?
