All my books and TV projects have always started at a grass roots level rather than in a media corporations ‘brain-storm’ session and I think it is that authenticity and representation of your voices and projects that has found such…
For a style up, mixing older pieces with contemporary ones, is always a chance to create a bit of excitement and works well whether we are talking clothes or interiors. At the lovely Regency house that the Hempsall/Harrimans own in…
Although I must have styled a good few kitchens, and certainly looked at and written about at least 50 during the process of writing ‘my cool kitchen’ the past few weeks have given me the great opportunity of actually designing…
This week the new series of Amazing Spaces begins. It’s an exciting time for the team and myself as we’ve worked so hard pulling it together for your viewing pleasure and it’s wonderful to see the final production. George Clarke…
This boat featured more fully in ‘my cool houseboat’ was truly a project and a half, salvaged, restored and re-fitted, with a battering from Hurricane Sandy along the way. Originally built in the more decadent times of 1986 as a Goldman…
This little narrow boat embodies the spirit of Parisien chic: cinematic, film noir, dark walls, twinkling lights, mystery, and exquisitely good taste. Light industrial accents pepper the space but don’t define it – this space is not about fads or trend,…
Working from home is a familiar arrangement for many of us. But what if that home is a 60ft narrow boat and working from home is actually running a bookshop within? The journalist and shopkeeper Sarah Henshaw has done just…
Across both projects that keep us busy here in the office – the ‘my cool’ book series and ‘George Clarkes Amazing Spaces’ – the pursuit of a good visual image is never far from the conversation. High quality cool photography…
Make It Yours Injecting some of your personality and character into the space is key. Abigail Ahearn, the style maven whose kitchen we feature in the book describes it as ‘the room we forget to decorate’ – very true words….
I wanted to take a bit of time out of book writing and film scheduling to share a few inspirations I have collected along the way for anyone currently thinking about re-styling their own small kitchen. So if you are…
While working on Amazing Spaces with George Clarke, as well as my own projects, I have seen a huge variety of small spaces. It never ceases to amaze me how inventive people are when designing and creating an amazing space,…
My latest book… my cool kitchen, is a ‘feel good’ style guide to unique and inspirational kitchens. It is all about interiors - starting with the kitchens that have personality and authenticity. These are spaces that are not something straight…
Apart from being a whole lot of fun there is definitely something about this time of year that allows some reflection and a bit of space to emerge for fresh thinking. We’ve been undertaking a major office tidy up and…
It’s a pretty crazy busy time of year here in the ‘my cool’ office. I hope that you are enjoying watching series 4 of ‘Amazing Spaces’ have you a favourite build so far? We have a particularly good line up…
I’m excitedly getting ready for the launch of my new book later this week - my cool kitchen - and it got me thinking about the process of making each book and how myself, the photographer - Richard - and everyone…
On a recent photo shoot of the Tin Tent for the new Amazing Spaces book I had a conversation with Ben Anders, an outstanding photographer I have the pleasure of working with on the project, about the growing trend of glamping. We talked…
Starting any project brings its challenges, but no more so than for the contributors to George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces, many of whom start planning their projects in the depths of winter. This is also done whilst having to fit their…
I will be hanging out with lovers of all things Cath Kidston this weekend talking about Shed Chic (details are below). I’m excited and would love to see you there… it seems like ages…. mainly because I have been on…
George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces Sky Den Treehouse was a pleasure to work on, and the team together did the most wonderful job. Here is a collection of images of the finished space, together with a free digital download giving details…
There is no doubt that the ‘Steampunk Victorian time machine’ styled theatre featured in Amazing Spaces TV series and the book have drawn inspiration from Jeules Verne and Lemony Snickets, and have come up with something both unique and fantastical….
Amongst vintage caravan aficionados the ‘Coventry Knight’ has almost mythical status. Hugely sought after, and with few of them still in circulation, they have a scale and grandeur beyond the normal. These are facts well known to Esme Worrell, the…
I’ve always had a quiet obsession with dogs on wheels. As a child I was insanely jealous of my sister’s wire-haired fox terrier on red wheels with a red handle. It was second hand when she got it, so even…
While I was writing the book with George Clarke, to accompany the Amazing Spaces series, I thought a lot about inspirations that others could use to jump into their own life-changing projects. Many of these ideas came from the courageous…
Vintage clothes shopping has an excitement beyond the normal. Part of its appeal is that you never know quite what you are going to find. It is an adventure. It can also be terrifying if you do not understand exactly…
Adam’s 1982 West Midlands metro double decker bus can’t help but be a funky place. As a vehicle for mass transportation it had had its day, but as a super cool holiday home it was just beginning when Adam decided…
When you invite someone into your amazing space, whether it is your own home or a business venture, you have to think about everything your guests need during their stay with you. This is exactly what David and Karen do…
If you heard about a barman who bought a dilapidated Land Rover and planned to convert it into a cocktail bar then you would be forgiven for thinking he’d probably had one too many. However, this is exactly what Rew…
The Exbury Egg is the most awesome looking thing, floating on the water, what could strike you as something surreal, but in reality it is just beautiful. It is so unexpected you find that you just accept it and stare…
You’ve told us that you want to watch Amazing Spaces and flick through the pages of the book… but how about listening to the Amazing Spaces music too? We traveled a lot making this show. The whole crew, including the…
It’s been an exciting time in the Amazing Spaces and my cool offices. We are just about finished up filming series 2 for Channel 4, which will be revealed on October 24, swiftly followed by Amazing Spaces the book published…
Whether its a caravan, campervan, apartment, shed or similar, there are simple ideas that can be introduced to help make small space living easy and convenient. Here is a collection of some of the ideas and strategies I have found…
When you are designing, styling or updating a small space - whether it’s in a caravan, campervan, shed, hut or apartment - it’s wise to include as one of your small space strategies the use of multi-purpose furniture. When space…
While working on Amazing Spaces and my own books, I have become increasingly aware of the small space design revolution currently underway. As property becomes more expensive and resources more scarce, there are individuals who are cleverly making the most…
In the words of Stuart and Teresa, owners of the lovely Mr Baldwin, campervans have the nickname of ‘friend magnets’. Thinking of that got me reminiscing of my time with them while we were filming a trailer for my cool campervan with…
This week I had to research Airstreams for a job I’m involved with. As I was browsing information about them on the Internet I started wondering how they have managed to survive so many decades of style and maintain their…
A charming and quite ordinary garden shed witnessed the early days of a bright and talented British Actor and Musician, Sam Palladio and friend of all things ‘my cool..’ It began its life during World War I as an army…
Myrtle is a 1964 Dodge Travco motorhome. However, the owners have made her into more than just a motorhome, as she’s now a mobile museum in homage to the glorious “glamping” of yesteryear. The Dodge Travco has a shape reminiscent…
A piece of Great British history has found a new lease of life thanks to artist Ian Lettice, who saw beauty in an abandoned air raid shelter in Putney Southwest London. Instead of seeing the ‘candy floss’ of spiders’ webs…
It’s always a lovely thing to share ideas, although of course this topic is far deeper than I can cover in just one blog post, but here is an overview of the design ethos I have used for my books…
In 2006 Jane Field-Lewis began the creation of the ‘My Cool…’ lifestyle and interior book series. Each is a collection of outdoors life and cool personal spaces, as seen through images of caravan, campervan and shed interiors.
