Home Tour: Colourful London Houseboat

Photography | Alun Callender

Have you ever considered living on a houseboat? I don't think I ever have until I saw this delightful tour of author Josie Curran's houseboat on the Thames in London. Shot by photographer Alun Callender, the houseboat packs a punch of colour with pretty, colourful vignettes and bold hits of pattern. I really like how Josie has mixed old, vintage pieces in with more modern designs. The bedroom has a very relaxing feel to it and the right-on-the-water decked area is certainly very appealing, but it's the cosy, colourful dining area that wins out for me. What do you like about Josie Curran's houseboat?

Three Inspirations: Blue Sofa / Yellow Fire Surround / Dotty Throw

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First up in this week's Three Inspirations post is a divine living room that has been furnished with a bold, blue sofa and accessorised with mustard yellow cushions that makes a winning colour combination. Up next is the yellow fire surround, which is a fine example of how to make a statement with colour without painting a feature wall. Finally, I couldn't help but smile when I saw the dotty bedspread; there's something Alice in Wonderland about it, don't you think? Room number one gets my vote (those exposed bricks pushed it over in pole position) but which space do you like best?

Fired Earth's Mid-Century Modern Paints

You may remember a recent post on Crown paint's vintage paint range that was created to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain? Well, upscale (and ever-so-tempting) brand Fired Earth also created a range of colours to celebrate the historic event. The capusle collection by Kevin McCloud is made up of six bold and optimistic hues that capture the Mid-Century spirit, and I think they are some of Fired Earth's best colours yet. My favourite is Race Yellow (5), closely followed by South Bank (4) - which hue would you decorate with?