House of Hawkes

Style file: Bamileke beauty

26/09/2013

I recently indulged in a little African decor love. It goes by the name of Bamileke. I first saw a Bamileke stool in a family friend’s home in South Africa what feels like a lifetime ago and have loved them ever since. They are widely used in South African decor and are particularly popular in luxury bush lodges. My first sightings of these little gems were generally always in dark wood finish, much like their natural state, but nowadays they’re transformed into every colour imaginable, making them even more appealing, although I am still a big fan of the stark…

Are you ready for Christmas?

23/09/2013

There’s nothing quite like receiving a card in the mail. And by mail, I mean good old-fashioned ‘snail mail’, the hand sorted and delivered kind, not an e-card in your Inbox. In this age of technology and electronic lifestyle, I agree that its difficult not to take the easy route, but if there is just one time of the year that’s worth going the extra mile for a personal touch, it would have to be Christmas… that is if you’re not planning a wedding this year! I’ve been working on a little portfolio of designs for the fast-approaching festive season…

She makes our world a whole lot nicer…

14/09/2013

My daughter came into this world on the morning of 3 July 2010, and she really has been making our world a whole lot nicer since that day. I saw a quote to this effect on a scatter cushion and thought that it would make a really cute print for wall art in a nursery or kids bedroom. There were so many options for the ‘main’ word in the quote. I considered ‘making this world a whole lot CUTER… or SWEETER… or BETTER…’ but finally settled on NICER. Once printed, I found an old IKEA frame and mounted the print…

DIY Kids inspirational poster

01/09/2013

I have seen so many of these inspirational posters around and I think they are a great option for wall art in kids rooms and family areas. I decided to make one for my son’s room, which was needing a little something on a blank bit of wall. Putting the design together was relatively simple but deciding how to display it was a whole separate mission. It’s not often that I grapple with indecision in the realms of decorating but I really went back and forth on this one…. no idea why, I just did. So the options were: block…